Force of Nature ▸ House of Anubis [3]

chapter seventy. house of belief

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            "If we split up," Eddie tells us quickly as we exit the school, "we can cover more ground." I take my phone of my pocket, prepared to call KT before we go looking for her. But I'm met with a shock, because in my reflection, my eyes are red. In an attempt to forget about it and cover it up before either of them can notice, I take a pair of sunnies I've hidden in my pockets in preparation for this very reason and put it over my eyes. "We need to find KT and Fabian, okay? They could be in trouble."

            "What?" Alfie asks, eyebrows furrowed. "I thought KT was trouble."

            I shake my head. "No, KT's been telling the truth all along. Fabian knew it, he went to find her."

            "Ashley, you're with me," Eddie says, taking my arm. "Alfie, call her if you find anything." Alfie nods, heading the opposite direction as us. "What's with the sunglasses?"

            "Uh, long story," I answer, hoping he'll keep it at that.

            He doesn't. "Anything to do with red eyes?" I stop dead in my tracks, facing him. "You know when someone's been turned into a sinner, don't you? You have feelings. You knew it was Patricia the entire time. You just didn't want to believe it."

            "Wait, you know?" I ask, removing the glasses and clipping them to my jumper. "You still trust me?"

            "I don't think Frobisher needs you as a sinner," Eddie tells me. "He needs you for something, but as a sinner. Your eyes are normal again, by the way. What did KT say Harriet said?" I relay what she had said, the fact that my eyes will flash red when a sinner's been turned or when they're doing something extremely sinful. "I trust you, I believe you. I saw Patricia's red eyes, and she's not the Bringer of Death. You are."

            "So you know she's the sinner, not KT?"

            "Yeah. Which is why we have to find her."  

            "Fabian saw the eyes this morning, it's why he left so hastily. I should've gone with him—"

            "No, it's good that you didn't," he says. "Patricia doesn't know that I know, but I think she knows you do. If you had left with him without telling anyone, let's just say things would be way worse than they are now. Did KT say where she was going?"

            "She didn't," I tell him as we begin walking again, searching the grounds for her. "I'm hoping not the gatehouse, but if Fabian's there, Eddie... I'm not sure he'd be coming out Fabian. Maybe we should check there first."

            "Let's just look around school grounds first." After about five minutes of walking around, I finally see something—a teenage girl with curly hair. I point her way and Eddie takes off in a run toward her, shouting, "KT! Hey!"

            KT throws her hands in the air and doesn't even stop walking. "It's okay. It's okay. I'm not trying to kidnap you—"

            "I know!"

            "I'm just trying to find Fabian—" She stops and whirls toward us. "You do?"

            "We both know," I assure her, breathing heavily. "He knows, KT."

            "But when?" KT questions. "How? You locked me up because you thought I was evil. I nearly left school this morning."

            Eddie says, "Look, I know. And I'm really, really sorry, okay? I didn't know what was going on. But I saw Patricia's eyes." It sounds like he's still trying to make sense of it all. "They're red, just like you said. And Ashley's were, too, and apparently Harriet said hers would do it too sometimes but she's not a sinner. But Patricia is. She's a sinner. She's my girlfriend, and if what Harriet says is true, she's gonna suffer."

            "Which is why we need to fix this," KT says, "Osirian, Bringer of Death. We can do this, I know we can. Okay?" I nod to agree, and she directs her next words to me. "You had red eyes again? Why do you think that is?"

            I shrug. "It could be anything. They could have taken someone else, Victor could be trying to kill us again... I wish there was a way for me to know. But, Eddie, you should know something else—"

            "Oh, no," Eddie interrupts, but not because of anything I was about to say—about his dad. He's looking behind us, at Alfie and... Patricia. Sinner Patricia is with Alfie. Oh, my God. "Patricia's got Alfie. Ashley, stay with KT—"

            "No way," I say sharply. "He's—"

            "Yeah, whatever, he's your best friend, I get it," Eddie says, already walking toward them. "I've got it, just stay with KT!"

            I resist the urge to stomp my foot against the ground as KT comes closer to me and we watch him follow Patricia and Alfie wherever she's taking him. But once they're all out of our sight, then starts the waiting game. If they're going to the gatehouse, Eddie should be back with Alfie in about fifteen minutes. So KT and I wait in silence, pacing across the grass. After ten minutes, I tell her we can't wait here any longer. She suggests that maybe they went back to the house, which is our destination—Anubis House.

            Trudy is in the kitchen, talking to someone on her phone. "Trudy," KT says desperately as we run in, "has Fabian come back?" Trudy holds up a hand to quiet us as she continues talking to whoever is on the other end of the line. "Trudy!"

            "Forget it," I say, pulling KT out. "Let's check out Fabian's room, see if there's anything there that could tell us where he's gone." As we go into Fabian and Eddie's room, I close the door behind us. No one's here. Eddie hasn't returned with Alfie or Fabian. "Oh, this isn't good."

            "Ash, come look at this," KT says, standing over Fabian's bed. I go over as she picks something up, a package. "This has my name on it. Why would Fabian have this?"

            "He wouldn't have taken it if he didn't think there was something important in it," I comment as we sit down. "Have you ever seen it before?"

            "No, never. It's empty, anyways. It's useless."

            I grab the paper beside me, eyebrows furrowing. "Maybe not. Check this out. Sinners walk among you," I read the words aloud. "We knew that already. Who would have sent you this?"

            "I don't know," she mumbles. "Let's try the school. Come on!"