Chapter 5

House of Revelations

I escaped the house before anyone else even made it from their rooms and headed across the misting rain to Mr. Rutter's office. I'd decided last night not to spend a single moment longer than necessary around these cruel children and I was done. He'd try to talk me out of leaving, principals always did, but he wasn't going to get anywhere. No way. I was gone.

I knocked on the door and came face to face with Mr. and Mrs. Rutter. Nina, being in-tune to others emotions, excused herself to let me talk. "What can I help you with Miss Ra at such an early hour?"

"I came to request a transfer," i told him firmly. "I've talked to my aunt." Lie. "And the travel arrangements can be made the moment all the papers are signed." Hopefully not a lie.

"Please, sit," he told me. "I'm not going to stop you from leaving, I have the paper right here for you to do so. What I want to know before you go is why you want to leave? I'm a good peace-maker you know and leaving to get away from somebody will only lead to regret."

"I'm not leaving because of somebody." That was true, I was leaving because of everybody. "I just want to go home. Coming here was a bad decision."

"You're top of your class. All the teachers love you. You say there is no one here driving you away. So why go?"

I bit my lip and replied firmly, "I just want to go home."

"Well then let me sign this," Mr. Rutter replied and I beamed with joy. Yes! I was free. "Oh no. It seems I left my special signing pen in the museum yesterday."

"Can't you just use on of those?" I asked pointing to the packages of pens he had on his desk. Still, with a sly smile on his face, Mr. Rutter shook his head.

"No, sorry, I must use that pen. It's a British legal thing you see." We both knew that was complete and utter BS, still he got what he wanted.

"Why don't I head over to the museum and get it. I've been wanting to go there and since I'm LEAVING what better time than now, hey."

"That's the spirit. Now do you know how to get there?" I nodded. "Good, good. Now Nina, my wife, is already over there. She'll know where it is just tell her what you're looking for."

Rolling my eyes I decided to play along with his game. It wouldn't make an ounce of difference in the end- I was going. I'd made up my mind and no way was I going back to that place full of lies and bullies.

It was poring at this point, and I found that poetic. It rained when i arrived and it was raining as I left. The walk to the museum could have been quicker, but I delayed, worried about what sort of lecture I'd get from Mrs. Rutter who'd been so kind on my second day.

"So you're leaving then," Mrs. Rutter stated when I told her what i was looking for. "I kind of guessed that. You had that done look on your face when I saw you."

"Coming here was a mistake for me," I told her honestly. "I much prefer the states."

"I understand where you're coming from," Nina told me, but I doubted it. "I started here late into the sophomore year, like you. Everyone hated me in the beginning because this girl, Patricia, thought I was involved in a friend's disappearance. Patricia is Alice's mom and I'd make a guess that they're a lot alike." You could say that again. Both hated people blindly and sent them packing. "I was ready to leave here too. But then I found my home in a boy. Fabian, Mr. Rutter, was something I had that you don't- that one kind person."

"The people are fine, honest." I lied and we both knew it.

"I'm sure they are. I'm sure they are. I'm telling you my story not yours." Nina had the pen in hand, but didn't give it to me before tapping on a large vent. "You here that? The hollowness. The shushing. That's my story."

Unsure what she meant I looked down the vent and saw a long tunnel. "Is this where the oven leads?"

"So you do not about that," Nina confirmed with a nod. "Thought you would. We established first day you were clever. Cleverer than I ever was. The oven leads into the basement, in the basement there is a room with the code 1890 to open it. The room was Robert Frobisher-Smyths study and behind it is a secret tunnel system filled with danger. The hole house is filled with danger especially for people like me."

"The chosen of the gods?" Nina knew a lot and it wasn't like I felt any loyalty in keeping the secret so why not talk?

Nina nodded sadly. "I used to be the chosen one, 25 years ago. There is a new one now, Nick. I never knew his mom at school, she can when I left. He's the new Chosen One."

"And Sarah's the Osirian," I added which, if she suspected it, Nina hadn't had confirmed. Until now of course. "What about the other ones. The Isisium, Horusion, and Chosen of Apophis? Do you know who they are."

Nina pursed her lips clearly worried," I never even heard of them. If Apophis has a servant here though... I shutter to think what will happen. Apophis is true evil, true chaos and must be stopped."

"How am I supposed to do that!" I asked indignantly. "I'm not even a part of this. They won't even let me be a part of this!"

Nina held up her hands. In one, a pen that would allow me to be on my way home by the end of the day. In the other hand however a silver key glistened. "This is the key to my museum," Nina confirmed. "And now you have an option. You can take this pen. You can run away from this insanity and leave. Or you can take this key, come back tonight after I'm gone and follow the tunnels. You can find the others, watch them, help them, and most of all protect them."

"What makes you think that I can help them! They hate me!" I reminded Nina. I would love to stay and get my share of mystery, but... how do you help people who think you're the enemy?

"Because I've seen your eyes behind the contacts, and I know who you are when you don't," Nina whispered. Shocked by her words I went to my eyes and removed the green colored contacts revealing the flaming shade of orange beneath.