“Noooo!” Dan yelled, rushing toward her with his lightsaber waving in the air.
Amy grabbed the weapon and held it above her head. “What are you guys doing?” she demanded. “I told you we were meeting in the library. There’s a guest speaker.” She took a breath and forced herself to smile. “We’re going to practice code-breaking. It’ll be fun!”
Dan rolled his eyes at Hamilton. “I told you she’s lost it.”
“Cuckoo,” Madison said, making a she’s so crazy gesture.
Amy felt her chest tighten as she dropped the lightsaber. She was used to people laughing at her. But Grace’s house had always been the one place where no one made fun of her. Where she had felt safe. The Clue hunt had stolen that from her as well.
Dan’s mocking smile faded as he stared at Amy. For a moment, he looked like a little boy again. But then his expression hardened. “Come on, guys. I think Reagan and Natalie are in the pool. Let’s use the scuba gear to sneak up on them.” Hamilton and Madison dropped their lightsabers and bounded out of the room. Amy could hear their shouts echoing down the hall. Dan stayed where he was, facing Amy but not quite meeting her eyes. “We’re allowed to have fun, you know.” He stared at the wall over Amy’s shoulder. “After all we’ve been through, we deserve it.”
Amy was tempted to stretch her hand out and ruffle his hair, but something kept her still. “We need to be ready. They’re coming for us, Dan.”
He turned his head and looked at her with an expression she’d never seen before. The room was dark, and the weak light shining through the window cast a strange shadow on his face. He walked over to the discarded lightsaber and picked it up, holding it out in front of him like an archaeologist examining a relic from another era. “I know they are,” he said, without facing her. “But there’s nothing we can do.” He turned around and walked slowly out of the room.
The vast backyard was dark and still. He knew from hacking into her bank account that the girl had spent almost half a million dollars on security. Between the electric fence, motion sensors, and body-heat detectors, there hadn’t been so much as a squirrel on the grass in six months.
But he was no squirrel.
The searchlight beam passed over the yard like a great white shark gliding lazily over the ocean floor.
He smiled as he stepped under the shadow of a large oak tree, and looked up at the light shining faintly from the third-floor window. According to the surveillance footage, Amy often spent the night in her command center trying to gain information about her new enemy. And yet she had found nothing.
Vesper One turned around and began walking through the darkness, guided by the low drone of the electric fence. When he reached the edge of the lawn, he removed a small device from his pocket, held it against the barrier, and pushed the button. There was a loud buzz, then silence.
Vesper One scaled the fence with ease, landing noiselessly on the other side. He’d already arranged for Vesper Six to take care of the children.
In the distance, he heard a crash, followed by a chorus of laughter and angry shouts.
Or perhaps they’d save Six the trouble and remove themselves from the equation.
Either way, he had other business to attend to.
As he stepped forward, a black car pulled up to the curb as if he’d conjured it from the shadows. Vesper One slid into the backseat and closed the door. “Boston.” There was one final item to attend to before he could put his plan in motion. It was time to eliminate the last Guardian.
The next morning Jonah Wizard arrived fresh off his concert tour via helicopter at six a.m. and landed on the front lawn, triggering the alarm system. By the time Amy had convinced the Attleboro police department that everything was under control, the other Cahills had gone back to bed and slept through the tumbling lessons. Most of them came down in time for jujitsu training, but once it became clear that Madison’s idea of a “light tap” could knock out a linebacker, the crowd began to dwindle.
The worst part of it was that every time Amy tried to get their attention, they ignored her. It didn’t matter that she’d spent months arranging for expert linguists and champion martial artists to come to the house. Every time she raised her voice loud enough to make them look at her, she blushed and began to stutter. Yet it wasn’t the wasted time or money that bothered Amy. It was the fact that these people weren’t strangers. They were her family. She’d thought that, after everything they’d gone through, they’d be excited to work together. But it was as if the events of last year had never happened.
At least the skydiving trip seemed to be working out. The Holts were excited to go, and everyone else had been too tired to argue. The bus Amy had chartered was silent as they drove through the Bristol County countryside toward the private airstrip. Everyone was asleep except for Amy and Jonah, who had been oddly quiet since his arrival that morning.
Amy was sitting in the row behind Jonah and watched as he pulled out his iPhone and turned to face the window. He fiddled with it for a moment, and the glow from the screen illuminated his famous face. The phone remained lit just long enough for Amy to see the corner of Jonah’s mouth droop before the phone went dark. He sighed softly and put the phone away.
Amy reached forward and tapped him on the shoulder. “Are you okay?”
He turned toward her. “A-Dawg. I didn’t know you were awake.”
“Of course you didn’t,” she said, a little more bitterly than she’d intended. “I could’ve died and no one would’ve noticed.”
“You shouldn’t talk like that. Not after what we survived.” He must have seen the distress in her face, because he flashed his superstar smile. “Besides, sometimes it’s nice to stay under the radar.”
“Easy for you to say. Was that your publicist you were texting? Or the president of your Facebook fan club?” She meant it as a joke and was surprised when Jonah’s face fell. “I’m sorry,” Amy said. “It’s none of my business.”
“No, it’s fine.” He bit his lip, something Amy had never seen him do before, either in person, onstage, or during his countless television appearances. “I just thought that maybe my mom would try to get in touch or something.” He turned his head back to the window. “It’s my birthday,” he said quietly.
“Your birthday?” Amy repeated. “Why didn’t you tell us? I would’ve baked you a cake.” She smiled. “Though I’m sure your fans will be sending you stuff all week.”
He didn’t smile back. “Only my mom and dad know my real birthday. It’s something we tried to keep private, just for us, you know?” He glanced down at his sweatshirt, as if he expected to see the glow of his phone through his pocket. “But I guess she forgot.”
“You still haven’t spoken to her?” Amy asked softly.
Jonah shook his head. “I waited for a few months after the end of the Clue hunt. You know, to give her time to calm down. But she won’t return my calls, my texts, my e-mails, nothing.”
Amy wasn’t sure what to say. She knew far too well what it was like to be separated from your parents, but at least she had the comfort of knowing that her mother would’ve given anything for one more moment with Dan and Amy. She reached over the top of Jonah’s seat and squeezed his hand. “You did the right thing back there. No matter what she thinks.”
“I know.” The smile returned to his face. “Yo, are we almost there? The wiz is ready to show y’all what it really means to be fly.”
Amy shivered as the wind rushed over her jumpsuit. Even though it was more than eighty degrees on the tarmac, her skin felt clammy. She’d spent the past three hours watching skydiving instructional videos and listening to the head instructor, Duncan, explain all the safety procedures. At least, she’d tried to pay attention. It had been difficult to hear over the sounds of Dan and Jonah laughing, Madison and Reagan wrestling, and Ian shouting on the phone at his stockbroker. Amy kept waiting for Duncan to tell everyone to quiet down, but he just kept droning on in a flat voice that made her think he was used to bei
ng ignored. And when Amy asked him to repeat something he’d said about proper landing technique, even Hamilton had told her to relax. They were all doing tandem jumps with experienced instructors and wouldn’t even have to open their own parachutes. But although the rational part of Amy’s brain knew that her instructor, Teodora, would take care of everything, she didn’t like the idea of jumping out of a plane without knowing exactly what to do.
As the Cahills lined up to board the tiny aircraft, Amy began to question her decision to learn how to skydive. What were the chances of it coming in handy? After all, she and Dan had won the Clue hunt without having to use a parachute, and they’d been at the top of Mount Everest.
She watched as the other Cahills took turns climbing up the metal steps and ducking through the door. Madison was so excited she grabbed on to the railing and vaulted inside without even touching the stairs. Natalie took more demure steps but looked equally confident as she entered the plane. Once she learned their trip was being filmed, she had refused to don a jumpsuit and insisted on remaining in her designer jeans, then complained that her gear didn’t match her stylish outfit. All the Cahill kids were wearing brightly colored harnesses and special packs that contained their backup parachutes.
When it was Amy’s turn to climb the stairs, she paused. There was no way she was jumping out of a plane. “I can’t do this,” she whispered. She took a step backward.
“Making a quick getaway?”
Amy turned around and saw Teodora smiling at her. Petite with long blond hair, she looked like a porcelain doll in skydiving gear. “Don’t worry,” she said, putting her hand on Amy’s shoulder. “It’s going to be fine. I’ll take care of everything.”
It made Amy feel slightly better to know her harness would be attached to Teodora’s, but not much. “Have you ever lost anyone?” Amy asked.
“Amy!” She turned her head and saw Dan pounding on the window from inside the plane. He mouthed something she couldn’t understand, and when she shrugged her shoulders to show that she couldn’t hear him, he started flapping his arms like a chicken.
“Oh, one or two,” Teodora answered breezily. “I specialize in taking care of little brothers.” She laughed and Amy felt herself relax. She liked Teodora, something about her reminded Amy of Nellie. It might have been her smile, or all her energy, but either way Teodora struck her as someone who liked to have fun.
Amy grabbed on to the railing and walked up the stairs. Right before she stepped inside, she reached back to check, for the hundredth time, that her pack was still in place.
The noise inside the small plane was almost deafening, from the roar of the engines to the shouts of the Cahills yelling at one another from their seats. Amy and Teodora sat down in the back row and fastened their seat belts. A few minutes later, they were airborne.
Amy pressed her nose to the window to watch the ground fall away as they quickly gained altitude. It was a clear day, so it was possible to make out small details in the scene below. Tiny cars wound their way along twisty roads. Miniature houses perched on hilltops and peeked out of clearings. The Atlantic Ocean sparkled in the distance. It all looked so peaceful that it was difficult to believe she would soon be hurtling toward it at one hundred miles per hour.
She looked down at the enormous watchlike object on her left wrist. It was an altimeter, a device for measuring altitude. All skydivers had to wear them — even beginners doing tandem dives. On the off chance that something happened to an instructor, the student would need to know when to activate the chute. Thank goodness she’d been able to hear Duncan during that portion of the training. They were supposed to open their parachutes when they reached 2,000 feet. Or was it 4,000? She was about to ask Teodora when Duncan unbuckled his seat belt and stood up. “Okay, guys!” he shouted. His voice was suddenly cheerful. Amy had a feeling he was happy to be pushing them all out of the plane. “It’s time to go.” The noise inside the cabin died down as the Cahills concentrated on hooking their harnesses to their partners. Reagan was bouncing up and down with excitement, causing her instructor to look slightly seasick.
They all grabbed on to the bars lining the walls as Duncan opened the door and, suddenly, Amy couldn’t concentrate on anything besides the roar of the wind. She closed her eyes to keep the air from stinging them. It was like standing on a cliff in the middle of a hurricane.
She opened her eyes just in time to see Hamilton flash the group a thumbs-up. He and his instructor, Jason, waited for Duncan to give them the go-ahead, and then tumbled out the door. They flew sideways and disappeared from view. Amy felt her pulse start to race even faster. Could fifteen-year-olds have heart attacks? She tightened her grip on the bar and went over everything they’d learned during their training.
Keep your back arched for stability.
Keep your arms and legs at equal distances to maintain control.
Try not to die. . . .
Amy watched the other pairs make their way to the door and jump out one by one. When it was Dan’s turn, she felt her stomach twist. But before she had a chance to say anything, he was gone.
Now, it was just Teodora and Amy. The instructor tapped Amy on the shoulder to let her know that it was time to head to the door. They took small, shuffling steps. It was awkward to walk while attached to another person.
They paused when they reached the door and held on to the bar that ran next to it. Amy closed her eyes tightly. The sight of the empty blue air made her nauseous. She heard Duncan shout something and she opened her eyes again. Instead of waiting for them to jump, Duncan nodded at Teodora, grabbed on to the bar, rocked back and forth a few times, and then pushed himself out of the plane.
Amy twisted her head to ask Teodora what was going on. Why had Duncan gone first and left them alone? She felt her chest tighten. Had something gone wrong with one of the other pairs? Amy wanted to peek out the door, but her feet were locked in place.
She heard a faint clicking noise and, suddenly, Teodora was next to her, casually holding on to the bar. Amy inhaled sharply. She must have unbuckled the straps holding them together. Amy was now standing inches from the open door, with nothing but a metal bar keeping her from tumbling out of the plane. She tried to grab on even tighter, but her hand had grown sweaty and was beginning to slip.
“Where is it?” Teodora demanded in a low voice. She was no longer smiling.
“What?” Amy yelled back. She didn’t remember this part from the training video.
“You really want to play dumb at ten thousand feet? Where is the ring?” Teodora’s entire face changed as she snarled at Amy.
A wave of terror coursed over Amy that had nothing to do with the perils of jumping out of a plane. Teodora was a Vesper.
Amy took a step sideways away from the door and pressed up against the wall. She put one arm behind her back. “I can’t tell you,” she said as firmly as she could, given the fact that her knees were shaking and sweat was pouring down her neck.
Teodora reached into the pocket of her jumpsuit and pulled out a small black gun. “Let’s not waste time, okay? I have a gun. I want your ring. You’re a smart girl. You don’t have many options in this situation.”
Amy shot a desperate look toward the cockpit, but it was locked. There was no way to get the pilot’s attention. And for all she knew, he was a Vesper, too.
The anger and adrenaline that had allowed her to stand up to Casper Wyoming didn’t come this time. Amy was alone with a gun-wielding Vesper. Her eyes darted toward the exit. The only way out was through the door of a plane 10,000 feet above the ground.
Teodora snorted. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. There’s a reason novice jumpers do tandem dives. Most beginners end up frozen with shock, so they can’t even open their own chutes.” She took a step toward Amy. “You really don’t want to splatter in front of all your friends.” She shuddered dramatically. “Have you ever seen a body hit the ground? So gross. And now, if you don’t mind . . .” Teodora held her hand to her ear, as if Amy
were about to whisper the secret.
The plane banked slightly to the right, and Amy felt her body sway toward the door. She grabbed back on to the bar with her other hand.
Teodora smirked. “You have five seconds to tell me where it is or I’ll shoot.” Her smile widened. “Skydiving and murder. My favorite kind of day.”
An extra-strong gust of wind blew through the plane, and Amy felt herself being pulled toward the door. She planted her feet onto the floor. “NO.”
The Vesper rolled her eyes. “Fine, then. But if I get blood in my hair, I’m going to kill your brother, too. Just saying. Five . . . four . . .”
Amy had only a split second to choose between two dreadful options — hand over the ring and have Teodora shoot her anyway. Or take her chances in thin air.
It was as if someone had hacked into Amy’s brain and taken control of her body. She spun around, grabbed on to the side of the door, and jumped.
There was a loud bang and something whizzed by Amy’s ear, but it was too late.
She was already in the air.
It was like falling into a tornado. The wind wrapped around Amy, and it felt like her skin was going to come loose from her face. The ground was rushing toward her at an alarming rate. She tilted her chin, and the small movement was enough to send her somersaulting through the air.
This was going to be a terrible way to die.
She felt the pressure of a scream lodged in her throat, but she couldn’t let it out. Her vocal cords were frozen. Everything was frozen. It was like her body was encased in ice.
She couldn’t tell which way was up, and knew she couldn’t activate the parachute until she was in the proper position. If she could move her arms at all.
39 Clues Rapid Fire 5 Turbulence Page 2