Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long to get this up. I kinda rushed on this chapter, so constructive criticism is welcome. Everyone is different now, so I'm sorry if they are OOC, but please be kind. Anyway, read, review and enjoy!
Dan grinned evilly as he quietly snuck into Ian's room. Ian was off with Natalie, who had distracted Ian by forcing him to go shopping with her. Dan hated to admit it, but Natalie could be a good partner-in-crime. Not that he would tell her that.
As he reached Ian's laptop, he refocused on his task. His goal was to hack into Ian's ClicheMe page and embarrass him in front of his million followers.
Dan quickly powered the laptop up and tried and started guessing a few passwords. He knew that all he had to do was figure out the login password. After a few random tries, he looked back to his code breaking class. He took a deep breath and looked around for inspiration. His gaze landed on the dresser. One of the drawers was ajar, and a piece of fur was sticking out. When Dan investigated, he found a plush teddy bear with silken clothes. In the corner of the shirt embroidered in gold was Mr. Buttons.
Dan ran to the computer and quickly typed in mrbuttons. Surprisingly, the password worked and Dan quickly passed the defenses on ClicheMe. He decided to change the favorites to snooty designers, giving stuff to poor people, Dan's epic ninja skills and of course, teddy bears. Dan had finished destroying Ian's page and online dignity when he heard voices outside.
"No Natalie! I'm tired of this. Carry your own bags. I'm not going back to anymore stores!" Ian's familiar voice floated up the stairs. Dan could hear Natalie protesting, trying to buy him some time. Dan quickly ran into the closet and hid. Soon after the closet door closed, Ian staggered in and sat down at the chair by the computer. Dan saw him reach for the laptop and swore under his breath. It needed at least an hour to make the changes!
"Ian? Can you help me please?" Amy's voice called. Ian stood up, but paused when he noticed Mr. Buttons on the bed. Dan's heart when he realized he had broken the number sleuthing rule. Always cover your tracks!
After a few antagonizingly long seconds, Ian replaced the teddy bear in the drawer before leaving. Dan waited a few minutes before dashing into the hall, almost hitting Natalie.
"Is it done?" she asked as they slipped away. Dan nodded gleefully and Natalie smiled. They walked for a few more minutes before Dan broke the silence.
"Did you know your brother has a teddy bear?"
Reagan smiled as she twirled. Madison was beside her, and they were both enjoying the spotlight as they finished up their dance. They simultaneously bowed as the rest of the Janus class applauded.
The class assignment was to sing, play, or dance to a song. Madison had agreed to a ballet routine, and for the past few weeks everyone had been practicing. Most people had already gone.
"Amy, you're up next!" Lan called out to the class. Reagan watched curiously as Amy stood up. Though many people's acts were already known, Amy's was one of the few that were a surprise. She grabbed a guitar from the side of the stage before climbing onto the makeshift stage.
Amy didn't say anything before she started strumming. Soon after she began singing however, Reagan recognized That's the Way It Is by Celine Dion. Reagan was surprised to learn that Amy had a good voice, not that Reagan would have found that out during the hunt.
Amy sang the last line of the song and bowed, blushing. Everyone was applauding enthusiastically, including Dan. She hurried off the stage and retook her seat next to Ian. He whispered in her ear and her embarrassed smile turned into a relaxed grin. She slapped his shoulder lightly before returning her attention to Lan.
"And next up is Dan," Lan announced before retreating off the stage. Oh, this was going to be interesting.
Ted clicked away on his computer, trying frantically to pass the firewall. Ned was beside him, waiting for the cue to destroy the defenses. Regan and Madison were frozen in the pitch black room below Ned and Ted. The earphones attached to the team were silent only adding to the intensity.
They were in the middle of Ms. Flores's missions. Their goal was to break into a well-defended house and get an artifact out. And unfortunately, though the breakout wasn't real, the lasers were. If Ted couldn't pass the security wall soon and let Ned destroy the defenses, Reagan and Madison are going to have to risk it. At this thought his hands sped up faster.
"Any luck so far?" Reagan's voice sounded through his earpiece. She sounded nervous, but calm. He had no idea how she was she was pulling it off, but she was.
"One second… ahhh." Ted broke through the main frame and disabled the rest. "It's a go Ned." It was Ted's turn to relax and watch as his brother turned off the lasers, cameras and trip wires and flame shooters.
"Done. Go ahead. Beware though. It seems a little easy," Ned said, his voice crackling through speakers. Ted held his breath watching them tiptoe across the room with their flashlights. The lights paused on a painting across the rom.
"That's it guys," Reagan said, her voice shaking. She strode forward impulsively.
"Reagan, no!" Ted yelled into his earpiece, but it was too late. No one had noticed a small dark button installed in front of the painting, but as Reagan stepped on it and grabbed the painting, alarms began blaring and the doors slammed shut.
"Get out of there!" Ned shouted, his hands working frantically. Ted was doing the same. The stupid button must not have been turned off. He continued working intently until he heard a crash reverberate through the headpiece. He looked to find the Holt girls barreling into the metal door. Not surprisingly, the door had already started to cave in at the force the girls applied on it.
"Are you alright?" he called as they steeled themselves to try again.
"Sure, I always purposely run into metal doors. What do you think Ekat?" Madison growled through gritted teeth. The door finally caved in and broke at the fourth hit. The girls ran out, Reagan clutching the painting.
"Sorry, sorry," Ted muttered as he took off his headset. Mission complete.
Jonah almost couldn't hold in his laughter as Nellie tried to settle the class down. It was a week before Halloween and Dan was getting everyone into the spirit. Ever since he learned that they weren't allowed to leave the mansion to trick or treat, Dan had been pushing for a Halloween party.
"Please, Nellie? It would be awesome!" Dan begged. The girls chimed in as well.
"Can it be a masquerade ball?" Natalie squealed. Amy, Sinead and Nora grinned.
"Yeah," Amy agreed. "We can plan it all, as long as you provide the funding," she continued, cajoling Nellie further.
"Guys, I think it's a great idea, but I don't think we can," Nellie said impatiently. Dan's narrowed and Jonah jumped in.
"Come on dude, calm down."
"I think we should take a vote," Nora chimed in. Nellie slumped onto her desk, knowing she was defeated.
"Fine. Who wants the ball?" Everyone raised their hand. The vote was unanimous.
"If you can convince Fiske, fine. I'll make a list of ingredients I need for the food. You can go shopping this weekend if he says yes. Class dismissed." Jonah smiled as everyone left to talk to Fiske.
"Thanks," he called before leaving. It was party time.
Sinead gazed around the ballroom in awe. The Cahills had held parties before, but nothing this big. They had set up black and orange streamers and balloons, tables off to the side, and different colored lights flashing around the room. The tables were loaded with Nellie's cooking, and the balcony doors were open, letting the chilly October air flow in.
"No, that's a costume party, not a masquerade ball!" Amy said for the umpteenth time. Dan had come dressed up in a ninja costume, and refused to take it off. Besides Dan though, everyone was dressed traditionally. The boys were all dressed in suits, and the girls wore elaborate dresses with masks. The colors ranged from Natalie in pink to Sinead in green.
"But I'm a ninja. Watch!" he cried as he began his arms in karate moves. Alarmed, Sinead stepped back. In her haste to get away from Dan however, she ran into Hamilton. She smiled embarrassedly as he helped her steady herself.
"Sorry," she apologized as everyone disbursed around the room.
"It's fine," he responded. He gestured to the open balcony doors. "Do you want to get fresh air?" She nodded and followed him out, glancing back at Amy. Amy winked at her before being twirled away by Ian.
As she arrived on the balcony, she looked at the swimming pool underneath the moonlight and felt him standing next to her as she gazed over the railing. They stood quietly for a minute. She looked back inside to see most everyone had started dancing. Most of the Cahills, including Amy and Dan, had taken dance lessons but the Starlings and the Holts hadn't. So when Hamilton offered her his hand, she was more than a little nervous.
"I don't know how to dance," she warned him.
"Neither do I," he replied cheerily as he took her hand. They swayed back and forth slowly on the balcony, chatting absently.
"The Cahills outdid themselves, don't you think?" Sinead laughed.
"Definitely," he agreed, "Although, I have a feeling Dan didn't help with setting this up."
"Most likely," she replied, smiling. A chilly wind blew by, and she shivered in her short sleeves.
"You alright? Here." He moved so he was blocking the wind. She fought the heat that rushed to her face as he lifted her mask off.
"The mask isn't nearly as beautiful as you," Hamilton murmured. She smiled inwardly at the line as he kissed her. Halloween. It definitely was a magical night.
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to update faster this time. Thanks to everyone out there. It means a lot that I'm up to 138 reviews. Thanks for supporting me! This chapter is dedicated to Hihmgu for giving me the idea for the last scene. If there are any scene ideas out there for November, I would love to hear them. I love you guys!
Kahillkid5