Rufus sighed with relief. "Nothing," he said.

I stared at his hand, which rested on the doorknob of Anubis House. He flexed it, preparing to turn the knob. "Wait!" I shouted.

He looked at me, and I nearly melted. How could ice-blue eyes make you melt? It was against the laws of nature. "What is it?" His body stiffened, as if he were sensing for danger. "Is something wrong?"

A little startled by a reaction so strong, I shook my head. "It is just...I think we must talk before we go in...about the ceiling."

"We had the whole walk here to discuss the ceiling," Rufus pointed out, seeming evasive. "It must not matter much to you if you did not bring it up before now."

"I want to speak of it now."

"I do not."

"Why? Before, in the hallway, you agreed...you were the one who said that we should talk in the first place!"

"So..." He was getting angry. He pulled us away from the house, where Victor and Mr. Rodenmaar would not be able to hear. "So you are allowed to suddenly decide you want to talk, but I am not allowed to suddenly decide that I do not want to?"

Maybe I should cry, I wondered. Crying always worked for Bea. She frequently wept in front of boys, and they always tripped over their feet to do whatever she asked. I squinted hard at Rufus' face, trying to induce moisture.

"What are you doing?" he asked, mouth agape.

I blinked quickly, swiping at my eyes. "Nothing," I said sullenly. "Just tell me, Rufus."

"No." He stepped up to the door, opened it and went inside. I followed.

Mr. Rodenmaar and Victor were standing in the hallway, a little too close to the door. I noted Victor's reddened face. They had been listening. "Welcome, Mr. Zeno," Mr. Rodenmaar, said grandly, with as much warmth as it was possible for him to muster. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, sir," Rufus answered shortly.

"Come in, come in!" Mr. Rodenmaar ushered the young man into the common room, while Rufus and I followed behind. "I cannot tell you how eternally grateful we are to you for protecting Sarah. She is an absolute treasure to us."

Rufus was staring at Mr. Rodenmaar warily, like he was afraid the elderly man was going to attack him. "I am glad I was there, sir."

We sat down on the couches. I scowled at my plain, brown shoes, looking up at everyone from beneath my eyelids - Mr. Rodenmaar watching Rufus, Rufus watching Mr. Rodenmaar, Victor watching them both. "Rebecca!" Mr. Rodenmaar called. "Please bring in the tea things now."

Our stout maid wheeled in a cart with cups and kettles and trays of sandwiches and sweets. Asking each of us what we would like, she began to prepare the tea. We were all silent as she did so. Her steady hands flew over the cart until we were each holding a delicate china teacup. As the three of us sipped away, Mr. Rodenmaar resumed his questioning. "Tell me, boy, how did you manage to shield Sarah so quickly?"

Rufus, mouth full of tea, did not answer.

"You heard the roof creaking, perhaps?"

Rufus swallowed and coughed. "No, sir. It was simply...an instinct."

"Surely not." Mr. Rodenmaar stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Victor said you were upon her..."

Seeing how uncomfortable Rufus was, I decided to interfere. "Please," I said gently, in my best teatime voice. "May we not speak of it? We are both all right, and the recollection of the experience is...traumatic. Let us drop the subject."

Rufus glanced at me gratefully, and my heart warmed.

"Alright, then," Mr. Rodenmaar said gruffly. "Tell me about your family, Rufus."

A tense hour later, we were saying goodbye to Rufus at the door. I walked back to my room with a secret smile on my face.

That night, I heard voices in Mr. Rodenmaar's office. I crept down the hallway in my nightgown and slippers and crouched by the door so they would not be able to see me through the glass.

"...lying, I am sure."

"Perhaps not, Father. Perhaps it is an instinct they themselves do not understand."

"No one who is in possession of power is unconscious of it. I know that better than anyone. Young Zeno was lying to us through his teeth, and he is quite good at it. Sarah must know as well. She was quite good at avoiding the subject."

"Sarah does not know."

"And you know this how, Victor? Are you two the best of friends again? This is news to me, and I would guess to Sarah as well."

Silence.

"She hates me, Father." Victor's voice is strained with emotion.

"Yes, yes." Mr. Rodenmaar sounded distracted. I heard papers shuffling. "There is only way to discover if Rufus is lying..."

Downstairs, there was a crash in the kitchen, and Rebecca called for help. Knowing I would soon be discovered, I retreated to my room and threw myself upon the bed. My sleep was restless that night, haunted by nightmares filled with ice blue eyes and waterfalls of chamomile tea.

If you like it, please review!