104R 19: The Invitation.
UK London, England
Back in London, England, a red bus drove up beside the property of De ViL Manor. The door slid open and Keegan exited the vehicle.
"Thanks, mister." Said Keegan before running towards the De ViL castle-like mansion. As the boy ran towards the house, he saw a man up ahead, standing at the front double doors. Wondering why this man was here, the Canada-born kid rushed towards him. "Hey, mister!"
The man turnned to see a boy, with long brown hair and blue eyes, running up towards him. The child ran up to him and the two them faced each other. "Why, hello there, little lad. Where did you come from?" He asked in a british accent.
"I just got off the bus. Are you here to see my parents?" Keegan asked.
"Why, yes, as a matter of fact, i am. Are they home, by any chance?" The man asked.
"Well, my Dad isn't, but, my stepmother might be." Said Keegan.
"Good. I'm here in the name of the King and Queen." Said the man.
"What?" Keegan asked, with a weird expression on his face.
The man reached into his bookbag and got out an envelope. "An urgent message from his imperial majesty. See to it that your stepmother gets it, won't you?" He said, handing the envelope to the boy before he started walking off.
"Yes. I will. Thank you, sir." Said Keegan as he waved goodbye to the man. The boy then looked at sealed envelope. "Urgent? What could be so important that it couldn't wait till in the morning?"
"Hey, Keegan." Said Dice, Mickey and Max, who were standing in front of the boy, with Olive and Copper at their side.
"Oh, hey, you guys." Said Keegan before turnning his attention back to the envelope. "AH! You guys! What are you doing here?! If my Dad or stepmother sees you, i'll never get to see you again!" He paniced.
"It was his idea. He wanted to see the house you and your family were living in." Said Dice, pointing at Copper with his paw.
"And from the looks of it, it's really creepy." Said Mickey.
"This is super spooky, yo. Who'd wanna live here?" Dice said.
"That's because this house use to belong to the late Cruella De ViL before she died a year ago." Said Keegan.
"What?! This is Cruella's house?" Mickey asked.
"That answered my question." Said Dice.
"Well, that explains it." Said Max. The eight week old pup then noticed the envelope Keegan was holding. "Hey, what's with the envelope?"
"Oh, a man just stopped by a minute ago and handed me this. He said it was an urgent message from the king and queen." Said Keegan.
"What could be so urgent that it couldn't wait till morning?" Max asked.
"Well, one way to find out, i guess. I wonder if my stepmother is at home?" The boy opened the right door, and black cigarrette smoke greeted him and the puppies. "(Caughing) Yep. She's home." The kid and the pups were then greeted at the door by the sound of horrible singing. "And Adriana and Donna are here with her." The child looked at the envelope again. "Maybe i should interrupt the music lesson." Said Keegan.
"Music? Are you kidding me? That's not making music, that's making noise." Said Dice.
"Can we come inside too? Please?" Mickey asked.
"Are you crazy? If my stepmother or stepsisters see you, they'll freak. And then they'll tell Dad and then they'll call the pound and then i'll never see you guys again." Said Keegan.
"Relaz, Keegan. Your stepmother can't do anything to us...if she doesn't know we're here. As long as we stay out of sight and don't let anyone know of our presence, we're not in any danger." Said Max.
"Yeah, that's true. Alright, you can come in. But just to look at the house. After that, it's back to the Second Chance Shelter, got it?" Said Keegan.
"Yeah, we got it." Said Dice.
"Good. Stay close to me and don't wonder off." Keegan and the pups headed inside the Manor and the boy closed the door behind them.
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Meanwhile, up stairs in a room, Linda was sitting at a creepy black piano, playing it, while Donna was singing and Adriana was playing a floot.
Donna: "Sing, sweet nightingale. Hi-i-i-i-i-i-i-i..."
As she played the floot, Adriana used it to bump Donna's chin underneath.
"You clumsy!" Donna said as she snatched the floot away from Adriana, hitting her on the head with it.
"OW!" Said Adriana.
"You did it on purpose!" Said Donna.
Adriana snatched the floot back and hit Donna on the head with it. "It's her fault!"
The two Tremaine sisters then started to bicker with each other.
"Girls, girls!" Said Linda, getting the sisters' attention. "Remember...above all, self-control.
"Sorry, mother." Said Adriana and Donna.
Linda proceeded to play the piano again, but was interupted by the sound of a knock at the door. The british woman slammed her hands down on the piano keys. "YES!" She shouted as she turnned to see Keegan opening the door and entering inside the room. "Lewis! I warned you never to interupt my..."
"But this just arrived from the palace." Said Keegan, showing the envelope.
"From the palace?!" Adriana and Donna gasped as they rushed over to Keegan.
"Give it here!" Said Donna, snatching the envelope out of Keegan's hand.
"Let me have it!" Said Adriana as she grabbed the envelope from Donna.
"No, stop! Give that back!" Donna ordered as she and Adriana fought over the envelope.
Linda then ceased the envelope from her two quarreling daughters. "I'll read it."
Dice, Mickey, Max, Olive and Copper stood outside the room, with Copper leaned up against the double left door, standing on his hindlegs, listening in on the conversation.
"What's going on? What are they saying?" Dice asked.
"Shh! Quiet." Said Copper as he continued listening in on the conversation, with his paws and left ear pressed up against the door.
"Well...there's to be a Ball at the Buckingham Palace tomorrow night." Said the voice of Linda inside the room.
"A Ball?" Adriana and Donna gasped.
"In honor of his hiness, the prince." Said Linda.
"Oh! The prince!" Adriana and Donna gasped.
"By royal comand, every eligable citizen in London, man, woman and child, is to attend." Said Linda.
"Why that's us!" Said Donna.
"And i'm so eligable!" Adriana added.
"Then that means aunt Candace and i can go too!" Said Keegan.
"Ha! That's Candace girl dancing with the prince? Hahahahaha!" Donna laughed.
"I'd be honored, your hiness. Would you mind holding my broom?" Adriana joked before she and Donna started laughing together.
"Well...why not? After all, she's still a member of the family. And it says 'by royal comand, every eligable citizen in London is to attend." Said Keegan.
"Yes...so it does." Said Linda, looking at the piece of paper that had been sent to her from the palace. "Well, i see no reason why you can't go and your aunt Candace can't attend."
"What?!" Adriana and Donna gasped.
"If you get all your work done tomorrow." Said Linda.
A smile appeared on Keegan's face. "Oh, i will. I promise."
"And if your aunt can find something suitable to wear." Said Linda.
"I'm sure she can. Oh, thank you, stepmother." Said Keegan before exiting the room and closing the door behind him.
"Mother! Do you realize what you just said?!" Said Donna.
"Of course...i said...'IF.' Said Linda.
"Oh...if." Said Adriana before she and Donna started laughing.
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"Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is super fly, yo! You've been invited to the London Ball?" Said Dice as he and the other four pups stood outside the house with Keegan.
"Everyone in London's invited. That means i can go too...once i've gotton all my work done, that is." Said Keegan.
"Work? What work?" Mickey asked.
"I have to do chores around the house tomorrow before i can go to the Ball. My stepmother said." Said Keegan.
"Now that's just mean." Said Dice.
"Yes, it is! Making you do all the work around the house and none herself!" Said Max.
"Yeah, but what choice do i have. I mean...it's either chores or no Ball. It's as simple as that." Said Keegan.
"KEEGAN! GET UP HERE! NOW!" Came the screaming voice of Linda from inside the house.
"Coming!" Keegan turnned back to the puppies. "Duty calls. I'll see you guys tomorrow. We'll talk then. You do know your way back to the Second Chance Shelter, right?"
"Yeah." Said Dice, Mickey and Max.
Olive and Copper barked once, meaning 'yes'.
"Good. Head back to the shelter for tonight and i'll see you tomorrow." Said Keegan before going back inside the Manor.
"It's really sad that you and Keegan have to see each other in private just to avoid his stepmother and stesisters." Said Mickey to Copper.
"The dudes just need help. Maybe we can help them." Said Dice.
"No, no, no, i couldn't ask you guys to do that." Said Copper.
"It's no trouble at all, Cop. We're gonna help you and Keegan weather you like it or not." Said Max.
"Guys, we have to get back home to Kansas. We don't have time to help anyone." Said Mickey.
"Well, sometimes helping others is the surest way to help yourself." Said Max.
"The Max dude is correct-o." Said Dice.
"All in favor of helping Keegan and Copper, say 'I.'" Said Max.
Dice: "I."
Mickey: "I."
Max: "I."
"Okay, it's decided. We'll stay and help Keegan and Copper." Said Max.
"But why, Max. Why do you feel this sudden need to help us?" Copper asked.
"Call me crazy,...but while we were inside the house, listening in on Keegan's family's conversation,...i sensed an evil presence coming from the other side of the doors. I haven't felt that kind of presence since Stacy and Cruella. And since Cruella's gone, and Stacy's in prison, i have to asume that...Keegan's stepmother and stepsisters are the evil ones." Said Max.
"Where exactly are you getting at?" Copper asked.
"Call it dog's intuition...but i think you and Keegan might be in danger." Said Max.
"Danger? What kind of danger? Keegan's stepmother?" Copper asked.
"No." Said Max.
"Then who?" Copper asked.
"I don't know, Copper...i just don't know." Said Max. The eight week old pup didn't have all the answers, but he knew this: Something was going on with this Keegan and his stepmother and the Miller pups were determined to figure out what it was. The boy and his dog were in serious danger and needed to be safe and out of harm's way, and that wouldn't happen as long as Keegan's stepmother was in the picture and this unknown threat was out there.
The five Dalmatians then walked away from the house, heading back to the dog shelter. Little did they know they were being watched.
Very, very closely.
104
DALMATIANS
RETURNS
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