The 39 Clues Turbulence Read Free Page B

awake.”
    “Of course you didn’t,” she said, a little more bitterly than she’d intended. “I could’ve died and no one would’ve noticed.”
    “You shouldn’t talk like that. Not after what we survived.” He must have seen the distress in her face, because he flashed his superstar smile. “Besides, sometimes it’s nice to stay under the radar.”
    “Easy for you to say. Was that your publicist you were texting? Or the president of your Facebook fan club?” She meant it as a joke and was surprised when Jonah’s face fell. “I’m sorry,” Amy said. “It’s none of my business.”
    “No, it’s fine.” He bit his lip, something Amy had never seen him do before, either in person, onstage, or during his countless television appearances. “I just thought that maybe my mom would try to get in touch or something.” He turned his head back to the window. “It’s my birthday,” he said quietly.
    “Your birthday?” Amy repeated. “Why didn’t you tell us? I would’ve baked you a cake.” She smiled. “Though I’m sure your fans will be sending you stuff all week.”
    He didn’t smile back. “Only my mom and dad know my real birthday. It’s something we tried to keep private, just for us, you know?” He glanced down at his sweatshirt, as if he expected to see the glow of his phone through his pocket. “But I guess she forgot.”
    “You still haven’t spoken to her?” Amy asked softly.
    Jonah shook his head. “I waited for a few months after the end of the Clue hunt. You know, to give her time to calm down. But she won’t return my calls, my texts, my e-mails, nothing.”
    Amy wasn’t sure what to say. She knew far too well what it was like to be separated from your parents, but at least she had the comfort of knowing that her mother would’ve given anything for one more moment with Dan and Amy. She reached over the top of Jonah’s seat and squeezed his hand. “You did the right thing back there. No matter what she thinks.”
    “I know.” The smile returned to his face. “Yo, are we almost there? The wiz is ready to show y’all what it really means to be fly.”

     
    Amy shivered as the wind rushed over her jumpsuit. Even though it was more than eighty degrees on the tarmac, her skin felt clammy. She’d spent the past three hours watching skydiving instructional videos and listening to the head instructor, Duncan, explain all the safety procedures. At least, she’d tried to pay attention. It had been difficult to hear over the sounds of Dan and Jonah laughing, Madison and Reagan wrestling, and Ian shouting on the phone at his stockbroker. Amy kept waiting for Duncan to tell everyone to quiet down, but he just kept droning on in a flat voice that made her think he was used to being ignored. And when Amy asked him to repeat something he’d said about proper landing technique, even Hamilton had told her to relax. They were all doing tandem jumps with experienced instructors and wouldn’t even have to open their own parachutes. But although the rational part of Amy’s brain knew that her instructor, Teodora, would take care of everything, she didn’t like the idea of jumping out of a plane without knowing exactly what to do.
    As the Cahills lined up to board the tiny aircraft, Amy began to question her decision to learn how to skydive. What were the chances of it coming in handy? After all, she and Dan had won the Clue hunt without having to use a parachute, and they’d been at the top of Mount Everest.
    She watched as the other Cahills took turns climbing up the metal steps and ducking through the door. Madison was so excited she grabbed on to the railing and vaulted inside without even touching the stairs. Natalie took more demure steps but looked equally confident as she entered the plane. Once she learned their trip was being filmed, she had refused to don a jumpsuit and insisted on remaining in her designer jeans, then complained that her gear didn’t match her stylish