1. Romancing the Apocalypse Chapter 16 âThree Lakes
Welcome back to Romancing the Apocalypse! Chapter 15 ended with Romance twins Robin and Rachel as reluctant participants in a
family getaway to Three Lakes, delaying their eagerly anticipated, and increasingly desperate, arrival at University. Will they be able to
endure seven more days of clueless parents and three young siblings?
Pinstarâs complete Apocalypse Challenge, including the Apoca-borgâs new set of rules for FreeTime, Apartment Life, and Mansion & Garden
can be found at http://apocalypsechallenge.boolprop.com.
2. First day: getting settled.
Former Rock God Mark was immediately drawn to the piano, of course.
3. âAll the things we can eat, and you pick burgers,â Robin teased.
âThey just sounded good. I think the mountain air is making me extra hungry,â Rachel said with a shrug.
4. Rhea had become obsessed with cops and robbers, and dragged Juno and Jenny into the game whenever possible.
âPow-pow, youâre dead!â
âNuh-uh, you missed.â
5. âI didnât miss. Youâre dead.â
âHow come the cops always have to die?â
âItâs not my fault you canât get a shot off.â
6. âOne of these days the good guysâll win.â
âBut not today.â
7. Juno had been killed so many times, he was becoming an expert at it.
8. âRachel and I are going to go out for a while.â
âOkay, but itâs our first night here, so not for too long. Say, be back by ten?â
9. The twinsâ first order of business was to find cell phones.
âCell phones? Around here? Thatâs a good one!â
âWhat is this place, a hundred years ago?â
âDonât ya know, people come here to get away from the trappings of civilization?â
âYeah, whatever... come on, Rach.â
11. âWe canât even get this lame-o trip started with a piddly 500-point aspiration boost.â
âAnd look around, thereâs no one even here. Of all the places to go on vacation, they had to pick the lamest.â
âAnd they did this for us? Thatâs a joke. Twikkii wouldâve been so much better.â
12. âDo marshmallows grow on twigs here? What, are you eight?â
âItâs the finest delicacy in the region, donât ya know.â
14. âThat cashier wasnât bad. Did you get his number?â
âDidnât think about it... too ticked about the cell phones.â
âYeah.â
â...Well, I guess itâs time for the goody-goody twins to go home and beddy-bye.â
15. âNo cell phones... uuuhhhh!â
Robin grabbed her injured foot and glancing around, half hopped, half slinked back to the cabin.
16. Morning dawned bright and sunny. The smell of pancakes and the plink of piano keys wafted through the air. A good romance was
found in the bookcase.
19. âWhoâs hogging the bathroom?â
âRhea and Jenny... I think theyâre gonna be a while.â
âWhatâs gonna take a while?â
âTheyâre playing.â
âThey cannot play in the only bathroom. Tell them to play somewhere else.â
âNuh-uh, not me. Iâm sick of dying.â
21. âWould you and Rachel mind taking the little ones out today? Your dad is catching up on his Zâs â he was up all night with the piano.â
âSo we heard.â
âYou must understand how exciting it is for him to have this rare opportunity to get back into his music.â
Robin shrugged. âSure.â
âI can go with you, of course.â
Robin weighed the pros and cons and concluded that her mom would be a much bigger drag on their good time than the little guys.
âRachel and I can take them. You look kinda tired yourself.â
âI was up all night, too. I admit it was pretty exciting for me to watch him in action. Such a shame he canât perform music professionally
at home...â
âDo you want us back at any particular time?â
âMm, no,â Jane said blithely. âYouâve proven that I can trust your judgment.â
âTheyâll be in very good hands.â
22. âDa-ad! Wake up! We wanna go out!â
Jane called from the door, âHoney, let your dad sleep.â
âBut itâs...â
âRhea, come here. Would you like to go out today and see some really great stuff with your sisters?â
Rheaâs eyes lit up, and she ran toward the sound of her sistersâ voices.
23. âWhere are we going?â Rhea asked.
âHow about weâll start walking and stop wherever it looks good?â
âOkay.â
24. Rhea of course insisted on leading the way. Juno and Jenny scrambled to keep up.
âHey, keep where we can see you,â Rachel called.
Robin sashayed happily after Rachel. She took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. âSmell those pines, sis.â
Rachel breathed in happily too. âMm. I wish we could bottle it up and take it back home.â
âYeah. The whole day to ourselves... well, close enough, right?â
âJust need to park the kids where theyâll be happy enough to keep out of our way, then...â Rachel turned and winked at Robin.
25. It was getting late in the afternoon by the time they arrived at Lumber Mill Range.
Robin headed straight for the axe throwing pit and introduced herself to a boy named Gordon Nott. As seems to be typical with
townies on vacation, he was just getting ready to leave. She wanted to make sure this one at least did not get away.
âPlease say you have a phone so I can call you later,â she said with a winning smile.
âI do, and Iâd like that. Maybe weâll see each other around, too.â
âGreat!â
With a wistful sigh, Robin watched him leave. Seeing no one else of interest, she decided to give log rolling a try.
26. âDonât make me drag you onto this thing, I feel pretty goofy here all by myself,â Robin said, struggling to keep her balance.
Rachel, however, was looking straight past her sister. âIâll be right back.â
27. Rachel introduced herself to Abhijeet, and as is typical of townies on vacation, he was just getting ready to leave as well. Rachel was
just as determined not to let this one get away.
âDo you have a phone? Iâll give you a call later, okay?â
28. The twins left the little ones to yet another game of cops and robbers.
âNot the best of luck so far, but itâs promising,â Robin said, feeling quite happy.
29. At Three Lakes, afternoon quickly turned to dusk.
âWhoâs up for some cops and robbers?â
âIâm sick of cops and robbers.â
âLetâs go log rolling then.â
âShouldnât we ask first?â
âIâm not asking first.â Rhea hopped off the stool and headed for the log rolling pool.
âIâm gonna ask first,â Juno stated just as emphatically. He hopped off his stool and wandered around, seeking his older sisters.
Jenny sat for another minute, unsure where her loyalties lie. She made her decision and headed for the log rolling pool.
30. By coincidence, Rhea and Junoâs paths ended at the same spot.
âCan we go log rolling?â Juno asked, dodging Rheaâs bullet out of habit.
âI guess, but you guys have to promise to stay around here, and only around here.â
âAre you gonna watch us?â
âI think Rachel and I will check out the boring old hot springs. Are you sure youâll be warm enough?â
âItâs not that cold.â
âAnd you all are gonna play here, and only here.â
âYeah, you already said that.â
âPow-pow, dead again!â
âStop shooting me!â
âIâm going first!â Rhea dashed to the changing room.
âPlay nice, guys,â Robin said absently and headed to the bathrooms to meet Rachel.
31. âLog rolling should keep them out of our hair for a while.â
âAll set?â
âTo the hot springs?â
âTo the hot springs!â
32. âLetâs see how long both of us can stay on without falling, okay?â
âYeah, okay,â Rhea agreed, getting acclimated to the shifting log.
33. Until the opportunity to win became impossible for Rhea to resist.
âHaha! Woo, you got him!â Jenny cheered.
36. All the times spent playing dead cop to her victorious robber gave him a quiet resolve to beat her, just once.
âWha... you canât... NOOOOO!â
37. âHaha, yay Juno!â Jenny cheered.
âCome here and say that, traitor!â Rhea turned toward Juno. âNo fair, I demand a rematch!â
But Juno was quitting while he was ahead. He shook his head and with a little grin, stepped happily off the log.
38. A natural diplomat, Jenny knew right away she had blown it by favoring her brother so openly. Visions of chicken clucks danced in her
head, and she knew it would be easier to just pick up the gauntlet and get it over with.
39. Jennyâs intention was to let Rhea win right away.
âHaha, you know what traitors get around here?â
âWhat?â Jenny squeaked.
âHaha, not what! Wet! They get very wet!â
âWhoa-oa-oa..!â
43. Not once, but twice.
âLog rolling is stupid! This whole place is stupid!â Rhea rushed to the changing room, blinking back angry tears.
44. Rhea had never lost at anything to her brother and sister before, and she didnât want to be around them... mostly because she didnât
want them to see she was a big crybaby.
45. âStop, where are you going?â
âYeah, weâre supposed to stay here!â
Rhea quickened her step.
â...Wait for us!â
46. âI barely had time to get Gordonâs number before he had to leave, but heâs nice and really cute.â
âThatâs nice.â
âWhat about you? He mustâve been all right for you not to go log rolling with moi.â
47. âYeah, well... do you think guys can smell desperation? Because Iâm getting pretty desperate. He seemed nice at first, then it all went
downhill as usual. Just like Tyson... he had the nerve to come to our house because he just wanted to see aliens? Like they were circus
freaks? What a...â
Robin gasped.
âWhat?â
48. âHow long have we been here?â
âI dunno... why?â
âThe circus freaks! Weâd better check up on them.â
49. Robin had a feeling the kids wouldnât be where she had left them.
âIdiots, you promised!â she muttered, a sick feeling developing in the pit of her stomach. âWhy couldnât you stay like I told you?â
50. Each girl took half the lot to scour, but neither could find the wayward trio.
51. âWe are so dead,â Rachel said flatly.
âWhat are we going to do, Rach?â
âWell, we canât call Mom and Dad, and we canât just leave here, in case they come back.â
âWhat if just one of us stays here and you can go back and tell them?â
âExcuse me? Iâm not going to tell them.â
âWell, Iâm not going to!â
âSo weâre back to, what are we going to do?â
âWhat about the tour guide over there? Maybe..?â
Grateful for even a tiny bone, they ran over to the tour guide.
52. âExcuse me, but weâre... we canât find our brother and two sisters.â
âWere they in pink dresses with a little alien boy?â
âYES!! Where did you see them? Are they still here?â
âThey went that way,â the tour guide said, pointing in the direction of the woods...
53. Time for the kids slowed to a snailâs pace as their destination became increasingly unclear.
âI think we should turn back,â said Jenny.
âYeah, itâs spooky around here,â Juno worried.
âOo-OOO-oo.â
âCut it out!â
âIâm getting tired, weâll just find a shortcut,â said Rhea.
54. âI donât think this is a shortcut.â
âWeâre lost, arenât we?â
Rhea remained stubbornly silent.
âIâm scared.â
âJuno, you are such a fraidy-cat.â
56. Rhea marched back to Juno.
âStop being such a fraidy-cat! It isnât helping, okay?!â
âI wouldnât be scared if you hadnât picked such a crummy shortcut!â
âTake that back or Iâll... push you in the lake!â
âYou canât push me in the lake. You canât even catch me.â
âOh yeah?â Rhea started after him.
âHey guys... look.â
Something in Jennyâs quiet tone snapped Juno and Rhea to attention. âHuh..?â
âOn the other side of the lake...â
57. Time slowed to a crawl as the fate of their brother and sisters became more uncertain.
58. Unbeknownst to the twins, time was flying by for their parents, who were completely taken by the piano.
Mark stretched and stood up.
âThatâs enough for me. Your turn.â
âMe?â
âYeah, you!â
59. âHow do I start?â
âOkay, first thing to remember: Every Good Boy Does Fine...â
And with Markâs guidance along with a few helpful little tricks, Jane showed a natural aptitude for the piano.
âDarlinâ, you are doing great!â
âNot bad for a novice,â Jane grinned before becoming completely engrossed in her playing...
60. After what seemed like hours, but in reality was not much more than one, Robin heard three familiar little voices. She turned to find a
primitive cabin, and in its doorway, the flickering glow from a campfire.
61. âAHEM!â
âYay, you found us!â
âHi Rachel! Hi Robin!â
âDo you want a marshmallow?â
âNoooo, we donât want a marshmalloooow. What were you guys thinking, just leaving like that?!â Robin demanded, but way too
relieved to be seriously angry.
62. âAre you mad at us?â
âYes weâre mad at you! We were freaking out when we couldnât find you!â
âWe tried to go back, but Rhea got us lost...â
âDid not!â
âBut then we found this place!â Jenny said proudly.
âAre you all okay?â
âWeâre great! Alon Bigfoot said we could stay here âtil morning, then heâd help us find our cabin!â
âYeah, and I was really sleepy, so he let me take a nap on his hammock!â Rhea bragged.
The twins exchanged a worried glance. âBigfoot?â
âYeah, bigfoot lives here!â
âAnd youâre not afraid of him?â
âCourse not! Alon Bigfoot isnât scary!â
63. âEr... whereâs bigfoot now?â Rachel asked.
âHis name is Alon,â Rhea cut in.
âWhatever.â
âHe started a fire for us and gave us sticks and marshmall0ws,â said Jenny.
âThen he said heâd be outside,â said Juno.
âWell, we certainly canât stay here all night,â Rachel insisted.
âBut he said we could stay!â
âLook, weâve got to get home before it gets too late or Robbi and I will be in serious trouble. Mom and Dad would never let us take you
guys out ever again.â
âAww...â Rhea sulked.
âCan we come back?â Juno asked.
Rachel exchanged a look with Robin, who just shrugged.
âWeâll see. If you guys donât say anything about getting lost, we could probably bring you back here.â
âWe wonât tell, we promise!â
âLike you promised to stay put earlier?â Robin couldnât resist making the dig. A dig that was followed by sheepish silence.
64. The kids followed Robin out of the cabin, leaving Rachel behind to make sure the fire was completely extinguished before she too
stepped outside. She froze in her tracks when she saw a figure move in the darkness.
âHe-hello?â
The figure stopped and looked at her.
âA-are y-you...?â she gulped.
âYou are their big sister?â
She could hardly believe she was conversing with bigfoot! She gulped again. âYes, I-Iâm Rachel. Thank you for, um, my brother and
sisters.â She would never admit to the little ones that she had a fear of encountering bigfoot. âW-weâre taking them home now, okay?â
He nodded slowly. âYou bring the little ones back to visit Alon Bigfoot? My pond has the best fish in Three Lakes.â
âRight. Okay, bye!â
Rachel turned on her heel and ran at full speed to catch up with her siblings.
65. âHey, I saw him,â Rachel panted. âI saw bigfoot.â
âDid you tell him weâre coming back to see him?â
âI... well... I didnât exactly say that we would, but the subject did come up.â
âWe should go back and tell him.â
âNo, we really have to get you home, itâs getting late.â
â...Donât let Rhea go first or weâll probably get lost again.â
Rhea glared at Juno. âShut up! We never were lost. If it wasnât for me, we never wouldâve seen bigfoot!â
âHey, I saw him first!â Jenny insisted.
âStop it, now,â Rachel scolded, âor weâre not coming back.â
âNo...!â the three protested in unison.
âThen be nice to each other, and no...more...arguing! Iâve had enough of your shenanigans for one night.â
66. Robin set a brisk pace, and much to everyoneâs relief, they found the walk home took much less time than they thought it would.
67. They were famished by the time they arrived back at their cabin.
âYou missed dinner, I hope it isnât too cold.â
Robin figured the less said, the better. âOops.â
âSo, tell me what you did today,â Mark inquired indulgently.
âOh, log rolling mostly,â Robin said, half bracing for the other shoe to drop.
âYou shouldâve seen Jennyâs dorky rubber ducky suit,â Rhea snickered.
âWinning isnât dorky,â Jenny replied smugly.
âJenny, please donât slouch at the table.â
68. âYou were saying... dork?â
âHey!â
âGirls, settle down... no need to wind yourselves up right before bedtime.â
âYuck, Iâm going to bed,â Rachel said, feigning disgust while secretly approving the girlsâ antics.
71. âThe paper says thereâs vandals on the loose in Three Lakes!â
âVandals? Here? Thatâs strange.â
âWhat are vandals?â
âTroublemakers. Who wants pancakes?â
âMe!â
72. Before Robin could whisk the paper out of sight, and hopefully out of mind, into the trashcan, Jane picked it up and resumed reading.
âIt says flower beds by the souvenir shops have been trampled... t-t, such a shame. I wonder if this has anything to do with our mystery
trashcan kicker?â
âShouldnât we focus on the beauty of Three Lakes instead of vandals and trashcans?â Robin gagged a little at her own words.
âMm, good point,â Jane said, folding up the paper.
âHere, let me take that,â Robin offered.
74. Everyone was happy to hang around the cabin the following day after the previous nightâs excitement.
75.
76. The next day at breakfast:
âYour dad and I were thinking of doing some exploring ourselves. Would you like to join us?â
âCan we go see bigfoot?â Jenny asked without thinking.
Robin choked on a bite of pancake.
âAre you all right?â
âSyrup hurts in the wrong pipe,â Robin rasped.
âWhere were we? Oh, yes... bigfoot. I was thinking more along the lines of some pampering like a massage, but I suppose we could
take you to see bigfoot. If we can find him, that is.â
âRachel and I can take them... if we can find him, that is.â
âIâd be crazy not to take you up on your offer. Thank you.â
77. Jane got her massage and liked it so much she decided to try the dayâs special:
79. âWe came back, Mr. Bigfoot! Your place sure is pretty.â
âAlon Bigfoot is always glad to have visitors, especially such polite ones.â
80. Bigfoot...Alon...wasnât nearly as intimidating in daylight, and Rachel never lost aspiration points despite her fear of meeting him.
âYou werenât kidding, you do have the best fish in Three Lakes! These are good for stuffing, right?â
âBest stuffed trout comes from Three Lakes.â
âAll righty then!â Rachel happily put the trout in her inventory, eager to try a new recipe.
82. Rhea went off to fish by herself, for no particular reason other than she was just being... Rhea.
83. Robin was of a different mindset. She never forgot how she felt after catching her first fish with her sister Rose, and had vowed never
to kill another one. She pried the hook from this oneâs mouth, and smiling a little at the slimy feel, placed it back in the water. Like a
flash, it swam away.
âIâm done,â she declared, rinsing her hands and drying them on her skirt.
84. âSo, Mr. Bigfoot, I was wondering: What is your deal?â
âMy deal.â
âYes. Are we supposed to keep you a secret? Will people say weâre crazy if we say we saw you? You know, your deal.â
âAh... My deal here is simple. Here I am known as Alon Bigfoot. My brothers in other realities are known by many names: simply as
Bigfoot, or Yeti, or Sasquatch among others. Their âdealsâ may not be so simple. Then there is Snorkak...â
âWhich one is Snorkak? I havenât heard of him before.â
âSnorkak was thought to be a delusion of Xenophilius Obsession, but my brother Snorkak is very much real in LucyPeppeRâs reality.â
âWell, my brother and sisters think youâre the best thing to happen on this trip. They will want to do as you wish.â
âThen tell them I wish for them to tell their friends that if they search, they will find me, and Alon Bigfoot welcomes visitors.â
âI like your deal, Mr. Bigfoot. Thank you for your hospitality.â
âAlon Bigfoot always enjoys visitors, especially such nice ones.â
85. Juno might have appeared timid in the shadow of his sisters, but he was actually very outgoing, and it was he who became Alon
Bigfootâs friend.
86. âYou know what I want? A real date with you. Spend the day together... have dinner out... the whole shebang. What dâyou say, sweet
Jane?â
âI say weâre not spending much time with the kids?â
âWant to invite them along? I donât think theyâll want to, but hell, give it a shot.â
âOoh, such sweet talk! How can I say no?â
87. So Mark and Jane went out on their date.
âSix kids and you still are the hottest thing Iâve ever seen.â
88. Back at the homestead, where the twins had so generously offered to babysit:
âHi, Gordon? Itâs Robin, remember me from the Lumber Mill Range?â
â.....â
âHehe, really? Are you busy? My parents are out, would you like to come over?â
â.....â
âA friend! Perfect, bring him along!â
â.....â
âOkay, see ya!â
Robin hung up the phone and squealed, âRachel, weâre gonna have company!â
90. âI hope youâre planning on sticking around for a while today? Because Iâd really like a date with you.â And Robin had everything queued
up for that to happen.
91. She giggled in surprise when Gordon tickled her and said, âDid you think you were the only one?â
She had lucked out! The first boy she liked, liked her just as much!
92. âI like your style, Rachel.â
Rachelâs heart skipped a beat.
93. âSo...Juan. Gordon has really good taste in friends.â
âHeâs got really good taste in girls, too.â
â...Would you like some lunch?â
âAre you making it?â
âYes, I am.â
âCount me in for lunch.â
94. âYouâre being awful quiet.â
â...Itâs just, theyâre all growing up so fast. I never thought we would take separate vacations... from our kids!â
âAh, darlinâ, itâs natural that they would rather do things on their own now. Things will go back some once Rachel and Robin hit
college.â
âYou think so?â
âI do.â
Jane sighed.
âAre you hungry?â
â...Famished.â
âLetâs go have that dinner out...â
95. Robin chuckled quietly to herself at Rachelâs attempt to wow Juan.
âGreat stuffed trout, Rach.â
âYou can cook for me anytime, Rachel.â Juan bumped his foot playfully against hers under the table.
This is it, Rachel thought, this is the happiest moment of my life.
She quoted with pseudo authority, âThe best stuffed trout comes from Thr...â she stopped, a look of consternation crossing her face.
âWill you please excuse me?â
âSure, sis. Everything okay?â
âFine.â Rachel ran up the stairs.
âNeed any help there, Rachel?â Juan called.
Robin frowned at him. âRachel can take care of herself, Juan.â
âMaybe we should go back outside,â Gordon suggested tactfully.
96. âWhat happens to you once you leave Three Lakes?â
âGo to Sim State U with my sister, of course. Itâs something weâve dreamed about since we became teens.â
âIâve always wanted to go to University. I donât have a lot of money, though.â
âBut isnât University great here? I mean, itâs great that you donât need a lot of money to attend, right?â
Gordon looked into her eyes and nodded.
97. âSo once you achieve your dream to attend University with your sister, do you have another?â
Robin blushed and stammered, âI... I... uh...â
Gordonâs gaze became fixed on the trunk of a nearby tree. âSorry, thatâs none of my business. I know it sounds clichĂŠ, but I hope our
paths will cross again some day, Robin. Thanks for inviting me over.â
âI-Iâm really glad you came.â
â...Well, itâs getting pretty late, and Iâll take a guess your parents wonât like two strange guys in their house... with their daughters...
after dark.â
Robin didnât want him to go, but she knew he was right. Her mom would have a conniption.
âJuan! Time to go!â Gordon called.
He turned and met her eyes again. All she could do was shrug and give him a sheepish smile.
âBye, Robin.â He returned her smile and waved, turning to leave.
â...Wait!â
100. âJuan! What are you still doing here?â
âWaiting for Rachel, of course.â
âShe still hasnât come down yet?â
âNo, and now Iâm thinking, it doesnât matter.â
âWhat?â
101. âIâm thinking youâll do just fine.â
âJua-Juan, what do you think youâre doing?â
âWeâre all Romancers here... Rachel told me. Nothing wrong with sharing the love...â
âOoh, Juan! Come closer...â
102. âIâm not interested in sharing any love with you! You stay away from me and my sister, got it? Don Juan?â
103. âNow get out of here before she finds out what a creep you really are!â Robin hissed.
âYo yo, I ainât leavinâ âtil Rachel says so.â
âRobbi, whatâs going on out there?â
âUm, nothing, Rach. Juan was just leaving.â
âActually, Rachel, Iâm not. Not without seeing you first.â
âThen come back in, silly!â
Robin whirled away and stomped up the stairs.
With a satisfied smirk, Juan went back inside...
104. âAh, darlinâ, didnât you like the dinner?â
âIt was very good.â
âWant some dessert?â
âNo thanks.â
â...Want to go home and have some with the kids?â
She turned and gave him a watery smile. âYouâre so good for me. I love you.â
âI love you too.â
105. âWhat was that all about? Robin looked pretty upset.â
âBeats me. Maybe sheâs jealous.â
âJealous? Why would she be jealous?â
âBecause I like you, Rachel. I like you a lot.â
106. Rachel laughed nervously, a bit disconcerted that Robin could be jealous of her.
âMy parents will be furious if youâre here when they get home. Iâll meet you out back by the trees, okay?â
âYo yo, sure thing, Rachel.â
Pointing his finger at her and holding her gaze, he backed out of the room and out the back door.
107. Rachel couldnât find Juan in the dark, but she heard rustling sounds coming from one of the tents.
âOh Jua-an, is that you?â she giggled.
âJuan? Whoâs Juan?â Jane demanded.
Rachel jumped. âMom! I was... I was just...â
âWho is Juan?â
â.......â
âI said, Who...is...Juan?â
â.......â
âI thought so. Get in the house.â
108. âYou canât order around me like that! I am not a child anymore!â
âYouâre not an adult yet, either. I want him to leave, now.â
âHow can you humiliate me like this?! I could be in college right now, and you couldnât... couldnât do anything to stop... stop anything!â
âAre you going to tell him, or am I?â
âY0u canât do this to me!â
109. âOh, I can, and I will.â
âMom, this is not a big deal. You can hear heâs just sleeping, for crying out loud!â
âJust sleeping?! Strange boys are not allowed to just sleep at our house!â
110. âYo yo, Rachel, howâs about you come here for a little... OWW!! What the f... Youâre not Rachel!â
âYou just figure that out, lover boy?â Jane whapped him a good one on the head.
âHey, I could get you for... for assault or something!â
âYeah? Who ya gonna call? We have no Law, and as for calling the police... what police?! Now get out of this tent and get off our
property!â
111. Juan scrambled out of the tent, no match for livid mothers on a rampage... livid mothers with ten Body points.
112. Rachel watched, mortified, as Jane marched Juan off the lot.
âNice to meet you too, lady.â
âJust stay away from my girls.â
113. âRachel! Where are you going?â
âAnywhere but here.â
â... Iâm going with you.â
114. âYou might want to slow down there, Rach. Itâs gonna be hard enough to scale back on food when we get back home.â
âWeâll be fine with just two of us.â
âI know, but arenât you worried about..?â Robin stopped, looking straight ahead. She didnât want Rachel to think she was sizing her up.
âBeing fat?â Rachel finished bluntly.
âEr... what happened exactly?â
âWhat happened? What do you think happened? The chicken pot pie, pancakes, flapjacks...not just your ordinary pancakes, mind you,
pork chops, oodles of marshmallows happened! And to top it all off, my damned stuffed trout happened! My butt exploded, right in
front of Juan!â
Robin gaped. âThatâs why... Oh, Rachel...â
âAt least he still likes me.â
Robin thought she was going to be sick. âIâll be back in a minute.â
115. Robin returned and gasped softly when she saw Rachel crying quietly. She backed up several paces and called nonchalantly, âHey
Rach, we havenât done any souvenir shopping yet.â
âIn a minute, okay?â Rachel replied, sniffling and wiping her eyes.
116. Robin couldnât bear the quiet sniffling any longer.
âOnly two more days and weâll be at Sim State U!â she said cheerily.
âFree at last, huh?â Rachel said quietly.
âWhat should we do first when we get there? Furniture shopping or... oh great.â
âWhat?â
âThereâs Juan.â Robin couldnât keep the disdain out of her voice.
âReally?â Rachelâs face lit up and she turned.
117. âYo yo, Rachel. Howâs it..?â
Bzzzzzzzzt CRACK!!!!!!
âRACHEL!!â
âUhhhhhhâ
âOHGOD,OHGOD,OHGOD!â
âYo! Rachel! Are you..?â
âGet out of here, Juan!â Robin shrieked.
118. âShould we find a doctor?â
âI donât need a doctor, I need a bathroom.â
120. âThat was so freaky! Didnât it hurt?â
âIt was no picnic, I can tell you.â
âHow are you feeling now?â
Rachel coughed and took a sip of water. âExcept for this trip being one long series of unfortunate events? Iâm... Iâm great, just great,
never been better.â
121. âThings will get better, I promise!â
âThey canât get much worse, can they?â
âHey, in a couple of days weâll be living our lives the way we want to! You deserve it, Rach... we deserve it!â
âRobbi... What would I do without you?â
âGood thing we never have to find out, right?â
â...Uh-oh, Robbi? I need you to leave. Now.â
âRach?â
âNow. Please.â
âOh! Gotcha.â She gave Rachel a sympathetic grimace and stood guard outside the door.
122. After suffering the ultimate blow to her dignity, Rachel was able to wash away the last remnants of her ordeal.
123. âTake that, Three Lakes!â
âDoes that actually make you feel better?â
âI donât know.â
âDo you know what would help you feel better?â
âMaybe... cookies?â
124. Thereâs nothing quite like a lightning strike and fresh-baked cookies to mellow out a motherâs anger at her daughter.
125. And what were a couple more cookies on top of a bottomed-out fitness level, anyway? Especially since there was no such thing as
dessert, or much of anything good to eat, back home.
126. Rachel had had enough of Three Lakes, and really, who could blame her?
âWe never did get to do our souvenir shopping,â Robin said in her latest attempt to get Rachel out of her funk.
âWhy would I want a souvenir from this place?â
âDo you feel like doing anything?â
âLetâs see... I havenât burned the house down yet, so... yeah, I think Iâll whip up something in the kitchen... Baked Alaska grab you?â
127. âThis was the best vacation ever, Mom!â
Ever-practical Jane practically melted.
âOh, honey, you donât know how much Mom needed that.â
128. Final day: pack up and leave.
The vacation was fun, but Iâm anxious to get back to the Apocalypse. It was hard to stop playing Rose when sheâs at Level 8 in Law, but no
way was I going to elixir those poor twins.
129. âHow are you feeling?â
Rachel turned away and stared blankly out the window.
â...Iâll be just fine, Dad.â
130. And this ends my familyâs Three Lakes Vacation chapter. If you couldnât guess, I love the Three Lakes vacation destination, even more
than Twikkii Island.
Stay tuned as Rachel and Robin attempt to go wild at University, and thanks for reading!
Following is a very brief, totally optional, non-spoilery sneak preview: >>
132. Robin and Rachel finally arrive at Sim State U! Thank you Eileen for lifting Show Business! Rachel will not be seen wearing this in the
next update. Whew, huh?
Now for some shopping at the Zombie Outpost! >>
133. Where Rose and Lucy happened to show up... guess they decided to take Roseâs own clothing tragedy into their own hands.
âBoots?â
âCheck. They can see âem in the next chapter.â
Oh, and one more thing, completely unrelated... >>
134. Sakeâs ghost finally made an appearance on Nemo and Cielâs lot! *happydance* Sake! Good to see you, old boy!
And thatâs The End of this very brief, totally optional, non-spoilery sneak preview.
Aloha, dear readers. Happy Simming!