Force of Nature ▸ House of Anubis [3]

chapter twenty-two. house of antechambers

            "He'll be here," I say, sighing deeply as I rest my head on my hand. "I miss our old Sibuna room."

            Fabian looks at me. "Ashley, you sleep there."

            "I know," I say, "but remember all the good times we had in there? The Ankh Cup, the messages behind the wallpaper, the dollhouse... God, those were so much simpler."

            Patricia pauses, raising an eyebrow. "Were they?"

            "Okay," Eddie interrupts, "let's just get started. So, item one: tank dude."

            "It's Robert Frobisher-Smythe," Fabian repeats our conclusion.

            "Fabian, it can't be," Eddie insists.

            "Except it is," I agree with Fabian. "Eddie, I go way back with this place. I know a Frobisher-Smythe when I see one."

            "Hold up," KT says. "Who's this Frobisher-Smythe guy again?"

            Fabian looks at her like she's grown two heads. "Only the greatest Egyptologist ever."

            "He lived here," Eddie explains. "His family founded this place."

            "My great-grandmother," I add, "Lily Henry, was adopted by them. She was best friends with their daughter Sarah."

            "He's, like, the original Sibuna," Patricia says.

            "Yes, but we don't know that," Eddie says. "Okay, we need to find out for sure."

            I shake my head, arguing, "We know for sure. You don't believe me and Fabian?"

            "It's not that I don't believe you, it's that it's crazy. Come on, you said it yourself."

            "Crazy is kind of our life, Eddie."

            Patricia stands up, motioning for us to stop. "Whoa, people who are related to Sweetie. Stop." Fabian chuckles as Eddie and I glare at her. KT just looks at us. "How about we just agree that you're both crazy and get on with it then? We have to be back at school soon."

            KT gets our meeting back on track, saying hesitantly as she looks at us, "I have something to tell you, and it's big. But if you know the truth, it'll stop you from snooping through my things," that's directed to Patricia, "you jumping to conclusions," to Fabian, "and you from agreeing with those conclusions," to me. I don't even try to tell her again I was hesitant about labelling her an agent of the enemy. "Truth is, my grandfather sent me here with a mission. He said a great evil was about to be awoken, and I had to stop it."

            Fabian and Patricia glance at each other as KT takes her key out from her pocket. "He just gave me the key—" Fabian says it at the same time she does. "But, hey," she chuckles nervously, "my mission, my fight."

            "No!" Fabian denies before I get the chance to say anything. "No way. You're not doing this on your own."

            "The point of Sibuna," I add, "is that we work together. We all have our pieces of the puzzle and we need each other to put them together. Our mission, our fight."

            Fabian nods, agreeing with me. "Right, Eddie? Patricia?"

            "Yeah," Patricia agrees after a second, "but no more secrets, okay?"

            "Got it," KT says.

            "Okay, well, first," Eddie says, "find out who sleepy is." I open my mouth to say we know who it is, but he shushes me. "And second, stop great evil. Any questions?"