"Move back a bit more," Patricia directed Joy, holding her phone out to take a picture.
"Awwww hurry up!" Joy complained. Patricia had been telling her to back up for several yards now.
"Wait come on, that's it," Patricia had her go further back still until Joy screamed, tripping over something.
"Oh, hey careful!" Fabian said as Patricia snapped the photo. Joy and Fabian each struggled to sit back up.
"That's my new profile photo." Patricia grinned.
Joy took the book Fabian had been reading. "Theory of computational intelligence, bit of light reading,"
"Joy, just because it doesn't have Robert Pattinson on the cover doesn't mean it's not worth reading," Fabian teased, making Joy's face scrunch up playfully and she shook her head. The two stood up, joining Patricia as a cab pulled up on campus. The three friends gathered their things and began making their way toward the school. Patricia heard someone shout, but ignored it, the campus could be quite busy before class started. Then somebody ran right into her, making Patricia gasp in surprise. A girl wearing street clothes stumbled back.
"I'm- I'm so sorry," She said in an American accent before turning and running away.
"Another American?" Patricia asked her friends.
"At least she apologized for tripping you up," Joy smirked, with a nudge. Patricia scoffed at this. Joy and Fabian, to a lesser extent, had been teasing her all weekend about Eddie. Inviting Fabian to join them at the movies had been a big mistake.
"Whatever," She pushed past them and quickly made her way toward the building.
Eddie sat in front of his father in the headmaster's office. "Now Edison," Mr Sweet started.
"Eddie," He corrected.
"Eddie," Mr Sweet gave him a pointed look. "We're two weeks into term and I'm already concerned about how you're performing, particularly in my class. I do hope you know I won't be giving you special treatment when it comes to grades just because you're my son."
"It's not that," Eddie rolled his eyes. "Science just isn't my strong suit, you'd know that if you were around." He couldn't help but take a dig at his father, smirking when he saw the headmaster's face fall.
"You should be taking your education seriously Edison- Eddie." He took a sip of tea. "I don't want you falling behind."
"Fine," Eddie sighed then looked down at the floor. "Maybe-" He started with a grimace. "Maybe you could help me with it? Today at lunch?"
"That won't do, I already have arrangements for today." Mr Sweet shook his head.
"Forget it," Eddie stood up.
"We could arrange something for tomorrow?"
"I said forget it!" Eddie moved toward the door. "If you don't want to help me that's fine, just say that!"
"It's not that I don't want to help you-"
"I'll ask Fabian or Mara for help or something," He grumbled under his breath before slamming the door. Standing in the bustling hallway, Eddie took a moment to compose himself.
"You okay mate?" A familiar voice asked from behind.
"Mick," Eddie turned around. "Umm, yeah I'm fine, just an argument with Mr Sweet, you know how those are…" Eddie trailed off.
"Can't say I do," Mick said in confusion. "But hey, don't worry about it." Mick slapped Eddie on the back and motioned for him to follow him down the hall into the student lounge. "Try to relax before we're due at class, yeah?"
"Yeah," Mick made his way to join Amber. Eddie looked around the lounge before his gaze landed on Patricia sitting alone on one of the couches. He smirked to himself and strode toward her. "Yacker," He plopped down next to her.
"Weasel." She turned toward him. "What do you want?"
"Nothing just sitting down," He put an arm on the back of the couch.
"And you couldn't have chosen literally any other seat?" She motioned around at all the other seating options.
Eddie pretended to ponder her question. "No," He turned forward and noticed Joy standing in front of the two, holding her phone up like she was going to take their picture. He raised his hand awkwardly to wave at the girl.
"That's my new profile photo," She said, more to Patricia than Eddie, before stashing her phone in her bag with a smile.
"What?" He looked between the two girls trying to figure out what was going on.
"Joy," Patricia complained, standing up to follow Joy, making a swift exit out of the lounge. Eddie stared after them.
Later that morning, Patricia sat next to Joy in Mrs Andrews's class, she laughed as she watched Alfie run out of the classroom with a fake bloody nose, only to be stopped at the door by Mr Sweet asking him to slow down. "I'm sorry to interrupt Mrs Andews," Mr Sweet apologized. "Joy, there's someone to see you in my office," Joy and Patricia gave each other a quick look before Joy stood up, grabbed her coat, and followed Mr Sweet out of the classroom.
Eddie walked home from school alone. He'd spent the whole day thinking about the altercation with his father that morning. Maybe he'd overreacted when his father told him he was busy at lunch that day. Maybe he had a meeting or something and he really did want to help him tomorrow but Eddie didn't care. At least he told himself he didn't care. It was easier to push him away than to continue getting rejected.
He sat in the living room while the other students went to their rooms to get situated for the evening. Staring blankly ahead he sat in silence until the others started filtering back into the living room. Jerome and Alfie sat on either side of Eddie. He thought about asking one of his housemates for advice but he didn't know of a way to word it without giving away the fact that he was related to someone working at the school, and he wasn't willing to risk the whole school finding out. Patricia was talking to the others but he wasn't paying attention. When Eddie finally tuned into the conversation he quickly realized that Patricia was really worried about something. "I can't believe no one's got Joy's home number." She said.
"That's because this is her home, just call her phone." Said Amber.
"Amber keep up, I told you, she left her phone behind."
"So text her."
"Stupidity leak." Eddie looked around. Everyone but Mick was gathered around the living room. Eddie figured that Mick had gone for a run like he'd taken to doing after school.
"So they've already got someone else in her bed?" Fabian asked. Eddie made a face, taken aback by this. He must have zoned out a lot of important information.
"Yeah, it's that girl we saw in the taxi," Patricia said. "She's American and she's like totally obsessed with it. She said it like a hundred times."
"And Joy's just gone?" Mara questioned, Eddie watched Patricia nod her head. "That really is weird."
"Wait Joy's gone?" Eddie interrupted. Patricia glared at him and Jerome groaned, smacking Eddie in the side.
"Have you even been listening weasel?"
"No?" He certainly wasn't going to tell her about his problems with his father.
"Victor said her parents removed her from the school, but she left her phone, and she didn't say goodbye." She ran her fingers through her hair. "And now they've already moved in some new girl." Eddie shrugged at this, sure that was a little weird but he didn't know Joy well enough to say if it was out of character.
"Maybe Joy's been abducted by aliens and this new girl's one of them," Alfie suggested jokingly, making Jerome laugh.
"Yeah, maybe the new girl is an alien in a flesh suit," Jerome added. Alfie reached over Eddie's lap to point at Jerome.
"We were planning a rom-com box set marathon tonight, you know Joy's rom-com obsession. How could she have gone just like that?"
"Patricia, you've disappeared more than enough times," Jerome said, Eddie leaned forward, that was certainly interesting information.
"She would've called me though,"
"I know she would-" Eddie stopped listening when he heard someone enter the room, he looked over and saw a new girl standing awkwardly, as a hush fell over the house.
"Hi, I'm Nina, I'm from America." She said, making Eddie chuckle.
"Hey," Fabian and Nina waved at each other. Alfie stood up and approached the new girl.
"Welcome space girl or blurb bleep blop." Eddie joined the students as they laughed at Alfie's antics. "As they say in your language."
"Supper's ready," Trudy called. Eddie jumped up and rushed over to the table he was hungry. He put his head in his hands as Patricia jostled Nina for taking Amber's seat. Maybe what he had with Patricia wasn't special and she just didn't like new people.
The dinner table was quiet as everyone ate. It had been a long day of school and all Eddie wanted to do was drown himself in spaghetti.
"Stop it, Alfie, that's disgusting!" Mara finally broke the silence, making Jerome chuckle. Eddie looked over to find Alfie shoveling the pasta into his mouth. "And you're probably going to choke on it."
"But it's delicious this way," Alfie said with his mouth full. Eddie didn't blame him.
"Alfie, don't play with your food." Jerome flung a spoonful of spaghetti at him. Eddie grinned as Jerome and Alfie began to throw food at each other. These really were his people.
"Really guys every meal?" Fabian said after being hit.
"Oops, sorry!" Patricia poured a pitcher of water on Nina's lap. Eddie finally paused his eating to look at the two girls.
"Classy Patricia," Fabian said.
"What? It was an accident."
"Are you okay?" Fabian gave Patricia a look.
"Yeah, except I think my sweater is shrinking to my body as we speak."
"So Nina, when are you gonna tell us what you know about Joy's disappearance?" Patricia questioned the new girl. Eddie felt bad for her. This was different than the fights he had had with Patricia, he realized.
Nina shrugged. "I guess when I actually know something,"
"Oh come on!" Patricia stood up. "One minute I'm sitting next to Joy in class and the next, she's disappeared and you've taken her place. Bit of a coincidence, don't you think?" Eddie noticed Fabian wiping the water off of Nina's sweater with napkins.
"I guess it is," She said sadly.
But Patricia was determined to get something out of Nina because she just kept asking her. She must've really convinced herself that Nina was in on some weird plot against Joy, or something. Victor entered the room, giving the students a warning look before telling Nina that there was a phone call for her. The students watched him lead Nina away.
Eddie couldn't help it, he picked up a handful of his spaghetti and threw it at Patricia. She gasped at him before glaring and throwing her own handful at him. Mara and Fabian ran away taking cover in the kitchen as the food fight got more intense.
"I'll save you, Trixie!" Alfie dramatically jumped in front of the food Eddie had just hurtled at the girl, before throwing the salad in his hands at Eddie. Oh, so Alfie was picking sides? Eddie had to get Jerome on his side or everything would surely be lost.
"Jerry," Eddie looked at him, pleading. Jerome stood up, patting Eddie once on the back before joining him in his fight.
"What is this?" Victor's voice boomed through the common area. The teens dropped the food at once. Eddie looked around, they had made quite a mess. He shrugged his shoulders indifferently. Victor pulled four toothbrushes from his coat and handed one to each of them. "I want this cleaned up before you go to bed." Eddie watched him walk away. That wasn't too bad of a punishment. They certainly deserved it. But he couldn't help but wonder how many toothbrushes Victor kept in his jacket at all times.
Eddie spent all of the next school day avoiding his father, which wasn't always possible since he was in his class but he managed to go the whole day without a private discussion with the headmaster. Which Eddie thought was good enough. He lay awake at night on the top bunk listening to Fabian toss and turn in the bunk below. Mick on the other hand was out like a light, Eddie noticed that he never moved around in his sleep. It was still weird for Eddie to share a room with two other guys he didn't really know on a completely new continent. He wondered how the new girl was holding up sharing a room with Patricia who clearly hated her. His rooming situation could be worse, at least Fabian and Mick were chill. Eddie thought about Joy for the first time since he'd found out she left the school. It was strange that Joy's parents would remove her from the school just weeks after the term started. Why had they even sent her, to begin with? However, the idea that the new girl was a part of a conspiracy to cover up Joy's disappearance was laughable. Patricia was paranoid, but Eddie did have several questions himself. He just had to keep watching and see if he felt like he needed to actually get involved or not.
The next day Eddie sat in his father's science class, but he wasn't paying attention to Mr Sweet he was watching Jerome, Alfie, and Patricia talk and laugh under their breath. Eddie had taken to sitting with Jerome and Alfie lately but today they chose to sit with Patricia. Which was fine. They had all known each other much longer, he totally didn't feel rejected at all. Eddie could tell they were up to something though and he wanted to know what. He'd just have to sit with Mick for now and get to know his roommate better. The bell rang dismissing them from class. "You're biology assignments please," Mr Sweet said before the students could leave. "And no excuses this time." Eddie handed the assignment over without looking at him. He hadn't bothered to ask Fabian for help yet and he knew his father wouldn't be happy about how he did on the assignment. Maybe he should ask Fabian before he got another lecture. He found Fabian standing with Nina, Patricia, Alfie, and Jerome.
"Eddie!" Fabian exclaimed. "Just the guy I wanted to see!" Eddie smiled at this. Maybe Fabian would help him after all.
"What's up?"
"I was just wondering if you'd tell Nina about the initiation ceremony you did after starting at the school?" Fabian asked, Eddie was confused. Initiation ceremony? "They are insisting that it's time Nina do hers now," He gestured at Jerome, Alfie, and Patricia.
"Well," Eddie looked at the three. Jerome and Alfie gave him a look but Patricia kept her face blank and just stared at him. "Well-"
"I know you're just trying to better prepare Nina, Fabian," Patricia interrupted Eddie. "But talking about past initiation ceremonies with people who aren't initiated is strictly prohibited. You know that,"
"Can't break the rules, Fabian," Jerome added.
"Sorry, Fabian," Eddie shrugged, making his mind up. Fabian glared at him. "I can't break the rules," He looked at Nina. "But I did do an initiation ceremony. English boarding schools are weird, am I right?" Eddie walked away grinning.
The next day, Mr Sweet handed the graded assignments back as the bell rang signaling the end of class, making sure to give Eddie a look that told him they would be having a chat later. Eddie really needed to ask Fabian for help before then. At least then he could tell his father he had a tutor for next time. Eddie would've asked Mara a lot sooner but she had already agreed to help study Mick and he didn't think she'd love having another person to worry about tutoring. Eddie ran out of the classroom, pushing a student out of the way.
"Hey!" Patricia exclaimed. Oops, Eddie laughed as he rushed to Fabian and Nina who were stopped in the hallway.
"Fabian, please I need you to tutor me in biology." He blurted out. He hated asking for help, and he sort of wanted to go for the image that he didn't care about his grades, because usually he didn't really but this was his father's class. And even though he wouldn't admit it to himself he needed his father's approval, even though he hadn't been around for him. It was all so stupid. "Just for a little while, until I get the hang of it or Mr Sweet gets off my back about it."
"Oh, alright," Fabian sighed.
"Thanks, man."
Their new drama teacher Mr Winkler had Amber and Alfie read lines from Romeo & Juliet in front of the whole class. Eddie was glad he hadn't been chosen, acting wasn't really his thing. Amber had kissed Alfie when it wasn't even in the script. Eddie had been sitting next to Mick at the time but he couldn't help it and he laughed, before trying to cover it up. Mick did not look happy.
It was midnight, and the students of Anubis House stood together in two lines leading up to the attic door and holding flashlights up to their faces. Eddie was wishing he'd stayed behind like Mick but he hadn't wanted to miss whatever weird scheme Patricia, Jerome, and Alfie had been up to. He watched the three alongside Nina approach them.
"Oh spirits of Anubis House," Patricia started. "Guide the new girl on her initiation quest and keep her from harm in the haunted attic."
"Come on, this is ridiculous!" Fabian protested making Eddie laugh. Patricia shushed both boys. "Unlock the door." Nina did as she was told and looked back at Patricia.
"I just have to go up there and bring something back and then I'm done. I mean you guys didn't boobytrap the place or anything did you?"
"Course not," Patricia said. "Go." Eddie watched Nina ascend the stairs up into the attic before Patricia lurched forward and locked the door.
"What are you doing?" Amber asked in shock. Eddie's jaw dropped.
"What does it look like?"
"Hey, what's going on?" Nina jiggled the door nob from the other side. "Let me out!"
"You heard her, let her out," Fabian said.
"Not until you tell us what you know about Joy's disappearance." Oh, so Patricia was crazy, Eddie realized. He'd have to deeply consider whether or not he still wanted to date her or not.
"I don't know anything,"
"Then you'll have to stay in there till morning,"
"Oh Patricia, you've had your fun, now please just unlock the door," Fabian demanded. Eddie nodded his head, although the girl wasn't looking in his direction.
"Yeah Patricia this is getting silly," Mara added.
Patricia tried again to get answers out of Nina before she started banging on the attic door. There was no way Victor hadn't heard them. Eddie shook his head. He was so done with all this. "Just unlock the door, Patricia." But everyone was talking at once and he didn't even know if she could hear or understand him.
"What's all this noise?" Victor asked from behind them. "What's going on? Why are you all out of bed hmmm?" He looked at Amber. "Were you trying to break this door down?"
"No, we thought we heard mice," Patricia said meekly. "That's all."
"Go to bed now, before I put you all in detention." They hurried to their rooms, but Eddie followed Patricia into hers, hoping Victor wouldn't notice. Patricia was standing by the window, he ran to her side grabbing her hand before she could toss the key outside.
"What do you think you're doing weasel?"
"We can't leave Nina in there all night," Eddie grabbed her shoulders. "I mean you can't seriously want that Yacker, can you?"
"You're on her side," Her eyes froze over. "For all I know, you're in on it too."
"Does that make Fabian in on it too?" He let go of her, his hands dropping to his side. "Look I do think it's possible that something weird happened to Joy,"
"You do?" Patricia smiled brightly. Eddie decided that he did still have a crush on the girl even after what she'd done to Nina.
"Yeah," He said, mostly to appease her. "But I really don't think Nina has anything to do with it." He closed the window and turned back to her. By then Patricia's face had sunk.
"You don't really believe me." She said matter of factually. "You're just trying to get the key." Eddie flashed a nervous smile and held his hand out for the key. She sighed. "I'll give you the key if you promise not to rat me out if Victor catches you with it?"
"I don't rat people out,"
Eddie crept into the hallway, the attic key in hand. He met up with Fabian and Amber who'd both been peeking out of opposite doorways. "Is he still up there?" Fabian asked. Amber shushed them as they heard the attic door opening. She grabbed Eddie and Fabian's wrists and pulled them into the open bathroom to hide from Victor as he locked the attic door and strode down the hall toward his office.
"He hasn't got her," Amber said.
"Patricia gave me the key," He handed it to Fabian. "I'm gonna head to bed, I'm tired." Amber nodded her head.
"I'll be down in a minute," Fabian said. Eddie snuck down the hallway past Victor's office and all the way down to his room. With a big yawn, he climbed the ladder up to his bunk and pulled the covers over himself. A while later Fabian tiptoed into the room and settled into his bed. Eddie smiled before falling asleep.
Joy totally switched her profile picture to be of Peddie before she disappeared because that's so funny to me. I'm happy I got to include her as much as possible because I'm really going to miss her. I have summer break for a couple more days so I'm gonna try to get as much as I can on chapter 3 before I have to go back to work. I'm excited about this story and the potential once the mystery really gets going.