I don't know how many of you saw this message on my other story, but this is probably my last update until like the 21st. I'm only able to update on weekends and my choir tour will have me busy all week. So unless you live in New York City and want to walk around Times Square looking for me... you'll have to wait and read later. It won't be that bad, remember, Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit!

Chapter 10

From their position at the breakfast table and the way both boy's eyes flashed towards me from the moment I walked into the room, Eddie and Fabian had been waiting to talk to me. Sitting between the two of them, I opened my mouth but couldn't get a word out before I heard a scream. Dashing into the main hallway, I saw Patricia sitting at the bottom of the steps clutching her ankle. Gilt racked through me as I realized what had happened-the 8th floorboard had slid from beneath her feet and sent her toppling down the stairs.

"What is going on down here?" Victor, who (from the state of his clothes) had slept in his office, cried. "What are you all doing."

"It's my ankle!" Patricia cried genial as ever. (Yes, that was sarcasm.) "One of the boards broke and sent me flying!"

Trudy had already pushed past us in an attempt to check out the injured girl. "Just a sprain," the mother concluded to my great relief. "I've been telling you for ages to get that board fixed, Victor." Trudy chastened. (Ah how memories can be influenced by events.) "I always said one of the kids would hurt themselves on it."

"Nonsense," Victor concluded gruffly. "The board was fine until Miss Williamson broke it."

To everyone's surprise, it was Eddie who stepped in with a lie, "Actually, sir, I think you're wrong. I, myself, have fallen on it many a times."

Fuming, Victor stalked back to his office ignoring the floorboard that he was supposed to deal with. Fabian and Eddie helped Trudy carry Patricia into the lounge where they gently set her on the couch. "This is just terrible!" Amber cried dramatically. "Now how are you going to dance at me and Mick's getting back together party?"

"Like I would have danced anyways," the cross girl rebuked. "I hate dancing."

"Well then you've obviously never had the right partner," Eddie mumbled to my surprise. He hadn't meant for anyone to hear it, but both Patricia and I had.

"And I'm assuming you're that perfect partner here to sweep me off my feet, slime ball."

Eddie didn't respond with anger to the harsh words. Instead, he just chuckled, "I guess we'll have to get you back on your feet for tonight and we'll see then, won't we, yacker?"

"I wouldn't dance with you if we were the last people on earth." I didn't know Patricia well, but something told me she couldn't possibly hate Eddie as much as she pretended to. Still, the idea of Patricia and Eddie tolerating each other, never mind liking each other was ridiculous. They couldn't possibly be flirting, could they?

Well, I wouldn't know. My love life consists of nothing but a few stolen glances at Fabian.

Fabian. I'd like to think my feelings stem from the fact that he was here for me when no one else was, but that can't be the case. After all, Eddie was nicer to me first and I most certainly didn't feel anything for him! No… the thing with Fabian was just that he was smart, and hot, and funny, and geeky, but in the good way. He just seemed like such a great guy… and while he might like me, I'll be waiting for him to make the first move guaranteed.

All the fuss over Patricia's ankle led to us practically running to school, so it wasn't until after classes that Eddie and Fabian caught up with me. "Any idea what the key is to?" Fabian wondered after I told them that I'd hidden our new found possession beneath my bed.

"No idea," I admitted looking to the others for suggestions. Fabian too shrugged, but after being silent for a second Eddie came up with an idea.

"Well the attic seems to hold all the clues, right? Why don't we use the party tonight as a cover. We all go for a little bit and then once we've been seen but won't be missed we head up in the attic and try to find things with little key holes."

"They're called locks," Fabian, who'd never really approved of the wild-child American who kept tagging alone, corrected. "And that's a horrible idea! There will be tons of people in the house to see us sneak out!"

"Which is why it's such a good idea." I had to go with Eddie on this one, despite the fact that Fabian was the smartest amongst us. "Everyone will just assume we're with someone else, because they'll have seen us at the party. It's the perfect cover."

"I still don't like it," Fabian admitted, but, aware we'd carry through with or without him, he grinned. 'But what the hey. Let's give it a go. We stay at the party for the first half hour or so, go upstairs, and then go back down to the party. No one will be any the wiser to our other adventures."

"That's weird," I mumbled while trying to get the door to mine and Patricia's room open. "It's like it's jammed." Just as I was about to give up the door swung open as if all the pressure exerted on it had just been released. A incredibly nervous Mara and scowling Patricia stood in the open doorway looking guilty. Glancing an eye under my bed to make sure the box was still where I left it, I released a fake smile, "The party started and Amber was looking for you."

"We were just going down." Patricia's spiteful tone sank my heart. I hadn't expected us to become best friends or anything, but we'd be nicer to each other since Joy's e-mail came in. What had I done now to anger the girl?

"Great, see you down there," I replied stepping aside so they could get past. Once the girls were gone I ducked beneath my bed and pulled out the keys I'd hidden there. Meeting me by the attic as planned I handed Eddie the key to unlock the door.

"You know we really should return this and just pick the lock," the blonde haired hooligan suggested. "If Victor notices it's gone we'll be in a world of trouble."

"You're right," I admitted. Keeping the key this long had been really stupid of me, especially where I did know how to pick a lock with only a hair pin. "I'll leave it outside his office next time he's not in there."

"Okay then," Fabian told us firmly. "Let's go find the lock for this treasure chest."