-Chapter 9-
~Poppy~
December 23. The day we got out of school for Winter Holiday. None of us were going home. It was useless. Except for Anthony Lewis. It was his last day teaching Drama and History at Frobisher Academy. And I was kinda sad, but I understood why, I mean, if my younger sister had a twice daily 45 minutes session, (in the morning and in the afternoon) of giving me the death glare at my job, I would want to leave to leave too. And apparently his parents weren't so happy either.
I went to my locker and put my books in it. I looked over and saw AJ putting his books in his locker too. I'm not gonna lie... He is pretty cute. But Kayla basically has full dibs on him. Same with Lacy and Oliver, for them, it was like, childhood soul mates. And I already bet Sarah that within this next semester it would be Scarlett and Robert. Oh well, my parents would be pleased.
That's when I remember, I haven't talked to my parents in over a week, I should probably call them. I take off my school blazer and put on my coat. I sling one-strap my bag over my shoulder and stuff my blazer in it. I make sure I have everything I would need, just because I can come back to the school during break, doesn't mean I want to. Then I shut my locker, take my key out and walk outside.
On the way to Anubis, I call my parents. Mum answer
"Hello, Poppy." She says
"Hi, Mum." I reply
"Did you see your grades? Are they good?" She questions, oh classic Mara Clarke, always asking about grades
"Yes, I did, 4.5 GPA, with all of my higher classes are added in." I tell her
"Oh, Mara, don't focus so much on grades," Dad cuts it "Pulled any pranks yet?"
"No, not yet, but everyone here is great, it's really fun." I assure them
"That good." Mum replies, happily
Then I hear a "CRACK!"
"What was that?" I ask
"Someone just cracked opened a coconut with a masheti." Dad explains
"Why is someone cutting open a coconut with a masheti in downtown London?" I ask, that was not something that happened everyday
"Oh, were in Hawaii..." Mum tells me
"Um... Why are you in Hawaii on Christmas?" I question
"I have a Project." Dad yells over another "CRACK!"
Dad worked for this super rich family that could basically rule the world if they wanted to, for as long as I remembered. He was like their owl, if the world was Hogwarts and the family was Harry Potter. Always traveling around and basically being a really elite messenger. We called them Projects. They can last anywhere from two hours to three weeks. When I was a baby, they were small projects. Maximum, two days. When I hit around five, they could be a week long. Mum never put in school and we just traveled with him. I grew up in cars, sometimes ferries and private airplanes and train cart. Not to mention high class yachts on certain occasions when we were on rivers or something.
They grew longer and longer and eventually came to three week long ordeals, sometimes. That was when they decided to send me here. And I understood why, I mean, I get it.
"Um... Well... I'd better go and let you get back to that..." I say "Bye."
"Goodbye, Poppy!" Dad calls over another crash sound
"We love you sweetheart!" Mum tells me then kills the phone line
I finish the walk to Anubis and then I'm greeted by Lacy
"Run while you can!" She warns me then runs into the kitchen
"What-?" I ask, confused
Then Kayla runs down the stairs "POPPY!" She yells, I understand why Lacy told me to run
"Hey, Kayla!" I wave
"I have all the home videos of our parents. And the whole house in watching them. So clear your plans for tonight." She says as she drags me into the living room
"So you were also sucked into this?" AJ asks me
"I guess..." I reply
"AJ! Help me with all these VCR tapes!" Kayla yells and AJ goes to help
"I told you to run!" Lacy sits down by me on the couch
"Well, I didn't have much time, you should've texted me before I got here!" I exclaim quietly
"Oh, well, sorry!" Lacy jokes
"Why is she making us watch these, again?" Scarlett asks as she sits on the chair to the right of the couch
"Don't ask me." Sarah sits next to Lacy on the other side of the couch
Then I turn around to see Kayla and AJ, both carrying three huge boxes of VCRs each
"Oh my." Robert turns around too in the chair to the right "please tell me that isn't all the tapes?"
Kayla nods
"Okay, well, considering the fact that I actually know what my parents did in School." Oliver stands up from his bean bag he pulled out of his closet "I'm just gonna go."
Robert extended his arm and catches his collar "if I have to stay and watch this all, you do too, mate."
Oliver rolls his eyes.
Kayla picks the VCR with the oldest date and puts it in the old player
Then, slowly, but surely, Mara Campbell appears on the screen, she seems to be looking at a camera that she's holding up and facing at herself
"Well, hey there! To who-so-ever is watching this!" Mum says "It's Mara Jeffray here!"
'This was before she got married' I remember
"And today is first day at Frobisher Academy!" Mara spins the camera towards the school, it still looks the same, then turns it "I guess I'm staying at Anubis house? And I'm not gonna lie, I'm kinda terrified, to be honest but the uniforms are kinda cool, I guess, and the academics are great, so what really could go wrong? But I guess I should go, so see you later!"
The thing fizzes out then back into focus. Above the living room door, was a banner, it read, "INITIATION NIGHT", in bold, golden letters on a rich red, like the school blazers color; background. Someone strumming on the guitar, Mum singing along with it, a familiar tune I can't quite name. The camera turns around.
"And this is the amazing Fabian Rutter and Mara Jeffray, showing off their musical skills!" A girl says from behind the camera
"That's mum!" Lacy says
Then dad jumps in front of the screen "But I'm the cool one!" He says as a football hits his head
"Damn you, Lewis!" Jerome yells
Kayla's dad, Alfie Lewis, runs in front of him, stumbling to find the ball then stands up and tries to recover and smiles "Whoops. That didn't happen."
"Yes it did, and it made me loose my balance messing up my precious eyeliner!" Another girl, who I'm sure is Kayla's mum, Amber, yells from off the screen
"Oh, yeah, your just soo cool, Jerome." Oliver's mum rolls her eyes "my knees are just shaking from your coolness." Everyone laughs
"Hey, give that back to me!" Lacy's dad, Mick, runs into the video and grabs the ball then looks at the camera "oh, hey!"
Joy sets the camera up on something then runs around to the front and grabs everyone into the cameras view, including Trudy.
"You guys, get in!" She hollered "someday, someone, years from now, is gonna see this and know it was the beginning of something great!"
"Joy, your such a drama queen!" Patricia exclaims
"Hey," Joy playfully hits Patricia
Then it goes black like that, with everyone smiling.
Mum shows up again "Hey, so this day and went incredibly well," she walks backwards "This is Amber." Kayla's mum pokes her head into the camera view "She's my roommate! But I think we should go."
And again it goes black then it slowly reappears again.
"Move back a bit more!" A girl demands playfully from behind what ever is filming as the screen comes into color
"Aw, hurry up!" A second girl exclaims, and as the fuzzy colors become clear, you can tell the girl is Joy
"C'mon, that's it!" The girl from behind the camera tells Joy
"Ah!" Joy exclaims as she falls to the ground and out of view of the camera
The camera moves to view of the ground, Fabian and Joy and struggling to get up from the ground
"Ah, careful, careful!" Fabian tells Joy as his arms fling with a book in on of his hands
"That's my new profile photo!" The camera girl laughs, by this point I can tell the girl is Patricia.
"Joy, just because it doesn't have Robert Pattison on the cover, doesn't mean it's not worth reading!" He holds the book and laughs, then puts it in his bag
Darkness takes over the screen and it doesn't change for a few minutes. The kids in the video reminded me of us, like in October or November, close, but not unbreakable BFFs. Kayla gets up and takes it out and switched it. We got the first glimpse of Nina at Anubis in the next tape.
I don't really remember next in detail, but there was at least five more hours of unfamiliar memories and video tapes by the time I fell asleep on the couch.
~Sarah~
Christmas Eve day mostly just a whole bunch of baking, ugly sweaters and corny Christmas jokes. But, at night, it was a different story.
I went to bed like normal. But it's when the clock strikes midnight that in most stories take a twist, and this is story is one of them.
I woke up at the strike of midnight. There was a girl by my bed, young, no older then seven, beautiful big green eyes, and long, blonde hair, curled in riglettes. I sat up and she sat on the edge of my bed
"Hello" She sits on my bed
"Who are you? Why are you sitting on my bed?" I ask
"I could ask you the same. Who are you, and why are you sleeping in my bed?" She asks back "you know me." She takes a locket out
"Your Sarah. This is your room, this is your bed, that is my mums locket you gave to her. Your the girl I'm named after!" I realize
"Yes, Sarah." The girl smiles "You really are pretty. Prettier everyday."
"How do you know?" I ask
"Do you not think I watch over my aire?" She questions
"I'm your aire?"
"Yes, of course! This proves it!" She takes off her locket, stands up off the bed, walks over, and holds out her hand, offering me the locket "Well, go on! Take it, it's for you, Sarah!"
"Are you sure? It's beautiful!" I tell her "you must not want to give it away..."
"But, it's not mine, you see, it hasn't been mine for many years. It once was, yes that it true, and it was your mothers too! But since, the day you were born, it's been yours."
I put my hand over hers and she pulls hers away. Leaving me with the locket in my hand. I squeeze my hand tightly and put it my robe pocket.
"I'm here to warn you. They'll be coming. One at the strike of 1. The second at 2. The third, will come at his own time." She confirmed
"I'm not Scrooge!" I exclaim
"But, yet, tonight you are, Sarah!" Then she disappeared
I fell back asleep, trying to forget what happened, thinking it was just some dream, but as I was promised, by the stroke of one, I was awake, actually it wasn't really by the clock...
"Boo!" A woman enthusiastically said, leaning over me
I jump back, fully awake now "Whoa! Who are you?!"
"I'm Senkhara." She says, still laughing from her wake-up-Sarah joke a few seconds earlier
"Your the ghost of Christmas past?" I ask, this was not how Charles Dickens or Tim Burton made the ghost seem
"Gods, don't call me that. I'm not Tim Burtons 3"5' ball of light, teleporting-cone carrying imbecile!" Senkhara demands
"Well, your quite the sassy spirit, aren't you?" I question
"That's what happens to Villains who can't be Evil anymore..." She informs me
"You were evil?" I was starting to not like this chick
"Oh yes, I cursed and almost killed most of your friends and your parents!" She claps her hands "oh, good times!"
"My parents?!" I asked, I began to worry, most grudges die hard
"Especially your Mother! Oh, it was like a game we played! 'Let's see how many time Senkhara the evil witch can try to kill the American brat Nina Martin!' " Senkhara laughs again
"Okay, how about we just get this visit over with, before I like, die?" I plead
"I guess that is my job now..." Senkhara sighs "take my hand, child."
I hesitate
"Look, I can't curse anybody, anymore!" She starts flinging her hand in front of my face "it. was. taken. away. from. me. Okay?"
"Okay..." I say quietly then I'm suddenly at the train station
"What year is it?" I ask Senkhara, who is next to me
"2011." She replies
I almost choke. That was basically 20 years ago!
"Nina Martin!" A man calls from a Taxi
My mums steps out of the shadows, except, it isn't my mum, it's a younger version of her, teenage mum, all smiles "That's me!"
Senkhara drags me into the trunk of the car
"You couldn't go anywhere else in the car?" I ask, cramming with her in the small space
"Shut up!" She whispers harshly
"Whoa, welcome to Hogwarts!" Nina says in awe looking out the window
"Where you need to be?" The taxi-man asks
"Anubis House!" Nina replies happily
"And that, is how your mother started a journey that could've almost killed her!" Senkhara tells me then take my hand, I shut my eyes
I open them, were in Anubis. But, everyone here are my friends parents, and mine. And their younger. But no Joy.
"I'm telling you!" Patricia seems to be continuing a rant "She's American! And she's totally obsessed with it! Said it like 50 times!" This seems to start an uproar of conversation amongst the kids
Then Nina enters. Patricia just points.
"Hi, I'm Nina, from America!" Mum waves, Patricia seems to mock her
"Hi!" Fabian whispers
"Hello space girl!" Alfie greets her
"Okay, that's enough of that!" Senkhara decides, then pulls put a tablet like thing "okay, Nina visits her gran, meets Sarah, Sarah gives her a locket, blah, blah, blah, Sibuna is formed, blah, blah, blah, you getting all this?" She asks me
"Yeah," I say, even though she was just spinning thru it, it seemed implanted in my head, I guess... All of it
"They form the cup... Defeat Rufus... Summer passes... Library. Oh, wait, here's me!" Senkhara tells me "here's me cursing Nina, and Fabian, and Amber, and Patricia and Alfie. And almost killing your great-gran, and wow, I was a witch! Anyways, here's me basically making their lives hell... Then me almost killing your mum, taking her to the after life, but failing. Oh and there's the re-incarnated Robert Frobisher-Symthe. And the Descendents or whatever, I was long gone when this was happening..."
"Shouldn't you be like showing me this instead of just telling me bits of pieces and magically hard wiring it in my brain? Like Charles Dickens?" I ask
"Look, Sweetie, do you really want to spend all night with me?" She tilts her head and I shake mine "that's right, and this makes it go soo much faster. Oh, I should probably mention Sophia..." And then it was like the whole TouchStone story was imprinted in my head "yeah, she'll be a big rain on your parade in a while..."
"What?" My eyes grow big
"Oh, nothing!" Senkhara exclaims then snaps her fingers, I'm back in bed "Goodnight child, you have half an hour! Enjoy your sleep!"
Then she's gone
"Wake up!" A man hollers "I'm Victor Rodenmaar and I will not be treated like that in my own house!"
"Your the ghost of Christmas present?" I groan and roll over in bed
"Yes, child, I am, now, get up!" He demands, and I do what he says
"Your not jolly." I complain
He pulls an elf hat out of his pocket and puts in on his head "Any more jolly now?"
"A tad." I reply, he groans with annoyance
"Follow me." He says and leads me down the stairs
"Here we are." He gestures to the living room "Christmas present, perfect, no? Lit up tree, gifts scattered, stocking hung, cookies left out for Santa, correct? But, there are secret things."
"What?" I question as he leads me into Roberts and AJs room
"Here, you see Robert and AJ, perfectly okay, but their both trying to live up to something... someone." Victor explains, and now I have questions floating through my mind
"And Oliver, who's still hung over on something he cannot change, wishing he could always regretting it." Victor looks at me.
The next thing I know, I'm Lacy and Scarlett's room
"Here." Victors says "Scarlett, a child, behind you all. Lost. Nieve in the world of crushes and friendship and modern, young, society and just being a kid in this harsh world. Same with Lacy, she has no idea what's she's doing, and it is costing her."
"Who's next, then?" I question
"Your roommates." He replies and now I'm in my room "Poppy, in over her head trying to be the perfect daughter and school-focused person but can't help by let a boy slip in and start to crack that foundation. Or Kayla, who trying to stand up to her brothers bar and be the perfect person. No matter what. But she, I'm afraid, is slipping as well."
"So what, the lesson of your visit was to point out the struggles of everyone else?" I ask
"And you. Your cracking. You feel like you have the wait of the world on your shoulders. You need help. Unspeakable help. But, let me tell you, the greatest leaders always have the worst hardships."
"Oh, no, no, no, no, no. I can't be their leader, their spokesperson. Ask Kayla, she's just a pink cyclone of confidence and she's got enough crap, too." I point out
"It has to be you, Sarah, it runs in your genes. In your blood. It's in those blonde curls of your to start up trouble for the good of the world. Your the Chosen One. It has to be you." Victor tells me, "but, for now, you must wait."
Then he disappears
"Your kidding me! Not this again!" I yell to no one, exhausted
I sit on my bed and lay down. Might as well try to sleep. And I do.
Until four AM. Because I hear another person in my room.
"Hello?" I ask
"Hello, Sarah, yes, I am Rufus, I will be showing you your future, tonight." He says, and I follow him, down the stairs
In the living room, I hear the sound if weeping. I walk in front of Rufus. Everyone's there, mourning, but I don't know who for. I keep on looking around. There's a coffin. By the bay window. I dread seeing who's in it. But I walk forward. I look down, and there I am. White faced, and dressed up all pretty. I look around, like before everyone's there, except me. My brothers without a twin. Kayla is without a best friend. I feel alone. And cold.
"This is what will happen if you refuse it, when the time comes." Rufus comes towards me
"What? Refuse what?" I demand
"You will know when it comes." He says
"No!" I say
"I cannot change it. Only you." Rufus tells me
I notice something. A boy I don't know. Who just seems to be in as much pain as everyone else "Who is that?"
"You will know soon enough." Rufus promises
Then I notice the man behind him, tall and tan. Dark hair and green eyes. He was older, in his mid-twenties. But, he was beautiful "and him?" I ask, my finger quivering
Rufus bends down to my ear and whispers "Your worst nightmare."
I wake up. I sit up, completely chilled to the bone. I breath then get straight out of bed, completely terrified. My life was going to change soon, and it won't be good.