An Adventure to Come

chapter three

I glance over to discover a young girl standing on the top step of the balcony. Her blue shirt and purple skirt sway in the breeze.

I look back at Launchpad. "She related?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Granddaughter of Mrs. Beakley; also a good friend to the triplets."

"The triplets?" I question curiously.

"Mr. McDee's great-nephews."

Great-nephews. That's interesting.

I study the girl again. She smiles and shuffles down the stairs, continuing to Launchpad and me. "Hi," she says. "I'm Webby. My grandmother is the housemaid here."

"Mrs. Beakley?"

She nods in approval. "Yeah. She informed me about you when she checked on us. I left looking around and saw you two, and now we're here."

"Webby! Mrs. Beakley told us not to bother them!" someone yells. "Uncle Scrooge will get mad!"

 A young boy with a red t-shirt and baseball cap runs out of the mansion. I shake my head, attempting not to laugh.

"Ah, Huey. I always found him quite interesting," Launchpad whispers, stepping closer. My heart begins to race as I look up at him. The pilot strokes the back of his neck, a smirk gradually drawing itself on his face.

"Huey?" I ask.

"Yeah! Let me show introduce you to him and his younger brothers."

The notorious but lazy time skip

I look at the Duck triplets, laughing aloud. "Wait! You three are so similar in looks but have diverse personalities! I like that."

Louie leans back on the couch, a shrug escaping his body. "We do it well," he replies.

I meet Launchpad's eyes, flushing again. His blue eyes skim my face, making me giggle. As he ruffles through his hair, the cap on Launchpad's head softly tumbles to the ground. I reach it and touch the object before Launchpad gets to it, his hand fitting perfectly over mine. We both laugh, peering at each other, our beaks almost meeting. The pilot grins as he regains composure, ruffling his hair again. His cheeks shift to a light red, making me smile. I grab the hat and place it on Launchpad's head. He laughs softly, murmuring, "Thank you, Elora."

I reply, "No problem, Fly Boy."

"I ship it!" Dewey says happily.

"Dewey!" Huey whispers, poking his younger brother.

"Ow!"

Webby shifts her attention to us, placing a hand on her hip. She shakes her head in disapproval. I nod, silently agreeing with her.

"What's going on here?" Mr. McDuck asks from behind the couch.

Huey purses his beak. "We were getting to know each other," he says, looking at his great uncle.

 Mr. McDuck pauses, slowly nodding his head. "That's good," he mutters, gazing out a window. "It's getting dark. Boys, get to your rooms; Launchpad, show Elora her living quarters." Mr. McDuck turns to me. "Your work starts tomorrow. Have a good night."

"You too, Mr. McDuck."

"Please, call me Scrooge. Mr. McDuck makes me feel old."

I nod. "Yes, Scrooge."

Scrooge smiles and walks away. The triplets and Webby hug Launchpad and me goodnight and run off to their rooms. 

When they all leave the room, I stand up. Turning to Launchpad, I hold out my hand. "C'mon Launchpad. I'll help you up."

"Okay," he answers, grinning. He kindly clasps my hand, quickly pulling myself on top of him. As I land on Launchpad, I let out a tiny scream, laughing afterward. The pilot gingerly wraps his arm around my waist. My heart starts to race at a million miles an hour. I roll myself next to him, looking into his eyes, smiling.

Launchpad giggles, slowly rising. "Ready to cave in for the night?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'd be glad to," he replies as we walk to my room.