Chapter 30: Dates, Dodgeball and Disasters
Summary: KOY Nation... this is how we win!
Evie's Notes: Happy Thursday! I hope you all are having a wonderful week . I am so so sorry that this took so long. Having Mick, Eddie, Patricia and Amber in the house all at the same time meant that the Dodgeball Arc had to be truly epic. Hopefully you enjoy it! Thank you so much your support of this story, it truly means the world to me 💜! I hope that you all enjoy this new update 🌺.
"All right everyone! Huddle up!" ordered Eddie, strolling into the sitting room where most of the students were relaxing Sunday afternoon. "The dodgeball tournament is tomorrow and we need to win it!".
"Eddie, you do realize that a few of us aside, we are not set to win any sports competition" Alfie reminded the American boy.
"Come on, Alfie. Think Positive! Anubis is going to crush the competition this year" argued Eddie.
"Why? Because only you, Mick, Amby, Patricia and I are competing?" scoffed Alfie. Sparking an outbreak of protests from the residents who had not been named.
"No. But it's just dodgeball, guys. It's very very easy to play. Plus K.T., Nina and I grew up on the sport. So Anubis is going to win, people! Now, who wants to sign up for a position?".
Unfortunately his pep talk was not well received by the group.
"Nice try mate, but you clearly haven't learned how to motivate them about sports yet" chuckled Mick.
"And you know how to?" snarked Eddie doubtfully.
"Of course I do, I'm the only one here who knows how to motivate each of our housemates" smirked Mick. Rising to his feet the football player snagged the sign up sheet Eddie had brought and began to write down names. "Amby, Mara, Joy and Patricia will all play due to it being a chance for them to release their inner rage. Fabian will play in an attempt to prove himself and because he's playing Nina will as well. Since her cousin is playing and you're playing K.T. is in. Jerome wants a chance to hit someone in the face with a ball and is currently scheming how to 'accidentally' hit me. Alfie will play while pretending to be a secret agent and spend most of the game trying to protect Amber, despite the fact that the girl is a powerhouse by herself. Liliana will play since everyone else is signed up"
Glancing around the room Eddie found the residents all nodding or shrugging in agreement. "Oh. Well go team" cheered Eddie.
"Go team indeed" chuckled Mick. "Listen up crew, here's our strategy. We will have four different sections, each with a specific goal. The first group is made up of Joy, Alfie and Liliana as they are the smallest and speediest members, so their job will be to get the balls for the next group to throw. The next group is made up of Mara and Fabian. You two are our secret weapons since the other houses will overlook you. When we start losing numbers it will be your time to shine, meaning your main job is to NOT GET OUT during the first part of the game. Speaking of people getting out, K.T., Jerome and Nina will be our professional human shields".
"HEY!" protested the trio.
"Oh come on, Jerome is all long limbs and no coordination, Nina trips over her feet every two minutes and we all saw K.T. fall down the stairs last week" explained Mick.
"Fine, I guess you're right" granted Jerome grumpily.
"The final grouping will be made up of Patricia, Amber, Eddie and myself, as we are the members of the house that 'have anger problems' and 'too much aggression'. Meaning we are ready to wreck some serious damage with dodgeballs" finished Mick, cockily offering the clipboard back to a stupefied Eddie.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Eddie snatched back the clipboard. "Great, get some rest everyone! Tomorrow Anubis will prove its greatness".
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
Thirty minutes after Pindrop found the Sibuna Club sneaking down to the cellar once again. Alfie had added the bottles of silly string to the Sibuna Supply backpack so the group would be able to disguise the fact that they were removing bricks to get into the secret room shown to them by their ancestors.
An intense few rounds of rock paper scissors had Lili and Fabian up first to remove blocks. Using the screwdrivers Alfie had packed, the pair set to work chipping away at the brick.
Unfortunately as Fabian shifted his position in the tight space, he accidentally brushed against a couple of the bricks on the right side wall. As a result, a loud ringing sensation filled the cellar and Fabian found himself yanked backwards out of the fireplace and onto the dusty concrete floor. Lili, hit the floor beside him a moment later, around them Amber, Nina, Alfie and Patricia were all screaming. As a large blade swung sharply downwards, Fabian realized that Nina and Jerome had pulled the brick pair out just in time, otherwise they would be missing key body parts.
"I was really hoping to never hear the sound of impending doom ever again" complained Liliana, as Jerome nervously checked her over for injuries.
"You would think that we would have discovered every booby trap Frobisher had ever laid with the amount of time we spent in those tunnels last year" agreed Nina.
"Fucking insane robber barron. I swear if we didn't actually need this treasure I would gladly leave Anubis House and never return" grumped Amber.
"I can't believe that we're really back to deadly booby traps. Why can't anything be simple and non-life threatening" complained Patricia.
"Maybe there's a way to turn it off?" suggested Alfie hesitantly. "Like the light in the tunnels or the razor pendulums?"
"The lack of recorded Robert voice makes that unlikely" sighed Jerome despondently. "I'm pretty sure it's foolproof".
"Still, it's a hundred years old, maybe there's a way around it?" suggested Lili. Not wanting to admit defeat yet, the blonde girl pushed herself to her feet and grabbed one of the long metal poles Victor had lying around the cellar. Placing it under the line of the makeshift guillotine, Lili checked to see if it was pressure activated or if the previous chop had been a freak accident. The Sibuna club watched with bated breath as the sheet of metal came slamming back down, slicing the pole in half.
Wincing in defeat, Lili admitted "Alright, that's pretty foolproof".
"Gods, we really can't catch a break can we?" groaned Amber
"That's Frobisher for you, he really does think of everything" shrugged Patricia.
"We're never getting in that room, are we?" despaired Nina.
"Well, we're certainly not doing so tonight. Let's get some sleep and reconvene in the morning" suggested Fabian, leading the group back out of the cellar.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
Monday morning saw the Anubis Residents donning their Physical Education uniforms in preparation for the day's festivities. Jerome bounced excitedly into the dining room, pumped up for the day's activities.
"Yeah Anubis baby! High five" he called, raising his hand towards Joy.
"We're going to lose, badly" scoffed the girl, brushing past the tall boy to take her seat at the breakfast table.
"Big day everyone!" announced Vera, bringing over a plate of waffles to the table. "Please make sure you all have a full breakfast, I don't want to get a call from the nurse saying that one of you passed out from lack of food. Have fun today, and remember: It's the taking part that counts".
"See, even Vera thinks we're going to lose" protested the editor, getting up from her seat to go look for K.T.
"Comeon Joyless, you just have to fake your confidence" teased the boy, laughing as she flipped him off.
Opening the paper to check how his stocks were doing, Jerome's face fell when he saw the faces of two local teens emblazoned across the front. Curious as to what was happening now, Jerome began to read the article underneath:
"The Newest Epidemic: Troubled Teens. This reporter is grieved to record that a second member of the deputy mayor's 'Troubled Teens' program has gone missing. The highly debated formation of Deputy Mayor Cole Sparrow's troubled teen program faced its first crushing blow when seventeen year old Antonia Stainton, disappeared October seventh during the first ever West Bradford Carnival. The event was organized in an attempt to integrate the program teens with the greater community. The chaos they bring through begs the question if the program is worth it.
Now disaster has struck again! Early Wednesday morning, local police responded to an emergency call at 1567 Wheaton Lane. When first responders arrived they found the home smoking and the family members gathered outside. The firefighters who searched the property were able to save most of the structure from serious damage. Chief McGruggor announced at his press conference that the fire has been ruled as an arson case. At this time the main person of interest in the case is the missing Hayne family daughter, Lola. Lola Hayne, sixteen, was also a member of the West Bradford Troubled Teens Program. This reporter can only shudder at the thought of what will happen with the remaining twelve members of Sparrow's Program. What you can count on is that I, Jensen Layden, will keep you posted about any and all upcoming developments".
"That's incredibly harsh" muttered Alfie, reading the paper over Jerome's shoulder.
"Hey! That's the girl I bought a 'necklace' from at the carnival" remarked Nina.
"Yeah, the one we saw at 'the house' last month" added Amber, trying to keep the conversation as vague as possible given that Mick was still eating his breakfast at the other end of the table.
"Poor girl" mourned Lili.
"I'm just glad we got Willow out of there when we did," commented Fabian, helping himself to another serving of eggs.
"Yeah, take that Society" whispered Alfie viciously, eyeing their villainous caretakers who were talking in the kitchen.
"I'm not liking this Jensen Layden fellow, they seem like quite a dick" commented Patricia.
"Be that as it may, we don't have the time to deal with him. We already have our own dirtbag nutcases to fight. Eyes on the prize team, we need to find a new way into the secret room" redirected Fabian.
"Fabian is right, after the match today we will regroup and look at those blueprints again. Maybe we can find another passage" decided Nina.
"Perfect! Eat up guys, we've got a pyramid to win!" cheered Jerome.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
Raising her hand to knock on K.T.'s door, Joy took a deep breath to steady herself. She couldn't believe that she was really about to do this! Joy couldn't help but feel like she might be better off remaining quiet about her feelings, she didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to relationships after all. But there was just something about the American girl that called to Joy. While their friendship had started out less than ideal due to Joy's unresolved Nina issues, Joy could not imagine a future that did not have K.T. in it. Joy was pretty sure the other girl was into her too, but if worse came to worst she reasoned that they would be able to remain friends even if K.T. rejected her proposal of a date. Figuring that she might as well shoot her shot while she had a chance, Joy steeled herself and pounded on the door.
"Hey JJ! What's up" chirped K.T. opening the door and bestowing the short brunette one of the special smiles she seemed to reserve just for Joy.
"Hey Kara, I've been thinking," began Joy.
"Oh is that what that sound was?" teased K.T. allowing the girl to pass into her room.
Joy nervously chuckled at the quip, far too focused on her goal to respond in kind. "I think that we should go on a date".
K.T.'s jaw dropped open in shock, "You want to date me?"
"Yeah" affirmed Joy. "Kara Tatianna, you are scary smart and hilarious, drop dead gorgeous and probably one of the absolute nicest people I have ever met… and I know Eddie! Ever since you arrived here at Anubis House I have been mystified by you. You surprise and amaze me every day, I am so lucky to be able to call you one of my best friends. That said, I can't help but want to be more than friends. So here I am, asking you if you would do me the honor of going on a date tomorrow night? Please say yes."
K.T. took a minute, biting her lower lip in the way that she always did when she was nervous. "Joy… no".
Joy's shoulders dropped, and she collapsed into a sitting position on the bed. She felt as if all the air had been knocked out of her. This was really not how the singer had thought this was going to go!
"I mean I can't" continued K.T., "Mara's parents are in town and I said I would dog sit for her while she was at dinner with them. I got some super strength bubble bath and will be washing Letdown".
"Then it's a dog washing date!" declared Joy, regaining hope as she realized the American wasn't actually rejecting her.
"So you'd wash a dog for me?" asked K.T., tilting her head to the side and smiling softly at Joy.
"I guess that it's not as impressive as climbing a mountain or a fancy dinner?" admitted Joy, making a mental note to cancel the reservation she had made at the restaurant in town.
"No, I think it's better," grinned K.T. "Joy Lydia Mercer, I would love to wash a dog with you tomorrow night".
"Wonderful! It's a date!" grinned Joy . "I'll let you finish getting ready for the match!"
Rushing out the room, Joy sprinted down the stairs two at a time making a beeline for her best friend's room. Eddie was never going to believe this!
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
Tightening her ponytail, Liliana fixed the opposing team with a determined icy glare, Osiris house was going down!
"Listen up students. Today's competition will be conducted as follows: Anubis and Osiris house residents will play first. The second match of the morning will be Isis house against the Day students. Whoever loses each match will face off against each other after lunch for third place. The winners from the morning matches will play one final game this afternoon to see who will take first prize and be that much closer to securing the first ever spot on the new Frobisher Pyramid" announced Miss Valentine, who had been volunteered by Mr. Sweet to coach the twelfth year competition. "Any questions?" looking around at the assembled students, the teacher raised her whistle. "Very well then. Isis and Day students to the bleachers, Anubis and Osiris to your starting marks".
Lili jogged over to the wall reciting the plan Mick had drilled them on in her head. Speed, she was speed… time to get those dodgeballs!
The teams turned their attention to Ms. Valentine who stood on a table with her whistle overlooking the players. "Alright, I want a clean match. No cursing, no physical contact and no head shots. If you get hit, you're out. If someone catches the ball you threw, you're out. I am the final judge on any and all calls so do not come whining to me later about things being unfair. You are seventeen and eighteen years old, act like it. Begin in three… two… one… beep!"
The shrill screech of the whistle had Liliana, Joy and Alfie racing towards the center line as the others got into position. Mick began barking orders as the trio rolled balls back to the section assigned to offense. Dodging incoming balls, Lili did her best to supply her teammates with fresh ammunition as Mick called out the plays in code.
"Platypus Platoon, complete operation blue flamingo" shouted the jock, leading to the human shields shuffling their way in front of Amber as the blonde unleashed her inner rage on the opposite house.
"Jacob, you're out" called Miss Valentine, as the boy was nailed in the back by Amber's strike.
Game play continued with Patricia hitting Hadrian and Jude. Unfortunately, the Anubis team also took damage with Nina being hit by Matthew Wilson. Fabian readily stepped up to avenge his girlfriend, accepting Alfie's ball with a look of intense determination.
Mara, K.T. and Jerome were next to go, taken down by Tessa Jones. With all of Platypus Platoon now out, Team Captain Mick had to switch up his strategy. "Dragon Troop enact Operation Bald Eagle".
Patricia and Amber both took a knee and locked hands to form a platform for Eddie to step upon. Rising up the pair catapulted Eddie across the area and into the perfect position to take out Tessa and Natasha.
"You're out Tessa, take a seat" called Miss Valentine.
Squaring up against the remaining Osiris members, the Anubis team battled desperately to attempt and secure their victory. It seemed though that for every Osiris Resident they got out, the opposite team took out one of theirs. Alfie, Joy, Amber and Eddie were each hit leaving only Patricia, Mick and Liliana against Abbi, Marissa and Matthew.
"Ok, team… commence Operation Salami Sandwich" decided Mick.
"Really?" asked Patricia.
"You bet! Unleash Hell Williamson"
Letting out a roar, Patricia raced toward the Osiris residents taking them by surprise as she hurled her two balls towards Matthew and Abbi. While the trio were distracted by the yelling girl, Lili and Mick aimed and successfully hit Matthew and Marissa seconds after Patricia was struck down.
"Miss Williamson, Mr. Wilson, Miss Davis off the court" ordered Ms. Valentine, blowing her whistle.
"Alright Lili, let's do this" grinned Mick as the cheering of the students in the stands grew to a roar.
With a ball in each hand the blonds sprinted towards the line and attacked Abigail. The redhead didn't stand a chance and Miss Valentine quickly blew her whistle declaring the end of the match.
"That's the game. Anubis wins!" declared the teacher.
The Anubis residents flooded onto the barn floor exchanging cheers and excited hugs.
The literature teacher allowed the group a few minutes to celebrate before blowing her whistle and drawing everyone's attention. "Great work Anubis, you will play in the two o'clock match this afternoon. The next match will start in five minutes, Isis and Boarding Students you guys are up".
Riding the high of their victory, the Anubis House students took their seats in the bleachers ready to watch the next game.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
The match between Isis House and the Day Students ended with Isis House winning, meaning that the Anubis students would face off against them that afternoon. Exiting the Physical Education Barn, the students split off to enjoy their lunch breaks around campus. Vera had packed lunches for the Anubis students in order to keep them out of the house until after the end of the competition.
"Where do you guys want to go eat?" Joy asked Eddie and K.T.
"I don't care, I'm just starving from all that running around" whined K.T.
"Do you have your key on you?" wondered Eddie, adopting a thoughtful expression.
"Of course I do! But everywhere I've tried it so far hasn't had any luck. It certainly doesn't unlock anything in the house proper and in the school building".
"Well I was thinking we could hit up the Old Frobisher Library for lunch and test if your key opens anything there".
"That sounds fine to me," agreed Joy. "Let's go have lunch in the room I died in!"
"What!?" squawked K.T. horrified.
"Oh Kara, we still have so, so much to catch you up on" giggled Joy, linking her arm through the American's and leading her towards the library.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
Unfortunately the group didn't discover an opening for K.T.'s key in the Library that afternoon. So the trio spent their lunch break exchanging happy stories; Joy and Eddie, about their time at Frobisher Academy and K.T. about growing up in America. The beeping of Eddie's phone alarm signaled that it was time to head back to the P.E. barn for the next dodgeball game.
Joy had a ton of fun watching the game with her friends as the Day Student and Osiris House teams faced off to see who would be in third place. The game was a close one, but it eventually ended with Josie hitting Matthew's right shoulder, snatching the victory for the Commuter Students.
"Third place goes to our Day Students with Osiris House in fourth. Now to find out which house will take the victory, Anubis and Isis house please line up for our final match" called Ms. Valentine.
Squeezing into her spot between Eddie and Patricia, Joy prepared herself for the final match.
"Prepare yourself team, for today we shall win the victory!" boasted Mick. With the shrill tweet of Miss Valentine's whistle, they were off!
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
"Anubis, ANUBIS, Anubis!" chanted Jerome, Eddie, Mick and Patricia as they carried Amber on their shoulders through the door to their house.
"Vera! Victor! We won the dodgeball competition" yelled Mara excitedly as the group of twelve entered the sitting room.
"Congratulations on the victory" laughed the housemother. "How about you all go and change out of your sports kits while I finish up your victory feast?".
"You made a victory feast for us? You really thought we'd win?" asked Amber.
"Of course, dear," smiled the woman. "Now go on and freshen up, so that we can celebrate".
"Wow Vera, you had more faith in us than we did" remarked Joy.
The housemother smiled teasingly and quietly shared, "To be honest I ended up making two cakes, one that said 'Congratulations on your Win' and another which said 'Good Try Team'. I figured that it was best to be prepared".
Joy laughed approvingly, "Well luckily it's a feast of celebration. Amber was able to secure our victory and it's a good thing too! I don't think any of us would be able to survive the amount of whining Eddie, Mick and Patricia would have graced us with if we had lost".
"Very true. Now go on and wash up Joy, I made your favorite oven roasted onion potatoes tonight".
"Thanks Vera!" cheered Joy, before racing up the stairs to go and change for supper.
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 💗!
Next Update: Dog Washing & The Secret Room SOL style 😉
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🌺
