Chapter 6

(10 am, Flynn-Fletchers)

The hot 90 degree summer sun continued to beat down on the house. It wasn't the heat that slipped through the door, but the brutal humidity that engulfed the entire living room with the three teens and one naked mole rat on the couch. Monique was in her usual red dress while Kim was in a pink top and jean capris.

"Ughhh…." Kim muttered, "I'm bored….and hot….!"

"I'm melting…!" Monique whined, trying to fan herself with a magazine "And the A/C is broken too!"

"You don't have to tell me twice…" Ron moaned. He felt his clothes clinging to the fabric of the couch due to the humid weather. Poor Rufus was slouching on the coffee table.

"And there's no lemonade!" Kim uttered, staring at the empty pitcher on the coffee table. "If there was only some way we can get out of this house!"

Monique looked at the magazine, which was about the Gulf Coast, paused for a moment and got an idea.

"Girl, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

She held the magazine so that Kim could get a good luck.

A smile came across her face and replied, "I'm thinking…beach trip!"

"Of course!" Monique grinned, "We're in the summer and it's hot outside! So what better way to cool off than a trip to the beach?"

"That's a spankin' idea, Monique!" Kim grinned, "It'll get my mind off of cheerleading and babysitting for at least one day!"

"Could I come?" Ron asked, waving his hands.

"Ron, don't you remember what had happened last time on the beach? You know…the bathing suit incident?" Kim asked.

"KP, we agreed never to speak about the bathing suit incident ever again!" Ron declared.

Kim rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, but please don't do anything embarrassing over there!"

"Don't worry, Kim! I've set up an embarrassment-free zone around myself!" Ron replied, using his fingers to draw an imaginary square in the air. "No source of humiliation will fall upon me!"

"I hope so…and one other thing, Monique!"

"Yeah, Kim?"

"If we're going to be at the beach all day long, who's going to hold down the fort from Mrs. Linda?" Kim asked.

"Don't worry, Kim! I have an idea!" Monique smiled, taking her cell phone out.

(40 minutes later)

"So all we have to do is to stay here for the next few hours till dinnertime?" Tara asked.

"And be stuck in a house in a broken air conditioner? Kim…I'm not so sure about this…" Bonnie said with worry, unsure that they would withstand being stuck in a house with broken A/C for the next 7 hours.

The group was all standing in the driveway in back on Monique's car.

"Well, someone needs to keep an eye on the house!" Monique replied.

Kim came out of the house, complete with the essentials for the beach: towels, an umbrella to protect them from the sun, sunscreen, and a big floppy sunhat. Ron, behind her, came out wearing a Wonder Weasel t-shirt and a bathing suit. The only thing he brought along was a pair of noseplugs.

Rufus already had his sunglasses ready, looking stylish.

"Look, we'll give you two a call when we get to the beach." Kim said, opening the passenger door to Monique's car. She tossed a copy of the house key that Linda made to Tara.

"I already called up Dad and he said to be back at the Flynn-Fletchers' by eight. There are frozen dinners in the fridge that should tide you two over. Are you ready to undertake this task?"

Both Bonnie and Tara nodded their heads.

The three teenagers got in the car as Monique started her vehicle up.

"See you two at eight!"

Monique's car pulled out of the driveway, en route to a day of fun in the sun with her besties on the Fourth on July.

From a nearby tree at a neighbor's house, Kate Saunders, one of Veruca's girls, spied on them with a pair of binoculars. She was on a walkie-talkie.

"The pig is out of the pen! I repeat, the pig is out of the pen!"

(Starlet Mansion, 10am)

Veruca, meanwhile, was in her second-floor personal office with security monitors everywhere to keep a close watch on the activity of her servants. She was in her personal-made high-end ergonomic chair overlooking the security room through double-paned glass windows.

Diamond, meanwhile, was in her custom-made $400,000 cat palace, complete with a golden water dish and European-cotton pet bed.

"Aww…Diamond…" Veruca cooed, babbling in baby talk at her white-furred cat "You are so adorable! Oh yes, you are!"

There came a tapping at the closed door.

"Come in!"

She heard the door opening and closing and swerved her chair around. It was none other than her most favorite servant, bowing three times to her.

"Oh, Tightlips! So good to see you!" Veruca exclaimed. "What is the latest report?" She began to sip on her tea.

"It seems that the latest report we received is that of the red-haired demon going with her so-called 'friends' to the beach!"

Veruca paused while stroking Diamond and replied with a slight grin, "Oh yes…Suzy must've put one of her tracking devices on her car!"

"When do you plan to give your triumphant speech against the red-haired Evil One?" Tightlips questioned, pointing to one of Veruca's prepared speeches.

"I will speak that speech when the time is right, Tightlips!" Veruca replied, patting Diamond's head. "I am in the midst of preparing my third phase of my grandiose plan! And I would…you know…like some privacy!"

Tightlips bowed once and said, "It shall be done, O All-Seeing Goddess!" He closed the door to Veruca's office, leaving the billionaire heiress alone.

Veruca sifted through her papers of the next phase of her plan of preventing Candace from getting on the squad…her squad! She broke out into a cold sweat as she clenched one of the papers in her hands. Her breaths became shorter, and the smile faded away into a look of fright.

It was part of the plan that she dreaded the most. Unfortunately, it was also going to be the only way to scare Candace out of her wits.
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