"How's your arm?" Nina quietly asked as she passed by Patricia at the breakfast table the next morning.

"Looks worse than it feels," Patricia wasn't lying when she said this. Her arm did look worse than it felt, but only just. It was the first thing she'd checked when she woke up. The bruise that had started darkening before she fell asleep was now a brilliant purple-blue color and while the scratches weren't bleeding anymore, they stood out against the dark background of her skin. She just had to be careful not to bump into anyone.

The two girls quickly leaned away from each other as the other students took their seats around the table. Patricia sighed to herself when she saw that Eddie didn't even glance at her as he sat down. Trying to force her attention onto something else, her gaze slid to the boy at Eddie's left.

"So, Tom, you still trying out for the football team today?"

"Yeah, that's the plan," A flash of nervousness crossed his face. "Um, how good are the other players trying out?"

"Who's trying out?" Joy joined in the conversation as she took her place next to Patricia. Tom reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. After he'd smoothed it out, he handed it over to Joy and Patricia who scanned the list of names.

"Johnny Burkins is really good and so is Harry Westin," Joy said.

Patricia let out a snort as she saw the rest of the list, "Those are about the only two decent players on the list. Are you any good?"

Tom shrugged, "I guess so."

Patricia had the suspicion that Tom was a better player than he was letting on but she didn't say anything. "Well, as long as you don't blow it, you should be fine."

"Gee, thanks," Tom smirked at her.

"If you need extra help, though, you should ask Mara," Joy nodded in the petite girl's direction.

"You play football?" Tom raised an eyebrow, not in derision but curiosity.

Mara gave a rueful grin, "No. My parents were professional athletes so I grew up around sports, but I don't play them. I understand sports, though, so I make a decent coach."

"She's being modest," Joy smiled.

"Yeah, she helped my old roommate train for a national competition," Fabian threw in.

"Really?" Tom looked like he was seriously considering the idea.

Mara started to nod but Jerome's voice interrupted. "Come on, we better go or we'll be late," He started to stand and swing his messenger bag across his chest.

Patricia raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Since when do you care about being late?"

"I do value a good education, you know," he stated before ushering a surprised Mara out of the room. The others soon followed, realizing they were indeed going to be late. Shortly after arriving at school, the bell rang, signaling the start of their first class. The hour seemed to stretch out much longer than normal and the rest of the day followed its example. Patricia narrowly avoided hitting her arm against lockers, doors, and other students but for all the pain dodging those things caused her, she would have done just as well to walk into a wall. To top things off, she and the others had found it impossible to get Alfie alone in order to weasel out of him where he'd hidden his amulet.

Lunch had provided the four students with a short opportunity to discuss the problem of locating the necklace. By the time the warning bell rang, their final conclusion was that they were going to have to involve Alfie in their quest, a decision that didn't make Nina too happy.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Nina whispered as they settled into their seats for the last class of the day.

"Nina, we've been over this," Patricia huffed. "We need Alfie's amulet and we don't know where he's keeping it. Even if we did find it, how is one of us going to hold it in place at the same time as our own?"

"I just keep thinking of last semester. The more people who got involved, the more complicated and dangerous things got."

"It'll be fine, Nina," Fabian smiled at her reassuringly.

"Besides," Amber chimed in, "Alfie was a lot of help last time." Nina still wore a worried frown but she nodded her head in agreement.

Patricia sighed as the teacher called for the class's attention. No matter how bad the first class of the day seemed, the last one was always the worst because you knew you were so close to freedom but were forced to wait. Patricia was out of her seat with her bag over her shoulder before the final bell finished ringing, the others hurrying to catch up with her.

"Patricia, what's the rush?" Nina questioned as she tried to keep pace with the redhead.

"Yeah, have you ever tried running in heels?" Amber puffed out.

"I just really want to find Alfie so we can move on to the next task," Patricia hoped they believed her. Not that she didn't want to solve their current puzzle, because she did. Even more, though, she wanted to avoid seeing Eddie flirting with whatever girl had caught his eye. It would only stand to reason that Eddie would find someone new, she just didn't want to be there when he did.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Trudy, I'm gonna make a sandwich!" Eddie called out to the empty house. He gathered all of the necessary supplies to build a hoagie, frowning as he started cutting the bread. Groaning out loud, he yanked the top off the mayonnaise in frustration as thoughts of Patricia came to the forefront of his mind once again.

This whole "friendship" thing with them wasn't working. Friends hung out, which they didn't. Friends talked, which they weren't. And friends weren't supposed to hope that a hole would open up and swallow every other boy on the planet so that the other person couldn't consider dating them. "I give up," Eddie mumbled to himself as he topped off his sandwich with a final slice of bread. He'd just have to accept the fact that Patricia was the only person he'd ever love and that she didn't seem to want anything to do with him.

"Hey, Eddie?" Tom's voice made Eddie pause, his sandwich halfway to his mouth.

"Yeah?" Eddie didn't bother turning around. No reason to make the new guy think he liked him, not when he had seemed to make Patricia like him so easily.

"You seen Mara?"

"Nope."

"Do you know where she might be?"

"No," Eddie crammed a huge bite of his food into his mouth, giving him an excuse not to talk again.

"If you see her, will you tell her I'm looking for her?"

Eddie gave a short salute in acknowledgment before moving to the dining room table. If he thought about it, he hadn't seen anyone from the house since school ended and that was over 2 hours ago. He figured Jerome was off pulling some kind of prank which meant Alfie was probably with him. Mara was more than likely in her room doing next week's homework while Joy flipped through magazines. As for the rest of them, they were almost always together which left him alone.

"No way, Mara!" Patricia's yell pulled Eddie from his self-pity. She and the others must have come home and gone to their rooms before he's come to get food. He sat up a little straighter when the two girls entered the room but focused his eyes on the blank screen of his phone so as not to appear interested in their conversation.

"Please?" Mara sang out.

"Yeah, please?" Eddie's complete attention was on the group in the living room now that Tom had joined the other two.

"Why do you even need me? He needs the science genius. That's you," Patricia crossed her arms and Eddie grinned to himself at the familiar stance.

"He needs both of us," Mara countered.

"Who needs the both of you?" Amber asked as she flitted into the room, Nina and Fabian not far behind her.

Patricia refused to answer so Mara explained as Eddie listened to every detail, "Tom wants me to help him with football the same way I helped Mick…"

"But I learn best from watching and then doing," Tom went on.

"And you know me and sports, I'm terrible," Mara said matter-of-factly. "So, I thought that since Patricia used to play for the girl's football team that she could demonstrate what I'm saying to Tom so he could see it and then do it himself."

"What's wrong with that?" Nina looked to Patricia who frowned.

"I don't want to spend all of my free time after school playing football," It was a weak argument and Patricia knew it.

"It won't take up all of your time, maybe an hour at most," Mara hurriedly said.

Eddie could tell Patricia was getting ready to give in. Come on, Yacker. Say "no". She pursed her lips as she looked from her friend's encouraging smiles to Mara's hopeful expression, and then to Tom's puppy-dog look he was giving her before she groaned and dropped her arms to her sides.

"Oh, fine. One hour after school and nothing more," She pointed her finger at the two in front of her.

"Thanks, Trixie!" Eddie stiffened at the friendly response from Tom.

"Great! I'll grab my notebook and a stopwatch and we can head over to the field in ten minutes," Mara turned towards the stairs.

"What? You didn't say we'd start today!

"Well, Tom has the second half of tryouts tomorrow and he could really use the practice," Mara smiled sweetly and Tom turned big pleading eyes on the redhead.

"You owe me," Patricia glared fiercely as she pointed her finger first at Tom and then at Mara. Eddie watched her turn and disappear up the stairs only to return a couple of minutes later dressed in leggings and a t-shirt over a long-sleeved shirt. She quickly laced up a pair of beat-up old sneakers before standing to face Tom, "Ready, Loser?"

The snarky response didn't even phase the new kid, "You bet! You coming, Mara!?" He called up the staircase, the only response being the light sound of Mara hurrying down the steps with a notebook in her hand and a stopwatch hanging from her neck.

"Let's go." The three of them headed out the door, leaving Eddie sitting in misery.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

True to her word, Mara had Patricia back at the house within an hour. Fabian, Amber, and Nina were still in the living room, but Eddie had quickly gone back to his room where he could pace back and forth. When he heard the three of them tromp through the door, he gave himself ten seconds before casually exiting his room. He didn't want to give the appearance that he'd been going crazy for the last hour even though he had.

"So, how did it go?" Nina asked cheerfully.

Jerome and Alfie had made their appearance at some point and were sitting in the living room with the others. Their heads came up at Nina's question, and Jerome zeroed in on the fact that Mara had been with Tom. "How did what go?" Jerome narrowed his eyes.

"It went okay," Patricia ignored him as she shrugged and kicked her shoes off.

"Okay?" Tom said incredulously. "It was better than okay, these two are lifesavers. Mara totally figured out how to improve my game and having Trixie demonstrate was a perfect idea!"

"Mind cluing us in on what we're talking about?" Jerome raised an eyebrow.

"I'm helping Tom with football like when I helped Mick, but this time Patricia is helping as well," Mara explained.

"I see," Jerome's panic was carefully being held in check. Mara and Mick had started dating when she helped him and now she was helping Tom.

"So, Mara came up with the mechanics, Trixie performed them, and you did it after?" Fabian raised an eyebrow at the somewhat complicated system they'd developed.

"Right. Like, Mara told me I could get more kicking distance if I rotated my hips a certain way. I didn't understand exactly what she meant, so she had Trixie do the kick while my hands were on her waist, like this," Tom came up behind Patricia and put a hand on either side of her waist. Eddie's spine stiffened and he was seconds away from planting his fist in Tom's face.

Tom seemed completely unaware of Eddie's current mood as he continued talking, "So, when Trixie did the kick, I could feel the way she was pivoting, and then I could copy it. Worked like a charm."

Mara had remained silent while Tom explained their process, but she was fully aware of the thundercloud that had seemed to form over Eddie's head as Tom talked. Anyone who paid close enough attention could see that Eddie was still in love with Patricia and Mara couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Well, thanks for helping Patricia. I'll let you know next time we need you?" Patricia nodded her head in agreement before going to shower, leaving a still fuming Eddie behind her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Psst! Alfie," Amber stuck her head around the doorway into the living room as she tried to catch Alfie's attention. He lifted his head from his video game and looked around. When his eyes connected with Amber's, he shot her an exasperated look.

"What is it? I'm about to set a new record."

Amber shot a look over her shoulder before turning to face Alfie and raising her right hand to cover her eye. She mouthed the word 'Sibuna', making Alfie's eyebrows shoot up while excitement flitted across his face. His game forgotten, Alfie quickly followed Amber up the stairs and into her room where Nina, Fabian, and Patricia were waiting.

"Call me crazy, but didn't we just defeat an evil pharaoh lady a few weeks ago?" Alfie plopped himself down on the throw rug in the middle of the floor, the others following his lead.

"Yes, but this time there's a quest and no spirit," Patricia crossed her legs to get more comfortable.

"Not yet, anyway," Amber muttered.

"Amber!" Fabian widened his eyes at her, "Not helping."

Heaving a sigh at the possible downside of joining in on a new adventure, Alfie looked from one face to the other, "Alright, let's hear it." The group launched their story of Patricia finding the first clue, the map, the secret chamber, and finally how all of the amulets were needed to complete the current task.

"How come you guys only include me when you want to use me for something?" Alfie frowned.

"Aw, Alfie, come on! We actually had a plan to steal your amulet and not bring you into things but we decided against that," Patricia explained.

"Why, was the first plan too difficult?"

"Well, yes..." Patricia started, but seeing Alfie's affronted expression she hurriedly tacked on, "But we really do like having you around and you're a big help."

Alfie raised an eyebrow at her like he didn't believe her but let out a sigh, "Alright, I'm in. When do I get to see this secret chamber?"

"Tonight," Fabian grinned at the excited look on their friend's face.

"Come on, Alfie, we need to get your amulet and find you a treasure-seeking outfit," Amber hopped to her feet and grabbed the other boy's hand.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Alfie gestured at his clothes.

"Nothing. Well, mostly nothing. But it's not going to stand up against earthquakes," Amber said simply.

"Wait, what earthquakes!" Alfie's eyes showed fear as Amber dragged him from the room. Four hours later, the group was standing at the entrance to the secret chamber and explaining everything that had happened the night they opened the door.

"That's why we all had to wear sensible shoes," Amber shuddered as she whispered the word.

"Great," Alfie said sarcastically. "So we have to solve a quest and get tossed around like ping-pong balls?"

"That about sums it up," Patricia smirked.

"You guys ready?" Nina looked around. At the others' nods, she lead the way into the stone room and stood in front of the wall that required her necklace. The others followed her lead and when each of them had reached their spot, they removed their amulet from around their neck and pressed it into the indentation in the wall.

They waited a few seconds but similar to before, nothing happened. They looked around the room anxiously, too scared to move from their positions. Just as they thought they might be clear, the room began to shake. They each flattened themselves against the wall they stood in front of, squeezing their eyes shut and willing the trembling to stop. After a few more seconds it did and they cautiously moved to the center of the room and huddled together where they watched the blank wall in front of them sliding to the side to reveal another pitch-black room.

"What was that!?" Alfie swung his head from side to side, obviously freaked out by the quaking.

"I told you there were earthquakes," Amber said shakily.

"I didn't think you were serious!"

Nina grinned weakly, "Well, at least that one wasn't as bad as the first one."

"What? How was the other one worse?"

Nina rolled up her pant leg to display a bruise and Fabian did the same with his shirtsleeve while Amber turned and lifted her long hair up to show a bruise with a small scratch in the center at the very top of her shoulder. Patricia went last, slowly raising her sleeve to display the horrific-looking injury.

Alfie's face showed shock and dread, "Okay, the first one was definitely worse. What do we do now?"

"Now, we go to the next room," Fabian pulled his sleeve back down and motioned for the others to follow behind him as he lead the way into the newest room. They stood in the doorway, aiming their flashlights around until they decided it was safe to enter. Torches along the walls came alive the same as before and the group took a second to look around. The walls were once again bare, the only object in the room was a stone podium rising out of the center of the floor, a wooden box perched on top of it.

"Frobisher seriously needed a decorator," Amber said as she looked at the empty room.

"I think he had other things on his mind, Amber," Patricia smirked as they all gathered around the box.

After a minute of silent staring, Alfie spoke up, "So, are we gonna open this thing or what?"

"Right, right," Fabian let out a breath and then carefully reached out to touch the box. When nothing happened, he sighed with relief and tried to lift the lid but it wouldn't budge.

"Maybe if we all try?" Nina suggested. They each grabbed hold of the box and tried again, pulling, lifting, and twisting with all their strength but it didn't move an inch and they quickly discovered that the box was firmly attached to the podium.

"What now?" Amber questioned.

"Look!" Nina pointed at the rim on one side of the podium. Built into the stone were eight square slots and below that, running the length of the side of the podium were small stone squares, with eight different images carved onto the top. Each stone had its own column with duplicates of it lined below the first. Nina reach down and touched the stone pieces. They moved under her fingers and she found that if she put enough pressure on them they came loose.

"These must go in these slots in a certain order," Fabian surmised as he took the stone from Nina and examined it.

"That's going to take forever," Patricia moaned.

"Any idea what those pictures mean?" Alfie squinted at the images.

"Actually, yes," Fabian bent down to look at the other carvings.

"Really?" Nina looked impressed.

"They're numbers," Fabian looked at the others.

"These don't look like any numbers I've ever seen," Patricia raised an eyebrow.

"That's because they haven't been used in over fifteen hundred years," Fabian answered.

"Okay, so want to share what the symbols stand for?" Patricia looked at him expectantly.

"The Egyptians used a number system based on tens. The number one is just a slash mark, ten is this curved one right here, one-hundred is a piece of rope, one-thousand is a lotus flower, ten-thousand is a finger, one-hundred thousand is a frog, and a million is a god."

"Well, that's one problem solved. Now, what's the number we have to enter?" Alfie walked around the stand.

"It has to be a date or something," Nina said. "Frobisher loved using important dates: Sarah's birthday, the year the house was built."

"So that narrows us down to about a thousand possible dates he could've used," Patricia crossed her arms.

"Look what I found!" Amber's excited voice made them turn around to see the blonde waving them over to her.

"This should help narrow it down," Fabian grinned as his eyes scanned over words that were etched into what they had thought was a blank wall.

Nina read them out loud, "Four layers of stone beneath thick walls, wherein lies a ruler that roamed great halls. The day of ascent he was three times three, and he became known as his majesty."

"Time to pull out your nerd books, Fabian," Patricia said.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Thanks for your help, Patricia!" Eddie heard Mara call out before the sound of her footsteps faded up the stairs.

"Yeah, thanks, Trixie." The sound of Tom's voice made Eddie scowl to himself. Patricia must have been helping with Tom's soccer training, something that had been a regular occurrence over the past week.

Eddie slammed the fridge door shut and turned to grab his glass of orange juice but he walked into something. He reached out to grab hold of what he'd crashed into and a quick gasp of pain made his eyes jerk up to connect with Patricia's blue-green gaze.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's fine," the redhead said shortly. The lack of name-calling or burst of temper made Eddie refocus his attention on Patricia, who was currently holding on to her upper arm with a tight grip while her lips had pressed into a thin line. She was starting to back away but Eddie grabbed her other arm.

"Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" Eddie frowned, he hadn't thought he'd bumped into Patricia hard enough to cause her pain, but the tension on her face said otherwise.

"No, I'm fine," Patricia attempted to leave again but Eddie held fast.

"You don't seem fine, Yakker. Let me look," Eddie reached to pull Patricia's hand away from her arm but she struggled against him.

"Leave me alone, Weasel!" Patricia tried to pull away but Eddie was too strong for her. He tightened his hold on her and unclasped her hand from her arm. Before she could react, Eddie pushed the sleeve of her shirt up, giving a sharp gasp at what he saw. Most of Patricia's arm above the elbow was black and blue with barely healed scratches running the length of the bruise.

"Where did you get this?" Eddie demanded.

"I walked into a door," Patricia said sarcastically as she jerked her arm from his grasp and rolled her sleeve back down.

Patricia wasn't clumsy and even if she was there was no way walking into a door would cause that much damage. Eddie ran through every scenario he could think of, coming up with only one explanation as to how Patricia had gotten hurt. Anger flared in his chest as he spoke between clenched teeth, "Did Tom do that?"

Patricia's annoyance was quickly replaced with shock, "What? No."

"Don't lie, Patricia. You've been helping him practice soccer and he obviously went too far," Eddie moved past her, heading towards the boy's dormitory.

"Where are you going?" Patricia hurried after him.

"I'm going to kill Tom," Eddie answered without slowing down.

"No, you aren't!" Patricia ran ahead of him and stood in his way.

"Move, Yakker. He can't get away with doing that to you," Eddie nodded at Patricia's arm.

"You can't kill Tom, because he didn't do it."

Eddie stared at her in disbelief, "Then who did?"

Patricia was quiet as she gave Eddie a hard stare He could see a battle playing out in her mind before she finally gave a small sigh and grabbed his hand, pulling him up the stairs. When they reached her room, Patricia stuck her head through the opening to make sure it was empty. She opened the door wider and shoved Eddie in, closing the door behind her, "Sit. I have to tell you something."