The Walls Have Ears
Summary: Denby goes shopping for *supplies*
Evie's Notes: Happy Monday! I hope you all are having a wonderful week . Thank you so much your support of this story, it truly means the world to me 💜! I hope that you all enjoy the this new update 🌺.
"Did you guys ever have to take personality tests in America?" asked Joy as the trio walked to the music room for Second Hand Heroes practice.
"Sure, but it was just the usual ones, Myers Briggs and the like," agreed K.T.
"Certainly not one with such strange questions" added Eddie. "I wonder why my dad would sign off on a test like that".
"Gods, can you imagine if people actually knew even the most basic shit that went on around here. Like this isn't even murder cult level, yet it's still strange. How on earth your dad has been able to keep this place running for so long is a mystery" sighed Joy.
"Oh that's explained easily enough, money" laughed K.T.
"Huh?"
"When Nina and I were researching our family history this summer, we found plenty of mentions of 'charitable donations' made to the local government and business"
"Given the Carnival in September it's fair to assume that dad is employing the same techniques today" finished Eddie.
"Huh, be that as it may, imagine the absolute chaos that would occur if the general public were to find out the truth"
"Madness, absolute madness" agreed Eddie, holding the door open for the two girls. With rehearsal beginning, the conversation was shelved, but far from forgotten in the minds of the trio.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
"Caroline, have you considered which sacrifice we are to offer the goddess this moon cycle?" asked Graham.
Caroline Denbey eyed the various bottles of pickled herbs and frog legs that were on display. "Yes, the results of the year twelve personality tests revealed the weaknesses of the students. Victor and Vera cautioned that I avoid an Anubis house resident for now. Apparently they wish to save them for the final sacrifice. That said, I feel we should pull someone from Isis house. The Jenks girl seems gullible enough to be tricked into the ceremony willingly without causing a scene. The bonus there is that she is not close with her classmates and will not be missed by the general population. Her disappearance will be easy to explain away".
"Brilliant work as always" praised the architect, selecting several bottles of dried spider legs and powdered mushrooms. "I will wait in the bike shed Monday evening. If you lead her there I will subdue her and prepare the body for the ritual".
"With a solid plan like that we can't lose," cackled Caroline. "Let's pay for these and get back before we are missed, only five more moons and we will never have to worry about work again".
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
"I don't get it! Who puts their vault of stolen artifacts under two feet of solid concrete? I mean how are they supposed to go down and bask surrounded in the golden glow of their stolen glory?" expressed Nina angrily to Fabian as the Sibuna club made their way to their next classes.
"I imagine the concrete came later, probably after Robert and Louisa's deaths. We already know that they kept the cup and mask secret from Sarah so I'm sure they kept their treasure trove secret as well. I imagine that Robert designed some sort of invisible counterweight door in the original stone floor, which is now lost to us due to the concrete" argued Fabian.
"Well if I know anything about Robert and Louisa it's that they always had a sneaky backup route" cut in Amber.
"Yeah, we just need to find an alternate entrance. Just like the library was the alternate entrance for the tunnels" agreed Alfie.
"Now that we know our next clue is under the house we can scope out the tunnels for any other off chutes" suggested Lili.
"and look at the walls" included Jerome.
"In short, just because we hit a temporary roadblock doesn't mean we are giving up" comforted Patricia.
"Thanks guys" grinned Nina. "We've got to get going though, see you all after class!". The Sibuna Seven scrambled to their next classes unaware of the three different parties that had overheard their conversation.
"And the plot thickens as they say" muttered Eddie.
"You've been hanging out with Jerome too much," teased K.T. "But, yeah. Just wait till Joy hears about this!".
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
Carefully putting Vera's homemade avocado lime dressing on her salad, Joy grinned happily at her lunch. That morning had been crazy but at last she was able to relax for an hour with her favorite salad before she had to go to Latin. Opening her copy of Carmilla to her current page Joy settled in for a peaceful lunch break enjoying the little things of life. Her precious peace was shattered as her best friends tore into the room at breakneck speed.
"Joy! You will never believe what we just over heard" panted Eddie, flopping down onto the open chair beside Joy.
"What's got you two all excited?" asked Joy with a crooked grin, taking a bite of her delicious lunch.
"We just heard the Sibuna crew talking about a secret vault under concrete!"
"A vault?"
"Yeah, probably full of treasure. All of us at Anubis, except Mick and Mara, know that the Frobishers stole all that shit…" agreed K.T. before freezing with a curious expression on her face.
"What's that face for?" wondered Eddie
"Well, you remember how we were talking about the inevitable explosion that would occur if word got out about how messed up this place is?"
"Yeah" agreed Joy, not seeing where her friend was taking this.
"Well, the main problem we kept running up against was a lack of proof. But just think! If we uncover this vault the others are looking for we might be able to get someone to actually listen to us for once".
"You know what, I think you're actually onto something there" remarked Eddie.
" 'Actually onto something?' Thanks Edison. Try saying that without the shock" teased K.T.
"Well I think it's a brilliant plan" decided Joy. "All we have to do is find this vault before the others get to it!"
"Let's go find some treasure!" cheered K.T.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
"Right this way Miss Jenks. Right around the corner here" coaxed Caroline as she led the redheaded 12th year around the wooded bend towards the old bike shed.
"Awesome!" chirped the student happily. "Thank you so much for choosing me to help with preparing the field trip"
"Of course Miss Jenks. Your answers on the personality survey showed that you were the ideal candidate to assist with organizing the 12th year class trip. Your love of nature and adventurous spirit will ensure an amazing adventure for the students!".
"Aww, thank you Miss! I have so many ideas about what we can do after the bike ride. Maybe we could organize a foot race or a swimming portion!"
"See that can do attitude is just why I hired you" chuckled Caroline with a crooked grin. "Let's start with counting how many bikes we have on hand before moving on to other projects though".
"Sounds good" agreed Willow, eagerly pushing open the door to the school's bike shed, only to startle and begin to frantically struggle when a cloth was forced over her nose and mouth. The student flailed about for a few seconds before collapsing limply backwards into the waiting arms of her teacher.
"That chloroform worked like a charm, Graham. Great work!" praised Caroline, smirking down at the unconscious body in her arms.
"Thanks Caroline, I borrowed some from Thomas, apparently he's been nicking stuff from intake and evidence for years".
"I've said it before and I'll say it again, Victor's little club had its problems, but every once and while it really came through, Thomas and Delia being the perfect example".
"Too True" agreed the architect, placing Willow's unconscious body in the trunk they had stashed in the bike shed earlier. Clicking the padlock into place he ensured that the student would not be able to escape before the ceremony that evening. "Now that we've secured the sacrifice, let's head back to base to ensure everything else is set for tonight's ceremony".
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
"So Mr. Rutter, I'm looking at your file here and I am disappointed to see that you have yet to send in any University Applications" remarked Miss Wilson, arching her brow as she took in the fidgeting student on the other side of the desk.
"Sorry, Miss… things have just been super busy for me recently" apologized Fabian half-heartedly.
"We are now starting November and several of your yearmates have already received acceptances from their dream schools. You are clearly a very bright boy and despite a drop in your grades last year, your GCSE and A-Level scores should be enough to secure you a place at a well regarded university" comforted the University Counselor and School Therapist.
Fabian just shrugged non-commitally, he had far more urgent things to worry about than some dumb university application. He had to find a vault of stolen gold, stop a murder cult led by the adults who were supposed to protect him and build a body for a long dead ancient Egyptian priestess. On top of all of that he also had a girlfriend and his debilitating mental health, did this woman seriously expect him to think about where he would be next year when he didn't even know if he would be alive next week?
"Look Fabian, I have a couple schools that I suggest to all students with your grades and would suggest you spend the upcoming long weekend filling out and submitting applications to them. They all offer rolling admission so you will hear back within as little as two weeks. You won't believe how much better you will feel once you are accepted somewhere and have secured a spot for the fall. I will email the applications to your school account. Don't forget to attach the teacher recommendation letters from Miss Valentine and Mr. James" recommended the counselor.
Fabian reluctantly agreed and collected his things to head to his next lesson. Opening the door to the hall, he traded commiserating looks with Jude as he passed the Osiris boy heading into the office for his own appointment. Fabian couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to have his biggest worry in life be where he would attend school in the fall.
Evie's Notes 2: Thank you all so much for reading 💕! I hope you enjoyed this update, let me know your favorite part of in the comments! I hope to see you all next week 💗!
I love hearing from y'all! Let me know what you think of the chapter and the story as a whole in the comments or my Tumblr House-of-Secrets! Have a great week and stay safe! - Xo Evie🌺
