Dan passed the room, thoughts raced through his head. He ALWAYS had Amy to talk to and discuss things with. Now he needed to create a plan with no help. He tried to think, but the only thing that he could think was what was happening to Ian. Isabel was ruthless; Dan knew that after she held him and the other contestants at gun point to get the Clues, the same Clues she wants now. If she was willing to shoot her daughter then, who knows what she'd be willing to do to her son now, a year after she went to jail.
He couldn't do this alone. He needed to find someone who could help him without telling Amy. With that he pulled out his phone and sent a text to the one person he knew he could trust.
….
Atticus felt his phone go off in his pocket and saw he had a new massage from Dan. The message was enough to confuse even him.
Atticus. I think I'm in too deep this time. I really need your help; you're the only one I can trust. But not over text. I know you travel a lot and I was wondering if you could come to the US. It's urgent.
"Jake!" Atticus called to his brother, "I'm taking a trip!"
….
"Amy, I'm sure he's fine." Sinead reassured Amy after she was told the facts. "Dan is growing up. He's going to be dealing with some stuff that he won't feel comfortable talking to you about. When Ned and Ted went through this time in their life they had each other to help them through it. Dan just needs someone who's going through the same thing as him, and he will."
"You're probably right but with our family and the Vespers still out there I can't help this constant worry." Amy took a sip of her coffee. She noticed her hand shaking, was she losing Dan. A tear began to flow down her cheek.
Sinead leaned forward and gave Amy a hug. "You always have me Amy, you know that. I can see if Ned or Ted can talk to him. I'm sure they won't mind, especially with you letting me stay in the guest house.
"No, its fine, they have their own stuff to deal with. I'll figure something out, I promise."
"Are you sure? You're going to be okay?"
"Yeah, you're probably right. And he always has Atticus to talk to. Dan would trust Atticus with anything. He even asked me if he could tell Atticus about the Clue Hunt. He'll figure it out."
….
Hamilton Holt stepped out of the Cab and walked up to Grace's manor. He still felt guilty about burning it down before the beginning of the Clue Hunt, especially considering it's the home to his little buddy Dan. His little buddy needed him urgently, or that's what he said in his text. He knocked on the door, which instantly opened after no time. Dan stood there, a look of panic across his face. "Dan, what's wrong? You sounded urgent on the phone"
"I can trust you, right Hamilton?" Dan questioned.
"Of course you can, you're my little buddy." Hamilton was seeing Dan's face grow more and more worried. "Why, what's got you so rattled up?"
"I have a small secret and… I don't know how to tell people. But it's gotten someone in trouble. Big trouble and-"
"Who is in trouble, Dan? What is going on?!"
"Ian… we, Ian and I, might have… kissed…" Dan's face turned from worry to worry mixed with embarrassment.
"You and Ian WHAT?!" Hamilton screamed in shock. He took a deep breath than continued. "Dan, you my best friend, and you're the only one who ever treated me like I was something more than a stereotypical jock. You are and always will be my best friend, no matter who you like. Does anyone else know?"
"No, just you, but I was going to tell Atticus. At the last moment I chickened out though and was afraid he wouldn't want to be friends anymore… That's why when I was about to text him I texted you instead. I knew you would understand. But now… Ian's in trouble."
"What kind of trouble?"
"Isabel has him. She's holding him ransom for the Clues. It I don't give them to him then she's going to kill him. I can't let that happen I… I love him Ham"
A look of shock crossed over Hamilton's face, but it quickly faded. He gave Dan a hug, which really confused him. After he let go, Hamilton said, "Dan, don't worry about it, I'll help you through this, I promise. And thank you for trusting me with this. It really makes me feel like you care."
Dan blushed a little, but then turned serious. "Right, so we need a plan to get Ian. First we need to find where Isabel is. I have the command center computer running a facial scan through traffic light and security cameras. I also sent out a message saying that Isabel escaped from jail."
"I didn't get a message, are you sure it went through?" Ham asked.
"I didn't send it to everyone. If it's someone Amy talks to I didn't tell them. I don't want her to know."
"Dan… Does she know about you and Ian."
Dan felt his face turn red. He suddenly snapped. "No! And you can't tell her!" He saw a look of hurt wash over Hamilton. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap it's just… This isn't about Amy. Let's just work on finding Ian."
….
Atticus's plane landed before he even knew they took off. The flight seemed strangely short, but it was booked by Dan, so it must've taken him to the right place.
He stepped off the plane and took in a breath of fresh air. He noticed the salty smell in the air, and knew he was somewhere near water. He flagged a taxi and got in. He told him the address and the driver began the car. Suddenly the doors locked Atticus tried to unlock it but it seemed jammed down by something. He heard the driver say something, perhaps on a phone, "Yeah, I got him. The locks worked great. I'm bringing him in now."
….
As soon as Amy walked in she felt better. She saw Dan and Hamilton talking. Not wanting to disturb them, she sneaked past them and went upstairs. She needed to send a message to Ian. He had told her he had something important to tell her, but she hadn't heard from him since.
A blue glow emitted from the command center. Why was the computer already on? Amy read the screen, and she instantly knew Sinead was wrong.
….
Dan's phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the text aloud so Hamilton could hear it too. "Doesn't it suck to lose a friend? Poor, poor Atticus has nothing to do with this, but it would be a shame for something to happen to him. –Isabel." Dan felt like the room was spinning. She had Atticus now too?! How?! He felt himself starting to go into shock. He recognized the symptoms from when it happened during the Clue Hunt.
He quickly forced himself out of it. He couldn't allow himself to do that. He had to protect Ian and Atticus no matter what.
Hamilton's head shot up. "Come on, I have an idea on how to find out about where they are."
….
Amy ran back down the stairs, but was careful not to let Hamilton or Dan know she was there. Whatever was going on, Dan obviously didn't want her to know. But it involved Isabel, which meant this was extremely dangerous. She couldn't let Dan do this alone.
