12/1/13: Edited! Takes place during Book 3.
And on that day, Dan officially decided that his sister, Amy Cahill, was mental.
Well, the revelation wasn't anything new - but only now had it hit him how true it really was. He suppressed a gag and shuddered at the thoughts that came with it.
The first thing that bothered him - they were an alliance with the Kabras. Um, hello? They were mortal enemies! Not only that, but Amy was starting to have this annoyingly apparent crush on Ian and man how it made him want to throw up.
She acted so defense about it, Dan thought as he snorted. It's not like Dan was oblivious. All he had to do was mention the name - and Amy would turn this dreadful shade of bright red and stutter and trip over her words.
It honestly made Dan want to slam his head into a wall.
I mean, a Kabra. Amy really must be desperate.
At the moment, Dan sat in the backseat car - with Natalie. Yeah, that's right. Amy had made him sit in the back with the wretched girl herself, which left him in a positively fuming mood.
That little sneak just wants to sit with Ian in the front!
Alistair was in the shotgun seat when he asked the driver to stop the car. He murmured something quickly to the French driver, who in turn nodded in affirmation. Alistair retreated and disappeared into the shadows of of the nearby alley.
Aaaaand that's just fantastic. Stuck in the van for even more time with these creeps.
"That's actually really funny, Ian!"
"You think so?"
Ugh. Someone shoot me.
Before Dan could start yelling at Amy to stop flirting, his attention was diverted by the sight of Natalie disinterestedly filing her nails to his right. What kind of hellhole was this place?
A burp escaped him as he sighed again and slid back into his seat in defeat.
"Ew!" Natalie shrieked, instantly scooting away from him. "Daniel, I am now suddenly aware why you have never had a girlfriend and never will." She glared while flipping her long, glossy hair over her shoulders.
Huh, Amy tells me the same exact thing.
But the real question that arose to Dan's mind was: Why would he ever even want a girlfriend? He had no interest in such affairs whatsoever.
With a glance back at Natalie, he found himself grimacing in disgust. While Dan thought Natalie was extremely pretty (not that he would ever admit that to anyone as long as he lived), she was still a spoiled jerk-face and nothing would ever change that.
"Like I'd want one," Dan snapped back easily.
"Quit being a sore loser," chided Natalie. "You just don't want to admit you have no social life with girls whatsoever!" She began to chuckle merrily.
Dan scowled deeply.
This girl is getting on my last nerve...
"And I have proof, you know," she said. "Let's not forget the time we hacked into your computer and found the profiles of three thirteen-year-old girls in your history!" She had barely constrained laughter now.
"Okay," Dan spat, slamming his hand down on the seat. "That as an invasion of privacy!" If he was trying to sound intimidating, it didn't work, judging by the way Natalie's laughter only intensified. The red color of his face didn't help much, either.
"Look at you, red as a cherry!" she got out between her chuckling. "How pathetic."
Dan gave one last deathly glare before turning away to face the window, blocking her out completely. He didn't want to rise to the bait and give her the benefit of a reaction. He had already given himself away enough.
Natalie's laughter simmered down until she was smiling contentedly. Only moments before was she scowling in annoyance that she was stuck in a van with Dan, of all people, but now she was finding herself quite entertained. He wasn't bad company...
Natalie realized where that train of thought was going and shook her head fervently. Get a grip, Natalie. You can't warm up to a nasty prat like him.
At that moment, the sound of the engine started up and car begin speeding off as it pulled onto the road.
"Wh-Where are you taking us!?" Amy demanded to know nervously.
"Don't worry, you'll be safe. I will take you to Alistair's home, but for now it seems that someone is on our trail..." The driver trailed off there and focused his attention on the wheel.
"Relax, Amy. We're not like you; we have a clue to what we're doing," Natalie spoke up from the back, nose in the air.
Dan's eyes flashed with anger. How dare she talk to Amy like that? He advanced towards her, "Shut up you piece of -"
Dan was cut off when the driver stepped on the gas and the car was jolted forward and they begin moving at an extremely fast speed.
"AHHHHHH!"
All kids were yelling as they tried to hold onto their seat. The van took a sharp turn left, and Dan's forehead collided with Natalie's in a sickening crash.
"Idiot!" Natalie cursed under her breath while clutching her paining forehead. "Move to the front!"
"Like I can even stay still with this driver and his fascination with playing with the steering wheel!" Dan harshly retaliated. "There's no damn room up, either! Don't flatter yourself thinking I'd want to sit with a spoiled brat like you!"
Natalie huffed while her eyes widened, and Dan smirked. Oh, yeah. Target - hit. So caught up in the victory was he that he forgot to prepare himself for the next wilf, out-of-control turn the driver was about to make.
In a split second's timing, Dan was knocked over onto his stomach as the driver turned right. The car begin to head straight, giving Dan the opportunity to catch his breath and open his eyes - only to find that there was one Natalie Kabra underneath him, who he was crushing.
"GET OFF OF ME!"
The scream practically echoed as Dan scrambled to sit up and push himself as far away from the other girl as possible.
"Keep your hands to yourself, for Christ's sake!" Natalie shouted venomously, cradling herself protectively.
"Like I said before, I can't effing help it!" Dan screeched, trying to overpower the sound of the wind rushing through their ears. His tolerance for Natalie had plummeted into the negatives, and he was tired of dealing with her crap.
"Why are we going so fast!?" Ian finally questioned, holding onto his seat as he looked in panic to the driver.
"The Holts!"
Oh. That made sense.
"I'm moving," Natalie finally said, crossing the barrier and somehow squishing Ian and Amy to the side as she sat down.
"Thank the Lord," Dan snorted, crossing his arms defiantly. They were finally slowing down now that they weren't being tailed anymore, but his heartbeat was still accelerating and he hadn't a clue why.
The car came to a stop in front of Alistair's house. The four kids inside of it jumped out graciously, two of them scarred for life.
Amy burst out laughing. She clutched at her sides and clenched her eyes shut, laughing so hard she had trouble breathing.
"What's wrong with you?" Dan stared at her sister. Maybe she had finally lost it? He knew this whole thing was a bad idea.
"Nothing... just... you and... N-Nata..." That's all Amy could get out as she succumbed to her chuckles once again.
"...Is she...going to be alright?" asked Ian nervously.
Finally, it clicked. "AMY!" Dan yelled furiously, looking around nervously. "If you so much as breathe a word about that!"
"Don't tell me..." Natalie murmured slowly, eyes widening at the realization. She glared at Amy. "You did not..."
"Oh, but I did," smirked Amy. "Tell me Natalie, since when did this interest of yours start?"
"I'll kill you!" Natalie yelled furiously. Her face burned red with anger.
"What the hell are you three and all going on about?" Ian scratched his head, obviously out of the loop.
"Tell him and I'll kill you," Natalie said slowly through gritted teeth. For some reason, Dan found this more terrifying than when she was yelling.
"Tell me what?" Ian tried again.
"I have many weapons on my arsenal. I will actually murder you in cold blood."
Dan cringed at Natalie's menacing tone. Well damn, was he really that bad to be seen with?
"Are you all okay?"
Alistair walked into the scene and observed the kids with concern. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
No one said anything.
"Well, come along inside then. It's getting dark."
Natalie huffed and walked ahead, while Ian followed dubiously.
"Now you know how it feels," Amy whispered to Dan.
"How what feels?"
"Don't act like you don't know."
Dan sighed in aggravation.
"We are never being alliances with the Kabras again!"