Hi, people. You probably hate me. Anyway, the update version of the first chapter was going to be my second chapter, but I made it longer. A shout out to Tweetybird127 for sending me a PM that made my day. I finally updated, hoorah!
Chapter One
The Mysterious Man
"What've we got?"
"Um, not much to report besides the usual argument about Prada and hamburgers."
"Anything else?"
"Uh, yeah. Two- whoop, make that three fist fights. One's just started." The person who spoke sighed and continued to type.
"In a whole month?" his co-worker asked.
"No. In a whole hour."
"Hour?!" The co-worker's eyes widened. "It's getting urgent!"
"What should we do?" the first one asked, eyes even wider.
The co-worker face-palmed. "What do you think?!
"We need to call the Madrigals."
Amy Cahill made her way home, humming pleasantly. School had just ended, and Amy had waved her friends goodbye. They were all going somewhere for the summer: Bangkok, Thailand; Honolulu, Hawaii; Manhattan, New York; Tallahassee, Florida; Juneau, Alaska; Tianjin, China etcetera. But Amy was just staying here, in little Attleboro with her au-pair, annoying brother, and shy great-uncle.
Amy didn't mind. She loved her family, and she'd traveled the world to see enough that it made her want to stay home for the rest of her life: Paris, France; Vienna, Austria; Tokoyo, Japan; Egypt; Russia; Sydney, Australia; South Africa; Madagascar; the Caribbean; Jamaica; the Bahamas (or what Dan liked to call, the Break-hamas); London, England; and even Mount Everest!
She could bet that her friends hadn't even been to one-forth of the places she had, or seen or did the things she had to. So, to conclude, Amy wasn't jealous. She felt a small pity to her friends, they were going to see a few things that they probably wouldn't want to even know about—except, who didn't know about gun shootings? Amy had been through that before, and she was done with it all!
Amy remembered her friend Alice talking about her new boyfriend and his cuteness. But compared to the people—or the person, to be specific—she had seen, he wasn't that cute. He wasn't even pretty. His name was Evan Tolliver, and he was a complete and utter dork.
Now Amy felt a pang of jealousy. Every sophomore girl had a boyfriend. Well, technically, Amy should've been a freshmen—she was smart and skipped a grade. Anyway, Amy was practically the only girl in the school who wasn't snuggling up to a handsome boy, or sharing endless kisses.
No, only one boy had ever appealed to her. And he'd broken her heart. So, Amy didn't even have a crush on anyone anymore. Even the loners, without love partners, had crushes!
Great, just great, Amy thought as she got lost in a dark alley. "Where the heck am I?" she muttered, then cursed as she tripped.
"Amy Cahill," a voice rang out.
Amy jumped. "W-who are y-you? What d-do you w-want? H-how do you k-know me?" Another reason for no boyfriend; the stutter.
A cloaked figure approached. "Remains to be seen."
A scream built up in Amy's throat, but before she could let it go loose and wild, her mouth was gagged and her arms and legs were tied. Amy was dragged away into the darkness. . . .
Dan Cahill was never a fan of vans. He preferred monster trucks, or just something else, something way cooler than a van. But when he was shoved into one, he didn't want to get out when the time came for them to be shoved out.
His older sister Amy was next to him, struggling against her bindings.
Dan didn't know how he- they got into this.
One moment he was waving Arnold and Ronald Orthus goodbye, the next he was shoved roughly into a van crowded with people that he knew and despised. Well, at least, he presumed it was those people he knew. He was blindfolded, but he could remember all those voices. After all, his memory was supposed to be pretty awesome.
Next to Amy—which Dan found really too coincidental—not!—his cousin Ian Kabra growled, "Argh!"
"It's useless," Alistair Oh said from the corner. "Do not waste your energy."
"I demand that you let me go!" Natalie Kabra, Ian's sister, shouted. "This dress was tailor-made and not very cheap, mind you!"
Dan rolled his eyes behind the blindfold and groaned, "What a big baby." He mimicked, "This crappy dress was tailor-made and not very cheap, mind you!" He wasn't really sure if the dress was crappy or not—like he already said, he was blindfolded, freaking blindfolded!
"When we're out Daniel, I swear I'll kill you!" Natalie threatened.
"No kill," a voice called. "You make worse then for selves then."
"Um, hello, can I speak to someone English, and not a complete and utter dimwit?" Natalie snarled.
"I is smarter than you. I is high class, below branch leader, fifth in line to lead," the man snarled back. "Now shush! Be good."
Reagan growled. "Stop this van right now or else!"
To their ultimate surprise, the van stopped. "Oh..." Reagan said. "Now, I demand you to open the door." The door was opened.
"Wow, Reg, how'd you do that?" Nellie asked.
"Now take off our blindfolds and let us leave!" Reagan commanded, ignoring Nellie.
The blindfolds were taken off, their arms and legs were untied, but they were shoved outside.
"Where are we?" asked Amy in wonder. The sunlight felt lovely on her un-tanned, pale skin.
"I don't know, love," smirked Ian with his darker skin. "Where do you suppose we are, love? You are, after all, supposed to be a Madrigal genius."
Amy frowned. "W-will you e-ever stop c-c-calling me l-l-love?!" she demanded. "And w-what's it to y-you if I'm a M-madrigal?
"R-right w-when y-you s-s-stop s-stutt-stuttering, I'll s-stop c-calling you love," Ian mocked.
"D-don't be such a jerk," Amy said, quietly but firmly.
"Yes. No jerk. Family. Friends. Love-y-dove-y. Mission," the man said, abruptly.
Ian growled, Amy blushed, the rest of the family didn't react much.
Amy looked around at everyone who was there. Dan, Ian—unfortunately—, Natalie, Hamilton, Sinead, Reagan, Ned, Ted, Madison, Jonah, Alistair, Fiske, Nellie, Eisenhower, Mary-Todd, and Phoenix. And... no way.
"Aunt Beatrice?!" demanded Amy.
The old hag scowled at her. "Amy, Dan. What an unpleasant surprise. Not that I expect more from filthy, scoundrel Cahills," she harrumphed. Cries of protest followed.
"You're a Cahill, too!" Hamilton said.
"True. But I'm not as deranged all of you. Especially"-she pointed to Amy and Dan-"you two." She went close to their faces and snarled, "Right after this, you'll be in Social Services, maybe even jail considering the damage you've done to the world. I don't care if my scumbag brother or your even more scumbag baby-sitter has taken guardianship of you."
"You're spitting on us," Dan said defiantly. "And it's au pair!"
Aunt Beatrice whispered, "I wonder how much money I'd be rewarded if- when I hand you to the police. And I wonder how they treat children criminals. . . ." With that, she chuckled and hurried along behind the man who kidnapped them.
"You were never one to wonder, Beatrice," scowled Fiske.
"Wicked Witch of the World," muttered Dan.
Even though she had said those words quietly, every Cahill member present heard Aunt Beatrice's threat. They stared at the children. The Cahill family hadn't expected their lives to be that cruel, even if everyone knew Grace's evil sister was... well, evil. Amy glanced at Dan and placed a loving hand on his shoulder. They didn't want to go to Social Services, or worse, jail!
"You okay?" muttered Sinead, drawing closer to Amy. Dan could barely hear them.
"Yeah. Just shaken. T-thanks for asking, S-sinead," whispered Amy.
Dan had to admit, he was shaken as well. Beatrice had that nasty effect on everyone. She was like the evil version of Grace Cahill—and the ugly version, too. Even if the threat was weak and pathetic, Beatrice scared everyone.
Dan had no idea why the kidnappers had taken Aunt Beatrice along with everyone else. She wasn't even family anymore! Probably to annoy us, Dan thought.
"Are you okay?" Ian asked. Dan frowned, hearing Ian ask his sister.
"Y-y-yes," Amy stuttered. Then she stepped away, ignoring him. POINT ONE FOR AMY! cheered Dan. He was serious, utterly, gratefully, internally happy that Amy resisted Ian's so called "charm". Charm was another skill of Lucians, but it didn't work this time!
Finally, they stopped in front of a large, beautiful mansion. Dan was awed and slightly sad. The mansion was a similar replica to Grace's... before it burned to the ground.
"We here. Go in," the man commanded. Everyone was shoved in, and the lights clicked on. "Welcome to home for next several weeks."
Ian wasn't sure what he did to deserve this. Whether it was because he tricked a couple of foolish men into buying expensive but stupid paintings, or whether it was because he stole Natalie's shampoo, or because he got into a fight with a couple Cahills, or because he'd broken Amy's heart so many times. . . He wasn't sure, but he hoped it wasn't the last reason. He hadn't wanted to break Amy's heart, but he needed to, even though he loved her.
Ian stole a glance to the lovely Amy in front of him as she was shoved into the rather small mansion (the Kabra mansion was twice this mansion). She had dark circles underneath her eyes, as if she was secretly worrying about her demon great-aunt giving them to Social Services or jail during the night. It also looked like she worried about Dan a lot and the clue hunt starting all over again. Now she had one more item to worry about: kidnapping. Her stomach was thin. Ian wasn't sure if she ate much. And her beautiful hair and eyes were still lovely, like always, even after almost a year or two. . . . No, Ian, stop that! Isabel Kabra's voice hissed inside his head.
"Sweet mansion!" Daniel cried out.
Ian and Amy rolled their eyes at the same time. Amy blushed as Ian glanced at her and gave a smile. Amy looked away. Most girls would fall at his feet from his smile. Amy did not, never did, and will never, because she's too special. Besides, they had a bad past and she was over the smile. Ian didn't mind too much if she didn't swoon after him. He liked a challenge, especially since this was his first challenge with females.
"Dan, we're being held hostage, and all you can think is that this is an awesome mansion?" groaned their old babysitter and new guardian, Nellie.
"I knew that boy was mental," muttered Beatrice. "Should've beat and whipped him some more."
Ian scowled at her. He didn't take a particular fancy to Daniel, but he despised Beatrice. He'd never known the hag that well, besides the Christmas meetings when they were children. Beatrice had given him a Prada purse, and she'd given Natalie a foot ball, or what Americans call a soccer ball. Beatrice had always been "kind" to them, but Ian had seen how she'd treated Amy and Dan. A few times, Beatrice even slapped Amy. Not even Isabel had hit her children, no matter how impossible it seemed. She was too deranged that she just shot at her daughter's foot instead of giving a slap to the cheek. Ian had winced when the slaps came and tried to stare at his mother; Natalie; or something besides Amy's crying. He'd wanted to be the one who comforted her, not the old inventor, Alistair.
The mysterious man shoved them in, one by one, Ian last. Before Ian could step in by himself, still the dignified man he was, the mysterious man placed an arm out. He whispered to Ian, "Take care of her," with no grammar mistake. Ian blinked. Take care of who? Natalie? . . . Amy?
The man didn't say anything else before shoving Ian in. Ian heard the door slam and lock shut.
The inside of the house wasn't the ugliest, nor the best. A regular white, posh sofa; a dark wood coffee table; a television set; a plush, pale carpet; and white walls. A lot like Grace's old home. Ian couldn't see upstairs, but he saw that the kitchen was like Grace's as well. A high, black wood table; high chairs; and regular kitchen mechanics like the stove or the fridge or the sink.
"You behave. Madrigals want friendship," a loud voice boomed through the speaker. He muttered, "They want love. We have video cameras. We watch. You good, go free." He paused to take a breath. "Instructions, coffee table. Thank you."
Ian snatched the instructions of the table before anyone else and read them. In scribbled, messy writing, it read:
'Dear Cahills, You share rooms. Reagan, Sinead = 1. Dan, Ham = 2. Nellie, Beatrice = 3. Mary-Toad, Eisenhower = 4. Jonah, Alistair = 5. Phoenix, Fiske = 6. Ted, Ned = 7. Ian, Amy = 8. Nat, Maddy = 9. You be good. Love, friends, family. You go free. That all instructions you get. Door locked, windows unbreakable, no escape. Pool in back. Library first floor. Basement for experiments. Medical problems or need of first aid first floor. Bathroom on second, bathroom on third. Attic. Game room third floor. Work out room third floor. Closets on third floor. Music room on second floor. Art or poisons room first floor. Happy stay!'
"No signature," muttered Ian.
"Library?" Amy could've burst into pieces with happiness.
"Sweet! A game room!" Dan ran upstairs.
"Yo, homies, a music room!"
"Oh! Fashion! And poison!" Natalie squealed and waggled her fingers, running upstairs.
"Holts, work out room!" The Holts saluted and marched up stairs. You could hear their echoes of, "One. Two. Three. One. Two. Three!"
"Experiments. . . Hmm. . ." Sinead glanced at her blind brother and her aching brother.
"What about burritos? And where do you invent things?" Alistair was devastated.
Almost everyone left. Only Ian and Amy stayed. Amy was going to go the library later. She flipped through the channels of the television. Ian stayed behind her, halfway in the kitchen, knowing that she thought she was alone. Amy sighed and laid down on one of the pillows on the couch.
She yawned and blinked. Soon, she was asleep. Ian inched closer. Suddenly, she moaned loudly. "No, come back! Come back! Please! Cave." Then she mumbled, "Please, Ian."
Ian gasped and tripped over his feet. Ian?
Suddenly, Amy shot up in bed. "Ah!" she cried out, waking up and panting. She placed a cool hand on her burning forehead and drew ragged breaths. "Oh," she muttered. Then she groaned and slowly walked towards the library, not noticing Ian in the shadows as he watched her.
Ian blinked, surprised, and stood there. Was she having nightmares about Korea?