Chapter 6

DAN

It was almost midnight and Dan Cahill couldn't sleep and sleep was something Dan Cahill would give up anything for, being a teenage boy and all.

He was worried for his sister, Amy, who has been gone for almost a week now. It wasn't like she was missing, no, it was who she was with that caused him to be worried. Just the thought made him sick to his stomach and want to puke.

The evil Lucian snake Ian Cobra had his sister in his grip and Dan knew that was nowhere near good. Ian was just truly evil. No decision needed about it. That thing that one might call a human was what Dan called a heartless cruel villain that needed to rot in hell for all eternity. Well, okay, maybe not that bad...

But still, Dan didn't really like or trust Ian. He just did too many wretched things to him and Amy during to the clue hunt. Yes, most of them were under the control of his mother. But still, everyone is somewhat like of the parents who raised them, and Ian being the slightest like Isabel was enough for Dan to have no faith or loyalty to him. Period.

But, on the other hand, Dan has recently question himself on the judgment. A few days ago, Jake had bursts through the doors of the estate that Dan lived in with his great uncle, Fiske Cahill, and his other guardian, Nellie Gomez. At the time they had a few relatives staying for the Madrigal Ball that weekend, the Starlings triples an the Holt family.

Jake told the story: Amy overreacting from something Jake said and them fighting, Amy running away and Jake chasing her, Jake being jumped by a guy in a mask, and then him passing out. Due to the fact that Jake's phone and money wasn't gone, Jake entirely blame and swears by god that Ian was 100% the thief.

One side of Dan totally agrees with Jake, the hatred for Ian taking a part of his thoughts, making him come to terms with Jake on how Ian was villainous enough to beat the holy hell out of Jake and then went on to Amy's apartment and kidnap her. He filled with rage with the though of that killer snake having his sister. The kind that made you want to pull your hair out, scream at the top of your lungs, and possibly kill someone. That and Jake was Atticus's older half brother- Dan's best friend.

On the other side of him, Dan really couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Ian, yes Ian, would do that. To anyone he doesn't know or care for, maybe. After all he was raised and train to do so. But to Amy...

Dan had to admit, and he hated to admit anything, but there was a lighting like bright and a fire like passionate spark between the Lucian and his sister. It was clear as water to him and the other Cahill's. It was so noticeable, Ted could see it. Dan was the biggest witness on this view. He lived with Amy for 2 years till she moved out and he was pretty sure half that time was the same amount of time Ian was 'visiting'.

It all started about two months after the Vesper war, Dan and Amy just settle in into there once again normal fashion: school, homework, dinner, sleep.

It was all nice and normal which Dan enjoyed for that time being. It was a weekend when he showed up, right there on their door step.

Ian didn't have his home in the states yet so he flew from London to Boston. Dan welcome him in but Ian said nothing at all. Dan tried to make small talk but no respond from him whatsoever. Dan didn't really get mad though. If all he wanted was some silent company, then Dan could do that for the guy. Yes, Dan hated him and would have had a different reaction with him sitting in his living room if this was under normal circumstances, but they both lost a girl close to them in the end. She being one of their's sister and last family member, the other being a secretive beloved friend.

Amy soon came back home to find them. She was slightly surprise like him when she viewed the two but as a few days pass, Ian spoke to Amy and Amy only. After about a week in the mansion he spoke to Dan and the others but he still had that sad look on his face. He reminded Dan a broken doll, soulless.

Ian soon left and wasn't heard or seen from till the next annual Cahill Christmas reunion, where he was in better state but Dan still could see the sadness deep down inside him. But he still acted as same old Ian, he talked about his fancy life style, his plan to buy a home in the states, calling everyone by there real name, throwing out sarcastic comments, and becoming the Lucian branch leader.

But most of all, he still flirted with Amy as much as possible. Dan thought it was disgusting as usual but he did over heard Sinead Starling giggling and smiling at the two and Hamilton Holt shoot a look to Dan, wiggling his eyebrows. Dan wanted to puke for the fifth time that night, from the message he was sending with that look. 'So Ian and you are going to be in-laws?'

Of course, he never tell Jake about the cute little teases Ian had for Amy, where her part of the action was simply blushing rose red and stammering like she has always done with him around. Or the ten or so more visits he had with them after the first one. God no, do you think his crazy? That and he swore a ninja master's promise that he wouldn't even think to let out a peep about this to Jake to Amy. At first Dan just rolled his eyes in annoyance.

What's her problem?

It was only a long while afterwards when it dawn on to Dan about the reason for his sister's strict promise. He almost spit out his juice at the time.

Hell, she likes it!? He did a lot of shit to her and she still likes him?! He signed in frustration. He'll never understand girls.

Dan was done puking then and required death at the images that played into his head.

Dan walked down the long hallway of him home to check on Sinead and Ham who were dissecting and studying the device that cause Jake's, Ham's, and Dan's jumpy episode days ago. Sinead wanted to know some techniques about it and Ham volunteered to help her. They liking each other was almost as bad as Amy and Ian. Ew. Gross. Nasty. Just...just no.

Dan was close to the door now. He thought about the crisis more before opening though. Jake swears that Ian is the bad guy about all of this and that text from Amy saying everything was fine was his doing, but Dan couldn't believe it. Amy would have found another way to connect them if she was in real danger and Ian would have texted them on that night of the kidnapping or the next morning, not four days afterwards. He was a Lucian after all, he was train for this kind of stuff. He wasn't one to make a mistake on anything, that wasn't the Kabra way. They were always flawless. Especially her...

Dan began to trust Jake less and less now as his Madrigals instincts were winning over. Dan needed more information before he could decide. He walked into the room to find a working hard Sinead and a sleeping Hamilton on the couch.

"Anything?" He asked. Sinead looked up to him and nodded.

"It's defiantly a Lucian's trick. Made to detract the enemy in any way possible and necessary to complete the mission. It has the Kabra symbol on it too. That means Ian was definitely there. I'm bringing up the finger prints now."

Dan nodded and turned to view Ham. He had recently been training for the Olympics like a mad man, doing all he can to get accepted. He had it in the bag, but he was like the Ekat across from him, sleep was something that got in their way of work.

"After that, you can rest for the night too." Dan offered. "It's been a long day."

"Yes, it has." She agreed. She gathered her things and Dan left the room. He needed to get back to his phone, hopefully a message from Amy would be there.

The days are always long without Amy, he though as he closed the door.

(...)

SINEAD

Sinead woke up at ten thirty in her jeans and white blouse and had a killer head ache. She must have fallen asleep on her bedroom floor again. Sometimes when Sinead was up at an ungodly hour and was working on something, she forgets about sleep which causes her to just pass out on the floor, not being able to fight it. It happen every week or so, sometimes in the oddest of places. Today was thankfully her room.

She remembers the time she fell asleep in Hamilton's room, trying to pull an all nighter and watch all the Harry Potter movies. She was so close to the end at the Deathly Hallow's part 1 end when she completely blacked out, right on to his lap. Gideon, that was humiliating.

"SINEAD!" Sinead snapped her head behind her and saw the Holt twins-Reagan and Madison- with their arms crossed and rarely seen Vera Bradley purses at their sides.

"Oh guys, hey." She breathed and ran a hand through her wavy auburn hair.

"You just woke up didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Will you be ready in twenty minutes?"

Sinead looked at them in confusion for a second, then remembered that she had to take the twins dress shopping for the Cahill ball in two days. She had to do this due to the bet she made with them that she could not complete. She was dared to ask Hamilton to the ball, but she bailed out and asked him about his training instead. She never asked a boy out before which seemed unlike her with her controlling character. He was merely too cute and buff for her to retrain her nerviness. Damn Tomas...

"Yeah. I'll be down in a minute." The twins nodded at the same time and walked out of the room.

Sinead got up and dressed in a light green dress and white sandals. She ran a brush though her hair and brushed her teeth. She gather her belongs into her purse and checked her phone for the millionth time that week. She was searching for a text or call or really anything from Amy- her best friend.

For all this week, Amy has been the talk of every conversation from everyone. She was a date with Jake one night and the next thing Sinead knew was she was with Ian Kabra. That's all she knew and it bugged Sinead to death if she didn't know every detail of crisis like this.

She was clueless like that others of what really happen because no one believed Jake's sorry excuse for a story. Ever since the Vesper War and Amy and Jake got together, Sinead has had an uneasy feeling for him. He was too smooth like a Vesper. Trust her, she was one after all. She fell for one too and he acted like Jake too, all too well for her comfort.

She check his background though multiple times through, and he had no blood of either Cahill or Vesper in him. But he still gave her some discomfort. She never told Amy for the fear of being wrong or losing Amy as a friend. She was lucky to get a second chance from her, and she attended not to fuck that up.

At first it was all just a little thought of hers. Then a year pass and it became an issue. Then, when it publicly noticeable, it became a known problem to her and everyone else. She remembered times where she, Nellie, Ham, Dan, Ian, Ned, Ted and Jonah sat in a circle on the ground, drinking extra large root beer floats, absorbing the warm from the fireplace, and talked about Jake and Amy. Ian was the loudest about his hatred and Nellie was the most outspoken about her knowledge about their relationship problems-she being the one with the most experience out of all eight of them.

Now they weren't talking bad about Amy or Jake or anything among those lines. They were just sharing about there common distresse about them being together (Mostly Dan's department since he was Amy's brother), expressing each others theories about the possibilities of what and why they didn't get along as well as they did before (Sinead and her brothers had this division being the Ekats that thought of millions of ideas.) and setting out death threats of what will happen if 'worst-case scenario' was the reason for it all (Ian controlled this quarter very well, he came up with very tormented and hellish ways of to die.). Later on, they did this again whenever there was a little reunion at anyone of there homes. Sometimes even Reagan and Madison and Phoenix would join the session.

They didn't speak of this all night though. They moved on to other things to talk about like movies, music, school work, food, and people, being the teens they are. But the strange fact that they all gathered late that night-the same night Jake called Amy "it"- and sat in a group circle and just talked about whatever was surprising to her. Especially at the fact they were all Cahills. The Madrigals would have been so proud.

But still, Sinead didn't like Jake and no one else did. They all wanted answers and since Jake wasn't going to speak of them and stick like glue to his lie, then they all will wait till Friday to see if Amy is okay and heard her and Ian's side of the story. Good thing Sinead had some patients.

She snatched her keys and her phone and met the twins downstairs.

"Where we going?" She asked.

"There's a shop downtown that Nellie told us about. Let's check it out first."

"Let's go."

(...)

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Disclaimer: I do not own the 39 clues.