Is this really another a chapter?
This is another chapter about five months later. I at least owe you all that I finish this last installment to my HOA stories. And I'll make time for writing these because I know some people have waited too long, and others have still been reading, and it'd just be shameful to not give my Aristocrats, as I call you, a well-deserved, proper ending. Better late than never.
And before I go into the actual chapter, I'll provide a recap if you don't wish to reread the others. Maybe the later ones you might-whatever suits you. But I'll provide points that pertain to the story here on out, and just important past events in general.
-The Sibuna members were invited to serve as mentors back at their old boarding school
-Jerome and Amber are engaged, although Jerome and Joy have gotten a bit close
Joy broke up with Erik
-Patricia and Eddie have a daughter named Lucille; Nina and Fabian have a daughter named Sarah; Alfie and Willow have a son named William
-Mr. Perry, the new principal/headmaster mysteriously replaced Mr. Sweet(who is currently missing)
-Mr. Perry along with Trudy, Vera(who is back), Carol, Michael Taylor(drama teacher), Jameson Williams, (and kind of, sort of KT) are in the Secret Society
-Mr. Perry's mission is to obtain the Dream book from the Egyptian goddess Neith who is currently keeping her own son, Tithoes/Tutu locked away and captive
-to complete this mission, he's making people unconscious using the Dream Stone(which sends them into a never-ending nightmare, weakening Tithoes and pleasing Neith) and also searching for three sacrifices, which include the Osirion and Chosen One
-Willow, Amber, and the three children are in dream states
-Eddie was captured and taken to the gatehouse
-Jerome and Nina have gone off to a mysterious shed in the woods to protect the others
-Patricia, Joy, Alfie, and Fabian are the only Sibuna members together and in Anubis house who are entirely conscious
And if this isn't enough, the discussion questions at the end of the chapters might help re-jog your memory. Or maybe just re-reading the last few chapters.
Anyway, without further ado, here is that chapter.
~~~~~
Mr. Perry and KT had eventually met back up with Eddie, prepared to use the method. It involved a drop of blood into a sacrificial bowl, followed by a chant, and then it should initiate. Mr. Perry held the dagger out to Eddie, but warned him if he tried any funny business, he wouldn't hesitate to do this the harder way. There was another way to go about this method, which would involve more pain, screaming, possibly crying...things everyone wanted to avoid.
"What exactly will I be doing?" Eddie asked as he took the dagger. "When I'm being controlled and all."
"We just need you to get Nina for us. Another one of your friends would be great too. So we can avoid finding a random sacrifice," Mr. Perry explained.
Eddie didn't respond. He cut his hand and let the blood drop into the bowl, watching as it settled in the bottom. Mr. Perry and KT began the incantation, which was probably in Arabic, and eventually it began to kick in. Eddie began to feel dizzy as the room began to spin. And the voices of Mr. Perry and KT began to echo in his mind. The room grew darker, and he began hallucinating.
That is, all this happened until the incantation stopped. Eddie leaned against the wall, his eyes shut tightly. Since everything had gone exactly as planned, Eddie was now under their control.
~~~~~
The next morning, Nina and Jerome sat outside the shed.
"Ok, tell me," Nina began, "how exactly can you help me free Tithoes? How do I have the dream?"
Jerome took a deep breath. "It involves my dagger."
"It-it doesn't involve blood, does it?"
"I could tell you no...but then I'd be lying."
"My blood?" Nina raised her eyebrows.
"Your blood," Jerome nodded, confirming it. "And from my dagger it must drip into fire. And from then on, a little ritual will take place as of which, I'll do the rest."
"How do you know all this?" Nina asked. "How do you know what to do, where to go-how do you know everything right now?"
"I've done my research."
Jerome cleared his throat as he set ablaze a fire. He took out his dagger and held out his hand, asking for Nina's. She held hers out to him, and Jerome steadily held it over the fire. He was a bit hesitant, but eventually he slit the blade against her skin, allowing the blood to drip down into the flames, as Nina flinched a bit.
Jerome began the incantation. The fire seemed to rise and fall with his words, and Nina began feeling faint. Jerome removed her hand from over the fire, put down the dagger and stood to his feet, hurrying over right next to Nina.
"I'm so very sorry," Jerome apologized quickly. "You'll understand in time, Nina."
Nina was too dazed to comprehend what he meant as she fell into deep unconsciousness.
She awoke in a nightmare.
~~~~~
"Where could Daniel have possibly taken Eddie?" Patricia asked the others, requesting ideas.
"It could be anywhere," Joy admitted.
"But he always plays his cards a certain way. It's just a whole game he's set up; there's a pattern in his actions," Fabian pointed out.
"Enough with the metaphors," Alfie moaned. "What are you saying?"
"That he probably took Eddie to a place that we already know." A light bulb sparked in Fabian's head, and the others could tell by the expression on his face. He began thinking out loud. "He blatantly invites us everywhere. He makes sure we see what he wants us to see, so that we think we're a step ahead, but we're really not. We've fallen into so many traps already, and this is exactly how he wants things to go. Maybe he knew we'd be coming to the shed to rescue Alfie, and it was then that he came to take Eddie. How else could it have been coordinated so perfectly? Because he needs the Osirion. And with the Osirion he can apply the Method Beyond Resist. And then he can send Eddie after Ni-"
With that, the door to Anubis house opened up. The four of them were sitting around the dining table when they rose to their feet, holding their breaths.
Eddie entered the very room they were in.
"I'm looking for Nina."
~~~~~
And so I hope you enjoyed this chapter, my Aristocrats. If you'd like any closure on the characters or what's happening that you don't understand, feel free to ask. I'll answer as soon as possible. I don't know how much longer this will be, but it has quite a lot to go through, before the ending, so several chapters are left for sure.
And discussion questions.
Do you think Eddie can escape their control?
What do you think Jerome really did to Nina?
Until next time.