The rest of the week carried on with no drama. It was now Saturday; the day of the party that Amber and Mara had been excitedly planning out every little detail for and ignoring everyone else's suggestions, even Nina's. The party would be a small one, with a few other students from different houses attending as well. Not that Nina minded so much. She would much rather spend her time trying to figure out why the necklace was sent to her than stand around and awkwardly try to mingle at this party.

The only person she would feel absolutely comfortable around was Fabian. During the time in between classes they hung out in the drama classroom, sat on the stage and talked about a lot of things. At first it was mostly the ongoing mystery of her new necklace, but the conversations began to morph into what their favorite colors were (Fabian's was blue and Nina's was purple), or what they both missed the most about their homes.

"I miss my grandmother. I'm not used to being on my own yet," Nina had confessed. "I'm sure it's obvious."

Fabian shook his head. "You definitely seem more calm than I would have been. That counts for something." When she smiled and nodded at his response, he shared what he missed the most with a wistful smile of his own. "My parents, and my Uncle Ade. I don't get to see him often, but he's got an antique shop a few blocks away."

"Does he?" Nina wondered if Fabian's uncle would be able to tell them something about the necklace. It looked rather old, and the eye was definitely a symbol for something. "Do you think he could take a look at the necklace? Or is it too much of a long shot?"

He tilted his head to the side and shrugged. "I don't know, I guess it's worth a try. We could also try researching online, there must be some way to find out what the eye represents."

Nina felt a hundred times better knowing that he seemed to be just as determined as she was. "When could we go see him? Maybe Monday during lunch?"

"Sure, I'll let him know."

"Okay everyone, the party starts in exactly…" Amber entered the common room with her cellphone in her hand, pausing her announcement to look at the time. "Three and a half hours, and nothing is done! We have to hang up banners, blow up balloons, and have all of the food ready. Plus you two don't look ready at all, unless you plan on wearing that."

Compared to Amber, who had changed into a bright pink dress that reached her knees, Nina was definitely underdressed. A spark of panic shot through her; was everyone expecting her to be as dolled up as the beauty queen Amber was? The American girl could barely pick out an outfit every day for school back home. She had nothing that would make her stand out, or even look presentable for a teenage party at that.

Fabian and Nina parted ways while Amber, and later Mara, got to work. The blonde made sure that Trudy was preparing her famous chocolate cake for dessert, and Mara recruited Patricia and Joy to help blow up the balloons. Jerome and Alfie were eating more of the snacks than they were helping to put out, and Mick was MIA. Out for a run, most likely.

The more time and effort that was put in, the more guilt that Nina felt. Although she was sure that the party was not entirely just to welcome her, as it seemed Amber was looking for any excuse to throw one, she had no idea how to thank them.

Five minutes before the guests were due to arrive, Victor had entered the kitchen to let Trudy know that he was going out. Alfie made some joke about him always leaving whenever some kind of gathering was going on, and a stupidly insane idea came to Nina's mind.

There would be no one watching the attic like a hawk while he was gone. She could easily slip away from the party and head upstairs. The lock wouldn't be a problem anymore; one of her hair pins could do the trick. She could finally know what was behind the door that Victor was so hellbent on keeping a secret.

Then came the debate of whether or not she should let Fabian know of her plans. The two would most likely be staying near each other during the party, and if anyone would notice her absence, it would be him. If she didn't tell him, he might feel like she lied to him, but she hated the idea of him getting into trouble for him. A few detentions were on the line for her, and he didn't need her dragging him down with her just because she was curious.

Nina had changed clothes as per Amber's request, but she wasn't sure how much of an improvement it was. She sported a pink shirt and a light blue skirt, extremely plain compared to her roommate. Once she noticed what the other girls were wearing though, she figured it was only Amber who had high standards when it came to fashion.

Fabian looked better than she did, in her opinion. He wore a plaid jacket over a black t-shirt and blue jeans. When he spotted her standing by the snack table that was near the telescope, he smiled and walked over to her. She reciprocated.

"Well if it isn't the girl of the hour," The smile on his face only seemed to get bigger. "Are you excited?"

"I think so. I have to thank Amber and Mara, they really went out of their way for this." Nina turned around to grab a paper plate. She handed Fabian one and they began filling them with chips and dip.

"They really did. I'm impressed." Fabian said.

The common room was full of different colored balloons, both with strings and some on the floor. A banner that read WELCOME NINA was hung in the window-like opening in the dining area, and the table had been moved out to give everyone more space to dance.

More time passed and Nina grew more anxious as she tried to find a way to leave without being too obvious. Deciding that she would pretend to use the bathroom, she put her plate down and let Fabian know that she'd be right back.

The rest of her housemates were either eating or chatting with each other. No one had started dancing yet, perhaps it was too early in the party's stage, so she felt everyone's eyes on her as she crossed the room.

Hopefully no one became curious enough to follow her, otherwise her perfect plan would be ruined.

Finally reaching the door, Nina pulled out a hair clip from her head and, with shaking hands, attempted to make it fit in the key hole. Every noise that came from downstairs made her jump, stop, and turn her head quickly. She was terrified at the thought of someone accidentally stumbling upon her, and asking the awkward question of what she was doing. Because honestly, she had no idea. All she knew was that something wasn't right about this attic.

Music started blasting from the party area once Nina successfully picked the lock. Her hand rested on the knob, and she took a deep breath before turning and pulling on it. There wasn't much to say about the mysterious attic yet; it was extremely dark. Her phone's flashlight revealed a set of stairs that ultimately lead up to whatever Victor was hiding up there.