Layla's POV
"I may not have my cameras any more. But I'm still watching you, remember that," Victor told us the next morning as Nina, Amber, Patricia, and I headed down the stairs to school.
"Amber wants to see the photo of Victor the ever-living," Patricia said as Fabian joined us by our lockers.
"That is soooo creepy," Amber stated as she stared at the picture.
"It gets even creepier. There are two or three other ones, all from different years," Fabian said as he pulled out a few more.
"Do you think he's a ghost or I don't know a vampire?" Amber asked.
"No, Amber, I do not," Nina said.
"Although, I do think it's confirmation of the existence of an elixir of life," I piped up.
"Okay, so now we've got proof, can we go tell someone? Please. This is just getting too scary," Amber pleaded.
"We have got the photos to back it up," Nina agreed.
"Nina, do you remember what happened the last time? Trudy hasn't even arrived back yet!" I argued.
"Who do we show them to? It's not enough proof. Photos can be doctored," Fabian added.
"We need to get our hands on the elixir itself," Nina said.
"That means going back down to the cellar," Amber slowly said.
"If it means going into the cellar again then that's what we'll do. We'll go back, we'll steal some of the stuff, bring it back and get it analysed. Don't worry. I'll do it myself," Fabian said.
"No. We stick together. I'm coming with you," Nina told him.
"I'm coming too," Patricia agreed.
"Sibuna, Amber? Come on. You started this club. You named it and everything. It's not the same without you," Nina goaded. "Sibuna?"
"Sibuna," she nodded.
"Hey, I would love to go, but I was told I have to take 2 of the aspirin tablets every night and you know how sleepy they make me," I said slowly, wishing I could go with them.
"Hey, it's okay, that's not your fault," my sister said as she pulled me into a side hug.
"Hmm, maybe I'll see if Jerome and Alfie want to do another marathon night?" I said as I followed them to class, failing to notice that one of the boys was hiding and had heard our whole conversation with a smug smile at my last words.
*****
"Good morning everyone. Listen, before we start today's class, I'd like to draw your attention to this sheet of paper on the wall here. Anyone who's interested in auditioning for the school play, sign your autograph up there. Amber, Nina, Layla, how are you doing with the script?" Mr. Winkler asked.
"Nina and Layla are all over it!" Amber said quickly. I had let Nina do most of the writing as my wrist was still recovering.
"We've written some of the early scenes. But we're not sure if they're winkler-worthy yet," Nina hesitated.
"Don't worry about it okay? It's a work in progress. But I would like to start auditioning from next week if that's okay," he told us.
"Next week?" Nina freaked.
"I'm sure it'll be great!" Fabian reassured.
"I'm not. We've gone with the whole Sarah and Charlotte theme. But, I just hope we're doing the right thing.
As I was leaving at the end of the class I suddenly found myself crashing to the floor. I looked over to see Brandon smirking at me. The jackass had tripped me! I gathered up my bag and hurried out of the room doing my best not to let it get to my head. I had friends for once so why should I let a bully at my new school get to me! My little pep talk didn't really help though...
*****
I hurried back to Anubis house during lunch so that I could get started on Trudy's welcome back cake. I had prepped everything this morning so all I had to do was mix everything together and then put it in the over to bake. I'd never tried making an actual cake before so I wasn't sure how well it would go. Since it looked like I was the only one at the house I decided I might as well embrace my mood and turned the volume up on my phone as I started to sing out loud.
Victor's POV
I frowned as I could suddenly hear music start playing from the kitchen but as the girl's voice floated up the stairs I leaned back in my chair with a frown. She reminded me so much of Charlotte for some reason - she had also loved to sing in that kitchen as she cooked...but unfortunately she had been stolen from Rufus and I many years ago and as much as this Layla child might remind me of her, their was no going back.
(I'm in a Rut - Sophie Pecora)
Jerome's POV
I could hear music playing as I entered Anubis house to grab something for lunch and I stopped in my tracks as I entered the living room and saw Layla messing around in the kitchen as she sang.
(Numb Little Bug - Em Beihold)
Wow, she has such a beautiful voice, I thought to myself and not just that, but the song choice was something I could definitely relate to. I stepped further into the room, careful to stay quiet so I wouldn't interrupt her as the next song began and I watched her dance around the kitchen to the beat.
(I'm Fine - Sophia Pecora)
"You don't really feel that way, do you?" I couldn't help myself from asking. Grinning as she spun around with a gasp of surprise.
"Oh, hey, Jerome! I'm sorry, I didn't realize anyone else was home," she said, turning off the music.
"It's okay, you have a lovely voice by the way, though you haven't answered my question," I prodded as I walked into the kitchen and looked at her closely. It had only been so many weeks since she and her sister had moved into Anubis house but other than that business with Patricia (which seemed to have ended) things had seemed to be going well enough. Though I guess I hadn't considered the fact that she was all alone in a whole different country. It never occurred to me how difficult that might be. "If your missing your friends back home or something, that's totally understandable, you know," I told her gently, not that I could relate. Alfie was basically the only friend I had ever had until she arrived.
"You're joking right?" She laughed. "I didn't have any friends back in the states," she said as her face went bright red. I frowned.
"Really? I find that hard to believe," I told her as I raised my brows.
"Well believe it. Everyone was too busy bullying me to want to be friends," she said with a shrug, but I could see the pain in her eyes.
"Well you do know you have friends here at Anubis house right?" I told her as I stepped a little closer and looked her in the eyes. She was so adorable when she blushed.
"Um, thanks, Jerome. Hey, will you help me get the cake out?" She said with a cough as the timer on her phone went off. I smirked but decided to let the matter rest for now, though I had a feeling that her mood had something to do with Brandon. I was now determined to make sure that after our prank tonight, he would be mine and Alfie's next target.
*****
Layla's POV
"You're back! Ah it's so good to see you!" Amber said as we arrived back at the house after school to find Trudy cleaning the staircase.
"Careful, sweetie, you'll break my ribs!" Trudy told Amber.
"Trudy Trudy Trudy Trudy! I'm so pleased to see you!" Amber jumped up and down happily.
"Welcome home, Trudy. We've really missed you," I told her.
"And you have no idea just how much. Seriously, we've all lost weight," Nina added.
"Welcome home! Can I help you with dinner tonight? Or cleaning, anything, I've just missed you sooooo much!" Amber offered. A considerable gesture on her part seeing as how much she hated cleaning.
"Thank you, sweetie, but no - school work comes first," Trudy replied.
"Trudy," Victor greeted as he entered the house.
"Victor," she replied.
"The hall is not a lounging area," Victor added, shooing us off.
*****
"Trudy! Trudy! Trudy! Trudy!" We all chanted later that evening as I brought out the cake I had baked earlier while Mara held a bouquet of flowers. My baking wasn't Trudy quality, but it would do.
"For you Trudy. We're all so pleased to have you back," Mara said as she handed her the flowers.
"Stop it you guys," Trudy said tearfully.
"Don't cry. Cook!" Alfie called out as we all laughed.
"We reckon Victor got into some serious trouble from Sweet and Andrews for firing you," Fabian commented.
"Don't be disrespectful, Fabian. I'm sure Victor thought he was doing the right thing," Trudy scolded.
"Time to put your feet up, Trudy. We'll finish this won't we Mara? " Patricia said.
"Yep," Mara replied.
"And Alfie is going to make you a cup of tea," Patricia added.
"Am I?" Alfie said shocked.
"Does he have to?" Trudy said.
"Hey, it was just a tiny fire last time!" Alfie cried out. Must have been before Nina and I arrived, I thought as I laughed along with everyone else.
"And I baked you a cake Trudy. It's not as nice as yours though," I told her as I showed her. I was better with cookies and other things that were smaller. Maybe I should make lemon bars tomorrow?
"That looks lovely, sweetheart. It is good to be back," Trudy said.
*****
"Hey, Jerome, Alfie, do you want to get started on season 3 tonight?" I asked as they opened the door when I knocked.
"Of course," Jerome said with a smile as he ushered me into the room.
"It's, been an hour, you told me to remind you to take your Aspirin," Jerome said as an alarm on his phone went off and he reached over to his nightstand and handed me the bottle of pills and a glass of water.
"Thanks, Jerome," I said as I swallowed and handed him the glass back before we continued on with the next episode.
Jerome's POV
"You are so into her, dude," Alfie chuckled as he caught me staring down at Layla who had curled up into my side and was now fast asleep on my bed. "The whole house can tell."
"Alfie, shut up," I hissed at him. "I could say the same about you and Amber."
"Are we still planning to go down into the cellar?" He asked. I frowned. I had to admit, having Layla here was extremely nice. Most girls wouldn't even get near me let alone snuggle up to me and I didn't want to leave, but at the same time, I had a reputation to protect.
"Yeah, let's do this!" I nodded as I slowly extracted myself and watched as she rolled over and hugged my pillow. Hmm. Maybe I should get her a teddy bear...girls liked that kind of thing right? And wouldn't you know, as we snuck past the living room, I noticed a slightly beaten up stuffed animal laying in the corner of the couch and snagged it before Alfie and I snuck down and hid in the cupboard waiting for Fabian and his friends.
*****
"Wake up, sleepy head, half the town is probably dead," I heard Jerome sing song to me the next morning as I groaned and sat up. "Also I have a present for you. I got you a stuffed animal," he said as he handed me Merl.
I burst out laughing as I hugged him tight and stuffed my face into the fur as I did my best to mask my giggles.
"Seriously, Jerome? This is my sister's. I gave it to her for her 8th birthday!" I told him in between fits of laughter.
"Oh," he said looking a bit uncomfortable which only made me laugh harder.
"Um...it's the thought that counts?" I told him still laughing as I got up and headed for the door.
"Here you go," I told Nina as I handed her Merl. "Jerome tried to give him to me as a present," I chuckled as she placed him back on her bed.
"He did, did he?" She said as she grinned at me.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked.
"No reason," she said as we got dressed and headed down to breakfast after filling me in on what happened to Sibuna last night. I had a feeling I knew who the zombies were but I kept my suspicions to myself.
"Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. I trust everyone slept well last night?"Alfie greeted everyone cheerfully at breakfast.
"What's it to you?" Fabian asked.
"I just care. Sleep is an essential part of life," Alfie replied.
"So tell me, did anyone hear that Cat last night? It sounded like a combination of a very old goat and a screaming baby," Jerome commented smugly.
"That wasn't a Cat. It was me. And you'd scream too if you got cornered by a pair of zombies!" Amber exclaimed.
"Amber!" Nina and Fabian said together, clearly not wanting her to talk about what had happened to them last night.
"Sorry," she told them.
"And once again, we enter the strange and unpredictable world that is Amber's mind," Jerome said.
"But Jerome, you must have heard the rumors of what's buried down in the cellar," Alfie said.
"Yes I have. The two teachers who were buried alive?" Jerome answered.
"You can hear their stomachs rumbling and at night they come out and eat your brains!" Alfie joked as he got up close to Amber.
"Alfie!" she screamed.
"Think we found our zombies," I could hear Fabian saying to my sister.
"You pig! I've never been so scared in my whole life! Except that time when my dad froze my allowance," Amber added as an afterthought.
"Amber. Roar!" Jerome teased as he held up his zombie mask.
"You think you're really funny don't you? Well, you're not," Patricia said.
"Lighten up. It was a joke. What were you doing down there anyway? Oooh! Haven't they gone quiet all of a sudden Alfie?" Jerome asked as all of us Sibuna members immediately looked down at our plates.
"Morning, Mick. And others," Mara greeted as she sat down at the table. She seemed in a particularly good mood.
"Hi Mara," Mick mumbled, not even looking at her. Seemed a bit rude in my opinion.
*****
"I really thought they were Victor related zombies," said Nina as we sat in our room before school.
"Me too. Part of his, experiments. Or family members?" Amber agreed.
"I never really thought they were zombies," Fabian stated.
"Yeah right," I said as I remembered his scream when he had first seen the portrait of Sarah in the attic.
"You were screaming louder than us," Nina chuckled.
"We still need to get the elixir analyzed," Fabian said.
"I say we give it to the police. And the photos, and the recordings," Amber suggested.
"We can't. They're in it with Victor and his spooky friends," Patricia argued.
"We need to hide it," Fabian agreed.
"I know. Give it here," demanded Patricia as she reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of juice and drank it before proceeding to pour the elixir into it.
*****
"Okay, here's a list of all the british universities with major chemistry research departments. Take your pick," Fabian said as we stared at his laptop at school. We were gathered in an empty classroom. I subtly rubbed my ankle as Patricia started talking: Brandon had managed to trip me again earlier in the hallway and it was now a bit sore, lol bough not nearly as much as my wrist still was.
"Just stop for a second. What are we gonna say exactly? Hi, we're a bunch of school students who think we've got the elixir to eternal life.
Will you test it for us? They're gonna think we're insane," I couldn't help but snigger at Patricia's impression. She grinned at me. Jerome had a point, I thought as I looked around at the group. I did have friends at Anubis house and that was more than I could say about any other point in my life but I was still feeling a bit moody.
"This is freaking me out. We have the thing, but we don't know what to do with it!" Fabian exclaimed.
"Drink it? Just an idea," Amber said as we all stared at her.
"Okay look, Layla and I are going to go see Sarah this evening. Maybe she'll be able to give us a lead?" said Nina. I frowned. I don't think I was up for that right now.
"Ask her about Rufus. They obviously know each other if he was visiting her that time," Patricia declared.
"Yeah, maybe she knows why Victor's taken him," Amber said as everyone got up to head to our next class.
Once they were gone I stopped Nina and told her that I wasn't going to be joining her to go see Sarah.
"Is everything okay, Layla?" she asked.
"Yeah, of course, I just still don't feel very good and I thought maybe I could make some lemon bars, I know how much you like them. Besides, Sarah seems respond best to you anyways. Just make sure to ask her again about Charlotte. And I also want to know more about those two protectors she mentioned. I mean why does she think I would possibly need 3 people looking after me," I said with a frown. I was more than capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.
*****
(Love Me More - Sam Smith)
I glanced up as I took out the lemon bars from the oven and realized that I could hear clapping. I turned around and almost dropped the container in my hand as I realized everyone was sitting on the couches having been listening to me.
"Oh, golly. That's the second time today!" I said as I glanced over at Jerome.
"I didn't know you could sing, Layla," Fabian commented. "Would you maybe want to play something with me?" He added. He had a guitar in his room that he liked to mess with at night sometimes.
"Are those lemon bars?!" Alfie shouted.
"Yes, Alfie, have at it," I told him as I rolled my eyes. I made sure to grab two for my sister and I before he could end up eating them all though.
"So does this mean your feeling a little better now?" Jerome asked as he passed me on my way to the couch.
"Yeah, I think so," I told him with a soft smile.