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The airport was noisy and crowded, people breathing down each other's necks, people hustling and bustling, and generally not giving a damn about each other.
"Motherfucker," Amy muttered as someone backed their luggage into hers, causing her to lose momentary balance and nearly drop the swords. A chill rolls down her spine.
"You say something?" Dan asked, bouncing on his toes and peering over people's heads.
"No, just wondering what's taking so long," Amy said, shifting her weight back and forth. The swords felt like bricks in her hand. But bricks probably weighed less.
"Maybe she's got dyschezia!" Dan chirped. Upon the puzzled look from his sister, he added "Constipated. I'm brushing up on my medical knowledge."
"Dan, you're eleven."
"We're hunting for clues in a worldwide chase around the world, warring with our own family for inheritance. I'm allowed to have interests, Amita ."
"Don't call me that, Daniel ."
"Both of you! Stop it!" Nelle said, carrying Saladin in his carrier. "Are you trying to draw more attention to us?"
"Sorry," the siblings say, Amy opting to look at her shoes, while Dan started shuffling his cards again.
"It's okay, it's just..." Nelle sighs and runs her hand through her hair. "Listen, we're trying to take samurai swords on an international flight with no paperwork, we need to be a happy family."
Amy's eyes skipped around to frowning faces and tired eyes around her. Her eyes pause on three different kiosks; One) a lady in yellow who is exclaiming how excited she is every three seconds to her bored husband, Two) a boy next to his mom, rapidly clicking at a GameBoy and turning away as his mother motions to him, Three) a teenager rolling his eyes as his father attempts to get him to take out his headphones.
"I think any family here is dead inside, we'd be better off mimicking them than trying to be happy. We can attempt to be cheery, like the woman in the yellow sweater, distracted like the boy on his GameBoy, or disinterested like that teen listening to his music. Anything other than that is out of the norm." Amy shifts her weight again, adjusting the swords in their rolls.
"So Nelle is cheery, I'm distracted, and you're disinterested! Got it!" Dan starts shuffling his cards faster this time.
"No, it's not a fu-" Amy feels Nelle's gaze turn to her, and amends quickly "-fricking plan, Dan."
"But it could work, I mean you're good with people."
"Only in theoretics! I've never actually done anything like this, Dan!"
"Both of you kids," Nelle says sharply, before smiling sickly sweet, "We're gonna have a fun vacation, and you're gonna send your Uncle Ted a thank you note for his generous gift!"
"But we don't-" Dan starts, then his eyes go comically wide. "Oh. Whatever. I can bridge these cards, watch Mom!"
A pang shoots through Amy's heart at that.
But she has a role to play.
"Whatever, Danny. Hey Mom, when can I get Saladin back, I hate having to hold these swords."
"We can switch now, dear. Oh, we're moving up, swap quickly!"
Amy rolls her eyes for dramatic effect.
"Teenagers, huh?" The agent says when they get to the kiosk.
"Tell me about it," Nelle responds and smiles at Amy.
Maybe things will work out after all.
Amy is panicking. She can't find the tickets anywhere.
"Maybe they're in your purse?" Dan suggests.
"No, I already checked there!" Amy throws up her hands. "Whatever, we're just gonna have to go up to the booth and try to convince them to let us on anyways."
They make their way to the gate, Amy patting her pockets down all the while.
"Could have sworn I had them in my fucking bag," she mutters, checking her purple purse again. God, maybe they slipped out when she went to the bathroom? No, because Dan was watching it the whole time. "Did you ever let my purse out of your sight when I was in the bathroom?"
"No!" Dan pauses. "Well, there was one time when an old man asked me a question and I turned away for a second but-"
"Dan! Someone could have snagged the tickets then!"
"What am I supposed to do? Should I have ignored someone in need? I don't want to be like the Kabras!"
Amy scoffs and looks at the gate entrance, where she spots two people in trenchcoats boarding the flight.
She walks up to the boarding agent and flashes a smile at them. "Hi, we seem to have misplaced our tickets."
"No tickets, no boarding. You can reprint your tickets by the kiosk." The man drones.
"What if we know all the information on the ticket?" Amy grabbed Dan's arm. "My brother here has a photographic memory, so he's got our tickets memorized."
The man raises an eyebrow at that. He fiddles with something on his desk, before shoving a piece of paper and a pen toward Dan. "Prove it."
It takes Dan a few minutes to do it, painstakingly ensuring that his handwriting is legible. Amy's glancing at the plane the whole time, foot tapping as she sees people finish inspecting it.
"Here! Done!" Dan chirps.
The man inspects the drawn tickets and enters the information into the ticketing system. "Sorry, but it appears that these tickets have already been used."
"So, that's it?" Amy gasps and she feels the small spark of hope shrivel up and die in her chest.
"Yeah, sorry about that." The man doesn't sound sorry at all. His hand drifts to his shirt pocket, where his walkie-talkie is, and as he grabs it, Amy spots a green bill.
Her eyes narrow, and a new fire roars to life in her chest. It travels to her throat and it feels like the time she had a ghost pepper and drank a mint milkshake afterward. It's a cold, cold rage.
"No, that's not it, because someone stole our tickets and used them and now thanks to you, there are two unidentified people on that plane! Don't you care about that as a security officer?" Molten chills curl around her clenched fists. (Unnoticed by everyone except Dan, black wisps curl around Amy's fingers.) "And another thing-"
They don't get on the plane.
Alistair comes to their rescue, claiming that he was just in the right place at the right time.
Amy doesn't believe him but manages to faint right before she can voice her displeasure. She wakes on the plane, across from Dan. He's peeling an apple with a paper clip.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
Dan startles, and his cheeks flush. "Nothing!"
"No, what the fuck are you doing? Why a paperclip?"
"I wanted a challenge!"
"What's wrong with you?" Amy hisses.
Dan's eyes narrow. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? Since when do you faint? You - I had to navigate all the talking all on my own. You left me alone!"
"Well, I didn't mean to!"
"That doesn't matter. You left just like Gr-" Dan shuts his mouth hastily.
"Don't say that I left like her, because I'm still alive, Daniel. And you know she was old and sick. You know she didn't leave us on purpose."
Dan avoids Amy's gaze.
"Dan." Amy says softly, reverently. "Oh, Dan." And black pools in her fingertips when she grabs Dan's hand.
Alistair Oh is hiding something.
Amy thinks he might have heard their conversation with the way he is fussing over the two of them. It makes Amy think of her parents.
She takes the coffee he offers her. It has just the right amount of milk and sugar and it makes bile rise in her throat. What is wrong with her?
She barely remembers the conversation they have, just knows that she does most of the heavy lifting while Dan thinks and still peels his apple.
When the Kabras seal them inside the cave, Amy burns with a cold rage.
"Fucking. Cunts."
Alistair lets out a breathy little gasp.
Dan, however, lets out a laugh.
"Don't repeat that, Dan. And what are you laughing about?"
"The clue." Dan laughs again, and it's a little unhinged and breathless.
"What about the clue?" Alistair asks a little too quickly.
And Amy realizes what Alistair has truly wanted from them and what Dan is about to reveal.
"I lied. Lake Tash-"
Amy thrusts her fist out and blackness pools in her fingertips. Dan's jaw shuts with a click!
"Lake Tash isn't in Kyrgyzstan," Amy says slowly, "it's in Kazakhstan! Dan, you're a genius!" She hugs him for good measure.
After they've gotten on the next flight, Dan shakes Amy awake.
"Amy, I need to talk to you about something." He says, shifting nervously in his seat.
"You can tell me anything, Dan. Anything."