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Authors: Riley Clifford
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bother asking if he was okay and went straight into phase two of big-sister interrogation. “What are you doing?” she hissed, trying to keep her voice low.
“Practicing my ollies.”
“It’s August .”
“I know. That’s why I installed a snow machine in the backyard.”
“You what ?”
“It’s awesome. You gotta try it. You get really wicked air coming off the roof.” He glanced at the mess around him and cocked his head to the side. “Though I might have miscalculated.” He popped up without undoing the straps and took a hop toward the stairs. “I think I’ll land it this time.” He looked over at the man with the phone. “Ready, Joe?”
Amy turned sharply, ignoring the twinge of pain in her stiff lower back as she forced a smile. “Sorry, Joe, but, um, instead of filming Dan, do you think you guys could try to finish the gymnastics room in the basement?” Joe lowered his phone and raised his eyebrows. The burning sensation in Amy’s cheeks grew worse than the pain in her legs as she saw the other two men try to contain their chuckles. She knew they weren’t used to getting orders from a fifteen-year-old, but their guardian, Nellie, was at school and Uncle Fiske had disappeared once he heard that six Cahill kids were coming for the weekend. “I mean, um, if you have t-t-time,” she said, stumbling over the words like she'd stumbled over the tires she’d installed in the new obstacle course out back.
Joe shot a look over his shoulder, then turned to Amy. “Sure thing, Miss Cahill,” he said, smirking.
Amy stared at her toes until the men trudged past her, and then looked up at Dan. “Are you crazy? Even if you manage to go the afternoon without breaking your neck , you’re supposed to be helping me get the house ready. We’re seriously behind schedule.” Not counting the damage caused by Hurricane Dweeb, the place was still a mess. Although the construction workers had finished the bedrooms and the library and had moved on to the upstairs command center, the floors were still covered with plastic tarps and scattered tools. “Ian and Natalie’s flight landed an hour ago, and the Holts are going to be here any minute. I can’t believe you haven’t been getting ready.”
Amy had invited the Kabras, the Holts, and Jonah Wizard to Attleboro for a reunion — the first time the kids would be together since the Clue hunt ended. Amy had told them that she had some activities planned, but no one except Dan knew why she was so keen to host a training weekend. Apart from their guardians and their lawyer, Mr. McIntyre, none of the other Cahills knew that the Vespers had tried to attack Amy and Dan in order to steal a family heirloom — an ancient gold ring. Although the ring was now safely concealed in her custom-designed watch, Amy still shivered thinking about that day. Since the attack, Casper Wyoming, a Vesper assassin, had become such a regular fixture in Amy’s nightmares he should have been paying rent for the privilege of haunting the darkest caverns of her mind. She generally woke up from these dreams with her heart beating so loudly she couldn’t hear the faint ticking of the watch. Sometimes, as her pulse slowed and her breathing returned to normal, the sound comforted her with its steady, familiar beat. Other times, the ticking sent chills down her spine, as if it were counting down the minutes until the next Vesper strike.
That’s why it was so important to make sure she and Dan were prepared. That all the Cahills were prepared. Amy knew it was only a matter of time before the Vespers attacked, and there was no knowing which of them was going to be caught in the cross fire. She thought about the schedule she had spent hours preparing for this weekend. Tonight they’d have their first cryptography lesson, in case they needed to send coded messages in the future. She’d even arranged for an MIT professor to come to the house to lead the session. In the morning, they’d have
“Practicing my ollies.”
“It’s August .”
“I know. That’s why I installed a snow machine in the backyard.”
“You what ?”
“It’s awesome. You gotta try it. You get really wicked air coming off the roof.” He glanced at the mess around him and cocked his head to the side. “Though I might have miscalculated.” He popped up without undoing the straps and took a hop toward the stairs. “I think I’ll land it this time.” He looked over at the man with the phone. “Ready, Joe?”
Amy turned sharply, ignoring the twinge of pain in her stiff lower back as she forced a smile. “Sorry, Joe, but, um, instead of filming Dan, do you think you guys could try to finish the gymnastics room in the basement?” Joe lowered his phone and raised his eyebrows. The burning sensation in Amy’s cheeks grew worse than the pain in her legs as she saw the other two men try to contain their chuckles. She knew they weren’t used to getting orders from a fifteen-year-old, but their guardian, Nellie, was at school and Uncle Fiske had disappeared once he heard that six Cahill kids were coming for the weekend. “I mean, um, if you have t-t-time,” she said, stumbling over the words like she'd stumbled over the tires she’d installed in the new obstacle course out back.
Joe shot a look over his shoulder, then turned to Amy. “Sure thing, Miss Cahill,” he said, smirking.
Amy stared at her toes until the men trudged past her, and then looked up at Dan. “Are you crazy? Even if you manage to go the afternoon without breaking your neck , you’re supposed to be helping me get the house ready. We’re seriously behind schedule.” Not counting the damage caused by Hurricane Dweeb, the place was still a mess. Although the construction workers had finished the bedrooms and the library and had moved on to the upstairs command center, the floors were still covered with plastic tarps and scattered tools. “Ian and Natalie’s flight landed an hour ago, and the Holts are going to be here any minute. I can’t believe you haven’t been getting ready.”
Amy had invited the Kabras, the Holts, and Jonah Wizard to Attleboro for a reunion — the first time the kids would be together since the Clue hunt ended. Amy had told them that she had some activities planned, but no one except Dan knew why she was so keen to host a training weekend. Apart from their guardians and their lawyer, Mr. McIntyre, none of the other Cahills knew that the Vespers had tried to attack Amy and Dan in order to steal a family heirloom — an ancient gold ring. Although the ring was now safely concealed in her custom-designed watch, Amy still shivered thinking about that day. Since the attack, Casper Wyoming, a Vesper assassin, had become such a regular fixture in Amy’s nightmares he should have been paying rent for the privilege of haunting the darkest caverns of her mind. She generally woke up from these dreams with her heart beating so loudly she couldn’t hear the faint ticking of the watch. Sometimes, as her pulse slowed and her breathing returned to normal, the sound comforted her with its steady, familiar beat. Other times, the ticking sent chills down her spine, as if it were counting down the minutes until the next Vesper strike.
That’s why it was so important to make sure she and Dan were prepared. That all the Cahills were prepared. Amy knew it was only a matter of time before the Vespers attacked, and there was no knowing which of them was going to be caught in the cross fire. She thought about the schedule she had spent hours preparing for this weekend. Tonight they’d have their first cryptography lesson, in case they needed to send coded messages in the future. She’d even arranged for an MIT professor to come to the house to lead the session. In the morning, they’d have
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