Force of Nature ▸ House of Anubis [3]

chapter five. house of truth

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            Fabian and I have been sitting in silence for five minutes. The past five minutes have been spent with me fiddling with the locket, avoiding looking up at him. I haven't heard the letter open yet. When he sniffles, I glance up, and find that he's still staring at the letter. He hasn't read it.

            "Fabian, are you okay?"

            He lets out a shaky sigh as he looks at me. "I don't know. I can't bring myself to open it. Ashley, why didn't you say anything? Instead of telling us what you knew, you acted just as clueless as the rest of us."

            I bite the inside of my cheek, giving him a sad smile. "I'm sorry," I apologize genuinely, hoping he knows how sorry I am for all this. "I only found out two weeks ago she wasn't coming back and it didn't really set in until we actually got back to school. Eddie was supposed to give you the letter first thing."

            "Have you spoken to her since we got back?"

            "No. I've tried, but I think it's too hard for her, talking to us. I'm hoping she'll feel more up to it next week."

            "What if she isn't?"

            "Then I'll keep trying. Lily told me not to let her go in that first dream the night she arrived here. I'm not really into disappointing my grandmother."

            Fabian nods silently, glancing to the letter again. He stands. "We should, uh, get back to the party."

            I stand as well, pausing briefly to grab Nina's locket from where I had it beside me. "You sure you want to do that? You don't look like you're in much of a party mood, Fabian."

            "No. No, I need to. After what happened in the hall..."

            "Entirely understandable," I assure him, "given what you knew/thought. Look, Fabian..." I shrug helplessly as I exhale deeply. "I'm sorry, for not telling you or saying anything. Nina asked me not to say anything until you had read the letter, and then I was going to tell Amber and the others. You were supposed to be the first person who knew. It's the only thing she asked me to do."

            Fabian stares me, eyes flickering down to the letter, and he nods again. "I forgive you. I understand. You two were...practically inseparable." He looks at the Eye of Horus locket I'm holding. "So...I suppose that's yours now."

            "I'm not so sure I want it."

—

            The party conversation seems to have taken a swift turn from the Fabian-Eddie confrontation, because Amber's talking about some pet of hers before changing the subject to cake. Fabian still has the letter in his hands, staring at it as we enter the kitchen. I grab a glass from the cupboard and fill it up with water, offering it to him. He shakes his head.