Heir of Nothing
Summary: Mara gets some unfortunate news 😞
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 second of three updates today 💖.
I highly suggest having tissues on hand for this chapter... we really dive into the feels here 😭💔.
After classes let out that afternoon, Joy met up with the other year twelve students in the lounge to hear about their upcoming field trip. Seeing Patricia, Eddie, Fabian and the Martin cousins settled around the main set of couches, Joy hurried over to join them. Seeing as there was not a lot of room left, Joy opted to squish herself into the oversized comfy chair with K.T.
"Joooy" giggled K.T. as the tiny girl wiggled herself into place.
"What" laughed Joy, her eyes alight with the pleasure of messing with her friend.
"I was sitting here" whined the curly haired girl.
"Well now I am too!" cheered Joy happily, snuggling herself into her friend's side and snickering at the blush that spread over the girl's cheeks.
"Oh knock it off" scoffed K.T.
"You first" demanded Joy, sticking her tongue out teasingly.
The pair's debate was interrupted by Eddie loudly clearing his throat. "As adorable as this is, I think Mara has some news for us!"
Joy couldn't believe that she had missed the girl's arrival to the room, and when had the other Anubis residents arrived as well?
"How did it go, Mara?" called Mick from his spot on the carpet beside Amber.
"Puppy!" squealed K.T. and Lili, leading to both girls launching themselves across the sitting area towards the puppy, dropping Jerome and Joy into an awkward lump on their respective chairs.
"Aren't you just the cutest little thing?" cooed K.T. happily.
"What an adorable little sweetheart" added Lili as she happily pet the ratty dog.
"What is that?" asked Amber, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the stench that wafted off the dog.
"It's a dog," replied Mara unhappily.
"So what did you get, grounds?" guessed Joy. "You know 'grounds' are what rich people call gardens".
"Forget the grounds, what about the money?" asked Eddie.
"There isn't any money" revealed Mara despondently.
"What about land or a house?" wondered Patricia. "Because you could get some serious money from selling those".
"There isn't any money or land or house" sighed Mara disappointedly.
"What did you get then?" asked Alfie.
Mara gestured wordlessly to the very smelly puppy that Lili and K.T. were still fawning over.
"You inherited a dog," snorted Jerome.
"Well I think he's cute," hummed Lili.
"Yeah? Do you want him?" offered Mara.
Stepping back from the pup and accepting the hand sanitizer from her bestie, Lili respectfully refused. "No thanks, I'm way too busy for a pet".
"I'm still a Lady" insisted Mara, furiously clinging to the title of respect after all the fuss she had kicked up over the past few days.
"Yeah, that's great Mara" waved off Fabian as Miss Wilson entered the room to begin her presentation on the upcoming university tour.
Jerome strolled over to Mara and the dog with a cocky smirk on his face. Joy crossed her fingers, hoping and praying to the gods that the boy would remember their conversation from yesterday morning and play nice.
"Go ahead," sighed Mara. "Laugh at me. Get it over and done with".
Instead of busting out some snarky quip, Joy was happy to see Jerome choose to simply scratch the dog's head before locking eyes with Mara and reverently stating "My Lady" before bowing and walking away.
"Huh… that went better than expected" K.T. whispered in Joy's ear, "Who knew, the meerkat has a heart?"
"What are you going to call him?" Lili asked Mara.
"Letdown" decided Mara, before joining the others on the floor to listen to their teacher explain the details of their field trip.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
As soon as Victor retired to his office for his evening tea with Vera, the Sibuna girls snuck down to the kitchen to meet up with the boys at the bread oven. The group got lucky and didn't encounter any obstacles that evening, their respective roommates having long learned not to question the odd quirks and strange hours the seven students kept.
Once the group made it safely to the cellar, Fabian took point in leading the ragtag team to the supposed location of their next clue.
"Yeah, this is it!" he cheered. "Right around the corner here, by the furnace. The secret room should be on the other side of this wall!".
"Great" snarked Patricia, rolling her eyes. "Instead of a solid concrete floor, we just have to get through a solid brick wall. Piece of cake".
"This doesn't look good" sighed Jerome disappointedly.
"Come on guys, look for cracks, weaknesses, door handles or levers" urged Jerome, climbing into the tiny space.
"It's no good you guys" decided Nina after five frantic minutes searching the tiny space for any possible weakness. "I think we are going to have to do this the long way, one brick at a time".
"Oh, I hate the long way," whined Alfie. "Can't we just blow it up?"
"Only if you want to bring the rest of the house down on top of us" sassed Lili.
"That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing" remarked Amber, only to throw her hands up in surrender when everyone shot her disbelieving looks. "Kidding. Kidding!"
Though once the attention was off her she muttered "not really" to a chuckling Liliana.
"Ambs, do you have a nail file on you?" called Nina from her spot squatted by the mystery wall.
"Of course! Do you want my plastic, diamond, or sandpaper one?" replied the pretty blonde automatically.
"The diamond one please" requested Nina.
Amber pulled the file out of her boot and passed it over to her roommate.
"Thanks!" grinned Nina, before digging into the mortar around one of the bricks.
"NINA! WHAT THE FUCK!" shrieked Amber, only to have Alfie grab her and cover her mouth with his hand.
The group of seven froze in fear waiting to hear feet thundering down the stairs to bust them. Strangely though they heard nothing. After another minute frozen in fear, the Sibuna Crew returned to their mission.
"I need to scratch off the mortar in order to pull out the brick," explained Nina.
"Still couldn't you have used something else?" whined the fashionista, sulking backwards against her boyfriend.
"Nothing else is sharp enough" dismissed their leader, returning to her task.
It took another twenty minutes, but eventually Nina was able to pry one of the bricks out of the wall.
"No way! Guys look at this" called Nina excitedly, backing away from the newly created hole for the others to see the exciting sight.
"Well?" asked Patricia, choosing to remain in her seat leaning against the wall.
"There is definitely a room back there" shared Lili, shining her flashlight into the space. "Looks just as old and dusty as the tunnels".
"Another room" groaned Patricia, "Why must all our quests be so long and convoluted".
"We are going to have to take this slowly. Quiet, methodical work, one brick at a time" outlined Fabian, already constructing the most effective plan in his mind.
"Ehhh, screw that. I'm tired, let's just knock it down" declared Alfie, snatching up a nearby oxygen can and swinging it into the wall.
"No No NO! Alfie" shouted Fabian. "There's a pipe on the other side"
"What did we say about being slow and quiet?" scolded Nina.
"Ok, so there's a pipe there, I didn't know that! But now that I know where it is I'll just avoid it" apologized Alfie, before pulling back and ramming the oxygen canister into the wall again, resulting in another loud clang. "Oof! So there's a pipe there too" winced Alfie.
"No kidding" hissed Amber, covering her ears.
"What are the chances of a third pipe?" wondered Alfie, perfore raring back and hitting the wall a third time. This collision was the loudest of all, but still no one came to check on commotion in the cellar.
Liliana furrowed her brow in worry as Nina and Patricia wrestled the oxygen canister away from the impulsive boy.
"Guys," she worried. "Shouldn't Victor or Vera have come running by now?"
"Well let's just thank our lucky stars that they haven't" snapped Jerome cuffing Alfie on the back of his head.
"No, no she's right," realized Nina. "Something is seriously wrong. Do we think they left?"
"Where would they go this time of night?" asked Fabian.
"The house in the woods!" suggested Patricia.
"Do you think they're hurting another kid?" wondered Lili, twisting the edge of her blouse in worry.
"The only way to find out is to go look ourselves" decided Amber, heading towards the window.
"What do you think you are doing!?" protested Nina.
"I am not just going to go back to bed while there are a group of adults actively murdering a child. I am going to put a stop to it" declared the fashionista, dramatically forcing the cellar window open with a loud creak. "So you all can either come with me and help, or you can go back to bed, but I am not going to leave some poor kid to suffer at the hands of The Society without trying to fix it".
One by one the Sibuna club members moved to join Amber by the window till only Nina and Fabian were left by the wall. "Come on Neens, this kid needs us" implored Fabian.
Looking into the pleading eyes of her boyfriend, Nina reluctantly followed the group out of the cellar and into the dark forest to once again face off against the murder cult.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
It took about twenty minutes for the group to reach the house in the woods by foot. By the time they arrived they were all shivering due to the low November temperatures and being dressed in their sleepwear. Sneaking around to the window they had used before. Nina skillfully picked the lock and silently slid the window open for the club members. Crawling into the house Nina's body shook with a sudden onset of tremors, it was like an electrical wire ran through her body. She gasped aloud, knowing that the only thing that caused her to feel this way was when she was in the presence of powerful magic.
"Hurry!" Nina hissed to the other members before sprinting over to the desk to activate the switch to trigger the secret entrance. Yanking the pull ring, Nina activated the mechanism to swing open the china cabinet revealing the stairs to the ceremony chamber.
"Do we even have a plan?" asked Jerome as he raced down the stairs with the others.
"Nope, but we have two minutes to make one now" whispered back Amber as the Sibunas rushed down the stairs, praying that they were not too late to save whatever poor soul was to be sacrificed that night.
Reaching the hallway from weeks before, the team of seven huddled together trying to think of a way to save the child on the other side of the wall. As they planned, the chanting of the cult continued to grow.
"Oh Isis, goddess of magic, and Amun Ra, god of all the light touches. We present to you this sacrifice in exchange for all that you have promised" echoed Victor's voice accompanied by many chanting voices.
"What I wouldn't give to have my own gods at the moment" whispered Amber despondently.
The girl's comment sparked a thought in Nina though, and closing her eyes Nina tried to tap into her *Chosen One* strength as she whispered one name, "Amneris".
A woosh of frigid air filled the hallway along with the familiar scent of lavender flowers, Nina opened her eyes to find herself face to face with her dead ancestor. "Why have you summoned me descendent?" asked the spirit arching her eyebrow in disapproval.
"Thank you for coming, Amneris, we need your help" explained Nina. "In that room there is a group of adults who want to use the elixir and treasures from Tut's tomb for themselves. They have a child in there that they plan to sacrifice"
"So?" asked the ghost, looking remarkably unimpressed after hearing about child sacrifice.
"So, if they use the treasures and elixir we will not be able to make your body and help you cross over" reasoned Nina.
Upon hearing this, the ghost's beautiful face became shrouded in darkness,"What do you need me to do?".
"I need you to create a blinding light long enough for us to run in and grab the sacrifice without being seen. Can you do that?" asked Nina.
"Of course!" snapped the priestess, offended at her power being questioned. "In fact I believe you would be able to do this yourself without my help"
"Really?"
"Nina, now is really not the time" reminded Fabian, worriedly watching the ceremony progress.
"Guys, they have that scarab from last time!" hissed Amber worriedly. "It's now or never!"
"Very well, my light will hurt all but Nina, so your friends should guard their eyes. *Chosen One*, be ready to run" directed the ghost, before sweeping into the ceremony room emitting a vibrant white light.
Nina sprinted into the room after her ancestor and raced to the makeshift altar dodging the screaming and writhing bodies of the cult members. Lying on the table Nina could make out the writhing and bound form of Willow Jenks. Using Amber's diamond nail file, Nina quickly cut the girl's bonds and dragged her to her feet and out of the room.
Once she was back in the hallway Nina pushed the girl into Jerome and Amber's arms to carry up the stairs. As the Sibunas sprinted away to safety, Nina could still hear the cries of the adults below her in the ceremony space.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
The club did not stop running until they were safely back in Sibuna clearing. Willow had passed out sometime while the group was running, so Jerome and Amber carefully placed the girl down on the ground.
"We did it" laughed Amber a touch hysterically. "I can't believe we actually won!"
"What are we going to do with her now?" wondered Alfie. "It's great that she's alive but she won't stay that way for long if the adults find her".
"We can't bring her back to Anubis House, that would be the first place I would check if I was them" added Jerome.
"What about the tunnels?" suggested Fabian.
"No way! Victor and Vera know about those and more importantly, they know we know about them" argued Nina.
"I think I know the perfect place!" suggested Patricia.
"Where?"
"The old Frobisher chapel"
"You mean the building on the edge of campus that is actively falling to pieces and no one has been in in years?" asked Jerome.
"Yes, that one! I use it as a getaway and painting studio. There's a couch and blankets up there along with a battery powered space heater. We can leave Willow there while we figure out a more long term solution".
"It's too risky," argued Amber. "I vote we get Alfie's car and drive her to my house".
"Ambs, your house is three hours away. There is no way we can bring her there and get back without raising suspicions. We have to meet for the field trip at seven and it's already midnight" protested Nina.
"Don't I get a say in this?" interrupted the groggy voice of Willow Jenks.
"Willow! You're awake!" cheered Lili, pulling the girl into a tight hug.
"Thank goodness you're ok" grinned Alfie.
"I wouldn't go that far," pouted Willow. "My head feels like it's full of angry bees. But thank you all for saving me"
"You're welcome, all part of a day's work" brushed off Patricia.
"Look Willow, I know you probably have a thousand questions, but the most important thing at the moment is to get you somewhere safe" explained Jerome.
"Here's what we are going to do," decided Nina. "We will hide Willow in the chapel overnight and in the morning when Alfie and Amber go for their workout they can bring her some food. Tomorrow night, when we have more time, three of us will move her to Amber's house".
"Amber, won't your father be concerned about having some random girl in his house?" wondered Fabian.
"Daddy would have to be around in order to notice" brushed off Amber.
"Ok. Sounds like a plan. Does that work for you Willow?" asked Nina, glancing down at the redhead who had curled herself into a ball on the ground with a lost look. The girl just nodded wordlessly, clearly overwhelmed by her kidnapping and near death.
"Want a piggyback ride to the chapel?" offered Jerome, to which the girl broke into a big grin and happily accepted, scrambling up onto Jerome's back.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
It did not take long to get Willow settled in the choir loft. Patricia showed her where everything was and how to hide in the broken closet if she heard anyone coming.
"We'll be back to check on you around five, ok? I'll bring you my old phone tomorrow morning but for now just use the walkie Alfie gave you if you need anything" promised Amber, carefully tucking the blankets in around Willow on the couch.
"Remember this is just temporary and we'll get you somewhere even safer tomorrow night… well I guess tonight" laughed Alfie glancing at his watch ruefully.
"Thank you guys for saving me" whispered Willow, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. "I really thought that I was going to die back there. They were my teachers, they were supposed to keep me safe".
"I know lovie, it's a lot to take in but we'll help you get through this. Just try and rest now" whispered Amber, squeezing the girl's hand in support.
"Good night, Amber"
"Good night, Willow" replied Amber, shooting the girl one last comforting smile before climbing back down the wall.
It wasn't until she was safely back in her room that she allowed herself to fall apart, grieving the innocence of another child lost in the cruel underworld of Frobisher Academy. That night both Nina and Amber pretended not to hear each other's muffled cries as they sobbed for the lives they had lost and the childhood they should have had.
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🌺
