Welcome to my version of House of Anubis. As much as I want to, I don't get much free time so I'll only be able to update every week. Please enjoy!
CHAPTER ONE HOUSE OF STARTS
The train hustled along the rails as it went away. I took a deep breath, watching it grow smaller and smaller. I walked out of the station and stood there. Definitely no turning back now.
"I did order a taxi… right?" I said aloud. "Yeah… yeah I did…"
Just then, a black cab pulled up into the parking lot. Right in front of me, to be exact, because the area was empty. A short bald man stepped out from the right side. The taxi driver, I realized. I've got to get used to the opposite driving.
"Mary Ann Norton?" he asked, an accent coating his voice.
"In the flesh." I smiled. I pushed my curly auburn hair out of my eyes.
The man rounded the rear of the cab. "Ah, you're American, then."
"How'd you know?" I asked, "Was it the accent?" he nodded. He took my suitcase and opened the cab door.
"Well, hop in, love." he said. I sat in the cab and in no time we were off.
I am Mary Ann Norton. I'm American, as you probably know from the previous conversation there. I'm here in England to go to a boarding school, living the American dream. I have long and very curly auburn hair that looks black in the right light, caramel colored eyes, and an average build. I'm not short and I'm not exactly skinny, but I'm not tall or fat either. I have the average curves and chest for a girl my age (which is 15).
"I can't believe I'm going to boarding school." I exclaimed, looking out the window into the world. "You'd think boarding school would be torture, but not with this place... I hope..." My phone beeped and I checked it. Just Gran making sure I made it safely. I texted her back saying everything was great.
"Is that your parents checking up on you?" The driver asked.
"Nah, it's my gran. She brought me up. I've never been so far away from home before." I told him.
"Are you getting cold feet? Should I turn this cab back around?" he asked.
"No way!" I exclaimed. He chuckled. "I've come way to far to back down now."
"Ah, that's the spirit." he said.
After a ride of silence, he said, "Alright, we're here." I looked out the window to see the tip of a school building. "This place is big, where did you need to be?"
"Uh... It says here that I'm in the... House of Anubis." I said as I flipped through my documents. The cab parked in front of the main building. It had red bricks and looked VERY awesome and old.
"Wow." I muttered, "Welcome to Hogwarts." Then I noticed the cab driver walking off in a direction with my bag.
"H-Hey! Wait up!" I called out. I chased after him. I ran into someone, yelled, "sorry!" back to them, and sprinted to meet up with the cab driver. He stood outside of an old building. I paid him and he left. I turned around to see an old-styled red two-story building. It was beautiful.
I walked up to the front door. I was about to knock when the door opened.
"Uh... Spooky." I mumbled. I stepped inside.
"Hello?" I called out. "You left the door open. Hello?" The door shut behind me and I turned to the slam. When I faced back there was this creepy man in front of me. He was a man with greased-back black hair. He had mustache and wore a tan trench coat with a brown vest and white undershirt. He wore a black tie around his neck. He had a raven in his arms and a scowl pasted on his face.
"Isn't the doorbell working?" he asked.
"Uh... Hi." I said. "Yeah, the door was open so I-"
"Just decided to walk in." he finished for me.
"Yeah, to tell you that it was open." I said flamboyantly. Who is this guy? "I'm Mary Ann, by the way."
He took out a golden pocket watch. He checked the time and then shut it. "You're late." he told me, starting to circle around me, "Two weeks late."
"Yeah, we didn't find out about the scholarship until-"
"I don't care about the reason why you're late." he interrupted. This guy is starting to piss me off...
"Victor Rodenmaar! I hope you're giving her the warmest of welcomes," a woman said. She descended from the staircase. She was a small woman with a determined look in her dark eyes. She had black hair and dark skin. "Well, as warm as he gets anyways. Hello sweetie!" she said with so much happiness I thought I would burst. "I'm Trudy Rehman, your housemother. Welcome to Anubis House." she gestured to the entire room. "It's only slightly spookier than the brochure." she joked.
"The Anubis estate was originally built in 1890, although it wasn't actually named Anubis until 1982." Victor said. Uh... OK?
"Oh," Trudy interrupted, "Oh she doesn't care about all that boringness Victor. She's a teenager. It's all about hormones, and vampires." she looked at me.
I laughed. "Sorry, more of a werewolf gal." I joked.
"C'mon, this is the living room," she said, leading from the door way into another room. "Through here."
The room was amazing. "Wow, this place is so... Wow. This house must have a lot of stories." The room was quite large. A set of three dark couches was on one side of the room, by some double windows. A light wooded table was on the other side, surrounded by dark wooded walls.
"Now this is where I swear breakfast and evening meals," she pointing to a gorgeous wooded wall and door. There was an opening and I could see the kitchen. I started to wander when I noticed a painting of two adults with a weird marking in between them.
"Mr. and Mrs. Frobisher-Smythe." Victor said, suddenly right next to me. "The original inhabitants. They died a very... Tragic death."
Trudy laughed nervously. "Always upbeat," she joked. "Should you show her where she's going to sleep?"
"Is it ready?" Victor asked.
"Oh yes, they've cleared it."
"Very well. Follow me, please, Miss Norton." We started walking away. He took down a portrait in our way out the living room.
"Boys' rooms are downstairs. We don't want any wandering after 9 o'clock. And all lights must be out by 10. This is my room, which needless to say is strictly out of bounds." He pointed to a room with glass windows. I saw a desk and some cabinets.
We walked into a doorway away from the room. Trudy talked about what was in each room when we passed by their door. I noticed that she skipped a door. "What's that?" I asked.
"Hmm? That's the attic," she said.
"Going up into the attic or down into the cellar is strictly forbidden. Is that understood?" Victor said.
"Completely." I said.
"This is your room in here." He led me to the door right by the attic. We walked in. One side of the wall was full of stuff, the other as clean as plain paper. There was a picture of two girls on the back of the door.
"Who's that?" I asked.
"Oh, that's Joy and Patricia." Trudy said. She took the picture off the door.
"Joy has left us." Victor said.
"Rather suddenly and unexpectedly if I may say so." Trudy explained.
"You may not." Victor said harshly. He tossed the picture into a trashcan by my bed. "Your trunks have already arrived," he gestured to my suitcases all by the bed foot by the blank wall. "I shall leave you to unpack." and he walked out the door. Trudy left too.
I started to unpack... So many memories of home in all this stuff... I was starting to get a little homesick.
Snap out of it, Mary Ann, I thought. You're here, it's happening. No turning back.
"Joy, I've been – " the door opened and a girl walked in. She was a girl with dark red hair with different colored streaks. Her eyes shined with surprise when she saw me.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Mary Ann. I'm the new girl. Nice to meet you."
"Who cares?!" she yelled. "Where are Joy's things? What's going on?"
"Didn't Joy leave?" I asked, clearly as confused as she was.
She took the picture from the trashcan. "Did you do this?" she asked angrily.
"No, that was-" she took my comforters and threw them out the door. "Hey what are you doing? Victor said that Joy had left!"
The girl took something from the dresser and from behind the bed. "Without this? This is her phone. Did you steal it?"
"Way to make accusations." I glared. "Of course I didn't."
"And this is Joy's as well." she showed me a stuffed rabbit doll. She took the ring on my desk.
"Hey! Give that back! You can't take it!" Now we were in the hallway.
"I don't care who you are, or where you're from, but you are NOT my roommate! Joy is. Now where is she?"
I was boiling with anger that I couldn't speak. This girl... made me want to scream!
"Did you hear what I said?" Her accent added some more drama and anger into her voice. Normally, I love accents, but this chick is flipping annoying me! "Where's Joy!"
"Can you stop yelling at me?" I yelled back. "I don't know anything! Unless she's under the bed, she could be anywhere."
"I don't believe you," she said angrily.
"Well, that's your problem, not mine." I growled.
"Patricia Williamson, what is going on?" Victor asked, coming from the attic. Thank you! Finally, someone else.
"That's what I'd like to know." The girl said. "Where's Joy?"
"Joy has left," he said plainly.
"What do you mean she's left?"
"Her parents came to school this afternoon and removed her."
"But, that's impossible." Patricia said, "Why would they do that?"
"I have absolutely no idea." Victor said.
"Joy would never leave without saying good bye. Or without her phone, or Bunsy Bun." Her fists clenched around the doll and phone and my ring.
"Give them to me, and I will forward them to her." When she didn't he said, "Give." When that was done, and Patricia shoved my ring at me, "Now, put this stuff back into the room."
"No way." Patricia said sourly. "I'm going to phone Joy and find out what's going on." She stormed off.
Victor picked up and handed me the comforters. "Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes."
I sighed and put the rest of my stuff away. Are all the people here going to be mean except for Trudy? Are all British people like this? I knew that last question was a lie, but this was just infuriating.
I walked down the stairs. Deep breath. You'll have to face them sooner or later. I walked right into the living room. Any conversation stopped so everyone could stare at me. I did a quick clothes check. Just another pair of dark jean shorts and a red tank top. A black V-neck sweater on top. OK.
I waved. "Hi! I'm Mary Ann. I'm from America."
Everyone was silent. There were seven people in the room. That Patricia chick. A blonde hair, blue-eyed boy who had an athletic build and I could tell he was the jock of the group. A blonde girl with perfectly straight hair looked like a Barbie doll – make-up and all. And an average-looking guy with black hair and greenish gray eyes. His cheeks were kind of red and he seemed like a nice person. An average girl with black hair and eyes who had tan skin and her hair was curled. There was a tall blonde boy with wind-blown hair and sparkling blue eyes. He had a sort of smug smirk programmed into his facial features. And lastly a semi-tall boy with dark skin and black hair and eyes. His eyes sparked with mischief.
The semi-tall boy stood up from his seat in the couch. "Welcome, space girl." he said with fake seriousness. "Or as they say in your language," then he made funny alien noises.
I laughed. "Sorry," I said with full seriousness masking my face, "Wrong planet. It goes like," I made a different set if noises and he just stared at me. Then he and the other tall blonde guy started cracking up. I smiled. Maybe I can fit in.
"Supper's ready." Trudy said. Everyone got up and walked to the table. Patricia glared at me. Everyone just sat down so I did too.
Barbie stood next to me. "That's my seat," she said. I stood up.
"Oh, sorry-"
"Ah, where's Mick?"
"Have you tried looking over a rainbow?" I asked. The space guy and Blondie started laughing again. Barbie handed me the pepper shaker and left the room. I shrugged and sat down again.
"You heard her, that's her seat." Patricia said bitterly.
"I don't have to talk to her... I don't have to talk to her..." I said slowly.
"That's your way, isn't it? Someone's gone for five seconds and you've already moved in." she scoffed.
"PATRICIA," the nicer boy said loudly, as if to stop her, "is head of the welcoming committee." Really? Her? The space boy chuckled.
"Pay no notice to her, just sit where ever you like." Nice Guy said. Nice, very nice.
Everyone was eating. I learned every one's name. Blondie was Jerome, other girl was Mara, space boy was Alfie, nice guy Fabian. Sports guy Mick and Barbie Amber were gone.
Alfie shoved a huge amount of pasta into his mouth.
"Stop it Alfie, that's disgusting!" Mara complained. Jerome just laughed. "And you're probably going to choke on it."
"But it's delicious this way." Alfie said through a mouthful.
"Alfie don't play with your food," Jerome said. Then he flicked his forkful of pasta at him. I started to laugh. Alfie took 2 fistful of pasta and threw it at him. Lettuce flew. Alfie threw another fistful and it hit me.
"Hey! Leave me out of this!" I laughed.
Fabian got hit. "Really guys? Every meal?" he complained.
I tied my hair back into two pigtails.
"Oops!" Patricia said, purposely lifting the water pitcher and pouring it all over me. I squealed as the cold water hit and stood up.
"Classy, Patricia." Fabian said heartlessly.
"What? It was an accident," she countered, smiling. Yeah, sure it was.
"Are you OK?" he asked me.
"Will be in a moment." I took the pitcher and was about to throw it on her when I remembered my promise to Gran. I poured the rest into my cup and took a big sip. The taste of diluted pasta filled my mouth, blech. Fabian went into the kitchen.
"So Mary Ann," Patricia said casually, "when are you going to tell us about what you know about Joy's disappearance?"
"I guess when you become a nice person." I growled, "Which doesn't seem to be anytime soon."
"C'mon. One minute, I'm sitting next to Joy in class, and the next, she's gone and you've moved in." she said. Fabian came to me with some napkins. He started helping me dry myself and wipe away the pasta while Patricia kept going.
"Bit of a coincidence, don't you think?" she said.
"Just like the one where the newbie comes and you decide to be a jerk? Yeah, real coincidental." I growled.
"Maybe she snatched her and locked her in the cellar." Alfie joked. "Wooooh!"
"Shut up, Alfie," Patricia said, annoyed. She glared at me, "Well?"
"Why don't you shut it, before I shut it for you." I threatened.
"I'll get it out of you, eventually." she said.
"Mary Ann!" Victor's voice called. He entered the living room. "Phone call for you... What is going on here?"
"Nothing," Patricia said sweetly, "just Mary Ann spilt water everywhere." I glared at her and then left with Victor. He pointed to the phone by a chair and then left up stairs.
"Hello?" I asked into the receiver.
"Are you Mary Ann Norton?" a male voice asked.
"Yes, why?"
"My name is Doctor Hayward. You're grandmother is currently with us."
"What, why? Is there something wrong with her?" I asked, nervously.
"She's in a coma," he said. "And there's a slim chance that she'll make it."
"O-OK." I stuttered. "Please contact me if she gets better or worse."
"OK."
"Thanks, Doc." and I hung up. I put my elbows on the table and covered my face with my hands. I should have been there to help her. Tears started to fall down my cheeks. I knew her health was getting bad but she insisted that I go. And now look where she is... And I hate it here...
"Is everything OK?" Fabian asked. I looked at him in the doorway.
"Yeah... Yeah everything is fine." I lied. I stood up and wiped the tears away. "I'm... Just going to… Go..." and I went upstairs. I hopped into bed after changing into my PJs. Patricia didn't bother me and I somberly laid under the covers to sleep.
- next day -
I got up first thing the next morning. Ignoring Patricia would be best. I dressed into my school uniform (a gray skirt with a white shirt, and a red jacket and red-and-gold tie added to the mix to make our school uniform) and left.
The gravel crunched under my feet as I walked down the street. An old woman appeared right in front of me.
"Oh, sorry," I said, even though I didn't run into her. She stared at me until I brought her to sit down on a nearby bench. She had short white hair. Wrinkles, brown eyes. Short lady.
"That's my house," she said, pointing back to Anubis house.
"Is it? I don't know. That's a school." I explained.
"No, that's my house." She insisted.
"OK, that's your house. Maybe you can tell me where you really live and I can take you back?" I noticed she was only where a dress. "Oh, you must be cold," I gave her my jacket.
"It's you, isn't it?" she said.
"Huh?"
"I knew you'd come." she said. A smile etched onto her face.
"What? Sorry, but I don't know-"
"Sarah." she said, "Sarah, my name is Sarah."
"OK, you're Sarah. Why don't you come inside and-"
"I can't go in there." she said, now terribly afraid. Her eyes continued to flicker between the house and me. "He's waiting. He's always waiting."
"Fine, I'll go get some help, and you don't move a muscle." I said.
"You're coming back..."
"I promise I'll come back." I said, and then sprinted to find Trudy.
We finally found the old people's home a little down the street. I took Sarah there.
"It's not like you to go wandering, Emily." a lady said, probably the caretaker, as we walked into the door.
"Emily?" I thought her name was Sarah. Sarah shushed me.
"She's rather confused as you've probably realized," the lady said. "But she's not normally a sprinter."
"Hey, that's Anubis House." I said, approaching a painting. "She said she used to live here."
The lady laughed shortly, "I don't think so, although with some of these old folks, you never know. Truth is, we know very little about Emily's background. ISN'T THAT RIGHT, EMILY?" she asked rather loudly.
"There's no need to shout, I'm not deaf you know." she said. I chuckled. The lady led us to Emily's room. The lady said she was Ms. Abbot.
She got Sarah/Emily into a chair and put a blanket on her. "There." she said, "Better, isn't it, Emily?"
"No." Emily/Sarah said bluntly. I chuckled.
"Now," Ms. Abbot said, glancing at her watch and then to me. "You got some time for a cup of tea or something before you head back?"
"I doubt anyone cares that I'm gone. Some tea would be nice, thanks." I said.
Ms. Abbot left the room and Emily/Sarah stood up.
"I've been waiting so long," she said, "Keeping the secret. Now it's your turn." She made me sit on the bed with her. "Quick, take this." She gave me a locket necklace thing. It was oval shaped with a red circle in the middle. "Keep it well hidden. Or they'll take it away from you. They take everything away from you in the end..."
"Oh, but I can't take this." I said. "It's yours."
"But you must! It will keep you safe. There's treasure hidden in that house, and only you have the power to find and protect it. But you must be careful. There's danger in that house. Evil. It's a bad house. A dark house..." Emily/Sarah started to zone out.
"That sounds kind of cliché." I said, "It's spooky, yeah, but evil? Emily, I don't-"
"Sarah! My name is Sarah and I know you!"
"I'm sorry, but I-"
"And you know me, Mary Ann."
I stared at her, fear building up in my chest. "H-How do you know my name!?" I stammered.
"You must beware the black bird, do you hear me? Beware the black bird!" She insisted.
I stood up. "Uh, OK." I said, heart beating fast. I then left the room without the tea and headed to school.
I managed to sneak back into class unnoticed and made it through dinner.
- Later that evening -
It's evil.
I could see Sarah in the living room. Saying it was evil and that I should beware. I have the power. Then Victor was there as well, and his creepy stuffed raven Corbiere. Feathers started to fall everywhere. There were cawing noises too.
Then a man in a black trench coat and fedora was there. I was lying on the floor, and he was glaring at me. "This puny girl can't be the Chosen One." He scoffed. Everything started to grow dark, like a door was closing.
"Beware the black birds! Beware the black birds!" Patricia's voice said.
My eyes flashed open. Patricia was standing over me, covering me in fake black feathers from a boa. She laughed.
"Ugh, what are you doing?" I asked, sitting up.
"Oh, nothing," she said sassily. "You woke me up." she put on a falsetto, "Beware the black bird." She laughed again and climbed into bed.
"Aww, are you scared? Gonna sleep with the light on, newbie?" She turned her light off and so did I. I took out Sarah's locket. It opened, which startled me at first, but then I could barely see a little girl's painting. I closed it and fell back asleep.
I went downstairs the next morning.
"Sleep well, Mary Ann? Caw caw." Patricia taunted. Jerome and Aflie joined in. So much for fitting in.
"Ignore them." Fabian said. I ignored him too. He's nice and all, but I really need to be alone. He asked me a question but I zoned out. It felt so real, felt... cliché, I know, but evil.
"Does anyone know where Mara is? She's got my hairbrush." Amber boomed, walking into the room.
"Yeah, she's with Mick in our room." Fabian said.
"What!?" Amber practically screeched.
"Whoa, green-eyed monster alert." Jerome joked.
"I'm not jealous." Amber scoffed. "Why would I be jealous? What is there to be jealous of?"
"She's helping him with homework, that's all." Fabian explained quickly.
"Yeah, I know all about that. And I'm cool. I would help him but I'm just, so busy." she flipped her hair. Jerome copied her. Everyone laughed. "I see you haven't sneaked out at the crack of dawn this morning." Amber said, facing me.
"Yeah, so?"
"Fabian said you'd gone to school early, but then you didn't turn up for first class." Amber said persistently. Why should she care what I do?
"Mary Ann was helping an old lady cross the road, literally." Trudy chuckled. "We had a surprise visit, from the old people's home." She explained, and then she disappeared into the kitchen.
"I'm not good with old people." Amber stated, "They're all so... old, aren't they?" Fabian choked on his orange juice while everyone else laughed. "Still, you must be used to it." she looked back to me, "Trudy said your gran brought you up."
"Yeah." I said. Don't go any further, please.
"How come? What happened to your parents?" she asked. And then she struck home.
"Uh-oh, Amber, Queen of Tact." Jerome complained.
"I don't have to tell you." I said. My face flushed and some memories started to flood in. "Because I'm entitled to my personal things."
Amber's face fell, "Oh." she said. "Fine then."
"All that matters is that Gran took care of me. We're really close." I said.
"So how come she's patched you of the a big, bad boarding school, miles away from home then?" Patricia sneered. "Sounded to me like she wanted to get rid."
"Patricia!" Fabian yelled. "Don't be such a witch! I know you're upset about Joy, but that's no right to take it out on Mary Ann!"
I stood up. "You should stay out of things that aren't your business. You don't know me, so SHUT UP! You want to know what I know about Joy? Fine. She has a bitch for a friend!" I stormed out of the room. I got my bag and ran to school.
Class ended too soon. "Biology assignments please!" Mr. Sweet said. Mr. Sweet was a tall man with graying hair. He had dark colored eyes and he wore a suit with a red bow tie with white polka dots.
I packed up when Patricia came over. I prepared for an insult when I was surprised.
"Hey, Mary Ann, I just wanted to say, sorry about breakfast." she said.
I sighed, "What do you want?" I asked. I've seen this strategy way too many times.
"I think it's about time we welcomed you into the school properly. The traditional way." By now Jerome and Alfie were there. Something was happening to trick me, scare me probably.
"What are you going on about?" Fabian asked.
"Alfie," Patricia went on, "why don't you tell Mary Ann about the initiation ceremony?"
"The what?" Fabian questioned. Yes, definite trap.
"Yeah, every new person that comes to the school has to undergo a... an initiation ceremony." Alfie said.
"Since when?" Fabian exclaimed dramatically.
"Since forever, Fabian." Patricia said, trying to win him over.
"What are you-"
"It's fine." I interrupted. "You want to trick me?" I said to the three, "Fine, I'm game. What do I have to do?"
"We'll tell you at dinner." Patricia said. Then they left. I rolled my eyes and we all dispersed.
It was preparation for dinner when they told me. "So, Mary Ann's initiation takes place tomorrow night, okay? At midnight." Patricia said.
"The witching hour, mwa ha ha ha ha!" Alfie laughed.
"Alfie cut it out." Fabian scolded.
"Tell me, Fabian, does it ever get boring, always, always being the one to say, 'cut it out' or 'that's not right'?" Jerome teased. Everyone laughed, including Fabian.
Then Fabian stopped laughing. "No." he said. I started laughing.
"But isn't the haunting hour 3 a.m.?" I asked. "That's what it's like back at home."
Jerome shrugged. "What does she have to do?" Amber asked.
"Go up to the spooky attic and bring something back to prove she's been." Alfie taunted.
"You're going up into the attic?" Amber asked.
"Sure, it's not like-"
"Totally haunted." she interrupted.
"Really?" I asked.
"She's right," Jerome said, as though he had kept it a secret, "By the ghosts of former students who went up there, never to return."
The masterminds laughed. "Getting cold feet?" Patricia asked.
I rolled my eyes. Puh-lease. "No way, maybe I can bring the ghosts down with me, and possess you three. Possess you and never give you back your body." It was my turn to laugh like a maniac. I smirked at them. "Can't wait. What am I doing tonight?"
"The key. She can't go into the attic without the key. She has to steal it from Victor." Patricia announced.
"Yes!" I cried out, "It's about time I stole something from him."
- after dinner -
Jerome and Alfie and Patricia were telling me how to get the key while we stood outside before the staircase down.
"What are you larks looking at?" Victor called out, coming out of his office. Alfie dropped down.
"We were just admiring your coat. Is it vintage?" I lied. Screw his coat, who cares about it!
"Just as I thought!" Alfie exclaimed. "The floor. It could use a polish."
"Ah, yes." Victor agreed, " In that case," he picked up Alfie from the floor by his arm and started to drag him downstairs. "Feel free to polish it, Alfie."
Alfie started to complain and make excuses. I bolted into the office, took the master key set, and opened the key box.
"ALFIE!" Amber's voice cried out. Something fell and I sped up. I took the key, shut the box, threw the master set back on the desk and rejoined Patricia and Jerome at the top of the stairs.
Victor looked at us suspiciously when he returned to his office, but left us alone nonetheless.
I showed them the key. "Lucky," Alfie exclaimed.
"Extremely lucky." Jerome said.
"We'll see just how lucky she'll be tomorrow night when she goes up into that attic." Patricia scoffed. I just smiled. Mary Ann, one; Patricia and Pranksters, zero.
Next thing I knew it was the next day and I was in History class. I sat down and Fabian sat next to me. He's been doing that lately, always sitting next to me and stuff.
"All the world's a stage," a loud voice said. Everyone turned around to see a man sitting in the last row. "And the men and women, are merely players. Hey. My name is Jason Winkler and I'm your new History teacher. I'll also be teaching Drama." Mr. Winkler was a young man. He had brown hair and eyes. Nice smile.
"You're Mr. Fleming's replacement?" Mara asked.
"Yeah, that's right." he smiled.
"Yay, hot teacher." I joked. He moved to the front of the classroom.
"Wow, I am so pleased he had a heart attack." Amber said. Some started laughing while others looked at her strangely. "Sorry, that didn't come out right."
- Biology Class -
Mr. Sweet was going on about some one's law, but I wasn't paying attention. I was looking at the locket Sarah gave me.
"That's nice, does it have a photo inside it?" Fabian asked.
I gasped because I hadn't realizing he was watching too. "No!" I said quickly, tucking it under my shirt.
"I'm sorry, I was only making conversation," he said, confused.
"Mr. Rutter," Mr. Sweet interrupted. He said something in I think Latin. "Silence is golden."
"Duct tape is silver and my bike is rusty." I finished. The class laughed.
Mr. Sweet went over to see Patricia who called him.
"Sorry." I whispered to Fabian. "The locket's supposed to be a secret."
He nodded and the bell rang. We all packed up and Fabian left. I hurried after.
"Fabian, wait up!" I called out. "I'm sorry about earlier. And before that when I ignored you. I was being a bit-"
"Rude?" he suggested.
"Well, I was going to say bitchy but, yeah, rude works too." I said.
"It's OK." he smiled. "Look, you're not seriously going to go through with this initiation nonsense are you?"
"Yup." I said.
"You don't have to," he said.
"Yeah I do." I said. "I need their souls so I can continue my master plan, mwa ha ha ha ha."
He chuckled, "You're tougher than you look."
"Like a cookie." I said, "Though I do really like soft cookies."
He chuckled and we walked to Drama together.
- Drama -
Alfie took a deep breath. "Yeeeeeeeeseeeeeh." he went in a high-pitched wail. He spun around and ran around the room. Everyone laughed. He bumped into Amber's chair.
"Thanks Alfie, some of us are here to learn." she said. Ha, says the one with the magazine.
"And what exactly are you supposed to be?" Mr. Winkler asked him.
"A mosquito in a spin dryer, isn't it obvious?" Alfie and I said at the same time. We all laughed.
"And now for something a little more serious." Mr. Winkler interrupted. "Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet." I groaned silently. "Timeless, tragic."
"Everywhere you look." I muttered. He started passing the books out.
"See, it says here that if your boyfriend is not paying enough attention to you, you have to flirt with someone else to make him jealous." Amber whispered to me, though why she was talking to me I had no idea.
"Swap, please, Amber." Mr. Winkler said, holding out a copy of Romeo & Juliet.
"Whoa, Winkler, you want to read girl gossip?" I asked, pretending to scoot away in my seat.
"Do I have to, sir?" Amber asked sweetly. He nodded and she swapped.
Amber and Alfie were picked to reenact a scene from the book. I was only half paying attention until I got bored and decided to pay full attention.
"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak of this?" Alfie boomed.
"Tis my name thy is my enemy. Thou art... thou art..." she looked at the crowd, then at the book. "Truly the yummiest boy I have ever seen, Romeo."
"Uh, Amber that's not in the script." Alfie said, panicked. Amber dropped her book and smooched Alfie right on the lips. Someone whistled.
"Wow." Jerome said. I stood and started clapping.
"Truly the best remake I have ever seen of this play." I yelled. Everybody laughed. I glanced at Mick, who looked quite pissed.
- Midnight, Initiation Ceremony -
Patricia and The Pranksters shined flashlights in my face. I winced at the light.
"Are you Mary Ann Norton?" she asked.
"... Yes." I said.
"Is there anyone who can confirm this?"
"You." I said pointedly.
"Mary Ann Norton. You are here to prove that you are brave enough to be at Anubis house. Swear on the graves of all your ancestors that you will not tell a living soul about tonight."
"I swear." I said. That you're an idiot, I thought but didn't say. "Can you shine the light away though? It hurts." I rubbed my eyes. I took my bag and we walked out the door.
Fabian, Amber, and Mara were there, holding flashlights at themselves to make the setting spooky.
"Oh, spirits of Anubis House." Patricia rambled, "Guide the new girl," she shined the light in my face, "On her initiation quest and keep her from harm in the haunted attic."
"Oh, c'mon this is ridiculous." Fabian said. Patricia shushed him back to his place.
"Unlock the door," she ordered me. I walked up to it, opened it and looked back at them.
"See ya in a moment." I said, and walked. I was only on the third step when Patricia pounced, shutting the door and locking it.
"H-Hey! Why'd you lock the door?! Let me out!" I yelled. I ran back, banging on it.
"You heard her, let her out!" Fabian said, his voice full of panic.
"Not until you tell me about Joy's disappearance." Patricia hissed.
"I don't know anything!" I yelled.
"Then you'll have to stay in there 'till morning." She concluded. Fear built up in my chest. Surely they wouldn't leave me up here all night, would they? Blood roared in my ears. I slammed my fists against the door. Memories were coming back. Bad memories.
"Alright, Patricia, you've had your fun, now unlock the door." Fabian said.
"Yeah, Patricia, this is getting silly!" Mara whispered.
"Whose side are you on?" Patricia said angrily.
I jiggled the doorknob. "Last chance," Patricia threatened. "What can you tell me about Joy!"
"Nothing! I know nothing!" I cried. Hot tears streamed down my cheeks, "Besides the fact she's missing and has a psycho for a friend I know nothing!" I banged in the door.
"You're not really going to leave her in there all night are you?" Fabian asked.
"Let me out!" I screamed. I banged on the door.
"Stop banging!" Patricia hissed.
"I'll stop banging when you let me out!" I sassed.
"What's all this noise?" Victor's voice bellowed. I stopped banging and backed away from the door. Uh-oh. I started up the stairs. There was a murmur, then I could hear the door open and close, and it and it didn't sound friendly.