A/N: Hi, here's chapter 10. Sorry it took so long, I was really busy. (But you probably don't care.)

Will someone please give me some constructive criticism? Please! I love your reviews so much, but I would really like someone to tell me what I'm doing wrong or exactly what they liked about the chapter.

I'm so, so, so happy you guys like the story though! Thank you! :)

I don't own House of Anubis.

Joy's POV

Patricia and I remained on the floor after Alfie and Jerome left. Mara sat at the table, but her sobs had quieted.

Eddie had gone back to his room without a word, but Fabian stayed. He sat next to me with a sigh. Like Mara, I had stopped sobbing, but the tears kept flowing, they wouldn't stop.

For someone who's name was Joy, I realized that I'm usually in situations that leave me in tears.

Like Eddie, I left to go to my room, I felt someone's eyes on me as I walked out the dining room door, but I didn't look back.

Up in the room, I laid down on my bed, starring at the ceiling with an expressionless face. I expected more tears to come, but they never did, I was dried out. I rolled over to my right side and looked at the wall. I sighed, that's all, just a sigh. Why was I just now crying? When Amber fell? Why didn't I cry when we figured out Nina was gone, and barely when Mick got claimed. Why now? Maybe it was just too much weight crashing down on an already fragile support stand. I don't know…

I don't know about much of anything anymore.

I closed my eyes and hugged my knees to my chest, wishing I could cry now, but of course no tears came.

Sometime later, I heard someone knock, and then the door opening, breaking the serene but oppressing silence. I didn't flip over or open my eyes or ask who had entered. I stayed where I was, I didn't want to move at all.

I heard them move over to my bed, I guessed it was Patricia. I expect that she would sit at the end of the bed and wait for me to sit up and face her, but I wasn't going to this time.

Surprisingly, I heard her walk around to the far side of the bed, where I was facing, and sit down. I decided to open my eyes, despite the protest of my aching heart.

There sitting on my floor, in front of my bed, was Fabian.

I squinted but didn't say anything. He was silent as well, just starring back at me. I blinked and the smallest bit of left over tears spilled out of my eyes and onto my nose and bed. I sniffled slightly.

Fabian put his hand, facing up, on my bed. I looked at it and, after a moment, put mine on top and sat up. He smiled and wiped my few tears away. I looked down to hide my own smile.

He pulled me up off the bed and led me out the door. Where were we going?

For once, I didn't care.

He took me by the hand up to the attic, but I didn't understand. Why here? He let go of my hand, and I grew sad again. Of course not because I liked him, but because his hand gripped mine like I was gripping on to happiness. He gave me something to hold onto. He comforted me. But the despair didn't last long. He wrapped his arms around me in an effort to console me, but to me, he was something I could hold onto to keep from falling into insanity.

My sobs broke loose, and for once, there was someone there to hug me.

Fabian's POV

I was worried about Joy when she left. I watched her sadly, as she went out of the dining room quietly.

I wanted to go after her, but I didn't want to intrude. I waited for a while, debating, before I decided that I couldn't leave her alone. So far since Nina's been gone, the others have sort of looked to me to lead. And more than that, I was her friend. We used to be so close, but we've drifted, it was time to fix that.

So I got up off the floor and ran upstairs. I slowed down by her door. I knocked without hesitation, but she didn't answer. I waited for a minute before slowly opening the door. I saw Joy lying on her bed, curled in a ball. My heart broke a little for my friend.

I waited for her to open her eyes so I could take her up to the attic. I needed to talk to her; or rather I needed to get her to talk.

She clung on to me when I hugged her, and began to sob. I hugged her tighter. After a while she calmed down and pulled away. I motioned for us to sit down.

"Why are we up here?" she asked.

"We needed a place to talk."

"What do we need to talk about?" her voice sounded weak and cracked.

"About the things you're crying about," I answered simply.

…

"I don't want to."

"But you need to," I countered. I took in a big breath, "I miss them too."

Joy's lip quivered and she brought her knees up to her chest. She hid behind them so only her eyes were showing.

"I get it. I really do. And I'm not going to say, in any way, shape, or form, that it doesn't hurt… badly." She met my eyes. She looked like she wanted to cry again, but she held it back.

"Really?" I nodded, "What does it feel like?"

I copied her position. I decided I wouldn't hold back, even if I sounded feeble, "It's more than just sad… it wrenches your heart sort of." My eyes glazed over. I starred off into space, "It's just not the same without her. She's the best at clues and mysteries… and leading. She'd know what to do. She'd know how to keep us all calm, even if she was terrified inside. We need her… I need her."

I paused, and stopped myself from tearing up; I couldn't be weak, not here, not now.

Joy didn't say anything, so I looked up.

"Is that what it's like?" I asked.

She nodded, "Pretty much." She paused and sniffled, "I just wish Mick was here." Joy closed her eyes again and hugged her knees.

The door opened slowly, and for once, I wasn't worried that it was Victor. I don't care if he catches us.

"Hi." Alfie said. Joy didn't look up, "I had a feeling you were up here, would you mind if I stayed?"

He stood in front of us with an expression I had never seen him wear before; utter misery.

"Not at all." I answered with a slight smile.

He sat and copied our position. Joy still didn't look up.

"What do you miss about Nina, Fabian?" she asked from her knees.

I was caught a little off guard. I gazed off again and sighed, "…Everything." That wasn't good enough; it was much more than that, I had kept it all in for too long.

We were all silent for a moment, a long moment before I spoke again, "I miss her eyes… and her smile." Their silence almost urged me to continue. "And when she'd laugh when I was being a geek." Alfie smirked. I sighed happily and went on, "I miss how excited she got when she figured out a clue… and how horrible she is at dancing." We all chuckled.

"Like you're any better!" Joy countered with a genuine laugh.

"True, true," I surrendered.

"Okay, what else?" she asked.

I sighed, "I miss how clever she is and how brave. And how she would get so curious, she would literally have to pull me up to the attic or to the cellar or all the way across campus and four miles into the woods." I laughed again, remembering earlier this year when she stumbled upon our place in the woods; she was so thrilled and excited.

"I miss her head on my shoulder, and when she read a book leaning against me. I miss her being right next to me all day." Alfie reached out and rubbed my shoulder.

I sighed for what seemed like the millionth time, "I miss her sitting by me in every class and all our study sessions."

I paused, not knowing how to say the rest. "I miss how she led Sibuna, never letting us know that she was just as terrified as the rest of us. I miss how she took the biggest risks and was willing to sacrifice her life to save us. I miss how she took everything being the Chosen One threw at her. I miss her being my Chosen One…"

Joy's POV (A/N: This chapter is mostly about these three in the attic, just so you know.)

As I listened to Fabian's voice when he said his last sentence, I couldn't help but resent the time I had spent chasing him. I hadn't realized how much they had meant to each other, and I felt terrible for trying to break them up and for all the time I had taken up, believing that we were supposed to be together.

His voice cracked ever so often, and I could hear his heart breaking. It was the same thing I heard in my voice… when I talked about Mick.

I decided to share my own feelings, "Mick was a terrible dancer too, with his fish-shuffle-head-bob thing." Fabian and Alfie chuckled slightly, remembering their friend. "I know we didn't spend a terribly long amount of time together, but I still miss those few times we did…

"I don't have a lot of things to share that I miss about him, really. All I know is that… when he so much as said hi to me I felt nervous and giddy and happy all at the same time. And he made me laugh harder than I ever had before. He understood me and I understood him. The people we thought we liked both had been in love with someone else…" I saw Fabian's sad look from the corner of my eye. "I miss… him. That's all there is too it. It makes my heart tear in two, just thinking about him. The thing that hurts the most is… I never got a chance to tell him I… I love him…"

Silence filled the room again. I decided to lie down, despite how cold and dusty the old attic floor was. While starring at the cobweb-covered ceiling, I heard Alfie lie down too, followed by Fabian. Our feet met in the middle.

"Amber tried to teach me how to dance, I'm not saying it worked, but it was certainly funny…"

Alfie's POV

Amber hadn't been gone for long, but there were already things I missed about her.

"I'm going to miss her a lot, I just know it. It's not going to be the same… solving the mystery without her." Fabian sighed, he knew it too. "I know people at school don't see her as… smart, but I do, we do. They don't get to see it. She's a genius inside. She's solved so many of our problems in the mystery without even trying. It's going to be a lot harder without her; she was the best at following her instinct and finding out all the obvious things that we never even noticed. That's the kind of brilliant she is.

"I'm gonna miss her bubbly attitude and her charm and her humor. I'm even going to miss her love antics and Victoria Beckham rants and her critique on my quote 'terrible fashion sense!'" Fabian laughed freely and I smiled.

I sighed soon after though, I wouldn't hear her analysis for a while… I stopped being angry at this stupid spirit for a split second while I sunk into despair. I was truly going to miss her, with every fiber of my being: that I was sure of.

"I'm going to miss holding her hand, and having starring contests when we should be studying."

I'm going to miss trying everyday to impress her and make her laugh. And I'll miss solving clues with her and telling her jokes and having nonsense conversations. I'm going to miss… her."

Joy's POV

I don't know how long the three of us sat there, starring at the attic ceiling; just Alfie, Fabian, me, and our thoughts. I expected there to be a lingering misery or tension or even awkwardness, but there wasn't… It was like someone had taken a fan and blew everything away, just leaving the air. Maybe it was because I had gotten all my thoughts out, but that wasn't it. My thoughts were still depressing, but I felt free… a sad free.

Like that feeling you get when you were devastated about something, but then you cried for a half and hour straight… with a friend by your side. When you were finally done crying, you were still sad, but you didn't feel weighed down anymore. That's what it felt like. And it was a good feeling, not the best… but it was okay.

I was glad Fabian had came up to my room that afternoon. Their mere presence comforted me in way I couldn't exactly fathom. I loved them for it. I knew now that I could be closer to them then I ever had before, especially Alfie… we had never been close before, but I was glad we were now.

There was now an unsaid bond between the three of us, one that couldn't break.

Fabian's POV

My mind kept tracing back to thinking about Nina as the three of us lay there in the middle of the attic.

I knew that we needed to do something with our new clue soon, before someone else got claimed. Eddie believed that the riddles were talking about Robert Frobisher-Smithe and we should check his journals. Now that we had most of the house helping, we could probably cover more of the extensive amount of writing he documented than just Nina and I could.

Most of the house… most of the house… Oh no.

Trudy! We forgot to tell her!

Wait a moment, why hasn't Victor started to get suspicious?

Joy's POV

"Guys!" Alfie and I sat up abruptly.

"What?! What is it?!" Alfie asked frantically with wide eyes.

"We need to tell Trudy about Amber!"

"Oh yeah, but why exactly, did you give us a heart attack over that?" I asked, with a raised eyebrow. It didn't seem that scary. It was just Trudy, she knew about the mystery now.

"Well needing to tell Trudy got me to think: what about Victor? Wouldn't he find this strange? Three students mysteriously disappear and he doesn't ask one question. Isn't that weird?"

"Mr. Sweet hasn't questioned it either. All he did was close up the school for a few weeks. He wasn't even worried." Alfie pointed out.

"Do you think they… know something?" I asked looking back at the door suspiciously. What if Victor did know something? What if he was a part of it all? He had been quiet lately.

"What if this all has something to do with him?" Fabian said, voicing my thoughts.

"You don't think that Victor's the… "One Who Knows", do you?" Alfie asked cautiously.

We sat there silently for a moment before Fabian spoke.

"Eddie thought that it was Frobisher-Smithe, and we were planning to look through his journals down in the cellar later. But I think now… we should investigate both possibilities…"

Fabian was right, it could be either. I think we need to take a closer look at Victor's daily activities, and how much time he really spends doing 'nothing' in his office…

I think that slowly… this mystery is getting more and more complicated…

Eddie's POV

Where did they go? Fabian, Joy, and Alfie I mean. It's been a few hours since I've seen any of them.

I understand Alfie, but what about Joy and Fabian. Patricia said that Joy wasn't in her room when she went up with Mara, and obviously I would know if Fabian was in our room.

We needed to get moving on the Frobisher-Smithe journal thing and figure out how to find Mick, Nina, and now Amber too.

I was going to do whatever it took to get them home as soon as possible. It was the least I could do after completely letting them down.

I don't know exactly what it means to be the Osirion. I only know my main role: Nina's protector. But I knew there had to be more to it. My destiny is to protect all of Sibuna, and I was fully capable of doing so, I just don't know how.

And it drives me mad! I could banish an all-powerful she-demon spontaneously, but I can't even effectively protect my own friends! It was pathetic! Some 'Osirion' I am…

Mark my words; no one else was going to be claimed, not while I'm around. And we were going to get them back soon. We just needed to search Frobisher's journals and find the next clue and then we…

My thought were interrupted by Fabian throwing open the door and sprinting in.

"Whoa! What's wrong?" I said, surprised at his uncharacteristic abruptness, "And where were you?"

"I was in the attic with Joy and Alfie-"

"What? Why?" I interrupted.

"We were just talking, anyways-"

"In the attic?"

"Yes. But that's not important right now." I stayed silent to let him continue, "So while we were up there, we got to wondering: why is Victor so unfazed by everything? He barely reacted to Nina's disappearance and he wasn't even slightly surprised when Mick vanished later. I doubt he'll even react to the news about Amber."

"Maybe that's just Victor being Victor. It's not like he cares about us or anything." I said emotionlessly, putting on my shoes.

Fabian sighed, "I don't think that's all there is to it," he argued, "I think we need to look deeper into his so called 'mellow' attitude he's had lately…

Patricia's POV

Fabian called a Sibuna meeting and, surprisingly, everyone came. Even Alfie. I was worried about him… and Joy… and Fabian, but for some reason, they all looked particularly happy. I'll have to ask Joy about it later.

I was the most surprised at how normal Alfie looked. Amber had been claimed just this morning and he didn't even get to say a word to her before it happened, none of us did. Not even Jerome or Mara, who were both in the same room.

I'd expected him to look completely devastated, but instead he looked kind of… sad but serene…? At first I thought he might had been close to passing out or something, based on his far off look, but he doesn't seems like he's going to fall over just yet…

I stood next to Eddie with crossed arms. He didn't turn to face me so I looked his way. He had an odd look of disappointment in his eyes, and I wondered what that was all about. I decided to ask him later.

We held the meeting in my room, considering Nina and Amber weren't here.

"Okay," Fabian said from the opposite side of the circle, "We called this meeting to discus the new clue Alfie and Amber found yesterday, about the One Who Saw All and their diary."

I nodded, "Did you figure it out?" I asked excitedly.

"Not exactly, but we're getting closer."

"First I had the idea that it was Robert Frobisher-Smithe, considering that he put together both of the other mysteries, hence 'The One Who Knows' and 'The One Who Saw All.'"

"Ah… good work Edison," Jerome mused in sort of a teasing way. I rolled my eyes.

"But then Joy, Alfie and I got to thinking," Fabian said, "What if it was Victor? He's been locked up in his office all the time since the last mystery."

Joy explained further, "Plus he's been just a little too nonchalant about all of the disappearances. A little suspicious, don't you think?"

"But then, who is it? It could be either really." Mara pointed out. That's what I was thinking.

"We don't know?" Fabian answered honestly, "We're just going to have to observe both possibilities thoroughly and hope we can find something."

"I guess if that's our only option, I'm in," I agreed.

"Me too!" said Joy and Alfie together.

"I'm up for a challenge," Jerome said.

Mara nodded with a smile in silent agreement.

Eddie smirked, "For the quest… for the scroll… for our friends. Sibuna."

"Sibuna!"

Fabian's POV

With a new burst of confidence, we headed down to start our first task, re-reading Frobisher-Smithe's journals.

"Okay guys," I directed, "There are… R-O-B…. twenty-one journals to cover, and we should probably check out any other books we can find down here." The others nodded in agreement. "Okay… so there are… seven of us," I said while doing a quick count. Only seven left… we need to hurry, "So everyone needs to read three. It might take a while, but Nina and I read them last term and it only took a few days for only the two of us, so… we can do this."

"If you already read them, then why are we reading them again?" Patricia asked.

"Yeah," Jerome agreed, "Shouldn't you know if there's anything important in them."

"But when we read them the first time, we were looking to find something on amulets and clues to get to the Mask of Anubis. We weren't really paying attention to 'The One Who Knows' and everything." I answered, "But I suppose you do have a point. We could skip reading the journals if you want, but we might miss something."

"I think we should read them," Joy said, looking to Patricia, "Just incase."

I smiled at her, "Well in that case… ready… set… read!"

Everyone grabbed a journal and sat down somewhere in the underground study. My mind drifted slightly when I read the first couple of words in the diary labeled "O." I started to remember when Nina and I had read these dusty books, and I chuckled slightly at the memory. Then I realized that if we were ever going to find her, we needed to get moving, and I focused once again.

Still Fabian's POV

An hour passed, and just about every one of us had begun to slowly fall asleep. I forgot how boring these were. What was with this guy? Who writes about clouds literally all day? I'm not kidding! Her writes about 'Cloud Observing' at least once in every journal, for at least seven pages!

I get it! A cloud that resembles an Egyptian chariot would be pretty cool, just not eleven pages cool.

"I can't take it anymore!" Patricia outbursts suddenly, waking up Alfie in the process.

"Could you shut it for a second Patricia?" Jerome asked in annoyance, "Some of us are trying to sleep-read here."

"It's not my fault this guy only writes about 'the consistent weather patterns' and how 'amazing' it was to dust a remain from the outside of Whoever's pyramid!" Alfie had managed to fall back asleep.

"This is so boring!" Joy agreed.

"Even I think so." Mara said surprisingly. She hadn't spoken much since, you know… Amber.

"Maybe we should just take a break. Clear our heads for a while." I looked down at my watch (the new one I had to get after The Amazing Alfredo got a hold of my other one) and the time was 2:36. "Let's meet back here after diner, as long as Victor doesn't get a sudden burst of energy and decides to come down. Sibuna?"

"Sibuna."

Practically everyone scattered from the room directly after the meeting ended, all except for Alfie, who was still passed out on the dusty couch. I shook my head with a laugh and decided to leave him in peace.

…

I made my way up slowly to the cellar door, and shut it behind me, hoping Victor wouldn't come down and see that it was unlocked.

I thought about going back my room, but I decided that I would take a walk outside instead and clear my mind like I told the others they should do.

I was sort of planning to just walk around the school, but my feet took me into the woods.

Absentmindedly, I strolled through the forest, not really focusing on where I was going. I soon passed the Sibuna meeting place next to the burnt-out tree, and started on a path that I knew all too well.

Soon I reached the low trees and didn't hesitate to move right through them.

I stood there for a while, with my hands in my pockets and my eyes glazed over. A slight smile played on my lips.

I walked around the lake and through the trees and finally stopped at the bench. I couldn't bring myself to sit down. I sat next to it on the ground instead. I wouldn't sit on that bench until Nina was here with me.

I stared at my surroundings. It was all exactly the same as the first time I saw it, but… it didn't have the same effect on me, it seemed much… duller… less enchanting. It wasn't the same without her.

I lay back on the grass with a sigh. My memories brought both sorrow and delight.

The times Nina and I sat next to the lake, with our bare feet resting in the water, and when we raced to the top of the tallest tree, and she beat me by a landslide, and when we came here the day after the first bit of snow came, when we laid down on the white-covered field and stared up at the sky.

But then I looked at the bench, and my smile faltered. I wish she was here. I thought.

I wished nothing more that that.

I hope she's okay. I thought again desperately, I hope they're all okay…

A/N: Hope you liked it! Poor Fabian, and Joy, and Alfie. So… who do you think the One Who Knows is? Is it Victor or Frobisher-Smithe? Hmmm… *Strokes imaginary beard*

I wish I could have made Fabian's little scene right there a little longer and more... despressing, but tell me waht you thought anyways!

I'd like to tell you a funny story, but most of you won't read this anyways, soooo I won't. But if you really wanna hear it. Let me know, and I'll tell you in the next chapter, if you really want me to.

Sorry for the delay. I've had so much gym practice lately because of States, and an annoying amount of Wednesday practices (Cough. Cough. Only day off! Cough!)

Review! There were no reviews for last chapter! Ahhhh!

Please! CONSTUCTIVE CRITICISM! I'M BEGGING YOU!

Question: What are your 3 favorite songs?

Mine are… When the Saints (Sara Groves)/When Can I See You Again (Owl City)/ Indescribable (Chris Tomlin)

(Wunderkind (Alanis Morissette)

This Is Home (Switchfoot)

The Call (Regina Spektor)

Le Festin (Camille)

Desert Song (Hillsong United)

Walk On the Water (Britt Nicole)

Eyes Wide Open (Jars of Clay) and the list goes on and on and on….)

Farewell

-And once again we enter the strange and predictable world that is… Amber's mind.