Ben gazed around, hoping that Winnie had seen Team Black's first victory.
To his surprise, she was hurrying toward him with a worried look.
"Ben! Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Ben gulped. What did she want to talk to him about? His eyes flicked to Zork.
Serena rushed toward him too.
"Actually, we need to talk to you."
She pointed toward a quiet spot under a tree. "Over there."
Ben followed the witches. He was so nervous, he thought he'd explode.
"Winnie, what's up?"
"We think Team Orange may be cheating!"
"Whew!" Ben blew out a sigh of relief. "Is that all?"
Winnie blinked in surprise.
"Did you hear what I said, Ben? We think Team Orange is cheating," she repeated.
"As in, breaking the rules so they can win Field Day."
Serena looked back and forth from Winnie to Ben.
"I think he thought you were going to break up with him, Winnie. Am I right, Ben?"
Blushing, Ben nodded.
"Huh? Why in the world would you think that?" Winnie asked.
"Because you've been talking to Zork for the past two days," Ben said.
"And you've been ignoring me."
Winnie shook her head in confusion.
"We can talk about that later. Right now we have to tell you what Serena heard!"
Serena leaned forward.
"I heard a rumor that Zork made some cuts in the rope with his claw during the tug-of-war."
"That's a huge accusation," Ben said.
"You can't accuse someone of cheating based on a rumor. You need actual proof."
"We have other proof," Serena said.
"Right before Mog's sack ripped, I saw Brunhilda mumbling to herself," Winnie said.
"I'd bet my favorite broomstick that she was casting a spell."
"She was mumbling right before Waldo got itchy too," Serena added.
"And I suspect that she's going to try to use magic in the cross-country race as well."
Ben stared at the two witches. "Even if this stuff is true, what can we do about it?"
"We can talk to Mr. Freaky.
Maybe he can take a closer look at the rope," Winnie said.
"And we can tell some teachers to watch Team Orange during the final race." Serena scowled.
"Ugh! I hate cheaters."
"Some of the cross-country race goes through the woods," Ben said.
"It won't be easy to keep an eye on all the runners at the same time."
Anger flashed in Winnie's green eyes.
"I don't think all the runners have to be watched. Just two of them!"
Ben nodded, and Winnie and Serena hurried off to talk to Mr. Freaky.
Ben returned to his team and told them what the witches had reported.
Waldo shook his head. "I can't believe Zork and Brunhilda would do that."
"Yeah," Mog said. "Zork is a really good athlete. Doesn't he want to win fairly?"
"Field Day is supposed to be fun," Jen said.
"It's not supposed to be all about winning."
Ben looked down, feeling embarrassed.
Like Zork, he'd been thinking a lot about winning today too.
He'd wanted to beat Zork. "At least I never considered cheating," he thought.
Mr. Gwarg was getting ready to start the race.
"We'll keep an eye on those two as we run," Mog said.
"But we still have to win, you guys.
So remember to keep running, no matter what."
"Or keep floating!" Pixel said, grinning at Ben.
Deb had been quiet. "I'd never cheat," she said quietly.
"But I'm going to watch for ways to outsmart them."
Soon Mr. Gwarg was directing the runners to the starting point.
The race would go around the school and then into the woods before returning to the school grounds and the finish line.
"Remember to stay on the course," the teacher said.
"Ready . . . set . . . go!"
As Ben zoomed off, he shot a quick look at his teammates.
The best runners on Team Black were Deb and Mog.
Ben could float very fast, but it was going to be a huge challenge for him to beat Team Orange.
Their runners were already off to a strong start.
Scampering on all fours, Lon had shot to a quick lead.
Gaby's long legs were helping to keep her in second place.
Zork and Mog came next, with Ben, Cleo, Carly, and Deb close behind.
That left Pixel, Waldo, Brunhilda, and Jen bringing up the rear.
The runners circled the school, keeping their positions.
So far Ben hadn't seen any signs of cheating.
"But that could change," he thought, especially once they entered the woods.