Who has a new chapter of The Start of Pain and is in a good mood?

AngelicSpring, that's who!

... *cricket-y sounds*

Yep, nobody cares.

I shall now thank my awesome reviewers! *punches the air dramatically with matching glittery and shining eyes* Great thanks to – NatalieKfan, Daughter of Oceanus, addicted2reading9, Reginaa2111, dear Guest and StuckInSpace! Thank you so much! Here, please have this virtual cookie basket XD Also, thanks for those who wished me luck and prayed that I may pass the exams I took. I passed! Yatta! Let's celebrate with a virtual party!

DISCLAIMER: Nuh-uh.

Please move down inside the story and enjoy. 'Cause I'm feeling bus driver-y.

oooooOooooo

Chapter 5

"Well, I don't know how else to say this, but... Bye." Sinead gave all of them the most fake smile she's ever given anybody in her entire life. Amy smiled nervously, meeting nobody's eyes and finding a certain part of the ceiling interesting.

Ian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly as he looked at Amy wearily, almost imploringly. Hamilton rolled his cool blue eyes at Sinead. Jonah, with his casual, designer clothes, is wearing this expression like he doesn't know what's happening in the world. His eyes dart back and forth from Sinead to Hamilton then to Amy then at Ian.

"Uh... Are you guys fighting or something?" Jonah asked cautiously, knowing that if he so much as presses the wrong button, the whole mansion would implode. His hand gripped the handle of his black pack in case he needed to fend off a flying dart or a kick or all of the above.

Jake made a face at him. "Wow, they are right. You are amazingly tactful," he drawled exasperatedly, pushing his brown hair away from his eyes. He pulled the sleeves of his layered t-shirt up to his elbows and clapped his hands. "Do you need help putting your stuff in the van?" he asked politely, looking at the three boys with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Yeah, 'cause he's so much better at tact than I am," Jonah muttered angrily, heaving his bulging backpack up, and headed towards the Cahill basement. He was shaking his head as he went.

Hamilton glowered at him with as much hate as he could shove up his glinting, icy blue eyes. He is feeling deep, boiling hatred for this boy right now that it wouldn't be prudent for him and this skunk to be in the same room much less the same house for the next couple of years. That is if he doesn't want to go to hiding. Which isn't a problem, really. He caught Sinead's look of disappointment directed right at him. He growled before saying, "No, I don't think I need your help."He put emphasis on the weirdest of places. He trudged after Jonah, grumbling about people with no life and nothing better to do and blaming and stupid sons.

Jake stared at his wake disbelievingly. He nodded slowly before turning to Ian and looking at him expectantly. "So...?"

"No," Ian said bluntly with the air of his usual superiority, walking out after his two group mates after smoothing out his black and grey argyle sweater which he wore over his white polo. Sinead, Amy, Jake and Evan, who felt contented in simply watching them and not pointing out his existence, heard the echoes of their footsteps.

Amy shot him an apologetic look, tucking her reddish-brown hair behind her ear. "Jake, I'm so –"

Jake held up a hand to stop her. "No, don't worry about it. I know they hate my guts anyway," he said coolly, as though that's the most obvious - much less okay - thing in the world.

"Mine, too," Evan piped in, his glasses sliding down his nose. "I don't have any idea what I did, though," he continued innocently. Jake nodded in agreement.

"Nobody ever knows what's wrong with them," Sinead said half-consoling, half-annoyed. She felt her blood pressure rise dangerously just by being in the same room as that stupid, suicidal idiot. "We just pretend we don't notice and continue with our lives the way normal people do."

Amy bit her lip as she eyed all of their faces. "Ye-Yeah. That's what we do," she whispered.

Begrudgingly, they followed after the Three Muske-dorks.

xxxOOOxxx

"Holt."

"Yeah?"

"Just shut up. Please. By gods, just shut up for one minute."

"..."

"..."

"All I'm saying is... Of all inconspicuous vans, a garbage truck? Really?"

"Yo, dawg! Can't you just pretend it's not like that? We'll be in a private jet in a, like, jet."

"What is that even supposed to mean, Wizard?"

"Ha. You see, it's a pun because –"

"We'll be riding a jet and we'll be there in a jet. Yeah, we get it!"

"I-dawg doesn't."

"He doesn't get a lot of things."

"Oh really, Holt? Pray tell, what else is it that I don't get aside from your... educational language?"

"Well, there's Amy who tops the list."

"I don't see you doing very well with Starling either."

"Ya know, for a couple of 'heartthrobs', you two are... I don't know, stupid?"

"..."

"..."

"I mean, what happened to our GM lessons? You, Hamilton? Really? I thought we were supposed to help Ian here, and now..."

"Wizard?"

"Yo?"

"If you don't stop talking this instant, I will – and mark my words – leave your sedated being here in this truck and leave it to destiny if somebody finds you."

Dan sighed from the inside of the truck. These people are hopeless, he thought with a shudder. Good thing I came with them. He grinned evilly to himself, completely ignoring the fact that he's cramped inside a truckful of weapons and poisons.

His phone vibrated against his jeans pocket. He flipped it open and glared at the message. It was that person again.

"No need for the reminder, buddy," Dan mumbled as he put the phone back in his pocket, finishing the message with a shudder. "I know exactly where we're going." Dan leaned his head against the bulletproof metal of the truck and hugged his backpack closer to his chest.

After a good hour of silence, the truck stopped with a lurch and several groans from the front of the truck. The jet is waiting for them.

xxxOOOxxx

Amy is panicking. Her long, reddish-brown hair is flying to a hundred different places, her phone pressed against her ear. She was biting her nails again and she didn't give a cookie to whoever the freak is looking.

"Atticus," she said with a voice higher than normal, "what do you mean you don't know where Dan is?"

Atticus sank lower in his seat as he avoided the disapproving look his brother is giving him. "I... I really don't know where he is," he lied poorly, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His shaking hands pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Jake's features changed to that of exasperation.

"You don't think he came with them, do you?" Amy shrieked at Sinead who flinched away from Amy's metallic panicking. Evan looked up from the computer screen of the comm. center. "Ames, Ian stayed true to his words. He kept them safely untracked. Even our computers can't find and reach them. I don't think we can ask them..." he trailed off, seeing tears forming on Amy's eyes.

Sinead placed her hands on Amy's shoulders. "Look, Amy. Don't worry. I'm sure Ian will look after him if Dan did come with them... which I'm sure is the situation," she looked pointedly at Atticus as she said that. Atticus gulped nervously.

"Ian would slit his throat out," Amy cried out hopelessly, dropping the phone on the floor as she herself dropped on a chair. Sinead winced at that and hesitated before she continued. She cleared her throat and chuckled uncertainly. "Maybe... But Hamilton would stop Ian. I'm sure of it," she bit her tongue at the completely hypocritical comment she just made. "Jonah's there, too. C'mon, there're three of them there."

Amy groaned as she smothered her face in her palms. "That's what I'm afraid of," she moaned, the edge on her tone indicating that she is nearing hysteria.

Atticus chewed on his lip and looked pleadingly at his brother. Jake raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, maybe he did come with them!" he blurted out, immediately sinking lower and lower to his seat as everybody looked at him. His cheeks flushed as Amy let out another groan.

"Why didn't you tell anybody?" Jake asked impatiently.

"Because!" Atticus complained. "Because Dan said... that he needs to go! And he feels really guilty about everything!" His too-thick glasses fogged up as he began tearing up. "He feels really guilty," he insisted with a small voice.

Amy sighed, closing her eyes. "He thinks it's his fault. About Natalie," she mumbled, the truth finally hitting her now.

Atticus nodded sullenly, rubbing his eyes with his fists furiously.

"Well," Sinead huffed a breath out. Frankly, she didn't think that kid was capable of feeling that way, but... Then again, there's Hamilton so... "That's that. I'm sure the guys would understand... Or something. Probably." It was common knowledge that Ian Kabra isn't the most understanding person in the world.

Amy did not respond. Evan looked like he wanted to comfort his ex (long story, but we'll be getting to that) but was too afraid that a certain British persona would come and shoot him dead. He was informed before that said British persona was only too willing to let the police do the job for him in one particular instance. Jake paced around the room, his clenched fist placed under his chin in thought.

"I have a lead on our mission, if anyone wants to hear it..." Sinead coaxed, hoping Amy would stop worrying and trust in Dan's training.

A couple of minutes of silence passed and Amy finally stood up. "Right. We should talk about our mission," she said, her voice ringing finality. I can't afford to look and feel weak right now, she thought feverishly at herself. "When Dan comes back, I swear to Olivia, he's going to get his sorry butt grounded till he's an adult," she said out loud, already forming the situation in her head.

"That's my girl," Sinead agreed with a huge beam, slapping Amy on the back. "First off, we need a map on that hospital where Uncle Alistair was last seen. Then, everything gets easier from there."

oooooOooooo

Oh, Dan. What would we do without you? And who in the name of disappearing ninjas is MOLLY? Who does she think she is? Taking our Dan-sama to the middle school formal or whatever that is.

If you didn't understand that little ranting up there, do read the latest message sent in by our beloved Ian Kabra in the 39 Clues Message Board. Maybe, I'm being very unfair with this Molly person and obviously she's just one of the many girls who have seen the extreme awesomeness of Daniel Arthur Cahill. But still, I wuv Natan. Long live Natan! I don't care what Ian saw in the mail! Long live the Natalie and Dan pairing! Long li - *AngelicSpring took a poisoned dart gun to the neck and falls to the ground*

Ian Kabra walks inside the room and plucks the cue cards on Angel's hands, not sparing the twitching girl on the floor a glance. "Okay let's see what we have here," he says. "She doesn't know when she'll update next, blah, blah. So irresponsible. She is craving for double chocolate banana muff- Who in their right minds would care?" Ian sighs, rolling his eyes at the pathetic-ness of the message this 'author' has to offer. "No wonder you haven't got that much friends," he says at the deeply breathing, safely sleeping (or is she) fanfiction writer. His eyes catch a small message on her hand. "Please Review, my loving and amazing readers...?" he reads out. He looks at the camera in front. "She has readers?"

Ian is being vewy mean. I'm telling Amy-onee-san. She's gonna punish him and make him wash the dishes.

Love,

AngelicSpring's pet baby panda (She's still out cold)