House of Anubis: One Last Stand

House of Society/House of Break-ins

Willow was downstairs with all three of the little kids, including her own. Amber and Joy were upstairs, talking while everyone else in the house did their own thing.

"You proposed to Jerome?" Joy repeated from what Amber was telling her.

"Well, one of us had to, and he hadn't yet, so-" Amber shrugged, "-yeah."

"Well, congratulations."

"And how about you and Erik? I need details."

"There's not much to say," Joy admitted. "I think I ought to break up with him."

"What angel of bad influence came down to earth and gave you that idea? Don't you love him?"

"I-maybe...I mean, I know he loves me, and I think he loves me a little too much. But I can't love him the same. Honestly, ever since I've been dating him, I've wished we were just friends again. I might love him just...not in that way."

"But he's sweet and he treats you like a goddess." Amber remembered how Alfie treated her like a goddess when they were in school. It must've been the house that brought back these memories.

"That's the problem," Joy responded. "Because I can't accept his love without feeling regret that I don't feel the same way back."

They heard a loud shattering sound down the stairs and before Amber could respond to Joy, they went to check it out. Alfie and Jerome also came, seeing Willow in the lounging area, her hair in a mess. Trudy would've come, but she wasn't in the house at the moment. The kids were jumping around, and they'd just broken a flower vase.

Willow still hadn't noticed they'd come in since her back was turned to the door and she yelled, "Alright! Everyone, calm down!" The kids stopped. "I may be nice, but I'll take charge when I need to! As a mother to you, William, and a nanny to you other two, I will not stand for this!"

Alfie suddenly began clapping for his wife, and the others gradually joined in. Willow turned around to face them, heaving a sigh.

"Willow, are you sure you want to be a housemother?" Jerome asked.

"Oh, they're just children," Willow smiled. "I can handle it."

Alfie reached out towards Willow's messy hair and held some of it in front of her face. "Are you sure?"

"Where's Fabian, Eddie, Patricia, and Nina?" Amber questioned, changing the subject.

"What happened? We heard something break," Nina announced as her and the other three finally showed up through the door.

"A little late, you four are," Joy brought up. "Where were you?"

"Just in Eddie and Fabian's room," Patricia replied. "Not that exciting so stop staring at us so suspiciously."

The others were, in fact, staring at them like they were hiding something. But the dropped those looks and decided to forget about it altogether.

~~~~~
Eddie reread the letter later at night, his lamp on beside him:

Dear Trudy Rehmann,

You've done us well by joining the Secret Society. Since you're the latest member to join, you'll, of course, be the one to find and recruit our last member so that we'll once again be complete. It's what Victor would've wanted. You are aware that the last order of the Secret Society desired to find the Tears of Gold and recipe for the elixir of life. But now that all of them have gone their separate ways, especially Victor no longer being the ring leader, we have a new goal. And it specifically involves the Osirion and Chosen One. Now, it's too dangerous to discuss these things in a letter, so at our next meeting, everything will be revealed.

And remember, you've given your life to this society.

There was no salutation at the end, so Eddie didn't know exactly who wrote it, but he had a strong feeling it was Mr. Perry, the one who asked him to give the letter to Trudy.

Eddie wondered if Mr. Perry knew he was the Osirion and wondered why he trusted him to deliver the letter. Everything added to Eddie's suspicions on Mr. Perry. Which convinced him more and more that Mr. Perry made his father disappear.

"Why is the light on?" Fabian moaned as he woke up in the middle of the night. His eyes adjusted and he realized what Eddie was doing. "Trudy can't be trusted anymore." He sat up.

"Nor this Daniel Perry guy. And my dad's missing. And I have no real lead to go from in order to find him," Eddie complained.

"Maybe you should confront, Mr. Perry."

"What if he doesn't know I'm onto him yet? What if I make the wrong decision by interrogating him? I'm going to think of something."

"Could you think with the light off then?"

Fabian and Eddie laid down as Eddie put down the letter and turned the lamp off. He still didn't fall asleep until he finally became so tired his body forced him to.

~~~~~
The day came about quicker than expected when school would begin. It was actually a day before classes started, but students had already begun showing up, moving into their houses and preparing for the next day.

During breakfast in Anubis house, Alfie asked, "Who wants to come with me to Isis house and tell them how much they suck?"

"One, Alfie," Jerome began, "you don't know any of those students. Two, Isis house was a rival of Anubis house when we were in school, but there aren't any students in Anubis house now, so they can't be our rivals."

"How long does it take one Alfie Lewis to grow up?" Joy asked.

"Forever," Alfie admitted.

"Who'd ever think we'd be sitting around this table again like in high school?" Amber questioned.

That started a discussion amongst all of them about old times in the house and that even after sixteen years, it stuck out in their brains as the only memories they could possibly never forget.

"Fabian, can I talk to you?" Eddie suddenly asked. Everyone glanced between them.

"Sure," Fabian agreed.

They both stood up and walked out the kitchen.

"So," Eddie whispered, "I've been thinking the past few days, and I'm going to break into my dad's office tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!" Fabian yell-whispered. "Tomorrow's the children's first day of school. We're expected to be there, ready to mentor, not break into offices."

"Exactly. And it's not like Perry can see me at all times, and I'm sure he'll be busy with the students as well, so I can get and find what I need."

"And what is it you need, exactly?"

"Evidence."

Fabian hesitated before saying his next thing because he already knew the answer. He asked anyway. "And why are you telling me?"

"I need a lookout."

~~~~~
What will happen in the principal's office? It'll be revealed in the next chapter, but until then, you can only wonder.

How do you feel about that letter?

What do you think Eddie will find in the office?