Chapter 40: We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Summary: Holiday Fluff, Special Visitors and a dash of MURDER... so a normal week in Anubis House š
Evie's Notes: Hi! Happy Thursday. I hope that you enjoy this update.
The next week was extremely busy as the Anubis residents scrambled to study for and complete their end of term exams. The students were so excited since this would be the last time they would have to take winter exams at Amun. Mick and Mara packed their bags Friday afternoon and headed home for the holiday break, leaving the other ten behind to celebrate the holidays at Frobisher Academy.
Christmas morning found the Anubis House residents gathered around the Christmas tree opening their presents. Liliana, Alfie, Amber, Nina, Fabian and Eddie opened gifts from their parents, while the others just opened the gifts from their friends. Once the wrapping paper, ribbons and tissue paper stopped flying; the group enjoyed a delicious breakfast of orange rolls and an egg sausage breakfast casserole.
It had snowed the night before, so the house's residents bundled up in their winter gear and headed out to play in the snow. Eddie and Joy roped their friends into a snow fort building competition. Nina, KT, Patricia, Liliana and Alfie were on one team while Eddie, Joy, Amber, Fabian and Jerome worked on the second fort. The students worked on their forts for over an hour while sneakily sabotaging each other's attempts, before calling it quits when Poppy, Missy and their Hathor House friends arrived. The Anubis and Hathor Kids headed inside for hot chocolate, sugar cookies and watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Liliana had talked the Anubis kids into wearing silly Christmas (and Chanukah) costumes for their dinner. Liliana and Jerome wore Mr. and Mrs. Claus Costumes. Alfie dressed as Rudolph while Amber dressed as Clarice the Reindeer. Patricia and Eddie dressed as Gingerbread people. K.T. and Joy dressed up as adorable Elves. Nina chose to wear a blue dress with snowflakes and a menorah while Fabian wore a ugly Christmas tree sweater with lots of tinsel, bells and ribbons. The group enjoyed a yummy feast of all their favorite holiday foods and took lots of silly pictures to remember the day.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
Fabian bounced excitedly in place as he knelt on the couch to peer out the sitting room's window. Olivia would be arriving any minute to stay for a few days, he was so excited to have his little sister coming to visit. Olivia attended an exclusive all girls school in Spain called Navarre during the year. Since she was home on break, she had convinced her parents to let her visit Fabian. Since her engagement, Vera no longer needed her attic room so she had turned it back into a guest room. Unfortunately, Olivia wasn't the only guest coming to visit, this meant that Olivia would have to sleep on the questionable floor that was Fabian, Eddie and Mick's Room.
The arrival of a black cab had Fabian rushing out of the house as fast as his feet could carry him. Grabbing the car's handle Fabian threw open the door excitedly only to find someone else inside instead.
"You're not Olivia!"
"Not the last time I checked. But it is good to see you Fabian" laughed Theresa Miller, accepting the boy's offered hand as she got out of the cab.
"Nice to see you again too, Ms. Miller" replied Fabian, "My sister is on her way over to visit for a few days. I thought you were her".
"Ahh, that explains it" spotting a second black cab pulling into the circle drive, Ms. Miller, patted Fabian on the shoulder and excused herself inside to find her son.
"Livi!" cheered Fabian, flinging open the car door to find his thirteen year old sister sitting inside.
"FABES!" shouted back the brunette girl as she jumped out of the car to pull him into a tight hug.
"I can't believe you are finally here. I missed you!"
"I missed you too, rat" replied his sister before pulling away and gathering her bag from the cabbie. Fabian paid the fare and motioned for Olivia to follow him inside the house.
"Wow! This place is even more insane in person" whistled Olivia as she spun around to take in the full grandeur of the house's atrium.
"Yeah, I guess that video calls don't really do the splendor of a house decorated by a robber baron justice"
"No shit! I dig the vibe though"
"Fabian, have you seen my notebook? I want to double check our latest translation of the incantation before this Friday's eveā Olivia!" called Nina as she descended the stairs, cutting herself as she spotted her boyfriend's sister standing below her.
"Hey Nina"
"I totally forgot you were coming today! Welcome to Anubis" grinned the girl, tugging the teenager into a tight hug. "It's awesome to see you".
"Thanks, it's good to see you too, but it was a looong car ride from the estate. Can one of you point me to the restroom?"
"Let's put your bags down in my room and then I'll show you" suggested Fabian. "Nina, your notebook was in the laundry last time I saw it. You were trying to translate that last piece while putting in a load of washing".
"Thanks Fabian," grinned Nina, pressing a kiss to the boy's cheek before racing out of the room towards the Laundry Room.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
Both Olivia and Mrs. Miller's visits provided a breath of fresh air for the Sibuna Club and the Second Hand Heroes. The visiting family members were a much needed reminder that there was life outside of Anubis, cults, spirits and treasure hunting. Eddie, Joy, Patricia and KT had a ton of fun hanging out with Mrs. Miller, playing games, making puzzles, cooking and sharing Eddie stories. Olivia spent her time with Fabian and the remaining Sibunas. The group gave her a tour of campus, walked around downtown, watched movies and lovingly poked fun at Fabian. It was refreshing for the Sibunas, Nina excluded, to see this new side of Fabian⦠the fun loving big brother.
So it was with a heavy heart that Fabian, Eddie and the rest of the house said goodbye to the visitors Friday afternoon. Waving goodbye as the cabs pulled away, the housemates all did their best to refocus on the task at hand⦠namely that night's expected sacrifice.
Given how insane the Sibuna club had been acting recently, the Second Hand Heroes figured it was probably best to make their own plan to stop that evening's sacrifice. Eddie, K.T. and Joy figured that the best way to ensure that the sacrifice wouldn't take place was to make sure that Victor and Vera couldn't make it to the ceremony. The sacrifice couldn't happen if the two leaders were not there.
After supper, Eddie called for Vera to help him in the laundry room. The group had disconnected one of the washer's parts that afternoon in preparation of springing their trap. "Vera I can't get the washer to start" complained the American boy.
"All right, let me take a look at it" sighed the woman rolling up her sleeves. Analyzing the machine she quickly spotted the problem. "Go get Victor please. Let him know I will need his tools".
"Yeah, ok" agreed Eddie, racing out of the room. Giving Joy a thumbs up, he signaled for her to send Victor down.
It only took a moment for Victor to hustle down the stairs after Joy told him that Vera needed help in the Laundry.
"Vera, Love, what is that you need? We should be leaving soon," asked Victor, entering the Laundry room.
"Didn't Eddie tell you I need your toolkit? The washer is acting up" asked Vera, from her spot kneeling on the floor by the machine.
"No. Miss Mercer was the one who came to get me. I'll be right back with my tools"
Unfortunately for the pair, when they went to open the door they found it locked. Eddie and the girls had locked the door and piled several heavy pieces of furniture against the door, so even if they were able to get the door unlocked they wouldn't get through.
Eddie, Joy, and K.T. sat smugly on the kitchen floor facing the laundry room listening to the frustrated yells coming from the room.
"Gods we are so smart" laughed K.T.
"Take that Sibuna" added Joy, throwing a loving arm around her girlfriend.
Unfortunately, the trio underestimated how determined the pair were to offer their sacrifice. When the frustrated yells and thudding on the door tapered off, they assumed that it was because the pair had given up. In reality Victor, who had lived in this house since he was a kid, had simply busted through a section of the wall which had once held a window, securing his and Vera's safety.
"Well with that sorted⦠who's in the mood for a movie?" asked K.T.
"ME!" cheered Joy and Eddie.
"Perfect, let's grab some popcorn and make a night of it then" decided K.T., bumping her shoulder playfully against Eddie and heading upstairs to her room.
* Scent of Lavender * Scent of Lavender *
The Sibuna Club hadn't bothered with trying to trap the adults in the house, choosing instead to head over to the Cult Headquarters in the woods. The seven Sibunas each took up different spaces around the property, crouching in the bushes while watching the house. Three cars were already parked in the driveway in front of the Murder House.
Before long cars began to roll up the drive, marking the arrival of the cult members. Nurse Delia Chapman and Officer Thomas Roebuck climbed out of his cop car. Assistant Mayor Cole Sparrow got out of his car and hugged the pair in greeting.
"Brother! Sister! It is so good to see you both. May Shu smile upon us this night".
"You too Brother Cole," smiled Delia. "Shu's blessings smile upon us already, given tonight's sacrifice was so easy to procure"
"Did you hear that?" hissed Nina into her walkie talkie to the other Sibunas
"Yeah, looks like tonight's human sacrifice is a go. We gotta think fast" replied Jerome, a shadowed look on his face.
The door to the house opened revealing the student's Business Studies teacher, Miss Denby holding a glass of red wine. "Welcome! Come in, come in! Victor and Vera are on their way, Graham and Lilah are already inside".
"Oooh! Wine and Sacrifices? You do know how to throw a party Caroline" teased Delia as she made her way up the porch steps and into the house.
"UGH! I hate them!" declared Amber. "I hate knowing that there is some poor person down in their dungeon about to die for those adults. Nina, what are we going to do?"
"She's thinking" chided Fabian, shooting Amber a look for rushing Nina.
"Whatever it is, we had better make our move soon" remarked Alfie, peering through his binoculars. "I see V & V headed up the drive now".
Nina had been flipping through her grimoire. "I remember there being a spell in here that I practiced with Amneris earlier this week".
"More magic⦠yay" sighed Liliana with a queasy look.
Patricia took off the Sibuna backpack she had been carrying and began taking out bottles of ingredients that Nina might need for her spell.
"AHA!" exclaimed Nina excitedly, her eyes flashing gold triumphantly. "Here it is! A spell of transfer and protection"
Fabian looked over the recipe and helped Patricia sort through the supplies they had packed. The group was glad Nina had insisted on putting a go-to 'witch kit' in their Sibuna bag.
Nina laid out Jerome's offered sweatshirt on the ground before placing her spell bowl in the center. Taking a handful of oat straw and twisting it into a vaguely human shape. Nina then placed the straw doll in the bottom of the spell bowl before sprinkling the shape with lemon zest and raspberry seeds. She then borrowed Alfie's survival knife to cut a slight gash in her finger allowing four large drops of blood into the dish.
Motioning for her friends to hold hands and form a circle around her, Nina began to chant; "O Salus animam hanc protege, da eis hanc noctem robore. Ligate eos, et spiritus eorum longe avolabunt. Hoc iudicium fugiant et suos oppressores perdant". As the students chanted, the elixir in their blood flared causing their eyes to glow gold ominously in the shadowy woods.
As Nina finished her chant a purple flame appeared floating above the center of the dish, quickly consuming the contents of the spell bowl. Once the straw doll was fully burnt and nothing but the ashes remained a loud thunder clap echoed through the woods. Splitting the ashes into fourths, Nina directed Alfie, Jerome, Fabian and Patricia to place them at each of the cardinal points around the house.
"Is that it?" whispered Amber, as the others returned.
"Yes. It is done" replied Nina solemnly, "let's head back to the house".
"Don't we need to stay and see if the spell worked? You know to help if the person needs it" wondered Alfie.
"Nope. The protection spell should have worked. There is no way to get them out of the house, so we have done all we can for now. We will know tomorrow if the spell worked depending on what shape Victor and Vera are in" explained Nina.
"What?" squawked Liliana
"The spell speaks of destroying the captured person's oppressors⦠Amneris said it was purely a destruction of their surroundings⦠not the people themselves".
"Oh, well that doesn't sound as bad" shrugged Jerome.
"Come on guys, it looks like it's supposed to snow again, so let's head back to the house" suggested Fabian, eyeing the dark sky warily.
The seven Sibunas trooped back to the house in high spirits, unaware that their spell, while well intended, was ultimately useless. Deep under the Frobisher Summer House, Amelia Pinches was forced into a white robe and dragged into a circular stone room surrounded by red cloaked figures wearing horrifying animal masks. While the Sibuna club drank their congratulatory hot chocolate and discussed the upcoming New Years Eve party, Amelia Pinches - the scarabs' latest victim, let out a pained scream and disappeared in a flash of blinding light.
"Glory to Shu!" chanted the Cult members.
"Four Down⦠three to go. Eternity and riches will be ours" grinned Victor, removing his Jackal mask and kissing the cat masked Vera.
Evie's Notes 2: Thank you all so much for reading š! I hope you enjoyed this update, let me know your favorite part of in the comments š!
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! - Xo Eviešŗ
