epilogue:

"Im gonna' miss this place so much" Mara sniffled into the crook of Jeromes shoulder as he and her sat on the sofa, the others gathered around them so that every one was together for this one last time, on this last day of being seen as Anubis kids.

The stains on the carpet and the tears in the leather seating would forever be mysteries to the new residents when they arrived next week, but to them they were the reminders of fading summers and winters, of the time Alfie made a smoothie explosion all over the tiles and the day Ambers hair straightners burnt a hole right through the seat of the couch.

"I know precious, so am I" Jerome soothed running his fingers through Maras hair absently mindedly as she held on to him with all her strength.

Fabian was the first to leave, wiping away the tear drops of a sobbing Nina, who promised to come and visit him as soon as she got back from her trip to America. He and Mick climbed in to his fathers land rover Fabian pressing his hand up to the glass, as he gazed in to her eyes before the car turned a corner and was gone.

Nina was the next to leave, handing her address on a slip of notebook paper to Amber, who promised to call, write and email every day until Nina found out whether or not she got in to any of the British colleges. Nina clambered in to the taxi and Amber followed, both of the girls meeting their families at the airport.

Alfie was the third to leave, handing a stuffed green alien plushie to Jerome before he turned to leave. "Im gonna' miss you so much bro'" he wept as he pulled him in to a bone crushing hug, Jerome fumbled around awkwardly patting Alfie on the back. "We'll always have pranks Alfie, now we just have to go global."

Alfie smirked, hugged his friend one last time and then taking Patricias hand they walked to the taxi together.

Patricia murmured some thing unintelligible as she passed Mara, to which Mara nodded, before Patricia passed Jerome smirking and saying "See ya slime ball" one final time.

The only sound throughout the house was the ticking of the clock and the beating of two toiling hearts.

"I cant believe its over" Mara sobbed, her face in her hands before Jerome forced her to look up at him.

"Mara I want to show you some thing" he pulled softly on her hand and she stumbled up the stairs after him to the empty room that was once his and Alfies, without their things the house was ghost like.

"Jerome what do you want to show me, honestly being up here is making things worse" she cried,her trembling feet nearly buckling beneath her as Jeromes hands held on to her waist helping her along.

"I wanted to tell you about my history, we've been together for a while now and I still havent told you, but I trust you, I want you to know."

And so Jerome sat her carefully down on to the carpetted floor, she shivered a little as the draft ran through the house like a ghost screaming for help as the time ran through their fingers like sand.

Jerome breathed deeply, inhaling as much air as he could making himself dizzy, numbing his mind as his hands withdrew the key from the pocket, as they unlocked the bottom draw of the chest and withdrew from it the ancient chest, the white marble and ivory seeming almost to glow in the sunlight.

Maras eyes widened as he placed it in front of them and joined her on the floor and layed its objects in front of her, she sobbed even more and smiled and stroked each object as he passed them to her and told her the story.

Finally he told her the story of the heart she always wore, she had never been able to unlock it.

He lifted it from her neck and pressed the hidden button at the side in the shape of a rose, shaped with the slightest hint of diamonds and sliver of elegant silver, the dull gold heart sprung open to reveal a slightly smaller silver one, and Mara gasped again as he opened that heart by pressing a small purple tulip design on the front, it sprung open to reveal the final heart.

"There was one thing I could never understand" Jerome whispered, as Mara watched on in awe. "Why the man at the store would tell me to be so careful with the heart as though he almost knew I would need it one day, there was one thing I never told you"

He passed the final heart, one made of red satin, to Mara and she pressed the small black key hole catch design. The heart creaked open to reveal a small slip of paper.

She curled it open softly with her fingers to read, "things arent always what they seem"

She looked down in to the heart again in confusion, to see that the black satin lining the inside was uneven. Jerome shivered nervously, his eyes restless as she pulled gently on the even square until it revealed a glint of gold. she Grinned widely as she pulled out the small band.

"Mara" he whispered in to her ear "Marry me? I know Im not much but I love you and I want to make you happy for the rest of my life"

Mara threw her hands around his neck.

"Yes yes YES" she laughed, sobbing fresh tears, soaking her beautiful face, tears of simple summer joy.

He whispered quietly as thoughts of a hopeless little boy filled his mind.

Before her lips touched his he breathed "Stay with me?" a little uncertain of how sure of forever she was.

She kissed him softly on each of his eye lids and the tip of his nose.

"Always my love" she replied

"Its forever though" he reminded her unsurely again.

"I know my love" she sighed, the sun pink on her cheeks "not long at all"