So this is chapter ten; double digits! And Toronto is the highlight of this chapter... I'm really excited! Hope you're all excited too... Lots of drama, and this is when you're going to hate Lindsay the most... ;D Once again, thank you MG3 and amianfan102 for the marvelous reviews, they make my day! And yes, Reginaa2111, I completely agree- don't worry, she'll get what's due... eventually. And without furthur adieu, (see, French! Me Canadain, eh!) Chapter ten!
Disclaimer: I do not own 39 clues or anything mentioned within this story.
They woke up early the next morning and got on the airplane for Toronto. And it was odd, Sinead didn't even do anything for the long airplane ride, but she wasn't driven insane. It seemed that just being with Jonah curbed her "irrational" fear. When they arrived at the Toronto airport, it was late, so they all went straight to their hotel rooms. When Sinead arrived at her hotel room, she decided to call her brothers. Ned picked up.
"Hello?" he asked drowsily.
"Hey!" Sinead chirped enthusiastically.
"Oh, Sinead, that you?"
"Yep!"
"My God, it's late! You partyin' out in LA or something?"
"Please, we're in Toronto," she scoffed. "Canada."
"I dunno, I hear Canadians get pretty crazy... Ever heard of the May Two-Four long weekend?"
"...No..."
"There's a reason for that, par-tay central. Even the polar bears get into it!"
"Really?"
"No, God, I was kidding. I thought you were supposed to be smart."
"I am!" she insisted.
"Alright then, did you know they have a name for the day after Christmas? Boxing day."
"Your lying."
"No, really, Boxing day. Ask anyone."
"Well maybe I will," she retorted bitterly, unaware her brother was correct. He changed the subject, not wanting to fight as they spent all their time.
"So... How's the trip?" Sinead smiled to herself.
"Pretty good," she said, twirling a strand of hair in her fingers.
"How's Jonah been?"
"He's actually been really... nice."
"You sounded a bit hesitant... you know, I bet if you gave him a chance, he'd surprise you."
Grinning, Sinead replied; "Oh, trust me, he already has." Her brother just smiled on the other line, oblivious to what was really going on. Although they were the same age, Sinead found her brothers were still very protective of her... It was a male thing. A good thing although it was slightly annoying, she supposed.
"That's good. So, you having fun?"
"Yeah, all the places have been great... Florida especially," she added, smiling fondly at the memories.
"That's cool."
"Hey, so we have this big finale concert coming up in New York... I bet I could get you and Ted tickets." Ned nodded appreciatively on the other line.
"Sounds awesome... Okay, we'll be there."
"Kay, I'll mail you the tickets first class or whatever so they'll get there quickly first thing tomorrow, alright?"
"Sounds great," he gushed. Sinead nodded to herself content.
"Cool, alright... Look, you woke me up. I'm tired." Sinead smiled.
"Alright, see you in New York!"
"See you then!" Sinead hung up the phone and went to bed, excited for the day that was about to come, unaware of the evil thoughts running through the head of the girl sleeping in the bed beside her.
'''''
Jonah stood in front of them in the middle of the lobby of their hotel in front of the glass window that lead to the breath-taking scene of bustling Ontario. He smiled at them all enthusiastically before continuing on with the list of their day.
"Okay, so first we're going to the ROM; Royal Ontario Museum, then we're going to the Hockey Hall of Fame, and then we're going to the CN tower where we'll get dinner, the view is supposed to be spectacular. We'll finish that day off with touring around the entertainment district, shopping, doing things, whatever. The next day we're going to the Science Centre, Chinatown, then Canada's Wonderland." So they all went to their first destination, the ROM. Sinead looked around the place, shocked; it was so busy! I mean, sure, Toronto was one of the biggest cities in Canada, but the US was still ten times bigger... wasn't it? And, to some of the others, there was a bit of a culture shock. Or rather, lack of. Lindsay was often found wandering around aimlessly, asking in her annoying voice;
"Why aren't they speaking french? What's with their accents?" Of course, she was one of the dumber of the group, so such was expected. But they went to the ROM, and it was positively stunning. The museum was one of the more exciting they had seen that trip, and it was stunning. There were still some of the boring exhibits of course, but the mummies and the dinosaur and the fish exhibits were AMAZING. There were exhibits on the weirdest things like beehives, and artwork, and it was huge; three floors. Sinead got Jonah's stunned glance. She laughed to herself.
"What?" Jonah asked.
"You hafta be part Ekat... God, you're just inticed." Grinning, she just winked suavely.
"Maybe," he pondered. They left the ROM and went to the Hockey Hall of Fame, where there were a variety of displays. First they looked at everything educational of course, well, remotely educational; it couldn't be overly so since it was just hockey, but it was intriguing nevertheless. There were records displayed, throphies, memorbilia, movies, video games, anything that could be related to hockey, you name it, it was there. Then they went to the "funner" parts; interactive accounts of the evolution of Canada's national sport, a there was even a stand where you got to test to see how good of a goalie you were. Sinead put on the gear and stood in the net, prepared to block the puck; and failed miserably as she meekly watchdd it whiz by. Laughing, she took off the labour-intensive gear and handed it to the next person. None of them did that well, Jonah tried several tines, not one to be easily defeated. It turns out though, he was defeated, and eventually gave up, ignoring everyone's snide snickers; appreciating that Sinead's was fond rather than snide. Then they all got souvinier photos beside the Stanely Cup, which was actually a bit neat. They all got plently of souviniers, even Sinead relented, and got a few of the popular collectables that everyone else also bought. Next they went to the CN tower, where the sun was now setting... And it was beautiful. It was 553.3 meters tall, and was positively marvelous. At it's time it was the tallest building out there... It had since been surpassed, but still, it was pretty cool. The elevator ride, on the other hand, was not. They waited in the stifling lobby within the sweaty mass of people, and it didn't help that the line moved at a snail's pace. Eventually though, they reached the elevator; and it was positiviely stunning. Sinead pressed herself up against the glass and watched as the soared overtop of building and as the earth sank beneath them. Eventually they got to the dining region where they sat down at tables and ate as the floor rotated beneath them. There was six people to a table, so Sinead, Lindsay, Jonah, Broderick and two other guys that none of them really knew, though they were apparently named Josh and Damien. Jonah sat next to Lindsay and across from Sinead, Broderick sat across from Lindsay and next to Sinead. Damien and Josh just awkwardly sat on the edge, oblivious to the tensions, romantic and anger, just happy that they were sitting at the same table as "The Wiz". Jonah tried to play it cool as Lindsay inched her way closer to him, as she was breathing down his neck. He plastered on his fake smile and tried to keep up conversation as they waited for their meals.
"So Dubai was a great place to go to concert in," he concluded. Lindsay hung on his every word, Broderick didn't pay any attention, Damien and Josh smiled, moderately impressed, and Sinead just rolled her eyes fondly. They all had their meals, a variety of pastas, cheap meats and other things that were cheaper than the steaks that were offered. Then again, nothing was that cheap in the CN tower. Some of them even had wine; afterall, what was the point of eating in Canada if not excersing the right that the legal drinking age was only nineteen? They all ate their meals, the sun setting in behind the multiple buildings creating a beautiful view. As the evening ended, they finished and left, and Sinead was very impressed by the restraint Jonah showed by not just screaming at Lindsay. As they left the CN tower everyone parted to do their own thing. There was restaurants, theater, sporting events, even live music. Most people though, chose to go shopping, then theater, and the odd person chose to see a hockey game. Sinead walked behind the rest of the group, almost excited to go shopping. She wasn't normally, but Toronto brought out her inner diva. She strut down the street and went to a shoe store and started to look at some outrageously high heels, when she heard a voice she couldn't mistake. Lindsay.
"Sinead," she hissed.
"Oh, uh, hi Lindsay. What's up?" she asked, oblivious to the underlying hatred.
"You liar!" she spat.
"What?" Sinead asked stunned.
"You are having a damn affair! I was freaking falling over him, and he didn't even blink. Most guys would die just to have me acknowledge their existance!"
"How is that my fault! Maybe he just doesn't like you! I couldn't blame him!" she yelled. Some people in the store began to stare at them.
"No! It is your fault! I was hanging on his every word, but he was just staring at you! You! You're not even wearing your stupid short shorts like in Florida, you're just you! You're not pretty, but he was staring at you and your every friggin' move! He's falling for you!" Sinead was about to protest, but instead, colour flushed into her cheeks, and she got caught on her words, flattered.
"He is?" She noticed her mistake too late.
"YOU ARE! YOU'RE HAVING A DAMN AFFAIR!"
"No-" Sinead began to lie. She was cut short.
"BULL!" She reached out and slapped her. Sinead's eyes went wide and she put her hand to her burning cheek.
"What the-" Lindsay pushed her down into the edge of a piece of furniture before falling to the groud, and she began to hit her, pulling her hair.
"YOU'RE RUINING EVERYTHING!" she yelled. Sinead felt the blood rush to her head as pain blossomed in every crevice of her being, when Jonah came in and saved her. All she could see was the ground, but she heard his loud voice rumbling.
"GET OFF HER!" Jonah grabbed her flailing limbs and pulled her off Sinead, pushing her away and immediately going to Sinead's side. She wasn't too badly harmed other than the bloody gash on her forehead, but Jonah wasn't taking any chances. One of the employees at the store restrained Lindsay. Another ran over to them.
"Are you okay Miss?" she asked.
"Call 9-1-1!" Jonah insisted. Groaning, Sinead sat up.
"No, don't do that... I'm fine..."
"You could have a concusion!" She smiled and put her hand over Jonah's.
"I... I think I'm fine."
"Then at least call the police so we can put her in jail!" He spat the word "her" as if it was a curse word. Lindsay's face paled.
"But-but we're in a different country! It'll be harder for me to get out- it'll ruin my life!"
"Exactly!" Jonah spat. Sinead put a hand on his arm.
"Jonah... calm down. She'll go to jail; let's just wait until New York." Jonah grimanced, teeth bared; but, seeing Sinead, he relented.
"Fine;" he looked to face Lindsay. "The second we get into the USA, we're reporting a domestic violence account. You're staying with us so we can be sure to report you until then; but you're getting a new damn room!" Lindsay looked up, wounded.
"But-"
"Lindsay, SHUT UP!" he growled. He put his hand over Sinead's wound. "C'mon Sinead... let's go to the hospital just to make sure you don't have a concusssion." He helped her up and walked her to the hospital, hands holding her up steadily around her shoulders. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and whispered some words of encouragement in her ear. Lindsay, of course, noticed.
"You... You kissed her!" she sputtered. Jonah quickly turned around, fury blazing in his eyes.
"I told you to SHUT UP."
"You... you actually like her!" Jonah ignored her sudden "epiphany" and walked her to a taxi which he used to take her to the hospital. Sinead, as it turned out was fine; well, relatively. She had to get stitches just in case so it wouldn't scar, but no concussion, and that was the important part. They got ready to go back to their hotel rooms.
"Are you okay?" he asked Sinead seriously for about the billionth time.
"I'm fine... Big ugly scar, but other than that, fine." He smiled sincerely.
"You're beautiful." Sinead practically melted, she was so flattered.
"Oh my God, that's like, the sweetest thing ever!" He shrugged modestly, but that was almost counteracted by his smug little grin.
"I know," he admitted. Smiling, the duo got a taxi and went back to their hotel rooms. Sinead opened her hotel door almost cautiously, and smiled when she realized it was empty.
Completely empty. Smiling, she went over her days events; mailed the tickets one-day-express, went around Toronto, got beaten by a maniac, but got the maniac out of her life... Not half bad, if she said so herself.
'''''
The next day Sinead woke up sore and slightly more purple than she had been the night prior, the bruises having finally kicked in. But still, she felt satisfied, and it was almost worth it. She wore heavier clothes than she usually would since it was summer, wearing capris opposed to shorts, slightly self-conscious. Once again, they all met up in the lobby, preparing for the day they were about to face. They walked and saw the large sign that read "Ontario Science Centre". Jonah nudged.
"What do you think?" he asked enthusiastically.
"I'm thinking about how it's funny that Canadians spell centre "re" opposed to "er" since it's French." Jonah rolled his eyes.
"Really, I take you to an Ekat's dream, and all you can think about is the differences in spelling?" Sinead grinned.
"Yep." They all toured around the Science Centre, and it was amazing. There were presentations with electricity, do it yourself exhibits, an IMAX-like movie theatre, and with 800 exhibits, there was plenty to do. It was geared towards kids, which was perfect; even though they were young adults, they still appreciated immature entertainment. First they went to the IMAX theatre and watched an educational video on the history of transportation, which despite the dry topic, was rather interesting. As they parted the room, rubbing their eyes as they adjusted to the sudden brightness, Jonah nudged Sinead.
"Well? What do you think now?" Sinead shrugged, stifling her smile.
"I'm thinking that it's funny they also spell theatre "re" opposed to "er"-" Jonah smiled, cutting her off.
"Now you're just being annoying," he teased.
"Yep," Sinead admitted. They went to the exhibits; life-sized trains, an electronics section with interactive video games, mind games, a giant play-section that had some relation to science but no one could figure out; although mainly intended for children, many adults including their group "played" on it. Of course there were educational regions, but they avoided those; instead, playing with the phones in the history of the phone section, avoiding the education plaques, and playing with the lego in the lego section, a special temporary highlight that everyone thoughroughly enjoyed. Next they went to Chinatown. Jonah walked over to Sinead and elbowed her enthusiastically as they entered the bustling tourist attraction.
"What do you think now?"
"I'm thinking that English, French, and Mandarin are the top three languages spoken in Toronto..." Jonah released a defeated sigh.
"Really?" Sinead laughed.
"No, I'm thinking about how awesome this is, and how awesome a certain someone is." Jonah smiled.
"Well... Yeah." Sinead rolled her eyes and ran ahead with the rest of the group, intrigued by everything. They sold everything that was to be sold, medical herbs, ("As if that works", Sinead had scoffed- though she did buy some for the sake of it...), take-out kung po gai ding, which no one really knew what it was but bought it for the name, and they even sold Chinese "artifacts". Just seeing the buildings with their decor was neat, though. Eventually they progressed from Chinatown and went on to the highlight of their Toronto visit; Canada's Wonderland! With 68 thrilling rides, it was stunning! Sinead and Jonah, naturally, hung out during the entire thing, they went on the WindSeeker, a swing ride standing at 91.7 meters tall, and on the fifteen other rollar coasters, including the Behemauth, which had a record for being one of the biggest rollar coasters; or something, no one really paid attention due to the fact that they were next to sick after the ride; still... IT WAS WORTH IT! After going on all of the rides, their legs ached and their wallets were empty from the games; but it was marvelous. They finished off the evening by going to Splash Works, an amazing 20 acre. It was fun, memories of Florida ringing in their minds. Sinead and Jonah walked over to one of the food stands, Sinead smiled at her brightly.
"Hi!"
"Hiya sweetie," the older woman greeted, "what can I get you?"
"What do you recommend?" Sinead asked, feeling courageous.
"Are you from out of town?"
"Yep!"
"Okay then, wanna try a Beaver Tail?" Sinead's face paled.
"A Beaver Tail? I thought that was your national animal!" she cried, wounded. The woman smiled.
"A Beaver Tail is a doughnut, sweetie." Sinead's cheeks burned.
"Oh..." Laughing, Jonah recovered for her.
"Two Beaver Tails please." The woman handed them two large cream filled doughnuts drizzled in maple syrup.
"Enjoy!" she exclaimed as they left to eat their less than nutricious dinners in peace. After their "romantic" meal, they got ready for the concert, walking to the concert together.
"Marianas Trench is our guest band," he said.
"Ah, that's awesome! I love that band!" Sinead gushed.
"Yeah, they're Canadian, only seemed appropriate." They went to the concert and everyone prepared... Lindsay included. She wasn't supposed to be near them any longer... But she wasn't about to let that stop her. Lucky for her, Broderick didn't know any better. She walked over to Broderick and grinned her million dollar smile.
"Um, hi, Mr. Broderick sir? I was just wondering if I could go into the back room?"
"Oh, of course-" Before Broderick could say anything else or change his mind, she ran into his room. Nope, not there, he was already getting his makeup done... She smiled. But his cellphone was. She picked it up... yep, Sinead's number was most recently used. She went over the texts... Yuck, how disgustingly sweet. She'd fix that. She typed in her message to Sinead before sending it, grinning satisfied.
Hey, Sinead, meet me behind stage in five minutes! She waited before getting the text: Kk, one min. She smiled. Perfect. So, she went behind stage where Jonah was, getting ready for his concert.
"Jonah?" she said. He turned around, anger once again blazing intensely in his eyes.
"Lindsay, you're not supposed to be here! I will get Sinead to press charges early!" She laughed.
"Oh, I doubt that."
"What?" She heard Sinead's feet stepping down the hallway.
"Oh, Jonah, you-" she leaned in and kissed him, just as Sinead walked in the door. Sinead gasped, wounded inside. Jonah pushed her off him.
"Sinead, I-" Tears began to pour down Sinead's cheeks, and she ran out the door, sobbing hysterically. Jonah stood for a second, confused, and then reality kicked in.
"I HATE YOU!" he yelled; he began to run after her when his Dad was there.
"C'mon Jonah; time for your concert-" Jonah's expression was panicked.
"No Dad, I have to-"
"-No, c'mon..." He directed his son in the opposite direction. Lindsay stood there for a moment.
Perfect.
'''''
Sinead tried to stay for the concert, tried to tough it out, tried to ignore her classmates stare at her as tears stained her cheeks and ran her makeup. She stayed for Marianas Trench as they sang their song, By Now.
"How have you been, can I come in? Just came to get my things and then I guess I'm leaving. If I could say what you'd like to hear, I'd whisper in your ear it's only temporary. But I've been taking you for granted and I thought you'd feel the same as me, It's time that I come clean, But, but for now can we, just both pretend to sleep, Sometimes the one you want is not the one you need, What goes around don't come around, You should know me by now. Better than, Should know me by now. I should know you as well." Sinead blinked tears out of her eyes... Granted, damn right. He took complete advantage of her... God, how was she so stupid? How could she believe that he might actually like her? How could she believe that anyone so smart and nice and perfect could like her, plain old her... God, she was supposed to be smart and she couldn't even see through him. Tears running down her cheeks, she ran back to her room before she could even see that jerk on stage.
I loved writing about Toronto... too bad it ended on such a sour note... Thank you ignemium posse and MG3 for your marvelous torture ideas for Lindsay... Thank you, they will go to use! Poor Sinead, so misguided... Next chapter will probably be the last one unless I manage to turn it into two... I'm actually really sad! I'm gonna miss writing this... (sniff!) So, next stop New York, and the big question... What will happen? (gasp!) I hate Lindsay... Last chance for some form of torture to happen to her! Hopefully this evil-ness will inspire some... Anyways, please review; critism, suggestions... ANYTHING! :'( Gonna miss it... But, admid the sorrow, EXCITED! Anyways... review! Thanks! ;D
~Fowlfan5