SG stared at the scene before her: one of Saladin yowling and scratching at Hamilton Holt, while Madison and Reagan attempted to duct tape him to a chair. Unfortunately for the sisters, they were failing.

"No—!" Hamilton cried before Reagan ripped off a piece of tape, and stuck it on his mouth.

She yelled, and punched the air triumphantly. "Yes! That's ten points! In your face Reagan!"

Reagan scowled at her sister, releasing Hamilton. He fell facedown on the floor.

"No way! I get half of that! I was holding him while you taped him!"

Hamilton, being the stealthy young man he was, crawled towards the door rather unheroically and clumsily bumped into the coffee table. As Reagan and Madison glanced in his direction, he struggled up and put on his sternest face. But it was hard to be afraid of him when his hair was dripping wet with coffee and homemade tapioca.

Hamilton attempted to speak before remembering that his mouth had been sealed off. He fumbled for awhile and finally managed to rip off the tape. "I am not playing this stupid game with you! I won't be some dummy that you girls try to destroy!"

Reagan looked up at Hamilton, confused. "What are you talking about? This isn't a stupid game. It's so much fun!"

"To you maybe!"

The sisters glanced at each other.

"But we've been doing this for months," Madison pointed out. "And you've never complained before."

"Because each time, you duct tape my mouth! And after mom and dad comes home, you unduct tape me and I don't have time to complain!"

"I don't think that 'unduct tape' is a word," Reagan told her fuming brother. She shook her head and sighed. "I guess the games are over. Oh well. It was fun while it lasted."

The brother smiled and ruffled her hair affectionately (not that he would ever admit it). "Too bad."

Madison looked sadly at Reagan. "I guess we're back to Barbie dolls."

Hamilton's smile froze. "No. No, no, no, no. Please, not that game!"

Madison beamed at her brother. "It's a fun game Hammy! I promise that you'll have so much fun!"

"Yes," Reagan said as she walked towards their collection of Barbies, and picked up several with broken heads. She held them up, and glared at them critically. "What do you think of this one? Good enough?"

"It'll do," Madison beckoned Reagan over to them. "Come on, I can't wait to get started."

SG stood up, shaking her head in bewilderment. She left the screen on, and headed downstairs to make herself some coffee. After pouring milk and stirring the cup, she walked slowly upstairs. SG wasn't so sure if she wanted to know what the Holt sisters were doing to Hamilton.

Taking her time seemed to work; when SG arrived back upstairs, Hamilton was rocking in a corner with a wild look in his eye. Sighing, she settled into her chair (an Ekat invention which allowed her to perform many functions that normal chairs could not) and sipped her coffee.

After watching Madison and Reagan for a few more minutes, SG decided that she should do something. She dug her hand into her jean pocket and fished out her cellphone. SG had a couple of connections that could keep the Holts preoccupied.

Amy Cahill glanced at Ian Kabra. "Uh, are you sure this is the right address?"

The building looked abandoned; vines and ivy stuck onto the walls and overgrown bushes blocked the doorway. It didn't help that it was built of stone.

"I'm sure," Ian replied in his accent. "This is Bluebell street, isn't it? And that large number over there does say 'a hundred and thirteen', doesn't it?"

Amy didn't respond. She stared at the slip of paper she held in her hand, and back at the stone building.

"Amy?"

"Hmm?" Amy snapped out of her reverie and faced the Cobra. "And you're positive that the Vespers sent this. To us."

"Yes Cahill, positive."

Cahill? Ian had never called her that. He was keeping something from her.

"And where did you get this?"

He sighed, British style. "I told you. A reliable resource."

"And according to your resource, we weren't allowed to bring our siblings."

"Well, not exactly. He told me not to mention it to either Dan or Natalie. He didn't want them in danger."

"So this is dangerous." Amy stared into his eyes, but he flinched looked away. She knew that there was definitely something wrong. "What is it Cobra?"

"What are you talking about?" Ian lied smoothly. Then he gave her a look. "Wait –Cobra?"

Amy ignored it. "What's going on? Don't lie to me, like you did last time."

Immediately, he lost his composure. His hands shook and his face was tight.

That was the one great advantage about Korea— it was his weakness, as Amy found out after months of getting to know him. If she was desperate enough, all she had to do was mention Korea in an indirect way, and she got what she needed.

"It's okay," Amy said, more gently this time. "Just tell me what's wrong."

Ian balled up his hands and spoke curtly. "That isn't the real note. The Vespers sent me something similar to that. It said that they had taken Natalie, and if I wanted her back, I had to bring you here."

Amy stared at him for a long while. He looked right back at her and his eyes looked like steel.

Then Amy sighed resignedly. "I should've expected," she muttered. "A Cobra like you, deceiving everyone as usual."

Ian glared at her. "What was I supposed to do? You would've done the same thing for Dan."

She stayed silent, unsure of what to say. Then she replied, "let's get this over with." And she walked into the building.

Ian was so surprised, he stood there staring after her.

Amy glanced over her shoulder. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

Ian gave her a sceptical look. "You're walking right into a trap."

She grinned. "Just like old times. Come on."

Ian slowly started to smile, and followed her in.

The building's interior seemed worst than the outside. Cobwebs dominated the ceiling, and heavy layers of dust covered the floor. White sheets were placed on furniture, and when Amy timidly stepped in, the floor gave away, causing Ian to frantically grab her. It was a perfect haunted house scene.

"Never doing that again," Amy panted slightly, still clutching onto Ian.

"I agree." Ian glanced disdainfully around the room. "Now, with the floor breaking, how are we supposed to climb up there?" he pointed at a flight of stairs that seemed to stare back at them. They sent a clear message: climb only if you wish to die early.

Amy shrugged helplessly. "We should go back outside. Maybe there's a back door or something."

As she turned to leave, Ian saw a flash of purple. He grabbed her arm.

"Wait," he whispered. "I saw something."

Amy froze. She looked at him questioningly.

He beckoned towards a chair.

"It can't be a person," Amy whispered back. "We're fifteen year olds, and even we can't step in without falling to our deaths."

Ian averted his gaze towards the chair. "Maybe it's a seven year old."

They stood there for a couple more minutes, but nothing revealed itself.

Amy sighed. Then, using her normal voice she said, "this is hopeless," and stepped into the room once again.

Ian tensed, ready to catch her, thinking, that idiot!

But she did not fall. She stared at the board below her. "Maybe I just stepped on a trap the first time around?"

He took a step, testing the wooden floor. "I suppose so," he murmmered. He strode across the room and up the stairs.

"Hey!" Amy complained. She was still walking slowly, weary of another trap. "Wait!"

After she climbed up the stair, she spotted Ian tapping his foot impatiently, waiting for her.

"We have to hurry. I don't want them to hurt Natalie."

Amy smiled and nodded. She had never seen this side of Ian, apart from their time in the gauntlet on Cahill Island.

They scanned their surroundings and Ian pointed at a bedroom. "We should go in there. But prepare yourself," he warned. "They could do anything to you."

Amy grinned again. "We'll handle it," she promised.

The bedroom would have been the nicest room in the house, if it wasn't for the many people in dark purple suits sitting luxuriously around the room. It was furnished lavishly, and painted a lovely shade of yellow, but the peoples expressions were dark and ominous.

"Hello, lovely," a female sitting by the corner said sweetly.

Ian wasted no time. He glared his most Cobra glare at them and growled, "where is she? Where's Natalie?"

The woman laughed a laugh that sounded like wind chimes. "Why, honey, she's at her boarding school of course."

"What?"

"We never kidnapped her, darling," another female replied. "It was much easier to make you believe that we had."

"But I called the principle and he informed me himself that she was gone!"

"Amazing what money can do, wouldn't you agree?"

Ian stared at them. He couldn't believe it. Natalie was safe? He felt like a fool. Falling for a trick like that… he was turning to soft. He had to fix this, fast. And leading Amy straight into this trap!

He glanced guiltily at her. She stared back at him, looking scared and amused at the same time. He could almost hear her thoughts: Ian Kabra, the great Lucian fell for something as simple as this. Wonderful.

"Now lovelies," the woman said. "Are you ready to die?"

And that was when a rough shout was heard, and the Holts slammed the door down.

"Oh!" Madison squealed excitedly, which was not like her at all. But she finally had a reason to pick a fight! "Yes! Someone to beat up!"

Reagan cracked her knuckles and smiled intimidating at the women in purple ninja outfits. "Now lovelies," she mimicked. "Are you ready to die?"

Hamilton stormed in the room. "Let's get this over with, fast. The Amazing Race is on!"

SG grinned at the screen and sighed in satisfaction. She spared the readers of the gruesome descriptions of the things the Holts did to the purple ninjas— which, by the way, were not Vespers. They were Lucians whom wanted revenge for imprisoning Isabel.

SG aimed the remote at the TV and pressed the off button. A normal day in the life of a Holt.

A/N: I think these people were kind of OOC. Right? Sorry... I didn't have much time. I'm leaving on vacation and just wanted to publish one more story. And a blunt ending. Oh well. Also, if I copied anyones tittle, once again, I'm sorry, I don't have time to check.

I won't be able to respond to PMs for awhile, so don't get offended. THEY DON'T HAVE INTERNET. Got that? Good.

Please review!

~SG^^