𝓓𝓸 𝓸𝓻 𝓓𝓲𝓮 ❣︎ 𝓔𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓐𝓭𝓭𝓪𝓶𝓼

𝓢𝓔𝓡𝓘𝓔𝓢 𝓞𝓝𝓔 ❣︎ 19

As a kind of dead smell floated over, Enid scrunched up her nose. "Ew! What died?"

Meanwhile, Ember breathed it in happily. "Smells like childhood," she looked at Enid. "Come on."

But her roommate backed out as she ventured on. "On second thoughts, why don't I just stay out here? You know, as a... lookout."

Ember ignored her, the door slamming behind her.

The crypt was big, with a long corridor down to the big stone tomb, mounted on two circular steps.

She jumped as she heard something move behind her, but nothing was there when she turned round. That or it was skulking in the dark.

Wind blew leaves up to her ankles as she walked up to the tomb, her torch only slightly illuminating it. Once she was up into the circular chamber it was in, she stopped, looking around.

There was a clattering behind her.

"Enid?" She rotated on the spot, but the girl in pink wasn't behind her.

Then someone coughed from behind the tomb.

"Come out and I might let you go free. Try anything and you'll lose at least a finger, at worst a limb."

"SURPRISE!"

Ember's eyes widened as Wednesday, Xavier, Ajax, Bianca, Yoko, Kent and Davina came out from behind the tomb. All were smiling and shouting (except Wednesday) as they sung that dreaded song-

"Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear Ember...

Happy birthday to youuuuuuu!"

Ember rolled her eyes. Since it was midnight, the clock had just turned on her sixteenth birthday. Not that she made a big deal of celebrating them.

Enid clearly did though, as she came from behind Ember with a cake that was covered in blood red icing with a sparkler on top. A fondant figure in a black cloak with an axe stood beside it, holding a pink balloon.

"I suppose you told everyone about this?" Ember asked Wednesday, as the singing.

"No. You know I think birthdays are a trivial waste of time that celebrate nothing but one's desire to die quicker," Wednesday rolled her eyes. "If you must know, it was-"

"Thing," Ember realised, as she saw the hand resting on a nearby ledge, a small party hat on his severed wrist. She leaned down to talk to him. "I should've known you were behind this. What part of no party under the penalty of death do you not understand?"

Thing shrugged.

"Well, I thought my cake design was pretty inspired," Xavier shrugged. "I knew a girl like you wouldn't want a rainbow cake like Enid was suggesting."

"Well, I got the pink balloon through you," Enid sighed, pointing to the touch she had added. "Why don't you make a wish?"

But Ember, meanwhile, had spotted something else; a carving, on the wall in the crypt. "Wait, it's Latin," she said, going over and kneeling down, translating it in her head. "Fire will rain... when I rise."