Chapter One
Glasses?!
Amy Cahill yawned as she spread her arms apart. "Mm," she groaned as the sunlight shone directly into her jade eyes. She blinked, confused, at her blurry surroundings.
She stumbled slightly as she dressed into her green hoodie, black skinny jeans, and shoes, ready to go on her daily run.
Dan was in the kitchen, gobbling down anything he could reach. Nellie was out, and Fiske was still asleep. Amy rolled her eyes as she came down. "Dan, if you don't stop eating like a pig, you'll be a pig!"
"Technically, being fat isn't being a pig," Nellie said, stumbling in with more groceries. "But that doesn't mean he isn't both."
"Oh, hi...Nells..." Dan gulped.
"Yeah. Don't think I haven't noticed the sudden loss of food." Nellie smirked at him and began to pack away the Cheetos, Doritos, Fritos, burritos..."Having a new obsession with 'itos' foods?" Nellie turned to Amy, who tripped. "Are you okay?"
"Um, yeah. Just...a little blurry..."
Nellie placed a hand on her hip. "Blurry? Do you think you need glasses?"
Dan burst out laughing, and started to choke on his Flamin' Hot Cheetos. "Ha! Imagine Ian's face when he'd see Amy in glasses!"
Amy groaned. "Nellie, I can't wear glasses! I'd look like a bookworm-"
"Uh, you are a bookworm," Dan corrected. Amy wacked him on the back of his head.
"Shut up, dweeb."
"Alright, alright, that's enough! Amy, glasses can't be that bad!" Nellie said, separating the two arguing teen Cahills. "And if they are, we'll get you contact lenses before the summer ends."
"But everyone's going to see me in my glasses!"
Every summer, Fiske invited the whole family for a whole summer to spend together. It was their new tradition, and this was the first summer they started it since the clue hunt only ended months ago. Ian, Natalie, Sinead, Ted, Ned, Jonah, Madison, Reagan, Hamilton, Eisenhower, Mary-Todd, and Alistair were all invited (Alistair was invited because Fiske needed another old guy to talk to while the younger kids went out.)
Amy groaned. "Maybe you're right..."
"Oh. My. God," breathed Amy in shame. Her glasses made her look hideous! They were a black pair made by Revlon, and the shape totally didn't go along with Amy's round, pale face. "Nellie!"
Nellie came in. Her burrito dropped from her hand as she burst out laughing.
Amy ducked her head as she continued to get those glances from everyone. Kids were snickering and pointing at her. Amy's stutter returned with more strength than ever, along with a fierce blush.
Great. Just great. What're the Cahills going to think? Amy thought.
Natalie Kabra yawned in the limo that was driving them to the airport, where they would soon depart to the Cahill mansion for the summer. Her older brother Ian was sweating nervously. Probably about seeing his crush Amy after a few months.
Just the absolute thought of Ian and that peasant - well, used-to-be-peasant and still very unfashionable girl Amy made Natalie want to puke. And Amy's younger brother Daniel was a pig, no changing that. Natalie remembered the days of the clue hunt when Ian, Mummy, and her had tried to kill the Cahill siblings so many times; Natalie particularly keen on getting young Danny boy.
Why? It was still unsure to her, even after a few months. Maybe it was the annoying fact that she thought Daniel had a cute smirk? No, definitely not! Or maybe because Daniel just made you want to scream with fury. Probably. Or it was just the Isabel blood inside her that urged her to kill anyone who got in her way? No! I'm not Mummy! It has to be because Dan is infuriating!
"So, what're you going to do when you see Amy again?" Natalie smirked, examining her freshly-poisoned finger nails.
"W-what?" Ian asked and turned to her, eyes wide.
Natalie grinned. "Going to imitate her, are you? I don't think she'll be pleased with that."
"What do you mean?" Ian asked in a firmer voice. "What're you going to do when you see Daniel, huh?"
Natalie scowled. "Nothing. But maybe loose my luncheon."
"Exactly. The same for me." Ian returned back to biting his fingernails.
"You're going to destroy those nails," Natalie muttered, snuggling next to the window with her arms folded.
Hours later, they arrived at Boston. Their butler Frederick yanked out their plush suitcases, left them at the Kabras' feet, and drove away, leaving them in front of the mansion.
It was the punk lunatic au pair who answered the door.
"Hello, Ian and Natalie," the babysitter greeted. "You're early."
"Nellie? Who is it?" a voice called. "If it's those brat twins again, tell them to go-"
Nellie coughed. "Um, no. It's the first guests."
"What? Who?" Amy's voice seemed to panic. "I still haven't found them! All I found was Dan's old corndog. Yuck!"
"Found what exactly?" Natalie asked, loud enough for Amy to hear upstairs. The banging stopped.
Ian gulped as he heard footsteps tripping down the stairs. "Shoot," cursed Amy as she tripped on the last few steps. Her eyes were wide and disorientated. She squinted before finally asking, "Ian? Natalie?"
"Uh, duh," Natalie said, flipping her hair. Amy's eyes just stared at the spot where their voices were. Her eyes didn't seem to follow Natalie as she spoke; they were a blank jade color.
"Um, hi. You're early," Amy said. "Do...do you place down your suitcases somewhere around here?"
"Sure," Ian said quietly. "Where?"
"Uh...um..." Amy gulped. "Nellie, show them."
Nellie nodded and lead them to the living room. Another knock on the door. Ian saw Amy stumble to answer the door. What was with her today?
Before Amy could blink, she was squished in a hug by muscled arms. Ian frowned, seeing the Holt boy squish her in his arms.
"Uh, Hammy?" Amy said.
"Duh!" Hamilton shouted, unwrapping his arms.
Natalie groaned loudly. "Who invited the Dolts?"
Madison and Reagan growled as they shoved their way through the door. Eisenhower and Mary-Todd followed. "Who're you calling a dolt, Barbie?" scowled Reagan.
Natalie scowled and was about to answer when Amy interrupted, "Alright, alright, enough! We're trying to get together, not start another family war."
"Ham-burger!" said Dan, excited, as he launched down the steps to Hamilton.
"Hamburger?" Amy asked. "Dan, do you ever stop eating?"
"Eating? Amy, go get your-" Dan began before Amy had shushed him. The Kabras and the Holts raised an eyebrow. "Um, go get a life, I mean."
Amy rolled her eyes. "After you get one."
Madison clapped her back and yelled out, "Burn!"
While the "friendly" argument continued, Ian studied Amy Cahill. Her lovely hair was slightly moist with sweat along with her forehead. Her eyes were still blank, but jade like always...Something about the appearance was off...
Ian knew it was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite place it.
Soon, all the guests arrived: Jonah, Phoenix, Alistair, Sinead, Ted, Ned, Fiske (who was just coming home from work), Eisenhower, Mary-Todd, Hamilton, Madison, Reagan, Ian, Natalie, Arnold (the Holt's dog), and Saladin, much to Ian's dismay. Nellie, Amy, and Dan had cooked up the dinner and gotten ready seventeen plates, excluding Saladin and Arnold who got animal food in bowls.
Ian made sure to sit next to Amy at the middle of the table. Dan and Natalie noticed and glanced at each other, sharing a look of disgust. Then they glanced away embarrassed. Ian didn't pay attention to them. He was watching Amy.
Blinking, Amy reached across the table to grab the salt, but instead she grabbed the pepper shaker and shook it over her dinner. "Uh, Amy..." Ian said, hesitating. Amy placed the shaker back. Then she took a bit out of her food and began to cough and gag.
"What did I put?!" she said after the coughing stopped.
"Uh, a ton of pepper," snorted Nellie. Amy frowned.
"Can someone pass me the salt?"
The rest of dinner went as peacefully as you could hope.
"Okay, you'll all be sharing rooms since we don't have seventeen separate rooms," Fiske announced. "I have picked the rooms. Girls first."
"Natalie, Amy, and Sinead: Room 1."
Sinead smiled. Amy gulped. Natalie groaned, "Great. Just great."
"Nellie, Madison, and Reagan: Room 2."
Nellie groaned louder than Natalie. I'm going to be stuck with a bunch of sweaty wrestler girls. Madison and Reagan cheered.
"Next, the boys," Fiske said.
"Ian, Dan, and Hamilton: Room 3."
Ian growled. Dan and Hamilton grinned at each other. Perfect. Now it'd be even easier than they expected it to be...
"Ned, Ted, Phoenix: Room 4."
Ned began, "That's-"
"-A good-" Ted interrupted.
"-Idea!" Ned finished.
Phoenix clutched his head. He was going to be hearing this a whole lot more."
"Eisenhower and Mary-Toad-"
"It's TODD!"
"-Room 5."
"Finally, Jonah, Fiske, and Alistair: Room 6."
The Cahill family snickered as Jonah's face drew a look of despair. He was going to be stuck in a room with OLD DUDES?!
"Uh, perhaps we can give Jonah the extra room..." Alistair said. Jonah nodded.
"I'm with my Oh-dawg on this!" Jonah said.
"Oh-dog?" Amy asked.
"Yeah. You're the A-dawg, Alistair's the Oh-dawg!"
"Alright, I suppose Jonah can have the extra room," said Fiske, not looking excited to hearing Jonah's slang every day or to share a room with him for the whole summer.
"Oh, yeah!" Jonah cheered.
"Oh. No," Jonah groaned as he glanced at the extra room.
It was a dump filled with old clothes, boxes, junk, and dead rats!
"Hey, wait! Can I bunk with the old dudes again? Please?"