Chapter 10

House of Boxes

"Nina," Anubis told me grabbing each shoulder. "You're about to feel a rush of … something. We've never put the spirit back into somebody so I have no idea what it will feel like for you."

"I'll be fine," I told him sure that after everything I'd been through I was prepared for what I'd feel.

I was wrong. I didn't feel pain, per say, but a sharp stabbing rose up my spine as the Chosen One within me re-connected with the previously-dead Osirian. Only Anubis's tight grip kept me from shaking or falling to the ground as a rush of emotions that weren't my own took control over my body. Numbed by the feeling, it was only when I began to feel the rise and fall of my chest begin again that I remembered I was still alive, "See, fine," I told Anubis with a dizzy nod. When the spots that danced in front of my eyes vanished, I caught sight of the small, silver, box from before.

"Nina, don't," Anubis cried as I went over to it. "Whatever you do don't touch it and don't look at it!"

"We saw it before," I recalled thinking back to the very beginning of the trip. "Not just at the beginning. It was everywhere!" Looking at the box I re-watched my journey and realized that the entire time the box was there. "Why is this box following me?"

"Nina, come back over here and I'll explain," Anubis cried like he was trying to talk a suicidal person from the edge. But why? It was just a box. How was I supposed to be hurt by a box?

"No you won't," a voice answered. Wait, I know that voice, that's my voice! I answered Anubis. But how? I didn't even remember opening my mouth.

"Nina!" Anubis cried from my side moving close but not touching me. "You're not thinking straight because of the box. SO GET AWAY FROM IT!"

"Nina, don't touch the box," Eddie, who'd apparently returned pleaded. "Come back over here right now!"

"You're no fun!" I cried like a child looking at the boys. "I promise I won't touch it. I just want to look!"

"Nina don't!" Eddie cried grabbing my arm, but it was too late. I'd turned my head down and seen the word engraved into the silver. Stumbling in surprise I fell, but Eddie caught me before I could touch the ground. Slinging he over his shoulder he moved as far away from the box as he could, but, while the trance broke, I didn't forget again.

"My name…" I stammered. "It said my name but it wasn't…" before I could finish I realized the immense pain that was tearing through my body. I felt like a piece of my soul was being broken off and ripped from my chest. I struggled to breath but while my lungs filled, no oxygen went into my system. Tears welled up in my eyes unable to fall it hurt so much.

Then, as quickly as the pain came, it vanished leaving me unconscious in Eddie's arms.

"You were where?" Fabian's yell jolted me awake. Looking around I found myself in the room Patricia and I shared Anubis at my side and Fabian and Eddie out in the hallway.

"I don't have time for this," Eddie growled. "She's awake."

"You're back at school," Anubis told me softly. "Eddie carried you through the Du'at."

"But that's a day's journey." My voice cracked as I used it, so when Anubis handed me a glass of water I was beyond thankful. "Have I really been out for that long?"

"Yeah," Eddie told me with a fake-calm nod. "I was worried you weren't going to wake up."

"But… what happened?" I remembered the box and then the pain that ravaged my body, but the how was still a mystery. "What was in the box?"

"It doesn't matter," Eddie and the gods answered in unison leaving only Fabian and me clueless.

"Look," Eddie told me kneeling besides my bed. "Do you trust me?" Did he even need to ask? "Then trust me when I say that the content of the box doesn't matter."

"There was a word on the box," I recalled thinking of the beautiful writing that sung in my soul. "It was my name but it didn't say Nina… but I know it was my name at the same time!"

"It's your Ren," Anubis explained. "The soul has five parts. There is the Ib, which is your heart and the part I weigh against the feather of truth. The Sheut, which is your shadow but… more than just blocked sunlight. It doesn't matter much anyways." Something about his tone implied that it matter a lot, but that he just didn't want to explain. "There's the ba, that's your personality, and the Ka the piece that leaves when you die. The last piece is the Ren, or your name."

"Everyone has this thing called your 'secret name'," Eddie continued gently like a mother trying to soothe a crying child. "That name is your being in a single word. Every thought, dream, wish, emotion are part of your secret name."

"I read a book once," I recalled with a squint. "About iron faeries or something… but it said that if someone invoked your secret name then you had to do what they said as they said it. They had complete control over you… is that true?"

Anubis nodded, "Unfortunately, yes. Isis once poisoned Ra and told him that the only way she could heal him was for Ra to tell her his secret name. Ra did, so Isis healed him, but then she invoked the name and forced Ra to give up the throne to her son Horus."

"And that's the story of how we ended up college students," Elena muttered sourly. "Blasted goddess."

"All that matters is you don't tell anyone your secret name," Anubis insisted feverently. (Like I would be dumb enough to.) "If you do then they control you and then there is a very unfortunate series of events I don't wish to go into…" Ah. So we were back to avoidance now.

"But you saw it already ,Eddie." He'd looked at the box so surely he knew what it said. "And couldn't anyone just look at the box and know it?"

To my relief Eddie shook his head. "Doesn't work like that. Everyone has one person who knows their name instinctively- that one person who knows them better than anyone else and cares about them so much they'd never tell even under duress. So, unless a person is foolish enough to tell someone their secret name, they'll always be fine. We both have three people who know or name or would know our name if they ever thought about it. I know your name because I'm your Osirian. I use your name when I heal you."

"I know your name because you're sort of my Chosen One and when I created the curse I put that as part of the deal," Anubis added with a guilty shrug. "What? I needed to make sure that if I ever really needed the cup, which was unlikely but possible, I could just force one of you to assemble it. Call it my fail safe."

"And the third person is the one I love most?" I confirmed of the god afraid to look at Fabian in case he didn't know and realized that that meant we wouldn't be together.

"No," Anubis answered. "It's the person who loves you best. You don't even have to love them, not technically, but you do," Anubis turned to flash a grin at Fabian, "Stop worrying boy! Of course it's you!"

A weight of relief lifted from my chest as Anubis, the god Anubis, told me that Fabian loved me the most of any other person ever. It was a good feeling and, when I thought about it, I knew exactly what Fabian's name was too.

Ha? What do you take me for, a fool? No way in the Du'at am I telling you! You'd use it to make him all yours!

"But why did it hurt so bad? When I read my name, that is?"

Anubis and Eddie exchanged a very Disney Frozen conversation of 'I'm going to tell her' and 'don't you dare', before my godly patron just slapped me on the back, "Sorry hon, but it doesn't matter enough for me to tell you. Now everyone get out of her room so she can get some sleep!"

"God no," I said before realizing how appropriately inappropriate that actually was. "I mean I've slept long enough."

"Suit yourself," Anubis told me with a shrug. "See you around, hon, Raet, if you're done I think there are some confused roommates to whom our friend owe some explanations."

"Yes, I think I'm done," Raet told us with a slightly malicious grin. (Or maybe that's just her normal face.)

"Come on," Eddie told me with a roll of his eyes. "I have a wife downstairs having a tantrum and I think you-know-who is making her even more cranky."

Fabian, who didn't know about the baby, only tilted his head in confusion, "Yes love, didn't you hear?" I teased. "Turns our Voldemort is real too."

Fabian's beautiful laugh made me feel at peace as I walked down the stairs to face the music. I didn't think about secret names, or boxes, or even the whispered "remember" Raet told Eddie as she left.

Well even if I hadn't been happy I couldn't have thought about the last thing because I didn't hear it, but now that I'm deceased I know things, like the fact that the only thing Eddie could think of was the promise he'd made Raet.

The promise that had seemed so simple at the time, but would eventually doom us all.

Hey, question, has anyone figured out the meaning of the name yet? I bet you have.

Also, I decided I can't write Neddie if the fans choose that, so I told my friend ChosenOne0711 to write it for me. She's awesome so go check it out! It's called "Who Do You Love,I Hope."