The 39 Clues

This message has been modified by the moderator Apr 17, 2012

I have a question!!!

Who are the people who posed for the pictures of the characters? Are they actors/models, or are they people with connections to scholastic? If there was a movie would they play the characters? Have you met any of them?

The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream.

Five minutes earlier –
Jonah crouched in a bush, waiting for his opportunity. A low hiss emanated from a hose nearby. That was his queue. He stood and crept towards his target. A feminine voice fed him instructions through a headset in his ear.

“It should be about 15 feet away now. You have 30 seconds to get in..”

“Alright.”

He quickly made his way towards the one story building just ahead. He pressed himself in the shadows along the wall and took a deep breath.

“Alright starting the timer.” Said the voice

Jonah reached for the door knob on his right. He turned it and opened the door. He peaked inside and the shear blackness attacked his eyes. He blinked and quickly stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He blinked again trying to make his eyes adjust faster.

“Twenty seconds.”

He walked slowly forward and bumped into a wall. He felt around and found a doorway.

“The light switch must be around here somewhere.” He grumbled

He finally found it and switched it on. The sudden brilliance made his eyes hurt, he squinted. A lone laptop sat at the only desk in the room. He walked over to it and found it had been wired.

“We have a problem.” He said

“What is it?”

“It’s wired.”

“You’ll have to figure out how to get it unwired. Hang on a sec.” She spoke away from the MIC but she was loud enough Jonah could hear her. “Kelly, what’s the stat on the area?”

Jonah couldn’t hear the response. “Yeah alright I’ll tell him.”

“What is it?”

“You have company. You need to get the laptop and get out.”

“But if I take it it’ll fry!”

“We have bigger problems than that. Get moving!”

Jonah quickly unplugged the laptop and grabbed it. He looked around for the door. There were 3 and as he looked he didn’t know which one he’d come from. He got quickly to the closes and tried the handle. Locked. He tried the next one, it opened and he saw outside. He closed the door.

If I have company, then walking right into them isn’t the best idea.

He tried the last door, it opened and he rushed through it.

“The response team is on its way in.” said the girl

“Hurry!”

Jonah was sitting in a broom closet. He listened closely waiting for any indication that he could escape. He heard nothing. He waited. The light from the other room peeked under the door and illuminated the closet. The laptop began to feel warm so he put in down. The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah heard the scream. He jumped to his feet and opened the door. Kelly lay on the ground, a man stood over her a foot placed on her chest, pinning her to the floor. Her blonde hair had red splotches, and her arm was twisted at an odd angle.

“Let her go!” Jonah shouted

The man turned and Jonah grimmest at the man’s smile. It was one of triumph and pure evil. Smoke poured in from the open door on the far left. Jonah tried not to breath in the smoke. Kelly’s head drooped to the side, “Kelly!”

Smoke covered his vision of her he stumbled and fell. Before everything went black he heard sirens and a girl screaming at someone. Someone touched his arm and whispered to him, “It’s gonna be okay now, we got you Jonah. You’re safe.”



There! Now I can get back to Precisely Terminated! Hope you like! - MK   

I know I already posted but I forgot about the story sooo...

The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream... 

As the smoke became visible and thick I could here people shouting my name. "Jonah my man, where are you?" "Jonah! If you can hear me come to my voice" "Jonah!, Jonah!, Jonah! We want Jonah!" All that shouting was getting me my head. "Dude what is going on?" I asked to who ever would be listening. "Jonah! Over here!" a female voice called. I looked towards the sound of the voice. As I walked I noticed a bag in the middle of the floor. What is that doing there? I thought. The smoke was getting thinker and it made me cough. I could here crying now...the same girl? I came behind a familiar person. "Scarlet? Are you ok? What happened? One minute it's all clear and the next--" I was full of questions but Scarlet obviously had something to say.” Jonah look!" she cried, as she run and pointed at a body near the door. That’s not....who I think it is...? "Tasha! Tasha! Talk to me sis!" Scarlet whispered to her unconscious sister. "Who would do such a thing?" Scarlet demanded. "I would" A voice said....
To be continued.

Hey, Peter! I thought you left the message board forever! Thanks for the grammar help X) Your awesome.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream, and saw the dart gun.
"Nobody moves,"the Vesper agent yelled,"and nobody gets hurt."
Jonah twiched his finger. "You mean don't move like this?" he asked, moving his pinky finger.
"Yes, I mean no moving like that!" The Vesper agent said
"Okay." Jonah said
"You," The Vesper agent made a hand gesture at Jonah," Towards the door. NOW!"
"Okay, okay. geez." Jonah said, backing against the door.
"Now, go out the door" The Vesper intructed
"Why didn't you just ask me to go towards the door and go out it?" Jonah asked
"Shut up, and do as I say!" The Vesper yelled
Jonah sighed, and did as he was told.
After he got out of the door, the Vesper came out with him.
"Now get in the Limo." The Vesper agent barked
"You call that a Limo? Mine has a Disco ball in the roof." Jonah said
"NOW!" The Vesper said, loosing patience fast.
"Okay, okay! Mister bossy" Jonah said and got in.
The Vesper climbed in beside him
"Okay, drive us off" The Vesper told the driver.
They drove for 5 minutes, but then Jonah couldn't wait any longer.
"Where are we going?" Jonah asked
"Shut up." The Vesper told him
Jonah slapped the Vesper's hand. Then kicked his leg and got the gun.
"No, you do as I say" Jonah said, and shot the Vesper in the leg
"Ow!" He shreiked, and then fell asleep
Jonah then shot the Driver, and climbed into the driver's seat.
"How do you like, drive this thing?" He asked himself
Jonah heard ticking in the back seat.
"A bomb? they were planning to ditch me?" He thought.
The bomb then exploded, and the back blew up, then the car stopped.
"Oh. No need to drive this thing" Jonah thought
The driver got up, and pulled out a real pistol
"Crap" Jonah said
The driver punched Jonah, then tried to shoot him, but missed.
Jonah got up, his lip bleeding, and punched the driver's face.
The Driver then attempted to punch Jonah, but not before Jonah punched his face, breaking his nose.
While the driver was waking backwards, holding his nose, Jonah kicked his hand, and grabbed the Gun.
The driver punched the side of Jonah's face, then Jonah shot the Driver's leg.
"Ready to listen?" Jonah asked the driver
The driver gave him the worm guts look. (Gordon Korman Refrence)
Jonah pulled out his cell phone, and called 9-1-1. Then Jonah Called a limo.
The Limo came before the Ambulence, and Jonah hopped in.
"Later." Jonah said from inside of the Limo, then he pulled his sunglasses down, shut the door, and the Limo drove away.

The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream. He panicked, and, forgetting to be cautious, grabbed the box, tripping one of the wires. Machine guns, embedded into the walls of the Vesper hideout, spat bullets, sirens wailed, whoever it was continued to scream, and the smoke grew thicker with every passing second. Jonah blindly raced across the room, trying not to be hit. He reached the door, only to find that it had been automatically locked. He was trapped.

First off, I'd like to say that I'm really glad and happy that you take time from your schedule to read through all of the posts and prompts and answer the fans' questions. I think we ALL appreciate it and thank you profusely.
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As for the prompt... :D

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'We've got her. Your mother. Cora Wizard. Meet at the following address in the timespan of now three days from now. Alone.
XXXXXXXX
I'm sure you know what the penalty is. Quickly now, make your decision.'

That was what the text read. Jonah sat in his dark room, illuminated only by the blue glow of the phone. He stared at it, rereading it over and over enough to commit it to heart. This couldn't be possible, no. his mother was safe, somewhere else, right? But how could he honestly know that? She hadn't been keeping in touch and it was certainly possible that she could have been kidnapped while she was out.

Jonah pondered that idea, horrified. The whole thing sounded like a trap, he noted, and he was reluctant to go, but the possibility of her actually having been kidnapped kept him stuck on the idea instead of simply concluding the case. He decided on going, knowing absolutely that he had to go, despite the fact that it could - and probably would - be a trap.

He snuck out in the middle of the night, clad in dark clothes, allowing him to sneak around unseen. His father had already gone to bed, making it easy for him to escape into the night.

Upon reaching the said address, he found himself in a dark, deserted alleyway, covered in cobwebs and dust. Rats scuttled around on the ground and mold-covered boxes sat here and there along the walls, creating a tight, enclosed alley. Everything was silent aside from the frequent sounds of claws scratching on the cold, cracked floor.

Jonah walked hesitantly through the alley and came upon a large, cracked wooden door. The darkness shadowed the door, almost completely concealing the small plaque located next to the door. Jonah had to squint to see the letters carved into the rusty old bronze plaque, and even then, the rust seemed to completely cover the letters. But he made them out somehow and confirmed that it was the correct address.

He pulled back from the plaque and stared once again at the wooden door. It was cracked and molded over, smelling old and musty. The door had an eerie feel to it, black paint peeled from it and the original oak wood was riddled with cracks, in which many small creatures and insects seem to be making a home in. Jonah stared at it, a bit disgusted.

Right now, his mind was begging him, trying to convince him, not to enter, not to walk straight into this trap, easily handing himself over to whoever had called him in. But his heart urged him forward. If his mother was trapped, kidnapped, and he didn't enter, her death would haunt him forever. He knew it would have been his fault, and, gathering enough willpower and strength from these thoughts, Jonah pulled open the ugly door with an elongated creak that echoed off of the walls of the alley.

Peering in through the door, but not daring to step into it just yet, he found himself looking into a long - seemingly endless - hallway. The walls, roof, and floor were all made of cement, illuminated only by the dim lights hanging far, but close enough to light the whole hallway. The lamps were clean and shiny, unlike the dusty crates and things sitting in the hallway he currently stood in.

He noticed a wet stain, trailing from the door way through the long hallway. Perhaps it was a trail? It was to lead him to where he was supposed to go? But that didn't make any sense as there was only one way to go, and that was down the hallway.

Jonah swept his gaze around the place once again before cautiously placing one foot into the hallway and testing the floor. Please to see that it wouldn't give out, he quickly brought his other foot into place. Then the door shut. not the wooden one that seemed close to breaking, no, it was a metal door. It slid with a whirring sound out of the wall and clicked into place, locking Jonah in this unfamiliar hall.

He redirected his gaze to the door and stood shocked. It was surely a trap, he no knew, but it was also possible that they had his mother. His gaze flickered to the roof now. The unmistakable feeling of being watched was what he felt, but cameras were not visible. The only thing he saw was the cement roof and dimly lit lights, nothing else.

He sighed, but started walking, feeling that simply lingering there would bring more harm than good and that there wasn't any point - or way - to turn back now that he came. So he walked, noticing with every step that his shoes were getting wetter and wetter. The trail left on the ground, he realized, was the source. Jonah stopped and bent down to sniff the substance. He didn't have to bend all the way down to catch the scent though, simply squatting down brought the strong, repelling scent of gasoline to his nostrils.

Jonah quickly stood again, but he didn't continue to walk. Instead he pondered as to why kerosene would be spilt on the ground in a supposed trail towards the door. Why? What could they use it for? As he stood there, loiterig, the sensation of being watched returned and Jonah, slowly dragged from his thoughts, started on again, more cautions this time.

Finally, he saw a door up ahead. A wooden one, much more sturdy than the first he came across. It stood, proud and defiant, seeming to taunt hi to open it. It was the only thing obstructing him from whoever, or whatever, was behind it. And he was about to change that.

As soon as he took his first step, however, the lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream.

It was unmistakably a woman's scream and he frantically tried to identify it. He couldn't. Not because he didn't know his mother's scream, no, it was because he didn't have enough time.

A red glow illuminated the wooden door and suddenly, before he could do anything, it burst into flames and burnt down the door. The flames illuminated the walls around him at it burst out at a rapid pace. Something in Jonah's mind clicked and he turned and sprinted down the hall, the flames licking at his heels.

Why were the so fast? He choked and brought his sleeve up to his mouth and nose, trying to prevent the inhalation of smoke. The smoke made his head light and the heat added to it. The red glow lit up the walls and Jonah's shadow continued to get longer and longer.

Finally he realized the answer to his question. The gasoline! It had been poured along the floor, a trail, and it easily caught fire. Someone was trying to kill him. They had lured him in here and set fire to the place, wanting to watch as Jonah Wizard burnt to death, only at the mercy of unrelenting flames.

They were catching up with him very quickly. He was getting dizzy, and losing his head on the massive ball of fire. The smoke was getting thicker. It was almost impossible to breathe without choking. He pushed on though, as fast as he could possibly manage in these unfair conditions, but it didn't matter, everything spun around him.

He couldn't see straight. The last thing he remembered before he fell unconscious was the feeling of someone grasping his arm and dragging him along the floor.

END

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Okay, thanks again for the time you put ito these things! I personally think an author interacting with their fans is a very good thing, allowing the fans to learn and the author to keep up their inspiration.

I also would like to ask a question. It involves a lot of reading that I'm not quite sure you have the time for, but it's a very interesting debate that I'd like like to hear an author's opinion about. It's a discussion involving artists and authors that I would like to hear you opinion on.

So what's your thoughts on this debate? http://techgnotic.deviantart.com/journal/The-Future-of-Storytelling-Has-Arrived-293860261

Sorry if it's too long, but I'd like to hear an author's opnion on it. I know you put a lot of time into reading simply the prompts and answering them, but if you could possibly read - or maybe even scan - this jorunal and voice your thoughts, that would be really great. So thanks!

Quote:  A joke told by a student at this school:

What is a ten-letter word that starts with gas? 

Answer: automobile!

My kind of humor. Needless to say, we had a great time here. And the hallway artwork was as exuberant as the kids.

I thought you'd say 'gastronomy'. 

THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR RESPONDING TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  IK it was kinda off withthe third person, first person thing, but I was kinda rushing cause my mom finished dinner, and I didn't have lot of time.  Also, my computer was breaking.  Last week, it was finnally gone!  So now I'm on my grandma's computer. 

The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream.  He got out from his hiding place, and ran to the living room, looking for where the scream came from.  It was his mother, he knew that much.  But the sound of the wind and rain coming from the tornado outside made it sound like thousands of miles away.  "MOM!  Where are you?  *cough*  What's on fire?!  *cough*"  He yelled into the blackness of the smoke.  "Jonah!  I'm in *cough* the closet!"  He heard a voice yell.  "Which closet?" He thought to himself as he just picked one.  It was the right one, but there were flames all around the entrance.  Without a second thought, he plunged into the firey inferno, and dragged out his mother.  Together, they ran to a differant place that had less smoke, and no windows, the hall.  Cora started coughing furiously!  "What happened?"  Jonah asked as they slid to the ground.  "I don't know!  *gasp*   I took everything out of the closet, and I was sitting in it waiting for the tornado to pass.  Then I heard a scuffle, *cough* and a sinister chuckle and something *cough* pouring out of a can.  Then the fire *cough* started and I screamed.  I *cough* think it was Ves-*cough*-pers!  They've *cough* been after all the Br-*cough*-anch leaders!"  Jonah gasped as Cora told him her thoughts.  "Should I call the fire department?  I wasn't sure before, 'cuz of the twister, but now it should be gone."  He asked.  He was freaked out, but he would never admit it.  "Yes, Jonah!  Call them now!"  Cora said, then she passed out.  Jonah started coughing as the smoke was coming closer.  They were cut off from the entrance!  He whipped out his cell phone and dialed 911.  A few minutes later, he could hear the sirens, and the firemen got him and Cora out.  Jonah watched as the EMT people put Cora on a stretcher, put an oxygen mask on her, and put her in the ambulance.  Jonah felt a tear trickle down his face, as he watched the ambulance speed away.  The firecheif came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder and stated,  "She'll be alright, son.  Where's your father?"  Jonah turned to face him.  "He's at a...meeting."  He said, making something up.  His father was really at a meeting, but a top-secret Janus one.  Cora paid him to go for her, cause she had to go shopping with her friends.  "How did the fire start?"  He asked.  The firecheif said gravely, "It was deliberate.  Someone poured gasoline around the entrance to a closet, and set fire to it.  We don't know why though.  These things normally happen with super-stars.  But I will give them credit for doing it during a tornado, when you couldn't get out or get help.  The damage done will take a while to fix, though.  Do you have somewhere to stay?"  Jonah nodded.  "Yes, I do!"  He said matter-of-factly.  Then he walked off, cell phone in hand.  He was going to Attleborro.  He had to tell the Cahills about this Vesper attack.  How they did it, he didn't know.  He just knew they had to be stopped!

How was that?  Was it better?  It's hard making stuff up on the spot, but I looooooove doing it!  And will you ever come to Florida?  It's raining today, but it's usually sunny!  You'd like our beaches!  I'm random, IK....Anyways, TTYL!
~Briana

            

The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream.He shuddered in fear.Could this possibly be the end of the wiz,can this be a vesper kipnapping?He sure wished Hamilton was here.But for know,he took a run towards the hall.Fortunately,Sinead had packed him an emergency kit.Jonah did not waste a second opening it.Inside was a mini bottle of fire extingusher.In 10 seconds,he yelled in a horrfied voice.He was trapped."Chill out,"he thought.Slowly he was crawling on the floor to the exit and then took off running through the gap.He was safe but not for long.He was right in the hands of his dad,but his dad was a vesper and he did not hesitate to knock his son out.Slowly,the great wiz fainted and the vesper drove away to the airport.Jonah will join the captives..................................................

I'm gonna try the writing prompt.

The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream. A blond girl came crashing through the door. Her electric blue eyes were wild with fear.
   "Jonah," she said with a quaver, "you gotta come with me. The Vespers . . . they're here."
   Jonah nodded. He followed her out of the room. He watched as the girl expertly navigated through the endless maze of corridors, hallways and rooms. They reached a small, dark room. It looked like it was meant to be a hiding place. 
   Jonah decided to ask the girl, "Tell me, what exactly happened back there? And who are you?"
   The girl had a grim expression that was one of grief. "I'm Angela."
   "So what happened?"
   "The Vespers just cruelly lit Bianca on fire." 
   "Who's Bianca? And why would they set fire to her?" Jonah knew the answer was not a good one.
   Angela gulped. "The kidnapping of Cahills all over the world made the Madrigals protective and scared. Amy and Dan made us protect Cahills, especially clue-hunting teams. Bianca and I was assigned to the Wizards, but we had to keep an eye on you, especially. The Vespers sneak an attack on us and they demanded where you were." She looked like she was ready to burst to tears.
   Jonah can't believe how Bianca - someone he didn't even know - sacrifice herself for Jonah's safety.
   Angela continued. "Of course we couldn't say where you were, so they just threatened to kill us. And just like that . . . my - my best friend was gone." With that, she broke into a sob.
   Jonah dropped to his feet. The Vespers were just so cruel, killing innocent people. He wouldn't let them do that again. Jonah stood up and spoke with a determined edge to his voice. "Come on, Angela. We better get out of here before they find us again."

Is it good, Peter? Or is it not?
~Angela :D

Jonah glanced behind him to make sure no one recognized his signature trademark sunglasses, handcrafted and costing $3,000 per diamond that sparkled on the rim (there were 45 in all). His vibe tended to attract crowds.
Sure, he was in Pompeii with Hamilton and Erasmus, getting the dirt on Amy and Dan's latest piece, but that didn't mean he couldn't get up-to-date on the latest Hollywood gossip. Here he was in a magazine shop. He felt slightly guilty on ditching the homeys, but a gangsta's gotta do what a gangsta's gotta do. At least, that's what he kept telling himself, repeating it in his head. Chill, he thought. You're doing this for Phoenix, nothing to be guilty about. But deep down, he knew it wasn't true.
Well, someone had to take a break from the wacky Cahill family. Just step out of it and into the welcoming sight of his fans, the ones who cheered him on, followed his footsteps. No worrying, arguing, developing level 10 headaches. When you went onstage, you stayed there.
Jonah pulled 4 20-dollar bills from his wallet and dropped them into a box labeled, Children's Aid Society. There, $80 dollars gone. Regular people would have winced. Jonah didn't feel a thing. He had a billion dollars in his bank account. And he was donating for Phoenix, the little kiddo. Why was it that everything always started--and ended--with the Cahills? Even the concert he was planning to host was dedicated to Phoenix.
The cashier stared at him. "That's very generous of you, sir," he mumbled through his square jaw and a thick Italian accent.
"Yo, think nothing of it." Jonah waved his hand. "One gangsta to another, got it?"
The cashier's green eyes cleared. "You're a fan of Jonah Wizard? I got my gangsta passport signed by him!"
"Yeah, totally." Jonah tried not to sweat. Does he recognize me? "He rocks the world. Thanks!" Head down, Jonah headed for the door. But before he could reach the plastic black handle, a loud boom sounded. Training kicked in and he threw himself to the ground. Chocolate bars rained down on him.  The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream. 
Making sure the celing wouldn't cave in on him, he began to crawl through the debris, coughing. The cashier was out cold, blood trickling down his forehead. Something told Jonah he should be dialing his buddies at 911, but he ignored the payphone. It was probably disconnected, anyway.
Carefully, he pushed the back door open, weilding a scrap of metal. "Freeze!" he bellowed in the deepest voice he could muster. "Police!"
There was a pause, and then laughing. The lights flickered on. Jonah could barely make out the figure of Hamilton Holt. "Oh man, you fell for that, dude! And I get my free Gatorade!" Hamilton picked up a green bottle and downed it in a gulp.
"Dawg!" Jonah said. "Not funny! How are you gonna pay for damage--and explain that?" He pointed at the barely moving figure of the cashier.
"Oh, that." Hamilton waved a meaty hand. "That's fine. You have the money, you can bribe, pay, whatever." He paused. "Don't you?" 

Hmm okay here goes the prompt! I'd like to dedicate it to Sam (EmeraldCloud2) who has been an awesome reader of my stories and wrote a VERY encouraging comment on one of my stories (Alternative Prequel) that made me want to write this prompt even more. So thanks Sam (if you read this) and this one is for you! Hope it's okay! :

The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream.

He would have recognized that scream anywhere. It would have been impossible for him not to; the screamer was Cora Wizard. He hadn't seen her for over two years, and the last time they'd talked they'd been fighting. But she was still Jonah's mother, no matter what, and he could still tell her voice apart from the dozens of others that reached his ears. 

Jonah looked around the room trying to find her; but when the blood-curling scream came again he realized she was farther away than he thought. The shouting seemed to be coming from another room, but it was hard to tell - there were at least thirty other people crammed in the small space, all of them panicking and yelling at the top of their lungs. It was madness.

He didn’t know how the fire had started, but it had spread fast, too fast. Now as the smoke made his eyes sting and his throat dry up, the real urgency of the situation seemed to dawn on him; a large group of people, locked in a room by the inferno roaring at the other side of the only door. They could already consider themselves dead; no one was getting out of this one.

That’s when Jonah spotted the closet. Of course, the closet. They had built it deliberately in the farthest corner of the room, not to hold clothes and costumes like most closets in the backstage rooms of the massive stadium did, but to hide the secret emergency exit route. As Jonah’s personal stylist had once put it:

“You never know when a hoard of paparazzi will break into the private backstage rooms. You gotta have an escape route to use, or else be eaten alive by the little gossips.”

Jonah had never loved his stylist more than right then. He made a mental note to thank him if he made it out of here alive before turning to the crowd of alarmed designers, choreographers, dancers and directors who had been gathered in the room to plan his next concert.  

“EVERYONE! THE CLOSET! THE EMERGENCY EXIT IN THE CLOSET! WE CAN USE IT TO-“

But he didn’t need to finish the sentence. Everyone there knew what he was talking about, and they were all rushing towards the wooden closet now like their lives depended on it-which they did. Jonah watched the chaotic scene in despair. Fire wasn’t the only thing that killed people; human avalanches could end a person’s life with equal speed.

“Guys, calm down! Walk into the closet in an orderly fashion!” he screamed.

As was to be expected, they all ignored him. One of the female dancers had reached the closet and was now thrusting the thin doors open to reveal the empty space. She climbed into the small compartment and kicked the back wall fiercely. The wood gave way and crumbled to pieces, revealing a dirty and narrow passage which led into the menacing darkness. The fire that was already destroying the room’s door, however, was more threatening than the eerie absence of light, so without a moment’s hesitation they all started filing into the passage.

Jonah waited as the twenty-nine other people disappeared into the gloom, the smoke making him cough and gag. The heat, too, was unbearable. He could feel the sweat running down his forehead and his clothes sticking to his skin. He glanced at the burning door uneasily, and his eyes widened when he realized there no longer was any door. The fire had torn it down completely, and it now made its way into the room with a determined pace.

“Hurry up!” he screamed frantically at the five people who were still climbing into the closet. He was not going to die like this, no way. He shoved and pushed them, causing even more chaos, but not caring.

Finally Jonah’s turn came, and he was swallowed by the shadows as he climbed into what seemed like a stone snake’s mouth.  He cast one last glance behind him to see that the fire had reached the closet. There was no way back now. If the door at the end of the tunnel happened to be blocked by any reason, they’d be trapped. Unable to leave the passage, unable to escape, just waiting for the slow death that was coming their way.

He shook those thoughts out of his head and just prayed everything would be alright. He could feel the heat behind him as he hurried blindly down the claustrophobic tunnel, the flames already reaching out, trying to come into contact with his vulnerable flesh.  He kept one hand on the rough rock wall to guide him through the unexpected twists and turns the tunnel presented.

After what seemed like ages, fresh air seeped into his aching lungs. He turned a corner to see a flight of steps leading to an open door; leading to liberty. He flew up the stairs and was blinded by the sudden light. Jonah managed to stumble through the door before he collapsed onto the cold tiled floor, gasping for breath.

Two strong arms hauled him up, and he was revealed to see his personal bodyguard, Jacob. Jacob quickly hurried Jonah out of the room and through the maze of corridors that eventually led out into the open. They’d exited the stadium and they now found themselves in a noisy parking lot. It was crowded with hundreds of people who had managed to escape the burning stadium and dozens of fire trucks with firemen rushing out of them and into the roaring inferno.

When Jonah looked back, he saw the stadium completely covered in vicious flames. They licked the walls and caused huge metal supports to crash down to the ground. The smoke lifted up to the skies in a huge black column that could be seen from the other side of the city. Then in the smoke, Jonah saw something. It was a face, looking at him as it ascended up to the heavens. It was expressionless, cold and calculating. It didn’t give any hint of love or affection and, as usual, it looked down on everyone present with authority and power. It was Cora Wizard.

No, Cora wasn’t in the smoke, but she was inside the building, and Jonah had abandoned her. He’d completely forgotten about her, worried only about saving himself. The guilt he felt was nothing compared to the desperation that pulsed through him. Without further hesitation, Jonah tore away from Jacob and ran towards the stadium. It was a long shot, suicide even, but he had to try.

He entered the forest of fire and was soon in the midst of the heavy smoke, choking and coughing. He remembered he’d heard his mother scream before fleeing the backstage room.  She hadn’t been in the same room as he, but she had been nearby. He knew how to get there, but he could just hope the fire wasn’t blocking the way.  

Jonah sprinted through the long corridors, evading the lethal flames, ducking to avoid breathing in too much smoke. He jumped over fallen metal beams and shielded his face from the brightness and heat of the fire.  The flames seemed determined to touch him, like the wave of fans reaching out to touch his hand in every concert. But this time he couldn’t let them touch him. He couldn’t let the fire win.

The roar of the blaze was all he could hear, adrenaline pumping through his veins all he could feel. There was no time for fear, for panic or anguish over the pain in his chest. There was only determination to reach his mother, to save her life. It was the determination to bring her out of the building alive that drove him to do impossible things. He leaped over walls of fire without stopping to think about the consequences if he didn’t time his jump exactly right. He charged through what seemed like tunnels of death, corroded on every side by what was now his biggest enemy.

When he reached the corridor where he’d heard his mother, his heart sank in despair when he saw it completely blocked by fire. There was no way he could get past that, he wouldn’t make it. But when a new sound reached his ears, he knew he had to try. It was his mother, begging for help inside one of the rooms. He wasn’t going to abandon her, no matter what.

With a yell worthy of battle, he charged into the corridor at full speed. The flames surrounded him, wrapped around him like a blanket of hell. Agony was the only thing he felt now; pain and anguish as the fire burned his skin, consumed him like paper, completely destroying him. But he kept moving, because he had to reach his mother.

Jonah struggled against his rival, refusing to give up. As the flames licked his burnt flesh, he reached the doorway of the room his mother’s voice had come from. The door wasn’t there anymore, so he just made his way in, gritting his teeth. Cora’s eyes widened in shock as he saw the human torch her son had become. She attempted to get up to go to his aid, but she was already weak from all the smoke she had inhaled, and she couldn’t lift herself off the floor.

Jonah tore off the leather jacket that had saved his back from suffering the same fate the rest of his body was enduring. He grabbed a bucket of sand sitting in a corner that was to be used to add to the ‘desert’ décor in his next concert and spilled it over the remaining part of the floor that wasn’t being consumed by fire. He dropped down and rolled around in the sand, yelling out because of the excruciating pain piercing every inch of his scorched body. He managed to extinguish most of the flames and then dragged himself weakly over to where his mother was sitting, horrified.

“We have to get out of here,” he said hoarsely, the words barely audible.

“We can’t, Jonah. It’s impossible, we’re trapped. You should have never come,” she whispered.

“We must,” he replied before breaking down into a coughing fit. He looked up at the wall of impenetrable fire advancing towards them. Impossible. His mother was right.  Besides, she had been here for a long time; she had inhaled too much smoke already, even more than he had.

He slid across the floor feebly to join his mother, ignoring the pain, the fear and the burnt skin. He put his arms around her, not wanting for them to die alone, unloved. He would protect her until the last moment; make sure she was as safe as she could be.  

“I’m…I’m sorry Jonah,” she gasped, coughing.

“It’s okay, don’t talk mom, save your breath,” he muttered back.

“No, it’s not okay. I abandoned you, I should have never-“she started coughing violently and Jonah knew it wouldn’t be long until she lost consciousness. Maybe it was better that way, she would suffer less. He hugged her even tighter, and looked at her beautiful face. The dancing flames were reflected in her brown eyes.

“I love you,” she whispered.

Cora’s eyes closed once more, and Jonah felt her whole body relax.

“No, mom, no! Don’t do this to me! Don’t-“the words weren’t even coming out anymore. Only smoke made its way into his dry throat, denying him the right to scream, to breath. Tears fell down his cheeks and landed on his mother’s calm face. She was gone. He had failed to save her, and now she was dead.

Jonah let out a tortured scream, and hugged his mother’s lifeless body, protecting it from the flames. It wouldn’t be long until he joined her anyways. Then they could be together again, and maybe this time they could be happy.

He was barely aware of the firemen crashing into the flaming room, battling their way through the flames like he had done. He was only aware that they were taking him away from his mother.

“NO! NO DON’T LEAVE HER! DON’T TAKE HER AWAY FROM ME!” he yelled.

The last thing he saw before blacking out was Cora’s body, being dragged out of the fire by a strong fireman.

Jonah might have made it out of the building alive, he might have recovered from his burns after weeks at the hospital, but part of him died in that room. His failure to save his mother marked him, and the memory of the flames dancing in her eyes haunted him forever. But what haunted him the most about those eyes wasn’t the reflection of the flames; it was the love she felt for Jonah expressed in them. She had loved him, and he had let her die.

Ouch.That pointy point must've hurt.Don't worry,it won't need surgery.Could use some betadine solution.Don't freak out,it kills germs!And,wow on your college picture.Are you sure that was you?Why do college pictures make you look kinda ridiculous?Here's my response to the prompt;


  The lights flickered for a moment,and the scent of smoke filled the air.Then,that's when Jonah Wizard heard the scream.Female."Somebody!Hellllp!"Jonah's heart stopped.
  Amy!
  "I'm coming Amy!"Jonah was confused.Who said that?He wondered.The smoke came from the comm. center.No,no,no,no,no,no!Not the Command Center!
  Jonah started coughing.The smoke cloud was getting darker,and thcker with every passing minute.He saw Evan carrying an unconcious Amy."Evan?""Jonah?""What are you doing?"They asked in unison."Saving Amy!"Also in unison."We have to get Amy out of here!"Evan said.Jonah Wizard and Evan Tolliver sprinted down the staircase.
  The fire truck's sirens started blaring.Evan and Jonah got out.A medic started inspected Amy."Is she going to be OK?"Evan inquired."She's gonna be fine.Just smoke."Evan and Jonah breathed a sigh of relief.          

The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream. He looked over at Hamiltonto to make shure he wasnt the only one who heard the scream for help. Jonah and Hamilton where on a mition to go to the San Juan Museum and find out if it was a vesper hideout, instead they got to escape a fire. Hamilton saw a man run past him with matches, but instead of following the man they ran toward the yell for help. Jonah was the first one to spot the beutiful girl. She looked about 17 years old, blue eyes, dark brown hair, and had a perfect scared face. A beam had fallen on her and she was struggling to get it off.  Hamilton walked toward Jonah and snapped him out of the trance.Hamilton lifted the beam just enuff for jonah to pull her out. Hamilton noticed right off the bat that she couldnt walk, so he caried her out of the building. As soon as they got out the whole museum went down in flames. The girl began to pass out and Jonah and Hamilton couldnt keep her awake. Jonah and Hamilton called the comand center and and them what to do with the girl. Sinead and Ian told them to bring her to the comand center and they will try to find out who she is. So Jonah and Hamilton looked for a way to get all three of them from Peurto  Rico to boston.
               ~continued~
 

OMG I'm so late >.< But, anyways, here's the prompt you ordered:

Jonah Wizard did not like his current mission.
It was supposed to be a get-in, get-out thing. It sure wasn't turning out that way.
"Yo, Ian. Yah know I gotta concert tomorrow, right? Being stuck here all night ain't gonna fly."
"Shhhh," Ian shushed him. The hallway ahead of the two Cahills was gloomy and poorly lit, giving off an aura that plainly said 'get out, you shouldn't be here.' They crept along the corridor, pausing every so often if they heard a sound. Eventually, they made it to the end, where an iron door blocked access to the room beyond.
"Do you have the key?" Ian asked.
Jonah took out an elaborate key with intricate designs. Looking closely, you could make out the distinct branch symbols intertwined with other excessive patterns. Stepping forward, Jonah slid the key into the lock and turned it clockwise until a clang echoed through the hall. The cousins stopped, waiting for some unseen guards to come out and take them away from the premises, prepared to use force if necessary. No such guards came.
Turning the knob, Jonah pushed open the door, revealing a brightly lit chamber about as large as a football field. Thousands of treasures littered the room, some displayed, others scattered as if lazily thrown there. Full-bodied suits of armor; statues of various shapes, sizes, and forms; even weapons of ancient warriors from multiple civilizations were promptly displayed. Some of the more 'normal' riches were piles upon piles of gold and silver bars, gems and jewels, pearls, and multiple figurines carved out of basically anything you could think of. Paintings covered the walls, most as old as Da Vinci or Michelangelo themselves. Pillars held up the arched ceiling. A stained glass window stretched clear across the right wall. Merely standing in a room such as this would leave any man speechless at its beauty and wealth.
Unless they had a purpose.
"Remember- Don't. Touch. Anything. Leave everything exactly as it is, no matter how intriguing. Every item in here must have some trap rigged to it. One could leave you caught in a poisonous cloud. Or another might-"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it." Jonah dismissed Ian's speech with a wave of his hand. "Touch nothing, and we live to see another day. I'm no dummy, cuz."
"You know what we are looking for, then?" Ian clarified.
"Since when do I not?"
The two agents started their search, purposely avoiding the more valuable pieces. They scanned high and low, far and wide. Still, they found nothing.
"Where is it?" Ian growled in frustration.
"Its gotta be around here somewhere. Keep lookin'."
As he was carefully searching around a time-worn statue of the Greek god Apollo, he sensed something was wrong. The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream.
He gazed up when he glimpsed the flames lapping at the walls. The ceiling and most of the far wall was on fire! The smoke was quickly getting thick and made it hard to breathe. Before long, Jonah was coughing. He heard Ian having the same problem about thirty yards away, closer to the fire.
"Ian!" he called between coughs. Jonah started running in the direction of his cousin. A tall, partly melted bronze structure that most likely used to be a statue fell in his path. He vaulted over it and continued, dodging debris and valuables every step of the way. Again, he heard a scream. But now it sounded more like a cry for help. And it wasn't coming from Ian.
"Help!" The voice was female, and coming from the opposite direction. Then he tripped over a fallen stone pillar. He looked across the floor and saw Ian struggling to free his pinned leg from under the pillar. Jonah slowly got up on his knees and crawled, trying to stay below the smoke. When he reached Ian, he attempted shoving the stone away, to no avail. Ian's face was contorted with pain, and his face was dirty with soot and gleaming with sweat.
"Go help whoever that is," he gasped. "She might be able to help."
Jonah nodded and raced toward the other person. It wasn't long before he found himself looking at someone very familiar.
"Natalie?"
"Just help me!"
He made his way over to her, picking through the flames, until both of them were running toward Ian. He was still trying to unpin his leg.
"Natalie, what are you doing here?" Ian asked, surprised by his sister's sudden appearance.
"Saving you. Again."
Jonah got on one side of Ian, while Natalie stayed on the other. They both pushed, with Ian helping from his position. Finally, with their combined strength, the pillar rolled across the floor. Natalie and Jonah helped Ian up to his feet, propping him against their shoulders.
"How do we get outta here, yo? This'd be a bad way to die," Jonah said.
"Window," Ian coughed. He pointed at the stained glass window on the other side of the room.
"It's too far," Natalie said. "We would never make it that way."
Suddenly, a coil of rope landed at their feet. Jonah looked up. There, in a skylight he hadn't noticed before, was Amy and Sinead, waiting to pull them up.
"Come on!" Sinead yelled.
"You'll have to come up one at a time," Amy called down to them. "We can't pull the three of you up at once. There's a helicopter waiting on the roof. Send Ian up first."
Ian latched onto the rope, and Jonah watched as he was hoisted up and pulled to the top, disappearing from view.
"Now Natalie!" Amy yelled.
Natalie did the same, but the air was black with smoke now, and Jonah could barely make out his cousins on the roof.
"Jonah!" Sinead shouted. "Hurry! This place is going to collapse in a few minutes! Then none of us will make it out of here alive!"
Jonah desperately lunged for the rope just as a section of the ceiling crumbled and fell a few feet from where he'd been standing. Slowly, he was pulled onto the roof, and the five of them ran for a helicopter on another part of the building. Jonah willed himself not to look down; they were more than ten stories high.
Amy, Sinead, Ian, Natalie, and Jonah scrambled into the helicopter and took off, just as more of the roof collapsed, and the building went up in a roaring inferno. Everyone was breathing hard. After a few minutes of silence, Sinead asked, "Did you find it?"
Jonah shook his head.
"It doesn't matter," Amy reassured everyone. "What matters is that we all make it out, with or without it."
"Now," Ian turned to Natalie. "Why in god's name were you following us?!"
Natalie looked around sheepishly. "Well, you didn't expect me to stay quietly at the mansion, did you? Really, brother, you should know me better than that."
They fly in silence as the distant fire shrank, then disappeared as they got closer and closer to Cahill Command.

I know it's long, but I got caught up in it :D Hope you liked it, and good luck on the rest of your tour, Mr. Lerangis!

Callie

Whoa Carla, yours was so touching!!!!  I loved it!!!

-Kim :D :D :D :D :D :D 

OK YOUR IN SEATTLE. NOW GO DRIVE UP TO CANADA KAY?

You're gong to Portland!

Thanks Kim!! Glad you liked it :)

Carla, ditto with Kim. :D Keep up the good work! (You know, being a great writer and all.)

~Angela 

@Angela: thanks! LOL I didn't expect people to comment on it really...

P.S. Love the quote in your sig!! "When life gives you MELONS you may be dyslexic" HAHA!

sorry Peter! actually, after i posted it, i was like "uh oh. i should've made where he was a little more clear..." and i will watch my spelling!

Bonus points? Sweet! Thanks!

@Carla: Yours was sooo awesome! I read it, but didn't comment before.

-1

sorry peter lerangis i was in a rush and i was mad cus the first time i posted it it didnt post, the first one was bettter than the 2nd one i posted

@Mr. Lerangis: thanks!! I always feel so happy after reading your responses to our prompts :)

@Charli7e: glad you liked it!!

Thanks, Peter

Thank you Mr.Lerangis.

Thanks! I was really tired when I wrote that prompt, and I remember thinking those didn't look right. Lol! Later! - MK

I continued since u wanted me to!  here's the whole prompt together!!



The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream.  The world famous superstar had dreaded it and a dense fog covered the stadium.  Panic shot through Jonah's mind and his stomach churned.  When he understood what had happened, fear was the only thing that registered into his mind.  He spotted a deeply shadowed figure in the corner and understood... 2 actually in each corner.  Then he heard it "I enjoyed listening to your wonderful singing, Cahill, now let's get to bunsiness, shall we?"  Jonah Wizard turned and saw the sight he had dreaded.  He gulped then knew whaat he had to do...his best friend was dead...game time!

Jonah took a step to go down the stage to get to Jay but a acidic smell and a deep voice stopped him.  "Hello Jonah!"  Before he could turn to fight a dark cloak draped over him and the world went dark.
................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Isabel Kabra reached for her phone and accessed a text.

both missions have been completed.  target 1 is dead...and target 2 is in our hospitality.  awaiting further instructions from you!

Isabel smiled.  All was going according to plan!  She had Jonah Wizard...she would force him to give up his clues.  Next Amy and Dan.  The whole gauntlet scene would replay...yet she'd be the one arising triumphant.  Let the games begin!

How was that????

~Vicky
   

spoiler, the city is portland

It's great to see that the tour is such a big success! I hope it continues to be this much fun for everyone  Shatterproof looks and sounds awesome - I can't wait to read it! Here's my take on the prompt:


"Yo Dad, what's the 411? Where's HQ sending us next?" Jonah Wizard asked his father as the teen rap star reclined in a comfortable seat on his own private jet. Being rich, famous and well-connected definitely had its perks, he reflected as he accepted a cool glass of coke from the hostess and took a long drink. He barely listened to Broderick Wizard's voice as the elder man rattled off a stream of information straight from Cahill Command in Attleboro, closing his eyes behind his signature sunglasses and relaxing into the cool leather. He didn't feel very tired, but experience had taught him to take advantage of any rest that he could whenever he could. Jonah nodded every once in a while, throwing in an occasional "Uh huh," to make it seem like he was actually listening to a word that his father was saying.

As Broderick finally fell silent and turned back to his ever-present blackberry, Jonah was dimly aware of a nagging thought in the back of his mind, which was telling him - no, screaming at him - that something wasn't quite right. He ignored it, though, brushing it off as the old Cahill paranoia and adjusting the leather jacket that he wore over his black muscle shirt absentmindedly.

The plane ride became a little bumpy, but Jonah took no notice, far too used to turbulence and storms to be bothered. Besides, none of it had anything on the Vespers. The very thought of that despicable group simultaneously sent a jolt of anger and fear down his spine. Those...he couldn't think of a suitable word to describe them...people had kidnapped his cousin, and many others in his family, and were now holding them for ransom. The Madrigals had no choice but to agree to carry out all of Vesper One's demands, lest their loved ones suffer the consequences. The plane dipped suddenly, and Jonah felt an odd, unexplainable sense of dread well up inside him. He glanced at his dad somewhat nervously, but Broderick didn't seem bothered in the least. Jonah relaxed slightly.

The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream.

Months of training kicked in as Jonah shot to his feet, ready to investigate the cry that had come from the pilot's cockpit, but even his well-toned reflexes were unable to save him from flying painfully across the cabin as an explosion all but blew the floor out from under his feet. The teen slammed against a wall as debris flew in every direction...including out the wide, gaping hole that now stretched across what was formerly the cabin's side wall. Jonah landed hard and didn't even have time to cover his head before he was bombarded with scraps of leather, plastic and heavy metal. Before he could do more than blink, he was pinned from the shoulders down against the wall.

Jonah coughed as his eyes watered, trying to clear his senses. He tried to free himself, but the weight of the debris was too much for him to shift. Unable to do anything else, the boy scanned what remained of the cabin desperately. "Dad? Dad, can you hear me? Are you okay? Where are you?" He could barely hear himself over the roar of the air rushing past the plane, let alone any response his dad might have given him, so he was forced to rely on his eyes to search for his father. Something caught his gaze a moment later, and what little breath he had caught in his throat.

Broderick Wizard was clutching a broken pole with all his might as his legs dangled out the side of the plane. As Jonah watched, the pole was dislodged from where it had been wedged in a pile of torn metal and his father slid across the floor, scrambling to find a handhold. His fingers caught the very edge of the plane and he dangled there, thousands of feet above the ground. Jonah yelled in a wild panic, utterly terrified as he helplessly witnessed his father hanging on the edge of life and death.

Broderick's eyes met his son's as the older man's fingers began to slip. Jonah tried with all his might to push the wreckage off him and rush to his father's aid, but it was no use.

"Jonah? Jonah!"

His dad struggled to regain his grip, but failed as the slick metal slid out from under his fingertips. Jonah managed to free an arm, and he reached out in useless desperation as his father mouthed something at him, inaudible over the roar of the rushing wind, and then...he was gone. "DAD! NOOOOO!"

"Jonah! Jonah, wake up!"

Jonah opened his eyes with a gasp and sat bolt upright, nearly slamming his head into Dan's as the younger boy jerked back from his previous position of leaning over him. "Whoa, easy there," Dan said, catching Jonah's shoulder to steady him as the latter swayed dangerously from his abrupt movement. "You were having a nightmare. I came down to get a snack when I heard you."

"You...you woke me up?" Jonah gasped, surprised at his cousin's actions as he caught his breath, wiping a hand across his sweaty forehead. Dan wasn't the most mature of the Madrigals (now there was an understatement), and such a thoughtful move wasn't exactly something he'd expect of his cousin.

"You were screaming and thrashing around," Dan said with a self-conscious shrug. "What else was I supposed to do?"

Jonah barely heard him as the dream replayed itself in his mind...an explosion ripping the plane apart...trapped...his father in danger, his father slipping! He shut his eyes tightly. It was no wonder he had had such a dream - his dad was the most important person in his life. After all that he had lost already, to lose him too would be...words couldn't describe it.

"Thanks, Dan," he said quietly, leaning back against the pillows on the couch he had fallen asleep on earlier that night. Dan thankfully took the hint, mumbling a brief "You're welcome," before pulling away and heading out of the room, leaving Jonah to his thoughts. Jonah sighed, resting a weary hand over his eyes. First thing in the morning, he was calling his father to reassure himself that Broderick Wizard was, infact, perfectly unharmed. Until then, he knew that he would not rest easy.

You're welcome :) I just thought that they should be said.

Thanks! I was trying to work on my descriptions as I wrote it, so detail was what I was going for.   Hm, that probably would have been a good idea, but whether Jonah knew it was gasoline or not, the door behind him was locked. Ah! I should've clarified that!  Ok, thanks for that!

I didn't write it, one of the amazing moderators did. It's an insane world out there.  

Again, thanks for your time! :)  
   
 

@Peter Lerangis
For a school project we had to email/ mail an author....so.... I wondered if I could ask you a few questions?

1.  what made you become an author?
2.  what is the best advice you'd give an author like me?
3.  When you were my age (12) did you want to be an author?  If not...what?
4.  Were you good in English when you were young?
5.  In writing should we follow ALL the rules of grammar.  For example:

And then there was Dan.

In the rules it says you cannot start a sentence with a conjunction.  So do you think we can break a few rules? 

thanks Mr.Lerangis i will take your advice to mind

Here's my prompt! (Sorry it took so long though, I almost forgot to do it) ;)  
“Keep your feet ready, heartbeat steady, keep your eyes open...”  

-----------EkatLucianTomasMadrigalJanus-----------  
10 months after the Clue Hunt – Third Person POV  

Jonah was at one of his concerts. But this time, he’s not alone. Besides his dad, he brought Christina Flores, who was going to have one of her dreams realized: getting to play guitar on stage in a real concert.   “Jonah!” the ever-perky 15-year old girl said as she went over to his dressing room. She wore a black shirt with the left shoulder loosely hanging, jeans, and as every guitarist must have a guitar. In this case, she has her own predesigned guitar (as how she requested to Jonah), a red electric guitar with a rose pattern on the front with its matching pick, but with the Janus crest instead of a rose. “Jonah! Thank you sooo much for the guitar! I’m so excited to be in one of your concerts!”  

The famous singer-movie actor beamed at her with his signature Wizard pose. “Sure, yo! Nothin’ beats a welcoming present for one of my homies!” he replied happily with a friendly punch in the shoulder.   Christina Flores is no average guitarist Jonah just hired for his concert. She’s actually a Janus agent, who just recently joined in the ranks by a recommendation from Maria Marapao herself, the kick-butt eskrima expert. Christina stumbled into Maria while on search for the Taj Mahal clue, and they both found it in ease.  

Since Christina found it (by accident actually), Maria decided to enlist her as one of the best and youngest Janus agents. And that’s just the beginning. She needs to find her talent, fast, or else she won’t be a confirmed agent. Easy enough, right? Well, they just found that she could paint, sing, dance (maybe a little too well, Sophie got a little too creative expressing how well she could perform the entire rendition of Swan Lake by plain memory) and act. That’s just 4, out of 9 talents they discovered that she had, and she was surprised to find out eventually. Her performance for Jonah’s concert was her last test, under musical superiority.  

Back at the concert grounds, the seats were now filled to the brim and the crowd was crazy, cheering for their beloved rapper to sing it out on the stage pronto. The stage is ready and the stage crew’s nervous, the musicians even more. As if on cue, the announcer stood in the middle of the stage and cleared his throat. “Ladies and gentlemen! Wizard fans of all ages! Are. You. Ready. Me. Gangstas?!” he said, and then he tore off his disguise and revealed Jonah, the person the crowd’s been waiting for. The crowd went absolutely nuts at this point. The backup singers and the other musicians are now in place, including Christina, who’s both nervous and excited to blow the roof of the place.  

“Okay, okay. Settle down, yo! There’s plenty of Jonah to go around!” he said with a grin as he flashed the entire audience a grin, which made the crowd in turn scream like crazy.  

-JoshHutchersonFanOverHere!-  

The crowd went absolutely crazy, except for particularly one person in common: Patricia Kingsley. She was not really a fan of Jonah, but she certainly loved being close to celebrities, especially ones from the Cahill family.   While she was dressed in a IMMA ONE OF WIZARD’S HOMIES shirt and a pair of black pants, she snapped her phone open and said into it, “Target spotted.”  

“Yes mam. When should we activate the smoke haze?” a gruff male voice said.  

“When I show the signal,” she replies and closes the phone. “Get ready to lose one of your agents Jonah darling. And this time, it’ll be right under your nose,” she says with a grin.  

-I’mTeamAmianAnydayButThatDoesn’tMeanIHateEvamy-  

“Okay, okay, calm down my peeps. Before I sing my newest single in my album Wolfed—“ the crowd’s cheers were instantaneous at this point—“let me introduce one of my newest posse right here on the stage,” he pauses, making the crowd crazy with the suspense. “Christina Flores! Okay, get ready, it’s gangsta time!” he says, as he turns his back to them, making the crowd go crazy. An ecstatic Christina then comes forward, making the crowd cheer her name repeatedly. “Christie! Christie!” She holds her lucky Janus-crested pick over the guitar and starts playing the intro for Jonah’s newest song, “We Rule You (and You Will Cry)”. As she plays the notes, the crowd clapped their hands in unison, as if helping Christina’s rhythm. Then, Jonah stands beside Christina, and sings the song.  
You think you’re all that don’t cha?
Well this guy says not (Oh no)
You can pluck all our feathers all you want,
But we’ll stay strong  

The DJ scratches some CDs, and Jonah continues as the crowd cheers on, and even some sing along.  

But look around you,
You’re surrounded
Now who’s the tough guy now, huh?
Tryin’ to crush me on your boot, huh?  

We’re better
We’re stronger
No matter what the hour
Your day of terror is now over!!!  

“Come on, let me hear you scream!” Jonah beckons the massive crowd. The crowd then lets a loud roar. And someone raises a pumping fist in the air.  

We’re better
We’re stronger
No matter what the hour
Your day of terror is now over!!!  

We rule you
And then you’ll cry
Tryin’ to beg and plead and all that
Nothin’ you do could rewind
The terrible today you now have at hand  

We rule you
And then you’ll cry
Our love is now over,
No need to lie, kill, and die
We’re the rulers now!  

The music suddenly stops playing. Jonah looks around for a reason and finds Christina strumming her guitar into random notes, but no one’s hearing the cool tones booming over the stadium except Jonah. “What’s going on Christina?” Jonah asks her. She replies with a shrug.  

Then suddenly, the lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream. It was all too fast for Jonah to even see, or even remember. All he knew is that a fog, a very thick one, rolled over the entire stadium and no one could see anyone or anything and when he was reaching for his newcomer’s hand, there was nothing.  

Then, the familiar scream snapped him back.  

“Jonah! Help me! The Vespers—“ 

Suddenly, his father rushed in, carrying a few tranquilizer darts and guns. “Jonah, are you alright?”  

“No! I’m not! Christina—Christina’s gone!” he says, pointing to his side.   

“What happened?” Broderick asked with greater urgency.  

“I heard Christina shout my name and—Christina!” Jonah spots a group of men in black from head to toe carrying a limp Christina on a man’s shoulder. He also spots a girl wearing one of his fan shirts, and throwing it off while flashing a grin back at him.  

“Come on, we have to get to them!” he pleaded to his father.  

“No, I have to calm down this crowd! You go!”   

“But I—”  

“Go now!”  

He couldn’t really leave his father because he might be kidnapped next, but there was no choice. He left, and followed the men, stopping by his wardrobe and changing into a green ninja suit Dan gave him.  

-NeverUnderestimateMe-  

Ninja Jonah stalked his way over the crowd, thanking that he was wearing a mask and all, and into an empty loading dock where he spots a black van with a big red ‘V’ at its side. “Vespers. So these were the guys Amy was talking about. The same people who almost abducted her a few weeks ago,” he mumbled to himself.  

He stealthily walks over to the van, his tranquilizer gun raised, and kicks the door open. A stark white emptiness greets him.  

“Darn it!” he mumbles angrily. But then he hears footsteps approaching behind him and scrambles to hide in one of the closets inside the van.
 
-MedusaUlughBegSamarkindJubilee-  

Christina Flores’s POV  

There I was, rocking it all out on stage, about to raise the roof, until some dudes in black and a disguised fangirl kidnapped me. I think they shoved some cotton into me and I blacked out. That’s what happened, from my perspective, before I woke up with all my limbs tied up and the guitar strapped to my chest.  

I blinked, trying to clear my blurry vision, and I saw a blonde girl looking down at me, with an evil smile on my face. I could tell it from the way she does it, and that she held a knife in her hand.  

“Ah, Christina Flores, I was expecting you. Did you enjoy the concert?” the witch asked me in a cynical voice. “Of course you did, because that was the last one you’re going to be in.”  

I smiled at her. “Oh, and why not? Because you think you could kill me right now? I still have my guitar you know.”  

She laughed very loudly, as if it could be heard all the way to Jonah’s limo in the other side of the building. “You think you could defeat me with music? Even if you could tune your guitar,” she says as she places her knife at my neck. “You could never defeat a Ves—”  

I sat there, utterly bewildered. Then, I spot the glint of a green tranquilizer injected into her back. “Jonah!”  

“Yeah dawg, like I’m gonna leave you behind,” he flashes his grin under a—“Is that what I think it is? The one Dan gave you? Oh, the fans are gonna go crazy if they spot you under that flute nun chucks.” I kid.  

“Haha,” he laughed teasingly. “Come on, let’s go back to the limo.” He jumped out of the van.  

“Okay.” Then I noticed he hasn’t cut through the rope that was tied to my hands and feet. “Hey! You’re not possibly going to carry me!” I spat.   

“If you’re a Janus, then you can escape from there. Easy for you, I mean, you’re multi-talented.” Jonah mused.  

I raised an eyebrow at him. “Nope, I’m no escape artist.” Then, I whistled four notes and my pick suddenly flies and sharp blades came out of it with a shhhick. It then flies in a boomerang-like fashion and started to cut the ropes around my limbs. “But I can do that.”  
Jonah then helps me down, since whatever knocked me out was still in my legs and I couldn’t move my legs freely. A headline appears in the local newspaper the next day, with the headline:  

“Jonah Concert Gone Foggy, Lead Guitarist Saved by Ninja”

 The lights flickered for a moment, and the scent of smoke began to fill the air. That’s when Jonah Wizard heard the scream. The piercing shriek that could mean only one thing. She was dead. Guilt flooded into Jonah, like a tsaunmi had just hit him. He melted to the ground. He had killed the one person he loved to hate. He had killed his mother...

@ Peter Learings,
Do you like it? I know it's not that long but I really want your opinoin on it!

Thanks, AmberProud9/Irini

You are obviosly being kidnapped.What to do at a time like this?  Assult the whole army ,and of course,eat doughnuts,(duh)and find out where you are.Can you really do this,of course!   (mmmmmm good doughnuts!)

This message has been modified by the moderator May 22, 2012