One Subtle Change (Chapter 2)
After a mad dash through the next three train carts, a kitchen, and (surprisingly) a bathroom, Amy and Dan were finally back in their original train cart.
There they found Hamilton Holt sitting on top of Nellie Gomez, with a victorious expression on his face. Nellie was kicking and screaming like a rabid animal, but Hamilton paid her about as much attention as he would a bothersome fly. Amy and Dan stared in horror feeling that all hope was gone. They were just starting to feel despair's icy fingers running smoothly down their backs, but had scarcely more than a second to register this emotion before they felt themselves being lifted up by the scruffs of their necks.
Amy wanted to kick, scream, bite, do everything that young children were taught to do if they saw a stranger, but was paralyzed by her ever growing despair.
So what if she and Dan perished right now. Who would mourn their loss? This was The Thirty-Nine Clues, not a charity for hopeless orphaned kids. This was a game for the rich and well off, not the poor, but hopeful. Why not give up now? Grace is dead. There is no one else who has hope in them.
Just as Amy was beginning to feel comforted by her self pity, she was struck with an idea. It was either pure genius or the lack oxygen, whichever it was her plan had to work. She tried to look at Dan and supply him with some type of reassurance that things would work out, but all she got was the slowly dieing face of Dan.
"Alright," gasped a barely audible Amy. "We'll give you what you want."
"Looks like Amy inherited the family brain." Madison snickered to her twin. She and Reagan dropped the two in an ungraceful heap on the floor. At that moment Nellie was able to get free, but her victory was short lived. Hamilton picked himself up and wrapped his strong muscular arms around Nellie.
"Ok. Where is it you little brat?" shouted Eisenhower Holt.
"Everybody, up against the door!" screamed a timid Amy.
"You are in no position to be making any negotiations!" retorted Eisenhower. He shoved his burly body past Amy, knocking her to the floor. While the rest of the Holts stayed pressed against the door, he defiantly marched over to the cabinet and yanks it open.
In that instant a very irritated (and hungry) Saladin flies out of the cabinet landing on Eisenhower's face. The Egyptian Mau began clawing and biting viciously. Eisenhower veered back tripping over a conviently placed suitcase. He fell back against the door sending himself and his family out of the train door. Amy stood disbelievingly at her own handiwork.