Nina's POV

I looked at my old, wrinkled hands, that showed all the pain and sufferings I went through. The scars on my right hand were the tally of near-death incidents I experienced.

In the dim light, I squinted at the locket I grasped tightly like a mother would hold her baby.

It was the portal of my teenage years-my time as a Sibuna in this very house.

Laughter echoed through the corridors from the kitchen. I shuffled to the stairs and looked down, watching my three beautiful grandchildren run across the hallway, their hands caked with cookie mixture and flour. The hallway is not for loitering! I remembered the words of the former caretaker, Victor Rodenmaar Junior. All the creepiness and austerity of Anubis House was replaced by happiness and joy once I purchased the house. The stairs creaked with relief, from all the evil it suffered at the hands of the greedy owners before me.

I was its saviour. I slowly walked down the stairs, careful not to trip (the eighth step on the stairs was still looser than the others). The light in my heart dimmed a little, like the flames of a fire, when I saw the framed photograph of my now deceased husband, Fabian Rutter.

It was love at first sight...

"Grandmamma!" squealed the wavy brown haired girl, flying towards me, flour appearing on the ground beside her and in her hair. "We are making cake! Uncle Alfie is coming over for dinner and will be performing magical tricks! He is a wizard!"

I smiled at her.

Ah, Alfie Lewis is a lucky man.

Not only is he best friends with Amber Millington (the richest woman in all of Britain) and married to the successful fortune teller, Willow Jenks, he is still youthful and had all the energy of a young child. The last time I invited him over for supper, he was plotting a prank with one of my grandsons, his eyes sparkled whenever a new idea zapped into his creative mind.

How old would he be?

Seventy five?

Seventy eight?

I knew for a fact that he did not take the elixir of life!

I heard loud bickering voices from the driveway. Something told me that it was Patricia Miller (nee' Williamson) and her husband, Eddie Miller. They both had the energy to argue all year! Why am I the one that looked and felt my age? Have I suffered more than them? Am I the only one that lost my loved one in a stupid car crash two years ago? Was that some twisted, sick revenge from Senkhara?

Suddenly, I felt exhausted and wanted to rest. What possessed me to invite everyone over? I have no more energy to arrange parties or entertainment.

"Hello Nina," said Amber, striding in like a fashion model. "My, you look awful! You remind me of what Sarah looked like when I first saw her! Are you putting on the cream I gave you last week? No. Do you want to die looking like a wrinkled old mummy?"

I laughed hoarsely, my throat dry.

"I'm sorry about Fabian," said Amber sympathetically for the four hundredth time in two years. "He always made you happy. You used to smile more. If it makes you feel better, Mick has been killed in a prison brawl with a bloody nose and broken ribs."

It was wrong, but I had to admit I felt much better hearing that the man who accidently killed my husband was now dead.

It was unpleasant that it had to be Mick Campbell, but he deserved to be in prison.

He was a drunk driver and drove through a red light, losing control of the wheel and crashing into Fabian, who was helping a blind woman cross the road. Thank heavens she survived with only minor injuries, but Fabian was taken away from me that night! All thanks to that meat head Mick, my Fabian had lost his life and was pulled away from the world of the living!

"Grandmother," said my solemn faced grandson, pulling my sleeve. "Is that the bad man that killed my daddy? Is he the one that caused him to die?"

I looked at the television screen, just to witness the mug shot of Mick appear on the screen, with the news reporter announcing Mick's 'unfortunate' death. Tears brimmed my eyes, as I watched the image of Fabian's dead body emerge next to Mick's photo.

I will never forgive that now-deceased meat head.

I wanted to dig up his body and whack it with my mahogany walking stick, but I knew deep inside that it was wrong. It was just the Devil stirring up trouble for me.

The dinner went remarkably well, with Alfie ending the night with a prank that scared Amber (he replaced her dead frog legs with a living frog). I even laughed without hurting my almost desert-dry throat. The children loved it, and it warmed my heart that a happy generation of Rutters will live in Anubis House, not one of them tainted with greed, evil or a desire to live forever.

Amber smiled at me from the bed next to mine.

For the night, we had decided to share a room like we did when we were roommates. It was a wild, crazy idea concocted by Alfie, but we all loved it. Of course the children were confused when they were herded off to the living room for a giant sleepover, but the rest of us-Amber, Patricia, Eddie, Alfie and I-were keen on it.

"You know what would've been great?" said Amber dreamily. "If only Joy, Willow, KT, Fabian, Mara and Jerome are here with us. It would be so much like when we were teens! Where is Mara and Jerome anyway? Didn't you invite them?"

"They are in Barcelona," I replied, closing my eyes slowly. "Having a holiday. It's been a long day. Shall we have Trudy Pancakes in the morning?"

For me, the morning never came.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a pair of eyes.

Fabian's brown eyes.

Probably not that good, but I wanted to upload a quick story for no particular reason! Any requests on the next Sibuna's future, or would you like a surprise? ;) Please review!