Force of Nature ▸ House of Anubis [3]

chapter nine. house of revelations

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For the record, when I agreed to help Fabian and Joy with the hieroglyphs, I did not realize I would feel like a third-wheel the entire time. I don't know how but that's the energy in Fabian's room right now with them. For the most part, it's been pretty quiet while we search the net and books for the answers to the parcel code except when one of us has spoken to get a consultation on our assigned piece of the parchment. Hence the not knowing how I feel like a third-wheel right now, just that I do.

Something that probably contributes to that is the fact that they're both over by his bed whereas I've taken Eddie's—who knows where he is right now? Probably with KT now that I think about it. She did shoot me a text to tell me they got her key back, but that was hours ago. I haven't heard from either of them since. It's kind of weird Eddie hasn't answered my texts. But they're totally fine though, right?

"Oh, here's my family tree," Joy says suddenly, pulling out a folded, crisp white sheet of paper out of the otherwise aged, yellowed pages of her textbook. "I put it in my textbook."

"Oh, right," Fabian says absentmindedly, likely not paying any attention to her at all.

"Hope KT didn't go through too much trouble looking for it. Do you want me to have a look?"

I glance up again to see that she's nodding to his laptop, but it takes him a second to get it. "Mm? Oh, no, I've got this."

"You sure? Might be able to help. Not that it isn't fun just being here."

Fabian mumbles something in response. Yeah, little awkward being in here with them. I look back to my section of the parchment, flipping through my own textbook for one of the symbols. The door opens and without an invitation, Alfie walks in and questions, "Got that bad boy translated yet?"

"Yeah, it says 'bring Fabian a drink from the fridge, Alfie,'" Fabian retorts.

I laugh at the remark, catching Joy's smile at it, as Alfie replies plainly, "Those things are always so cryptic." He sits beside me on Eddie's bed, handing me the textbook that had been in the spot where he's just sat down.

The door opens again and this time it's Patricia and Amber together, the former announcing to us, "Victor is putty in my hands." Amber's cell is in her hands, which I assume it was she means, but I am so interested to know how she managed to get it back from Victor.

Alfie notes a little nervously, "You got Amber's phone back."

"I have four missed calls," Amber states, "but the battery's died. Does anyone have a charger in here?"

Before anyone can answer her question, Alfie says quickly, "Fabian's making great progress, isn't he?"

"I can tell what most of the symbols mean," Fabian states. "It's just the way they're arranged. It's like a code. I just can't figure it out."