Episode 7: "House of Confrontation & House of Alarms"
This edited and revised chapter was uploaded on July 25, 2020
Chapter 7: C'est L'amour
"Alright. When daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eye shall see," Fabian recited. He was pacing up and down the kitchen, thinking about their latest riddle. Nina, Cameron, and Amber were leaning against the countertops, also pondering the puzzle. Cameron had taken to keeping a notebook of all their discoveries and clues, and she eyed the written riddle with her pen on her chin.
"Is that on the Shakespeare test?" Amber suddenly asked.
"No, that's the riddle," Cameron said, not even looking up from the page.
"Oh, right! I don't get it though. Do you?" Amber asked. Cameron shook her head. "By the way, do you guys know what is on the Shakespeare test?"
"When daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eye shall see," Nina recited, ignoring Amber. Cameron silently looked through her bag and handed Amber her Shakespeare notes.
"Yep. Still don't get it." Amber took the notes, smiling gratefully at Cameron.
"We need to figure it out. So, lunchtime, yeah?" Fabian suggested. Everyone agreed and put their hands to their eyes.
"Sibuna."
"Why can't there be, like, a map or something?" Amber complained. "That's what you usually get when you're looking for treasure."
Cameron was pretty sure that was only true for pirate stories.
"What treasure?"
Everyone jumped and looked at Mick, who had appeared in the doorway.
"Oh, nothing," Nina quickly said. "Just some little kids' pirates thing on the back of a cereal box." She held up the cereal box and sure enough, there was a pirate map on the back. "I'm like, really into pirates. Like, so much."
Cameron almost facepalmed. That last bit was overkill. Thankfully, Mick simply dismissed it and looked at Amber.
"I, um… Ta da!" He held up a gift for his girlfriend and she rushed forward.
"Oh, it's lovely. Thank you!" Amber cried.
"And I thought maybe we could like, hang out this lunchtime?" Mick asked. "Seeing as you sneaked off without me yesterday."
"Er, yeah, the thing is…" Amber trailed off awkwardly. "That might be a problem."
"Fine. Whatever. I know when I'm not wanted."
Mick stormed off. Cameron rushed after him.
"Mick! Mick, wait!"
He simply ignored her and left the house. Cameron sighed, trudging back to the kitchen. He and Amber had just gotten back together, and they were already having problems again. Cameron hoped they would work it out because she wasn't sure how much more of the typical teenage drama she could take before she exploded. Amber was a demanding girlfriend — jealous and immature, but Mick was no better. He could be dense, and though he usually meant well, he was often so focused on his workouts and sports that he ended up ignoring Amber. Not to mention it didn't help that Mara was still pining after Mick, even after royally screwing things up with the French test.
God, Cameron really hoped the two of them worked it out, if not for their sake, then for the sake of everyone else's sanity.
~)8(~
Cameron walked into class with Nina, Fabian, and Amber. Amber immediately flounced up to Mick, wondering why he was in such a bad mood. Cameron loved Amber, she really did, but honestly, she could be so short-sighted when it came to others. It was obvious that Mick just wanted to spend some time with his girlfriend, and she kept ditching him. But Cameron could only feel half-sorry for him. It wasn't like he'd never ditched Amber to go play soccer or work out.
Cameron was relieved, however, when Amber and Mick quickly made up and made plans to go for a picnic during lunch. Cameron saw Alfie scowling behind them.
Poor guy. He had it bad.
"Okay, settle down everyone, please. "Mr. Winkler came in and started the class just as Cameron sank into a seat up front with Nina. "Right, let's talk Prospective Parents' Day, shall we? Seeing as there has been such a poor show of volunteers," that was not a good sign, "I've decided to allocate you your tasks myself." Everyone moaned. "I think you'll all find I've catered to your academic strengths?"
"Oh, is Mick doing nothing, then?" Jerome shot from the back of the room. Some people snickered, but Cameron glowered at him. That was unnecessarily rude. Mick had plenty of strengths. He might not have been the best student in the world, but he was an exceptional athlete.
By the end of the period, everyone had their assignments and tasks. Cameron had been assigned to represent the English department.
"Do you think Mr. Winkler chose me to hostess the parents because I'm the best looking girl in school, or was it my bubbly personality?" Amber asked Mick as they left the classroom. "Or was it my shoes…?"
"All of the above," Mick told her.
"Aww, sweet! And true," Amber said. She turned and saw Nina and Fabian walking up, Cameron not far behind them. "Hey, guys, wait up! Catch you later, boo!"
Amber ran to catch up with Nina and Fabian, leaving Mick behind, confused and hurt.
He felt a hand on his shoulder. Cameron. She had a sympathetic look on his face. But as good of a friend as she was, Mick simply brushed her off and walked away. He was less kind to Mara, though, as he passed, blatantly ignoring her attempts to speak to him.
Cameron didn't really feel bad for her.
~)8(~
"What do you think?" Amber asked during break. The Sibuna friends were gathered in the common room, trying to work out the riddle. "Strawberry Passion of Bashful Cinnamon?"
Cameron looked up in confusion, only to see Amber holding up two tubes of lipstick. Cameron elected not to answer and looked back to her riddle notes. She remained quiet as the others discussed the riddle.
Cameron broke down the riddle bit by bit. She had theories about the first part — when daytime ends at midday. The most obvious solution was a total solar eclipse around midday, but she had no idea if a solar eclipse was due to happen any time soon, let alone a total solar eclipse. So Cameron was hesitant to accept that as the solution.
The second part took a little more thought — through tears of glass — it had Cameron thinking literally, like a glass chandelier or a lamp.
Cameron was pulled out of her pondering when Fabian voiced one of her theories.
"Hey, what about this?" he cried. "Partial eclipse — midday sunset."
"You've got it!" Nina agreed. Fabian beamed at her. Cameron was about to speak up when Jerome and Alfie came up into the room, carrying one of the biology skeletons for some reason.
"Got what?" Jerome asked.
"Looks, brains, charm," Fabian immediately listed. "You know, all those things you don't have, Jerome."
Jerome dished it back just as easily. "Your girlfriend was missing you, Rutter." Alfie waved the skeleton's hand at him.
"Helloooo!" Jerome snickered and Cameron rolled her eyes.
"Kiss me! Kiss me, darling!" Jerome stuck the skeleton's face right near Fabian. He knocked the skeleton away, causing it to knock Cameron hard in the head.
"Ow!" she cried out. Fabian's eyes widened, immediately going to apologize when Jerome spoke.
"Oh, you okay, Caramel?" He had a strange amount of concern on his face, but it fell away as Cameron smacked the back of his head.
"Don't call me that."
Fabian, Nina, and Amber laughed. Even Alfie stifled a snicker.
Jerome simply rolled his eyes. Cameron was fine. He opened his mouth to make some sort of intelligent quip, but it never came.
Cameron looked at him funny.
"Alfie," Jerome nudged. Alfie suddenly caught sight of something. Cameron followed their gazes, but she couldn't figure out what it was.
"Well, as stimulating as your non-conversation may be to each other, it's a little bit dull for the likes of us. So we're going to go kick up a storm somewhere else. See you later, Shakespeare."
Cameron rolled her eyes at the nickname, but didn't bother to tell him off like before. She preferred "Shakespeare" over "Caramel."
The Sibunas went back to their riddle-solving.
"This is ridiculous," Fabian muttered a few minutes later. "There were 242 solar eclipses between 1801 and 1900, but who knows how many between 1901 and 1923."
"Why not ask Sarah?" Amber suggested.
"I doubt she'd remember, Amber," Cameron said.
"Duh. Not Sarah," Amber said like it was obvious. She picked up her digital recorder. "Sarah. You never know. She might mention something."
Nina, Fabian, and Cameron were wholly impressed.
"Not just beauty and sophistication. I've got smarts too. Tons of them."
Cameron smiled. Indeed she did.
~)8(~
"What are those squiggles?" Amber asked later that day. She, Nina, and Cameron were crowded around Fabian's laptop in an empty classroom. "It's like a heart machine."
"This is the sound translated as a picture," Fabian explained to her. He had downloaded the recordings they'd made of the cylinders onto his laptop. "So, uh, this bit is really loud, these bits are all really quiet. And this music software is clearing all the interference."
"Okay, so where do we start?" Nina asked.
"The beginning," Fabian said. He pressed play, and the recording began to play.
"Sometimes he says things in the hope that I'll react, but I don't," Sarah said. "Instead, I think of Mother and Father and sit in complete —" There was a beep, and another voice cut into the recording.
"I tooketh myself up to the attic, and verily, there was one massive surprise."
Cameron's jaw dropped. She recognized Alfie's voice. And oh, she was irate.
"What's that?" Amber asked, confused.
"Alfie and Jerome!" Fabian groused. "Well this explains their hasty exit earlier."
Indeed it did. They had spotted the MP3 on the table, and scurried away before any confrontations could be had.
"Okay, if they've heard this, they might know something," Nina said. Cameron scoffed.
"We're talking about Alfie and Jerome," she pointed out. "Plus, they heard it on an MP3. They might just think it's some strange podcast or audiobook."
"Let's hope so," Fabian sighed.
~)8(~
Later that night, everyone was scattered around the house doing homework or whatever. Mara was downstairs reading Romeo & Juliet when Alfie walked into the living room, precariously carrying several boxes full of costumes and props. Cameron walked downstairs in time to see Jerome "accidentally" run into Alfie.
The boxes and costumes went everywhere.
"Oh, dear!" Jerome lamented without genuine concern.
"Hey! These are the costumes for Prospective Parents' Day!" Alfie cried.
Cameron rolled her eyes and smacked Jerome round the back of the head. He didn't say anything, simply rubbing his head. He was really starting to get used to that. However, he hadn't realized Cameron was there. She had been as quiet as ever walking into the living room.
Jerome also didn't expect Amber to march in and smack him herself.
"Ow!"
"That is for going through my stuff," she huffed angrily. She rounded on Alfie. "And that —"
"Ow!"
"Is for recording over my files!"
Amber hit Jerome again.
"Ow!" Jerome cried. He scurried behind Cameron and put his hands on her shoulders, as if to utilize her as a shield. "What was that for?"
"Just for fun," Amber said, false sweetness dripping from her tone.
"So, how much did you hear or understand," Nina asked. Cameron resisted the urge to sigh and shake her head. Sometimes she wondered if Nina knew the word "subtle."
"Well, if you must know, we only heard that one bit," Jerome said, answering the question with no small amount of confusion. He decided it was more trouble than it was worth asking why they wanted to know. "And you, by the way, have some really weird taste in recorded books, Millington."
Cameron looked at Nina, Fabian, and Amber, as if to say, "I told you so." However, no one had the chance to say anything when Mick came storming into the room, glaring fiercely at Amber.
"Hi, boo! I…" Amber's smile fell, and she realized that she had completely forgotten about her picnic date with Mick. "I am so sorry, something came up —"
"We're done, Amber!" Mick yelled. The truly fierce anger in his tone was enough to make everyone jump, even Jerome. His hands tightened around Cameron's shoulders, as if to comfort her. "And I hate it when you call me boo!"
And Mick stormed out, leaving behind a stunned and hurt Amber.
"Did he just dump me?" she asked, dazed.
"You bet he did," Jerome said, earning himself a not-so-soft jab in the gut from Cameron.
"Nina, what do I do?"
"Go after him! I think…" Nina cringed. "Not my greatest area…"
Amber looked to Cameron for help, but the girl blushed harder than anyone had ever seen.
"I've never really… had a boyfriend, so…" she quietly admitted. "Not my greatest area, either."
Jerome's eyes were wide with surprise.
"What's the point?" Amber said. "He already made his feelings pretty clear… in front of everyone."
Cameron followed Amber's gaze and saw Mara sitting in a chair. And she was clearly trying (and failing) to suppress her smile.
Cameron could barely contain a glare. Did Mara really have that little common decency or empathy? Amber just got horribly dumped and all she could do was glow with hope about her chances with Mick. Cameron was only placated by the fact that Mick seemed as angry with Mara as he was with Amber.
Amber ran off, Nina and Fabian going after her.
"You've never been in a relationship?"
Cameron's cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink at Jerome's inquiry. She shook her head.
Jerome was honestly surprised by that. If there was anything all the boys in Anubis House could agree on, it was that Cameron was a very attractive girl (not that the other girls weren't). She was a great person, too.
Jerome made to ask why she'd never had a boyfriend, but Cameron slipped from the room, as quiet as ever. It was only then that Jerome realized his hands had still been on her shoulders, and they felt warm and tingly.
~)8(~
That night, Nina, Fabian, Amber, and Cameron were back up in the attic, trying to re-record the cylinders since Alfie and Jerome had gone over them. However, it wasn't going as well as they'd planned.
"It's just," Amber said quietly, "I love him, Cam. I really love him." Nina and Fabian sighed. They would have to start over. "And I've messed it all up… and now I'm messing up the recording."
Cameron quietly comforted the heartbroken girl leaning on her shoulder, and offered to take her back downstairs. Amber was obviously not feeling up to attic adventures that night.
"No, I'm fine," Amber said, "But what I'm wondering is how you've never had a boyfriend."
Fabian and Nina looked at Cameron. They had been wondering that, as well.
"I've just… never had one," Cameron said with a shrug. Amber was about to say something else when something caught her eye.
"That's pretty. What is it?" Everyone followed her gaze to the stained-glass window. Amber was right — it was really pretty. Even at night, its colors were vibrant and gorgeous.
"A sunset," Nina replied.
Fabian and Cameron looked at each other. They realized it at the same time.
"When daytime ends," Fabian said. "A sunset. At midday. That's when it happens!"
Cameron added, "The sun must shine through that window at midday!"
"Yes!" Fabian cried. He beamed at Amber. "You are brilliant!"
Amber smiled, and her mood was considerably brighter for the rest of the night.
~)8(~
The next day at school, Patricia came and looped her arm through Cameron's. She saw the look on the girl's face and immediately excused herself from Nina, Fabian, and Amber and went with her. The two girls darted into the bathroom and locked the door. Whatever Patricia had to say, it had her looking close to panic.
"So, Mr. Winkler talked to Mr. Sweet," she said. "And then he talked to Victor, and now he won't tell me anything!"
Cameron's eyes widened. "What?"
"I know! Mr. Winkler believed me before and now he won't even talk to me! He won't even acknowledge me!"
Cameron shook her head, dazed. Something was definitely up. Something bad, and something secret. And not was the school staff in on it, but so were the police. And Victor, the creepy caretaker himself, seemed to be heading up the whole thing.
Something was definitely going on. Something definitely happened to Joy Mercer, and it seemed that something was a whole lot bigger than they had ever imagined.
~)8(~
"Okay, as I'm sure you're all aware," Mr. Winker came into the room, acting so normal Cameron would've never guessed something was wrong if Patricia hadn't told her, "today is Prospective Parents' Day. Is everyone clear on their individual tasks?"
Cameron had been assigned to the English department. She was to mind the booth and answer any and all questions regarding the curriculum and the importance of English class. She had amassed copies of assigned readings, texts, and poems. And she was doing it all in Shakespearean costume.
Not to mention Mrs. Andrews had tasked her with writing a report detailing the parents' thoughts of the class. Mrs. Andrews thought it would be a good way to get feedback, and it would be fun for the parents and students to see Cameron writing in calligraphy.
Yep. Cameron was set to write the whole thing in calligraphy. The whole report thing would've been a pain if Cameron hadn't been so excited to show off her skills.
~)8(~
In the auditorium, Alfie had donned his robot costume, beatboxing and dancing. Jerome was shaking his head at his best friend. There were people behind them on stage, getting in their own costumes. However, what Jerome hadn't realized yet, was that Cameron was among them.
"You see, this is your big change to win Amber's heart, dude," Jerome told Alfie. "She's been dumped, she's vulnerable. She needs a sensitive guy like you with a big shiny shoulder to cry on."
Cameron overheard Jerome's words and rolled her eyes. She eavesdropped while waiting for her classmate to finish braiding her hair.
"I don't know, man," Alfie said, taking Jerome literally. "Mr. Winkler said I can't get the costume wet."
Jerome ignored the comment. "If you want to win the girl's heart, you have to follow my four-step plan."
Jerome paused, having finally caught sight of Cameron. He nearly choked on his own air. She was wearing a green skirt, a white renaissance blouse, and a dark brown under bust corset. Her hair was being intricately braided by a classmate, and Jerome could only stare. She looked pretty. Really pretty.
The thought brought heat to Jerome's cheeks, and he cleared his throat, trying to remember what he'd been talking about before.
"Step 1: Attention. Make sure she notices you." Alfie didn't notice, but Jerome was still staring at Cameron. He couldn't take his eyes off her. "Step 2: Intention. Show her you're interested because women want to be swept off their feet."
"Be noticed, and sweep her off her feet," Alfie listed, committing everything to memory.
"Step 3: Longing."
"Ahh, I've already got that one covered," Alfie said dreamily.
"No! She has to long for you. You have to be her hero," Jerome said.
"Hero?" Alfie asked.
"Look," Jerome said, picking up Alfie's helmet. "Try to be more of an Iron Man than a Tin Man."
Alfie donned the helmet and struck a heroic pose. Jerome laughed and shook his head. God, Alfie had it bad.
Then Cameron caught his eye again. The girl braiding her hair had finished, and she was ready to head to her booth.
Jerome's eyes widened. He quickly looked around. He found what he was looking for and dashed off to stop Cameron. He caught her right before she reached the hall.
"Hey, Juliet," he said. Cameron looked up at him, slightly amused at the new nickname.
"Can I help you?" Jerome didn't reply, but instead revealed the thing he had grabbed before rushing off to meet her. Cameron frowned slightly. It was a white rose.
Jerome gently tucked the rose in her hair, right above her ear, and Cameron surprised herself by letting him do it.
"There," he said. He lowered his hand, his fingers brushing against the skin right beneath her ear. He paused as Cameron let out a quiet squeak. "What?"
"Nothing."
Lie. Jerome slowly raised his hand again and Cameron slapped it away.
"What is it?" Jerome asked, laughing slightly. He knew she was ticklish, but…
"The areas right behind and underneath my ears are really sensitive spots on me, okay?" Cameron admitted quickly. She cleared her throat and hurried away.
"Hey, wait!" Jerome called. "Sensitive in a good or bad way?"
Cameron looked thoughtful. "Depends on the person, I guess."
"And what about for your Romeo?" Jerome asked, gesturing to himself. Cameron smirked.
"I haven't decided yet."
Leaving Jerome with that, she turned and went to her booth. The blush she'd barely kept at bay came on full force once she was sure she was out of his sight. She couldn't tell if Jerome had been genuine or was just messing with her. And it scared her, because despite her better judgement, Cameron was starting to develop a crush on Jerome Clarke.
~)8(~
An hour later, Cameron was still stationed at the English booth. She was currently writing notes about the feedback she'd gotten from parents, her quill scratching lightly against the thick paper. Mick was beside her at the History booth, and was thoroughly impressed at her calligraphy skills. He was about to ask her why she was writing so much when Mr. Winkler came up.
"Amber, can you help Mick man the History stall? Patricia seems to have disappeared."
Neither Mick nor Amber looked comfortable with the request.
Mick spoke up. "Erm, I don't think that's a very good idea, sir. We, erm —"
"He dumped me, sir," Amber said bluntly. "From a very great height."
Mick winced. He felt bad about the way he'd gone about it. It had been horrible of him to break up with her like that.
"Oh. Right." Mr. Winkler looked more uncomfortable than they did. "Sorry to hear about that." He briskly walked off, sharing an uncomfortable look with Cameron as he passed.
Amber elected to simply continue on with her tour.
On the other side of the hallway, Jerome and Alfie were tacking up posters. They stopped when they saw the PE teacher, Miss Robinson, come up the hall. She was wearing a pretty magenta dress, and her hair was down.
"Hello, Miss Robinson," Jerome greeted, looking her up and down.
"Doing a good job there, boys," she said, coming up to them.
"Men, Miss Robinson. Men," Jerome corrected. He heard a snicker, and looked to see Cameron exchanging an amused look with Miss Robinson.
"You keep telling yourself that, Jerome."
The teacher continued on her way.
"Man, why do none of the chicks around here take us seriously, dude?" Alfie complained.
"I refer you to step four of my plan, Alfie," Jerome said. Cameron subtly rolled her eyes. She couldn't wait to hear this. "Heroics. What do you need to become a hero, Alfie?"
"I don't know," he said with a shrug.
"A damsel in distress." Jerome stared right at Cameron. Though she sat there scribbling away, he knew she had heard him. He knew she was ignoring him. Or trying to. He didn't care. Jerome simply looked away and began whispering his plan to Alfie.
"Hey," Cameron heard. She turned and saw Mara had come up to Mick.
"Hi," he replied dryly.
"I can help you with this stall if you like," she offered.
"Mara," Mick started, "we're still not… You know, I still haven't…" He hadn't forgiven her for what she'd done with the French test.
"Forgiven me?" Mara sighed. "Mick —"
"If you're going to talk, I don't want your help." Mick was cold, but Cameron thought Mara deserved it. What she had done could have gotten both herself and Mick thrown out of school. And that was not okay.
Mara nodded, falling silent and standing beside Mick at the stall.
Amber eventually came around again, followed by another set of parents and their kid. Mick's eyes followed her as she went and Cameron saw Mara give him a desperate look. Eventually, Mick handed the girl his half-eaten sandwich and went after Amber. Cameron sighed. She didn't want this to end in a fight, and with how stubborn both Amber and Mick could be, she worried it was inevitable.
She followed behind, ready to mediate.
"Hey," Mick said.
"Hey," Amber replied.
Cameron stood near them, giving them their space, but showing she was there in case it was needed. Both of them smiled gratefully at her.
"Look, I didn't mean to be such a pig," Mick said. "Dumping you like that."
Cameron sniffed. Why did it smell like something was burning?
"Thank you," Amber accepted. "Wait, what are you saying?"
"I'm saying sorry," Mick said. However, his attention was no longer on his apology and Cameron's was no longer on mediating. Instead, they were both staring at the smoke that seemed to be rising above Amber.
"Amber…" Cameron said. "You're smoking." Amber looked flattered, and Cameron instantly knew she'd taken it the wrong way. "No, Amber, you're —"
Amber screamed. More smoke arose from behind her, clogging the air and blinding eyes. The slightly sweet smell was overpowering, and Cameron instantly knew what it was.
Smoke bomb.
Only the next thing Cameron knew, she was lifted into someone's arms, and Amber was knocked to the ground.
"I've got you," she heard near her ear. Cameron immediately knew who it was.
"Jerome!" she cried. The fire alarm blared through the halls, and Jerome took off running, Cameron held in his arms bridal-style.
"Jerome Clarke, you put me down right now!"
"No."
He simply continued to run, and in seconds, they were outside the building. Cameron wiggled her way out of his arms. She turned and huffed at Jerome.
"You set off a smoke bomb, didn't you?"
Jerome merely smiled in response. He knew she would figure it out. As a former prankster and one of the smartest people at school, she had been sure to figure it out.
"Why?"
"So Alfie could save Amber. Now that she and Mick have split, Alfie has a chance at moving in on her."
Cameron knew Jerome was just trying to help his best friend, but he was terribly thick when it came to a girl's feelings.
"Jerome, don't you understand?" she said. He paused at how serious she was. "Amber has just been dumped by Mick. She's sad and lonely and she still likes him. If Alfie moves in on her now, he's going to be nothing but a rebound for her." Jerome had to admit, she had a point. "And why carry me off? I can walk, you know."
Jerome froze as Cameron stared at him, waiting for his answer.
Jerome was saved by Alfie running up to them, and Jerome had never been more thankful for his best friend's timing.
Cameron could only roll her eyes as Alfie launched into his story about saving Amber and how well they executed the plan.
A few minutes later, Victor emerged from the building, holding a little smoking statue in his hand. Mr. Sweet clapped and addressed everyone.
"Everyone back inside, please. Apologies, visitors," he said. "Just a bit of spirited fun. We pride ourselves on having a sense of humor in this school." Mr. Sweet gave a forced laugh and immediately rounded on Alfie and Jerome.
"Clarke. Lewis. My office. Now."
The prankster pair hung their heads. Cameron patted their shoulders in sympathy. She'd had her fair share of detentions when she was younger.
Amber and Mick were walking near them, and Cameron instantly reverted back into Meditator Mode.
"What were you saying before?" Amber asked. Alfie began to listen in.
"Oh. I love you, Ambs," Mick said. "But, we don't match. We're mates. Not dates. You know what I'm saying?"
"Yeah, I know what you're saying." Amber's voice was thick, and Cameron could tell she was trying not to cry. Mick walked away.
Amber glared vehemently at Alfie.
"Thanks a bunch for ruining everything… Again!"
Amber grabbed Cameron's wrist and stalked off, Jerome left to comfort his disheartened friend.
~)8(~
"What did it look like when the sun shone through the window?" Fabian asked, studying the new puzzle piece. He and Nina were in the attic with Cameron and Amber. The two had come back to the house, though Cameron was still in costume.
"Amazing. Incredible. So… wow!" Nina breathed. Cameron had noticed the chandelier in the hall and the riddle clicked in her head. Nina had called them upstairs and immediately shown them the new clue that she found in the wall panel.
"Do you think there's something hidden inside it, like the one before?" Nina asked. Fabian shrugged.
"He frightens me," young Sarah said, her voice crackling through the phonograph. "He spends a lot of time in his cellar with dead animals. Dead animals that he stuffs. But what frightens me the most, is his raven, Corbiere."
Cameron's jaw dropped, and the other three looked equally as stunned.
"What did she just say?" Amber breathed.
"I'm more convinced than ever that he's responsible for the deaths of my parents. But I can't prove anything." There was a gasp. "He's coming!"
A new voice came into the recording. One that made all four teenagers freeze in terror.
"You have five minutes and then I want to be able to hear a pin drop."
Victor.
Hey all! Here's the latest chapter! Drop me a review and let me know what you think :)
Reviews
Maricate: Yeah, it's such a wonderful moment for them. I think it's truly the start of a unique friendship.
FanOfPiPercy: I'm so glad you like this story! This was one of the very first stories and characters I came up with when I started writing fanfiction, and it's a true joy to get back to it. To feel the inspiration again. Not to mention it's amazing to actually have time. Let me know what you think of this new update :)
scarlet quagmire: Oh, there will be couple goals, trust me ;) Especially compared to the other couples in the house. I mean, my God, most of the relationships from this series are so dysfunctional. Jerome and Cameron will be nothing of the sort. Though there will still be some typical teenage crap ;)
Child-of-Strength: I'm so glad you like Cameron and this story! That truly means so much to me :) And oh, so I totally agree - Jerome was the only one from the show that I was attracted to. Glad there's someone out there like me ;)
thunderyoshi: Yeah, it was a pretty intense chapter and moment for Cameron. But now we can truly start seeing Jerome and Cameron grow closer.
hella-sirius: Oh, I'm so glad you liked the "I love you" moment from drama class. It was so fun to write xD And yeah - Cameron is part of Sibuna, but there's some separation with her. The mystery isn't going to consume her life like it does with Nina and Fabian. She's got a little bit of a life, lol. But all the same - I'm so glad you like this story. It means a lot to me :) Let me know what you think of this new chapter!
Sammiemoosam
