Disclaimer: Plot it mine. Nothing else. No suing allowed.
The Notebook Brigade
Chapter One
Not-So-Happy Birthday
"Okay, fine. I'm it!" Isadora yelled gleefully. Duncan and Quigley instantly made a mad dash for the opposite side of the ballroom. Isadora dashed after them. The three siblings continued to chase each other around the room, very focused on their current game of tag. When Isadora was just about to tag Quigley, they heard the door open.
"Come one you three!" their dad's voice called. He walked into the room, while Isadora, Duncan, and Quigley hastened to set up the card game they had brought in the room just in case they were caught laying tag. By the time their dad reached the center of the room, the three siblings where all gathered around a small pool of cards, seven cards in hand.
"Any threes?" Duncan asked his father, leaning back casually on one arm. Mr. Quagmire smiled.
"No," their father said, "but I do have twelves. Three twelves in fact."
"Us!" the triplets yelled in unison, abandoning their current "Go Fish" game.
"You'd better get to the kitchen," their dad said, striding out of the room. "Three cakes are a burnin'." The triplets shot past their dad and into the kitchen adjacent to the ballroom. Their mother was already there, busily lighting the twelve candles on each triplet's cake (there were thirty-six in total). Upon lighting the twenty-fourth candle, their mother looked up and saw Isadora, Duncan, and Quigley standing in the doorway, each sporting a smile that helped the candles light up the room. She turned off the lighter, placed it on the table next to Quigley's unlit cake, and put her hands on her hips.
"Well, if it isn't the birthday boys," she said gesturing to Duncan and Quigley. "And the birthday girl," she finished, gesturing to Isadora. The siblings excitedly sat down at the kitchen table and helped their mother light the twelve candles on Quigley's cake. As Duncan lit the thirty-sixth and final candle, their father joined them at the table.
"Ooh! Hurry up and blow out them out!" their dad said. "We don't want a waxy cake!" He began rubbing his hands together and twitching his eye, cackling evilly. Isadora, Duncan, and Quigley exchanged glances, then burst out laughing. Mrs. Quagmire gave her husband one of those looks moms know how to give.
"Eddie..." she muttered, still giving that look. Mr. Quagmire smiled, then regained his composure.
"But seriously," he said, "you might want to make a with before the cakes are covered in wax." Isadora, Duncan, and Quigley exchanged glances. Every birthday they has blown out all of their candles all together. They planned to do the same this year.
'I wish that our family will always be together,' Quigley thought as he blew out his candles.
'I wish that our parents will never leave us. Not until we're ready,' Duncan wished as he blew out his candles.
'I don't want anything to ever go wrong,' Isadora wished as she blew out her candles. All three siblings opened their eyes. Plain gray smoke was curling slowly upward from the top of each cake. That was not the only time they were going to see smoke that day.
"Michelle? Are you okay? You seem really fidgety," Mr. Quagmire said to his wife, looking extremely concerned. He, Isadora, Duncan, and Quigley had finished all the cake they could possibly hold, but Mrs. Quagmire had barely eaten anything.
"Oh no, I'm perfectly fine," Michelle said quietly, randomly pushing chocolate or vanilla cake chunks around her plate.
"Are you sure hunny?" Mr. Quagmire asked, not convinced.
"I'm sure," Michelle said, not daring to avert her gaze from the small chunks of cake on her plate.
"If you say so," Eddie said surrendering. Then he rose from the table, slapping his thighs. "Who's up for a game of football?" Duncan and Quigley eagerly volunteered and the men of the house headed outside.
Isadora and her mother remained at the table. Isadora let her mind wander. Thoughts about friends and videogames began to fill her not so girly mind. Something suddenly dragged out of those thoughts. Her mom had suddenly seized her daughter's arm and was pulling her toward one of the rooms near the back of the house.
"Mom, what is going on?" Isadora asked fearfully as she was forced into one of the velvet sitting room chairs. Her mother pressed a finger to her daughter's lips.
"Please," she began, serious as ever. "You must listen carefully. There isn't much time. Something terrible is going to happen soon. Before your father and I won't be able to tell you, there is something you must know." Michelle took deep breath, but before she could even release on syllable, the door burst open.
"Michelle!" Mr. Quagmire yelled from the doorway. His sleeve was ripped and in his eyes there was a bright burning flame in front of tiredness. Michelle instantly stood and rushed to her husband's side.
"Is it...?"
"Fire," Eddie panted. Michelle's face suddenly looked as stressed and tired as her husband's.
"Where are Duncan and Quigley?" she asked, worriedly.
"Duncan is below the window."
"And Quigley?" Mr. Quagmire gave his wife a look and Michelle understood. "Oh," was all she managed to say. Eddie looked into her eyes.
"You know what to do," he said, kissed her, then disappeared from the room. Mrs. Quagmire took Isadora's hand and led her to the window. Then she knelt down so she was at her daughter's eye level.
"Izzy," she said. "There are two things I need to tell you. Don't ask any questions, there isn't time." Isadora nodded. "First, I need you to jump out the window." Isadora's jaw dropped. "It is the only way for you to escape the fire, Isadora. Second and most important; Find the fourth, Izzy, find the fourth."
Isadora didn't know what to say. Michelle opened the window, held Isadora in a huge embrace, whispered in her daughter's ear "I'm not coming back," and left the room. A few moments later Isadora saw flames creeping in from under the door. She turned to the open window.
"Don't look down..." she muttered to herself, clamping her eyelids down. She sat on the window ledge, letting her legs dangle over the ground about...she dare not think about how far it was to the ground.
She gulped, and jumped
TO BE CONTINUED...
Ha, I got that from Dory. ALL TRADEMARKS OF TO BE CONITNUED TO DORY!
If you want any characters to come into the story, or die, or whatever, tell me in your reviewses:)