A/N: Hey! Sri here :D

I know I shouldn't be starting another story at this point, especially considering the rate I update at- but I had two interesting dreams, both about the Cahills, last night :O This is just the result of one of them. I'm going to post the first few chapters all at once, to make up for not updating, so no boring A/Ns in between xD

Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues... even though I dream about them sometimes... XP

Chapter 1 - Unexpected

One humid July day, people departing from Los Angeles International Airport observed a tall, handsome, official-looking teen walking briskly through security with a suitcase in hand. He stopped briefly at the luggage pick-up area to grab a brown shoulder bag- the luggage, for once, was there before passengers came to pick them up- and continued on his way out.

Phoenix Wizard's eighteenth birthday was just two days away. He was returning from Italy, where he'd been sent to take care of Janus disputes, to his cousin Jonah's place. He thought of his upcoming birthday and of the Clue-hunt Cahills, who would be there to help celebrate, as he waited impatiently for his limo to show up.

Suddenly, from deeper inside the airport, he heard yells and gasps. A crowd was gathering at the exit. Curiously, Phoenix moved closer.

Over the tops of people's heads, he spotted a weird-looking contraption, which looked like a broken chair and a ceiling fan attached, hovering about eleven feet in the air. As it moved higher, he saw that there was someone clinging on to it- a girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen.

"Hey, you!" Airport security officials were everywhere in the crowd. They parted the people to make enough space for the girl to come down just below where she was hovering. "Come down here at once."

"No!" Her voice was thin, and it suited her pale face, long black braids and extremely slim build. She looked Asian, probably Japanese or Korean.

Phoenix decided she had to be a Cahill. Almost no one else was capable of causing all that chaos, escaping from airport security in apparently, an on-the-spot invention. If so, it was up to him to get her to the CC in Boston and learn her branch.

He pushed through the mass of people watching to the man who looked like the Chief of the airport officials and flashed the Cahill coat-of-arms imprinted into his coat at the man. Most important people had some connection to the Cahills.

This guy was no exception. "Yes, sir?"

Phoenix hissed, "Probably a Cahill. I'll take her to the CC."

"Oh, of course. We just need to get her down first- that thing could collapse at any time."

"Let me try." Phoenix moved forward, into the space under the girl. "Um, hey..."

The girl looked at him, her huge black eyes nervous, but not completely afraid.

"Listen to me. We won't harm you. I know why you're here, and I can help you with it. But you need to come down on the floor first... that machine could fail at any time." Phoenix tried to make his voice as calming as possible.

The only sounds were the gentle hum of the whirring ceiling fan the girl was hanging on to and the breathing of all the people watching.

The girl stared at him. "Y-you know what I'm here for?"

"...Not quite," Phoenix said. "You can tell me the details, but I know the basics. Come down, and we can talk safer."

The girl hesitated, then reached up and poked a small stick into the fan, which slowly stopped whirring, bringing her down gently. Phoenix took her arm, nodded to the officer, and led her out of the airport. Behind him, he heard airport officials shooing away the people and bribing the media to not publicize the story.

He opened the door of the waiting limo for the girl and climbed in after her.

Once they were comfortably seated and on their way to Jonah's mansion-like house, Phoenix decided to introduce himself and get to know her a bit. "I'm Phoenix Wizard, and I'm a Janus. You are...?"

"A Janus?" Her eyes widened. "No!"

She got up immediately and stumbled in the moving limo, towards the door. Phoenix grabbed her arm. "Wait! All the branches are at peace now."

She paused and turned to look at him slowly. "What..."

"Sit down. You might hurt yourself." Phoenix gestured to the seat, and she sank down slowly.

"Okey-dokey, let's start with the basics. Your name?"

The girl hesitated and fixed her big eyes on him. He waited, almost impatiently. Just when he thought she wasn't going to give away anything, she spoke.

"Kristina Oh."