"Dan Cahill. How great it is to see you again," a menacing voice scoffed from up above the young Cahill.
Dan sighed deeply and dared a glance upwards. Crooked yellow teeth hung out of Simon McGinnuss's mouth. His fowl breath poisoned the air. Plump pimples inhabited almost every inch of his skin.
"You, too, Simon." Dan lied. "You're not still mad at me for stealing your pants after gym class, are you?"
"Of course not." Simon snickered. But the look on his face told otherwise.
His meaty hand hovered in the air for a second before darting its way over to Dan. Simon would have punched him if Dan hadn't been in the clue hunt. It had made him stronger; I mean, if you're battling your relatives, fighting your enemies who aren't related to you, and having near-death experiences almost daily, you learn that a simple punch from a bully is nothing.
Simon sneered and curled his lip upwards. "Well I see you're a little more nimble then you used to be."
Dan shrugged. "Or maybe you're just getting slower. Or more predictable."
This just aggravated McGinnuss more. Another series of punches were flung at Dan, but he kept his cool, missing them all.
"Why you-" Before Dan could fly out of the way, Simon had predicted his move and grabbed Dan's pants, lifting him up for an ultimate wedgy.
"Youch!"
Just in time, Natalie jumped around the corner with her dart gun loaded... pointed straight at Simon's forehead.
"Put. Daniel. Down." She commanded with an authority no one could refuse.
The bully was trying hard not to be intimidated by her, but it was obviously no use. "W-what are you gonna do? Shoot me with your dart gun?"
"Um, yeah. That was kinda the plan."
He glanced around nervously to see if there were any witnesses. But they were in an empty hallway. So there was no one to see her shoot him. Even still, he underestimated the young girl. For he had no idea that she was a Kabra, part of the long, powerful Cahill line, and someone you most DEFINITELY do not mess with.
"Try me." He snarled.
And that was his mistake.
Instantly, Natalie's finger squeezed down on the trigger.
And down went Simon McGinnuss.
"Ahhh!" Amy screamed as she fell to the floor. She realized that another boy had bumped into her. As she met the culprit's eyes, she realized why she had a bad feeling- he had been stalking her for the past four years, and you could smell him from a mile away. Drew Anderson. Or Neanderthal Anderson, as Amy liked to call him.
"Oh, hi, Amy! Do you want me to help you up?" The boy asked, hastily getting up, just so he could help up his crush.
"No, she's fine." Ian said, outstretching his hand towards Amy. She happily took it.
"Oh." Neanderthal Anderson grunted unhappily. "You going to band today?" That was the only class the two had had together since sixth grade, and Drew used it as a time to watch, talk to, and stare at Amy. It creeped her out. Big time. But she didn't have the heart to tell him.
"Yeah." Amy answered.
But then Ian, being the Lucian he was, grabbed Amy around the waist. "So, what's your name again?"
"Drew." The boy's hand ran its way through his greasy hair.
"Oh, well, Drew," Ian looked down a few inches at him. "I'm sorry to tell you, but Amy's my girlfriend."
"Oh." Anderson's head fell. "Oh. Well, I'll see you around, Amy." He proceeded out of the lunch line.
When he was gone, Amy turned towards Ian. "Thank you SO much for getting rid of Neanderthal Anderson for me."
"Neanderthal Anderson?"
"Yeah, sorry. That's what I call him. I mean, come on! I don't mean to be mean, but he's so primitive! He barely understands words that I use that are multi-syllabic, and by the looks of it, he doesn't even realize that showers exist."
Ian laughed. "I've never heard you be so insulting!"
"I'm sorry-"
"No, be a little badass once in awhile." (A/N I know they didn't curse in the books since they were for kids, but being that they're teenagers, I'm assuming they would at times.) "Break the rules."
Amy's face turned red. "Break the rules? Gosh, I don't know if I'd even WANT to."
"You're such a goody-two-shoes." Ian smirked.
"There's nothing wrong with that." Amy shot back playfully.
"Not when you're as cute as you are."
"Dan Cahill and Natalie Kabra, to the office please." One of the secretaries announced over the loud speakers.
Dan banged his head against his desk. This couldn't be good.
"You can go." His teacher told him.
He dragged himself into the hallway just to find Natalie, oozing rage like yolk from a broken egg.
"How do they have any right to call US down to the office when that FREAK was the one who did everything?"
"I know it's unfair. So that's why we should tell them how we're not the ones to blame and Simon is."
"Yes." Natalie agreed as she thought through Dan's plan. "That is exactly what we shall do."
When they got to the office, Simon was sneering, yellow teeth glinting and all.
"Take a seat." The principal gestured to two pulled out chairs.
The cousins took them and then waited for the principal to speak.
"So I heard from Mr. McGinnuss that you two ganged up on him and knocked him unconscious with a dart gun. Would either of you care to explain?"
"Sure." Dan said. "I was minding my own business when Simon came up to me and started trying to punch me. I dodged his punches, but then he gave me a wedgie. Natalie came to my rescue and defended me. It's all his fault. If he didn't start the stupid fight, no one would be here right now."
"But that's not the point, Mr. Cahill. Did you or did you not bring a dart gun to school and use it on one of the children?" The principle looked down at Dan, and he knew before anything else could proceed that he and Natalie were stuck. He had been in her office so many times that the principle just assumed it was always his fault... and most of the time it was. But this time it wasn't.
"I admit," Natalie started. "That I did, indeed, bring in a dart gun, but how are children like ourselves supposed to defend ourselves from bullies like Simon if we're smaller and weaker? Someone needs to stand up to them for once."
"I agree." The principle nodded. "But bringing in a dart gun is absolutely immoral and unheard of. You should be ashamed of yourselves! So, two weeks suspension for bringing a weapon into school and actually USING it on a child."
"-But Simon tried to punch me!" Dan cried. "Doesn't he get anything?"
"He'll get a call to his parents."
"And we get suspended from school for two weeks! That doesn't seem fair at all!"
"You're lucking I'm not expelling you."
Natalie's eyes blazed like fire. She was FURIOUS.
"Now, get back to class, you two. I hope you learned your lesson."
As the two walked back out into the hallway, Natalie fumed to Dan. "I swear, if the little git hadn't picked a fight we wouldn't have been in that mess in the first place. And who does that woman think she is? Does she have any right to pick on us? He deserved to be severely more punished than he was. When Ian finds out about this, he's going to, going to..."
"Going to what?" Dan mumbled. "Sue them? He's not old enough to."
"But we can't stand for this! This is an outrage!"
"Well what else can we do?"
And for once, the Kabra said nothing.