* Just as Planned - Except for the Kidnapping *

Summary: Thanksgiving Fun and Trouble on the Train Tracks

Evie's Notes: Happy Thursday! I hope you all are having a wonderful week 💖. I am so sorry that this chapter is so late. I have been super busy with work and moving apartments. The new school year is beginning soon as well, so updates will likely be slower due to the chaos that comes with setting up my classroom and getting to know my new batch of students. As always, thank you so much your support of this story, it really and truly means the world to me 💜! I hope that you all enjoy the this new (longer) update 🌺.


The second annual Anubis House Thanksgiving was a resounding success. Amber, Patricia and Lili had taken point coordinating the food while Joy directed the remaining British housemates in setting up the dining room. The food was absolutely delicious and the housemates enjoyed discussing the various holiday balloons and floats in that year's Macy's parade. Mick and Eddie even managed to convince the whole house to play a pick up game of American Football in honor of the holiday. Patricia took great pride in tackling Eddie over and over and over again, even if he didn't have the ball!

Nina, Eddie and K.T. enjoyed the taste of home the holiday provided. The whole day was filled with laughter, love and warm memories. It was the best Thanksgiving the Americans could ever ask for. The work that their friends put into making the day special showed just how important their friendship was to all of them.

* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *

K.T. had been stressing about the assignment Mrs. Hernandez had given them about "hope in a period of grief". On the one hand, K.T. was certainly an expert on grief given her grandmother's recent passing. Immediately after her Grandma Rose died K.T. had sunk into a dark depression which she had only just drawn out of by moving to Frobisher Academy. How she was going to convey that through her art was where K.T. was stuck. She had run some ideas by Joy and Eddie, and had eventually settled on trying to capture Anubis House at sunrise. There was just something so hopeful about the sunrise and new beginnings.

Sneaking quietly down the stairs, K.T. did her best to not draw the attention of her caretakers. Victor and Vera would both not react well to her creeping around before curfew ended. K.T. skillfully avoided the creaky floorboards as she slipped out the laundry room door. She would have preferred to leave through the front door, but she didn't want to risk triggering the security light.

The American girl let out a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind her, she was safe! Taking out her camera, K.T. carefully adjusted the lens to the best setting before heading up the wooded hill behind Anubis. She had staked out the area with Eddie the afternoon before and decided the crest of the hill would provide her the best view of the sunrise as it crept over Anubis House.

As she walked K.T. hummed happily thinking about how quickly and amazingly her life had changed in just a few months. She never thought that she would find such an amazing group of people here in England. Sure, Nina had tried to talk up the school but K.T. hadn't been so sure of her cousin's stories. K.T. was pleasantly surprised with the turn of fate that had brought her best friend and maybe girlfriend (she and Joy still needed to talk about that) into her life.

Unfortunately for K.T., the photographer failed to notice the young couple in dark suits stalking her everymove. In fact it would not be until a foul smelling, coarse woolen bag was thrust over her head that KT noticed the pair at all, but at that point the stench of the bag was far too overwhelming and she slipped into unconsciousness.

* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *

"Has anyone seen Kara this morning?" asked Joy, entering the dining room to find all her housemates enjoying a delicious breakfast.

"Nope, sorry Joy" responded Fabian.

"She was already gone when I woke up" added Lili

"Alfie and I just got back from the rink a little bit ago" apologized Amber.

"She was going to go shoot some pictures for her Art project this morning. Remember, we went with her yesterday to find the perfect spot. She probably just got distracted and lost track of time. We'll bring her some food and fetch her before classes start" comforted Eddie. Deciding that Eddie was probably right, Joy reluctantly took her seat between Eddie and Patricia and helped herself to a heaping serving of pancakes.

* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *

Eddie and Joy packed up a plate of breakfast to go for K.T.. They also made sure to grab her school bag and uniform before heading out in search of their missing friend. As the pair hiked up the wooded trail, Joy couldn't help but think it was a little strange that K.T. wasn't back yet. Sure she could have gotten distracted, but given that the American girl had left before sunrise and it was now eight… Joy was just slightly suspicious. Of course the lovable oaf beside her had no such suspicions and fully expected to find their friend taking pictures of butterflies at the top of the hill.

"K.T. where are you?" called out Eddie as the pair reached the top of the hill.

"Come on Kara, we've got to get to class"

Their calls went unanswered.

"Huh, that's weird" muttered Eddie, walking along the clearing looking for any sign of the girl.

"Maybe she already went to class and we just missed her?" suggested Joy, though deep down she didn't believe it herself.

"Maybe you're right. Let's head into class and if she isn't in first period I'll cut class and go find her".

"Thanks Eddie, I would go with you but I have a super important presentation during my second period"

The pair reluctantly made their way towards the school building, their hearts and minds heavy with worry for their missing friend.

* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *

Eddie's knee bounced nervously as he anxiously watched the clock. K.T. hadn't shown up to their shared math lesson that morning. As the bell rang, the American boy sprinted out of the classroom, there was no time to waste!

Deciding to head back to the last place he knew she had been, Eddie returned to the wooded trail. This time he made sure to pay extra close attention to the trail itself hoping to spot something he might have previously missed. He made it about three quarters of the way up the path before he spotted something that sent horrified shivers down his spine. There, lying broken on the ground, partially hidden by a clump of bushes was K.T.'s camera. Kneeling down in the dirt, Eddie retrieved the broken device and began to search it for clues. Eddie noted that the lens was cracked and the body of the camera had been dented when it hit the ground. Infuriatingly, the device would not turn on despite Eddie's frustrated attempts. Putting the camera in his bag, Eddie resumed looking for anything that would help him to figure out what had happened to his best friend. Once he knew where to look, signs of a fierce struggle were obvious. The land was disturbed in an unnatural way with several competing footprints locked in a vicious dance. Eddie grew paler with each new detail he discovered.

Five minutes of frantic searching and upending wildlife later, Eddie was no closer to finding K.T. than he had been that morning. A sudden rustling in the heavily wooded area to his right had Eddie on high alert, the strange, sharp tingling on the back of his neck he had started referring to as his "Osirian Sense" was ready to lash out at the perceived threat. The American boy was understandably suprised when instead of Victor and his murder cult, the figure that stumbled out of the woods groaning in pain was a boy who looked to be his own age.

"OOWW!" complained the newly arrived dark haired boy, clutching his side as he stumbled over to the path. "Son of a bitch fucking stabbed me. Just wait until I get my hand on those devils. I'll make Kai wish that he had never been born" seethed the boy.

"Uhhh, hi" waved Eddie awkwardly, eying the red splotch on the mystery boy's side which was steadily growing. "Do you need some help? I can run down and get the nurse for you… or maybe an ambulance?"

"No! No ambulance" protested the boy, grabbing Eddie's arm in an attempt to stop him.

"Ok, no ambulance" agreed Eddie, warily eying the bloodied hand on his jacket sleeve. Vera was going to kill him for staining his coat. Hopefully Joy would help him get the blood out before the housemother noticed. "Is there another way I can help you? I can't see much but you seem to be losing a lot of blood"

"Yeah, the fucker stabbed me before running off with my stash" shared the boy, hiking up his shirt enough so that Eddie could see the injury. It was a nasty looking thing, but the American took comfort in the fact that it seemed to be a fairly shallow but long slash and was located away from the boy's vital veins and organs. The mystery boy readily accepted Eddie's help and settled into a more comfortable sitting position, leaning against one of the tall oak trees. Taking off his jacket, Eddie set about applying pressure to the wound as he called upon every ounce of Boy Scout survival training and emergency medicine his mother had drilled into his head.

"If you don't mind me asking…" began Eddie, only to be cut off by his injured companion.

"How'd I get like this? Well, I was looking for a friend of mine, Alana, she's recently gone missing and after what happened to our friends Toni and Lola… well I was getting desperate. This guy I met told me he would give me details about Alana if I bought him some pot. Which in hindsight really should have been a red fucking flag. Anyways…. I got the pot and met up with him at the overpass by the tracks. Before I was able to get all the info I needed about Alana, the bastard jumped me, took my stash and disappeared. I'm just lucky I ran into you or else I likely would have bled out!"

Eddie silently thought that the boy wouldn't have bled out from the cut, but he would have likely caught an infection, a concern which still remained despite Eddie's care.

"I am so sorry to hear that, bro. Did you end up getting any news about your friend?"

"A little, Kai mentioned this old warehouse on the outskirts of town. I'm not sure if that's where they're keeping Alana, but it's certainly where I am going to go check out next. Maybe I'll get lucky and find Lola and Toni there as well!"

"When did Alana go missing?" wondered Eddie, a dark look on his face as he considered the possibilities of whoever took this girl might have taken K.T. as well.

"Two days ago, I tried to talk to the police but they won't work with me and the town has written all of us off as 'troubled teens' thanks to that jerk Layden's article. It's like I'm the only one who cares that she's gone. There are kids going missing and the adults would rather just write it off as "wild choices" and "disobedient behavior". I know Alana better than I know myself, she would never just 'runaway', no matter what the police think"

Memories of bright flashes and Jason's terrified and pained screams filled Eddie's mind. He wasn't sure about this Lola girl, but he knew that the cheerleader the Sibunas and his friends had seen dragged, tased, bound and gagged, into the summer house had been Toni. He felt sick knowing what had become of the girl and not being able to tell his new friend what had become of his loved one. Speaking of which…

"That really sucks man, I'm Eddie by the way, and I'm willing to go stake out that warehouse with you if you want back up".

"Really?... uh yeah! Dude, I will totally take some help. Sorry, I'm just not used to people actually wanting to help me. I'm Greg" replied the boy, a stunned, but happy grin spreading across his face. "Just one question… Why are you helping me?"

"Because you're injured and it's the decent human thing to do? Plus I believe you about your friends. I was actually out here looking for a friend of mine as well. Her name is K.T.. I found her broken camera and signs of a struggle… I'm thinking she might have been taken like your friends".

"Shit. I'm so sorry mate! Makes sense why you are so quick to believe me though, while everyone else writes me off" huffed the boy, kicking a loose stone darkly.

"Well Greg, let's get you down the hill here. I have some better cleaning supplies in my room which I can use to fix up your wound. After that we can make a plan to tackle the warehouse and get our friends back" declared Eddie, clapping his hands together decidedly. Offering his arm to Greg, Eddie helped the boy to his feet and the pair began the slow descent down the hill back to Anubis House.

* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *

As the clock struck noon, the boys found themselves peering around a pile of tires at the abandoned warehouse Greg's contact had mentioned. Their search of the building on Google Maps had allowed them to plot out a tentative plan on how to best approach the structure, unfortunately they were mostly flying Eddie's least favorite way… blind.

A sudden hiss and jab to his ribs had Eddie on high alert as Greg pointed to a tall muscular red haired man exiting the building. "That's him! That's Kai!"

"That's Kai?!" questioned Eddie, having imagined some highschool kid like themselves rather than the mountain of a man in front of them.

"Well at least we know that intel was good and that we're in the right place" reflected Greg as he surveyed their target. "Here's what I'm thinking. The photos on Google showed that there is a smaller entrance around back. I'm betting that the small one won't be guarded since they have Kai up here. We'll sneak in there and see if we can find the girls".

Eddie felt awful as a silent beast welled up within him at the knowledge that they would not find Toni inside, he could only hope that KT and Greg's other two friends would be there, mostly unharmed, for them to rescue.

"Sounds good" agreed Eddie, brushing off his guilt and shame before pulling out his lockpick. "Let's go get our girls back".

* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *

Getting inside the warehouse turned out to be fairly easy. Eddie picked the lock in record time and the boys were able to slip inside without raising any suspicion. The pair crept carefully down the long winding hallways glancing through windows looking for their missing friends. The sound of a girl yelling angrily drew the boys towards a large open room. Ducking behind a giant pallet, Eddie and Greg looked on in horror as K.T. and another girl hung dangling from chains in the center of the room, their feet just inches off the ground. The loud female yelling they had heard was coming from the girl who Greg confirmed was Alana. On either side of the chained girls were large guards holding intimidating looking guns. In front of the girls paced a blond man who was barking orders into a cell phone.

"I recognize that guy, I learned about him from my brother" muttered Greg furiously. "That's Winn Yates, he's known around the tracks. His organization has a ton of really bad connections to black market groups. Before Jack got taken in he said that Yates' business here was done".

"What was his business?" wondered Eddie, not for the first time that day reconsidering just who he was teamed up with.

"He was working for the Collector. A scary powerful dude who was NOT afraid to disappear people".

Collector… against his will Eddie's mind flashed back to last spring and the horrific image of Joy falling to the ground dead. Rufus Zeno had been the collector, but hadn't Vera been working with him? Maybe she had stepped up to fill his evil boots.

A pained yelp from K.T. broke him free from his thoughts and Eddie saw red as he noted her scream was from pain after a guard had jabbed his gun in her side.

"Uhh mate? You good? You seem to be making a shit float" whispered Greg, in a slightly hysterical tone.

Glancing to the side Eddie saw that yes, yes he was making several bricks and loose tools float. Given everything he had seen Nina do this year, Eddie chalked up his new ability as just another Osirian quirk. Deciding to go with what his Osirian Senses were telling him, Eddie opted for his usual plan of 'act first, think later' and dove into the fray.

Eddie ran headlong at the guard who had hit K.T. and rammed his whole body into him, knocking the guy down to the ground. In a fit of luck, the guard hit his head and was knocked unconscious, one down two to go. Greg had followed Eddie's example and was currently wrestling with the other guard. Turning his sights towards the main man, Eddie raced towards him with the anger of a raging hippopotamus. Baring his teeth, Eddie called on the training he'd received from Luke when he was in New York. Dropping into a balanced stance Eddie curled his hands into fists the way the man had taught him when he was just a mouthy teen with too much anger and no outlet.

Taking a deep breath Eddie centered himself before launching himself at Yates with wild abandon. His first punch landed squarely on the man's cheek, rocking him backwards. Unfortunately, Yates quickly recovered and struck back at Eddie matching his punches blow for blow. Eddie was cursing himself for not keeping up his boxing training after leaving New York. Rearing back, Eddie slammed a harsh kick into the kidnapper's knees while simultaneously headbutting him in the nose. The man crumpled under the joint attack, blood gushing from his now broken nose.

Sprinting over to K.T.'s side Eddie began to pick the lock on her chains, "Hey Tati. You hanging in there?"

"Is now really the time for your bad jokes, Osirian?" sighed K.T., rolling her eyes towards the bound girl next to her.

"Sorry, sorry. You ok?"

"Better now that you're here" replied K.T. with a grateful smile. "Thanks for rescuing me".

"Always" promised Eddie. "Here we go, big drop" he warned as the lock clicked and K.T. fell to the ground. The American girl let out a pained groan as she hit the ground, but waved off Eddie's attempts to help her up, motioning him to help Alana instead.

Eddie made quick work of dismantling the lock and released Alana into Greg's waiting arms. Smiling softly at the reunited pair, Eddie turned his attention back towards his friend who had risen unsteadily to her feet. Rushing over to his friend, Eddie helped to steady her before pulling her into a crushing hug.

"I'm so glad you're ok, K"

"Thanks to you. Way to step up Osirian" chuckled K.T. in a watery voice. While the American girl was clearly trying to brush off her fear, Eddie could feel her shaking in his arms.

"Osirian?" asked Alana. "I thought your name was Eddie.

"Oh, yeah" bluffed K.T., "Osirian is just a nickname I have for Eddie. He's my girlfriend and I's, superhero so we came up with Osirian as his 'hero name'".

"Not to break up the party, but we should probably get out of here before reinforcements come," commented Eddie, glancing at the three unconscious men lying on the warehouse floor. The others agreed and followed Eddie back out the way the boys had entered.

* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *

Greg and Alana walked the American duo all the way back to the gates of Frobisher Academy. The girls had caught their friends up on all that had happened during their kidnapping. Apparently, Yates was working for the Collector and had been contracted to collect 'sacrifices' for them. Eddie and K.T. had exchanged worried looks at this both knowing what those sacrifices were for and that it had likely been Victor and Vera as the Collector.

"Well this is us" commented K.T., "Are you two sure you will be able to get home ok? We can ask our friend Alfie to borrow his car and drive you into town?"

"We'll be fine," assured Alana, shooting the Americans a bright grin. "Greg's car is just a little bit further down the way".

"Alright, make sure to keep your wound bandaged and clean. If you don't see it healing in the next few days, I recommend going to the hospital" coached Eddie, his eyes worried as he took in the pair.

"Thanks mate! You really are a superhero" chuckled the dark boy.

"Speaking of that… Eddie, can I talk to you for a sec?" asked Alana nervously.

"Uhh, sure" agreed Eddie, as the pair stepped away from their friends.

"So this is going to sound a little weird, but ever since I heard K.T. call you 'Osirian' I haven't been able to get it out of my mind. My uncle told me this story about a spirit called the Osirian which protects the Paragon. Before today I always thought it was just a story but Greg told me you made those bricks float and I can't help but wonder… are you the spirit from my story?"

Eddie didn't know what to do. He had just met this girl today, still she seemed trustworthy and she already knew about the Osirian so it had to be ok, right?

"Yeah, that's me! The Osirian" declared Eddie with a dashing grin.

"WOW!" gasped the girl with stars in her eyes. "That is so cool! I can't believe that I am meeting an actual superhero! This is like something out of a Marvel movie!"

Eddie couldn't help but laugh, charmed by the girl's praise.

"So my Uncle, the one who told me about you, he gave me this" explained Alana, pulling a ring on a necklace out from under her shirt. "He mentioned that if I was to ever meet the Osirian I was to give this to him as it would help him protect the Paragon"

Accepting the ring, Eddie slid it on to his finger, a perfect fit. Looking at the design, Eddie noticed it matched the markings on the crypt and the drawer in the Summer House.

"Apparently Uncle Pedro knew the old Osirian before he went off the rails and helped to train him"

"Really! Your uncle knew Rufus?"

"Uh huh"

Eddie's mind was spinning with all the possibilities this could open up. His dad hadn't been any help in learning about the Osirian, and Nina didn't know much either. Nina at least had been able to get to know Sarah before the woman passed, all Eddie got from his predecessor was a bonk on the head and trauma. Meeting Alana though meant that maybe she would let him train with her uncle!

"Do you think I could maybe train with your Uncle? Like you said the old Osirian went insane and murdery, and my Paragon doesn't know much about what being an 'Osirian' means".

"I can certainly ask," agreed the girl. The pair quickly traded numbers before heading back to the others. Alana promised to talk to her uncle for him and would be in touch soon. Waving goodbye to their new friends, Eddie and K.T. happily made their way back home happy to be together again.


Evie's Notes 2: Thank you all so much for reading đź’•! I hope to see you all next week đź’—!

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🌺