While Mina and Laney stayed back to work out how to execute Mina's plan, Corey went back to the campsite and told Kin and Kon about Mina's little trick. They were thrilled.
"So do we get to scare Trina as well?" Kon asks.
"No, you don't!" Corey replied sharply. Despite all that, he still cared about Trina. "Your job is to make sure that Trina doesn't get out of the tent."
"And . . . how do we do that?" Kin pressed.
"Just keep the scorpions surrounding her tent and she won't dare to step out."
"Actually, I doubt that she will put another perfectly pedicured toenail out of her tent after getting spooked by the robots."
"I know she won't but, let's not risk it, okay?"
"Okay."
"And one last thing" Corey continued "Don't disturb Kate and Allie, they're so tired from all the walking, that they fell asleep"
"Don't worry, Corey" Kon stressed.
After a few more minutes of conspiring, the trio emerged from their tents with half smiles on their faces. Laney came out from behind the bushes and winked at them. Kin and Kon went behind Trina's tent and waited for their cue. Trina was snuggling up to Nick Mallory and was practically floating on a cloud. Nick was twisting his head this way and that way trying to see where everyone had gone. He grew suspicious. Trina on the other hand saw this as a perfect opportunity to make out.
"Oh, Nick" she trilled "This is the best time for me to tell you how much I like you."
"Nick Mallory's not in the mood for any romance, Trina Riffin." Nick answered distractedly. "Nick just wants to lie down, cause Nick's tired."
"Oh, let me kiss you goodnight then."
Trina leaned forward and was just about to place her lips on Nick's trembling lower lip when she suddenly felt something small and prickly crawl up her right ankle. She looked down to her feet.
"AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH, SCORPIONS!"
Trina jumped out from Nick's arms and started running around like a mad rooster. But instead of crowing she was squealing. Several scorpions had become entangled in her hair and she was trying her best to yank them out. One of Mina's robotic scorpions had also crawled up her spine and made her pink hair stand up straight. She quickly brushed them off before heading straight towards her tent and crawling into her huge sleeping bag before zipping it shut from head to toe. The night was getting cooler every minute and the feel of the scorpion's legs against her skin gave her more chills right down to her bones.
(Wicked Cool Transition)
"So did it work guys?" Mina asked shakily.
Corey looked at her with a fake miserable face.
"I didn't work!" She started sobbing. Just then Nick came up behind and wiped away a tear streaming down from her left cheek. Mina turned around.
"Nick Mallory thinks your scorpions were an awesome idea." He said soothingly.
"Nick!" Mina jumped at him. They hugged for several minutes before Nick planted a kiss on her forehead. Mina blushed. Corey and Laney felt awkward. Kin and Kon interrupted just seconds after the kiss.
"Mina, you've got the remote for the scorpions, right?"
"It's here." Mina handed them the rectangular device. Kon took it, ran back to Trina's tent and made the scorpions arrange themselves in wedged formation. He made them march from left to right. Trina stayed in the tent for the rest of the night.
. . .
"So . . . you wanna go for a walk Lanes?" Corey asked shyly.
Laney looked at him for a moment. Did he just ask me to walk with him? She thought. What's going on?
"Sure Core." She replied uncertainly. Corey held her hand and together they strolled through the palms and desert bushes. He was going to tell her once and for all. Moonlight was pouring through the slits in the palm leaves making it seem as if they were the only two people in the world. They walked on for a while before they stopped at the edge of the oasis.
"Um . . . Lanes?"
"Yeah Core"
"I kind of li . . ." Corey stopped in mid-sentence. He had just noticed that the water surface began to glow a bright shade of white light. The light was quickly spreading through the water and reaching the other side. Mina and Nick also noticed the strange activity and went for a closer look. Kin and Kon dropped the remote to join Nick and Mina. This left the scorpion robots laying all lifeless allowing Trina to escape from her tent prison. Kate and Allie who were just waking up from their little nap, noticed the strange glow and left their tent as well. They all gathered near the edge. Corey and Laney on one side of the oasis, and the rest on the other side. They stared at the surface below them wondering what to do. Then Corey stopped the wait by reaching down and running his fingers over the water. That was a big mistake. There was a sudden gust of strong wind and the water without any warning, changed into a whirlpool swirling rapidly that it quickly sucked in the gang into its unforgiving depths. In the midst of all this fear and dizziness, everyone had the same thought on their minds. What in the world is going on?