I woke up that morning to the smell of smoke. Without even thinking about it, I jumped out of my warm bed and raced downstairs. When I reached the kitchen, I saw Dan and Hamilton standing around a smoking pan.
"What in the world are you doing?" I asked my eyes wide. Dan and Hamilton turned to me and I could see they were both laughing.
"Oh, hey Amy," Dan said. "We were just trying to make breakfast."
"And you couldn't wait for the rest of us because…?"
"Well we wanted something to eat while we played Call of Duty," Hamilton said, shrugging. I sighed.
"Whatever. Clean it up. I'm going to get dressed." I spun on my heel, and started back up the stairs. When I got to my room, I got dressed for the day. I wore a green tank with a black vest over it, dark wash jeans, and black ballet flats. I put my hair up in a ponytail. The clock read 8:10. As I was going out of my room, Sinead and Ian were coming out of their rooms.
"Hey Sinead, what's up?" I asked. She laughed.
"I'm having one of those mornings. My hair isn't doing what I want." I laughed with her as we descended the stairs. I could feel Ian's gaze on my back, so I turned around and smiled at him. He smiled back but he looked distracted. I shrugged it off.
After we ate breakfast, we all hung out in the living room. Hamilton, Reagan, Madison, Ned, Ted, Sinead, Jonah, Natalie, and Ian had moved into Grace's mansion after the Clue Hunt. It was weird at first, but we had got used to it pretty quick. Uncle Fiske lived in the guest house, but he was hardly home. He was always on business trips for the Madrigals. Nellie no longer lived with us. She had met a guy named Chris at college and she had moved in with him after college. They were just boyfriend/girlfriend, so I thought it was weird for them to live together. Maybe it's just me.
I was sitting on the couch between Sinead and Ian. It was kind of awkward. I was still in love with Ian, even after the whole Korea thing. I could tell it was awkward for him too, though I have no idea why. He broke my heart.
We were all watching Dan, Hamilton, and Jonah play Call of Duty. It was raining outside, so we had nothing better to do. Ned and Ted were playing cards, and Reagan and Madison were arm-wrestling. Natalie was filing her nails, but she was leaning against Dan's legs, which I found odd. I thought they hated each other.
The day passed uneventful. At around 8:30 that night, while we were eating pizza, there was a knock on the door.
"I'll get it," I said, standing up from the couch. I accidentally brushed my hand against Ian's and I blushed, moving my hand away quickly. He wouldn't meet my eyes. I sighed and walked to the door. I threw it open and shrieked.
"Nellie! Oh my God, what are you doing here? Hey Chris. Come in, come in!" I said in a rush. Nellie laughed and walked into the living room.
"Hey kiddos," Nellie said, leaning against the doorframe. Dan shot up off the loveseat, causing a very shocked Natalie (she had been still leaning against him). He raced over to Nellie and gave her a hug.
"Nellie! What are you doing here?"
"Well…I have an announcement to make. Chris took me out for dinner tonight at a fancy restaurant. And well…let's just say…I'm engaged! He proposed!" Nellie shrieked, showing everyone her huge diamond engagement ring. Everyone gasped. Amy and Sinead started jumping up and down, much to Hamilton and Ian's amusement. Dan patted Chris on the back.
"You've got a lot on your hands, dude," Dan said, shaking his head. Everyone laughed as Nellie smacked Dan's head. He rubbed it, grumbling about irritable women.
"We'll start planning the wedding tomorrow," Nellie promised, heading out the door. "We gotta get home now. See you tomorrow!" She and Chris left, leaving the living room in utter chaos.