“10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5...” The counter announced over the intercom. Emily didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she let it go. Excitement bubbled inside her, butterflies flying around it.This was it. She was going to the moon.
Emily looked around the small rocket for her twentieth time. She looked outside and smiled. Her little brother and dad were there, jumping and waving to her. She would miss them.
Emily continued on her eye tour of the rocket. All the buttons and knobs would have confused anybody else. But not Emily. She knew what the Cylindrical Fuel and Oxidiser Tanks were for. She knew what a gimbal joint was. If she had been here just six months ago, she would be just like everybody else in their confusion.
She remembered her mother’s words when she was little. They had just moved, because her dad had gotten a new job. One night, she was particularly ornery. 
“I want to go home!” She complained.
“And I want to go to the moon. It’s ain’t happenin’ sweetheart. Time to accept that.” Her mother replied back. Angry, she had stomped off to her room, steaming. The next morning her mother had gotten into a car accident while driving to work.
She had just dropped Emily off at school. Emily was still grouchy from the night's argument. She left without a word, striding to her classroom without looking back. She felt bad about later, so quickly ran outside to see her mom. She came out right as the car turned the corner. She never saw her mom again.
Emily had always been told she was hard-headed and stubborn, but she just ignored them, plowing through life. As she looked back, she guessed they were right. She thought back to when her mother had been training Emily how to ride a horse.
Emily had been so excited. She had wanted to ride a horse all her life! Then, she had fallen off the horse and onto a sharp stick, creating a huge gash in her leg.  She was not able to continue the lesson for several days.
When she was able to ride, she refused to get on the horse. Her mother had been disappointed and pressed her to start riding again. But Emily had bluntly vetoed the idea. Soon the summer was over and snow clouded the roads. Emily had never rode a horse since that day.
“4. 3. 2. 1… Blastoff!” The rocket lurched and Emily was rocketed into the sky. The aircraft zoomed past all the cheering spectators, past all the gadgets and gizmos, past all her troubles.
Emily recalled her mother’s words when Emily had stormed out of the car the day of the car crash.
“Emily,” Her mother grasped her wrist before she escaped the car. “Never ever give up. You can do anything. Don’t run away from your problems. Face them like a lion. You can do hard things. You can go to the moon.”
A silent tear slipped down her cheek as the rocket zoomed miles and miles away from earth.