The Connection (House Of Anubis)

[Chapter Seventy-Nine]

Nina, Amber and Joy all began to search the library during Mr. Sweets class. They had waited for Amelia outside of the library for ten minutes before deciding to go in. "Do either of you know where she is? She was supposed to meet us here," Nina told the two girls as they stepped into the library. Both girls shrugged their shoulders, "I haven't seen her all day," Joy told them. Nina began to worry but she brushed it off, knowing that they had a limited amount of time to find the key to the mask. "Okay, let's do this."

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Patricia, Alfie and Fabian began to discuss what Rufus' talk with Vera on the phone meant. None of them noticed Rufus leave the room that held Jerome and walk all the way across the field to another small room to grab his daughter. A minute later, Rufus emerged from the room, his hand secured tightly around Amelia's wrist as he marched them to the room that held Jerome. "Change of plan," he told her as he opened the barn door and pushed her into the room.

"Amelia?" "You told me we had a deal," Amelia yelled as she turned to face her father after seeing Jerome. "What deal? Amelia what's going on," Jerome asked her as he stood up from his seat. "My darling daughter here tried to martyr herself for you. But then you had to go and try and run away. And that's when I realized I need the both of you." "No, you don't! I'm the one you need; just let him go please," she pleaded but nothing was going to get through her father's thick skull.

"You my dear are incorrect. Yes, you are the key to what I want, but Jerome is my leverage. The other's don't know that I have you and therefore if I lose Jerome, I lose all initial leverage that I had. I guess I'll just have to keep both of you, won't I," he longingly sighed. They were caught off guard when they heard someone walking around outside. "I'll be right back. Don't move," he warned them as he walked out of the barn to go find out who was out there.

"Amelia what the heck are you doing here," Jerome asked her but instead of answering she just ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed into his chest as he wrapped his arms back around her and placed his head on top of hers. "I promised I'd help him get what he wanted if he let you go, and-and he told me he would," she whimpered as she continued to cry into his chest. "You should have stayed at Anubis House; I can't bare seeing you get hurt and have to face your father again," Jerome exclaimed as he rubbed small circles on her back. "I would always sacrifice myself for you, even if it meant having to face my father, because my biggest fear isn't just seeing him again, it's you getting hurt by him," she confessed.

They broke a part once Rufus walked back in, holding a slightly unconscious Eddie. "How cute," he sneered as he brushed past them and pushed Eddie into the chair that once held Jerome. "Eddie," Amelia yelled as tears began to fall from her eyes, even harder than before. "Let him go," she screamed as she ran forward, but before she could reach him Rufus harshly shoved her back. Jerome rushed to catch her as Eddie's eyes flew open. He frantically looked around at his best friend, Jerome and the man in front of him, and went to speak. Rufus hit Eddie in the head once more and threw a blanket over him. Amelia let out a small scream and continued to cry.

"Now, if you two don't comply with me, that will happen to the rest of your meddling friends. Are we clear?" They both nodded their heads as Amelia followed Rufus out to his car. Jerome lagged behind and slipped his father's gem that he had just stolen back, into Eddie's pocket. "Sorry buddy," he whispered before running out of the barn room and to Rufus' car. "Sorry just grabbing my bracelet I dropped," Jerome lied as he wrapped his hand around his wrist to hide the fact that he was lying. "Just get in will you," Rufus huffed as he slightly shoved Jerome into the car.

Jerome slightly fell into Amelia before straightening himself up and buckling his seatbelt. "You okay," he whispered to her and watch as she hesitantly nodded her head. "So Princess, tell me all about your connection to the house and how you figured it out." "Why should I," Amelia spat back at her father. "I just figured you would want to fill up the silence with some small talk," he answered back as he shrugged his shoulders. Jerome looked back and forth between the two feeling out of the loop.