Chapter One -

Crazee Collectors

Dan opened his eyes and sat up straight. He couldn't fall asleep. He wasn't sure if it was the sound of Aunt Beatrice snoring, Amy's constant moving in bed, or the fact it was only 8:00 pm.

Dan groaned. He wasn't sure why he always had to sleep in bed this early. It wasn't a normal thing his friends do. While everyone else got to sleep at 9:00 pm or 10:00 pm, Dan was stuck sleeping in a house with the loudest bookworm in the world, an 81-year-old aunt with clown make-up and a bedtime of 8:00 pm.

Dan grabbed whatever was around him and threw it across the room. It made a small thud sound before knocking down a few things. Dan sighed and decided to check out what he knocked over. He let his legs hang from the side of his bed before dropping them to the floor.

When he set foot on the ground, it wasn't the ground he felt, it was smooth and was slightly lifting him off the floor. He turned on a nearby desk lamp before lifting a foot to reveal the new stock of Ninjas: The Book of Martial arts weekly. Dan eyes widened, Amy must have thrown it in my room today. How could I have missed it?

Dan always thought of himself as a deadly ninja. From when he young, he had a ninja teddy bear and would always wear a spider man outfit when he came to work with his father. He also loves to collect things. From tombstone rubbings, to baseball cards. From Civil War weapons, to rare coins.

He picked it up and scanned the cover. It was too dark to read and he couldn't turn on the lights. Dan sighed; he couldn't even read his favourite issue of The Book of Martial Arts at 8:00 pm. He started flipping through the pages of the magazine until he stopped dead on page 78 and gasped.

It read:

Looking for a new sword to practice you're Ninja Skills with?

You've seen it in the museum now you could see it in the flesh!

The Muramasa Katana sword in store's now at The Martial Arts Store!

You better hurry up and buy it today because there's only three left to buy in Boston.

E-mail: ninjaweekly martialartmag. com
Phone: 1-000-000-NINJA

*Doesn't come in various colours. Includes, sword case and blade protection cap.

*Warning: Please ask a parent/guardian before buying the dangerous and sharp Muramasa Katana sword. We are not responsible for the injury of your child. Parent's kids are your responsibility. Please keep away from kids 17 and under.

I can't run all the way to the martial arts store at 8:00 pm. Plus, it's not for my age and it's probably all gone... There's only one thing left to do. Dan threw the magazine aside and took his laptop from under his bed. He turned it on and started typing.


Dan sat up straight and gave a big yawn. At first, the clock was nothing more than a dark outline, but as he blinked and squinted and his eyes adjusted, it came into sharp focus. 7:30 am. Dan groaned, got out of bed, and started walking slowly out of his room. His back was hunched over and his head was facing the ground covering the bags under his eyes. His arms were flopping around the place, hitting the wall on his way downstairs.

On the other hand, Amy enjoyed the view of Dan half asleep in his Ninja pyjamas. Once Dan reached the dinning room, he flopped down on one of the chairs, took a spoon, and started eating.

"Dan, there's nothing there," Amy chuckled.

No Reply.

Amy looked at his condition and her smile disappeared, "What happened last night?" Amy lifted an eyebrow.

"I went to bed at 1:00 am," Dan replied half-asleep.

"Couldn't you just have waited to sleep at 9:00pm?"

Dan rubbed his eyes, sat up straight, and then let out a breath, "I was bargaining for a rare Muramasa Katana ninja sword on Crazee Collectors."

Amy eyes widened, and she yelled, "YOU DID WHAT?"

"Be quiet!" Dan whispered furiously. "I don't want Aunt Beatrice to find out that I'm trying to get a dangerous Ninja Sword, she'll delete my Crazee Collectors account."

"Exactly, if she finds out that I knew also knew - and she always thinks I'm part of your plan's - were both dead. Especially if you do break something, which you always do! " Amy warned. Then she thought for a while and asked, "Wait. Did you even get the sword yet?"

"No, but I most probably already have 15 bargains, there's a ton of people on that website and I got my nun-chucks after 30 minutes."

Amy growled, then thought over Dan's statement. "Wait, you have nun-chucks?" She lifted an eyebrow, and he nodded. She rolled her eyes, grabbed his wrist, and dragged him upstairs. She stopped in his room in front of his laptop.

"Go on your Crazee Collectors account," Amy crossed her arms.

"But I'm hungry," Dan whined.

"Well, you should have done that earlier instead of eating 'air cereal.'"

"See, this is why I didn't tell you I had nun-chucks." Dan reasoned but he logged onto his account. He scanned the page and smiled.

Amy looked at him in surprise, "Why are you smiling?"

"Correction, I have 16 bargains," He laughed.

Amy rolled her eyes, but was surprisingly curious, "Let me see." She took the mouse and scrolled down to read the first four bargains.

It Read:

Seeking Katana
Do, you have swords to trade? I am a future ninja master in need of a starter blade. I have practiced with the kitchen cutlery, but my au pair won't let me play with it anymore. Ideally, you would have the famed katana of Muramasa, banned by the Japanese shogun for being a cursed blade. They say that once drawn, the Muramasa katana's thirst is so great it must taste blood before it can be sheathed. This sounds good for taking on annoying big sisters. However, if you don't have the Muramasa blade, that's okay. Any steel sword will do. Willingness to trade swords for baseball cards is a plus. Also, if you give beginner sword lessons, please let me know. —Dan Cahill

16 Bargains:


James Albertson:

Dude, I've got a Dragon Samurai Sword. I'm willing to trade for baseball cards but first contact me and tell me what you've got.


Sam Salvatore:
I have a Japanese Samurai Katana Tanto Wakizashi, but do you have any really rare coins? I'm looking forward to ancient Chinese coins.


Eleni Murray:

I have the Muramasa Katana, but I kind of looking for nun-chucks or other Ninja items that aren't swords. Press the Bargain button if you're interested.


Jason Ludlow:

I have a rare lightsaber that lights up blue and green. However, don't think I didn't read you're description, the handles steel. Are you up for it?


Amy gagged at the fourth entry, and then turned to Dan, "Dan, how do you know if these people are lying?"

Dan turned to face Amy, "Crazee Collectors has their own mail system. When you send a package you write down what you need to send and what you need to get. You also have to print out you're bargain agreement to certify if you and the other person actually agreed to trade. Then they x-ray your package to see if you're sending the right item."

Amy stared at him blankly, "Well, you're not getting it so you could forget about you're whole Ninja dream." She shut down the laptop and brought it in her room. When she came out, she locked the door.

"If you're not down stairs in five minutes, I'm coming up." She put the key in her pocket, zipped it up, and walked down stairs.

Dan stared at his sister in disbelief.


AUTHOR'S NOTE

I did NOT write Dan's article, and this wasn't my originally my idea. I got it from The 39 Clues website on Dan's Crazee Collectors account, so NO credit for me. I just wrote the storyline but it WASN'T me idea.