Rocky Road 3: Adventures in Pyrotechnics
Title: Adventures in Pyrotechnics
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Rocky road 3 (yard), whipped cream (Ivy is twelve and Aaron seventeen), malt (PFAH: Ivy : Gasoline was a lovely thing).
Word Count: 505.
Rating: PG.
Summary: Science is fun!
Notes: Summer Challenge part 2.
"This is a spectacularly bad idea," Aaron said. Nevertheless, he went on stacking cardboard on the pile already teetering atop the charcoal grill.
"It's a science project," Ivy said, practicing with the lighter she'd stolen from the kitchen junk drawer. "You have to take a few risks if you're going to be a good scientist."
Aaron looked dubiously at her, and then at the pile of cardboard. He sneakers creaked against the wet concrete as he crossed back to her. "I'm not sure I like this risk."
She rolled her eyes at him, flicked the lighter again, and felt a surge of delight when it finally caught. "Come on. It'll be fun. For science, Aaron!"
"We are going to get arrested," he said. "Seriously. I think this is some kind of crime."
"It'll only be a very small fire," Ivy lied, crossing her fingers behind her back.
Aaron, wise to her ways from years of babysitting, sighed a long-suffering sigh. "How many fireworks did you put in there."
Ivy reared back and stared at him. "None! There's nothing explosive in there! I don't want to blow anything up."
"Good," he said.
"This time."
He rounded on her. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Ivy said, radiating innocence. "Here, I'll light it."
Aaron squinted suspiciously at her, but let it go in favor of interrogating her about safety procedures. "You got the water?"
"Yep," Ivy said, gesturing at the bucket near the grill. "And a bucket of sand. But I need to just let it burn."
"And we will, unless we are in imminent danger of burning down New York City," Aaron reminded her, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ivy muttered, and went up to the cardboard. She glanced back at her brother, slouching by the chain-link fence that seperated what passed for a backyard from the street, then pulled the container of lighter fluid out from under her jacket and dumped it over the cardboard before hiding it again, fast as she could. Another surripitious glance at Aaron revealed no chance; evidently he'd missed the exchange. Ivy bit back a smile and called, "Ready with the stopwatch?"
"Ready," Aaron called back. "Though I don't know why we need it. I could just use my watch."
"Use the stopwatch," Ivy said. "Trust me."
"I have never heard a more terrifying pair of words in my life," he said, and grinned when she stuck her tongue out at him. "Tell me when."
"Go!" Ivy said, and flicked the lighter.
--
They did not get arrested, or cause any major property damage, although both of them got grounded and Ivy lost her eyebrows. But she'd gotten her results, was the point, and she was sure the neighbors would let her use some of the pictures they'd taken for her project board. It was totally going to be the best project ever.
"I need a control group," she told Aaron, when he found her collecting cardboard again two days later.
"You're insane," Aaron said, but helped anyway.
Main Story: In the Heart
Flavors, Toppings, Extras: Rocky road 3 (yard), whipped cream (Ivy is twelve and Aaron seventeen), malt (PFAH: Ivy : Gasoline was a lovely thing).
Word Count: 505.
Rating: PG.
Summary: Science is fun!
Notes: Summer Challenge part 2.
"This is a spectacularly bad idea," Aaron said. Nevertheless, he went on stacking cardboard on the pile already teetering atop the charcoal grill.
"It's a science project," Ivy said, practicing with the lighter she'd stolen from the kitchen junk drawer. "You have to take a few risks if you're going to be a good scientist."
Aaron looked dubiously at her, and then at the pile of cardboard. He sneakers creaked against the wet concrete as he crossed back to her. "I'm not sure I like this risk."
She rolled her eyes at him, flicked the lighter again, and felt a surge of delight when it finally caught. "Come on. It'll be fun. For science, Aaron!"
"We are going to get arrested," he said. "Seriously. I think this is some kind of crime."
"It'll only be a very small fire," Ivy lied, crossing her fingers behind her back.
Aaron, wise to her ways from years of babysitting, sighed a long-suffering sigh. "How many fireworks did you put in there."
Ivy reared back and stared at him. "None! There's nothing explosive in there! I don't want to blow anything up."
"Good," he said.
"This time."
He rounded on her. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Ivy said, radiating innocence. "Here, I'll light it."
Aaron squinted suspiciously at her, but let it go in favor of interrogating her about safety procedures. "You got the water?"
"Yep," Ivy said, gesturing at the bucket near the grill. "And a bucket of sand. But I need to just let it burn."
"And we will, unless we are in imminent danger of burning down New York City," Aaron reminded her, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ivy muttered, and went up to the cardboard. She glanced back at her brother, slouching by the chain-link fence that seperated what passed for a backyard from the street, then pulled the container of lighter fluid out from under her jacket and dumped it over the cardboard before hiding it again, fast as she could. Another surripitious glance at Aaron revealed no chance; evidently he'd missed the exchange. Ivy bit back a smile and called, "Ready with the stopwatch?"
"Ready," Aaron called back. "Though I don't know why we need it. I could just use my watch."
"Use the stopwatch," Ivy said. "Trust me."
"I have never heard a more terrifying pair of words in my life," he said, and grinned when she stuck her tongue out at him. "Tell me when."
"Go!" Ivy said, and flicked the lighter.
--
They did not get arrested, or cause any major property damage, although both of them got grounded and Ivy lost her eyebrows. But she'd gotten her results, was the point, and she was sure the neighbors would let her use some of the pictures they'd taken for her project board. It was totally going to be the best project ever.
"I need a control group," she told Aaron, when he found her collecting cardboard again two days later.
"You're insane," Aaron said, but helped anyway.