Chapter Three
Amy and Natalie felt a lot better once they joined the hunt. And it was all worth it to see Aunt Beatrice's face turn a nice shade of purple.
Now, the only people left in the Great Hall were Mr. McIntyre and the seven teams. Everyone held on tightly to their manila envelopes, prepared for whatever was inside. Many pairs of eyes stared at Mr. McIntyre anxiously and waited for his instruction.
"You may now open your envelopes--"
The sound of seven envelopes being torn reverberated through the hall. Natalie held the envelope upside-down and shook it. A white piece of cardstock fell out. Amy caught the clue and flipped it over. It read:
RESOLUTION:
The fine print to guess,
Seek out Richard S_____.
Natalie shot Amy a look. Was this it? Apparently, everyone else harbored the same thoughts.
"Yo, this ain't cool!" Jonah spoke up loudly. "This can't be da clue!"
"I agree with the punk." Eisenhower bellowed. "It's only ten words! That means--" He paused and started counting on his fingers.
"It means that it cost roughly $500,000 per word since your family gave up five million dollars." Alistair supplied. "Each word, however, only cost me $100,000."
"This is so stupid!" Madison whined. "We need more clues that aren't pieces of paper!"
"It's cardstock, not paper." Sinead sneered.
"Oh, who asked you?" Reagan shot back.
Sinead flipped her hair over her shoulder and went back to studying the clue.
"Richard S--," Ian let out a sigh. "Oh, brother, I truly wonder who that could be." He glanced at Dan and shared a secret smile.
Natalie was about to run up to them and kick them so hard that their legs would be broken. Then, just maybe, they would be eliminated from the competition.
"Excuse me, Mr. McIntyre, but does everyone here have the same clue?" Broderick asked. "My son's contract clearly states that he gets exclusive material and--"
Mr. McIntyre cut him off. "The first clue starts everyone off on the same foot. The thirty-nine clues, in turn, lead to the greatest treasure. This clue is the only one that will be simple."
"Simple?" Alistair mused. "It's hard to imagine the other ones."
"Also, know that there is not only one way to the end of this hunt. There are many different paths to take, or, clues to the clues, if you will." Mr. McIntyre added.
"I'm getting a headache." Hamilton moaned.
"What a shock," Dan said, earning himself a glare.
Suddenly, Irina Spasky folded up the clue, stuck it in her purse and walked straight out of the Great Hall.
"Oh, dear," Alistair sighed. "It seems Irina already has a lead."
Sinead whispered something to her brothers and together, they bolted out of the hall like there was a sale on RAMs and CPUs.
Broderick showed Jonah something on his Blackberry and the rap star nodded.
"Later, my homies." Jonah flashed a pearly white smile and flew out the door with his dad.
Amy counted three teams already gone. She and Natalie were still confused about the clue.
Ian Kabra cleared his throat abruptly, breaking the silence in the room. "Well, brother, are you ready?"
Dan stretched lazily like this was a piece of cake or a biscuit or a crumpet, or...something of the sort. "Yeah, let's go."
Natalie had the sudden urge to stick her leg out and trip the Cobras, but she held back for some reason.
"Team, formation!" Eisenhower Holt barked suddenly.
The Holts sprung out of their chairs and stood like military soldiers. Their pit bull, Arnold, started barking madly.
"Did you figure it out, Dad?" Hamilton asked eagerly.
"Of course not, son!" Eisenhower bellowed. "But everybody else is leaving, so I say we followed them!"
The family marched--literally--out of the Great Hall. There were two teams left, and William McIntyre.
Alistair let out a loud sigh. His eyes gleamed as if they held a secret, but his facial expression seemed serious. It didn't help that he looked like a butler with a hidden agenda. "Perhaps I'll stroll around and think long and hard about this."
Amy and Natalie watched Alistair go. The minute he was out of earshot, the sisters turned to the clue. Natalie was so frustrated she felt like kicking something--or, preferably, someone. To be even more specific, Natalie felt like kicking two boys from England.
"Resolution--what's that supposed to mean?" Amy murmured to herself.
"If your grandmother were here, she would be proud that you accepted the challenge." Mr. McIntyre smiled sadly.
"Let's face the facts," Natalie started. "The Kabras are filthy rich. The Starlings are geniuses. Jonah Wizard is famous. The Holts are human walls. Alistair and Irina are...how do I put this? Worldly. Amy and I are just normal people."
"You and Amy possess special talents that the others don't have. You will discover them soon enough." Mr. McIntyre mentioned. He seemed to be holding back something.
"When is 'soon enough'?" Natalie asked, aggravated.
Mr. McIntyre opened his mouth to speak, but Amy beat him to it. "I-I think I've got it!"
Natalie could've jumped for joy. She turned to Amy with wide eyes. "What is it?"
"I read a book about the 1700's that people used to that!" Amy exclaimed.
"Do what?" Natalie's voice got less excited when Amy said the B word.
"They disguised their names by only using one letter of the alphabet." Amy explained quickly.
"So I could say that D-- has an ugly monkey face and no one would know who I'm talking about?" said Natalie with an evil smirk.
Mr. McIntyre chuckled in the background and Amy rolled her eyes. "I know who you're talking about."
"Oh, I just remembered..." Mr. McIntyre spoke up.
"What?" The Cahill sisters asked simultaneously.
"Grace would have wanted you to know something; a warning."
Natalie's face fell. She was hoping it would be a hint to the clue or maybe even a clue to the clue to the clue.
"All Cahills belong to one of four major branches." Mr. McIntyre started.
Amy became attentive. "Grace told me that!"
Natalie felt slightly jealous. "When did Grace tell you anything?"
"We were talking in the library one afternoon."
"How come she didn't tell me anything about this?" Natalie pouted.
Amy ignored the comment. "There are four branches: Ekaterina, Janus, Tomas, and...uh, Lucian."
"Which one do we belong to?" Natalie asked, interested again.
Amy looked to Grace's advisor for help. "She never told us."
"I'm sorry to say that I cannot help you in that topic." Mr. McIntyre said with a peculiar tone to his voice. Natalie could tell instantly that he was harboring a secret that he obviously didn't want them to know. What was wrong with knowing what branch they belonged to? "However, there is a certain group of people that I must warn you about. They will make this hunt ten times more difficult."
Amy and Natalie shared a worried glance. What more did they have to worry about besides their other relatives?
"Your grandmother told me to repeat this warning to you if you accepted the challenge: Beware the Madrigals."
Amy and Natalie shared another glance; this time, it was a look of pure terror.
"Who are the Ma--"
"I must not say any more about this. I have already bended the rules too much by revealing this very information. Also remember this: Trust no one. This is for your own safety. People in the Cahills are liars, deceivers, and much more as you will discover."
"Where do we start?" Amy exploded. "Everyone else just rushed off like they knew exactly what to do or where to find the answers!"
Mr. McIntyre picked up his briefcase and straightened his suit. "My dear, what do you do when you need to find answers?"
"She reads books." Natalie answered lazily, fiddling with the piece of paper that was the clue.
Amy gasped. "Grace has a library!" She dashed out of the Great Hall with Natalie at her heels running at full speed. Natalie did not particularly enjoy libraries. After all, there was the smell of old books and lackluster titles like: The History of the Pocket Hanky."
But this was the clue hunt; there would have to be exceptions.
"So what's the plan?" Dan asked for the umpteenth time.
"We find Cousin Irina and strike up a temporary alliance." Ian said patiently, his fingers whizzing over the keys on his European cell phone.
"Why would we want an alliance with her?" Dan asked in disgust. Irina was not someone you wanted to meddle with. She had certain issues involving her family. Plus, she carried poison in her fingernails. At any minute, she could knock you out cold. A few hours later, you'd wake up feeling fuzzy. Or perhaps, you wouldn't wake up at all. People didn't know for sure.
But Dan wasn't completely worried. It wasn't like he didn't carry a tranquilizer gun with him just about everywhere he went. And Ian had...reinforcements.
"Like I said, it's temporary." Ian rolled his eyes slightly, looking ever-so-perfect when doing so. "
"It better be my definition of 'temporary'." Dan muttered.
"Take a left." Ian called to the limo driver. The car made a smooth turn that didn't ruffle anybody's feathers.
"Where are we meeting her?" Dan asked suddenly.
"Copley Plaza Hotel." Ian said absentmindedly. "We're only a few minutes away. Why she expects us to even meet her at that place, I have no clue."
It was Dan's turn to roll his eyes. Ian could have very high standards. Copley Plaza Hotel was extraordinary, but then again, nothing was ever good enough for Ian.
"So are we planning to get rid of Amy and Natalie first?" Dan asked, moving on to an entirely new subject.
"You do catch on fast, brother." Ian smiled mischievously.
"Gee, thanks." Dan retorted sarcastically.
As the car zoomed by, a mysterious man wearing an even more mysterious black trench coat and matching hat went undetected.
As soon as they hit the soft carpet, Amy dove deep into the heart of the library. Natalie wanted to help, but she didn't know what she could possibly do. Plus, she didn't want to interrupt Amy's thinking process. A globe sat on a nearby table and Natalie spun in once, twice, three times. Then she noticed it, right on the Pacific Ocean: Grace Cahill, 1964
"Amy?"
"Yeah?" Came the muffled voice of Amy.
"Why did Grace sign the Pacific Ocean?" Natalie asked.
Amy peeked out from behind a tall bookshelf. "She was a cartographer. That means she made maps and explored. Grace made that globe herself."
"And how do you know that?"
"I listened to her stories."
"Are you suggesting I didn't?"
"Well?"
"...Okay, I see your point." Natalie took a breath. "Where did she explore?"
"Everywhere."
Natalie almost jumped. That definitely wasn't Amy's voice.
Amy peered from behind a different bookshelf timidly.
Alistair Oh was leaning on his cane right next to Natalie, smiling warmly at them. "Your grandmother explored every continent, dear Natalie, and could navigate almost every major city in the world. Grace was an impressive woman and a woman of mystery."
Natalie couldn't believe her grandmother was that cool. If only she was still alive, then maybe she could've asked her to take them to Paris or Milan for a while.
Amy scurried over to Natalie's side. "A-Alistair. W-What do y-you want?"
"Oh, nothing, my dear. I'm merely observing."
"Sounds kinda sketchy." Natalie pursed her lips.
Alistair chuckled.
"There's nothing here, anyway." Amy muttered quietly. "I couldn't find anything about Richard S--and I've already read most of these books."
"Children, I have a suggestion." Alistair interrupted. "We need an alliance."
Natalie quirked an eyebrow. "An alliance? Why would you want one with two kids?"
"You two are definitely intelligent, and have a fresh way of looking at things. I have resources and age. I also did change the world in a small way. You know my fortune comes from inventions, yes? I invented microwavable burritos."
"Inspiring," Natalie mused.
Alistair nodded. "Let's get to the point. I have useful resources. And of course, you won't be permitted to travel around the world without an adult."
Natalie's eyes widened. She never even suspected that this "hunt" would take them very far. How would they be able to fend for themselves in some foreign country in Africa?
"Surely we can work together until the very end. We are family." Alistair reasoned.
"Okay..." Amy nodded slowly.
"Give us some help." Natalie demanded. "Are we looking in the wrong place?"
"It did seem a little off to me that there are so few books in Grace's library." Alistair began.
Amy gasped in realization. "You think Grace had more books in a secret library?"
"This is a very large house. We might as well split up and search for a secret passage or opening." Alistair suggested.
Natalie sighed and stared up at the top of a nearby bookshelf. Her breath caught in her throat. A crest was hanging just above the bookshelf on the wall that appeared at various locations all over the house. A fancy C was surrounded by a dragon, a bear, a wolf, and a pair of snakes wrapped around a sword. It looked oddly familiar, but she just noticed the letters carved in the middle of each picture--E, T, J, L.
Without hesitation, Natalie scrambled up the bookshelf, knocking down encyclopedia, dictionaries, biographies, and other heavy books.
"Natalie, get DOWN from there!" Amy screamed. "You could hurt yourself!"
Natalie knew she wouldn't hurt herself; she was thirty times more athletic than half of the football team at their school. When she reached the top of the bookshelf, she stretched her arm and reached the crest. "Amy, what are the four branches again?"
"Ekaterina, Tomas, Janus, and Lucian, but what are you doing?" Amy cried.
Natalie pressed each letter in that order. E, T, J, L. As she pushed the L, the whole shelf swung outward abruptly. Natalie jumped off the bookshelf and landed on the ground with not a hair out of place.
"Nice..." Amy murmured, mesmerized by the magical bookshelf.
A dark stairwell leading down to who-knows-where appeared in place of the bookshelf.
"A secret passage to Grace's hidden library." Alistair looked at Natalie. "I'm impressed."
Natalie shrugged like it was nothing, but felt a tiny bit proud of her finding.
"It might be dangerous." Amy said.
"Good point." Natalie nodded. "Why don't you go first?"
*PLEASE READ! IMPORTANT INFORMATION AHEAD!
Here it is, finally! After numerous school projects, the stomach flu, a state-wide writing competition, and other crap, I found time to put this little chapter up! Well, it isn't that little, but you get the point.
If you think you know EVERYTHING that's going to happen just because you read the first book twelve times and memorized each page, well I'm sorry to say that you'll be completely lost. The beginning will be similar, but when they get to Paris, things will be...
Different.
MUAHAHAAHAHA! -cough- Anyways, review if you wanna...but review and I will tell you all that I know about the final 39 Clues book because I MET MARGARET PETERSON HADDIX, THE AUTHOR OF THE 10TH BOOK! Suckerrrs!
"Why do hobos hate every living thing?"
-Sky