Chapter Text
It's summer break already for Molly McGee's school and what better thing to do than go on a family trip outside of town? The McGees, particularly Pete, have booked a cabin on the outskirts of Brighton where there are lakes and forests nearby. It would be a great family time for the McGees after so long. Molly asked her parents if she could invite Libby along and her parents did not object to that idea as they have come to think of Libby as a special guest, almost like a surrogate daughter to the McGee family so she is more than welcome to tag along.
Molly then immediately went on her phone to contact Libby. Libby answered after a few rings and Molly proceeded with her invitation to Libby. Libby was really happy to be invited and immediately asked her mother whether she could come with them. Her mother, already knowing the McGees, knew that her daughter was going to be in good hands. Her mother went to talk to Molly on the phone for a bit and afterward, she told Libby to pack for a day trip. She then hung up the phone and Molly squealed happily that this is going to be the greatest trip ever with his friends and family!
Scratch, on the other hand, was not feeling up for camping because he knew there wouldn't be much food he would enjoy out there and after remembering the Howlin' Harriet incident, he was reluctant to join. Molly managed to convince him that they are going to be buying some tacos on their way if he is coming. That is enough to convince Scratch to join.
Pete then announced to everyone in the living room that they should be finishing their packing by tonight so they can rest and wake up as early as 5 in the morning.
"Wait, why do we have to wake that early? No one is gonna be awake at that time," protested Scratch.
"That's the point, Scratch. We would be stuck in traffic if we start driving in the afternoon," replied Pete.
"Touché."
"Alright, get to packing everyone! I want to see those bags and suitcases here by tonight so I can carry them into the van!" announced Pete to the family. The family then scattered into their own room with Molly messaging Libby that they are going to pick her up early in the morning. Libby then replied with a thumbs-up emoji with a message saying, "cant wait!". Molly smiled and then went to her room to pack her clothes. Meanwhile, Scratch just wanders around her room watching her pack since ghosts do not need anything to pack.
"Hey, Moll," called Scratch all of the sudden.
"Yes, Scratch?" Molly perked up from the suitcase that she was packing.
"Err… is it possible to take the dollhouse along with us? I think I would feel a little homesick without it." Scratch looked at his dollhouse before Molly also looked at it. Molly smiled after hearing how Scratch has come to care about her homemade dollhouse.
"Sure, Scratch! But we have to see if it'll fit in the van since there'd be tons of stuff there."
"Ah, right… we'll see." Scratch then sat on Molly's bed as he watched Molly pack her clothes again.
…
It is now 8 PM, Pete calls everyone to check on their bags and suitcases for the trip. Every family member except Scratch has their stuff packed in their bags and suitcases, although Darryl seems to have the biggest bags of them all. What could he be packing? Scratch was unsure now if he could fit in his offering home in the van.
Pete then took some of the bags and suitcases out of the house and into the van. He asked Scratch to help out with levitating the rest with his ghost power. Scratch reluctantly obliged and followed him outside.
As they opened the van's trunk and filled it with their bags and suitcases, Scratch noticed that the van wouldn't fit his dollhouse inside because it has taken too many spaces. He sighed in disappointment. Hopefully, he doesn't feel too homesick leaving behind his dollhouse for a while.
Pete and Scratch then went inside to meet the rest of the family. Pete told everyone to go to bed early so they can wake up early tomorrow. The family then once again scattered into their rooms, preparing for bed. Scratch followed Molly into her room as they prepared to sleep even though ghosts do not really need to sleep. Scratch shrank in size to fit in his offering home while Molly changed into her pajamas in the bathroom before tucking in her bed. She's really excited for the best summer vacation ever with her family and Libby. After texting Libby one last time about the trip for the next day, she then decided to call it a day and head to sleep after she charged her phone.
…
...
5.10 AM
"Molly?" A faint voice called from somewhere. Molly did not respond to it since she was still out cold.
"Moll, wake up. We need to go pick up Libby," it's a voice from another person. Molly only responded with a tired hum before switching to the other side of the bed. Turns out the rest of the family, including Scratch, were already prepared except for Molly for some reason. Pete and Sharon were in Molly's room already well-dressed and ready for the trip. They tried waking her up by shaking her gently but it seems to not be working as she's in a deep slumber.
As a last resort, Pete called on Scratch to wake Molly up. Scratch is finally happy that he finally got to wake up Molly since she is usually the one who wakes him up in his sleep. Scratch then rubbed his hand together and cleared his throat before…
"MOLL! WAKE UP!" Scratch yelled loudly with a slap. This instantly made Molly awake as she raised herself up from the bed with a gasp.
"What? What happened? Are we under attack? I swear I locked the door last night!"
As Molly settled down, she rubbed her eyes and saw Scratch giving her a smug look while her parents were looking at her in front of her bed.
"Come on, Molly, we have to go now, Libby's mom just told us Libby is already waiting for us," said Sharon to her daughter.
"Ah, okay! I'll get ready quickly! Give me a sec," Molly then stretched her body before running into the shower with the clothes.
After a few minutes have passed she also finished showering and was ready to start her day. Pete summoned everyone into the living room, making one last check to make sure nothing is left behind. After asking for confirmation on each one of them, Pete then invites the family member to the van. Sharon sat on her usual seat on the van, which is next to Pete in the driver's seat, Darryl and Molly sat behind them, leaving a spot on the left side of the seat for Libby later. Scratch sat on the backseat cramped by the amount of bags and suitcases the family was carrying. Fortunately, he is a ghost so he could just phase through it but it's still a little uncomfortable.
Pete started the engine and they then drove to Libby's house which took around 15 minutes since the sun hadn't even risen yet and no cars were around. Libby and her mother then saw the McGees pull-up in front of the library. They exited the library and gave each other a hug.
"Bye, mom! See you after the camp!" said Libby to her mother.
"Bye, sweetie, remember to eat well and not trouble the McGees, okay?" Ms. Stein-Torress ruffled her daughter's hair before letting go of their embrace. Libby then quickly approached the McGees' van. Pete went out of the car to help put Libby's stuff back in the car luggage, which narrowed the space for Scratch even more. Libby entered the car with her and Molly suddenly squealed joyfully and hugged each other. The two friends are happy to be spending time together on this summer vacation, it's going to be a blast.
After the McGees have said their goodbyes to Libby's parents, they are ready for the trip to the cabin in the forest. Pete sets his GPS to the cabin place and predicted that they would reach their destination in 5 hours. The whole family groaned as this means it will be a long journey.
6.29 AM
The sun has already started to rise up and some cars can be seen on the road, probably early birds on the way to work or catching flights in the airport. Scratch complained throughout the first thirty minutes of the trip saying that he really wants to eat tacos and kept bothering Pete to stop at a taco place because Molly promised that there are going to be tacos on this trip. Noticing that they haven't even eaten breakfast yet, Sharon asked Pete to make a stop for breakfast somewhere. Pete groaned and then changed the navigation of the GPS to a nearby 24/7 taco restaurant. Thankfully they are not far from the city yet as there is one in just 3 miles.
The McGees then made their first stop at a taco restaurant called Taco Tuesday. They've never eaten at this place before but they had no other choice rather than having to hear another round of complaints from Scratch in the van. The family entered the taco restaurant, no one else is there except for them and some staff from the restaurant. One of them then approached the family as he greeted them in Spanish and ushered them to their seats. The waiter then gives them the menu, Sharon quickly scans the menu to find meals that everyone at the table can eat.
She then ordered the breakfast tacos menu for 6 people, which confused the waiter since he can only see 5 people but he just shrugged it off as long as they can pay for it.
"Maybe one of them is really hungry," the waiter thought to himself.
The waiter said it will take around 20 minutes to be finished as they were still cooking the tacos' ingredients. The McGees then talked to each other regarding the trip and what they will do once they reach there as they wait for the tacos. Pete said that they will be helping him for the night later. He did not specify exactly what it is but he emphasized how much fun tonight will be, which intrigued the rest of the family.
Once 20 minutes have passed, the same waiter placed all their meal on their table. The tacos looked really good with some nacho fries on the side. Molly then handed one of the plates to Scratch. Everyone then dug into their food while still chatting with each other. Scratch was the most hungry out of them all for some reason so he inhaled all his tacos all at once. He planned on stealing the other family member's meals but they know what Scratch is up to and they succeeded in defending their food, which saddens Scratch.
The rest of the family finished the breakfast quickly and Pete paid for the bill with his card. He then asked everyone to go to the restroom first before going to the van because it is going to be a long trip.
The kids and the 2 parents then rushed into the toilet, leaving behind Scratch who doesn't have to use the bathroom. Scratch was bored so he went out of the restaurant to get some fresh air. He then floated towards the McGees' van as he waited for them to finish their duty. He looked inside the empty seats and then glanced inside the taco restaurant where the family is right now.
Scratch smiled. It really feels good to be part of a family at last. Before meeting the McGees, he was tasked with causing misery in Brighton by the ghost council, a job he silently resented. However, upon meeting Molly and the rest, he never realized how soft he's gotten. From the formerly grumpy, stubborn, and rude ghost into a protective, soft, and caring ghost he came to be. He didn't really know how family works but he slowly understood what it means to be one.
Sometimes he wonders if it's bad for him to be this soft as he is going against the order from his superiors, which is the Ghost Council. He dreads the day the ghost council finds out about him and his friendship with Molly. He hopes that day never comes because he doesn't want to be separated from Molly and the McGees. They LOVED him, even if he was a jerk at times and very greedy when it comes to food. They included him in every family activity and trip, including this one without making him feel like he did not belong with them so he wants to do everything he can to not be separated from his only family.
Maybe I am really destined to be a McGee at this point. Heh, not that I mind. Scratch McGee does have a ring to it-
"Oh, Scratch! We're back!"
Scratch's thoughts were interrupted as he saw the McGees and Libby exiting the taco restaurant. Pete opened the van's doors and turned on the engine as soon as the family entered the van.
So now their actual journey to the cabin has finally begun. The trip is going to take a long time so the kids decided to doze off since they believe that sleeping will make any trip go faster. Pete wished he was not the one driving so he can sleep as everyone in the car passed out except for him but he had to be awake as the driver. Pete sighed at his fate.
12.36 PM
The road trip was alright as there was not much traffic but they had to run over bumpy roads and some wild animals along the way. Thankfully, Pete is a good driver and he can prevent the van from crashing into wild deers. The kids were woken up by their parents when they reached the front gate of the cabin. Molly looked up from the window and saw the name of the place.
Lakeside Cabin.
The name was put up on a giant wooden board above the fences that are covering the cabin area. Just like the name, soon enough the family sees a crystal clear lake by the cabin. There seems to be nobody else in the cabin, which means the McGees have the place all for themselves. The family gasped in amazement at the view, even Scratch, who usually isn't easily amused by anything.
"This may be the place where I can finally be at peace for a while," thought Scratch.
Pete unlocked the van so the family and Libby could go out first while he finds a place to park. The cabin looked very huge for a cabin in the middle of the forest. The rest of the family immediately entered the cabin to find out what it looked like.
"Dang… did dad spend a fortune on this?" asked Darryl as the family wandered around the cabin. It's incredibly spacious, there is a television with carpet, the floorings and the walls are made of wood but it still looks new like someone had just cleaned. Even better, there are two floors and 3 bedrooms.
"I actually never thought it would be this pretty inside," Molly glanced out of the window and into the lake. She then shifted her attention towards the nearby campfire, “oh my gosh! There’s a place for a campfire?! That means we can have some BBQ and roast marshmallows! Oh, I miss doing those!”
Pete then came inside the cabin with everyone's bags and suitcases, although he is seen struggling with Darryl’s. He was also in awe at the cabin he rented., it looks better than he expected He patted himself in the back for his accomplishment in finding this place.
Sharon and Pete then allocated the rooms for the family to sleep at night. Molly and Libby will be sharing the same room, Darryl got a room for himself while Pete and Sharon got the king-sized bed. As for Scratch? Well, he is unsure since he doesn't have his ol' dollhouse with him here. Pete initially asked whether he wants to bunk with Darryl but Scratch knows it would be a long night if he sleeps in one room with Darryl, even if they are prank masters together. He doesn't know where he should sleep but he figured that he will just decide later.
Alright, time to get the vacation started.