Words Hurt & Actions Have Consequences
Summary: Lady Mara... enough said 😂
Evie's Notes: Happy Friday! 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 🌺! This is the first of three updates today 💖.
Joy groaned exasperatedly as Mara's phone buzzed for the hundredth time that morning. Patricia and Mara had already gone down to breakfast, and apparently the girl had left her cell behind. Snatching up the phone, Joy noted that the many missed calls seemed to be from Mara's new inheritance lawyer. Guessing that it was probably important and that the "good person" choice would be to bring her friend the phone, Joy finished her makeup and jogged down the stairs to inform her roommate.
"Mara, your phone was ringing… again!" complained Joy as she tossed the device at her roommate.
"Lady Mara" corrected the girl, catching the phone with a silly grin.
"Lady Mara," granted Joy with a dramatic eye roll as she dropped into her seat beside K.T.
"It's my lawyer!" squealed the girl happily. "It truly is amazing what happens when you are set to inherit a fortune".
"Aren't you already rich?" asked Fabian, confused because everyone knew of Mara's connections to nobility.
"Yes… but a little more money never hurts," chuckled the girl, flipping her hair confidently. "Apparently my lawyer is going to stop by later today to discuss Lord Fox's estate".
"You know, I have some experience with lawyers…" began Jerome hesitantly. "I'm willing to help you if wanted"
Joy knew that something had to have gone disastrously wrong as Mara's face shifted. K.T. winced knowingly and whispered "Oh no… this is going to be bad!".
"I'm related to a Lord. You're the son of a thief" snapped Mara. "No offense but you are the absolute last person on earth that I would go to for help with this".
"Mara!" gasped Joy, shocked that her friend could say something so mean.
"You take that back!" yelled Lili, jumping to her feet to defend her boyfriend.
"That was seriously out of line, Jaffray" added Alfie.
"No, it's okay… she's right" muttered Jerome, tearing up. "I'm just going to grab my things. See you at school". Pushing away his cereal bowl, the blonde boy beat a hasty exit from the dining room.
Seeing Joy's bewildered face, K.T. leaned over to whisper an explanation. "I heard from Eddie who heard from Patiricia, that Mara apparently put her heart on the line with Jerome and gave him an ultimatum to stop jerking her around and let them just date already".
"That makes no sense! He hasn't been doing that! Right?" protested Joy. She was pretty sure that the meerkat, for all of his faults, had been faithful in his relationship with Lili.
"Yeah. Eddie said that they had a bit of a flirtation before Lili came, but it was shut down on Jerome's side as soon as Lili walked through the door".
"So why is Mara so mad?"
"Apparently she thought her feelings were reciprocated and she wanted Jerome to break up with Lili. Patricia says that Mara completely lost it when Jerome told her he wasn't going to do that last night… but on the bright side I think she's over him".
"Over him or not, that was way out of line" decided Joy, grabbing a banana she snuck out of the room after her friend.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
When she reached Jerome and Alfie's room, Joy's heart broke to see the normally tall and confident boy's shoulders shaking with silent tears. Taking a deep breath Joy raised her hand and rapped on the door to signal her presence to the boy inside.
"You ok?" she asked quietly, before kicking herself… that was such a stupid question. He was obviously not ok!
"Of course" denied the boy, wiping away his tears. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"Mara"
"Is just saying what everybody's thinking… and you all wonder why I kept it a secret in the first place".
"I don't think that!" argued Joy.
Jerome turned around shocked, shooting Joy a surprised look. Knowing that the taller boy was feeling very vulnerable at the moment and prone to running away when it came to his emotions, Joy kept her expression as even as possible.
"A Lady?" scoffed Jerome, still in disbelief at his friend's change in luck.
"I know!" agreed Joy. "You're not the poshest person in school anymore… although if it is any consolation, you do still have the poshest hair".
Jerome just rolled his eyes good naturedly at Joy's ribbing, and grabbed his school bag.
"Look, I know that you are just waiting to get back at her… to embarrass her like she did you"
"What makes you think that?" scoffed the boy.
"You're Jerome, it's what you do" shared Joy. "Take my advice though… when it comes to it, and you get the chance to get your own back. If you can bear it, don't do it. Just be the bigger person and walk away".
Her advice though, was not well received, as Jerome just scoffed and rolled his eyes at her.
"Look, take it from the girl that always makes things worse… It will make you feel better" comforted Joy. Shooting Jerome one last grin, Joy left the room sending a silent prayer up to the deities that the boy would heed her advice.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
Nina glared angrily at the blueprint of the cellar spread out before her on the table. She could not bring herself to accept a dead end. There had to be another way into the secret room Robert hid in order to get the clue!
Amneris had come to Nina last night and talked to her about how important it was that they hurry up and find this vault. Nina's ancestor needed her body as soon as possible in order to pass over to the Field of Golden Rushes. Rubbing at the tattoo etched into her wrist Nina scowled at the unchanging image before her. She was the bloody chosen one! She should be able to find this place!
"Maybe we got it wrong," suggested Lili.
"No, we haven't got it wrong" insisted Nina. She wasn't allowed to have gotten it wrong… she was the *Chosen One*.
"What if we flip it around" suggested Lili.
"It's not a road map, Liliana!" scolded Fabian.
"Sorry! Just trying to be helpful" protested Lili, throwing her hands up in the universal symbol of surrender.
Thinking that the girl could be onto something, Nina twisted the map around to try and look at it from a new angle.
"Maybe 'X' doesn't mark the spot" suggested Jerome, from his spot lying on the couch with his head in Lili's lap.
"When has 'X' ever not marked the spot" snapped Fabian.
"I just don't get it!" exploded Nina. "Why would our ancestors leave us this map if it doesn't actually help us!"
"Neens, the blueprint is fine. We just need to figure out a way to get through the floor"
Rolling her eyes, Nina snatched up the riddle that had come with the map. Flipping it over and over in her hands she glanced at the map square by square looking for something she had never seen before.
"What I don't get is why this map doesn't have a key. It's like our ancestors didn't even take cartography" scoffed Lili.
Nina furrowed her brow as she took in Lili's point. While most of the map was easy enough to decipher, there was a strange mark on the corner of one of the walls that she had originally chalked up to being an ink stain… but could it be something more?
Lying the riddle face down on the table, Nina realized that the ink stain on the back of the card matched with the ink stain on the map. Sliding the riddle sheet to align with the ink mark on the map Nina gasped as the marks formed the familiar pattern of the Eye of Horus.
"Fabian! Lili! Jerome! Look at this!"
"Oh my gods! What does it mean?" asked Lili excitedly.
"It means that our secret room isn't beneath the cellar afterall" began Jerome, his eyes bright at the new lead.
"It's next to it" finished Fabian with a satisfied grin.
"We'll check it out after pin drop" announced Nina. "Lili, can you text the others and let them know the update?"
"You bet Boss!" grinned the blonde.
"Awesome, see you all after class" waved Nina, rolling up the map and heading off to class. As she went to enter her painting lesson she spotted Mara walking into one of the sitting rooms with a severe looking woman. Shrugging off her curiosity, Nina soldiered on with her day, she only had enough brain space for one mystery after all.
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🌺
