A/N - a classic reading the book story. This takes place before Grace dies so she'll read along with them here. It's mostly the younger generation with Irina and Alistair. I'm not sure if i'm gonna include the Starlings at all cause they were out most of the competition but I may bring them in at some point.
Disclaimer: the text of the book or characters isn't mine:)
Amy rose with a groan, her head was pounding worse than the time Dan had bonked her on the head with his jar of bottle caps to prove she was "an alien imposter". She took in the unfamiliar room that had multiple sofas and an old wooden table in the center. There was a door at the far right wall but that was it, the room was also completely bare except for a large stack of books that stood in the center of the table. Her eyes shot down with a start as she heard a noise and finally realized she wasn't alone. All around her strange and familiar people alike were now waking and taking in their new accommodations.
"What on earth?"
"Where are we?"
"What's going on?"
Soon confusion turned to panic and everyone was now shouting over each other but a calm authoritative voice cut through the air,
"Everyone calm down, we won't figure this out by running around like headless chickens!" Grace Cahill took quick control of the situation and got everyone to settle. Although very old and weak from her cancer, Grace stood strong and moved to the center of the room in quick strides where everyone's eyes followed her. Amy felt her brother as he came to her side, both watching their grandmother examine the pile of books.
"There's a letter here, hopefully it clears this all up," she cleared her throat and began to read out,
Welcome Grace, Amy, Dan, Nellie, Ian, Natalie, Jonah, Hamilton, Irina, Alistair. You are here in order to read books about- Grace stopped speaking and stared in amazement at the letter,
"Well?" barked Irina. Grace blinked as though she forgotten the rest of them was there and offered a slightly sheepish smile before continuing,
You are here to read about the future. That's all she could manage before an explosion of noise took place,
"That's impossible!"
"Is this a joke!?"
"Yo that can't be real yo!"
"QUIET!" Irina's loud accented voice traveled through the room and led it back into silence where Grace continued reading the rest of the letter.
Time has been frozen here to allow you to read without anyone being alarmed by your absence. Food, sleeping arrangements and other necessities will be provided for the duration of your stay here and you cannot attack each other based on knowledge gained from these books.
Silence one again settled in the room as everyone stared uneasily at their companions. Grace was once again the first to act and seemed almost unfazed by the unimaginable situation as she settled on of the sofas and turned back to them,
" Well, we should hurry up and get started, I'm quite curious about what these books will tell us" her words spurred her companions and soon everyone was seated. Dan, Amy and Nellie joined Grace and Hamilton took up the entire couch to their right. Ian, Natalie, Irina and Jonah took the last sofa to the left and Alistair sat on an armchair on the opposite side of the table. Grace picked up the first book from the piled and called out, "The Maze of Bones"
"Cool!" Both Dan and Hamilton cheered in union. Grace offered them a small smile before reading,
CHAPTER 1
Five minutes before she died, Grace Cahill changed her will.
Twin shrieks of horror and pain erupted from Dan and Amy as they both grabbed onto their grandmother's arms tightly, as if to physically keep her anchored to the world.
Alistair sent a look of sympathy to the small family clutching each other as he recalled his own pain from his father's death; he understood the dull hopeless feeling of being left alone.
Grace looked down at both of her beloved grandchildren with a sad smile, she hated the fact that she had to leave them so early and was unable to do more for them; it will always be one of her biggest regrets. Taking a deep breath she spoke softly to them,
"No matter what happens remember I'll always be there for you, even when I'm not physically around anymore. I love you both so much '' It took a long while for Dan and Amy to calm down and almost everyone looked away to give them some sense of privacy. After a while,Nellie picked up the book that had tumbled to the floor to continue as both Grace's hands were now wound tightly around the children.
Her lawyer brought out the alternate version, which had been her most guarded secret for seven years. Whether or not she would actually be crazy enough to use it, William McIntyre had never been certain.
"Madam," he asked, "are you sure?"
Grace gazed out the window, across the sunlit meadows other estate. Her cat, Saladin, snuggled beside her as he had throughout her illness, but his presence was not enough to comfort her today. She was about to set in motion events that might cause the end of civilization.
"W-what d-does that m-m-mean?" Amy managed to ask the crowded room. Everyone shared grim looks as Dan and Amy looked cluelessly at Grace,
"I'm sure the book will explain"
"Yes, William." Her every breath was painful. "I'm sure."
William broke the seal on the brown leather folder. He was a tall craggy man. His nose was pointed like a sundial so it always cast a shadow over one side of his face.
Grace gave a small chuckle at that description.
He had been Grace's adviser, her closest confidant, for half her life. They'd shared many secrets over the years, but none as perilous as this.
He held the document for her to review. A fit of coughing wracked her body.
Dan and Amy were gripping Grace's arms even harder than before now.
Saladin meowed with concern. Once the coughing passed, William helped her take the pen.
She scrawled her weak signature across the paper.
"They're so young," William lamented. "If only their parents - "
"But their parents didn't," Grace said bitterly. "And now the children must be old enough. They are our only chance."
"If they don't succeed - "
"Then five hundred years of work have been for nothing," Grace said. "Everything collapses. The family, the world - all of it."
" What are you speaking about?" Irina demanded. Everyone was staring at Grace who kept her focus resolutely on the book in Nellie's hands, refusing to answer. Realizing that the old woman wasn't going to crack, Nellie continued,
William nodded grimly. He took the folder from her hands.
Grace sat back, stroking Saladin's silver fur. The scene outside the window made her sad. It was too gorgeous a day to die.
Alistair smiled weakly," Of course you'd think about the weather at a time like that."
"Well it does sound like such a shame to lose that gorgeous day" Grace offered back, grinning lightly. Her own nonchalance about her death seemed to ease the dark atmosphere that had settled in the room.
She wanted to have one last picnic with the children.
Amy swallowed around a lump in her throat, hearing that there would be no more outings with Grace every weekend seemed to make her death feel more real. She shared a glance with Dan and immediately knew they were both having the same grim thoughts.
She wanted to be young and strong and travel the world again.
But her eyesight was failing. Her lungs labored. She clutched her jade necklace
Grace also reached up to clutch her necklace in the room as well.
- a good-luck talisman she'd found in China years ago. It had seen her through many close calls with death, many lucky misses. But the talisman couldn't help her anymore.
She'd worked hard to prepare for this day. Still, there was so much she'd left undone ... so much she had never told the children.
"Told us what?" Dan blurted out, he wondered if they'd have to go on some super secret ninja spy mission, that sounded epic! He glanced eagerly at Grace but stopped short at the sad look in her eyes as she gazed at them.
"It will have to be enough," she whispered. And with that, Grace Cahill closed her eyes for the last time.
The Grace in the room was now on the end of multiple mourning looks and she just huffed loudly, getting tired of this routine,
"Well I'm not dead yet!"
When he was sure Grace had passed away, William McIntyre went to the window and closed the curtains. William preferred darkness. It seemed more proper for the business at hand. The door opened behind him. Grace's cat hissed and disappeared under the bed.
William didn't look back. He was staring at Grace Cahill's signature on her new will, which had just become the most important document in the Cahill family's history.
"How ominous" Ian's voice startled many as they had forgotten the Kabras were there. Grace didn't know what to make of the two, she was well aware of their mother's cruel, ruthless behavior but she'd always given Ian and Natalie the benefit of the doubt; they were only children after all. She hoped they would not follow in their parents footsteps, maybe these books could provide her with more insight on them.
"Well?" a brusque voice said.
William turned. A man stood in the doorway, his face obscured by shadows, his suit as black as oil. "It's time," William said. "Make sure they suspect nothing."
"So dramatic" Grace rolled her eyes.
William couldn't tell for sure, but he thought the man in black smiled
Don't worry," the man promised. "They'll never have a clue."
"And that's chapter one" Nellie declared as she tossed the book onto the table and flopped down lower on the couch. No one spoke for a while, still digesting the information; the realization that they were learning about the future finally started to set in.
Irina, the Kabras and Alistair has already come to the conclusion that they would be finding out clues from these books and were eager to get through the reading as quickly as possible.
Hamiliton just wanted to stop reading the stupid books and get back to his family as soon as possible. Reading was boring, he wanted to go out and do some actual important training.
Jonah was wondering what these books will show him about himself -er well his future self. He knew he was raised for the purpose of succeeding at the clue hunt and he was anxious to know about his progress, he hopes that he'll make his mom proud of him for once.
Amy, Grace and Dan were all still in a tight embrace; Amy fought back tears that kept threatening to break free. It wasn't fair, she kept losing all the people she loved, first Mom and Dad and now Grace. Grace gently pried both Cahill children from her sides and smiled gently at them, it saddened her that she wouldn't be there for them at such a crucial time but she had complete faith in them.
"Let's enjoy the extra time this room has given us together." She knew no matter what these books contained, there was no stopping her death so she was determined to be with them as much as she can now. Both kids wiped their eyes and smiled back at her and she knew that they'd all be ok.
"Shall I continue from where we left off?" Alistair's voice brought everyone's focus back to the book that now resided in Alistair's hands. When no objections were made, he began, "Chapter 2."
A/N - first chapter done! Hope you enjoyed. Updates will be pretty much random as my schedule is crazy. I'm not gonna promise anything but I'll do as much as I can.