Episode 9: "House of Kidnap & House of Cat-Nap"

This edited and revised chapter was uploaded on August 6, 2020


Chapter 9: The Building of Secrets

The next morning, Nina told Cameron all about the secret passageway. It apparently led to the cellar. She, Fabian, and Amber had found a new, circular puzzle piece on the wall. Nina also told Cameron all about the strange, chemical lab set-up in the cellar and the horrible sight of Victor drinking something from a test tube with the toast, "To life."

Cameron was internally glad she had not been around to see that.

Nina then asked how Cameron's own investigation had gone. Cameron was honest — she admitted that she had discovered something, but that it had only led to more questions than answers. Nina seemed to sense that it was something Cameron wasn't ready to talk about, because she left it alone.

Cameron was grateful for it.

Cameron and Nina discussed their ancient history projects while they finished getting their things together for school. Nina went and woke up Amber. She was soon up and talking all about how she thought the wailing noises they'd heard in the cellar was a werewolf.

Cameron might've smiled in amusement had the door not creaked open.

All three girls looked, and a black cat wandered into the room.

Cameron blinked. It was a cat. For a second, she began to panic, worrying that there had always been a cat at Anubis House, and she had just been the idiot who'd never noticed it before. But a quick look at Nina and Amber's shocked faces told her the cat was new to them as well.

"That's a cat," Cameron said. The feline was currently rubbing itself against her legs, wanting attention.

"Yeah," Nina breathed. Cameron picked up the cat and coddled it. The cat soaked up her attention and the three girls stared at each other. "What do we do?"

"We can't give it to Trudy," Amber said. "She'll tell Victor and he'll kill the cat and stuff it, just like with all the other animals in the cellar."

"I doubt that, Amber, but I agree that this should be kept secret for now," Cameron said. The three girls agreed and Cameron put the cat in the closet so it wouldn't get out. After Amber got dressed, they rushed downstairs to tell Fabian.

"A cat?" he asked.

"Yeah. A black cat, of course. Nothing could ever not be creepy in this place," Nina said.

"And we're hiding it in our room," Amber added. "Cat-napping. Get it?" Amber giggled at her joke.

"What, and you think this was what made the wailing noise last night?" Fabian asked. Nina nodded and Amber started imitating a wailing cat. Fabian had to admit, it did sound like the noise they heard last night.

"Stop making that dreadful noise!" Victor snapped as he strode into the room. He was about to leave, but paused. "Why were you making that noise, exactly?"

"Drama exercises," Amber said quickly. "Mr. Winkler says I have to breathe from my diaphragm."

Victor seemed to barely hear her, instead scanning the room, as if looking for something.

"Um, have you, um, lost something, Victor?" Fabian suddenly asked.

"Maybe we can help you find whatever it is you lost?" Nina suggested.

"Yeah, Nina is super sleuthy," Fabian added.

"Of course I haven't lost anything," Victor snapped at them. He quickly left the room, and Cameron couldn't help but think he was lying.

"Did you see his reaction?" Nina said, thinking the same thing. "It's obviously Victor's cat."

"Victor doesn't have a cat," Amber said.

"Tell that to his cat. He must've been hiding it in the cellar. That's why the wailing sounded so loud." Nina reasoned.

"And now it's escaped," Fabian cut in. "And he's looking for it.

"Well, I'm going to take Kitty some milk," Amber said, pouring milk into a bowl. "I bet he's hungry. Do you think it was meant to be tied to that ring we saw in the cellar? That's so cruel. I'm really starting to think Victor's up to no good."

As Amber walked out of the dining room, bowl in hand, Patricia came in and took her spot.

"Thought any more about what I said last night?" she asked Nina. She must've been talking about how she "needed" Nina's locket.

"Yeah, and I'm interested in hearing what you have to say," Nina admitted. "If you keep your hands where I can see them at all times."

"In private," Patricia added. She shot Cameron and Fabian looks and they realized Patricia wanted them to get lost. Fabian and Cameron gathered their things and quickly left.

"Hey, I'm going to head over early," Cameron told Fabian. "I have to talk to Mrs. Andrews about my French paper."

"Okay, see you there," Fabian said, immediately believing her. He turned and went to his bedroom and Cameron left the house. She didn't have to talk to Mrs. Andrews about an essay, but she wanted some time alone to make a call. A private call. An important call.

She took out her phone and dialed a New York number. After a few rings, the call was accepted.

"Cameron? Is that you?" Katelyn Donahue asked. Cameron smiled.

"Well it is my cell phone number," she replied, laughing slightly. Kate laughed as well.

Kate Donahue was a professional editor. She worked for a large, well-known editing and publishing firm back in New York. And she was honest-to-god one of Cameron's greatest friends.

"How are you? It's been a while since we've talked," Kate said.

"I'm fine. Good, actually," Cameron replied.

"England treating you well?"

"Yep."

"Where are you living? I was hoping to come visit soon," Kate said. Cameron was mildly surprised at that, but happily welcomed the idea. She would love to see Kate again. They really were close, especially because Kate was one of the first people to accept Cameron's writing. And she still was one of Cameron's biggest fans, and Cameron loved her for it.

Cameron beamed. She would love it if Kate came to see her.

"I'm at a boarding school in Liverpool."

"I know that, but what's your address? I have it here somewhere, but I'm too lazy to go looking for it."

Cameron rolled her eyes with a laugh. Despite being an incredible editor and organized person, Kate could be quite lazy when she wanted to be.

"I'll send it in my next email," Cameron said.

"Good. Now, there must be a reason you called," Kate said, getting down to business.

"Yep. I know my deadline's in a month, but honestly, I finished it last night."

Kate gasped.

"You finished it last night?" she cried. "Oh, Cameron, that's wonderful! Send the last few chapters over and I'll call the publisher."

Kate was excited. She couldn't wait to get to work and read the last few chapters. She couldn't wait for this story to be published.

"Thanks so much, Kate," Cameron replied. "You know, I'm really excited about this sequel. I think it's going to drive the fans mad."

"Of course it is," Kate agreed. "The fans have been waiting for this sequel for a year now and when they find out Jack and Bethany still aren't together, they're going to freak."

"Well, actually…"

Kate gasped, and then squealed, "They're together?"

"In the very next chapter, yes."

Kate paused. She'd noticed Cameron's tone.

"What did you do?"

"Something that will make the fans want to hunt me down and murder me."

"Cameron, no!"

The girl laughed.

"My dedication makes it so much better, too," she snickered.

"Why would you do this?" Kate's fangirl side was making an appearance.

"Because I'm evil and I want to make the fans squirm in frustration."

"You are a heartless woman, Cameron Zack."

"You mean Mack Renacoz. Cameron Zack would never do that to people, but Mack Renacoz loves to torture her precious fans."

"By the way, the contest is almost over," Kate said. She was trying to get her mind off the heartbreak coming for her. Cameron went along with the change of subject.

"When exactly is it over?"

"The winner will be contacted tonight, but they've technically already been chosen."

"And who is it?"

"Coincidentally, the winner lives in Liverpool. Some girl named Amber Millington."

Cameron froze. "Please tell me that's a joke."

"Of course it's not," Kate said. Cameron could practically hear the confused frown on her face. "What is it?"

"Amber's one of my housemates."

"What?"

"Amber's one of my housemates."

"You're kidding. Do you think she'll figure it out?"

"I've learned not to bet against Amber when it comes down to it, but I honestly don't know."

"Well, one of the prizes of the contest is that the winner gets to learn your real name and attend a meet-and-greet," Kate reminded her.

Cameron sighed. There was a contest going on coinciding with the release of her newest book under the name Mack Renacoz. The winner would get a signed, pre-release copy of the book along with signed copies for up to nine friends. And, they would get to learn her real name and then have lunch with her.

Cameron was tempted to change the terms. If Amber was really the winner of the contest, maybe she could make a mystery out of it.

The publishers thought it was a good time for Cameron to start revealing herself. They thought that if she revealed her true age and appearance that it would draw more attention and fans to her books. Cameron simply wanted to write and publish books, and she was more comfortable doing it under a pseudonym. But she knew it wouldn't last forever.

Mark Twain, Dr. Seuss, Lemony Snicket, George Orwell, Lewis Carroll. All famous pen names for people whose real identities eventually became known.

Mack Renacoz was not the exception, and Cameron knew that, but she couldn't deny that she was anxious. She loved her friends at Anubis House, she really did. But she wasn't sure she was ready to reveal her alter ego to them yet.

It was one thing for a stranger to meet you and know your real name, but it was another thing to go to your friends and say "Hey you know that famous author whose name is not mine? Yeah that's me! Surprise!"

Or, you know, something near that.

"Cameron? You good?"

Cameron sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Might as well just get it done — rip it off like a bandaid."

"Well, good. Because we can't change the winner," Kate said. "This'll be good, Cameron. It's a chance for you to really connect with your friends, you know? Get rid of the secrets. This is a big part of who you are."

"I know," Cameron said. "I just would've liked the choice to tell them myself, instead of it becoming known through a contest of all things."

Kate laughed. "Cameron, we both know that if you had the choice, you'd never tell anyone."

Cameron laughed too. It indeed was true. Still didn't mean she was quite comfortable with this.

She sighed again. Like her earlier thought — might as well get it done, rip it off like a bandaid.

Kate was right. This was probably a good thing.

"Do you think you'll have to autograph your own book?" came Kate's next question. Cameron snorted. She hadn't thought about that.

"Yeah, I suppose I will. If Amber chooses to give me a book, of course." But Cameron knew she would. "Hey, I have a request."

"Shoot."

"Well, I need to autograph and personalize the books, right? Well, since I live in the same house as Amber…"

"That's potentially problematic," Kate agreed.

"So, can you make sure the package is inconspicuous? No fancy return label or even a mention of the publishing company, please?"

"Consider it done, babe. Just send the address."

"I'll send it in my next email," Cameron said.

"Okay, thanks so much. Talk to you soon."

"Bye, Kate!"

Cameron hung up and continued on her way to school.

Cameron was stopped at her locker when Fabian came up to her, dragging Nina with him.

"Hey, guys," she said.

"Cameron, tell Nina it's a bad idea," Fabian immediately requested.

"Tell her what's a bad idea?"

"Going to meet with Patricia's antiques expert."

"Is that what she told you?" Cameron said. Nina and Fabian frowned.

"Yeah, Patricia said she needed my locket so she could show it to an expert. He said it could be worth a lot of money and he could give us more information about it," Nina explained.

"Patricia lied," Cameron said bluntly. "One — how would this so-called antiques expert even know you had the locket?" Nina blinked. She hadn't considered that. "Two — he's not an antiques expert. The man Patricia's meeting is the same man who broke into Anubis House and scared us. He claims he's a private investigator looking into Joy's disappearance. And he's the same man we saw in Sarah's room yesterday."

Nina and Fabian's eyes widened further.

"Plus," Cameron continued, "he claims to need your locket because it could have something to do with Joy's disappearance."

"But it doesn't," Nina insisted.

"I told her that. She's apparently not convinced."

"Well, I still want to go," Nina said.

"What?" Fabian cried. "You want to go with Patricia to meet a man who's obviously a liar and a burglar? You heard what Cameron said! He's the one who broke into Anubis House."

"I know," Nina said. "I'll still go, because I want to see what he has to say. But, I'll leave the locket behind. I'll leave it with Cameron."

"Leave it with Fabian," Cameron said with a shake of her head. "I'm coming with you." Nina and Fabian stared at her. "This man is dangerous. I'm sure of it. I'm not letting either of you go alone. Safety in numbers. He can't take all three of us if he tries anything."

"Okay, then," Nina agreed. "Let's do it."

Alfie suddenly ran up, panicked.

"I heard Amber's really, really, ill! What's wrong with her?" His chest heaved with worry, and Cameron frowned. Amber, sick? Yeah, right. She'd been fine an hour ago.

"I'm sure she'll be fine by say… end of classes today?" Nina said with a smirk. Fabian nodded in agreement.

Cameron smirked. It clicked in her head. Amber was faking, probably to stay at the house and watch over the cat.

Alfie stared at three of them as they walked away, secret smiles on their faces.

~)8(~

In Sweetie's class, he was handing back their latest assignments and everyone tried to ignore him as he lectured Mick for getting a D+ (and Sweetie made sure to mention that he was being kind).

Ever since the whole incident with Mara cheating for him, Mick's grades had plummeted again. With Mara no longer tutoring him, Mick was struggling.

The bell rang. Cameron packed up her things and left the room with everyone else. Nina and Patricia were talking to the side, probably discussing the meet with the P.I. while Mara hesitantly approached Mick and offered to start tutoring him again. Mick reluctantly accepted, knowing that his grades were more important than his anger.

Cameron parked herself in the lounge, penning her email to Kate. Alfie also sat in the lounge, and he was making a card for Amber. Cameron smiled to herself.

Alfie really was a sweetheart.

Jerome came up behind his friend and snatched the card up.

"What are you doing?" Jerome asked.

"I made Amber a 'get well soon' card," Alfie said. "It's awesome."

Curious to see the card, Cameron closed her laptop and peered over Jerome's shoulder. Cameron was flooded with surprise and horror.

The card featured a picture of Amber in a coffin.

"Amber in a coffin?" Jerome said. He shared a look with Cameron before they both looked to Alfie for an explanation. "Yeah, I'm sure that's going to make her feel a whole lot better."

"That's just the image. Read the poem."

Jerome opened the card and began to read.

"I hope you didn't need an ambulance, because I spent the whole day Amber-less. Without you, classes were no fun, so get up Amber, you lazy bum."

Cameron's jaw dropped.

She and Jerome exchanged a single look before Jerome soundly ripped the card in half.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Alfie cried.

"The biggest favor anyone has ever done for you."

With that, Jerome got up and walked out of the lounge.

"Alfie, don't take it personally," Cameron said, taking a seat beside her disheartened friend. "But Amber really wouldn't like seeing herself in a coffin, or being called a 'lazy bum.'"

She patted Alfie's arm and left him to make a new card.

~)8(~

"So, um, what's the name of your friend?" Nina asked Patricia as they made their way through the woods. Patricia had protested at Cameron tagging along at first, but eventually gave in. Apparently, the man was interested in meeting her as well.

"Rene," Patricia said.

"Okay, Rene. And why do we have to meet him all the way out here?" Nina asked.

Cameron mentally scoffed. Probably because he didn't want to risk them running off for help should he try anything.

"Because we do," Patricia snapped. "Now stop complaining and keep up." Nina and Cameron rolled their eyes, tempted to simply turn around and head back to the house. But, they both chose to continue following Patricia.

Five minutes later, the girls came across a road that cut through the trees.

"Get back," Patricia hissed. Nina and Cameron quickly kneeled down, peeking through the branches and leaves. Cameron had to muffle a gasp at what she saw.

Victor. And he was dragging an unconscious man into the back of a truck.

"It's Rufus!" Patricia gasped. "Rene. Whatever."

"Cam, you were right!" Nina gasped. "That's the man we saw visiting Sarah yesterday."

Cameron shivered. "That's why I bolted. First, he stalks the school, then he breaks into the house, then he finds Patricia and Sarah?" Cameron shivered again. "I don't know who he is or what he wants, and I don't like it." She gave Nina a serious look, and she knew her friend agreed.

The three girls simply watched as Victor got into the car and drove away.

"Okay. What's going on and what's Victor got to do with it?" Nina demanded.

"He's taken Rufus!" Patricia cried, ignoring Nina. "Now how am I going to find Joy?"

~)8(~

The three girls rushed back to the house, grabbed Fabian and Amber, and sat down at the dining room together. The Sibunas began explaining things to Patricia.

"So you saw Rufus visiting this old lady, Sarah?" Patricia asked.

"Yeah," Nina said. "She's the one who gave me the locket."

"And that's why I'm so suspicious," Cameron said. "After everything Rufus has done — breaking into the house, hanging around the school, visiting Sarah — I was worried about the locket and what it could mean if others knew about it."

"Rufus said there was something else, too," Patricia told them. The Sibunas gave her confused looks.

"Something else?" Fabian asked.

"I don't know," she said. "Rufus only told me to keep my eye out. He said that where there was an Eye of Horus, there was also an Ankh."

Cameron froze. But thankfully, no one seemed to notice.

"Maybe Rufus was a jewelry trader," Amber suggested. "And Victor also collects diamonds."

No one said anything and Amber fell silent.

"What if the second voice on those recordings is really Victor?" Fabian said.

"I doubt it. He's old, but not Sarah old. And judging by the voice on those recordings, he'd have to have been an adult when Sarah was a child. There's no way anyone can live that long," Cameron said.

"Well, remember Sarah? On the recordings she talked about experiments down in the cellar," Fabian argued. "And what was Victor making a toast to when he drank that funny coloured stuff down there?"

"Life," Nina whispered. "Okay, so you're saying that Victor has some sort of… elixir that keeps him from growing old?"

"Oh, yeah, and a jewelry heist is such a crazy idea," Amber muttered sarcastically.

"This is mad!" Patricia cried. She couldn't believe she was actually listening to this. But… after hearing everything about the attic and the recordings and the old lady and Victor… she could almost believe it. "What has any of this got to do with Joy, or Rufus?"

"I don't know," Fabian sighed.

"And the cat?" Amber added. She had told them that the cat had escaped today while she was sleeping.

"I hate to break up this cozy little chat," Victor had appeared in the doorway of the dining room, and there was a smug smile on his face that made Cameron's skin crawl, "but ten o'clock is fast approaching. I shall, of course, wish to hear a pin drop, so I suggest you start getting ready for bed immediately."

Having no choice, the five of them scurried off to their bedrooms.

"It's not even nine yet," Cameron complained to herself. Patricia went to her room and Nina, Amber, and Cameron went into theirs.

The girls got ready for bed, changing into their pajamas and starting to settle down. Nina pulled out a book while Cameron was on her laptop.

"Cameron?" Amber suddenly asked. "Will you let me do your hair?"

Cameron blinked.

"What?" No one had ever offered to do her hair before.

At least, no one since Jill.

"Please?" Amber asked. "It's just so thick and pretty and I want to do it up."

Cameron blinked again, but soon smiled. She happily closed her laptop. Amber squealed in delight and sat down behind Cameron on the bed. Nina smiled and watched in interest as Amber deftly began to loosely fishtail Cameron's hair. It took a while because Cameron's hair was so long and thick, but both Cameron and Amber seemed to really enjoy it.

Actually, Cameron was practically melting in Amber's hands.

"Jeez, Cam," Nina laughed. "I had no idea you liked having your hair done."

"No one's ever really offered before," she admitted. "I just think it's a shame I'm going to sleep in it, not go to school with it."

Amber's smile widened.

"Then we are getting up early tomorrow and I am going to do your hair again. You always wear it in a bun or a ponytail. It's nice to see it plaited like this," Amber said. "Why don't you ever wear it like this? Why don't you ever wear it down?"

Cameron smiled shyly, and a little sadly, but was saved from having to say anything when Amber's phone beeped.

"It's an email, but I don't know who it's from." Amber frowned at her phone.

Nina also frowned in confusion, but Cameron busied herself with her laptop again. She was trying to disguise her nerves. She knew it was probably the email from the publishing firm telling Amber that she won the Mack Renacoz contest.

The excited scream that emitted from Amber ten seconds later confirmed it.

Patricia and Mara almost immediately burst into the room.

"What? What?" Patricia cried.

Amber beamed at them. "I won!"

"Won what?" Patricia asked.

"The Mack Renacoz contest!"

Patricia, Mara, and Nina gasped.

"What? You did?" Cameron pretended. Amber nodded fiercely and all five girls crowded around Amber as she read the email.

"Congratulations, Amber! You are the winner of Mack Renacoz's giveaway contest. Your prize is free autographed copies of her upcoming novel, The Dream, for you and up to nine friends. Please send your acceptance response with the names of the other recipients and some information about them and yourself so Ms. Renacoz may personalize the autographs." All the girls, even Patricia, squealed in delight. "Please send this information at your earliest convenience, and you shall receive your pre-release books as soon as possible. In addition, Ms. Renacoz will enclose three clues needed to figure out her real identity with the date of your scheduled meet-and-greet luncheon. Thank you for participating in our contest and once again, congratulations, Amber. Kind regards, The Publishers, Editors, and Ms. Renacoz."

Amber finished reading and squealed again.

"I can't believe it! I won!" she cried.

"Amber, this is great!" Mara agreed.

"Really, I'm so jealous," Patricia said. "I really like her books and I'm so excited for the sequel."

"And so soon!" Nina said. "I thought her next book wasn't due for a few more months, but you're getting it early!"

Amber beamed.

"So, do you all want copies?" she asked. All four girls nodded. "Great! Let's go ask the boys."

The five of them dashed downstairs. Nina, Amber, and Mara stopped at Mick and Fabian's room while Cameron and Patricia went to Jerome and Alfie's.

"Hey, Caramel," Jerome immediately greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you want a signed copy of the latest Mack Renacoz book?" Cameron asked.

Jerome paused. "Well, that'd be nice, but I doubt it'll happen."

"Believe it or not," Patricia said, "Amber won the recent contest. Do you want a copy or not?"

Jerome immediately nodded and Cameron was surprised. She hadn't really thought Jerome would be into her books, but sure enough, along with the few books he had on his shelf was a hardcover copy of her first book, The Lullaby.

The upcoming book, The Dream, was its sequel.

"What about you, Alfie?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah! Of course I want a copy!" Alfie said. Cameron smiled and she and Patricia walked out of the room.

"Amber," Patricia said, ducking into Fabian and Mick's room, "both of them want copies."

"Okay, and Fabian and Mick want copies as well, so that's eight people," Amber said. Cameron looked at Mick. He liked her books as well? She figured he wouldn't be the type. But sure enough, just like Jerome, he had a copy on his shelf.

"Should we ask Trudy if she wants a copy?" Mara asked. Amber shook her head. She loved Trudy, but she had someone else in mind.

"I was thinking Mr. Winkler."

"Oh, that's a good idea," Mara agreed.

Oh, great, Cameron thought. Mr. Winkler, like all the other school staff members, knew about Cameron's chosen career. It was quite honestly part of the reason she'd gotten such a generous scholarship. He'd be highly amused to receive a copy of her book.

All the running around and talking roused Victor from his office. He yelled at them all to get to their rooms or he'd ground them all for a week. The warning was enough, and all the girls scampered upstairs to their bedrooms.

"Hey, Cameron, will you help me email them back?" Amber asked from her bed as they settled down.

Cameron blinked. "Um… sure. Want me to start now?"

"No, I want to ask Mr. Winkler if he wants the last copy first," Amber said.

Cameron managed to swallow a groan at that, and nodded her acceptance. She put her laptop away to charge for the night.

Only minutes later, Victor's nightly speech rang through the house. Cameron drifted off to sleep not moments later.

~)8(~

"So, can anyone tell me, what is the relationship between electrical current and charge flow?" Mr. Sweet asked the next day at school. Alfie slowly raised his hand, and Mr. Sweet called on him, pleasantly surprised.

"I thought we were going to be dissecting a rat this week, Mr. Sweet," he said, not answering the question.

"Ugh, gross!" Amber exclaimed. "I think experimenting on animals is cruel and unnecessary. Especially experimenting on cats!"

Cameron's eyes widened as she realized what Amber was thinking about. She saw Nina and Fabian gaping at the blonde as well. Even Patricia was shooting her a look.

"Oh, I don't think anyone experiments on cats nowadays, Amber," Mr. Sweet assured her.

"How do you know?" Amber demanded. "I mean, what if someone was trying to make something like, I don't know, just off the top of my head, an Elixir of Life or something."

Cameron nearly choked on her own air and Jerome, who was sitting next to her, looked at her with concern. Nina, Fabian, and Patricia were shooting Amber looks that she ignored, and Mr. Sweet looked oddly flustered.

"Strange idea," Mr. Sweet muttered. "What a strange idea." He forced a laugh. "Ridiculous idea."

"It was just something I read in a book, that's all."

Nice save, Amber.

"Well, some alchemists in the Middle Ages did devote their life to searching for an Elixir of Life," Mr. Sweet told them.

"Like Nicolas and Perenelle Flamel and the Philosopher's Stone," Cameron said. She was one of the few people who knew that the Flamels were real historical figures who lived in Paris in the late 1300s. Nicolas Flamel had been a scribe, but he had also had a reputation as an alchemist who claimed to have achieved immortality. He was a highly interesting historical figure. It was a shame most people believed him fictional ever since J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books.

"Precisely," Mr. Sweet agreed. "I'm sure they experimented on animals in their quest. And now —" Mr. Sweet clapped three times, "can we please get back to electrical charge flow?"

~)8(~

As soon as class was over, Patricia rounded on Amber. "What were you doing in there?"

"It's called research," Amber said like it was obvious. "Didn't you hear what he said about experiments? That's why Victor had a cat. He was using it to experiment on. See? I'm a genius."

"She's got a point," Nina said.

"I don't know," Cameron said. "The cat had a collar. Maybe it's just lost. Plus, I think we should think positively and not jump to conclusions. We can't know for sure that Victor's experimenting on the cat. We don't exactly have anything beyond theories and fears."

Fabian shook his head. "We need to tell someone." Nina, Patricia, and Amber nodded in agreement. "We can't keep doing this by ourselves. I mean, who can we trust? What about Jason?"

"No!" Patricia immediately protested. Cameron had to agree.

"Trudy?" Nina suggested.

"Possibly."

"But Cam's right," Fabian said. "We need proof."

"What we really need is to go and rescue the cat from the cellar," Amber cut in. "Before it becomes part of Victor's evil, pointy-faced scheme. Nina, you have to let us in." So, they planned that Amber and Patricia would sneak down into the cellar during lunch.

While waiting for them to get back, Fabian studied the numbers they'd found carved into the ring puzzle piece. Nina was pacing behind him and Cameron was on her laptop.

"This is really frustrating," Fabian sighed. "It's nothing to do with prime numbers, square roots, sudoku." Fabian noticed Nina's nervous pacing. "Are you okay?"

"I'm just worried that Amber plus Patricia plus cellar equals trouble," she said. "We should have all gone."

"All five of us sneaking down there in the middle of the day?" Fabian scoffed. He and Cameron were thinking the same thing. That was most definitely a bad idea. "It's far too risky."

"What's too risky?" Jerome asked, overhearing them as he came into the lounge.

Fabian immediately stuffed the ring into his bag and continued studying his number notes. Jerome noticed the notes.

"What is that?"

"It's just a… just a math problem," Fabian lied. "Nothing you would understand."

Cameron frowned at her friend's rude comment.

"Can I have a try?" Jerome asked.

"No," Fabian immediately said.

"Fabian, let him have a go. You've been staring at it for an hour now. It might be nice to have a fresh set of eyes," Cameron said. Fabian reluctantly relented and begrudgingly handed over the notebook.

Nina shot Cameron a cautious look, but Cameron ignored her and looked over Jerome's shoulder as he studied the numbers.

"One, two, and nine," Jerome said after a few seconds.

"What did you say?" Nina asked.

"They're the numbers that appear the most in the problem," Cameron said, seeing the same thing Jerome had.

"Yeah, I have no idea what the problem is, but they're the numbers that are featured the most," Jerome said. "Five pounds, please." Cameron rolled her eyes, took the notebook from him, and gave it back to Fabian.

"Get lost," Fabian dismissed rudely. Jerome scowled, but didn't reply and Cameron shot Fabian a look.

"Guys, guess what?" Amber cried, sprinting into the room with Patricia on her heels. "Trudy's going to help us."

"Help you with what?" Jerome asked.

"You told Trudy?" Cameron cried. Both she and Jerome were staring at the other four. No one said anything. "I can't believe you told Trudy! Why would you do that?"

"We had no choice!" Patricia defended.

"Yes, you did," Cameron countered. "You could've not told her. We hadn't agreed to this. I didn't want to tell her for fear of what would happen to her."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Patricia scoffed.

"Remember what happened to Jason when he got too close?" Patricia froze. "I don't want the same thing to happen to Trudy."

Cameron's chest heaved, and she felt an awful burning flare up in her chest. Without another word, she grabbed her stuff and hurried from the room. She heard Jerome run after her, but she didn't turn around.

"Cameron!" he called after her. "Cameron, wait!" He caught up to her and gently grabbed her arm to make her stop. "What was that?"

"It's just…"

Cameron trailed off. Could she tell Jerome? Should she tell Jerome? A very, very large part of her wanted to. In fact, she felt the urge to confide in him about everything that had happened. All the mystery, and suspicious happenings, and sneaking around, and secrets. It was building up, and weighing down on her so heavily that Cameron just wanted to tell someone. Anyone.

She wanted to tell Jerome.

She and Nina had started this thing together, but Nina was much closer with Fabian than she was with Cameron. They leaned on each other so easily that Cameron, more often than not, felt left out and excluded. And Amber — she was sweet, and amazing, really, she was, but she was just not as invested in the whole mystery as much as Cameron was. And no matter how close she and Cameron were, Amber and Nina were infinitely closer. Best friends. And Patricia was more worried about Joy than anything. She couldn't have cared less about the mystery had it not connected back to Joy somehow.

So that left Cameron. Carrying Sarah's secret gift and the mysteries that came with it alone. Alone with her suspicions that this was just the beginning of the hunt. Alone with her worries that Anubis House really was as evil as Sarah said it was. Alone with her theories that this treasure hunt of theirs… It was just the beginning of something far bigger. Something far more dangerous.

Cameron wanted to tell Jerome so bad it made her heart ache.

But a smaller, much smaller part of her was against it. She heard that small, quiet voice that belonged to her conscience say Telling Jerome is a bad idea. He cons and pranks his best friend for fun. Don't trust him. Don't let him make you a hypocrite — don't tell him without consulting the others when you're mad at them for doing the same with Trudy.

Don't tell Jerome.

"Hey, you don't have to tell me," Jerome's voice cut into Cameron's anxious musing. She looked up in surprise.

"But you just asked —"

"I know. But it's clearly something you're not comfortable talking about," Jerome said. He really wanted to know why everyone was being so secretive, what had Cameron so worked up and anxious, but something Matt told him rang in his mind. 'Give her time. Don't rush her. If you do, she'll close up on you. Just give her some time. Wait until she's ready. It will be worth it, I promise.'

The last thing Jerome wanted was to pressure Cameron into telling him something she wasn't ready to talk about. He was not going to damage their relationship over something as trivial as a secret she shared with her other friends.

"Thank you, Jerome," Cameron said sincerely. Jerome returned her small smile.

"I'll get it out of you eventually, but I'm letting you off the hook for now," he joked with a comically stern tone. Cameron rolled her eyes, but the joke worked and the tension in her shoulders disappeared.

"Keep telling yourself that, Jerome."

Jerome simply winked at her in reply and they walked together to the lounge for their next class. Jerome sat down in the chair next to Alfie and Cameron sat on the couch on his other side.

"And you told Trudy everything?" Cameron overheard Fabian ask as Mick sat down next to her. He sounded worried, almost like he agreed with Cameron on the fact that Trudy shouldn't have been involved.

"Well, not everything, obviously," Patricia assured him. "But enough. The cats, the cellar, the 'Victor.' We're going to make him open up that cellar and show us exactly what's down there."

One look at Alfie and Jerome told Cameron that they had overheard Patricia and Fabian as well. Well it's not like they had been quiet. They had just been hoping no one was paying attention.

"Afternoon, everyone," Mr. Winkler said, striding into the room. "Time marches on and we need to decide on a subject matter for our school play. I was thinking we should write our own. Ideas anyone?" Mr. Winkler was trying to catch Cameron's eye, but she made an effort to avoid his gaze. No one spoke up either. "No? Okay. Um, how about something on Egypt?"

"I know!" Amber piped up excitedly. "How about we do a story about a young girl who loses her parents in mysterious circumstances when they steal some treasure from an Egyptian pyramid?" Cameron's jaw dropped and she stared at Amber incredulously. Nina, Fabian, and Patricia looked wildly shocked as well, but Amber didn't stop there. "And then the girl is brought up by a weird guardian in a big, old house. But then the guardian tries to steal the treasure and the girl has to try and stop him but then she gets help from some friends from the future and they find the treasure and the girl's really happy and the friends are very rich and they all live happily ever after. The end!"

Cameron could only shake her head in shocked wonder. It was like Amber was begging for them to be found out!

Mr. Winkler, however, was smiling, impressed.

"Hey!" he said. "Well done, Amber. Yeah, that sounds promising. Um, do you want to have a go at writing up an outline in time for the next session?"

Cameron could hardly believe this was really happening.

"Um, I think I might need some help with that," Amber said. "Cameron?"

Everyone looked at Cameron expectantly. She reluctantly agreed.

Class went on, and it couldn't be over fast enough. When the end of the period finally arrived, Mr. Winkler called Cameron over. When everyone else was gone, he spoke.

"Are you okay doing this on top of your other writing?" he asked. Cameron sighed.

"Yeah, I guess. I actually finished my other writing a couple days ago."

Mr. Winkler laughed.

"Convenient timing."

"Shut up."

Before either of them could say anything else, Amber came dashing back into the drama studio.

"Mr. Winkler? Do you like Mack Renacoz?" Cameron made a God, why me? expression and Mr. Winkler looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh.

"Erm, yeah, I guess. The Lullaby was a good read," he said. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, there was a contest that I won, and the prize is autographed copies of her new book and I was wondering if you wanted one."

Mr. Winkler was still suppressing his laughter, but he couldn't hide his highly amused grin. Thankfully, Amber probably interpreted it as a smile of excitement.

"Yeah. Sure, I'll take one. Thanks, Amber."

"You're welcome," she said sweetly. Then, she walked out of the room. As soon as she was gone, Mr. Winkler burst into laughter.

"Shut up!" Cameron hissed again.

"Wow! Was it just pure luck that Amber won?" he asked. Cameron nodded with a sour expression and he laughed even harder. "That is… That is fantastic!"

"I swear, someone has got it out for me," Cameron sighed. "I bet it's Jill trying to pull one over on me from wherever she is." Mr. Winkler laughed kindly at the thought. "Well, at least it's Amber. She might take a while to figure it out. Imagine if it was Nina or Fabian who won."

"You'd be doomed," Mr. Winkler joked. Cameron grunted in agreement. "You said you were done writing, right? Are Jack and Bethany together?"

Cameron smiled innocently. "Now why would I tell you that?"

Her sweet tone and raised eyebrow made Mr. Winkler very nervous. The two of them left the drama studio, Cameron laughing as Mr. Winkler begged her for an answer that she never gave.

~)8(~

That night, Amber and Cameron were sitting on their beds. Amber was telling Cameron what to type as she replied to the email from Mack Renacoz's publishing firm. Cameron had typed that Amber accepted the prize and gave them the information they needed for the personalized autographs.

"Let's start with me," Amber said. Amber told Cameron what to type and she did, though she added and omitted information on her own accord. She didn't think the publishing firm needed to know every detail about Mick and Amber's past relationship, nor did they need to know that Jason Winkler was the hottest teacher to ever exist.

Even though that last bit was more than a little true.

Amber Millington (contest winner): She's one of the most popular girls in school and she has several good friends, like Nina, Cameron, and Fabian. But, she has recently undergone a rather harsh breakup and is still a little sad about it. But, Alfie, who really likes her, is not deterred and is constantly trying to win her heart. Amber's a social butterfly whose greatest love is fashion and is very loyal to her friends.

Nina Martin: Nina is an American student who started this term. Things were tough for her at first, but she and Cameron became fast friends and now she is also good friends with Amber. Her closest friend, though, is perhaps Fabian. They are rarely seen without each other. Nina is curious, clever, and eager to learn. She seems to be adjusting to her life in England very well, but she misses home and her gran very much. Still, she loves England and is really starting to grow into herself the longer she stays.

Fabian Rutter: Fabian is a smart, kind guy who is very good friends with Nina (who he has an obvious crush on), Cameron, and Amber. He's the type of person who won't stop until his task is completed, and he's amazingly smart. He's also quite talented on the guitar. The only thing this boy isn't good at is being forward with Nina about his feelings for her.

Patricia Williamson: Patricia is a very outspoken girl who will do anything for her friends. Her best friend, Joy, recently moved away so Patricia's been a bit down in the dumps lately. Fortunately, though, she has recently found a really good friend in Mara. Patricia is a witty, punk girl with style who's not afraid to go after what she wants.

Alfie Lewis: Alfie is the class clown and a very spirited guy. He will do anything to win Amber's heart and affections. His best friend is Jerome and together, they are the school's Fred and George Weasley, with endless pranks up their sleeves and amazing jokes. But despite the pranks, Alfie has a heart of gold. He also has quite the appetite and will eat just about anything, but only after he's had the satisfaction of starting a food-fight with it first.

Mick Campbell: Mick's an amazing athlete, but not the best student in the world. He's good friends with Fabian and often goes on runs with Cameron. His recent breakup has got him feeling a little sad, but he's recently become closer with Mara, his tutor. Mick is funny, nice, and incredibly passionate about sports.

Mara Jaffray: Mara is one of the smartest girls in school and is rather nice as well. She's good friends with Patricia, and she has a really big crush on Mick. She and him are mending their friendship after a fight, but she is willing to do anything to fix it. She's overall a nice girl who tries to be friendly to everyone and tries to judge situations before making the call.

Jerome Clarke: The biggest prankster in school. He's the type to do anything for a laugh, even prank his best friend, Alfie. He's really witty and funny, but has his nice and serious moments as well, usually around Cameron, who he has developed a close bond with. However, Jerome's bad with his feelings and irritates her quite often with his nicknames for her (Caramel, Shakespeare, Juliet). But, he's got a good heart… really, really deep down.

Cameron Zack: A quiet, kind, slightly mischievous girl who always seems to be writing in a notebook or typing on her laptop. Like Nina, she's American and is good friends with her, Amber, and Fabian. However, she is also close with Mick and even Jerome. She's very intelligent and is fluent in seven languages and can even read Egyptian hieroglyphics. Overall, she's a wonderful girl who's as talented as they come.

Jason Winkler: A young, handsome, history and drama teacher at the boarding school all the kids attend. He's the teacher all the girls have a crush on and the one the guys think is really cool. He genuinely cares about his students and wants to see them succeed. He supports their passions, and his own is Egyptian mythology.

Cameron thought that was everything. She proofread the email, signed it as Amber, and sent it on its way. Not fifteen minutes later, Kate forwarded her the same email. Cameron ignored it and continued working on her newest French essay. Mrs. Andrews was really pushing her to keep up her skills. However, what Mrs. Andrews didn't know was that every time Cameron wrote an essay for her, she wrote it in French, English, and at least two other languages, just so she could keep all her language skills up. And more often than not, Cameron wrote in another language. Her friends didn't know that, as they had never really seen what was inside her notebooks. Cameron did write in English, yes, but a lot of the time, she was writing in another language. Cameron did this both to keep up her skills and to keep others from reading what she'd written.

Cameron had several notebooks dedicated to specific languages, and she went through them so fast it wasn't funny. The trunk at the end of her bed had more notebooks in it than was probably healthy, but she used them all, so what did it really matter?

An hour later, Amber and Cameron were both doing their own thing when Nina, Fabian, and Patricia came into the room.

"Okay, we're about to go meet Trudy," Nina said. She looked at Cameron. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Yes," Cameron said firmly, so firmly that everyone was a little shocked. "After what happened to Jason, I don't think any other adults should get involved. You know how Victor can be and you saw what he did to Rufus. I don't exactly trust Rufus, but I don't trust Victor either. And he has no qualms about getting rid of his obstacles, and he'll do the same to Trudy if she gets too close. I'm sorry, guys. But I just don't agree with telling her or with confronting Victor without evidence. I'm sorry, but I just don't want anything else to happen."

Seeing they weren't going to be able to convince her otherwise, the other four left Cameron alone and went downstairs.

Cameron sighed once they were gone. She did not have a good feeling about this. And her feeling only got worse when Nina and Amber returned less than an hour later, tears in their eyes.


Hey all! Here's the latest chapter! Let me know what you think :)

Reviews

FanofPiPercy: Oh, your words are just so sweet! And I'm glad this story makes you so happy :) That's all I want - sometimes I find myself doubting whether I should publish something or not, then I remember... That if even one person likes the story, that if it helps even one person, makes even one person happy, then it is so worth it. And I truly appreciate you saying you don't mind if an update takes a little longer. That means a lot to me :) I hope you're doing all right, and I hope you like this latest chapter!
Maricate: Ahh, the key. The key has a long story behind it. Like the locket, it indeed has some magical powers. And I can tell you, it will indeed tie in with the stories from season 2. Season 3 however... Let's just say season 3 was not my favorite, and the third installment of my series will be AU, an original story. And the key will also tie into that story. But all the same, I'm glad that you're liking the progression of Jerome and Cameron's relationship :) It's so fun to write! I hope you like this new chapter!
gossamermouse101: There is almost nothing better than a good bromance. I have to say, my favorite Shakespeares are The Tempest and As You Like It. And Othello. Actually, I like most Shakespeare productions because I'm a nerd and I love reading and theatre lol
scarlet quagmire: Haha, yeah some apple juice would cheer Cameron right up xD
thunderyoshi: I'm glad you like the interactions between Jerome and Matt. There will be more in the future, I promise ;) And, ahh... The key. Oh, the key. It will play a part in this story, and in the story from season 2, but its most important part will come into play into my future third installment - a season 3 AU - an original story, because guess what, season 3 was not my favorite. But that aside, I'm glad you're liking this story, and I hope you liked the update :)
origamigriffon3246: Yeah Jerome and Matt are going to be good buds in the future. And I'm glad you like Jerome and Cameron's progressing relationship :)
Guest (Cameron): Hi, Cameron! It's awesome to meet you, and I'm glad you're liking this story! Welcome :)

Sammiemoosam