Yay chapter 12 yaay~ xD
Did you guys read the Medusa Plot? Holy shit, wasn't it spectacular? It's officially my favourite. I just love everyone talking to each other and being friends and Jonah and Hamilton are like, the bromance for the ages. It's just awesome. If you haven't read it, GO READ IT NOW. THIS ISN'T NEARLY AS GOOD AS THE BOOK GO READ IT.
Also, while we're on the topic of things you should read, you should go read my friend Emily's new 39 clues fic. (If you didn't already gather it, that's where Emily's name and appearance came from :3) It's really good, and there's a badass main character and it's good and there will be Amy/Ian and yay everything's good so go remove replace the (dots) with . and remove the spaces go read it. :D
http:/www (dot) fanfiction (dot) net / s /7351096/ 1 / A_Lucian_Upbringing
11 years ago
"Do you have it or not Becky?"
"I do, but your mom said-"
"It doesn't matter what her mum said, Rebecca. Just hand it over."
"Please?"
"... Fine. But when your mom yells at us for eating before dinner, don't blame me."
And with that, three pairs of six-year-old hands ripped open the bag of candy Becky had brought from America.
The three cousins- Emily, Benjamin, and Becky- were sitting in Benjamin's bedroom in the Kabras' house in England for a family gathering. As was the norm, Becky had brought candy that Benjamin couldn't find in England, and Emily couldn't find in Australia. The trio had discovered a year or so ago that American candy was the best (in their humble 6-year-old opinions), and Becky, being a good cousin, made sure to bring some with her whenever the visited.
Visiting each other was a common occurrence. Their parents would sit at a big table with Isabel Kabra at the head, talking about things the children couldn't understand. It was because of this Emily and Becky knew the Kabra house like the backs of their (rather sticky, currently) hands. While the grown-ups talked about family things, the kids were free to go exploring.
"Em and I made a fort." Benjamin said excitedly then- Emily had arrived a few days prior to Becky on this particular visit.
"Show me!" Becky said delightedly. The cousins were very good at building things.
Benjamin led the two girls down the hall and up a flight of stairs, finally bringing them to the attic of the Kabra estate.
The fort did not disappoint. Despite the fact that its only two builders were six years old, grown men trained in architecture probably couldn't compete with it. The entire attic level was decked out in sheets, tunnels had been created, and there were three separate wings to it.
"And look what Em made it do!" Benjamin said happily. He flicked a switch and suddenly Christmas lights started twinkling all around them. Becky started jumping around happily before throwing herself onto the pillows her cousins had placed in the corner, giggling.
"That wasn't hard, look what Ben made it do!" Emily said, gesturing to a TV screen. She turned it on and there were the parents, Isabel Kabra at the table. Benjamin frowned at the lack of audio, fiddled with the wires, and then they could make out the low voices of their parents.
"We get to be spies." Becky whispered.
The trio quickly settled themselves in front of the screen, bag of candy laid out in front of them, to watch the show.
"Clearly it worked wonderfully." Isabel's cold voice was the first thing they heard. "Benjamin, I know, is already more agile than the teenagers we train at the stronghold." Benjamin smiled proudly at the praise from his grandmother.
"That doesn't change the fact that there are still... Episodes, where it's difficult to calm the children down." Said Sinead, Benjamin's mother.
"Details." Isabel said dismissively. "What matters is the fact that this is the dawn of a new breed of Lucian. And you even get something out of it, Sinead. You know Benjamin is fond of playing with those electronics. It appears it worked just as well for the Ekaterina side of our deal."
"My concern is, and always will be, for the safety of the children." Ted Starling said. "Becky doesn't seem to remember what happened after she comes down from an episode, as my sister put it. But the way she screams during them- she must be in pain."
"This branch was built on pain." Isabel said cooly.
"I don't belong to this branch, Isabel, and it's always my job to keep my daughter healthy and happy."
"She's healthier than any child her age." Said Isabel sharply. "And would you not be happy, had you the amount of power her and the others have?
Ian and Natalie kept quiet.
"It's time for phase two." Isabel said with finality. "You are to give the children concentrated doses in their food bi-weekly. Following a successful transition, we will up the dosage."
"Mother, we don't know what that might do. You said yourself you weren't sure how it would affect the children once they were born." Natalie finally piped up. Emily watched her mother curiously, having no idea what the adults were talking about.
Isabel regarded her daughter the way most people regard gum stuck to the bottom of their shoe.
"Do not disappoint me as you have in the past, Natalie." Emily's mother flinched at the mention of past disappointments. She knew that Isabel was still mad at her for the events surrounding the clue hunt, that's why she was sent to live and 'observe' in Australia, the one place she never wanted to see again.
"This is the dawn of a new era." Isabel said triumphantly. "Once the children are ready, we make our move."
"Our move?" Ian spoke up, quietly, for the first time.
"An attack." Isabel said. "On the Madrigal strongholds across the world, simultaneously. We hit Amy Cahill first."
Ian flinched slightly at the sound of Amy's name. Sinead squeezed his hand slightly.
The slightly awkward atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by Ted Starling standing up, hate evident in his eyes.
"So what." He exploded. "You've been building them up to see them die? Been making child soldiers for your sick game with the Cahills?"
"Sit down, Ted." Ian murmured.
"What's my dad doing?" Becky asked quietly.
"No!" Ted was saying, "I will not sit down. I let you turn my daughter into this... Thing and I'm not going to stand for it anymore! We're leaving. Don't try to contact us."
And with that, Ted Starling stormed out of the room.
Benjamin slowly got up and cut the feed, leaving a black screen. He and Emily looked carefully at Becky.
"I don't... Wh... Why... What was sh..." Becky's eyes seemed to go dark, and she opened her mouth widely. Emily quickly looked up at Benjamin, who looked as panicked as she felt. They knew what was happening, it happened to them often enough.
Benjamin grabbed onto Becky's arm and tried to lead her to the pillows she had fallen on before, but as soon as he touched her she let out a loud gasp.
"Don'ttouchme. Don'ttouchme, don'ttouchme." Becky was shaking her head back and forth furiously. Her breathing had sped up and her mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water.
"Lay down. Just lay down Becky." Emily said, noting there were already tears in the other little girl's eyes.
Becky let out a shrill scream and carefully lowered herself onto the pillows. That made her gasp and let out another shriek.
"Hurts." She said, her voice slightly slurred. "Hurtshurtshurts!" she let out a final scream, this one louder and longer than the other two. She tried to stand up, but Emily and Benjamin held her down- they were strong for their age, after all.
"DON'T TOUCH ME." Becky screamed, trying to get her hands around Benjamin's neck. Emily pinned her hands above her head.
After a while, Becky just lay there and screamed. When that stopped, she started hyperventilating slightly, until her breathing calmed. She lay there crying while Emily smoothed back her hair, letting go of her hands.
"You told your dad you don't remember what happens?" Emily asked when Becky was calm enough. Becky nodded.
"I did the same thing." Benjamin said.
"So did I," said Emily.
"Becky?" Ted's voice drifted up to the attic.
"Up here." Benjamin called.
When Ted saw Becky, almost asleep, drenched in sweat, face wet with tears, he knew what happened.
"Beck and I are going home, okay you two?" Ted said.
"Okay..." Emily said.
"Bye Becky," said Benjamin.
"See you soon." Emily called to the retreating figure of Ted Starling, carrying his daughter away.
It would be seven years before they saw each other again.
...
Benjamin was whipped.
He knows this because Emily's sitting on his couch, and she just told him.
It really wasn't his fault that he was freaking out, though. In his defence, Grace has always been new territory, and he's always felt awkward in new situations. He didn't want to feel awkward around Grace anymore, though, so he recruited the only girl he really knew, and that was Emily.
"Really though, Ben," She was saying now, "you're being quite the little girl about this. I went through a lot to get you this chance, don't screw it up now."
"You forget that I went through a lot to get it too, Em." Benjamin said, "Including kissing my cousin. And we aren't just 39 clues-cousins. We're first cousins. I don't think I will ever recover."
"Rest assured it was just as good for me as it was for you." Emily said sarcastically.
"Really though," Benjamin said, holding up two different shirts, "which one?"
Emily pointed at the left shirt, and Benjamin nodded.
"I saw Becky the other day." Emily said carefully. Benjamin froze.
"Becky Starling?" Benjamin asked.
"Why would I tell you about a Becky other than Becky Starling?"
"What was she doing?"
"She... She was lurking around you and Grace. I don't know what she was looking for."
"Shit." Benjamin cursed. "What'd you do?"
"Caught up with her, told her to leave you guys alone."
"What are we going to do?" Benjamin asked.
"I am going to keep an eye out for her. You on the other hand- you have a date."
...
Wow.
I think this is honestly the first time I've felt like a normal teenage girl.
I could get used to this.
Benjamin and I had dinner at this place that made me feel like a clichéd girl from the 50s, all jukeboxes and milkshakes and waitresses on roller-skates, and now we were walking around a mall (holding hands, thankyouverymuch.) that contained a full-on amusement park. It was open late tonight, being Saturday, but most of the little kids were at home by now, so it was mostly teenagers and adults milling around.
I had been so worried that things were going to be awkward, but it was just like before- except we kissed more, which, y'know, I'm not about to complain about.
Speaking of that...
I leaned up (bastard had like 4 inches on me) and kissed Benjamin on the cheek. He grinned and looked down at me.
"Any particular reason for that?" He said, still smiling.
"'Cause I can." I said honestly. That made Benjamin's smile widen, and he turned to face me, holding me by the sides of my face and leaning in to kiss me. We had to stop because we were smiling too widely.
And just when I thought I could be normal for half a second, the shit hit the fan. Again.
(God, that's an awful expression, isn't it?)
Benjamin and I leapt apart when we heard a loud scream coming from the McDonalds in the mall- we immediately ran towards the noise.
When we got there, I saw Becky lying on the ground, her eyes blown open, staring at nothing, and screaming bloody murder.
The second thing I noticed was Emily, trying to keep her on the ground.
Benjamin and I said two things then in perfect synchronization. First, "Becky?" Then, "You know her?"
"Benny, help me." Emily said in a scared voice. Benjamin sprung into action, kneeling down beside Becky, who was still screaming, and pinning her hands above her head.
"Don't touch me!" Becky shrieked, trying to get her legs free. I was frozen in place, watching Emily and Benjamin do this so casually, like they do it all the time.
"Becky." Benjamin said calmly, smoothing back her hair with his free hand, "Beck, you're okay. Work at it, try and calm down, we're right here."
Becky was still screaming, but she blinked in recognition and the scream died in her throat suddenly. She started panting quickly, before her breath evened out and she looked from Benjamin to Emily worriedly.
"Jesus." Benjamin said, "You never... You still...?"
"Yes." Becky said, still panting slightly.
"They told us... Oh God." Emily said, and quickly hugged Becky.
I was still standing there awkwardly.
Emily stood up and addressed the crowd that had gathered.
"It's okay, everyone. Our cousin has epilepsy, this is very common and she's fine now. There's no need to worry about her."
I knew a cover story when I heard one.
"Can you please tell me what the fuck just happened?" I hissed to Benjamin, who was still smoothing back Becky's hair (Notjealous, Notjealous.).
"Tell her." Becky said. "It's fine, we'll figure something out after, but she should know."
Benjamin sighed, then looked up at me resignedly.
"We have a story to tell you, Grace."
