Disclaimer: I do not own House of Anubis.

A/N: To my older fans, here's the new and re-edited version of Chapter 1. It repeats a bit but there are small changes. You can get the sense it's a "Nina" sort of chapter, right? Oh, and by the way, Alfie and Jerome still switched their names. I just indicated who was speaking with parentheses instead of quotation marks. I found it easier for the eyes.

To my newer fans, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And "..." means its a new scene. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

To both my older and newer fans, remember to review! I love to read your comments. And also, remember to add me to your list of alerts or favorite me or the story for more updates.

- Reyna... who is on the run.

CHAPTER 1: NEWCOMER

"Nina! Are you awake? It's time for breakfast, dear!"

Her sapphire blue eyes snapped open at the sound of her name. It was her first day back from visiting old friends and family relatives. Pulling the bed sheets off of her body, she replied, "Give me a minute, Gran!" Nina stood up from her bed and stared at herself in the full sized mirror across her room.

Her recent vacation to Florida left her skin lightly tanned. Her wavy, blond hair reached the middle of her back, and she debated whether or not she wanted her hair shorter. Shrugging at her undecided thought, she pulled her hair into a low ponytail. Nina walked over to her dresser and pulled out the first things her hands touched.

As Nina descended down the stairs, she deeply inhaled the aroma that filled the air. Her stomach growled. Airplane food had not sated her appetite from the night before, but she was so exhausted from her trip that sleepiness conquered hunger.

"Good morning, Gran," she greeted as she walked into the kitchen, "Breakfast smells wonderful." Nina leaned in to give her grandmother a quick kiss on the cheek before grabbing a clean plate from the dishwasher and eagerly piled her plate with her grandmother's cooking.

"Oh thank you, honey. I was in a mood for a homely breakfast which includes buttery scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and fluffy pancakes."

Nina seated herself at the dining room table, taking notice of the sorted piles of mail.

"We sure got a lot of mail," Nina commented, shoving a spoonful of eggs in her mouth.

"I went to go check our mailbox after my daily morning exercise, and I was also surprised by how much mail we received. I figured it was either something good...or bad."

Gran patted her hands dry on the apron she wore around her waist after placing the dirty pans in the dishwasher. She grabbed her favorite coffee mug that read "#1 GRANDMA", a gift given to her by Nina, and seated herself next to her.

"It was good," her grandmother continued, "So good that I have to talk to you about a special one."

"Which one?" Nina asked, fingering through the letters quickly in her search until she came across a manila envelope with her full name in bold letters.

"It's an acceptance letter from the boarding school your parents wanted you to go to, Abriana."

Nina immediately lifted her questioning gaze and stared at her grandmother's use of her full name. Her grandmother never used her full name unless something serious and important was needed to be said. Something she needed to pay close attention to. Growing up, Nina witnessed this event two times (not including now): the first time was when her body began to change, and the second time was when delivering the news of the death of her parents.

"You're a week and a half late but it's only because your home school schedule doesn't match other schools like this one. The school holds-"

"But Gran! What about you? I can't just leave you alone!" Nina interrupted in protest.

A few pieces of scrambled eggs flew out of her mouth. Her grandmother presented her with a napkin which Nina quickly took and wiped her lips.

Her grandmother laughed at her flushed expression which resulted into a coughing fit. After recovering and regaining the ability to breathe, she smiled and shook her head.

"My dear. I may be old, but I am still a strong woman." She only wished that her deceased son and his wife were present to see how developed their daughter had become.

"And you aren't leaving me completely alone. The man at the library-"

"The one who is always helping you find your James Patterson books?"

"Yes! That's the one. He will be keeping me company after discovering that he only lives a few houses down." Gran winked at her granddaughter, "It still looks like I know how to woo a man. When I was complaining about how I needed help with cleaning the attic, he sweetly offered to help me. Then, he declared that he was better at Word Search than me and, well, that hit a nerve."

But as Nina's grandmother continued to speak about how she had a good eye and how she wanted to see the look on his face when she would win, Nina silently re-read the letter in her hand.

Dear Abriana E. Martin,

You have been accepted to Harper Liverpool Academy, one of United Kingdom's finest boarding schools and ranked as one of the top three most educated schools in the country.

Harper Liverpool Academy was founded by Robert Harper in the 19th century whom had a desire to build a school of his own despite the lack of money he had to profit it. His desire and the aid of others is what drove his goal to become accomplished. Harper Liverpool Academy currently resides in Robert Harper Forest. To this day, the school has been thriving, and more and more students world wide join each year. The school has adapted to suit your needs and to help improve your education.

Students are assorted by their grade, and they live in individual houses named after Gods and Goddesses from Egyptian mythology. In honor of Robert Harper and his passionate interest in Egyptian mythology, the naming of the houses has been a tradition stuck with us for a several decades.

You will live in the Anubis House which contained seven other tenth grade students, a house mother, and a caretaker. It would be wise to abide by the House rules and the school's rules. The rest of the information needed are in the following papers. Your test results are impressive and have caught the attention of the school staff, vice principal, and myself as well. We will be paying for your flight here as a welcome gift. If you have any questions, my contact number is below.

Sincerely,

Eric Sweet
Principal of Harper Liverpool Academy
Office number: 151.123.4567

Gran had stopped speaking when she realized that her granddaughter was reading and reached out to give her granddaughter's shoulder a reassuring squeeze while Nina finished the last sentences of the letter.

"It's very hard to get into that school, and you're such an intelligent young lady," Gran gently offered, "Plus you'll make new friends and maybe even a boyfriend."

Nina looked up from the letter to meet her grandmother's gaze and forced a smile on her face as her grandmother emphasized the word "boyfriend". Although she felt confused on how she felt, she didn't want to disappoint her grandmother.

"I'll do it or you, Gran...and for Mom and Dad."

Her grandmother pulled Nina in a tight hug, kissed her forehead, and happily murmured, "That's my granddaughter."

…

Five Days Later

The antiquated interior of the Anubis House was just as beautiful as the outside. Nina was used to antiques or old-fashioned styles since she was surrounded by that type when raised by her grandmother. The sudden thought made her feel homesick and it took a lot of mental force to dismiss the feeling. This is a new school, Nina. New impression. New friends. New life. This will be exciting, she thought to herself.

"Abriana Martin."

Nearly jumping out of her skin at the stern tone of the booming voice. She looked up to see a middle aged man in his early forties incline down the stairs with his polished black dress shoes echoing in eeriness with each step. He wore a dark trench coat, a black vest over a well ironed white button up, and a think black tie around his neck collar. He had facial hair similar to what a desperate magician would appear with. His black hair was slicked back in attempt to cover a bald spot and his beady dark eyes...

She visibly swallowed and fought the urge to take a few steps back.

"Please call me Nina."

"You are two weeks late," he said dismissively.

Nina lowered her gaze. "We didn't find about the scholarship until a week and a half later. My grandmother and I were on a vacation to visit-"

"I do not care for the reason," he sneered, "I find cursory time management completely unacceptable."

"Victor!" scolded a woman in vivid, bright clothing, "I told you to be warm and welcoming with the newcomer. Here I am going to check on your progress, and I see you doing quite the opposite." The woman hastily walked down the stairs, two steps at a time, and hopped off the last step.

From the corner of her eye, Nina could see how disappointed Victor was to continue with his verbal beating. Nina was inwardly grateful for the woman's timing.

"Hello, sweetheart! I'm your house mother, Trudy, and this grumpy old man is Victor, the caretaker and owner of this house."

"I'm Nina," she introduced. "It's a beautiful house. I bet it has a lot of stories since this whole school was founded a long time ago."

At this, Victor opened his mouth to explain the history of the house but Trudy was quick to cut him off.

"Victor, don't bore the girl to death. Girls are all about vampires now...or at least that's what Amber told me. I'm going to have her meet Alfie and Jerome in the kitchen while I finish preparing her room."

"Alfie and Jerome are in that kitchen for a reason, Trudy. They are not to be disturbed in what they are punished to do."

"Oh, sweetheart. It will only just be a second," Trudy insisted.

Victor grumbled under his breath, murmuring about how he didn't like being called "sweetheart". He walked back upstairs at a languid pace, and he demanded for silence before entering into his office.

Trudy giggled and whispered, "Sorry about that, lovely. I'm going to finish preparing your room. The boys are in the kitchen doing chores because they got in trouble. Feel free to tease them for me." After pinching Nina's cheek affectionately, she took a hold of Nina's luggage and headed upstairs where she dissapeared through a door.

Stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jeans, she stiffly entered the living room which was connected to the kitchen and dining room. Nina instantly fell in love with the room and the aura that it held. The leather couches. The old painting. The crafted coffee table with a stuffed crocodile as décor? Was that a VHS? Those things still exist?

"Jerome, when are you going to do your part of the punishment? We both did it together. We both got caught together. So we both share the equal amount of labor."

"I thought we had a deal. We'll take turns taking shifts. Currently, I'm on my shift. I'll save you Trudy's muffins if you do five more minutes of my part."

"You can't bribe me! Wait. Are they blueberry?"

"She even bothered to put both blueberries and chocolate chip!"

Nina approached the kitchen and peered over the counter top. A lanky, blond haired guy leaned against the refrigerator door chewing his food with a devious grin. On the kitchen floor was a guy with dark skin and short, curly black hair. He was on his knees scrubbing the floor with two toothbrushes industriously.

"Woah," said the tall blond, finally taking notice of Nina's presence. "Were you standing there the whole time?"

"Not exactly. Uh, Trudy told me to introduce myself to some guys named Jerome and Alfie. I'm guessing that's you two."

The tall blond shared a glance with his friend who returned it with a mischievous expression.

"Well, congratulations. Your search has come to an end. I'm Alfie," said the blond, extending his free hand to shake. Something about him triggered a gut feeling that made Nina feel wary of him.

The one with the toothbrush stifled a laughter and stood up from the floor, "And I'm Jerome."

"I'm Nina," she lowered her gaze to the toothbrushes held in (Jerome's) hand. "What did you get in trouble for?"

"Victor, the creepy guy you probably alredy met and got on his bad side, can't take a joke and decided to give us this cruel punishment. I definitely plead the eighth amendment," spoke (Jerome).

"Um, the eighth amendment is in the United State's Bill of Rights.. so you can't really plead the eighth since you're in England."

(Alfie) studied Nina with interest. "American and a smarty pants. Looks like I've found out who I'm going to be cheating off of in History."

"So you're the newcomer Trudy told us about? What brings you here to Liverpool?" asked (Jerome), secretly taking a muffin from behind (Alfie's) back.

She shrugged modestly, "Scholarship."

Before they could continue with their conversation, a voice bellowed, "Lewis and Clark! Get back to work."

Lewis and Clark? They must be best friends because of that.

(Jerome) and (Alfie) groaned simultaneously.

"That's our cue," muttered (Jerome).

Nina smiled. "Well, it was nice meeting you both. I had better go check up with Trudy anyway. See you guys around."

As soon as Nina exited the room, Alfie punched Jerome in the arm.

"What! What was that for?" mumbled Jerome with a mouthful of food.

"You said the muffin had blueberries and chocolate chips!"

"How would you know?"

Alfie tossed the remaining pieces of the muffin in his mouth and grinned.

"Impressive. Hey, what are you going to do about Amber? I thought you had some amazing plan to get her, Mr. Smooth."

"Well, I did. But after hearing her obsess over her upcoming one year anniversary with Mick... I figured the scales tipped."

"Mr. Smooth is giving up?" asked Jerome in mock surprise. He smiled and patted Alfie on the back. "No worries, mate. I've got the perfect idea."

...

Nina walked up the stairs, paying no attention to the creakiness of the floorboards. Her mind was preoccupied. When she reached the top step, she saw that the hallway leaded to Victor's office at one end and the other door was the entrance of the girls' dorms. Upon entering, Nina spotted Trudy outside in the hall, closing a door.

"There you are! I was just about to fetch you. Your room is all ready, dear. I'll give you a few minutes to look around, and I'll come back to get you for supper. The others should be back from school soon."

Trudy walked past Nina, patting her on the shoulder before heading downstairs.

Squaring her shoulders, Nina exhaled deeply. She closed her eyes and extended her fingers until the tips touched the door knob to turn it. Others, she thought to herself. The door opened and her eyes fluttered open. The door started off opening enough for Nina to peek inside. Then, the door swung open at full length and she walked in observing the posters and pictures that dominated one side of the walls.

As Nina walked over to the covered wall, a collage of an auburn haired girl and a brown haired girl laughing and holding each other in a tight embrace drew her attention out of everything on the wall. The letters BFF were entitled on the top. Best Friend, she mused, I'm hoping you're right, Gran. But I always shared everything with you and that seemed to suffice.

She observed the other images on the wall and smiled at the copied and pasted picture of Edward Cullen from Twilight with his arm around the same brown haired girl in the collage. Nina approached her empty bed and sat down, taking in the details of her dorm and pondering over what she wanted on her side of the wall.

One of her suitcases lay beside her, and Nina bent over to unzip the top pocket where she pulled out a picture frame of her grandmother. In the corner of her picture frame was an attached photo of her mother and father.

"The other students are here," said Trudy who popped her head inside of the room, "You should meet them. They're a lovely bunch."

Nina set the frame aside on her bed table but was hesitant to move.

Trudy opened the door wide enough for her figure to enter and sat down on the bed next to her. "Is something the matter, sweetheart?"

"I'm nervous," she admitted, "I'm the new kid. They all know each other, and they've all got their own groups. I'll just be the new kid that they'll probably ignore."

"Don't be nervous. I'm positive they'll be more welcoming than Victor. And if they don't warm you up, then my cooking will certainly will."

A smile tugged the corners of her lips upon Trudy's optimism.

Trudy stood up from the bed and gestured towards the door with an encouraging smile. "Come on. I'll even help you with your introduction."

...