artist. Jonah pointed. "Hey, isn't that -- ?"
Before he could finish the question, Amy jumped down again. In a few seconds she'd be the center of attention, but her fear of crowds was the last thing on her mind. Every fiber of her being was focused on what she had to do. Ponytail turned on her. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" Amy ran to the legendary portrait of George Washington. "Freeze!" she ordered,
pointing the paint at the picture on the wall. "One more step and George gets it!" Ponytail's eyes widened in horror. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Are you kidding?" piped up Dan. "That's my sister! She's on the edge!" Jonah slipped the diary pages inside his jacket. "What do you Cahills want?" "Those papers you're trying to hide," Amy told him. "Hand them over."
"They're nothing!" Jonah babbled, unable to believe that Amy and Dan had outmaneuvered him here, in his own branch's stronghold. "Just garbage, yo. I was looking for a trash can -- " "Cough them up, Wizard," Dan snarled.
"Forget it."
Amy brandished the paint tube an inch from the first president's face. "I'm not afraid to use this!"
"You're bluffing!" Jonah accused. But behind his bravado, his confidence was weakening, cracks forming in the legendary Wizard attitude. "Slime him, sis," Dan urged. "Make him a redcoat."
Amy hesitated, overcome with guilt. This was a priceless painting, an American treasure, and she was going to have to ruin it. Otherwise they were doomed. How could things ever have come to this? She took a deep breath and steeled herself to do the deed.
"No-o!"
The cry that came from Ponytail was like an air raid siren. "You can have the pages! Just don't harm that picture!"
Jonah's father was appalled. "You don't have that authority! This place may look like a museum, but it isn't one! You're talking about handing over vital information to the enemy! There's a lot more at stake here than a painting! ”
"You are not a Janus, sir!" Ponytail stormed. "Your kind will never appreciate the unique and irreplaceable life force in any work of art -- let alone a priceless masterpiece!" "Last chance!" Dan exclaimed.
Jonah hesitated. He understood Ponytail's anguish -- the George Washington painting was part of Janus history. But Dad knew that the diary papers -- clue hunting, the contest
-- could be its destiny. What was the right call? The president or Nannerl? The past or the future? Nervously, he shifted his weight from side to side, unsure of what to do, unused to being unsure.
Amy's eyes met her brother's. They'd never have a better chance. She swung the paint tube around and emptied it into the faces of Ponytail and the two Wizards. While the three floundered, rubbing red out of stinging eyes, Dan sprang. He wrenched the diary pages from the disabled Jonah, and the Cahills fled down the corridor. The last thing they heard before a deafening alarm went off was the voice of Ponytail assuring the Wizards, "Don't worry. They won't get far."
Amy and Dan pounded through the corridors, spiraling deeper into the guts of the underground complex.
"Shouldn't we be going up, not down?" rasped Dan, tucking the pages in the crook of his arm, football-style.
Amy nodded breathlessly as the wisdom of his words cut through the urgency of their flight. Escape meant finding a way out of the stronghold. They were running in the wrong direction.
Then she spotted it. Partially hidden by a modern art installation featuring a tall pyramid of soda cans was a narrow doorway. And through there --"Stairs!" Amy grabbed her brother's arm. "Let's go!"
"Yo!" Jonah barreled onto the scene, his well-known face stained red. "You'll never make it, you guys! Come back and we can work something out!" His shouts were barely audible over the blare of the Klaxon.
His father appeared at his side, followed by Ponytail and several other Janus. They did not look like they wanted to work something out. Pure, unadulterated rage radiated from them.
The message flashed between the
Before he could finish the question, Amy jumped down again. In a few seconds she'd be the center of attention, but her fear of crowds was the last thing on her mind. Every fiber of her being was focused on what she had to do. Ponytail turned on her. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" Amy ran to the legendary portrait of George Washington. "Freeze!" she ordered,
pointing the paint at the picture on the wall. "One more step and George gets it!" Ponytail's eyes widened in horror. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Are you kidding?" piped up Dan. "That's my sister! She's on the edge!" Jonah slipped the diary pages inside his jacket. "What do you Cahills want?" "Those papers you're trying to hide," Amy told him. "Hand them over."
"They're nothing!" Jonah babbled, unable to believe that Amy and Dan had outmaneuvered him here, in his own branch's stronghold. "Just garbage, yo. I was looking for a trash can -- " "Cough them up, Wizard," Dan snarled.
"Forget it."
Amy brandished the paint tube an inch from the first president's face. "I'm not afraid to use this!"
"You're bluffing!" Jonah accused. But behind his bravado, his confidence was weakening, cracks forming in the legendary Wizard attitude. "Slime him, sis," Dan urged. "Make him a redcoat."
Amy hesitated, overcome with guilt. This was a priceless painting, an American treasure, and she was going to have to ruin it. Otherwise they were doomed. How could things ever have come to this? She took a deep breath and steeled herself to do the deed.
"No-o!"
The cry that came from Ponytail was like an air raid siren. "You can have the pages! Just don't harm that picture!"
Jonah's father was appalled. "You don't have that authority! This place may look like a museum, but it isn't one! You're talking about handing over vital information to the enemy! There's a lot more at stake here than a painting! ”
"You are not a Janus, sir!" Ponytail stormed. "Your kind will never appreciate the unique and irreplaceable life force in any work of art -- let alone a priceless masterpiece!" "Last chance!" Dan exclaimed.
Jonah hesitated. He understood Ponytail's anguish -- the George Washington painting was part of Janus history. But Dad knew that the diary papers -- clue hunting, the contest
-- could be its destiny. What was the right call? The president or Nannerl? The past or the future? Nervously, he shifted his weight from side to side, unsure of what to do, unused to being unsure.
Amy's eyes met her brother's. They'd never have a better chance. She swung the paint tube around and emptied it into the faces of Ponytail and the two Wizards. While the three floundered, rubbing red out of stinging eyes, Dan sprang. He wrenched the diary pages from the disabled Jonah, and the Cahills fled down the corridor. The last thing they heard before a deafening alarm went off was the voice of Ponytail assuring the Wizards, "Don't worry. They won't get far."
Amy and Dan pounded through the corridors, spiraling deeper into the guts of the underground complex.
"Shouldn't we be going up, not down?" rasped Dan, tucking the pages in the crook of his arm, football-style.
Amy nodded breathlessly as the wisdom of his words cut through the urgency of their flight. Escape meant finding a way out of the stronghold. They were running in the wrong direction.
Then she spotted it. Partially hidden by a modern art installation featuring a tall pyramid of soda cans was a narrow doorway. And through there --"Stairs!" Amy grabbed her brother's arm. "Let's go!"
"Yo!" Jonah barreled onto the scene, his well-known face stained red. "You'll never make it, you guys! Come back and we can work something out!" His shouts were barely audible over the blare of the Klaxon.
His father appeared at his side, followed by Ponytail and several other Janus. They did not look like they wanted to work something out. Pure, unadulterated rage radiated from them.
The message flashed between the
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