*Unedited*
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The next morning Amber looked at her new 'tattoo' on her ankle in fear, watching as Camilla loaded her wrist with bracelets after she proved to Amber with her own 'tattoo' that cancelier did nothing and because it was magic it just shine through the makeup.
"I'm not sure who I'm more scared off," Amber said to her roommates as they dressed for school, Camilla pulling black knee-high socks up over her fishnet tights before slipping on boots with heels on them. "this spirit or my dad." This caused Camilla to laugh as she had met Amber's dad and he didn't seem too scary to her. Though that could be because it was Parents' Day.
Nina was panicking though she did admit that an ankle wasn't too bad a place for the mark to be socks could hide it Camilla's wrist was one of the main worries; it was harder to hide. The American girl rushed over to Amber with her box of socks in her hands, "here, these will cover it..."
Amber looked in the box with more disgust, she'd rather show off the tattoo than try to mix and match stripy and neon socks. "Okay... so I just have to wear long socks for the rest of daddy's life? That will look great around the pool."
Nina sat down on the bed with a sigh, she knew the comment wasn't meant to be one of malice, it was just Amber talking, "I'm so sorry Amber, I didn't want this for you..." Nina then looked at Camilla who was leaning on the end of Amber's bed. She had been hard on Camilla over the last few days. Taking much of her anger on Fabian out on the twin who had done more than anyone could have asked her including saving Nina's life. "you too Cam, I didn't want this for you."
"I'm destined to protect you Nim, anything dangerous you get yourself into you know I've always got you're back," Camilla told her with a smile. Nina knowing, she had read between the lines and had accepted her apology.
"It's okay," Amber reassured the American girl, "I was with you anyway, now I'm just really with you," she joked causing a smile to creep onto Nina's face.
Before any of the girls could say anything more Patricia burst into the room – still in her PJ's – rolling up her dressing gown to reveal the Mark of Anubis on her wrist.
"What do you call this?" Patricia demanded.
"Membership?" Amber offered pointing too her mark then at Camilla's.
"Hey, Twinsies!" Camilla pushed up bracelets to show Patricia her mark on her wrist too.
"You guys too?" Patricia asked in worry, "who else?" she asked Nina.
Before Nina could reply Alfie burst into the room, tie hanging loose around his neck his shirt on but his PJ bottoms still on, "I am freaking out!" he told them all, "I just required a tattoo overnight!" he turned to lift the bottom of his trouser leg revealing the Mark of Anubis on his thigh. "I'm too young. It's illegal, and if I had the choice, I would have gone for some fire breathing dragon!" he listed off in a panic.
"not my name?" Amber asked genuinely hurt he didn't consider it.
"We broke up!" he told her in a high-pitched voice clearly this argument with Amber was not one he needed right now.
"Does this mean we're cursed?" Patricia looked to Nina, "are our lives at risk too?" she demanded wanting to know answers.
Nina glanced away as Fabian wandered into the room, clearly, he heard Alfie's sprint up the stairs and wanted to know what it was all about. He glanced down as Alfie showed him the mark, "So you've met the spirit?" he said to the newly tattooed Sibuna's.
"Met?! Stamped!" Patricia corrected him holding out her wrist causing worry to flash across Fabian's face.
"We've all got them?!" He asked Nina, who could do nothing more than worry.
"What about you?" Alfie asked having seen Camilla's tattoo as he ran into the room.
"Fabian and Camilla got them a while ago..." Nina explained to Alfie and Patricia. "After me."
"What?! And you didn't think it was important to tell us it's kind of contiguous," Patricia argued.
"But when Amber never got one...We, we assumed it was just us. Camilla is a motivation for Nina to keep going..." Fabian explained.
"And you? Why do you have one?"
"Because the spirit knew I'd do anything if I meant keeping Fabian safe." Camilla spoke up causing heads to turn her way, "My Chosen One is important, but Fabian is blood. That's far more important to me. She knows that." Fabian sent Camilla a smile which she returned.
"We could have at least got a nice one like the white feather behind Camilla's ear, not this Mask," Amber added to them all out of nowhere causing the smiles on the twin's faces to turn into ones of disbelief.
"WHAT?!" Alfie, Camilla and Patricia said causing Camilla to turn, push her hair back and show them the symbol of Thoth feather she had tattooed in white there.
As she turned back, she shrugged, "it's a magic thing, helps me focus or something in magic classes. None of you will get that as I chose to get this..."
"Kinda..." Fabian mumbled for her causing Camilla to smile.
Patricia looked between them all, "from now on. We make all decisions together. Okay?"
Everyone but Camilla nodded because she wasn't going to agree to that. If she had to make a choice to save one of them, she would do so without organising a little group meeting first. Thankfully Patricia's back was to Camilla so she didn't see the girl not agree to her terms and conditions but Amber and Fabian did and from the glance, the pair shared they knew they had to keep an eye on Camilla in case she did something stupid in order to save them all.
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Camilla was using the fact Victor couldn't see to her advantage in magic class that day. Sadly, she didn't have any magic classes yesterday and she knew she only had so many hour's left of none-seeing time with Victor. The moment she was in the lab she had grabbed an old Grimoire she had spotted a few weeks ago with Victor's name written in it (ages 17-21 written neatly next to his name). she just wanted to do something simple, something magic. She had seen the fire spell she'd used on the spirit in the book and wanted to read it a little more carefully and see if she could do it again. Which is how she found herself cross-legged on the table – because why not – a candle in front of her. The spell said to use salt as part of its ingredients but it wasn't necessary for the spell to work if using a candle. To be safe Camilla had poured a little salt into the top of the candle, better to be safe than sorry.
"Phasmatus Ignitium Dos Ex Salvo," she said opening her hand from a fist into an open hand, imaging a flame flickering as she did so to reveal nothing once again. By this point, she had realised the spell worked for her in the tunnels due to sheer damn luck because right now she was getting nothing. "Come on Camilla. Just once. You have," Camilla paused to glance at her phone, "5 minutes till next class. Just do it once," She squared her shoulders and said, "Phasmatus Ignitium Dos Ex Salvo," copying the movements this time a tiny flame burst to light from the candle.
Before she could celebrate a familiar angry voice came from the doorway causing the flame to go out leaving a lazy tendril of smoke in its wake, "That is an expensive table young lady, get down from it now!"
Camilla rolled her eyes, "I guess someone can see again." Camilla turned to face him, not getting off the table using the seat she normally sat on as a place to put her feet as she looked at Victor.
"Am I in trouble?" she asked softly.
"Have a guess."
"No?"
"Have another guess," Victor replied but the smile on his face told her he found her attempt amusing.
"Come on Vicky it was just a little magic..." Camilla groaned.
"Camilla, we have a rule about magic." Victor told her, "You are not to perform unnecessary magic until-"
"-Until I'm ready and have built up my inner storage..." Camilla rolled her eyes at him. "I don't see why not. I'm in our lab, no one is going to see me perform magic here."
"There are eyes that can see all. There will be a time when you will not be limited to my rules, but till then please know I'm doing it for your own good." Victor sighed as he collected the Grimoire she had been studying from and put it back on the shelf. His eyes pausing to look. "One day when density comes calling you will understand why I am delaying your magic learning to the basics... perhaps that day you will thank me for doing so."
Camilla looked at him, he looked tired and worried. There was something he wasn't telling her, there had always been something he was yet to tell her and whenever he thought about it that same tired, worried, dark look crossed his face. Camilla wished she knew what it was that made him look that way, but she knew right now wasn't the time to push her luck. "I have class so I'll babysit Corbierre later or something," Camilla smiled at him, patting the top of the bird's head as she jumped off the table.
Victor watched her go with a sigh.
She had had that look on her face. That look that showed she was frustrated with the lack of information given to her yet again by him and didn't plan on relenting, but neither was she going to say anything. "She will find out the truth," Victor noted to Corbierre, "and she's willing to wait a very long time - but she will find out the truth. I don't think our Deity is ready for the day she does."
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Poppy Clarke was on the hunt for Camille-Anne Rutter. She had even gone up to Fabian and asked him where he was, "Where's your twin?"
"I don't know. Let me use my telepathy to find her,"
That wasn't helpful. It wasn't until she had done her third loop of the school did, she hear her laugh along with Jerome's in the student lounge. Poppy paused by the door, listening in to the two older teens laughing together a small smile appearing on her face as Jerome laughed once again at something. It was a happy laugh. A genuine laugh. Something she hadn't heard from her brother in such a long time. Poppy liked Mara she did, but the girl didn't make her brother as happy as clearly Camilla did effortlessly. She knew her brother had a crush on Mara though, but she wasn't blind. She saw the way his head turned as he heard Camilla's voice or the way the two automatically sat next to each other when in the student's lounge or to fell into step with each other effortlessly when walking in the hallways. There was something there with both Jerome and Camilla, something deeper than simply a crush and Poppy just wished the two teens she loved would open their eyes and see it. Of course, she didn't have much time to dwell on this as she marched into the room and headed straight for the pair.
"Popsicle," Camilla greeted Poppy with a bright smile whereas Jerome just rolled his eyes with a sigh.
"Uh, have you got a second for me?" she asked looking to Camilla.
Camilla sat up and swung her legs off Jerome's lap, "for you? I have a whole minute."
Poppy paused and looked to Jerome, "Gerbil I need my sister alone for a bit... girl stuff." Jerome looked between the girls; Camilla shrugged clearly; she had no clue either. If Poppy did really have 'girl stuff' to talk about Jerome didn't really want to take part in the conversation and he got up. Poppy sitting down in his place waiting until he had left the room to talk to Camilla.
"I found the letter from my dad, in Jerome's room. " Poppy told her, Camilla's mouth opening in realisation. This was not girl stuff... this was Clarke family stuff.
Camilla rubbed Poppy's arm in a comforting way as they waited on the world's most uncomfortable chairs, in a white clinically clean room that was joined onto the visiting room in the prison John Clarke now called home.
"Thank you for coming with me to do this," Poppy told Camilla in a soft whisper.
"I'm always going to be here for you, Popsicle," Camilla smiled at her. When Poppy told her, her plan to miss last period so she could go to the prison's visiting hours from the moment she could. She wanted to get to know her dad. Of course, Camilla wasn't going to stop the girl, but she felt it was a bit weird letting Poppy see a man she had never seen before in prison and had asked if she could go too for support. Though it was more just for Poppy's safety. "plus, it will be nice to meet your dad, see where you and J get your sneaky nature." Camilla added causing Poppy to laugh which was why she had said it.
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The bell rang to say the prisoners were at their tables ready for their visitors. Poppy grabbed Camilla's hand as they got to their feet and turned to look into the room. Sat at the table in the middle was a middle-aged man with dirty blonde hair who looked up as Poppy and Camilla walked into the room. The smile that appeared on his face and the tears that formed in his eyes, as he took in Poppy was enough to make Camilla relax and know he wasn't the creep she was scared he was.
"D-Dad?" Poppy whispered as the man stood up his hand covering his mouth as if he was shocked to see her there.
"Poppy?" he spoke, his voice thick with emotion.
Camilla pushed Poppy towards her dad, the two deserved to have a hug. The man met a stumbling Poppy halfway and held her close to him in amusement. A smile appearing onto her face as she took in the scene.
As the two parted the man turned his attention to Camilla, "John Clarke," he said holding his hand to her, Camilla took it and shook it with a smile as Poppy took a seat at the table.
"Camilla, Camilla-Anne Rutter."
John's smile turned into a smirk as he sat down, Camilla following, "ah so you're the girl in the prom photo Joan sent me. So are you Jerome's girlfriend if the other girl isn't?"
"He wishes," Camilla said.
"One day." Poppy said at the same time causing Camilla to look at her and receive an innocent look from Poppy. As Camilla turned back to look at John, she missed the young girl wink at her dad causing a smile to spread onto her face. John was now in on plan Jemilla (even if he didn't know that was the ship name) this girl was happy to accompany his Poppy to see him, Poppy seemed completely at ease with her and from the picture, his wife had sent him the two clearly had a connection but they seemed to be in denial.
"So tell me everything," John asked Poppy who was more than happy to talk. Camilla sat silently at she took in Poppy's words. Her and Jerome? She had never really thought much about that, she didn't hate the idea at all though.
The beep of the door to the visitor's room rang out again, and Camilla turned to see who was coming in, surprised to see Jerome walk into the room. Clearly, he was also surprised to see her as his eyes widened, "Camilla? What are you?" he then looked beside her to see Poppy turning to see him too, "Poppy?! What are you guys doing here?" he demanded as he approached them.
"Eh, I don't know seeing my dad maybe?" Poppy sarcastically responded.
"Kids..." John started, but Jerome ignored him, as he pulled a sat up next to Camilla and leant over her to talk to Poppy. Camilla sighed and let back, giving John a look as if it to say, 'this is normal'
"you went into my room; you went through my stuff!"
"our stuff!" Poppy argued back. "Gerbil that letter was for me too!"
"Poppy!" John warned.
"Misfit," Jerome growled.
"mutant." Poppy instantly replied which caused Jerome to click by her ear and then hell broke loose the two fighting over Camilla's chair who was quick to push her chair back so she wouldn't get hit.
"KIDS!" John screamed causing them to stop fighting. Camilla got to her feet to allow the family to have a moment, putting her chair on the pile by the door. Camilla saw John hand Poppy some cash and she got up, racing to the vending machine. Camilla took that as her opportunity to approach the two Clarke men.
"Next time come alone," she heard John end as she approached them and she tried to hide her curiosity but from the look on Jerome's face he saw it.
"I'm going to go... I only came so Poppy wouldn't be alone, I'm sure Jerome will be happy to make sure she gets back to school okay." Camilla told the two.
John got to his feet and Camilla thought he was going to shake her hand again but the man surprised her and pulled her into a hug, "thank you, for being there for my two. It means a lot to me." He whispered in the girl's ear.
"They are some of the best people I know," Camilla whispered back as she hugged him.
Poppy sat back down as the two parted and Camilla put her hand on Jerome's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, Jerome placing his hand on hers and looking up at her with a smile. Nothing more needed to be said between them. Camilla was right in that moment to let Poppy see her dad with someone there, he had been too overprotective. He was glad once again they both had Camilla.
"I'll see you at home J," Camilla told him softly, before she looked at Poppy with a grin, "see you for our epic dance-off tomorrow Popsicle, I am winning it this time."
"Oh, we'll see about Cam," Poppy laughed but waved at the girl as she left before turning to her dad. Jerome not turning around until Camilla and turned the corner out of his sight.
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Camilla couldn't find any of the Sibuna's anywhere, which meant only one thing. As she raced into the kitchen, she couldn't help but let out a small squeak of surprise as Eddie turned to her with a sandwich that belonged in a scooby doo episode.
"Sorry," Eddie mumbled his mouth full of sandwich, "I didn't mean to scare you..."
"The only thing that scares me, Jerk face, is your manners," Camilla retorted instantly, "eat with your mouth closed. At least Alfie can do that."
Eddie rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he left the kitchen. Camilla waited a full minute – she counted it was a whole 60 seconds – until she ran to the fake oven and opened the door to it, crawling down to the cellar.
The tunnels where silent. That was the first thing Camilla heard as the light beam faded away. There were no pendulum swings nothing until there was a scream of, "Alfie!" Camilla knew that voice straight away it was Ambers causing the girl to sprint to through the tunnels. As she reached the chasm, she saw the Sibuna's (Well all but Amber and Alfie) crowded around a small grate on the other side, all of them panicked state.
Fabian turned as he saw his sister walking the chasm in a hurry, "Alfie, there was a landslide... Amber is inside...." was all he said causing Camilla's eyes to widen.
Her friends were in trouble.
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Some Clarke Family moments! Along with some more hints about magic stuff that will come into play soon!
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Love ya
Sarah xxx