I'm back! And I've only got one review (Thank you Luv the Legend!)! But don't worry, I'll try not to feel personally insulted. Time for the disclaimer!
Me: I still own nothing, but the general plot!
Dan: *Opens mouth to say something*
Me: And if Dan knows what's good for him, he'll say nothing!
Dan: *Closes mouth*
Amy's POV
"Dan!" I yelled. I pulled away from my parents and ran into the house.
I ran upstairs to his bedroom and opened the door. He was sitting very still on his bed, facing the window. Softly, I closed the door, and walked over to him. He didn't turn around, so I sat next to him on the bed and put my arm around his shoulders. Dan took a shaky breath.
"Dan?" I said quietly. He continued staring straight ahead and still wouldn't look at me.
"Amy," he said softly, now looking down at his hands. "Did they abandon us?"
I gasped, and tried to think of a truthful answer. But I couldn't. I didn't know any details yet. So I shrugged, and said, "I really don't know. They just came back."
"Well, it feels like they did," Dan said bitterly. But I noticed it wasn't regular bitterness. It was the kind of bitterness that you speak in when you're trying hard not to cry.
We sat in silence for what seemed like a long time. I heard the door open.
"Kiddos?" Nellie called quietly. I craned my neck to look at her. She looked upset. "Can you guys come down to the living room in 5 minutes? We're going to talk." I nodded at her, and she left the room.
"Dan," I whispered.
"I heard," he said. He pulled away from me and left his room, probably to go wash his face.
I sat down on his floor and waited. Dan walked past the door. "It's time, Amy," he said. His face was blank, and he walked downstairs. I sighed, and followed him.
Dan's POV
I was sitting on one of the couches downstairs, with Amy and Nellie on either side of me. Amy still looked stunned. Nellie just looked upset. I figured she must already know the story, which made me feel kind of mad. Shouldn't Amy and I learn what happened first? On the other couch were my parents. Uncle Fiske was sitting in an armchair. He looked grim.
"Dan, Amy," Fiske started. He took a deep breath, and continued. "These are your parents. I'll let them explain." We all looked at them. Mom looked at me and a line of worry creased her forehead. She bit her lip. She looked down, and Dad started talking.
"It started on the night of the fire. We had passed out from smoke inhalation and were rescued by Madrigal agents. We woke up in a Madrigal stronghold 2 days later. Apparently, Madrigals had been watching our home at the first sign of trouble. They found out that Isabel Kabra was the one who had set the fire, with the intention to kill us all. Even though we were given the decision to stay or to take the risks and go back, we decided to stay, to protect you. We were told the best time to leave would be once the Cahills, Isabel and Cora Wizard especially, were no longer a threat."
"So when we found out that the Clue Hunt was finished, and Isabel was in jail, we were relived. We were also overjoyed that you were still children and still alive," Mom broke in. "We figured we could come back and see you immediately. But it was more complicated than that. We had to help, and weren't able to get back till today." She looked at Amy and me. "No one, not even Grace, knew we were still alive. It was too dangerous."
I felt dizzy, and tried to stand. My mouth tasted like pennies. (A/N: My mouth really does taste like pennies when I feel like throwing up. Don't know if it's common, though.)
"I don't feel good," I mumbled. "I'm going to bed."
"But, Dan, it's not even one yet," Nellie protested. I shrugged, and walked toward the stairs.
Amy's POV
I stared at Dan as he left the room. Then I looked at my parents. My parents. The same ones I thought were dead for almost eight years. I suddenly realized how Dan was feeling. I looked back towards the hall, like I was hoping Dan would reappear. I don't know how long I was looking at it, but suddenly I felt someone hug me. I turned and saw Nellie's face. The living room was empty.
"Why don't you go talk to Dan?" Nellie suggested. I nodded, and hugged Nellie back, then went up the stairs.
I was standing at the door to Dan's room. Taking a deep breath, I opened it and looked into his room. He was curled up in bed, facing away from me. The curtains were drawn, but there was still light in the room.
I walked over to his bed and sat down next to him.
"Dan?" I whispered.
"Amy?" He turned over and looked at me. I saw he was crying. Looking at him made my heart hurt.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
Dan sat up and shrugged. I kicked off my shoes and swung my legs up so I was seated next to him. I waited to see if he would say anything.
Dan took a breath. "So they did abandon us." He wiped his eyes and looked at me.
My heart clenched. For the third time in my life (the first being the 'death' of my parents, and the second being the death of Grace), I knew what heartache really meant. I'd never felt this empty and torn inside. Not when Ian betrayed us in Korea. Not when I thought Uncle Alistair was dead, then found out he had double crossed us. Not when I found out about my parents 'murder'. Not when Irina or Lester died. Not when I found out I was a Madrigal. Not even when I found out about Nellie's betrayal. Each time I thought it was heartache I was feeling. But it had never felt like this.
I tried to come up with a rational answer. "Not exactly," I said. "They stayed away to protect us. Not seeing us must have been hard on them, too."
Dan shrugged. "So that makes it okay that they couldn't tell us?" he asked. Tears started slipping again, but he either didn't notice or didn't care. "Fine. I'll say that I understand them not telling us before the Clue Hunt. But what about after it started? It wouldn't have put us in more danger then. Probably less. We'd have travel funds. Wouldn't have to worry about things like food. I also bet Ian never would have tried to break your heart if you had a father to back you up."
That one hit home. I was over Ian. I really was. But that didn't mean I enjoyed being reminded of my first broken heart. "But Isabel might have entered the Hunt earlier," I said weakly, trying to hold back tears.
"So? She'd be just as ruthless. And, fine. But what stopped them from revealing themselves after that?" Dan shot back.
I started crying then. I couldn't help it. I just found out my parents were alive after eight years of thinking they were dead and gone. I was just reminded of all the things that had gone wrong in the Clue Hunt and how they may have been avoided if my parents had revealed they'd been alive. I felt as fragile as if I'd been made of glass.
Dan frowned. "Don't cry, Amy," he said, putting one of his hands on my shoulder. I kept crying, and covered my face with my hands. We sat like that for a few minutes. Once I felt like I had myself under control, I lifted my head. I saw Dan had sort of nodded off. He was barely awake.
"Dan?" I whispered.
"Hmmm?" he murmured. I tried to smile, even though I was terrified he really was sick.
"You okay?" He nodded. I got off his bed. He burrowed himself deeper into his covers. He was sleeping before I reached his door.
Another chapter done! And when I was going over the first chapter, I realized I never made it clear when this takes place. I originally wanted it to take place in mid-November, but when I looked up the average for Boston then... well, it doesn't even get that cold in North Carolina till late-December! So I decided it was to take place in mid-October, after the Clue Hunt. I plan on making the next chapter from Hope's perspective at least once.
I apologize for any possible OOCness. It would help if you would review, though (hint, hint).
