Force of Nature ▸ House of Anubis [3]

chapter fifteen. house of mistrust

            "We need to go and find her," Alfie insists.

            "Listen, you need to calm down!" Patricia tells us, lowering her voice. "Amber is probably hiding in a cupboard, and if Miss Denby finds her, what's she going to do? Detention? Big deal."

            "More like expulsion for breaking into a teacher's house," I correct.

            KT comes out of the living room, speaking, "Did I just hear right?" Oh, man, I forgot she and Eddie were in there! "Amber's in the gatehouse?!"

            That's way too shocked a tone for it to be just a regular concern for Amber. I glance at the others before stepping forward. "Why are you saying it like that? What do you know about the gatehouse?"

            "More than any of you do," Eddie retorts. "You shouldn't have been there."

            "Eddie, trust me, I know way more than you do about any of this," I say sharply. "Don't. You two, explain. Right now."

            KT crosses her arms. "You four explain first and maybe we'll explain."

            "I'm not playing this back-and-forth game!" Patricia exclaims. "Look, just—" She grabs my arm, pulling me into the living room. I look into the kitchen and see no one; they must've gone back to their rooms and I didn't notice. The others follow and she turns on her heel to face Eddie and KT. "We don't need to explain ourselves to you."

            KT shakes her head. "Why were you guys even there? You can't trust Denby."

            "And why should we believe you?"

            "Okay, don't ask us how we know," Eddie says, "but Denby's dangerous, all right? She's capable of anything."

            "What is that supposed to mean?" Fabian asks.

            "You have to get Amber out of there," KT says insistently.

            "Like we'd do anything you said," Patricia snipes.

            There's a whistling sound from the entrance hall and before I get a chance to turn back and see what it is, Fabian says quickly, "Victor's locking up."

            "Fabian, please, go!" KT says, begging.

            If he locks the doors now, there goes our best chance to figure out where Amber actually is before it's too late! Fabian, Patricia, Alfie, and I jump to stop Victor from locking the house, running in front of the door. "Victor! No, no—er, no!" Fabian shouts, sliding to a stop. "I mean, um..."

            "There's a mouse!" Alfie exclaims. "No! A rat! No, he's big. Big! Crazy."

            Victor's ever-present glare is even more present as he stares Alfie down. "Oh, I smell a rat, all right. And you," he adds, turning back to Fabian. "I would have thought after your recent behavior, you would not dare test my patience again."

            "But, Victor," Patricia says, "there really was a rat. Please!"

            "Rooms," he says. "Now!"

            The four of us share a look before the boys go down the hall. Patricia motions for me to go up the stairs with her as we hear Victor's nightly chant.

            "It's ten o'clock! You have five minutes precisely, and then I want to hear a pin drop."

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