House of Sibuna
Nina spread her hand down her bed, having just finished unpacking all of her things and putting them back where they had been for what seemed like ages. Willow came in humming some little ditty or other. "Upstairs, downstairs, outside. in..."
The great grandfather clock in the downstairs hall began to chime ten, and she heard Victor begin his traditional pin drop speech. She smiled. She never thought she'd miss it so much. She muttered the familiar words under her breath.
"It is ten O'clock, you have five minutes precisely, and then I want to hear a pin drop."
Even Willow froze, not daring to move as they waited. When they heard the creak of the stairs announcing Victor's return to his office she relaxed.
"That still gives me the jitters," Willow confessed to Nina as she jumped playfully into bed.
"You get used to it," Nina assured Willow as they turned off the lights. "And then, even when you're gone just for break, you actually miss it, and you find yourself reciting it every night, when your clock reads ten, and you imagine that you hear the distant sound of the grandfather clock chiming..." Nina trailed off and glanced shyly at Willow.
"Sorry, I'm rambling aren't I? That sounded really cheesy."
"No," Willow disagreed, "I think it sounded lovely. You really missed Anubis House that much?" Nina nodded, silently staring up at the ceiling. She couldn't sleep, not that she wanted to. She wasn't sure she'd be able to wake up again in an hour. She waited as the hour ticked away, and Willow fell asleep across the room in the other bed. When at last her watch read 11, Nina slipped silently out of the covers, and tip-toed across the floor, careful to not let the door creak as she opened it. She closed the door just as carefully again, and then swung around as she heard a creak form behind her. She grinned when she saw it was just Fabian. Then she mentally corrected that thought.
No, not just Fabian, she thought. My Fabian.
"You ready?" he whispered. She nodded.
"Any trouble getting past Victor?"
"No, he wasn't in his office," Fabian replied. Nina wondered why that might be, but didn't relish another mystery so soon, so she pushed it from her mind.
Shortly, all the other Sibuna members were assembled in the attic. The original members, Nina, Fabian, Patricia, and Alfie, and the newest recruits, Eddie and KT.
"Sibuna everyone," Nina greeted, and all everyone raised their right hand, echoing the greeting. "Sibuna."
"So, last term you all defeated a great evil I hear," Nina continued. They all looked down at the ground.
"Barely," Eddie insisted. Fabian, Patricia, and Alfie all looked especially shame faced. Fabian had explained the whole thing to Nina, and she felt for them. It wasn't their fault, they had been played.
"Still, you and KT did a great job," Fabian said. "The world is safe again, and Frobisher is spending his glorious days of retirement roaming through Egypt with Harriet. Which reminds me..." Fabian reached for the bag he'd brought up with some goodies he'd slipped under the table during supper. he pulled out a fat envelope and handed out letters that had been stuffed inside. "Eddie, KT, these are for you."
Eddie and KT took the letters, reading them curiously.
"They're from Frobisher," Eddie remarked, slightly surprised. Fabian nodded.
"Yeah, I got them yesterday. He sent one for me too. Said he's enjoying seeing the pyramids again. He also told me to tell Nina, well... the Chosen One, thank you."
"Why would he want to thank me?" Nina asked.
"Probably because of the help you were to Sarah, before she died," Fabian answered, holding her hand. "And for all you've done for the house, and the world in general."
Nina made a face. "I really hope this term can just be normal, for once."
"At Anubis House?" Eddie asked. "Is that even possible?"
They all laughed.
"Seriously though," Nina said, "I'd rather not end up cursed by some evil spirit, or something."
"Me too," Alfie chimed in. "Evil spirits, Frombies... it's all to much dude! My frail mind can't take all this cursey stuff, and school work on top of that."
"Don't worry man," Eddie said, patting Alfie's shoulder. "Hopefully, nothing like that will happen."
That night, Nina dreamed of Sarah. They were in the clearing in the woods, the clearing Amber had dubbed Sibuna Clearing. Sarah looked on Nina with a very sad smile.
"My dear, you can not stay at Anubis House and expect it to be easy."
"It can work," Nina insisted. "I can't bear losing anyone else!"
"If that is true, it would have been better for you to stay away."
"Sarah, I don't care what happens to me, but please, don't let anything happen to my friends! Not again!"
"It's out of my power, Chosen One," Sarah said. "Nothing good can come of the Chosen One and the Osirian being together. You will each face a test. The last Osirian failed it, let us hope for the sake of all you love, that your Osirian is made of greater stuff then the last."
"Rufus," Nina said. "But what happened to him Sarah?" Sarah had already left.
A great crack appeared in the clearing at Nina's feet, and a trail of smoke rose from it. laughter shook the ground.
"Chosen One," it said. "Osirian. Answer me. Free me."
TBC
