What Lies Beneath ▸ House of Anubis [1]

chapter sixteen. house of confrontation

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            "When daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eye shall see," Fabian repeats the riddle for the thousandth time since we met up for breakfast. We're in the kitchen, and fortunately no one else is here.

            Apparently, Amber hasn't been listening. "Is that on the Shakespeare test?"

            "No, it's the clue—"

            "Oh, right! I don't get it, though. Do you? By the way, do you guys know what is on the Shakespeare test?"

            Flatly, I answer, "Shakespeare."

            Nina recites, "Daytime ends at midday, through tears of glass the eye shall see..."

            I sigh loudly. "I don't get it."

            "We need to figure it out," Fabian states, "so lunchtime, yeah?"

            Amber and I agree to his terms by putting our hand over our eye and chorusing together, "Sibuna."

            Nina smiles. "Sibuna."

            Sibuna. We have an actual name for our mystery club. Like Mystery Inc., but cooler.

            "Why can't there be a map or something?" Amber complains. I have to agree. All these riddles and hieroglyphics—what's wrong with a simple map where X marks the spot? "That's what you usually get when you're looking for treasure."

            From behind us at the kitchen door, Mick asks, "What treasure?"

            "Oh, nothing!" Nina lies. I hope he didn't hear the riddle. Not that he would get it, but still. "Just some little kid's pirate's thing on the back of a cereal box. I'm, like, really into pirates. Like, so much."

            I think I may need to teach Nina Martin the art of lying. Rule number one: Don't add unnecessary details (for example, I'm really into pirates). It usually makes the lie seem even more like a lie than the truth, which is what you're aiming for when you tell a lie.

            "Right," Mick says slowly, staring at us. Then he says to his girlfriend, "Hi, Amber."

            "Hi, boo!" Amber exclaims, and I'm worried we're about to watch something disgustingly-couple-like go down at breakfast.

            "I, um—" Mick holds out a box. "Ta-da!"

            "It's lovely," Amber gushes. "Thank you!"

            "And I thought, like, maybe we could hang out this lunchtime?" he suggests as she glances toward us. "Seeing as you sneaked off without me yesterday."