Lakeview County | Episode 3 {Season 1} | While Charlie Was Gone...

Last week, on Lakeview County...

"You know, I bet you couldn't go a day without bossing everyone around."

Charlie slowly smiled as she considered the dare.

"OK... but if I can go one whole day, then you will clean under your bed, like I asked you to last week."

Taryn laughed. "If you can do this, I'll clean the whole house!"

"Deal."

~~~

Charlie had left the house, and hopefully the temptation to be in charge, just as Taryn had hoped.

"Well, Claire," Taryn said excitedly, "It's finally time."

Claire looked confused.

"Time for... cookies?"  Claire asked.

"Um, no. But I would take a cookie." 

Once Taryn had eaten her cookie, she smiled at her sister, "My friend, it's time to complete my masterpiece! My rocket ship!"

Carrie spoke up from where she sat across for her friend, Molly. "You have a rocket ship?!"

"Well," Taryn stalled, "Not yet, but soon."

"You built a rocket ship?!" Claire cried, "How did you even get the parts for something like that?"

"That's the point. I need a few more pieces to complete it." Taryn explained, "I need some help to get them..."

"What kind of help?" Claire asked suspiciously.

"I need help to move the time machine."

Needless to say, Claire reacted badly to that statement.

Taryn was supposed to have destroyed that creation years ago.

"Where even is it?!" Claire asked when she had calmed down a little. 

Taryn grinned mischievously. "Look behind you." 

Claire sighed as she found the time machine's monitor hidden under family photos. "Today has the promise of being very interesting."

~~~

"So when you said you needed some parts from the 'fridge' you really meant all of the insides?" Claire asked sarcastically.

The time machine/fridge lay on the lawn looking distinctly dilapidated being both empty of food and mechanics.

"Doesn't matter," Taryn said pulling down her, self-proclaimed, 'cool science glasses', as her frayed lab coat whipped in the wind, "Now keep the camera on me."

"I hate to burst your bubble," Claire said as she trained her phone camera on the rocket ship, "But I really don't think that thing is going to reach escape velocity."

Molly popped out from behind the shuttle where she had been checking the wiring. "Actually, it's theoretically sound. In theory, it should work."

"I love the idea of space travel." Carrie said dreamily, "I think it's wonderful."

"Well whatever it is, it's going to be viral." Claire snickered, "For distinction or disaster."

"And the best part?" Taryn pulled the focus back to herself, "This, Apollo 18, is going to be the first space craft to take an under qualified doll to the moon."

"You?" Claire guessed with a laugh.

"Nope." Taryn said, looking at Carrie.

~~~

Molly shook Carrie's hand. Molly was afraid she might never see her little sister again. What if she was lost in space?

Molly, not surprisingly, could easily calculate the probability of such a disaster. 

"Well, Molly, Taryn and I are taking one small step for dolls, but one even smaller step for humans." Carrie said with a laugh.

Molly smiled.

Who cares about probability, anyways?

Taryn and Claire were having a much less touching talk.

"Claire, I already told you, people have thought that milk would be a good fuel source for years!" Taryn said defensively.

"You're still wrong, no matter how many times you say it!" Claire argued.

"Whatever." Taryn rolled her eyes, "I didn't ask you anyways. I got a professional opinion on the matter."

"Molly is not a professional."

Molly and Carrie's arrival prevented Taryn's response.

"Are we ready for launch?" Molly asked.

"You could say that." Claire replied.

"OK then." Molly said, ignoring Claire sarcasm, "Load up, guys."

"Ready to see a new world?" Taryn asked, almost as dramatically as her friend Ruthie fainted.

"I hope so." Carrie answered.

"Initiating launch." Molly intoned, "Be prepared, you two may pass out as you leave the atmosphere. Now, beginning count down."

Claire sighed, then said as quickly as possible, "3,2,1, GO!"

Taryn felt the jolt of sudden movement as Claire hit the launch button. The smell of the fuel igniting stung her nose, and she heard Molly and Claire's whoops of excitement, then a few moments later both of the craft's passengers passed out.

~~~

Taryn groaned as she came to.

"Carrie?" She called groggily, "Where are you?"

Carrie sat up rubbing her sore head, "Yeah, I'm right here. Are you OK?"

"Yes," Taryn nodded, "But where are we?"

The two girls stood up and looked around as they slowly remembered the rocket ship.

The rocket ship that was going to take them to the moon.

They gasped. "We've crashed on the moon!"

"We must have ejected by accident!" Taryn cried, "We have to find the ship before we run out of oxygen!"

"When did the moon get trees?" Carrie muttered before she scrambled up a tall one.

"Can you see the ship?" Taryn called.

Carrie shook her head, and Taryn groaned.

"But I do see your house." Carrie said helpfully.

"Carrie," Taryn sighed tiredly, "We are literally on the moon. You. Can. Not. See. MY. HOUSE!"

"Yes, I can. Come look."

Taryn climbed up above Carrie and looked where Carrie was pointing.

"Well, what do you know? I can see my house from here."

Suddenly the two astronauts in the tree heard the last thing they had expected to hear.

Laughter. 

"Claire?! Molly?!" Carrie shouted in surprise, "What are you guys doing here? What happened."

"You guys got knocked out, and Molly and I thought it would be a good joke to drag you guys out here and record your reaction." Claire said as she waved her phone in front of them, "You guys are going to be viral on YouTube."

"OK, one, don't you dare post that, Two, what happened to the space ship?" Taryn said seriously.

~~~

"No." Taryn moaned as she surveyed the wreckage of her masterpiece. 

"What happened?" Carrie asked.

"Well, it turns out milk fuel in an engine made of flammable materials doesn't work half as well as you'd think." Molly replied. 

"It got about four feet off the ground, then the engine caught on fire, and it hit the ground. We had to pull you guys out before the whole thing went up in smoke."

"Yeah, you two got knocked out when it fell." Claire added, "Then we just figured while we were dragging you, another couple hundred feet couldn't hurt."

Taryn groaned again.

"Oh well." Molly shrugged, "I guess that's the end of that."

"Um... not quite." Taryn's face went red. "See, I was kind of counting on this to work, so that Charlie wouldn't be mad at me for taking apart her fridge..."

"Are you saying," Claire started quietly, getting louder with every word, "That you used the fridge for parts without asking Charlie?!"

"Well, I didn't ask Charlie, because I already knew the answer."

"You mean Charlie is going to be mad at all of us for this?" Carrie asked, the concern in her voice evident.

"No, don't worry, I'll take full responsibility for this." Taryn said heroically, "I'll take whatever the punishment may be."

"You might not have to." Molly said, "I think I can fix it."

~~~

"Almost there." Molly said, guiding Claire and Taryn as they pushed the fridge back into place.

"She's coming!" Carrie, who was their lookout, cried. "Hurry up."

"OK, tell us when she's coming in." Molly replied quickly.

The three girls stood back and surveyed their work proudly... until the fridge started shaking.

Everyone dove for cover as the doors flew open, and the fridge spewed parts all over the kitchen.

"Really Molly? You just shoved the pieces inside?"

"You guys were rushing me!"

The last few gears rolled to a stop as Charlie opened the door and stepped inside.

"Um, she's here." Carrie squeaked.

Charlie was speechless.

Charlie walked over to the fridge, now devoid of all contents, and looked inside, too stunned to say anything... yet.

"Taryn." Charlie growled as Afton and June followed her with gasps of surprise. "What did you do?"

Carrie, Molly, and even Claire felt bad for Taryn, taking the blame on this one could be hazardous to her health.

"Charlie," Taryn said as she glanced meaningfully at Claire. Claire nodded to her, communicating that it would be better to tell the truth.

Charlie raised her eyebrow. "Well?"

"Charlie," Taryn took a deep breath, "Would you believe this wasn't my idea?"

Claire rolled her eyes. "My hero."

The End