Amber XLVIII
Summary: The Sibunas check out their latest task and Amber & Patricia have their talk
Evie's Notes: Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Let me know what you think in the comments
Studying ways to banish their evil spirit was so much easier when she wasn't cursed to appear extremely old. Amber was thankful to have her younger body back, and with it the ability to read through old tomes and decipher Frobisher-Smythe's hard to read scrawl. Taking advantage of her regained sight, Amber had opted to head to the library before the others in hopes of finding a new book connected with her quest.
Amber was still browsing the shelves when the others arrived to begin their Re-Heist. The group split up to their agreed upon stations as they waited for Jasper to escort the elderly couple out after their tour.
Luckily, the Sibunas didn't have to wait long. Fabian flashed Alfie a thumbs up as he whispered "showtime" to his team.
Alfie grabbed the statue of King Tutankhamun and shouted "Hey Jasper! How heavy is this"
The distraction worked like a charm as Jasper dashed across the room and up the stairs shouting "Alfie NO! That is a priceless artifact!".
"Oooh! It's deceptively heavy" laughed Alfie as he stumbled around the balcony.
Amber moved quickly to stand with Jerome to block Jasper's view of the display cabinet where Nina and Patricia were unlocking the case for the Ox Bell.
"Don't let it go!" ordered Jasper
"I should let it go?" asked Alfie, making Amber chuckle quietly.
"NO! I said DON'T let it go!" clarified the frazzled curator. Jasper grabbed the statue, and the pair were locked in a frantic game of tug of war for the priceless artifact.
"It's alright Jasper. I've got it!" babbled Alfie as he tried to stall for time.
Nina placed the bell back on the shelf and then threw the keys back to Fabian.
Amber flashed Alfie the "all clear" symbol as soon as the keys were safely tucked away in Jasper's drawer.
"As nice as it is to see young people taking an interest in history, don't you all have more interesting things to be doing on one of your final days of break?" huffed Jasper.
"Alfie?"
"Yeah, Thanks Jasper!" chirped Alfie before rushing down the steps.
*Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold*
"Who's ready to see what's behind door number two" joked Alfie leading the way into the newest tunnel.
"Fabian, what's up with the weird bird symbol?" asked Jerome pointing to one of the painted columns which bore a large gold falcon symbol.
"That would be Horus, God of the Skies".
Wandering around the space in awe Amber remarked "Look at all of these hands!".
"They look like they are meant to be holding something" deduced Fabian.
"What though?" asked Alfie.
"I don't know, let's fan out and see if we can find any clues" ordered Nina.
The group split up and tried to find some clue to help them solve the unknown task. Amber decided to study the different staffs. She hoped to find a clue as to what they were supposed to hold.
"Hey guys, come look at this!" Alfie called pointing to a pattern on the floor.
"It's a riddle!" cheered Nina pulling out her phone to record the poem.
"On six little stars that borrow light, a secret falcon takes it flight. Seek the star in the Jackal's lair, be always vigilant and beware. The quester that completes this task, will find the chamber of the mask" read Lili.
"Yup, that's definitely a riddle" joked Alfie.
"On six little stars that borrow light, a secret falcon takes it flight" mused Nina.
"So we just need to make a constellation shape with six stars that borrow light, using this original beam" deduced Fabian.
"Well there are six staffs" suggested Patricia. "So we just need six special objects to put on them".
"And the 'secret falcon', that must be the secret symbol to let us know we found one" finished Jerome.
"So think! What borrows light?" asked Fabian.
"Uhhh, shiny things reflect light" tried Alfie.
"Yes! Alfie you're a genius!" praised Nina. Reaching into her bag the American girl pulled out her compact and threw it on the ground and stomped on it, drawing an unconscious shout of pain from Amber. Mirrors should never be wasted!
Her shout was drowned out by the others, specifically Alfie's protest that cracking the mirror would bring the girl "Seven years of bad luck!".
Rolling her eyes Nina replied, "Guys, I'm already cursed anyway. Now help me put these on the beams".
"Careful with the edges" warned Patricia as the group each picked up a broken shard and placed them on a staff. Unfortunately the beam of light did not bend when Alfie placed his broken piece on the first staff.
"So I guess regular mirrors don't work" sighed Nina disappointedly.
"Wait…" trailed off Fabian looking intently at part of the carved riddle. "The quester who completes this task, will find the chamber of the mask! Are you guys thinking what I am thinking?"
"This could be the last task guys! That might be the last tunnel we ever have to go through" laughed Nina.
"Amazeballs!" cheered Alfie.
"I feel a research session coming on! We still have a bit till curfew, so let's hit the books guys!" cheered Fabian leading the group out of the tunnels.
*Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold*
"Hey Ambs… you got a sec?" Patricia asked after the group crawled out of the bread oven.
Seeing that Nina had run off with Fabian, most likely to the library, Amber quickly agreed "Yeah sure! Your room or mine?".
Patricia visibly froze for a moment before recovering, "I think Joy might be in my room so let's use yours".
"Sounds good" waving goodbye to the others she led Patricia up to her room.
Once the pair were settled Amber asked, "What's all this about Trix?"
"Well you know how I'm dating Eddie…"
"Of course"
"Well we were talking the other night, and I told him that he was the first boy I ever kissed"
"Ok… what's the issue?"
"Well in doing so I led him to believe that he is the only person that I have ever been with".
"Oh."
"Right, so we both know that that isn't true, but I couldn't tell him without outing you and our past relationship".
"You want to tell him?".
"Yeah, I really do. I feel bad for keeping this from him. Of course I would never out you to anyone without your approval Ambs. Your friendship means SO much more to me than whatever I'm starting with him".
Amber let a sigh of relief "Ok, that's good. I mean, I totally support your relationship and all. But I'm happy to hear that our friendship still means a lot to you as well".
"Duh, Amby. Boys and girls, will come and go, but you and me are forever!"
"Look I like Eddie, and if you want to tell him then that means you think that he will react ok to the news…".
"Don't worry, I'm sure he will… but if you're still unsure I can try and find a way to leave your name out of it".
"No" decided Amber after a few moments. "I trust that your instincts and we live together so he is bound to find out eventually".
"Thanks Ambs!" cheered Patricia "I'm going to go tell him…"
"It is ten o' clock. You have five minutes precisely and then I want to hear a pin drop" echoed Victor's voice startling the girls.
"Maybe you should hold off on that conversation till tomorrow" suggested Amber.
"Yeah. Good night Ambs"
*Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold*
At breakfast the next morning the Sibunas recapped last night's discovery. "So we think that the six little stars in the riddle are six random objects?" asked Alfie.
"Yeah, but the riddle says that they 'borrow light', so we are looking for reflectors of some sort" explained Nina.
"Shiny stuff… Mirrors! Finally a task perfect for me" bragged Amber.
"But they aren't just regular mirrors" corrected Patricia.
"Right, we tried regular mirrors last night and they didn't work" remembered Lili.
"So we are looking for shiny stuff that has a bird symbol on it?" deduced Jerome.
"Right, since the riddle said 'the falcon takes flight'" explained Fabian.
"So we hunt the shiny stuff!" cheered Amber. She was already going through the list in her head of shiny things to check out in the house after breakfast.
"What does the dollhouse say in its usual unclear dollhouse way?" asked Lili stealing a piece of bacon off of Alfie's plate.
"Nothing yet" admitted Nina.
"Well what we really need is a clue as to where the reflectors might be" sighed Fabian.
"Are you okay Neens?" asked Amber. The American girl was clearly lost deep in her thoughts.
"I don't know" admitted Nina. "I keep thinking that I've seen this bird symbol before, but it's like I can almost picture it and then it's gone". The girl went back to her cereal but suddenly dropped her spoon and asked, "Wait what day is it today?".
"Saturday?" replied Patricia as Joy and Eddie walked in. "Why?"
"I'm meant to go visit Gran with Trudy today" replied Nina shocked "I almost forgot".
"You've had a lot on your mind" consoled Fabian quietly. "Anyway, if she knew the truth; she would tell you to hurry up, find the mask and get yourself uncursed or else".
"I guess" conceded Nina.
Motioning for the group to lean in Fabian whispered, "Look, guys, it's like the riddle says. Whoever completes this task gets their hands on the mask. And Victor still has his hands on that amulet which we really need to get back. This could be our last chance. Our final challenge".
The Sibunas quickly finished up their breakfasts before splitting up to tackle their various tasks for the day. Taking advantage of her second to last day of freedom from homework, Amber grabbed her sewing and headed to Lili's room to relax with the blonde.
Next Week: Mara returns and the kids prepare for classes.
Question of the week: What is your favorite friendship in this universe?
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! Have a great week and stay safe! - Xo Evie