Chapter 23

CHAPTER 23 Chaos erupted around Amy. "Look— that rock's opening!" "There's a door!" "Why couldn't we see that before? It was so perfectly hidden from—" "Run!" Amy couldn't tell who was saying what. There wasn't time to think about any of it. One minute she was sitting beside Nellie, both of them craning their necks and trying to see what was happening on top of the cliff. The next minute she was sprinting toward the open door alongside Madison and Reagan Holt. It was like her body knew what to do even before her brain registered what her eyes were seeing: Door. Elevator. Dan. Hamilton. Eisenhower. The two Holts and Dan were all sprawled on the floor of the elevator, far apart from one

another. Amy couldn't make sense of that, not while she was trying to run, dodging tombstones. "Out of the way, loser," Reagan said, swinging her elbow toward Amy's face. "Hamilton and Dad came back for us." "And Dan came back for me," Amy muttered, ducking the elbow. She was already down low enough— and close enough—that she decided to dive in through the elevator door. Someone landed on top of her: Reagan? No—it was Natalie. Then Reagan and Madison crammed in behind her, pushing Amy farther back. Amy's right ear was squashed against the wall, and Natalie's hand was shoved over her left ear. But she could hear a mechanical beeping sound and then an automated voice: "Elevator will not move from this spot without at least one representative from each Cahill branch. Step to the mirror for retinal scan. Ekat?" "If you please," Alistair said coldly from outside the elevator. There was a shuffling about—Amy caught a glimpse of Mary-Todd stepping out and

Alistair stepping in. The elevator beeped again. "Approved. Janus?" "Out of my way," Jonah said. Amy couldn't see, but she thought maybe he was yanking Madison and Reagan out of the elevator and shoving himself in. "Approved," the automated voice said. "Lucian?" "Present," Ian said. He must have moved over in front of the eye scanner because the automated voice said, "Approved. Tomas?" "Oh, no," Eisenhower objected. "There are two Lucians on this elevator right now because Natalie is over there hiding at the back. That's not fair. One of you has to leave." "Is it fair that there are two Holts?" Alistair asked. "You and Hamilton?" "That's different," Eisenhower said. While Eisenhower was complaining, Hamilton stepped up to the mirror.

"Approved," the automated voice said. "Madrigal?" "What?" Alistair exploded. "Madrigals aren't a Cahill branch!" "Madrigals?" This was Eisenhower. "Madrigals are evil!" "Everybody hates Madrigals!" Ian cried. The voices blended together, the indignation and fury rising with each word. It was the most unity Cahills had shown in five hundred years. Except when the other branches united to kill Mom and Dad, Amy thought with a shiver. She was tempted to yell, "I hate Madrigals, too!" just to throw everybody else off. "Dan told me in China that he was a Madrigal," Jonah said, his stage voice somehow cutting through the other's screams. "Dan, you want to pretend that again? Think you can fool the elevator?" Lie, Amy thought desperately at her brother. Deny it. Act. It's not safe to tell the truth right now. Smashed in the back of the elevator, Amy couldn't even see Dan. She hoped he was standing

close enough to the mirror that he could rise up on his tiptoes a little and secretly set off the retinal scan. "I am a Madrigal," Dan's voice rang out boldly from the front section of the elevator. "My whole family is Madrigal. Even Nellie's a Madrigal. But it's not what you think. We're—" He was trying to explain. Amy thought her heart might burst, listening to her brother. He was so brave. And so foolish. The grumblings around them turned darker and even more menacing. "No!" Eisenhower bellowed. His voice was louder than anyone's— he was at the front of the elevator but had turned around. "I will not be on a team with Madrigals! I refuse!" The others cowered away from Eisenhower's fury, so Amy could see over them. She saw Eisenhower grab Dan and lift him up, ready to toss him out of the elevator. "No!" Amy screamed, shoving forward. But her shout got lost in the automated voice

calling out, "Approved. All present and accounted for." Eisenhower must have lifted Dan past the retinal scan at exactly the right angle. This seemed to startle Eisenhower, who took a step back, half in and half out of the elevator. Everything happened fast after that. Nellie broke past Mary-Todd Holt and stabbed something into Eisenhower's right arm. Amy saw a flash of silver. Was Nellie using her snake nose ring as a weapon? Nellie screamed, "You let go of Dan," just as the pilot tugged on Eisenhower's left arm. "Sir, sir—" the pilot began. Are they crazy? Amy wondered. Thinking they can fight against Eisenhower Holt with a snake nose ring and good manners? But Eisenhower dropped Dan with a thud. He stepped back to face his attackers. He grabbed Nellie with his right hand and the pilot with his left and swung them toward each other, as if he intended to slam their heads together. "Nellie!" Amy screamed, pushing forward. She