The alarm began ringing at 7 AM, dull sunlight poking through the breaks in the drapes. Nina, Amber, and KT slowly sat up, stretching their arms and greeted each other. "You have NO idea how much I've missed this." Nina said, bending down to put her slippers on. "I'm an only child, so I never had to share a room with anyone, until I came here." "I missed this, too. Fashion school was kind of boring….Wow, I can't believe I actually just said that." KT laughed, "Hey Amber, can you help me put together an outfit?" "Sure, what for?" Amber started rummaging through the wardrobe. KT was a bit hesitant to explain why. "Who is he?" Amber asked her bluntly, her arms crossed. "Since all of the boys in this house are taken…" "Ah, he doesn't…I mean, I don't know yet," KT sat down on the end of her bed. Amber laughed. "Sometimes I swear it seems you and Nina could be related…or maybe it's just an American thing…" Amber trailed off, and spaced out. Nina shrugged at KT, and walked out the door with her toothbrush and toothpaste in hand. Jerome passed by Nina on the way to Joy's room. "'Morning, Nina." Jerome greeted her politely. "Good morning, Jerome." Nina said before shutting the bathroom door. Jerome held a tray with two Danishes and two glasses of orange juice. He stood outside the door, listening to see if the girls were still asleep. He heard Willow talking about flowers. Jerome gently knocked. "Come in," Willow shouted. Carefully, Jerome opened the door with one hand, managing to keep everything remaining on the tray. "Good morning, Joyous," he said happily. "Aw Jerome, you didn't have to. I was about to head downstairs," she sat on her bed, fully dressed and ready to start the day. "Humor me." Joy sighed, a smile spreading across her face, and scooted up toward her pillow. "We're going to head downstairs, then." Willow led Patricia out of the room. "So I was thinking," Jerome began, snatching one of the Danishes off the tray, "that we go out on a double date with Patricia and Eddie, or Alfie and Willow, or…" "Nina and Fabian?" Joy finished for him, taking a bite of the Danish. "Don't worry, I'm completely over that." "You sure? I'd understand if you weren't-" Joy cut him off. "I'm sure, a hundred percent sure." Jerome sighed in relief. "Oh good, I don't know what you even saw in him…" Joy pursed her lips, smiling, and threw a pillow at Jerome's face.
"Where are Jerome and Joy?" Fabian asked. "They're eating breakfast in our room," answered Willow, "how romantic!" "Did you guys find out who Victor was meeting with last night?" Nina asked the guys. The boys had insisted they find out who the mystery guest was, and let the girls sleep. "Yeah, well, we overheard a bit. We're not exactly sure who he is." Eddie responded, Sibuna was in a huddle in the living room. "He said something about 'Isis Necklace'" Fabian said, looking puzzled. "He also said, 'watch out for him, Victor.' But then we had to go because they were going to catch us," said Alfie. "Isis Necklace? What's that?" Nina questioned. She heard the name before in a book somewhere. "Time to head over to the library?" she suggested, trying to hide her excitement. "To the library!" Fabian grinned. Nina and Fabian rushed out the door. "Amber, can I talk to you a minute?" Alfie asked her, he had to get it over with sometime. "Sure…." They walked into the kitchen. Alfie had both his hands leaning on the counter, hanging his head. How could he put it without hurting her? "Ambs-" Alfie started before Amber interrupted. "You're dating Willow…I know." Alfie raised his head, and turned to face her. "I mean, I didn't know if you were ever coming back, so I-" "It's okay, I understand." "Still friends, then?" "Of course we're still friends." Alfie hugged Amber much like he did that day after he got out of that small tunnel. "I missed you, Ambs," he whispered. "I missed you and your silliness, too," she whispered back, letting go. "I've got to go organize my wardrobe, I'll see you later." Alfie watched her leave, wondering if this was really the right thing to do.
Patricia walked in the kitchen, and saw the look on Alfie's face. "What's bothering you?" she asked. "Indecisiveness," he replied, "what about you? Where's Eddie?" "Oh, he was called to Mr. Sweet's office for some father-son bonding." Patricia made a face. "I got a new game, we could go play if you'd like. Bet you I'd beat you though, Trixie." "Oh yeah, you're on! I've gotten better at video games since we last played them." They walked out of the kitchen toward Alfie's room to play what would become a long marathon of Patricia losing. Eddie walked into the school building, it was nearly empty since school didn't start for another couple of days. He walked down the familiar hall, thinking how this would be the longest he's managed to stay in a school for the past few years. This school was becoming his home. His dad was here, his girlfriend, his best friend…all that was missing was his mom. Eddie knocked on the headmasters door a couple times, before he heard him shout, "Come!" Eddie walked in, and gave his father an awkward wave for a greeting before sitting down. "Eddie!" Mr. Sweet shouted, finally calling Eddie by the name he prefers. " It's wonderful to see you arrived safely. How were your travels?" Mr. Sweet asked his son, they were slowly getting closer. Last year's circumstances had not affected their relationship much. "Long," a loose smile playing on Eddies lips. "Flight, train, cab…but it's worth it." "Ah, that does sound very draining. But good to hear you enjoy it here! And how is your mother? Is she doing well?" "Yeah, she is. She's actually going to be flying in for a visit next week." "Really?" Mr. Sweet shifted in his seat, he knew he'd have to see her again, he was just hoping later rather than sooner. "She said she's looking forward to seeing you." "Yes, it certainly has been awhile," sweat started to bead on his forehead. He decided to change the subject. "So, how are you feeling about the new term?" "A bit nervous, to be honest. Every term, some new thing happens. But hey, that's life in High School, right?" "Yes, right." Sweet agreed. "Oh yes, before I forget, are you free this evening? I've got a surprise I think you're going to like." "Yeah, I don't have anything else going on. I'll see you later then?" Mr. Sweet was busy getting ready for the new school term, so their chat couldn't last long. "Of course," he nodded.
"Where was that book?" Nina said aloud, searching the Frobisher Library. Fabian was at the table skimming through a pile of books he found on a nearby shelf. "Why are all of these books missing the last page? I mean, what kind of person does something like that?" Fabian said, frustrated, it was just plain rude. "I don't know…I wonder why they're missing," she was nearing the end of the bookshelf, and still hadn't found the book she was looking for. "Hey Nina! Come look at this!" Nina ran over to Fabian, he was jabbing one of the pages. "It says here that the Isis Necklace can grant immortality if worn while drinking from the Cup of Ankh, no special date needed. But, the Chosen One and the Osirian must say an incantation in order for it to work." "What about the Scales of Life?" "It doesn't say…" Fabian continued scanning the pages. "Well that explains why Victor wants it. But doesn't he know about the true meaning behind the Scales of Life? Victor's bad, but he's not evil." "Maybe there's a way to get around it, like with the special date," he suggested. "Let's go back to the house and tell the others." Eddie walked back into the house, his father on his mind. What was that reaction about when he said his mom was coming for a visit? KT was coming out of the living room when he walked in. "Hey Eddie, how was it with your dad?" "Good…and weird. It always seems like he's hiding something from me," he shook his head, heading for his room. "I know the feeling…" she said quietly, on her way up the stairs.
Victor was pacing his office, only stopping to pet his raven. "He's coming today, Corbierre," he mumbled. "Finally, the waiting shall be over soon…" Shortly after, the front door of the house opened, a young man walked through the door. He was quite tall, slightly muscular. He wore a dark blue sweatshirt, silver basketball shorts, and a black cap worn backwards. Light brown spikes of his hair poked out through the space in the front of the cap. He was slightly tanned, with striking blue eyes. Trudy heard the door shut, and left the kitchen to greet the new arrival. "Oh hello there! I'm Trudy Rehmann, the house mother. Welcome to Anubis House." "Hi Trudy, I'm Dillan Riley, nice to meet you," he said politely, in an American accent. "Let me give you a tour of the house, you'll be staying upstairs in the newly renovated attic with another boy who will be arriving today," she led him through the doors to the living room. "This is the living room where the students hang out together…over here is where I serve meals," Trudy gestured at the longer, wider table that had just come in a short while before Dillan. She showed him the kitchen and laundry room before walking through the door to the hallway. "Now the downstairs bedrooms are where the other boys of the house stay, upstairs the girls." She began ascending the stairs, Dillan followed close behind. "That's Victor's office, and completely off limits, he gets mad if anyone's caught in there," Trudy pointed at the windows of Victors office before going through the door leading to the corridor. "These are the girls' rooms," she gestured at the doors. "The curtain down there and to the right is Victor's room, which is also off limits. And this is the girls' bathroom here." She turned toward the attic door. "To the right here is my room, and through there is the attic. Come on; let's go see where you'll be staying." Dillan was amazed at how old and huge this house was, certainly not like anything he's ever seen back home. They climbed the dark, dusty stairs, and opened the door that led into what was now Dillan's room. The walls were painted a cream color; the window's let in a lot of natural light, which made the room less eerie. There were two twin beds that have yet to be slept in. Overall, the room was quite bare, just waiting for it to be decorated by its new occupants. "I'll leave you to unpack and get settled. Let me know if you need anything." "Thank you, Trudy, I will," once he heard Trudy's footsteps decreasing, he pulled out his cellphone and dialed. "I'm here," he said into the phone.
Trudy called the students down for supper; everyone had remained in their rooms while the new table was being brought in. Everyone was at the table, but Dillan. He was still unpacking his things. "Lovelies, one of our new students has arrived. He's up in his room, putting away his things. He'll be down to join you all shortly." The group smiled at Trudy until she left the room. "So, we have to find this Isis Necklace, then?" Patricia asked. "Yeah, before Victor does." Nina responded. "This feels just like deja vu, trying to get to something before Victor does," said Amber, sipping her soup. "What are you guys talking about?" KT asked, she wasn't here when they had to make it through dangerous traps to the Mask of Anubis. Willow was intensely listening, as she had not yet started at Anubis House. "We had to find the Mask of Anubis before Victor," Nina began. "He wanted it for the Tears of Gold, so he could make his Elixir of Life," said Fabian. "While we had this cursey spirit lady, Senkhara, threatening our lives if we didn't get it for her," Amber chipped in. "So we had to go through this long set of tunnels that Frobisher created, to get the mask for her," Patricia said. "While Victor was scheming to swoop in at the last moment and take it from us, letting us do all the dirty work," said Alfie. "And one of the obstacles was a game of Senet, which Nina, and eventually pretty much the rest of Sibuna, ended up locked up in some underground room, and I had to help save them," Joy was pleased she was able to be included in this conversation. "Then in order for the Mask to work, they needed the Frobisher Gem that I spent a great deal getting back, while trying to keep Rufus Zeno away from the Mask and Gem," Jerome said, just the memories of all of that made him shutter. KT and Willow had heard about Rufus Zeno in passing. "So then Senkhara made Nina put on the Mask so she could go to the Land of Rushes, or whatever it was, and I used my Osirian powers to save her, but not before Joy had been struck by some bolt of light, and had to be saved by a Tear of Gold from the Mask" explained Eddie. "Wooow…." KT and Willow said simultaneously, blinking in wonder. "That sounds intense…" Willow said. "Let's just hope this new tunnel from our vision is nothing like that," said Eddie, without thinking. "New vision?" some of the students had yet to learn about this new development.
"That's something else I've been meaning to talk to you guys about," Nina said, sheepishly. "Eddie and I had a vision, of the two of us in some creepy, unknown tunnel. We didn't get more than a glimpse around though, and we don't know why we had it.…" "I was thinking about that…." Everyone turned in Eddie's direction. "What if, the Isis Necklace we're looking for is somewhere in those tunnels." "That's good! That could be…but where are they?" "Summer House," Amber blurted out, spinning the spoon around in the soup. "That's where Nina was drawn to when we first got here." "You never seize to amaze me," Fabian said, grinning at her. "I'm sure she's right." "I know right, I'm just SO clever…" Amber shrugged her shoulders in satisfaction, and smiled. She loved being right. Dillan walked into the room then, hesitantly standing under the doorframe. Jerome and Joy looked over at him first, everyone followed their lead after a moment. "Hey, I'm Dillan. One of the new guys," he took a couple of steps in the room before Eddie stood up. He held out his hand for Dillan to shake. "I'm Eddie, nice to meet you. This is my girlfriend Patricia, KT, Fabian, Nina, Amber, Willow, Alfie, Jerome, and Joy," Eddie motioned toward each person as he said their name. "Nice to meet you all," Dillan gave them all a quick wave. "Here, come join us," Jerome offered, motioning toward one of the two empty chairs at the table. Dillan hadn't eaten anything good in nearly a day, he was starving. "Where are you from, Dillan?" Nina asked, grabbing the pitcher of milk from the table. "Seattle," Dillan answered, serving himself some salad from the center of the table. "Why'd you leave the States to come to school here?" KT asked, curious. "Because I- Whoa, how many of you are American? I thought this was an English boarding school, or did I never leave Washington?" he exclaimed after hearing their accents. "No, these three are the only American's here," said Patricia. Jerome guffawed. "Ah, I see. Nice to know I'm not the only one, then. I was afraid I'd be the only one," Dillan said, nervously. He had never been away from home before, much less out of the country. "I think you'll like it here," Nina said, smiling at him from across the table.
Sibuna asked Dillan questions about home, his friends, and his reason for coming to the school. He seemed to relax, these were friendly people, and hoped they could be his friends. He had always wanted to study abroad somewhere, and when he found this school, he applied. Dillan was like the perfect student, perfect attendance, never got in trouble at his previous school, amazing grades. Yet he was still shocked he got the scholarship. "So, you're a geek and a goody two-shoes, then?" Patricia said, amused that there was another one in the house. "Patricia!" Eddie warned, she just had to do this…. "Don't worry, Dillan, she's always commenting about me. I'm sort of a "geek" as well," Fabian gave Patricia a look. In response, she looked down at her almost empty bowl. "I think it might be a compliment…." "It's fine, I know I am. I chose to be one. But actually, I'm really into sports too. It's always seemed to balance it out." "What subjects do you like to study?" Fabian asked, leaning just a big closer to the end of the table where Dillan was. "Math and History, I'm particularly good at Algebra. History, I know a bit about most countries history. Chinese, American, British, Egyptian, German…." The group exchanged glances when they heard "Egyptian". "We'll have to discuss Egyptian History then sometime," Fabian suggested. "I'm REALLY into that myself." "Yeah, definitely," Dillan nodded in agreement, "It's pretty interesting how this house is named after Anubis." "This school loves the whole Egyptian theme," Willow spoke. Victor trudged down the stairs; the boy had yet to come. There was a slight knock on the door when Victor was already starting down the hall. He spun around, rubbing his hands together. He opened the door, and a figure stepped in the house. "Welcome!" Victor said enthusiastically, holding one of his arms out. "Right this way…" The boy stepped in, and set his bags on the ground. "Hello, Victor," the boy shook his hand. He had strawberry blonde hair, some of it falling down his face. He was of average height, pale skin, and grey eyes. He was the British boy everyone was expecting. "Why don't you go grab some supper, the students are in the dining room eating," Victor suggested. "Yes, I think I will," said the boy.
He walked into the dining room, and sat down in the empty chair, not even bothering to greet the people at the table. "You must be the other new guy, I'm Dillan," he said warmly, holding out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Skylar Thompson," he replied back, without shaking Dillan's hand. "What brings you here, Skylar?" Alfie asked him. "I came in here to eat, not to answer your stupid questions," Skylar snapped. "Sorry dude…" everyone looked at each other in astonishment as Skylar continued to eat his meal. He ate only a few bites more before excusing himself from the table. When he was gone, the tense atmosphere had lifted. "Okay, what is WITH that guy?" Jerome said. "He needs and attitude adjustment, that slimeball…," Patricia commented. "Sorry Dillan, none of us are like that," Fabian tried to reassure him that those at the table were indeed good people. "That may be, but he's the guy I'll be sharing a room with," Dillan said grimly. 'Well, I guess everything can't be all good, this is after all still high school,' he thought. "Hey Dillan, the guys and I are going to be playing some football in a bit, want to join?" Eddie offered. "Football as in American football, or football as in soccer?" Dillan questioned, he knew their different terminology. "American football. The guys haven't played it before, and I thought it'd be some nice bonding time." "Sure, I'm in," Dillan was surprised, he had only been here an hour, and he's made some new friends. All except that Skylar guy…. "Are you girls going to watch?" Eddie asked. "Why not," said Patricia. "Of COURSE! I love football!" KT gushed, "I'm an Eagles fan." "Eagles? No, SEAHAWKS," Dillan said, grinning. "Eagles!" "Seahawks!" Nina and Eddie laughed, American things were generally not discussed here at the table. "I'll help you guys set up," Nina offered. "Me too," KT volunteered. The American's left the room, talking about football teams and their players.
The remaining members of Sibuna looked as if they were surprised at what just happened. "I think that was cute, I mean, they're in a different country after all. And with so many of them here, it must be refreshing for all of them." Joy said. "Yeah, and can you imagine what it was like for Nina when she first came here? Surrounded by a bunch of foreigners, and everyone disliking her right off because of Joy's disappearance…." Fabian felt a bit of guilt stir in him, as did the others. They cleared their throats and shifted in their seats. "I'm glad Dillan doesn't have to go through that, he seems just as friendly as Nina and KT when they got here," said Amber. "And he's BEYOND cute." Alfie clenched his teeth, he was becoming tense. He hated the thought of her with someone else. "Alfie, are you okay? You aura's changed color," Willow said, concern in her tone. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered, looking down at the table. "You know what, I'm going to go get ready to play. See you outside in a bit, yeah?" Alfie stood up and walked out of the room. "I should go get ready, too," he said, and kissed Joy on the head on his way out the door. "How about later we get all the girls together and hang out?" Joy asked the girls. "Oooo sounds great!" Willow said enthusiastically. She loved spending time with the girls. "We definitely should, I'll tell Nina and KT," Amber said. "Are you going to play with the guys, too, Fabian?" Patricia asked him. "Yeah, I thought I'd give it a go," said Fabian, getting up from the table. "I'll see you guys later." "What do you think we should do?" Joy said excitedly. "Is everything alright, Alfie? You seemed a bit off earlier," Jerome asked when he opened the door. "No, everything is NOT fine," Alfie said angrily. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I like two girls." Alfie was lying on his bed, with his hands up to his head. "The one thing I thought I would never do, and here I am," he was disgusted. "Well, at least you're not cheating on them both," Jerome said, trying to make him feel better. "Might as well be, I'm still hurting people." "Look," Jerome began, sitting on the side of Alfie's bed. You're confused. Amber is back, and you're still feeling feelings for her. But that doesn't mean she's the one you should be with. You'll just have to find out," Jerome changed into some sweats and a T-Shirt while Alfie thought about what he said. "You're right. Amber and I are friends, we'll just hang out as friends, and then maybe, eventually, I won't feel anything for her anymore." Alfie looked more hopeful, even though he knew he was kidding himself. He got up and changed as well.
The girls were sitting on the sidelines, waiting for the boys to start playing. "Did you know Fabian won the Dodge Ball Tournament last term?" Joy asked Nina and Amber. Nina and Amber looked as if they hadn't heard her right. "Fabian won a dodge ball game?" Nina asked, surprised. "Yeah, in a mascot suit no less." "Here, I've got photos," Patricia pulled out her phone and handed it to Amber. "Whoa, first the pushups and now THIS. I think we've underestimated him, Nina," said Amber, her mouth open in shock. Nina just smiled and shook her head. There were a lot of things about him that had changed, but that didn't bother her. He was still the Fabian she remembered, her best friend. And that would never change. Just then, Fabian looked over at her. He gave her that intense gaze and grin that caused her to look down, blushing. "Some things never change, right Nina?" Amber said, lightly nudging Nina. "Yeah, looks like it," she still looked down at the ground. The boys were running around, trying to block each other from getting by. There were a lot of fumbles, but the boys were doing pretty well considering three of them had never even played the sport before. Dillan threw the ball, which headed right toward Eddie and Fabian. Fabian jumped up and caught it, and ran as quickly as he could toward the touchdown. The girls stood up and cheered, screaming "GO FABIAN!" as loud as they could. Up in the attic, Skylar watched them, a grimace on his face. "Those twits, laughing and playing some daft sport. This is a school, not a playground…." He mumbled. The truth of it was, Skylar never played sports, nor had friends to play them with. His father wouldn't allow it. Skylar would see the kids playing outside, just itching to go out and play, but his father told him, "Who needs friends? They'll just end up hurting you one day, abandoning you. You don't need anyone but yourself, Skylar." Skylar was homeschooled his entire childhood, this was his first time away from the confinement of his house.
Dillan's team won the game. Fabian, Dillan, and Alfie were giving each other high fives after the game was over. "I'm never underestimating Fabian again," Eddie said. He walked up to Fabian and congratulated him on his win. Eddie didn't hold his attention for long. Fabian walked over and sat by Nina. Joy, Patricia, and Willow were already talking with their boyfriends. Dillan felt sort of awkward, almost everyone was paired up. All except Amber and KT. He had noticed Amber glancing at him here and there at dinner, so he thought he'd go over and speak with her. "Hey, Amber is it?" Dillan asked, sitting by her on the grass. "Yes, you played really well out there. Were you on a team back in America?" Amber asked politely, she knew a thing or two about sports from her days with Mick. "I was, but I wasn't like the Quarterback or anything. It was fun, but I had to quit after football season my first year on the team to concentrate on schoolwork." Amber nodded, she wasn't quite sure what to say in response. And this guy for some reason made her nervous. "Everyone's paired up here, huh?" Dillan said, motioning his head toward the 4 couples in the grass. "Yeah, those two over there," she said pointing to Fabian and Nina, "are my best friends. They've had a lot going on the past few terms." Dillan made a mental note to get to know them, especially Fabian, he seemed a lot like him. "And what about the others?" "The girl in the leather jacket, Patricia, and Eddie have also had a bit of a rough time, but they're totally inseparable. They can both be a bit…headstrong, but they're good people. Jerome and Joy," she pointed at them, they were holding hands. "I don't even know how THAT happened. Last term I was at Fashion School in New York, and I came back this term to this," she was motioning toward them with her hands, she doesn't understand how they came to be. At all. "And then those two…" she said, a bit uneasy. "That's Alfie and Willow….Alfie's my ex, they got together after I left so I don't know much about that either." "Oh…Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" "No, it's totally alright. You're new, of course you've got questions about us." "If it makes you feel better, he's an idiot for going for her instead of you," he said, but then quickly added, "Not that he's a bad guy or stupid or anything…." Amber giggled. "I understand what you mean…and thanks," she smiled at him in appreciation. She was flattered. "Anytime," he smiled back before he left to tell the guys he was calling it quits for the day.
"It's 10 o' clock! You have five minutes precisely, and then I want to hear a pin…drop," Victor announced, he began walking up the stairs after dropping his pin to check on the students. Up in the attic, the boys weren't doing so well. "Look man, what's your problem?"Dillan asked Skylar, irritated. "We're roommates, the least we can do is try and get along." "I don't need to get along with you. Just stay out of my way, I'll stay out of yours, and we won't even need to speak to each other. Got it?" "Yeah, fine, whatever," Dillan rolled over in his bed, facing away from Skylar. Victor quietly tiptoed up the steps, the door creaked open. Skylar glanced at Dillan, making sure he wasn't paying attention to him. He quietly got out of bed and walked out the door. Victor and Skylar were silent until they were in Victor's office. "Your father tells me you're into Egypitan History and Mythology," Victor said, looking out the window of his office. "Yes sir, it's a hobby and passion of mine." "Good…good…. There's something I'll be needing your help with, Skylar." It was the first day of school, Anubis House had class with another house at the school. They had a new teacher, Mr. Grenald, who took Ms. Denby's place after last years…incident. "Okay class, please open your books to page 234," Mr. Grenald said, sitting down at his desk. "Psst," someone whispered. "Psst, Nina," Eddie was calling her. She and Fabian turned around. "Sibuna meeting afterschool, okay?" He said, looking a bit concerned. Nina and Fabian nodded, and looked at each other in confusion.
The students met in the usual Sibuna meeting place out in the woods. "What's this about, Eddie?" Fabian asked. "I've been sensing that something's wrong. I keep having dreams about the Summer House, and the urge to go there keeps getting stronger." "I know, I've been feeling it too. I think we should go check it out," said Nina. "Before we do that…there's something's up with my dad. I think he's hiding something from me about my mom, she's coming to visit next week." KT quickly looked down at the ground. She hated hiding things from Sibuna, but she promised…. "You don't think it has anything to do with Isis Necklace and the Summer House do you?" Fabian asked him. "I don't know….I guess I'll have to find out next week," Eddie said glumly. "Come on, let's go check out the Summer House," Nina motioned for them to follow. They walked up the stairs of the Summer House, looking for a way in. "Hey! I think I found something!" Joy shouted, everyone rushed over. "It's a secret door…." Fabian commented, pushing it. It didn't move. "Let's see if we can force it open," Eddie backed up a few steps. The guys did the same. All four of them rammed the door, but all it did was hurt their arms and shoulders. "Geez, that thing is stuck!" Alfie whined, rubbing his arm. Willow examined the doorway. "I don't think you're going to get this door down by force." She sounded like she knew how to get it down. "What do you mean, Willow?" Joy asked. "Nina's locket goes there." She pointed at the Eye of Horus shape near the door. "Nice one, Willow!" Eddie grinned, and gave her a high five. Nina walked up to the door, and put her locket up to the shape. The door began groaning, and slowly slid open. It was pitch black inside. Eddie pulled out a small flashlight from his pocket. Nina and Eddie turned to the group. "We're going in first," Nina said, motioning to Eddie. The group started to protest, but Eddie stopped them. "No. We're going to check to make sure it's safe enough for you to go in." "But we're a team!" Patricia nearly shouted. "I know we are, but I do not want a repeat of the last tunnels," said Nina, her voice not much above a whisper. "We'll let you know if everything's okay in there, and then you can follow. Just wait here, please Yacker?" Eddie looked at her with concern. Patricia sighed. "Okay, we'll wait here." He hugged her then. Nina looked at Fabian and gave him a hug, too before Nina and Eddie walked through the dark doorway.
Nina and Eddie walked carefully into the blackness.
"My flashlight barely makes a dent in here," Eddie said, shining it all around the walls.
"Mine neither…," Nina said.
They walked far enough down the narrow stairway so they couldn't be heard by the rest of Sibuna.
"So Nina," Eddie started. "I've been meaning to ask you something."
"What's that?" she asked, half-curious.
"Do you think that it was just coincidence how both the Chosen One and Osirian are at this school?"
Nina was silent for a moment, all they could hear in the dark was their feet on the stone.
"No, I don't think it was," she finally answered.
"How did you end up attending school here?" he asked her.
"Gran said she found out about this school here, and I found out I had a partial scholarship. I thought it was a great opportunity, so I agreed. And Gran did her share of convincing…."
"I wonder how she knew about it," said Eddie. You could tell he was deep in thought over it.
"I know you told me how you ended up here before, and then your dad being the principal and all…but why exactly this school?"
"My dad insisted I come to the school, he was really insistent. At the time, I thought maybe he wanted to get to know me. But now that I found out I'm the Osirian, I have my doubts. He does seem genuinely happy I'm here, but then other times, not so much….What are your parents like, Nina?"
"My parents died when I was little, I don't really remember them," Nina said, a hint of sadness in her tone, and shrugged.
"Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine, really," she said with hushed tone. "I just…sometimes I wonder what it would be like if they were still here."
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to them?"
"They died in a car accident. I was left with my gran, they were going out of town for business, I think."
"Nina," Eddie said, his voice had a bit of urgency in it, "what if that's not what really happened to them?"
"What?" Nina asked, shocked. Where was this coming from?