Note - This chapter is a flashback chapter, taking place six months before the last chapter and approximately 3 months before the very first chapter of the story. It focuses on a small snapshot of Danielle and Isaac's lives before they met the Anubis gang.

Chapter 12: A Missing Picture

6 months earlier…

Pale morning light slipped in through the small cracks between the window and the drapes, illuminating every corner of the small room. In the far right was a bed occupied by a young boy. His eyes were closed and the bed sheets were tangled up in his legs as he snored softly into his pillow.

Clothes and random objects lay strewn across the wooden floor including a pair of muddy running shoes, an opened gym bag, and miscellaneous school books. The floor reflected the state of the majority of the room, messy to the point it was obnoxious but not past the point of living. The only things seemingly out of place were the barren walls of the room, empty except for a broken clock hanging at the far end, its hands stuck on 5:43.

Despite the disarray, everything about the space was peaceful in the same way an untouched pool at dawn was. It was quiet, or at least it was until the loud blaring of an alarm sounded in the room.

Isaac groaned and without opening his eyes began to swat at the alarm clock on his nightstand. Once the noise ceased, he turned over and looked up at the ceiling. He brought his hands up to his face and attempted to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

At that moment, the door to his room opened and Danielle rushed in before throwing herself on his bed.

Isaac yelped and he scooted over before she could land on him.

"Jesus, it's too early for this," he stated as he tried to hide the smile on his face.

Danielle beamed at him, seeing right through his cool façade and lightly smacked him with his pillow. "Today's going to be a good day. Or at least it will be, if we act like it."

He rolled his eyes and pushed the covers off his body. "I don't see how today could ever be a good day."

It was Danielle's turn to roll her eyes as she moved closer to him and sat on the side of the bed. "It'll be okay this time. I can feel it."

"My dad visiting is never okay."

Danielle frowned and she looked over at him. "When is he getting here?"

Isaac glanced at the broken clock on his wall. "Noon."

"My dad invited him to dinner."

Isaac's eyes closed at the statement and he fell back against his bed. "Of course he did."

"Don't worry. I'll be there as a buffer," she assured him.

Isaac opened his mouth to reply but before he could, his cell phone began to go off. Danielle raised an eyebrow at the notification and glanced at Isaac.

"Who's texting you at this time?"

Isaac shrugged off the comment and he sat up and grabbed his phone. "I need to get dressed. I'll catch you at lunch."

Danielle pursed her lips at the dismissal, but she didn't protest as she got up and walked out of the room.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Isaac glanced at his phone's screen and quickly read through his messages. A tiny smile crept onto his face and he sent a quick text before setting his phone down and proceeding to get dressed.

(***)

Danielle could tell that Isaac was hiding something from her, but she also knew that the one way to push Isaac away was to pry too much into his personal life. It didn't matter that they had been friends for years. Isaac was never much of a sharer. He was a closed book, and he was very reluctant to open up, even if a person had already had access to a few chapters.

She sighed, and pushed the issue to the back of her mind as she rushed to the gymnasium. It was always empty on the mornings of weekdays, perfect for Danielle to practice in a room all on her own.

She slipped into one of the open dance studios and set her bag on the floor before walking into the center of the room and turning towards one of the many mirrors lining the wall. As she stared at her reflection, she tried to ignore the dull feeling in the pit of her stomach while she tied back her long blonde hair. Her fingers slid through the last couple of strands before she forced her hands to her sides.

Danielle had been dancing since she was younger. It was something she loved terribly and something she had fallen a bit out of practice with in recent months.

It always got like that in the middle of the year. Danielle always assumed that it was her absorbing some of the misery that vibrated off Isaac during his dad's yearly visit, but this year Isaac wasn't the ball of anxiety and nerves he tended to be. Instead, he was happy and calm, treating his dad's visit as only a minor inconvenience. It was great for him, but it meant that the feeling in her, the emptiness, came from herself.

Danielle shook out her limbs and as she began to stretch the door to the studio opened. She lifted her head and her eyes met a boy about her age.

He stopped at the sight of her and immediately apologized. "Sorry, I wasn't aware anyone was in here."

"Yeah, I'm sure the bright fluorescent lights were very inconspicuous."

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck before stepping forward and holding out his hand. "I'm Eddie."

Danielle hesitated for a moment before returning the gesture. "Danielle, but you can call me Dani."

He smiled and Danielle felt herself starting to return the smile until she realized that they were still holding each other's hands. She coughed and pulled hers away.

"Do you mind if we share the studio?"

Danielle shook her head and scooted over to give him room.

"Not at all."

(***)

Isaac sat in the locker room with his hands in his lap as he kept glancing at the door. He had been waiting for what felt like hours, staring at the space around him and hoping that skipping first period would be worth it.

He knew it was riskier to step out of line on days when his father was in town, but those were also the days that he felt the rebel in him surface. Isaac never got too worried about it. After all, he had Officer Richards there to constantly bail him out. Maybe he should have felt a stronger sense of responsibility, considering the man was constantly forced to release him from any sort of consequences. Maybe he should have felt guilty, but it was hard for Isaac to have any remorse when it was his father that was often the one telling him to grow up, not Officer Richards.

The door opened, breaking his train of thought, and Isaac jumped up from his seat to greet the new arrival. He smiled as he caught sight of a tall handsome teen. His dark hair was worn in a crew cut and his pale brown eyes were staring at the floor. He had a runner's physique and his clothes and dark skin were drenched in sweat. Usually, he wore a smile on his face when he saw Isaac, his dimples on full display, but this time around his lips were tugged into a frown.

Isaac felt the smile on his face begin to slip as he stepped forward and reached for the teen's hands. "Alex?"

Alex forced himself to look up at Isaac and he remained still as Isaac leaned forward and attempted to kiss his frown away. When he didn't respond, Isaac pulled back and stared into his eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Alex stepped away from Isaac and cleared his throat. "I couldn't do it."

Any last shred of hope Isaac had had suddenly slipped away and a dense fog began to squeeze the organs in his chest. Isaac wasn't sure he would be able to get out a coherent sentence, so he said nothing and waited.

"No one's going to understand it."

Isaac's jaw clenched and he balled his hands into fists. "What exactly won't they understand?"

"This. Us. I just… it's not what was meant to happen."

The creeping sadness in his chest was suddenly replaced with anger and Isaac had to force himself to unclench his fists. "So that's it."

"Don't make this a bigger deal than it has to be."

"What the fuck? Are you serious right now?" Isaac fumed. "What exactly am I blowing out of proportion? You told me you wanted to be with me and now you're backtracking to make it seem like this was all just some meaningless fling?"

"Isaac-,"

"Let me guess, you aren't gay. You never were. This was just an experiment."

"Isaac-,"

"Don't bullshit me, Alex. This was real."

"But it'll never be enough!"

Isaac's face fell completely at the exclamation and he took a step back as though he had been physically hit.

Alex looked down at the floor and lightly shook his head. "I know the future I'm meant to have. I know who I'm supposed to be… and it isn't this. This isn't okay for people like us. Not for what we want."

The pain clenched tighter in his chest and Isaac's vision began to grow fuzzy with tears as Alex continued to speak.

"You're not going to get to the Olympics being gay. Neither of us are. Wake up."

Isaac gulped and he refused to meet Alex's eyes as he said, "that's not true."

"It wouldn't hurt this much if it weren't," he told him.

There was a long pause then before Isaac forced himself to look at him.

"You were enough for me," Isaac whispered.

Alex shook his head, brushing off the comment before saying, "I'm leaving at the end of the month. Mum's transferring me to Heath. Says they have a better track program."

Isaac didn't respond. Instead, he turned his back to Alex, ending the conversation with a single movement. He could hear Alex sigh before the sound of retreating footsteps echoed in the locker room.

(***)

Isaac didn't remember making the trek across town. He didn't remember sneaking into the private lot or taking a dip in the private pool. He didn't remember sitting under the surface of the water until a shrill shriek broke his calm. He didn't remember being dragged out of the pool or being handcuffed.

All he remembered was being in the locker room after Alex broke up with him and then blinking and finding himself at the police station.

Isaac sighed and he shifted in an attempt to try and get the handcuffs on his wrists to fit more comfortably.

"Isaac."

The boy looked up into the disappointed eyes of Officer Richards.

"I'm sorry."

The older man shook his head at the apology and took a seat opposite Isaac. "When is this going to stop?"

Isaac remained quiet, his eyes falling to the floor.

Officer Richards sighed and he kicked gently at Isaac's chair, forcing him to look at him. "You were doing well. Almost four months since your last incident. What happened?"

Isaac's jaw clenched before he deadpanned, "I felt like a swim."

The man rolled his eyes at his response and stood up. "If you're not going to take this seriously-,"

"I was angry, okay?" Isaac told him. "I was angry and sad and I didn't want to go to class or home or to Danielle, so I went somewhere I didn't know. Somewhere where no one knew me."

"You can't just do what you feel like because you're in a shitty mood. You need to manage your emotions like an adult."

"So I should bury everything until eventually I explode, run away from home, and develop a bad addiction to anti-anxiety medications?"

A puff of laughter left Officer Richards and he rested his hands on his belt. "I know Harry's in town."

Isaac's entire body went rigid at that and his head shot up. "You didn't…"

"I'm afraid I did."

That was when Isaac finally noticed a tall dark haired man wearing a grey pinstripe suit and permanent grimace on his face. He stood at the far corner of the room, his arms crossed against his chest.

"Fuck my life," Isaac muttered.

The man approached, his dark onyx eyes staring into Isaac's matching ones.

"Isaac."

Isaac gritted his teeth as he forced out a choked, "dad."

(***)

Danielle couldn't help but smile as she cleaned up her things in the studio. She cast a glance over at Eddie and lightly shook her head.

"What?" he asked.

"It's just… you're not exactly a dancer, so I'm wondering why exactly you decided to give it a try."

Eddie shrugged and swung his bag over his shoulder. "I was trying something new. I've been under a bit of stress since moving here. My experience has been a bit… odd."

"Really? How so?"

"Well, I live in Anubis hou-,"

"That explains it," Danielle laughed and picked up her own bag. "No one in that house is normal."

Eddie frowned a bit and looked down at his shoes. "You don't know the half of it."

Danielle tilted her head and stared at him for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest. "So tell me."

"Tell you?"

"Yeah, tell me," she insisted. "I'll buy you a cup of coffee."

Eddie's smile returned and just as he was about to reply, Danielle's phone began to ring.

She offered Eddie an apologetic smile and answered her phone. "Hello?"

Danielle listened patiently for a bit before she groaned and began to rush to the door. "He was arrested again? Wait, you called his dad?"

She moved the phone from her ear and glanced back at Eddie. "I'm sorry, but something has come up."

"It's alright," he assured her. "Maybe next time."

Danielle nodded and headed out of the studio.

(***)

"You just never learn, do you?"

Isaac's dad shouted as he rushed out of the station, Isaac hot on his heels.

"I can't be here to constantly bail you out."

"When are you ever here?" Isaac countered.

His father shot back a glare and suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Don't you dare talk back to me."

"Why the fuck not?" Isaac spat.

Harry narrowed his eyes, but instead of saying something he walked to a car parked on the side of the road and opened the passenger seat.

"Get in."

Isaac hesitated before reluctantly getting into the car. He knew that he shouldn't be picking a fight with his father, not on the one day he visited, but his anger and sadness were still choking his insides. It was easier to just let inflict his emotions on the closest person to him and unfortunately that person just happened to be his father.

Quickly, his dad entered through the driver's side and slammed his door shut. He was silent as he started the car and began zooming through the streets.

"Dad-,"

"You need to take responsibility for your actions and behave like an adult. If you can't, I have no problem sending you somewhere else. It's clear that David hasn't been keeping his eyes on you."

"He's been more of a father than you've ever been."

"Really? Cause I'm the one paying for that retched boarding school and your little stunts."

Isaac rolled his eyes and stared out of the window. "A dad does more than give you money."

"I've done right by you your whole life," Harry stated.

"How? By fucking off to America? Or by forcing me into boarding school? Or maybe by refusing to speak to me for months after I told you I was gay?"

Harry suddenly slammed the brakes in the car and Isaac's entire body lunged forward and his face collided with the dashboard. Isaac groaned and he lifted his head, immediately catching his bloodstained face in the rearview mirror. He carefully brought his hand up to his face and prodded at his nose. He winced and then looked over at his father.

Harry refused to look at his son as he adjusted his seatbelt and started the car again. He began to drive and Isaac turned away from him, a numb feeling settling in his chest.

After a few minutes, his father let out a deep breath and said, "You will be civil at dinner. Understood?"

Isaac didn't respond. He just leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the throbbing pain all over his face.

(***)

Danielle was pacing the dining room by the time she finally heard the doorbell ring. She had been waiting for hours, having spent most of the time compulsively setting up the table in different ways before she finally settled on an arrangement.

At the sound of someone's arrival, she made a move for the door, but her father beat her to it.

She could hear murmured voices and she tapped her foot impatiently until Isaac was finally within view. The moment her eyes landed on him, she gasped.

Danielle rushed over to him and she quickly took hold of his chin as she observed his face. "What happened?"

Isaac shook his head in a quiet warning to not mention it as he took a seat at the dining table. She frowned and watched him for a moment before taking the seat beside him. Before their fathers entered the room, Danielle placed her hand over Isaac's and gave it a tight squeeze.

Isaac immediately squeezed back.

(***)

"That's a nasty bruise you have forming. What happened?" Officer Richards asked.

Isaac didn't bother looking up from the table as he spoke in a monotone voice. "I slipped."

Officer Richards frowned, but before he could ask another question, Harry cut him off.

"Anything new with you, Danielle?"

Danielle looked up from her plate and gave the man a tight smile. "Umm, well, I'm going to Peru in like a month. Isaac too."

"Really?" Harry briefly glanced at his son, a flash of annoyance in his eyes, before refocusing his attention on Danielle. "For what?"

"It's a trip that some of our history class is attending," she told him. "It should be fun."

Isaac didn't add to any of the conversation. Instead he kept his eyes on the worn yellow tablecloth as he played with its frayed edges out of view from everyone.

Sensing the tension, Officer Richards cleared his throat and set down his fork. "When are you heading back to the states, Harry?"

"I'll be leaving tomorrow night. I still have a meeting at the museum today," he revealed.

"The museum? Don't you work in finance?" Danielle asked.

"I have some colleagues in Egypt that alerted me of a new investment opportunity."

She nodded and looked at Isaac to find that he had barely touched his food. Danielle cleared her throat and pushed back her seat. "I'm completely stuffed, so I think Isaac and I are going to head back to campus. We have a big presentation tomorrow that we need to wrap up."

"Isaac needs to finish his food before he can leave the table," Harry demanded.

Isaac looked up then, his eyes cold and a dark bruise beginning to settle on his face. "I'm not hungry."

"Isaac-,"

"I'm sure the boy can get something to eat later. We should let the kids go. It is schoolwork after all," Officer Richards insisted.

Harry's jaw clenched, but ultimately he shrugged and leaned back in his seat. "Good luck with your assignment."

At that statement, Isaac stood up and he followed Danielle out of the house.

(***)

Once they were back in Isis house, Isaac headed straight for his room. He didn't bother closing his bedroom door, well aware that Danielle was right behind him.

Once she entered, she locked the door behind herself and turned back to Isaac.

"Who do I have to beat up?" she asked.

Isaac let out a bitter laugh before meeting her eyes and replying, "my father."

Danielle's heart dropped at his words and she rushed to his side. "Did he hit you?"

Isaac sighed and carefully ran his hand over his face. "Not technically. We were arguing in the car and I guess I stuck a nerve because the next I knew he slammed the brakes and I bashed my head into the dashboard."

"Has he hurt you before?"

Isaac shook his head and pulled his knees up to his chest. "Not physically. I didn't know how to react. I was so stunned."

"We need to tell my dad."

"Danielle,"

"He hurt you on purpose!'

"It was one time-,"

"That's one too many!"

"Danielle!" Isaac shouted as he grabbed onto her wrist and shook her arm. "I'm asking you to drop this… please."

Danielle hesitated, the pleading look in Isaac's eyes settling the anger in her. "Okay."

Isaac nodded and he let go of her wrist before falling back on his bed.

"Are we at least going to talk about why you were arrested?" she asked.

Isaac's eyes closed at the question and he shrugged. "I was upset and I didn't handle it correctly."

"What happened?"

He sighed and he opened his eyes. "I was seeing Alex for a few months and he dumped me."

"Alex?" Danielle nodded before lying down beside him. "So that's why you were so happy?"

"He asked me not to tell anyone. Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," she told him. "Do you know why he dumped you?"

Isaac frowned and his eyes focused on the single fluorescent light in the room. "The same bullshit… he doesn't want to be gay and I'm not enough to convince him otherwise."

Danielle didn't say anything then. She just did what she always did which was take hold of Isaac's hand and squeeze.

And just like always, Isaac squeezed back.

(***)

Isaac woke up the next morning with Danielle lying next to him in his bed. He was still wearing yesterday's clothes, bringing the horrid day's events rushing back to hit him with full force.

Instead of dwelling on them, he forced Danielle to get up and they both got dressed for the day before preparing to head to class. Just as they were leaving Isis house, Isaac's dad entered the building.

Isaac frowned at his presence and Danielle took a defensive stance in front of him.

Harry took off the hat that rested on his head and cleared his throat. "Can I speak with you?"

Isaac stared at his father for a moment, contemplating walking past him without sparing him another glance. It was the most appealing option. An action he had earned after what happened in his father's car, but he knew he couldn't go through with it. He was his father and even though that didn't excuse his actions, it made it very hard to walk away.

Isaac turned to Danielle and said, "I'll meet you in the courtyard."

Danielle pursed her lips in response, but she nodded and left the house, leaving Isaac with his dad.

"Well?" Isaac asked.

Harry sighed and took a step forward. "I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I let my anger get away from me."

Isaac didn't say anything, neither accepting the apology or rejecting it.

"I, uh, wanted to say goodbye before I left."

"Okay. Bye," Isaac offered.

"I also have something for you."

Isaac's brow furrowed and he watched as his father pulled out a velvet navy pouch from his pocket and handed it to him.

Isaac stared at it for a moment before cautiously opening it up and spilling its contents into his hand. It was an onyx rune. On its surface were a few carved words that Isaac couldn't quite decipher.

"What is this?" Isaac asked.

"Consider it a peace offering," he offered. "It's one of the artefacts from my deal with the museum."

Isaac flipped it over in his hand, mesmerized by its smooth surface, before returning his eyes to his father.

"Thanks."

"Well, I'll be on my way then," he told him. "Goodbye, Isaac."

Isaac watched as his father turned his back on him and left. He knew he should've felt a particular emotion at his father's departure. Guilt, sorrow, maybe even relief, but instead, all he felt was an overwhelming sense of doom settle in his gut.

He looked down at the carved rune in his hand, flipped it over in his palm, and then pocketed it, choosing to bury the feeling inside.

(***)

Isaac found Danielle waiting at a table in the courtyard. He dropped his bag beside hers and took a seat opposite her.

"Hey," he said.

Ignoring his greeting, she asked, "What happened?"

Isaac shrugged and began to pull some food out from his bag. "Nothing. He just wanted to apologize and say goodbye."

Danielle nodded, accepting his answer, before turning her head back to the table she had been staring at.

"Who are you looking at?" he questioned.

Isaac leaned forward and followed her line of sight before his eyes landed on the Anubis residents. He sat back in his seat and scoffed. "Seriously? The Anubis freaks?"

Danielle didn't say anything for a moment, her focus on a particular brown haired American, before she looked at Isaac. "I was just curious is all. What do you think actually goes down there?"

Isaac shrugged, and took a large bite from his apple. "Beats me."

He glanced at them again, his eyes scanning over every single one of them before he returned his focus to Danielle. "He's cute."

Her head shot back to him and she perked up. "Which one?"

Isaac scanned over them again before saying, "the blonde one. I think he's on the football team. Why? Which one were you looking at?"

She sighed and took a book out from her bag. "Doesn't matter."

Isaac laughed a bit and shook his head. "Don't worry. We'll find you a nice bloke. The last thing either of us needs is to be dragged into the Anubis drama."

Danielle gave a small chuckle before she opened up her book and began catching up on her work. If her eyes drifted to the Anubis table a couple of times, Isaac pretended not to notice and Danielle pretended not to be grateful.

AN: I've been wanting to write a flashback chapter for awhile and I decided to finally do it. It's a way of getting a small glimpse into Danielle and Isaac before they met everyone in Anubis house (or almost everyone). From the start, I knew that I wanted Danielle and Eddie to already know one another, so I decided to finally start a storyline that will include a few of the characters that have been in the background. This chapter also hints at a couple of other important details about the mystery that will come more to the surface in the next chapter. I hope you liked and if you did please favorite, review, and subscribe.

Thanks.

-Karina