Hey, guys, come on. 3 reviews? For the longest chapter? I mean, really. If you've read it, please review it! It doesn't tell me how many people have read it, so I can only know throught the number of reviews. BTW, I just realized that I haven't used Nellie a lot since the first chapter, so I'll try to work on that. Well, anyway, sorry I haven't updated in a while, I know you guys are waiting. Or at least I hope you are.

Chapter Seven: To the Stronghold

Amy's POV

The rest of the week passed by dully, considering how we started health class in gym. Jen and I just talked. Dan didn't accuse any more teachers of being Cahills. Ian...well, Ian was Ian. I swear, he has serious mood swing issues. First, he's flirting with me, then he's quiet and thoughtful, then he's all snobbish like a classic Kabra, then...well, you get the point. But finally, school was out on Friday. Time to report to base.

"You don't really need to bring much," I told Ian before he returned to his house. "I think you'll be fine with some clothes. Of course, you can always borrow some stuff at base, but most people are more comfortable in their own clothes. We've got plenty of food over there, too, and it's best if you don't bring any personal belongings or anything. Some of the guys like to, umm, practice 'stealth' and, uh, pull pranks."

Ian thanked me and left. I went inside my own house to find that Dan had arrived ahead of me. Nellie greeted me and reminded me to pack, informing me that Dan had already done so. I went up to my room and finished in a few minutes. Dan complained a little more, but thankfully stopped when Ian and Natalie arrived. Natalie hadn't changed much since the hunt. She was still wearing designer clothing with a disdainful look on her face. Natalie carried two suitcases while Ian, surprisingly, held only one.

"Not so spoiled anymore, are we?" I teased.

Ian grinned and explained, "I told Natalie that we were only going for two and a half days, so she valiantly agreed to stuff only two bags."

"I may be visiting a rival base, but I am still a Kabra," Natalie sniffed. "So, when shall we depart? We will at least be traveling by private jet, won't we?"

Nope. She hadn't changed at all. "Yeah, Peter's piloting the private jet, and we can leave right now if you're ready," Nellie answered for me. "We've got food on the plane, too, if you're hungry."

"Well, then, what are we waiting for?" Ian decided.

"Let's get this show on the road," said Dan, who, fortunately, seemed to have given up the perpetual glaring.

We all loaded onto the jet. It was fairly quiet in our chamber. It wasn't completely soundproof, but it was fairly resistant, and we only heard a low purr as the plane took off.

Dan fidgeted for a few minutes before announcing, "Imma go get some chips. You guys want anything?" He directed the question mostly at Nellie and me.

"Nah, I'm good." Nellie shook her head.

"Get me some Coke, will you, Dan?" I replied. "You want something, Ian? Natalie?"

"What do you have?" Ian inquired.

"Almost everything," I grinned broadly.

"Would you happen to stock shaved glacier ice with fresh honey, naturally flavored strawberry syrup, and fine sugar candies in Italian carved glass?" Natalie piped up.

"Uh, we have fine china," I answered.

"I supposed that will do." Natalie looked slightly pleased. Nellie rolled her eyes. "Ian?"

"I'll just have some lemon water, please," he told Dan.

Dan walked over to our well-stocked kitchen and came out a few minutes later holding a tray full of our requests. Natalie picked up the small spoon and started daintily eating the shaved ice. Ian and I sipped our drinks. Dan crunched on his Doritos. Nellie just watched us eat.

We talked for while until we landed in Attleboro, MA. We rode a taxi to the Sturdy Memorial Hospital. I told Ian and Natalie to keep quiet and let Nellie and me do all the talking. We walked up to the front desk. "Hi," I greeted the woman behind the counter.

"Hello." She smiled pleasantly. Her nametag read "Maddie Hunters". Perfect.

I gestured to our suitcases. "We've brought some things for Dramilga N. Tholgrods."

"Maddie" nodded understandingly. She seemed to recognize Dan and me. "You know where to go, then."

"Thank you," Nellie responded. We made our way to a room marked "13". All of the curtains were drawn, hiding us from any patient's view. I made eye contact with an employee, a man who looked to be in his late 20's, and nodded. He unlocked a door labeled "Unauthorized Personnel Not Permitted". Ian, Natalie, Nellie, Dan, and I slipped inside and the door silently swung shut. As soon as we heard the door lock with a click, lights flooded the tunnel and revealed a long spiraling staircase.

As we made our way down, Ian matched his pace with mine and asked curiously, "Would you mind telling how you did all of that?"

I looked at him sideways and quickly turned away again before I could blush. "I-it's the procedure for accessing the stronghold," I explained. "The clerk is supposed to have a nametag with some sort of variation of 'Madeleine'. If it's a boy, he's supposed to be 'Matty' or something like that. If it's someone different, we wait until someone else comes. Technically, they're not supposed to let a non-Madrigal take the position, but they slip up sometimes, so we have an alternate procedure just in case. We tell them that we want to visit someone like Dramilga N. Tholgrods. The trick is that 'Dramilga N. Tholgrods' is actually an anagram of 'Madrigal Stronghold'. We switch it up every time so that we're not being suspicious. We go to room 13, which is the sum of the numbers of the date that Madeleine Cahill was born, 1507. No one is allowed to work in that room unless they're a Madrigal, and the curtains are almost always drawn so that the patients don't see us. We send a silent signal to one of the employees. The type of signal depends on each person. Nellie, Dan, and I are pretty well-known, so we don't need much for someone to recognize us. Someone less known would need a more complicated signal, maybe even a password. And then, the employee lets us in."

I looked back at Ian to find warmth in his gaze. We stayed like that for a few seconds. Huh. I could almost hear Dan's teeth grinding. I tore my eyes away when we reached the bottom of the staircase. I leaned down and looked into a scanner for a retina scan. I heard a confirming beep. A voice said, Amy Cahill, Madrigal. Access granted.

Dan stepped forward. Beep. Daniel Cahill, Madrigal. Access granted.

Nellie went next. Beep. Nellie Gomez, Madrigal. Access granted.

Ian hesitated, then walked up to the scanner. Beep. Ian Kabra, Lucian. Permission to enter?

"Permission granted," I said loudly.

Beep. Ian Kabra, access granted.

Natalie scanned last. Beep. Natalie Kabra, Lucian. Permission to enter?

"Permission granted, let's go!" Dan shouted impatiently.

Beep. Natalie Kabra, access granted.

A quiet hiss filled the room, and a metal gate appeared in the wall next to the scanner. It opened, and we stepped inside as it closed behind us. I stepped forward and faced Ian and Natalie with a grin. I held out a hand and gestured behind me. "Welcome to the Attleboro Madrigal stronghold."

I hope you guys appreciate this. I actually spent a lot of time researching the stuff for accurate information. Yes, Dramilga N. Tholgrods is really an anagram. Yes, according to Google Maps, the Sturdy Memorial Hospital is a real place in Attleboro, MA. I thought it was the best place for a Madrigal stronghold, you know, 'cause it's a hospital. I wanted to keep the flight short and I thought the United Nations Headquarters was too big. Still, if you see any errors, just let me know. Okay, question time again:

1. Should I make Dan back off and leave Amy and Ian alone? Or should I keep it the way it is? Or make him even more against it?

2. You guys probably want more Amy/Ian moments, right?

3. Attleboro is in Maryland, isn't it?

4. Which characters do you think are still OOC? Which ones do you think I did a good job with?

Remember, guys, I love complimenting reviews, but I'd like some constructive criticism, too. I love my readers. :D

Lovely Out! ~`'~