DISCLAIMER: I. Do. Not. Own. The. 39. Clues. Or. Aladdin.
'Let's get things straight. AMY IS DEAD. And it's all because of one word. One single word. That word has caused the death of my precious Amy ten years ago.'
Ian Kabra was no longer the heartbreaking jerk he had been. He is now a mature, grown-up adult, with even more handsome features than before.
Ian sat up straight. Slouching was a word unknown to the Kabras. His father, Vikram Kabra, has once said that it is for FLO's – For Losers Only.
Unfortunately, that family virtue exists no longer for Ian. Everything has changed since he and Natalie dropped off the contest in order to let Dan win for Amy's sake. After the quest, they escaped from the prison they call home, and decided to live normal, average lives. They got jobs as cashiers at a famous food chain called McDonalds. And once they had saved enough money, they built their very own restaurant. It wasn't anything too fancy. They called it "Amy's New Spaghetti House". And, you guessed it, they serve all kinds of pasta – fettuccine, linguini, lasagna, spaghetti, mac and cheese…. You name it, they got it!
Enough of that. What is important is that they were ordinary people now. They give charity to schools and orphanages. They don't have private jets anymore. They live in a normal house inside a normal subdivision with Dan, Nellie, and their pet Saladin. And they do not carry a million dollars in their wallets and keep about ten checkbooks.
The only thing that remained from their former lives is their sense of fashion. They still wear designer clothes, but they do not fret too much if it gets wrinkled or has a speck of dust that is barely visible to the human eye.
"Aaaahhh!!!" Natalie Kabra screamed.
She, too, has matured. She is no longer the spoiled brat we had once known. Actually, she is not much of a shopaholic now, too! She only shops for clothes once a month and does not worry if someone saw her wearing the same outfit twice. Now, she is almost identical to her mother, Isabel Kabra, for they had the same flawless skin, same luxurious black hair, same luscious lips, and same amber eyes. Also, now that she is 21 years old, she is dating and soon to be married to Dan Cahill, winner of the 39 Clues hunt.
Ian immediately became alert. He turned around and sighed. Natalie and Dan were fighting, again, over the last bag of Cheetos. Yes, the ever-so-glamorous Natalie Kabra is eating Cheetos.
Ian flinched. How he hated that word. His thoughts then drifted off to the most unfortunate and regrettable day in his entire life….
*****
Amy and Dan Cahill were running away, again, from the Kabras after getting the 39th clue. They were in a rainforest in Africa, where tigers and lions run wild and free.
The Cahills were afraid to split off, for they might get lost in the dangerous jungle and be separated from one another.
The Kabras were now gaining on them. 5 miles. 4 miles. 3 miles. 2 miles. 1 mile. At last, they caught up with them. They had managed to hold Dan captive, but unfortunately, Amy got away. When she realized that she was now alone, she looked back and saw Ian tying Dan up, and Natalie was pointing her dart gun at her.
"LET DAN GO!" shouted Amy.
Natalie was slowly pulling the trigger of her gun.
Dan said, "Run Amy! Run! I can manage! Do this for Grace! Do this for Mom and Dad!!!"
At first, Amy refused to move. But then, she remembered another voice in her head. "You can do it, Amy. You know you can. I am always here for you." That voice was her mother's. She had always said that whenever she was nervous for the singing competitions she had participated in when she was younger.
And so, Amy ran at full speed. Natalie tried to catch her, but Ian stopped her. Little did everyone know that Amy wasn't the only one who fell in love at Seoul. Ian did, too. Everything that had happened there wasn't a faux pas. The constant smiling. Looking at her beautiful jade eyes. The kiss.
She had wanted for Amy to win, but his family would always interfere. But now, he had made up his mind. He smiled his true and sincere smile as he watched Amy escape.
And then, like a bolt of lightning, disaster struck.
A herd of cheetahs were a couple of miles at Amy's left, ready to strike. Dan noticed this, too, and so he shouted, "Amy, CHEETAHS!!!"
Amy slowed down, and without turning around, said, "Don't worry, Dan. When we win, I'll buy you all the Cheetos in the world. Just….not now…."
She still hasn't noticed the cheetahs! Ian began running towards her, trying to save her. Amy heard footsteps getting closer, so she began to run again.
Once she passed the cheetah's ambush line, they began running toward her.
Dan shouted again, "CHEETAHS!!!"
Amy, while running, answered, "Sorry, Dan! NO CHEETOS HERE!"
"No, Amy! CHEETAHS!"
Amy stopped abruptly. "Cheetahs? I don't see any cheetahs."
Ian stopped, too, in shock. Amy was about two miles away. The cheetahs are closing up on her. Even Natalie wanted to save her. She shot them all with her dart gun, but unfortunately, the poison was slow-acting.
Amy glanced to her right, then to her left. And that's where she saw her death. Her last sight was a cheetah's razor-sharp teeth, penetrating her smooth skin, swallowing her in whole.
Ian had tried to save her, but he was a split second too late. "AMY!!!" He dropped to his knees. Tears began streaming down his rather perfect face. Natalie ran to his side and began comforting him, telling him how that girl wasn't too much of a loss. But Ian just wouldn't listen. He didn't even bother to wipe his tears.
Meanwhile, Dan was in a state of anger, shock, and sadness. He got out his Swiss army knife from his back pocket and swiftly cut out the ropes tied to him.
He ran to the cheetahs, now paralyzed because of the poison. He found the one that had killed Amy and began stabbing it with his knife.
After he is done, he went over to the Kabras and began shouting at the top of his lungs, "This is all your fault! If you haven't tied me up, Amy would still be alive!" He started crying and punching the ground. When his hands started bleeding, Natalie came over and hugged him from behind. She whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry, Daniel. We tried to save her, we really did. But…."
Dan turned around and cried on Natalie's shoulder. Once he was done crying out his heart, he wanted someone to comfort him, just how Grace would do. And so, he hugged Natalie. After a few moments, they broke off. Natalie didn't seem to mind hugging her worst enemy.
That was when Dan realized that he wasn't alone. He looked deeply into Natalie's amber eyes and found grief and sincerity. These very eyes had acted like a magnet pulling him closer….closer….closer….until they shared a kiss. Tears rolling, anger melting, words of mourning and vengeance echoing through to the vast emptiness of the treacherous jungle.
That had been the start of their beautiful friendship and relationship.
Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, a certain lad was crouched down on the muddy ground. His perfect hands were covering his perfect face. Tears streaming in rivers of sadness and regret. Not even noticing that his immaculate, thousand-dollar Armani suit is getting wrinkled and dirty. Not seeming to believe that all the pain and misery in his life has happened in one day.
That day has been the start of the single and lonely life of Ian Kabra.
*****
Once again, tears were threatening to fall from Ian's face. Time and time again, when he was thinking of that memory, the same thought enters his mind: "I never even had the chance to tell her I love her…."
"IAN!!!" screamed Natalie, looking at him weirdly. She was holding the bag of Cheetos, seeming to have won the fight.
"Yes, Nat?" Ian said.
"Wanna have some Cheetos?" answered Natalie.
"I gave it to her in exchange for three shurikens and a samurai sword. Pretty good deal, huh?" Dan said.
Even after ten years, he was still the obnoxious eleven-year-old boy that we had learned to love. (A/N: Or maybe, just me! =D) He is still a crazed ninja psychopath (A/N: Thanks, psychoticbookgirl!) with an annoying sense of humor. The only thing that has changed is his physical appearance. He is much taller now with a much more dignified stand. He still has that scar under his eye, even though he is definitely more handsome than before (A/N: Is that even possible?!). Overall, he has become more loveable now, especially after the harassing clue hunt. (A/N: Waah!!! He's mine! Mine, mine, mine!!!)
After a few seconds, Ian said through clenched teeth, "You both know how much I loathe that kind of chips, don't you?"
"Chillax, big brother! I'm just asking you to help me open this. My hands are sweaty, see?" Natalie said, wiping her hand on Ian's arm. You don't know how hard it is to fight Dan over snacks. Especially now that he is 21 years old.
Ian answered, "Sure. Whatever." He reluctantly took the Cheetos bag from Natalie and opened it slowly.
Then suddenly, a cloud of green smoke surrounded the room. Everyone started coughing and struggling to see what was happening. I mean, it's not everyday you see green smoke coming out of a Cheetos bag.
And then, out of nowhere, a beautiful girl with fiery red hair and magnificent jade eyes. She was wearing a green gypsy-inspired dress with an off-shoulder feature, a tight bodice, and hundreds of beads and sequins adorning it.
The pretty girl did a little twirl, while floating in mid-air. Then, she closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in a praying position. She gave a little nod, opened her eyes, and said, "Hello, Master. I am your genie and your wish is my command!"
Ian blinked his eyes twice. 'Was she talking to me?' He glanced at Dan and Natalie and saw that both of them have their mouths wide open in an 'O' shape.
"Master? May I know your name?" the girl said.
"Um….My name is Ian. Ian Kabra. What is yours?" Ian answered.
All of sudden, the girl looked horrified. She tried to disappear and get back inside the Cheetos bag, but for a reason unknown, she couldn't.
And then, she tried to regain her composure and said, "I-I-I'm p-pleased to m-m-meet you Master….I-I-Ian. My name is A-A-Amy C-Cahill."
"AMY?!" Ian, Natalie, and Dan said in unison.
"Um….I-I do not t-t-think we've m-met before…." Amy's voice trailed off.
"Oh, come on, Amy! You can't hide yourself from us! Even your stutter is a dead giveaway!" Dan exclaimed.
"Uh….I-I-I'm s-sorry…." Amy bowed her head low.
"Amy," Ian said slowly. "Why are you a….genie?"
"Master, I-I do not know myself. But I think I heard a v-v-voice that said 'Your mission is not yet over. I am giving you another chance. Go for it, Amy!'" Amy answered reluctantly.
"Okay then. But please just tell me why you are inside a Cheetos bag?" asked Ian.
"Because….genies always stay inside an object that has caused their death. Didn't you know that the genie in the cartoon "Aladdin" was inside a lamp because the reason of his death was falling over a cliff and banging his head on an old, rusted lamp? In my case….well, I guess you know about that already," said Amy.
"Ohh…kaay… So, Amy, you're saying that you've suddenly turned into a genie that disappears into a Cheetos bag and then shows up when Ian opens it and you're gonna grant all our wishes….right???" Dan said, while jumping up and down.
"I-I-I suppose so….. Only three w-w-wishes to be exact. And I am only gonna grant my M-Master's wishes. Not yours. And, m-might I add, you haven't really matured since I left you," answered Amy.
"Sheesh. Whatever, Amy. You are such a killjoy!" Dan turned to Ian. "Ian! Please wish for an arsenal. Or maybe a chance to fight with a real-life ninja. Or maybe the complete set of Ninja Gaiden. Or maybe all of them! Please! Please! Please!"
"Shut up, Danny!" Natalie interrupted.
"Danny?" Amy said curiously. "Dan, why do you let Natalie call you Danny? I thought that nickname was already banned….even from me."
Dan blushed. "Didn't you know…..that Natalie and I are engaged?"
"Really?! Congratulations!"
"Thanks."
Meanwhile, Ian was still shocked. This was the perfect opportunity to admit his feelings for Amy. If only she could just be human again. But how to do that? I guess I'll just have to risk it….
"Ehem!" said Ian. "Amy, is there any possibility to turn you back into a human being?"
Amy blushed. "Well, the only way for me to convert back is….true love."
"That's easy." Ian smirked. "I. LOVE. YOU."
"No, Ian. The spell will only work if I loved that person back. In that case. I. DON'T. LOVE. YOU. Not after everything that had happened. Anyway, I prefer to be a genie all my life than to live in a place where the person I hate most is my husband. No, thank you." Amy snapped.
Ian looked shocked. No one has told him that before. 'I guess it can't be helped. I mean, after all that happened….'
"So, Master. What is your first wish?" Amy said cheerfully, desperate to get off the topic.
"Umm….I can't think of anything…." Ian said.
"NINJA GAIDEN!!!" shouted Dan.
"Ugh. Dan, stop it." Natalie rolled her eyes. "I know! Remember those ripped boxers back at Seoul? The one with the pink dollar signs on a white background? You told me those were your favorite! I'll never forget how much you cursed Alistair and his dog! Haha. Now I wonder why you still keep them in your closet. Hmm…. Anyway, why don't you wish those so that they can be fixed?"
Ian blushed. Amy looked away. And Dan….Dan was rolling on the floor, laughing.
Finally, Ian said, "Natalie, shut up! I can't just say 'I wish my boxers were fixed again!'"
Then, Amy muttered, "Your wish is my command, Master."
Then suddenly, the ripped boxers flew from the Ian's closet and appeared right in front of them. Ian covered his eyes, obviously dying from embarrassment.
But Amy wouldn't pay attention to him. She was muttering a magic spell and waving her delicate hands. Magical sparkles where filling the entire room. A glowing green light surrounding Ian's boxers in the center. And then, just as quick as it appeared, the boxers magically fixed themselves with a needle and a piece of thread that appeared from goodness-knows-where.
The boxers flew to Amy's outstretched arms. She closed her eyes immediately.
"M-m-master, here is your b-boxers," Amy said, still closing her eyes.
"Th-th-thank you, Amy. But please don't call me Master," said Ian.
"T-that is i-i-impossible M-master. It is against our r-rule b-b-book," stuttered Amy.
"What rule book?"
Amy snapped her left hand. A giant book with about a thousand pages appeared. Amy waved one hand and the book immediately opened to page 393. There, in the center of the page, written in big, black, bold letters, it said, "THOU SHALL NOT DISRESPECT THY MASTER BY ALL MEANS POSSIBLE."
"That includes not calling my Master 'master'" Amy said.
"Oh…." The trio, composing of Ian, Natalie, and Dan, said altogether.
"Hey, sister-in-law! Can I borrow that book? I'm just really, really curious," Natalie asked, a pleading look present in her eyes.
"No can do, Natalie! This is strictly genie property. I'm sorry." Amy answered. She snapped her hand again and the book vanished into thin air.
"Okay. Master, what is your second wish?" she said.
"Umm…." Ian began.
"I KNOW!" Natalie interrupted….again.
Ian glared at Natalie. "Natalie, SHUT UP! I can handle this."
Amy chuckled. This is just like the old days…..which she tried not to think about.
"Ehem!" Ian said aloud.
He was deeply thinking about something to wish about. It has to be something meaningful….. 'If only I can stop thinking about how beautiful Amy has become. Those gorgeous jade eyes….. Why won't she believe that I love her?'
Little did Ian know that genies possess the powers to read minds. Yes, Amy has read every thought that had entered his mind. Every single thing. That is why Amy was blushing right now.
'So Ian really did love me. And he doesn't even know that I loved him, too. That even with all these years of living inside a bag of chips, he has never left my mind. In every second of loneliness I spent, his gorgeous amber eyes were always there make my life worth living. If only he knew that the only way to make me normal again is through a kiss – a true love's kiss.'
"Yoohoo!!!" Dan shouted. He was waving a hand in front of Ian's face, for Ian seems to be out of this world right now.
"Amester is asking for your second wish!" Dan said once Ian has gone back into reality.
"Oh…right…." Ian once again, thought real hard. Then, he noticed Natalie. He remembered how Natalie has wasted her first wish and embarrassed her in front of Amy. He stared at her from head to toe, observing her clothes.
'Wow! Natalie is really a fashionista. Time to change that, once and for all!'
Ian smirked. Natalie noticed that he was not looking at Amy. Or at Dan. Or at her. He was looking at her clothes, with a mischievous grin plastered on his face. She knew exactly what he was gonna do.
"NOOO!!!!" she shouted out loud. "Ian, please! Don't do it!"
But it was too late.
"Love, I mean, Amy, I wish….that Natalie would lose her fashion sense….forever!"
Amy laughed. "Of course, Master. Your wish is my command!" She did a little twirl. Then, she flew over to Natalie and showered her with her magic sparkles.
Then, almost immediately, Natalie began to float in air. She was surrounded by a blinding light. And, once the light began to fade away, all of the other people in the room gasped. There, at the center of the room, was Natalie wrapped from head to toe with a neon green rag pretending to be a cloth.
Natalie noticed everyone looking at her like she was a rat trapped in a plastic cage, being observed by a dozen scientists. She felt conscious, and so she looked at her clothes, just like any sensible person would do. She didn't notice anything wrong with her outfit. 'Why are they staring at me?!'
"Excuse me, guys. What are you looking at? Is there something wrong?" Natalie asked.
The very instant Natalie had made her statement, every mouth in the room dropped open. Then, they all burst in laughter.
"Nothing's wrong, sweetheart. Trust me." Dan said, a playful grin playing on his face.
"Okay, if you say so." Natalie said, unsure if her boyfriend was telling the truth.
Both of them turned around, for a deadly silence had engulfed the room.
There, they saw Ian and Amy staring at one another as if nobody else mattered anymore.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Dan said, his eyes wandering from genie to human.
"Well, Dan. Your sister just wouldn't believe that I love her….so much," Ian said.
"Really? Why won't you believe him, Amy?" Dan smiled. He knew where this was going.
"But….I don't know if I can trust him anymore. Especially after what happened at Korea and Africa," Amy answered.
"What do you have to say about that, Ian?" Dan asked to Ian.
"I just want to tell her that I am sorry for everything. She'll never know how much death threats I have gotten from my parents if I let my emotions overcome me in the hunt. I really hope that she would forgive me. I'll make it up to her. I promise!" Ian said sincerely.
"Here that, Amy? He wants you to forgive him!" Dan, once again, said.
Amy seemed to think about it for a long time. This was pretty cool to watch for Amy was suspended in mid-air and was surrounded by a soft, green light. And then, Amy spoke, "Apology accepted."
"Yay!" Dan and Natalie did a High-five.
"Now, what would you want for your third wish, Master?" Amy asked, her eyes brimming with hope and excitement.
"You," came Ian's simple answer.
"Your wish is my command!" Amy smiled. She landed in the ground. Ian came up to her and grabbed her for a kiss.
A kiss that will change everything.
At that very moment, Amy turned back into a human. When they finally separated from their kiss, Amy's green dress turned into a beautiful white dress, complete with a veil, a long trail, and a breath-taking rose bouquet. Meanwhile, Ian's polo shirt and pants turned into a black tuxedo, with a striped tie and a green handkerchief.
Then, through the use of magic, their room changed into a beach. White chairs were lined up. There was a long red carpet in the middle, wide enough for four persons. At the end of the red carpet sprinkled with red and white rose petals, there was a priest, inviting them to come along.
Amy and Ian looked at their side and found Natalie and Dan, dressed in wedding outfits, too. Amy noticed that Natalie had her fashion sense back again, now that she wasn't a genie anymore.
'Too bad Ian's boxers are ripped again.' Amy giggled at this thought.
She invited Natalie and Dan to come closer.
The two couples held hands as they walked the walk of their life. Every second is worth gold. They must savor every single moment. All their life, they have been lonely, abused, looked-over. Now, they are having the time of their lives. One that they will remember forever
All of them smiled as each of them said, simultaneously, "I do."
Every sensible story we've ever read in our life would say "The End" at this point. But, unfortunately, this is not one of those stories, for this is not the end. This is only the beginning.
The beginning of the wonderful lives of Amy, Ian, Dan, and Natalie.
And so, I would just say:
"And they lived happily ever after."
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Whew! At last! After a grueling month of tons of homeworks and projects, I've finally published this extremely long one-shot. Haha. I've loved every second of writing this. I was hoping you'd love it too.
I would be very much honored if storyteller221 would still accept this in her contest, but if not…..well, that's life.
Ta-ta!
YOUR WISH IS MY COMMAND:
~~*Little Lobster*~~