Chapter One
"Amy! Amy!" Dan Cahill shouted into his sleeping sister's ear. He grabbed her shoulder and shook her violently.
She slowly sat up, pushing back the warm, brown covers of the hotel bed. Amy blinked the sleep out of her eyes.
"What's wrong, Dan?" she asked, her eyes straining to see her brother in the dark room.
"It's an emergency!" he exclaimed, his jade-green eyes wide. His hair was messy, and his fists clenched together.
In an instant, Amy was wide awake. "Is it the Kabras? Did they find us? Did they steal our clues?"
"No, no!" Dan cried out. "It's worse! It's worse than the time Aunt Beatrice made me return my ninja sword to Crazee Collectors; it's worse than the time the video game store ran out of ninja video games!"
He paused, gasping for breath. Then, he whispered softly and slowly, "We're out of food."
Amy grabbed her large hotel pillow and proceeded to smack Dan with it. "You dweeb! You woke me up just to tell me that?"
"If a person does not eat for three days, he or she will die," he stated matter-of-factly, unfazed by the pillow.
"You ate a bag of chips last night," she retorted. "It hasn't been three days yet."
"I've already gone without food for," he checked his glow-in-the-dark watch, "thirteen hours, thirty-six minutes, and fourteen seconds."
Amy rolled her eyes. "Tell Nellie that."
He was about to race off to Nellie's room, when Amy called him back.
"Not now, Dan," she scolded. "It's only 5:30 in the morning. Do it later."
He nodded, shrugged, and then left the room.
He's probably gone to ransack the kitchen, Amy thought. She pulled the covers over her again, and closed her eyes; sleep evaded her, no matter how hard she tried.
With a sigh, she reluctantly got up.
When Amy had made her appearance more presentable, she wandered into the kitchen.
She reflected on how lucky they were to find a hotel with two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living area next to their old apartment. They were back in Boston, their hometown.
She idly thought about Aunt Beatrice and the Social Services. Were they still searching for them? Well, she and Dan would have to avoid them.
As she returned to reality, she wasn't surprised in the least at what she saw. The cupboards were all open, all the boxes and containers turned upside down, and Dan was poking his head into the miniature white refrigerator.
Amy shook her head, and decided that whatever she had wanted to do in the kitchen could be put off.
Back in the bedroom, she picked up her book. Settling in, she started to read.
Five chapters and ninety-two pages later, she heard an ear-splitting crash!
Amy raced into the kitchen, leaving her book on the bed. Dan huddled near a wooden stool as an enormous glass container laid at his feet. Bits of glass surrounded him, covering the floor.
"What happened?" Amy gasped.
Dan looked slightly guilty. "It was on the top cupboard and I wanted to see if it contained food."
As Amy was about to reply, Nellie, their au pair, rushed in.
"What happened?" She eyed the broken glass on the floor, and immediately figured it out.
Amy shot Dan a look that clearly stated, Wow, dweeb, you've even woke Nellie up.
He shrugged, If she's up she might as well go shopping. There's a market nearby.
Nellie looked at him. "I suppose you were hungry, and since you ate the last bag of chips yesterday night, you scavenged the kitchen, and managed to break the largest container in here. Am I right?"
He nodded sheepishly. "Yeah."
Nellie yawned. "Since you decided to interrupt my peaceful slumber, I'm not in a very good mood. However, because I want my sleep, I'll take you to the market down the street right now; we'll be back in half an hour, and then I'll sleep until noon. Sound good?"
"Yes!" came Dan's enthusiastic reply.
Five minutes later, Nellie and Dan were at the door.
"You coming, Amy?" Dan shouted.
"No thanks," she replied.
He shrugged, and followed Nellie out the door.
Amy locked it, and returned to her bedroom. She opened the curtains, and let the sunlight flood in. She could see Nellie and Dan on their way to the store in the distance. In the opposite direction, there was a small park, covered with trees and glistening dew. High above it all, a pristine blue sky, devoid of clouds, created the perfect background.
Suddenly, Amy felt like going on a walk. It would only take fifteen minutes to the park and back, and she would return long before Nellie and Dan.
She jogged downstairs, out of the hotel's large elaborate doors, breathing in the fresh, clean air outside. A gentle breeze tugged at her hair, and the sunlight was warm upon her face.
She turned towards the park.
A few cars passed her every now and then, fellow travelers on the way to their destination for the day.
She quickly arrived at the park—it was now across the street.
She glanced left: there were no cars coming.
She glanced to the right—and then she saw them.
Three tall, slim men walked her way, looking her in the eyes. They were dressed identically in black suits and pants, leaving only their eyes visible. Their pockets bulged with heavy items. A small yellow symbol was attached to the front of each of their suits, and they strode purposely towards her.
Danger radiated from their every step.
Amy ran towards the park, trying to lose the men. She skirted around tall, leafy trees, and pushed past small bushes. Amy ran deeper into the park, going farther into it than she had ever before.
She glanced back; there was nothing. Then she felt herself bumping into something solid. Amy fell onto the ground, the wind knocked out of her.
"Need a hand?" a voice asked. "I apologize for being in your way, miss."
Amy looked up, and found a young man standing in front of her. He was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt, and his blue eyes twinkled.
"O-Oh, it's alright," Amy stammered.
"You seemed to be running from something, as you were looking behind you," he guessed as she stood up to face him.
"Yes," she admitted shakily. "There were three men, dressed in black, heading straight for me. The park seemed like the only way place to go."
The man's face looked at her, shock in his eyes. "I know them! They're very dangerous."
"I can tell," Amy murmured.
"I know a place where you can go and they will not follow," he told her.
Amy looked up.
"Go that way," he said, pointing. "Turn left twice, then go down the alley. There's an exit there, which you can follow back to this park. You'll lose them that way, and you can return to wherever you were staying." He smiled at her gently.
"T-Thanks," Amy blushed.
As she ran off, the man watched her. Then he took out a phone, and dropped his act. His kind face turned cold and stony, and his fake smile slipped off his face like a drop of water on a duck's wing. "Cahill girl is coming your way; get ready," he hissed.
A/N: I tried to make the characters as IC as possible, but if you want to point anything out, feel free. Reviews are always appreciated.