Hey Guys, sorry this chapter is a little late. I was busy with my bigger projects. By popular demand, this has some Jara and some Mickber. More couples to come (except Fabina, sorry!) Comments, reviews and request are always welcome. Remember, you can tweet me EveGlass_Author for any questions or requests.
More chapters up soon, I promise! :)
Patricia
Cinnamon, chocolate and lemon swirled into my nostrils, making my stomach gurgle eagerly.
I left my suitcase in the hallway at the foot of the stairs and followed my nose to the kitchen door. Inside, a short Asian woman was busily mixing a bowl of dough and humming happily to herself. A tray of freshly-baked chocolate-chip cookies lay on top of the stove to cool.
The woman looked up and smiled when she saw me standing in the doorway. "Oh, hello lovie," She said, putting the bowl of dough down on the central island of the large kitchen. She wiped her hands on the flowery apron she was wearing. "I'm Trudy Rehmann, your housemother." She explained.
It was funny really. Trudy seemed like the complete opposite to my mother. She smiled, she baked, she was warm and welcoming, whereas Mum was clipped and short even with her children, and she rarely ever did anything that didn't involve her work. I walked over to stand on the opposite side of the island to Trudy.
"I'm Patricia," I replied. I let my eyes flit back to the tray of cookies on the stove. Trudy followed my gaze and laughed. She picked one up and handed it to me.
"Thanks," I muttered as I took a large bite out of the warm cookie. It tasted as good as it looked and smelled.
Trudy smiled and began mixing the dough again. "Have you chosen a room yet, sweetie?" She asked.
"Not yet," I managed through a mouthful of cookie.
"I see," The housemother said. "Victor!" She called. A moment later, a man with black eyes appeared in the doorway. He was scowling.
"Yes?" He asked with a little impatience.
"Victor, sweetie, this is Patricia. She needs to find a room." The housemother asked, coming around to the other side of the island and putting a hand on my shoulder.
Victor looked at me as Trudy said my name, narrowing his eyes. "Follow me," He said as he turned and walked back out into the hallway. I glanced back at Trudy, who smiled, before I followed Victor.
"Girls' rooms are upstairs and boys' rooms are downstairs. Lights out by ten o'clock every night with no exceptions…" Victor told me as he led me up the wooden staircase. He sounded like a bored tour guide at a museum.
As I always did at home when rules and regulations were chucked at me, I switched to autopilot. Instead of listening as he went on, I looked around at the paintings on the walls and the weird abstract shape that reminded me of an eye cut into the wooden banister half a dozen times.
"This is my office, which is forbidden to students." Victor droned, inclining a small nod towards a little room with large windows looking out over the landing. Inside, I could see a desk, some chairs, a few dark paintings of various houses… and stuffed animals. Lots of stuffed animals. There was a huge black raven on the desk, a few rabbits, a rat, an owl and some other animals I didn't recognize immediately.
Victor took me through a door to the right of the landing, which led us into a square hall. There were a half a dozen doors. All were open except for one at the back of a dark corridor.
"There will be two students in each dormitory, no more and no less," Victor said. Then he gestured to one of the doors. "This will be your room." I frowned. I thought that I should at least be allowed to choose my own roommate. It wasn't a prison, after all.
"Don't I get to chose?" I asked him. Victor shook his head. I wanted to argue, but then I remembered Mum's rant in the car earlier about first impressions, and stopped myself. Instead, I stepped inside the room, wheeling my heavy suitcase behind me across the varnished wooden floorboards.
The room was about the same size as my room back at home. There was wicker basket at the end of each of the two beds, two wardrobes, two chest-of-drawers, a desk and a chair. There was already a girl on the bed closest to the large triple-bay window. She had paused in unpacking her things to look up at us as we entered.
"Supper will be served at seven o'clock sharp, and I expect that both you arrive on time." Victor paused and looked from me to the other girl with a small, unpleasant sneer before adding, "I shall leave you to get acquainted and unpack you things."
With that, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. I stood silently for a moment. I wasn't nervous or embarrassed; I just didn't know what to say. Now there was something new.
I looked at the other girl. She was a little shorter than me, slight in build, with delicate features on her heart-shaped face. She had glossy brown hair and hazel eyes. Her skin was coffee-coloured.
"Hey," She said, sounding as uncomfortable as I felt. "I'm Joy." She walked over to me and extended a hand. I shook it gingerly.
"Patricia," I looked from the bed she had claimed to the one that would be mine and narrowed my eyes.
"Can I have that bed?" I asked, nodding towards the one closest to the window. Joy raised an eyebrow.
"Duh, no," She replied as she sat down on her bed and crossed her legs.
"Why not?" I asked, defiantly folding my arms across my chest.
"Because I was here first, that's why." Joy said simply, taking a T-shirt out of her suitcase and folding it neatly on her knees.
"I would have been first if my idiot brother hadn't insisted on ignoring his alarm clock." I grumbled as I went over to my bed and sat down on the end of it.
"That's just an excuse for not getting your fat butt out of bed early enough." Joy countered without looking up from the half-empty suitcase on her bed. I gave her my best menacing look.
"My butt is not fat!" I snapped. Joy looked up. We stared at each other in total silence for a moment. Then, Joy began to laugh, shaking her head.
"What are you laughing at?" I asked as Joy tried unsuccessfully to smother her laughter by almost jamming a hand in her mouth.
"Y…you!" She spluttered. I continued to scowl for a few moments, but then I felt the my mouth curving into a grin. And I laughed with her.
Amber
When Daddy's car purred smoothly to a halt in front of Anubis House, I got out.
As Bollard, the chauffeur, went to the boot get my suitcases, I checked my reflection in the shiny window of the car. I'd left my fine, silvery-blond hair long and lose down my back, and I'd worn just a hint of nude makeup, which I knew complimented my iced-mint eyes. I'd also worn my brand-new pale pink dress that swirled around my knees when I moved and a glittering new bracelet. Mummy had bought them both for me for the occasion.
I smiled, pleased with what I saw. It was rare that I was ever displeased with my appearance. I usually spent at least an hour if not more in the mornings getting ready for the day. It was unlikely that you would see me in a hideous tracksuit, even when I wasn't going out.
To me, Anubis House just looked like a house made of red brick and slate. It was pretty, but not as nice as Daddy's grey granite country mansion, where I lived with him and Mummy for most of the year. I'd said goodbye to them and my baby brother Peter that morning. I'd almost been late because I had to redo my hair after Peter got a hold of it and messed it up.
With one last glance at my appearance, I turned and walked towards Anubis House. I stopped at the top of the three little steps leading up to the door and looked back to see where Bollard had gotten to with my suitcases. He was struggling to lift one out of the boot.
"Be careful with that!" I called.
"Yes… Miss Millington…" Bollard answered. His face was red and shiny with the strain of the heavy suitcase. As I watched him heave it towards the house, another car pulled up next to Daddy's. It was a sky blue convertible sports car with the hood down. I watched as a tall, imposing man with broad shoulders and golden hair dressed in a dark suit climbed out. A boy about the same age as me got out at of the passenger seat. He had the same golden hair, but unlike the man – his father, I assumed – he was smiling. I watched as he fetched his suitcase from the back seat and set it down on the ground. I melted into a puddle right there in. He was hot.
He looked up and smiled at me. I smiled back and quickly walked over to him.
"Hi," I beamed, extending a manicured hand. "I'm Amber Millington." The boy smiled and shook my hand.
"Mick Campbell," He replied before gesturing to the man beside him. "This is my dad." I smiled and shook hands with Mr Campbell. His face seemed to be frozen in a disapproving frown.
"Pleased to meet you, Amber," Mr Campbell said. There was a loud clunk from behind us. We all turned and saw Bollard, struggling to pick up another one of my suitcases.
"Hold on, let me put this inside and I'll come and help." Mick called to Bollard, grabbing his own suitcase and carrying it quickly towards Anubis House. Mr Campbell and I followed. I was warm and tingly all over, a feeling I only ever usually had when I looked at David Beckham. I loved the way Mick's emerald eyes lit up when he smiled, and how his mop of golden hair fell in a tousled mess around his tanned face.
I smiled to myself as I walked up the three little steps to the front door of the house. I was starting to love Anubis House. If all of the boys were like Mick, then I could tell that I was going to have a fine time.
Mara
I lay back on my newly-made bed and closed my eyes.
The house was quiet, except for the sound of muffled speech from the room next door to mine and the clattering as Trudy baked downstairs. My new roommate hadn't arrived yet. I was nervous about meeting her. What if we didn't get along? The thought made me miss my older sister, Holly, who I'd shared rooms with up until I was ten. She had finished at the school the last year, and she was going to university to become a journalist. I envied her a little. Holly was the girl that everybody wanted to hang out with. She couldn't be less like me. Holly looked for like our mother, whereas I looked more like Dad. We both had black hair, but my sister's was straighter and finer than my froth of thick black curls. Her eyes were amber-gold, and mine were chocolate brown. In personality, we were different too. I was studious and never really broke the rules. Holly was a different story altogether. She had a boyfriend, she went out to parties and she stayed out late, much to annoyance of our parents.
I didn't realize that I could really miss her that much. I hadn't really ever been away from home before. Sure, I'd been away at weekends to stay with family, but at least I knew the people I was staying with. I didn't know anybody at Anubis House. I felt the wave of nerves building up inside of me again.
As I lay with my eyes closed, I heard music start in the room next door. I supposed that I should go and introduce myself. With a sigh, I sat up and gasped.
There was a tall, lanky boy of about my age with messy, dirty blond hair, pale skin and eyes like sapphires standing by the chest of drawers that I had filled with my things, staring at me. I hadn't heard him come in. My eyes fell to one of my white and black polka-dot bras which he was holding in one hand. He was frozen in place on his way back out.
I leapt to my feet. "Hey, give that back!" I yelled angrily. Then the boy's face broke into a grin and he bolted out the door, laughing. I ran after him. "Come back!"