Ugh, sorry I missed the date again! I swear, I have an excuse, I've been busy. So... This is the second to last chapter! Thank you so much for sticking by me for so long! It really means a lot! Enjoy, for there is lots of romantic tension and Mabiann!

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE HOUSE OF TREASONS

"Amber texted me." I told Patricia. I sat on her bed while she was sorting through some of her school papers. "No idea why, I mean she's right downstairs." We both laughed. "And… there's going to be an end-of-term prom!"

"Ugh, seriously?" Patricia groaned.

"What, you don't like prom?" I asked. She shook her head. "I think they're fun. Then again, I've never actually been to prom…"

"What? You haven't?" It was her turn to look at me.

I blushed. "Is that weird? I mean, no one ever asked me. No one ever told me about them until they were over. I wasn't exactly 'Miss Popularity'."

"Makes sense." She said. "If you don't have a date, you usually just stand there looking like a fool. Or dance like an idiot." We both laughed. "Let's head downstairs before anyone misses us." I nodded and we headed out.

When I got to the staircase, I saw Victor counting the steps. He stopped at eight. "It's all beginning to make sense now…" he muttered.

'What the…' I mouthed to Patricia. She shrugged. We walked down the steps, making our presence known.

Victor turned to us and gave us a weird look. Was he still not used to my llama hat? Or was it the neon purple t-shirt I was wearing? Maybe the deep blue jeans?

"Under the eight stair, hmm?" he said to us. He had a strange look in his eyes. Raving, or delirious, it seemed. It was more noticeable as we got closer. "But what was under the eighth stair? A clue, the cylinders, what?" I winced at the loudness of his voice. He blocked our path. "I'm asking you something here, answer me." We remained silent.

After a terrifying moment, he moved. "No matter." He said, shooing us down. I quickly descended, wanting to get away from him. He knew. He knew something. "No matter, I shall find out soon enough."

What did that mean?

"Victor's losing it." Patricia murmured to me as we started for the living room.

"Yeah, he looked delirious! Did you see the look in his eyes? I mean, –" I stopped, realizing Mick and Mara in the room. They were sitting on the back of the couch. Amber was sitting in a chair. Fabian was sitting at the table. "Hey," I regarded. "Like he was going to kill us all, y'know? Like Darth Vader or something. All, force crushing with the hand." I babbled clenching my fist in front of me dramatically, taking any meaning out of my words.

"So," Mick said expressively. He got up, eyes on Fabian. He leaned on a chair at the table. "Haven't you got something to ask a certain someone?" he said teasingly. I eyed them suspiciously.

"So I heard we're having prom." I talked to Amber. She shushed me, eyes fixed on the two boys. I raised an eyebrow at her. Weird… she'd be jumping right now.

"Nope," Fabian said quickly.

"About the dance?" Mick pressured.

"So, dance?" I asked, trying to get someone to talk to me.

"Mara and I are organizing an end-of-term prom!" Amber informed me.

"Ah!" I screamed, clutching my head. "I've American-ized you! With proms! Next thing I know you'll be reciting the Pledge of Allegiance!" I waited a moment, and then laughed afterwards to show I was kidding.

Amber looked at me with pure confusion. "The what?"

I waved a hand. "Ignore me!"

"Anyway," she exclaimed excitedly. "Fabian was wondering…"

"Who," Fabian said in a panicked tone, "you'll be going with, Patricia." I stifled a laugh. Aw, Fabian liked Patricia? Not a likely pair considering the personality clash, but opposites attract right? I tried to be Amber for a second. What would their relationship name be? Fabicia?

But something was crushing my chest (metaphorically). It hurt a bit to think he wouldn't ask me who I was going with. But, then again, we were only friends. It wasn't like he liked me like that…

"Why?" Patricia asked. Fabian glanced at Mick. Awkward moment alert.

"No reason," Fabian brushed off, "Just curious."

"Uh, I don't know. No one probably." Patricia answered the question. So that's why she didn't like proms. No one asks her.

"Great. OK." Fabian said. There was that pain again. Snap out of it, Mary Ann. "Good." Uh oh, that was not the right thing to say.

"Good?" Patricia wheeled on him.

"No," Fabian said quickly, correcting himself. "No, not good." Everyone stared at him. "Absolutely, definitely not good. I mean… it could be good because… someone will ask you eventually…" We all stared at him again. "I'm going to go and… going to go and brush me teeth before supper…" He made his hasty exit then.

"Awkward." I sang when he was gone. "Looks like someone likes you, Trixie." I mentally kicked myself for sounding like I was sad. Hide emotions…

"No way!" she retorted.

"Did you see him stammering?" I raised an eyebrow at her. "He likes you, it's a sign!"

"Oh I'm not sure about that." Amber argued.

"Whatever…" I shrugged. You're a fool, Norton. No one likes you that way. No one ever will like the murdering bitch.

My iPod rang out, signaling that I got a new email. I unlocked it, and scowled when I saw whom it was from. Those jerks at my old school finally replied to my email that I sent a couple months ago. Fate really hated me, didn't it.

'Fuck you,' it read. 'You're a worthless freak. You won't get anywhere in life. Why don't you just die and save everyone else the misery? We'll even celebrate, and then quickly forget that you even existed.'

My face flushed with anger. I didn't respond, but I deleted the message. They still had the nerve to tell me to die? And I'm a worthless freak, oh really? Who's in England now, you bastard? Who's living the dream via scholarship, which you only got by being smart?

"Mary, are you OK?" Amber asked. I blinked hard.

"Yeah," I smiled dishonestly. "Just those stupid ads, you know?"

"Oh, I hate those!" Amber rambled. "They aren't even interesting!" She started to go on, but I zoned out.

"Supper!" Trudy called. We all went to the table.

"I'll get Fabian." Mick said, leaving.

Amber was still going on about ads. "Amber!" I yelled to interrupt. She stopped. "The dance? What are you going to wear?"

"I haven't decided yet, but we're going shopping tomorrow, since it's Saturday." Amber said matter-of-factly.

"We?"

"You, me, Mara, and Patricia. Duh." She said.

"I never agreed to this." Patricia and I chorused.

"You're still going." Amber said. She got up to get the salad bowl. Mick returned, looking a little upset.

"Fabian's not eating?" I frowned when I saw that it was only him.

"He's not hungry." Mick said. "And I broke his mug."

"Better luck than us." I said. "Going dress shopping tomorrow."

He winced. "Ouch. Good luck with that." I giggled.

Amber came back. "So Mara, what's the plan about getting me a date for the prom? A girl wants to be swept off her feet." I rolled my eyes. Not always, I prefer both feet firmly on the ground.

A hand landed on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Fabian, grinning. "Mary Ann, can I speak to you? Now."

"Yeah, sure." I shrugged. I made the excited puppy part of me heel.

"Yeeaaah." Mick winked. "Go for it, dude!" I blushed when some of them started to coo. I entered the hall and Fabian led me to his room. I immediately sat on the bed. Fabian sat on the other side, but right next to me.

"OK, look at this." Fabian tapped a book laid out on the covers. "According to the legend, Anubis was so angry with Amneris for hiding the Cup in the tomb, he struck it seven times." I waited for him to continue. "Seven. L-Look at this picture." I glanced at the book. There was Anubis and Amneris, and then a bunch of separate things at their feet. "The Cup is broken into seven pieces."

"And?" I asked. This was making no sense. He laid the broken pieces of a mug (I'm guessing the one Mick broke) and started fitting them together. Reassembling the mug.

Realization struck me. How could I have been so stupid? "Oh! So the puzzle pieces are actually the seven pieces of the Cup!"

"That is what I'm saying." He said. "Especially when you look at this." He placed the puzzle piece he carried that was in the demi-sphere on the bed. He pressed something in the middle, and it expanded. Blades spun out, making a bowl.

"Whoa!" I said, backing away when it first spun out. I relaxed when I saw the bowl. "Whoa…" Fabian picked up the bowl.

"This," he said, "is the demi-sphere." It made sense, since it looked like half of a sphere.

"We have the Cup!" I exclaimed. "But we never knew?" He nodded excitedly. "We've got to put it together!" I stood up. "S-Sibuna meeting! Calling a Sibuna meeting tom–" I stopped myself, wincing at how forgetful I had gotten.

"Mary Ann?"

"We can't tomorrow." I explained. "Amber is taking us dress shopping. For prom. But I should tell the girls anyways! Omigod, I'll go tell them now!" I was halfway out the door when Fabian called my name. I turned around, heart beating hopefully. I smiled, waiting for him to talk.

"It's about this prom that Mara's organizing…" he started.

"It's no problem." I took over. "I think you should tell her before she goes with someone else."

"What?!" he exclaimed in a strange tone. Panic? "N-no, Mary Ann–"

"See you later, 'gater." I cut him off. I closed the door behind me. Don't feel hurt, Mary Ann. It will all work out. Maybe.

"Just as I thought…" I jumped, looking to see Victor by the mirror in the hallway. He didn't notice me. "Empty." I decided to play it casual and walked from the door. "All empty." He said, and then just noticing me. I averted my eyes. He turned to me. "Where are they, Miss Norton?"

"The dining table?" I replied in confusion. But he wasn't looking for the housemates. He was looking for the Cup pieces! "I don't know what you mean."

"Oh I think you do," he said. He walked over to the two podiums that stood at the base of the stairs. One of them was hollow, and Fabian and I found an Ankh piece in there. Then Victor had took it from us and I stole it back.

He reached up and twisted the hollow one. He plucked it off. He walked back in front of me, still holding the hollow orb. "I am tired of all this fooling around. Now tell me what you know." I ducked my head, remaining silent. "Tell me."

"Sarah said Rufus took them." I squeaked suddenly, my mouth spouting lies before I could stop it. "The only one left was the one you took from me." I brought my gaze to his. "Why? What are they? Sarah never said."

"Better you don't know," Victor said grimly. "Now go to your room." Not arguing that dinner wasn't even over, I dashed up the stairs.

"Whoa, had a run-in with Victor. Sibuna meeting on Sunday. URGENT!" I texted the club.

~ Saturday ~

I expected this from Amber, but Mara? Not as much.

First, we stopped at a small boutique.

Mara's first dress didn't suit her at all. It was long, it was red, and it was sexy. Mara didn't have that sexy appeal, so we all vetoed it.

Amber's first was pink (obviously) and poofy like a prom dress normally looked like. She loved it, and we all thought it suited her, but she shot it down. Why? I had no idea. Who could ever get into the head of Amber Millington?

The dress Patricia had was the one she bought. It was straight out night black. Ending at her knees, she wore was totally going to wear leggings underneath. The sleeves ended at her elbows. The collar was embedded with silver designs. Let's just say... We all agreed it was the dress for her.

I, on the other hand, couldn't find a single dress in the whole store that I liked.

After Mara and Amber tried on a few more, we went to about three more stores before Mara found hers. It was white with a black shawl. The hemming and collar were elaborately trimmed with black. The belt was black and sleek. Amber approved immediately.

At the next store, I finally found my dress. It was there, waiting for me. When I tried it on, the girls immediately said yes to it. The dress was long enough: reaching down to my knees. It poofed a bit, like my costume for the play, which gave me enough leg room to run. The bodice was tight fitting, yet comfortable. It was a one shouldered type dress, the one strap having a layer of fabric to create a wave. It was a deep carmine color that I absolutely adored. The hemline and neckline were trimmed with a bit of golden thread.

"Yes!" Amber squealed. "Yes, yes, yes! I even know what to do with your hair and make up to that!"

The other girls and I laughed. I did a twirl, extremely happy with this dress that I almost didn't want to take it off.

"I even have a pair of heels..." Amber went on. "You have to wear them with that dress!"

I blushed and curtsied. "Thanks, Ambs." I changed back to my normal clothes and then checked the price. Whoa, it was cheaper than I thought it would be.

After buying the dress and grabbing a snack, we returned to the house. Amber was the only one without a dress, since she couldn't find "the one". She resorted to online shopping.

~ Next day, Sibuna meeting ~

I called the Sibuna club to our grove. Patricia was the last one to come, saying "So what's this about?" as she moved to her spot.

"We've got a theory," I declared. "Fabian and I."

"We think all the pieces fit together and form the Cup." Fabian explained.

"Oh!" Patricia exclaimed. "Awesome theory."

I laid my jacket out on the group. "Individual pieces, please." I said, taking out my own and placing them on the jacket. They did the same… except Alfie. He looked like a puppy about to be whipped. "Alfie?"

"Alfie," Fabian said, "where's yours?" Oh no, he didn't…

"Alfie?" Amber asked when he didn't respond. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"What did you do?" I asked.

"I haven't got my Ankh piece anymore." He confessed. I paled. What?!

"Then where is it?" I questioned.

"I was showing it to Jerome." He said.

"Jerome!" Patricia cried. She and I stood up.

"Why on Earth's surface would you do that?!" I screeched.

"Alfie, how could you!" Amber shouted, her and Fabian standing up.

"No, it's worse!" Alfie exclaimed, interrupting us. "It's much, much worse." He sounded on the brink of crying now.

"In what way worse?" Fabian asked. How could it get any worse? Unless…

"Jerome took it and gave it to Rufus Zeno." Alfie confirmed. I started muttering curses under my breath, looking away from everyone.

"No!" Patricia cried again.

I ran a hand through my hair. "Did…" I said, struggling to calm myself enough to speak, "Did you tell him about Zeno?"

"NO!" Alfie said instantly, "I swear! Jerome knows loads of stuff already! I don't know how."

"Why would you show it to him in the first place?" I yelled.

"He just took it!" Alfie tried to explain. I kicked a pebble away.

~ Back at school ~

We cornered Jerome in the empty classroom before class started. Patricia leading.

"OK, slimeball," she started, "We need to know exactly what you told Rufus and how much he knows."

"Oh thanks very much, Alfie." Jerome blamed.

"Forget Alfie," Fabian defended, "just spill."

"And why should I?" he said cockily.

"You want to live, don't you?" Patricia threatened.

"I am not scared of you guys." Jerome told us.

"Maybe you should be." I growled. Patricia chorused me on the next line, "But we were thinking more about Rufus."

He paled. "Him, I'm scared of."

"Spill it, Clark." I snarled. He told us everything.

"So, basically, you sold your friends out for money?" Patricia summed up when he finished.

"Friends?" Jerome sat forward. "You are not my friends! You've made that quite clear."

"Hear this," I said, leaning on the desk he sat at. "If Rufus gets the other pieces, there is no saying what he can do."

"World domination." Patricia suggested. "The man's a control freak."

"You have to work with us, Jerome." Fabian told him.

"What is so special about these things?" Jerome questioned. "Rufus told me he was looking for treasure. An Egyptian cup or something." I ran a hand through my hair again. So it was a race for the Cup. It was all about the Cup. I walked down to the front of the class and sat in my seat, ignoring Jerome's questions.

Mrs. Andrews came in with workbooks in hand. "Sorry I'm late," she said. "I'm sure you all used the time wisely to plan your homework, your further education, and your glittering careers in government."

~ After class ~

We gathered at Jerome's locker. "Are you going to help us or not?" Fabian asked.

"Who's to say I wouldn't be better off sticking to my original plan?" Jerome replied angrily.

"What is that then?" Patricia questioned.

"Giving Rufus what he wants, and that way I get him off my back." He explained. "I stay alive and I get rich."

"You do that," Patricia sneered, "and we'll tell the teachers."

"The teachers?" Jerome's face scrunched up. "What have they got to do with it?"

"Everything!" Patricia and I said in unison. Patricia carried on, "I'm sure they'll be very happy to learn that you've been feeding their arch-enemy vital information."

"We've got to stick together, dude." Alfie said, more softly. "It's safer. Trust me."

Jerome slammed his locker shut. "Alright." He said. "So what do I have to do?"

"Yeah… right." Patricia said. Wait, we didn't have a plan yet. "What you have to do is… uh, Alfie?" She turned to him.

"Uh… Fabian?" he pushed on.

"Nope." He said simply. Jerome's gaze finally landed on me. A plan unraveled in my head.

"I've got an idea." I told them.

"I'm glad one of your does." Jerome said exasperatedly. "So what is it?"

I told them my idea. Fabian thought it was crazy, Alfie thought it was awesome, Patricia thought it was dangerous, and Jerome didn't like it very much. But they all agreed to go with it.

During Break, Sibuna and Jerome met up on the stage in the drama studio. I drew the curtains as Jerome called Rufus on his phone.

"I have the puzzle pieces for you." Jerome said. He glanced at us. "No, no, no. It's a bit complicated… They're hidden in the house, I know where they are but I need some help… Because I can't get into the secret hiding place by myself. Victor, Victor is curfew-tight, so I will sneak down and unlock the front door after lights out. Everybody else will be in bed." Jerome looked at me. I nodded, signaling that the plan was working smoothly. "Oh, and bring the other piece with you… Because you need it to get into the secret hiding place." He rubbed his eyes. "… Seven… So I'll meet you tonight, yeah? Midnight?" After a moment, he shut off his phone. He shuddered and rubbed his face again.

I fixed myself into a state of emptiness. Patricia, on the other hand, was amused. "You did so well!" she complimented. "And you didn't pee your pants, so bonus." I stifled a laugh.

"See you all at midnight, got it?" I ordered. "I've got some things to set up then."

~ Midnight ~

The grandfather clock chimed in the hallway. I took my locket out and opened the oven door. It flashed red and opened. I pulled it back, but not completely. It should be able to open when pressure is made.

"Stay." I ordered it. I got up and joined Sibuna in the door to the laundry room. After a second, Jerome's voice was heard through the door.

"Hand me the puzzle piece."

"What for?" I shivered. Rufus.

There was a scratching sound. OK, the oven door opened.

"Intriguing." Rufus commented. "After you." I froze. Shit, the back up plan had to kick in now. I was only supposed to lock Rufus in the cellar. When Rufus disappeared into the oven, we stepped out.

"Jerome wasn't suppose to go down there with him!" Fabian whispered.

"You think?" I snapped out of worriedness. "I can't trap them both!"

Amber and Alfie slid into the kitchen. "What's happening?" Amber asked. "Do we have to go get Victor yet?"

"Where's Jerome?" Alfie asked. Realization dawned on his face when we didn't say anything. "No… No, this is bad. This is very bad!"

"It was so simple!" I whispered to myself. "Get the puzzle piece from Rufus, trap him in the stupid cellar, and get Victor to find him."

"When Rufus realizes there are no puzzle pieces down there, he's going to mummify Jerome." Alfie said. I glanced down the oven.

"OK, guys," Fabian said suddenly, "I say we carry on with the plan as if it's just Rufus down there. Alfie, you go and slam the door. Amber, Patricia, you go upstairs and tell Victor. Mary Ann, you hide in the laundry room. If Jerome comes out and you get a chance to lock Rufus in there, do it." I nodded. "Sibuna?"

"Sibuna." We all said at the same time, doing the gesture. They left and I stood next to the oven. I jumped when the door slammed.

Come on, Jerome. Come on…

I took out my locket. Jerome's bright red pajamas suddenly entered my field. I grabbed him and pulled him out.

"Lock him in!" he shouted. I grabbed my locket and moved to shut the door. All at once, a hand clamped onto my extended arm. I saw Rufus's empty blue eyes.

I screamed.