Beldazar had been incredibly bored waiting for Brendon to make any of the three wishes he didn't know he had. Instead, the boy just kept throwing his own ball and catching it, bouncing it against the ceiling every now and then, looking like he had something to say to anyone who would listen. Eventually, still believing himself to be alone, he finally spoke up and just talked to himself.
"Mom's gonna flip when she finds that report card in the box. So much for keeping my spot on the lacrosse team. So much for my full ride scholarship to her precious alma mater that I didn't wanna attend anyway! I just don't even know why I bother sometimes."
Oh, cool, a sulking teenager, thought Beldazar. I've heard they're like the holy grail of wish makers.
They both looked up when the sound of claws scratching on wood filled the room. Brendon laid the bouncy ball on the counter and got up to open his bedroom door. His young, friendly, hyperactive Australian cattle dog Triksi bounded in the open door, jumped up on him with her front paws, and rolled over for him to rub her belly.
"Who's a good girl, Triksi? You want the ball? Want the ball? Go get it!" Brendon picked it up and tossed it across the room, and Triksi pounced on it, bringing it back in her slobbering mouth.
Brendon laughed. "You're lucky you don't have to go to high school, Triksi. I wish I could just stay home with you all day. We'd have so much fun together, wouldn't we, girl?"
Perfect! The moment Beldazar was waiting for. He rubbed his hands, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, feeling his brand new genie power flow out of him for the first time.