Nina/Joy XXVIII
Summary: Mara is still on trial, Nina is not thrilled with Sibunas' new members and Joy is just trying to live her best traumatized life.
I want to give a shout-out to the Anubis Backwards podcast for the head-canon that Amber and Mick were childhood friends. Their podcast is great and they come up with some awesome theories!
Trigger warning: There is a quite a bit of discussion about Joy's kidnapping and how that effected her mental health.
Nina's P.O.V
It was the incessant banging on her door that woke Nina early Friday morning. Amber's sleepy whine and the fact that she rolled over putting her head under her pillow indicated that she wasn't getting up to answer the door.
"Alright, alright I'm coming. Hold your horses!" called Nina as she pulled on her robe. It was 3:30 am, what on earth could be so important that someone would have to wake her up. Opening the door Nina found Alfie, Jerome and Liliana on the other side, clearly this wasn't going to be good.
"Alfie what are you doing here?" asked a sleepy Amber as she reluctantly sat up in her bed.
"I also would like to know what could possibly justify you three waking us up so early" snapped Nina. It was a well-known fact that Nina was the furthest thing from a morning person so she couldn't bring herself to feel bad for snapping at the sleep-depriving trio.
"Oh trust us, it is definitely worth waking you up" sighed Liliana pointing to her ankle as Jerome pulled up his shirt showing the all to familiar Anubis brand burned over his heart.
Shit! This was why Nina hadn't wanted to include Liliana in all of this. The girl didn't deserve to have a murderous spirt own her soul. As for Jerome, well Nina had her own issues with the boy after last year, but that didn't mean she wanted him to be in danger. If only those idiots hadn't push so hard about Sibuna.
Nina could faintly hear Amber fussing over the pair as she sank down on her bed in shock. How did Senkhara even know to mark the pair? Nina hadn't even performed the initiation ceremony for them, secretly hoping that they would have become so overwhelmed and quit. Now that they were marked there was no way for them to back out without dying.
Pulling herself together Nina knew that she had to address this, "I am so sorry that this happened to you two. We have Mara's trial after school today and Fabian and I are planning to complete the task during it. We need to act fast since he still has an amulet. We can have a Sibuna meeting after dinner tonight to try and figure this out". Nina pulled Liliana into a hug and tried to offer some comfort, reassuring the girl that everything would be ok.
Joy's P.O.V
The morning of Mara's trial dawned bright and early for the residents of Anubis house. Joy watched as the previously cool, calm and collected Mara descended into a state of panic. Joy decided she should go down to breakfast early in order to avoid being roped into the search for Mara's missing evidence.
Entering the dining room she found Amber, Patricia and Eddie already eating. "Morning everyone" Joy greeted taking her normal seat at the foot of the table next to Trix.
"Morning Joy. Is Mara still freaking out?" asked Patricia.
"Yeah. She roped Nina into helping her look for the missing witness list. So I thought it would be best to duck out".
"I totally get it. Mara can be scary when things don't go her way. I can remember quite a few of her panics, mostly over homework, from when I roomed with her. I'm so glad I dogged that bullet when she came to get Neens" laughed Amber.
"Wait you and Mara used to room together?" asked a confused Eddie. "I got the distinct sense that you loathed each other".
"Yes, well living with a backstabbing boyfriend stealer doesn't exactly help strengthen a friendship".
"I don't believe it! Mara dated Alfie?!" shrieked Eddie. Sparking a round of laughter at the table.
"Of course not! Alfie has always been in love with me. I was dating Mick who broke up with me due to Alfie, Jerome and Mara's manipulations as well as my growing friendship with Nina/Fabian. A lot of shit went down, accusations of inappropriate student/teacher relationships, cheating both emotional and academic, conspiracy theories and more, but eventually when the rubble settled, I was happily with Alfie and Mickara was 'together', but they 'broke up' when Mick left for Australia".
"And so you two still hate each other over this guy Mick. Do you hate Mick too?".
"Oh no! Of course not, I'm pissed that she betrayed me many times over, abandoned our friendship and never once apologized. As for Mick we're still good friends, I've known him ever since we were little, it's not exactly easy to throw away a lifetime of friendship. Besides it wasn't him who betrayed me, he was mostly upfront about his feelings for Mara when we were together" explained Amber. Standing up she leaned over the table to get up in his face, "And let this be a lesson for you Edison, if that really is your name, Miller, do not cross me for I never forgive and I never ever forget". Leaning back, her face returned to its normal angelic state "so yeah, you could say that Mara and I aren't exactly on the best terms".
Joy couldn't help but laugh seeing the frightened look on Eddie's face. Having lived with the blonde for years, Joy knew just how dangerous Amber could be if one crossed her. Joy shuddered remembering the time she had accidentally destroyed one of Amber's sweaters and had suffered her wrath. Joy had never recovered from the resulting pranks the furious blonde had decided were payback for destroying the sweater, but how was she supposed to know that it had been a gift from her father?
Joy perked up seeing Fabian and Alfie enter the dining room, and with Nina upstairs she was free to call Fabes over to sit with her. Now Joy would like to take a minute to make it clear that she knows that she isn't handling any of this well. In her defense she had been kidnapped by her own family and teachers, locked away from the world in a dark apartment with zero contact to the outside world and forced to give up all her friends. What made it all so much worse was the fact that it ended up being all for nothing. She hadn't been the Chosen One, instead it had been her pretty American replacement who took down the kidnapping cult. The lack of closure and the fact she had to go home with her awful father really hadn't done her mental health any favors.
So yeah, was it really so bad that she wanted something to stay the same amongst all of these changes? Having Fabian back in his old seat at the foot of the table with her provided a grounding influence that she really needed.
As she started to pour her second cup of tea Joy was treated to another surprising sight that morning. Liliana and Jerome entered the dining room together, which wasn't necessarily shocking, hand in hand – again not a surprise, but the giant grins and slight flushes on their faces were definitely new.
"Well good morning lovebirds" crowed Alfie as Jerome pulled Liliana's chair out for her.
"Wait what! There is more relationship drama? Jerry's dating Lili?" yelled a frustrated Eddie.
"Oh you guys finally came to your senses. Congrats!" smiled Patricia sincerely.
"I thought you were dating Hadrian Black?" questioned an adorably confused Fabian.
"Thanks Patricia" replied Lili as she dutifully ignored Fabian's question.
The door to the living room banged open loudly startling the group at the table and announcing the arrival of their members. "I found it! No thanks to any of you" declared Mara as she stormed over to the table sitting in Fabian's normal seat
"What am I chopped liver?" joked Nina but froze seeing Fabes sitting with Joy. Joy couldn't help but smirk at that, Fabes couldn't be all that invested in restarting his relationship with Nina if he was so easily swayed to be with her. Joy figured it would only take a couple more tries and Fabes would officially be hers. Having finished her breakfast, Joy cleared her place and headed upstairs to get ready for the day now that Mara was out of the room.
*Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold*
That afternoon found Joy sitting with the rest of the school body, including the grumbling commuter students, as they waited for Mr. Sweet to start the trial.
"How long do you think this is going to take?" Joy asked Patricia. "And where did Eddie run off too? Wasn't he sitting next to you?"
"Oh he said he was going to go set up a prank to prove that he isn't a teacher's pet. So he's probably in Sweet's office rigging something" explained her punk best friend.
"Huh, did he tell you what it…" started Joy but was cut off by the Headmaster entering the room and starting the meeting.
"This hearing has been called to determine the accuracy of an article written by Mara Jaffray about her housemother, Vera Devenish"
Fabian and Nina, who were sitting right behind Joy in the second row, apparently decided that now was the best time to sneak out. Joy rolled her eyes at the obviously bad influence Nina had been on her Fabes. Honestly, the boy would never have even dreamed of sneaking out of a school required function a year ago, especially in such a loud and obvious way.
"Be seated! This is an official hearing" ordered Mr. Sweet. "Could someone please close the doors".
"Allow me Mr. Sweet" called Victor from his seat in the back of the room.
"Alright, Now Mara, could you please present your case against Ms. Devenish first?" directed Mr. Sweet.
Shooting Mara an encouraging smile Joy sat back and prepared herself to watch Mara dominate like always. "I spent the past few weeks researching Ms. Devenish's past and published my findings on our school site. It was made clear to me that at the very least Vera Devenish lied on her resume in order to secure her position here at the school. Ms. Devenish, you worked as a cook at Beacon Grove Boys School nine years ago. Is that correct?" asked Mara starting off strong.
"I wouldn't have put it on my resume if it wasn't" Vera responded.
"Well then can you please explain why you are not in this photo of the entire cooking staff when they won the award for excellence that year?" smirked Mara as she projected the photo onto a screen.
"I arrived at the beginning of the academic year. Which as you all know starts in September. What is the date of that article, Mara?".
Now unsure, Mara scrolled down to check the date "April 20th…"
"Yes, that was taken five months before I arrived".
Joy watched as Mara shook off her nerves and after consulting her list made her next move. "I would like to call my first witness, Jasper Choudhary to the stand". Once Jasper was settled next to Vera at the table Mara continued, "You recommended Vera for the job, but you told me that you barely know her. Please explain".
"Well, she was a friend of a friend, Mara. I had only heard glowing reviews about her work, so I was happy to make the recommendation".
"Did you think it strange that Vera was the applicant for the position?" pressed Mara.
"I was not told that when I was called upon as a reference".
"Mara, I'm confused. Are you questioning Mr. Choudhary's character now too?" interrupted Vera. "Do you have any scruples at all about whose reputation you tarnish in your vendetta against me?". Which was a fair point, Joy reflected.
"I'm trying to establish how you came to get the job here and why" replied Mara firmly. Joy could see she was shaken at having her "fool-proof" evidence shot down so easily.
"Mr. Sweet hired me. Maybe you would like to interrogate him next". The contemplative look on Mara's face scared Joy. She knew exactly what happened to people who questioned the headmaster on his sketchy choices. She couldn't help but shiver a little in fear as she flashed back to her days of captivity.
"I just want to know the truth" snapped back Mara, clearly getting worked up by Vera's blasé attitude to the charges.
"In which case, I'm even more confused. I thought you were already claiming to know the truth when you published that article for everyone to see, dragging my good name through the mud" scoffed Vera.
"No. I mean, I did…" Mara protested looking to be on the verge of frustrated tears.
"Let's stick to the facts, shall we?" interrupted Mr. Sweet "Or rather the lack of them. Mara please move on".
Flipping to her next slide, Mara showed an image of a manor house. "Your last job was as a housekeeper at Dewsbury Manor three years ago. You listed Mr. Hendry as your employer. Is that correct?"
"Yes"
Vera's reply caused a satisfied grin to curl across Mara's face. "I spoke to a man there who told me Mr. Hendry died 20 years ago".
"Mr. Sweet allow me to introduce someone who will put an end to all of this nonsense once and for all" snapped Vera getting to her feet. Opening the back doors, Vera ushered in an older gentleman. "This is Mr. Hendry and I think you will obviously find he is very much alive".
Mara looked as if the entire world had been yanked out from underneath her feet "You?".
"Vera was with us for many years", explained Mr. Hendry as Vera helped him over to the table. "She was a wonderful cook and her chocolate cake is out of this world" well he was definitely talking about the same Vera.
Mara looked understandably shaken at this revelation "Wait! You told me he was dead". Did Mara only talk to one person and the just call it good? She clearly didn't check her sources. This really wasn't going to end well. Joy predicted Sweet was going to suspend her at the very least.
"I'm sorry, my dear, but I have never seen you before in my life" replied the confused man.
"I came to see you!" protested Mara "Don't you remember?".
"Possibly," allowed Mr. Hendry. "You will have to forgive me. My memory is not as good as it used to be… But I can assure you that I do remember my own name".
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Hendry" dismissed a clearly upset Mr. Sweet. Yeah Mara was definitely suspended. She would be lucky if Sweetie didn't 'disappear' her for bringing scandal upon the school.
"Mr. Sweet, I honestly…"
"Enough Mara!" the headmaster rebuked her with his dangerously quiet anger. Joy was just happy that it wasn't aimed at her this time. While many saw Eric Sweet as a pathetic man with no backbone, Joy knew better. He was a twisted man in his own right who freely joined a child sacrificing cult. Pair that with the power which Victor held over him, well he was a man best to steer clear of.
Mara clearly didn't know how to read a room as she continued "And I did go to her room one time…"
"Silence!" he demanded smacking the table in anger. Joy knew that Mara would have to dig her own grave deeper if it hadn't been for a video that began to play on the screen.
Joy watched in horror and fascination as Sweet danced in what was clearly an American hoedown! The rest of the room descended into laughter as Patricia yelled "Yeehaw Sweetie" and Alfie chimed in with "sweet moves Mr. Sweet!". How were they laughing right now? Didn't they know what that man could do to them?! They had to know! they had been the ones trying to rescue her.
"Turn this off immediately!" shouted the enraged headmaster. "Turn it off! Daphne Help Me!".
By the time the professors had figured out how to work the laptop, which once again had Joy questioning how old they truly were thanks to Victor's potion, the headmaster's face was purple with rage. "We will take a short break" he yelled before storming out of the room to locate Eddie, who had been the one to upload the video to the school site.
Seeing Mara's destroyed face, Joy grabbed Patricia's arm and pulled her over to help comfort Mara.
"You should have checked your facts before you stuck them on the website!" reprimanded Patricia. Joy nodded as she scanned Mara's notes trying to find a loophole or way to spin the situation in their favor but found nothing.
"I did!" yelled Mara defensively. "Well, I thought I did. Maybe if Eddie hadn't gone on and on about it… and called me a chicken" she whined with the biggest puppy-dog eyes Joy had ever seen, begging the pair to be on her side.
"What?" snapped Patricia. "You can't blame this on Eddie! This was your mistake Mara; you can't shift the blame for this onto him" with that said Patricia stormed off. Joy shook her head as Trixie headed out into the hallway most likely in search of Eddie, that girl was so predictable.
Next Update: Patricia deals with her fear of losing Eddie and Mara's fate is decided.
I love hearing from y'all! Let me know what you think of the chapter and the story so far in the comments or my Tumblr House-of-Secrets! Xo Evie