Force of Nature ▸ House of Anubis [3]

chapter thirty-three. house of hustle

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            My eyes are beginning to close. I want to stay awake until someone comes, but I don't think I can. Now I really wish I'd volunteered to go back to the school with Patricia and Alfie. Three in the crypt, three out. But nope, I just had to technically be a descendant of the Frobisher-Smythes (adoption counts, which is why I started to include them in the family tree we did a few weeks ago).

            Have I mentioned recently that I hate my family tree?

            "Typical Yacker," I hear Eddie grumble from across the way. KT's fast asleep. "She probably did this to spite me."

            From beside him, Fabian says, "No, of course, she didn't."

            "I'm not saying she'd leave us here to rot. It's just... I don't know, man," Eddie shrugs. I open one eye, adjusting my jacket over me to keep warm. "The whole thing with Patricia was weird. We liked each other. And then we finally got to spend some time together. I don't know—and then, boom, okay, mass destruction."

            "That's just her way," Fabian tells him. "She only gets like that because she really likes you."

            I add in, quiet so I don't wake KT but loud enough that he can hear from across the room, "She has a habit of... I don't know, self-destruction or something. I think she's just afraid of how strong her feelings are so she ends things so she doesn't get hurt. She likes you, Eddie. Just give her some time to open up."

            Eddie glances over at me. "Not anymore. She dumped me. Remember?" He sounds almost as heartbroken as he did when he told me they'd broken up.

            "Self-destruction," I repeat. "We should all just go to sleep. She and Alfie'll be by in the morning."

—

            The sun is what wakes me the next morning. It's still early, I can tell as I open my eyes. I'm the first one awake and God, I miss Anubis House. I push my jacket off of me, standing up to stretch my legs and arms. My back is killing me and I'm starving. Trudy told us yesterday morning she was making banana pancakes for breakfast and I really wanted those.

            Fabian wakes up shortly after with a yawn, scrunching his nose up at me when he notices me standing next to the coffin, looking at the ceiling. "What are you doing?"

            "Waiting for any sign of civilization," I respond quietly, so that neither of us wakes up Eddie or KT. "I can almost smell Trudy's banana pancakes."

            "No one's come yet?"

            "Just... woodland creatures. I don't think Bambi's gonna help us out of this mess."

            Fabian sighs and stands up, grabbing his notebook. He comes over to me, setting it on the coffin. "I've looked at this a thousand times and I still can't see where we went wrong with what's in here. I really do think we shouldn't have moved him."

            "I don't think we could've stayed in the chamber for that long without Denby finding out," I respond. "Not to mention I don't think we can get him back there. Especially if no one comes to get us out."

            "I know, I know, but... we're missing something, Ash."

            All of a sudden, something clicks from above us. An actual click. It wakes KT and Eddie immediately, the former questioning, "What was that?"

            I stand completely still, my ears tuned to the sound of someone pushing a key in a lock. Could it be—are we finally saved after almost twenty-four hours? "Someone's out there."

            "I don't think it's Patricia," Eddie says, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Guys, we got to hide—quick!"

            The four of us leave the tank where it is as we scramble for a place to hide from whoever it is. We choose opposite ends of the room, pressed against the walls and each other so our intruder doesn't know we're here. That way at least two of us could escape unharmed. I peek out from my corner, eyes widening when I see it's Denby. She actually got in. This is literally the last thing we need right now!

            Fabian elbows me lightly as Denby steps around the green-covered tank. He gestures silently to his notes on the floor, two separate pages that had fallen out. No! If she finds those, we're toast! He mouths to Eddie and KT that they need to get it, since they're closer to the notes than we are.

            "Robert!" Denby cries as she uncovers the man's face. Eddie falls to the ground, sneaking to get the notes. "There you are. They will pay for this, Robert." Eddie reaches as far as he can for the notes. "I will see to it personally." Denby covers the tank back and Eddie rushes back as we hide again. "What's this?"

            I peek around again, and what I dread is what comes to be. She's got Fabian's notes in her hands.

            "Fascinating." She folds the notes and sticks them in her purse. "Come on, Robert, let's get you home."

            The wheels of the barrow squeak as Denby rolls him out. We wait until we're sure she's gone before coming out of our hiding spot, and until we hear the lock click again before I say, "This isn't good."

            "That's the instructions," Eddie adds, "and the body."

            "A great evil headed our way," KT recalls dreadfully.

            "What do we do?" I ask, shaking my head. The lock clicks again and my blood runs cold. "She's coming back. Hide!"

            I grab Fabian's arm and pull him back to our hiding spot as KT and Eddie return to theirs. Fabian gives me a strange look, as what we hear sounds nothing like Denby. Carefully, we look around at the same time, and I let out an audible sigh of relief when I see it's Alfie. "Alfie, thank God!"

            Alfie jumps and shrieks. "Don't do that!" he shouts, turning back to us.

            Fabian laughs as we all come out of our hiding spots. "Dude," Eddie says to him, "am I glad to see you. What happened to you guys?"

            "Oh, you know," Alfie lists, "fire alarms, house arrests, and key confiscation." He gives KT's key back to her and adds to me, "Oh, and Jerome's popped, like, a dozen pink balloons trying to make your flamingo."

            I nod. "Sounds like a pretty normal night in Anubis. How'd you get the key back?"

            "Jerome," Alfie answers. "Patricia told him it was for you. He tricked Willow into hugging Victor and got the key back for us."

            "Willow?"

            "Oh, yeah, she's your new roommate."

            "She's my what?!" KT doesn't give me a chance to continue on with my questioning before she says we should get out of there. She's the first one out and when I see green, I have to stop myself from kissing literal leaves. I need answers, and to get them I grab Alfie's shoulder strongly. "What do you mean Willow's my new roommate?"

            "She's already moved in and everything."

            My face falls. Willow really did manage to get herself Amber's bed. "Oh, no."