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"Okay," Nina said as she, Amber and Camilla wandered the halls of the school after Geography holding their binders to them. The three girls never thought there would be a day that the fact one of them was blind would be the least of their worries, but here they were, "So we have a poisonous web, three hooks and a spider-shaped hole thing." Nina listed off on her fingers.
"Here I was hoping this task would be about mermaids or baking," Amber added with a smile causing the girls on either side of her to laugh.
As they walked past Poppy came around the corner with some of her friends, "Hey Popsicle, how'd the English Shakespeare test go?" Camilla smiled at her little sister causing the girl to turn to the older students with a grin. Camilla had all but given her the answers at the start of the week for the test because Mrs Andrews loved Romeo and Juliet to bits and Camilla knew the areas the teacher would ask questions
"Hey Cam, honestly I think it might be the easiest test I've done so far," Poppy said with a wink to her 'big sister' causing Camilla to grin.
"WHOA!" Amber spoke up before either girl could keep talking, "Stop there, what is that?!"
Both Poppy and Camilla looked to what Amber was pointing too. Around Poppy's neck was the amulet that Patricia had lost. "Oh..." Poppy seemed nervous as all three girls looked shocked to see the necklace, "eh, this is nothing." She tried to lie.
"You are worse than your brother at lying," Camilla said instantly, her tone turning serious as she held out her hand towards her 'little sister', "Popsicle, please give me the necklace. It belongs to one of our friends."
Poppy looked a little confronted at Camilla's switch in tone. She was used to happy smiling Camilla but now she was seeing the one Jerome talked about in fear. This was a no-nonsense girl, "Well clearly she doesn't care for it as Jerome gave it to me." The girl argued back with her older sister causing Camilla to scoff, like that was a likely story, the boy still grumbled about the fact Poppy had visits to see their dad she hardly believed he was that much of a big brother he gave her gifts now (that weren't pranks of course), "what do you care about this necklace anyway?"
"I'm under no obligation to make sense to you," Camilla told the smaller Clarke simply crossing her arms.
Before either girl could say anything more, Amber had grabbed Camilla's arm and Nina's and marched them down the corridor having spotted Jerome talking with Alfie down by their lockers.
Poppy shook her head in confusion and walked off – she would never understand the Anubis house seniors.
As Amber had her grip on the two girls Camilla was more than happy to be the one to forcefully grab Jerome and pull him along with them so the four of them could have a nice little private chat. "What?!" Jerome seemed confused as the 3 girls pulled him into the small corridor that they kept the sports display case in.
As they let go of Jerome the boy looked at them all. The three girls were looking at him angrily, though the only one he was genuinely scared of was the smallest one who he knew could do magic. "Have you three started a strange girls acting strangely club? Because right now it's going very well!"
"First off; What a pathetic name for a club," Camilla spoke without thinking causing Jerome to smile slightly at her comment before Amber elbowed her and a serious look fell onto her face as she fell silent.
Amber spoke up, "Poppy is wearing a necklace around her neck."
"Seems logical Amber," Jerome said trying not to laugh at the sentence, "that is where you wear them. Continue." Jerome turned to look at Nina knowing there was more to the story.
"the necklace is ours," Nina said to him, "she said you gave it to her,"
Camilla watched Jerome as he computed the information and before he spoke, she knew what he was going to say. It be the same thing she'd say if someone accused Fabian of the same thing. Jerome was going to back up his sister as he should. Even if it was annoying to them at that moment.
"Yes, I did. what of it?" Jerome said firmly.
Nina glanced at Camilla noticing her serious dementor soften at Jerome's words, her own face souring up as she glanced back at Jerome. "Well it belongs to us, we lost it and we want it back." She demanded, noticing Jerome glance to Camilla, his face brightening as he noticed her small proud smile. Maybe he was better at the sister thing than he thought.
"Right..." Jerome spoke as he glanced back at Nina, crossing his arms, "well Nina, I'm afraid the operative word there was 'lost'. In my book, that makes Poppy the Finder Keeper, and you, the Loser Weeper. Have a nice day!" he said turning on his heel and walking away from them.
Both girls turned to Camilla with expectant looks. If anyone could talk Jerome into getting back the amulet it be Camilla. "Fine!" She groaned and ran after him.
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Camilla paused at the corner, as she followed Jerome from the main school building. Jerome had hunted down Poppy and had caught up with her on the main path to Anubis, Isis and Horus house. Camilla watched the Clarke siblings interact with interest.
"Poppy," Jerome spoke causing the girl to stop walking and turn to face him. Jerome lifted the amulet from where it hung down her front.
"I didn't steal it, Jerome, I swear." Poppy said in a sincere voice which Camilla believed. "I found it outside on the grass. Honest." So that's why she and Patricia couldn't find it in their hunt, by the time the two girls had gotten outside Poppy had already found the amulet and picked it up.
Poppy glanced behind Jerome and saw Camilla popping her head around the corner, the young Clarke was worried she'd lost the trust in her 'big sister' but Camilla mouthed 'I believe you' to her and Poppy was filled with warmth. Camilla wasn't mad at her. She now just had to deal with Jerome.
"Okay," Jerome simply said, causing Poppy to glance up at him in shock. Jerome believed her? "I believe you." He added seeing the surprised look on his sister's face. "But that belongs to someone else." He told her in a soft voice, "and that someone else is probably going to be very upset that they have lost it. A good person, Poppy, A kind person, wouldn't want that would they?" he asked his sister.
Poppy glanced from Jerome to the corner Camilla was hiding at back to her brother before taking off the necklace and handing it to him with a smile, "you really have changed Gerbil," she said softly with a smile up at him, "Camilla is a good influence on you,"
"I think it's safe to say she is changing all us Clarke's Poopy." Jerome laughed as he put an arm around her shoulders, in the way he had seen Fabian do with Camilla. "come on, I'll walk you back to your house."
From her hiding space, neither Clarke saw the smile that crept onto Camilla's face at their words, but they didn't need to.
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Amber ushered Camilla over to where she and Fabian sat when the girl appeared in the hall. As Camilla sat the girl didn't even bother with hellos, "Camilla when did your brother become a disaster?"
Camilla looked to Fabian who almost spat the bite of sandwich out he had bitten into as his sister sat down, "eh, what's happened?" she asked. Amber glanced behind Camilla and the girl turned to see Joy reading a book. It didn't take much more for her to understand what had happened.
"That's it!" Fabian said as he watched the silent exchange between the girls, "I can't take this anymore," he told them as he slammed down his sandwich onto the table, "I'm just going to march right over to her and I'm going to say 'Joy, look, I like you, but we can't go out because I still have feelings for Nina.'" Fabian seemed proud of the plan.
"and you really think she'd going to accept that?" Amber asked Fabian after a glance to Camilla. Fabian nodded his head. "Well," the sarcasm was dripping from Amber's every word but Fabian seemed to miss it all, "good luck."
Fabian got to his feet muttering what he was going to say like a mantra before going over to Joy. "I can't handle this second-hand embarrassment anymore," Amber said getting to her own feet and walking off, calling over her shoulder, "I'm going to find Nina or Alfie."
Camilla who watched as Fabian gave Joy a bright smile before coming back over to Camilla and throwing himself into the seat beside her with a groan. "So, did it work?" Camilla asked genuinely curious.
Fabian looked sheepishly at his sister, "we're going to the movies!" his voice was an octave higher than normal causing Camilla to burst out laughing. Fabian relaxed at the noise, at least Camilla wasn't mad at him for going to a movie with Joy, unlike how he knew Amber was going to be. "where were you then?"
"Making sure Jerome had our missing amulet," Camilla said simply as the twins put their feet onto the table in unison, Fabian opening a packet of crisps and putting it onto his bag for them to munch on.
The boy let out a sigh, "sometimes I think there is way too much happening in our lives. Sibuna, magic classes, hell I'm sure there is even more stuff you know I don't."
"Do you know about the stolen gem?" Camilla asked curiously causing Fabian to look her way, "I'm going to take that look as a no."
"How do you keep on top of all this?" Fabian asked his twin in amazement.
"I don't," Camilla told her brother honestly, "I stress and cry and then I pretend I'm keeping on top of it all." She saw the sad smile that crept onto her brother's face at her words and she leant her head on his shoulder, "someone has to bear the brunt of the madness, I do it so everyone else can focus on their own things without worrying about other people."
Fabian rested his head on Camilla's, "and you wonder why I go out my way to look out for you." He murmured softly.
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"FABIAN ARE YOU INSANE!"
Amber's scream and then the clattering of a locker informed Camilla as she stepped out of the bathroom that the blonde had found out about the movie night with Joy. "Joy! Movies! Date! Are you insane!"
"I-I d-d-didn't ask her!" Fabian stuttered as he looked over at Camilla begging her to help him. "She-"
"ITS AN OUTRAGE!" Amber screamed and Camilla took that as her cue to calm down the blonde before she no longer had a twin anymore.
"Ambs, breath," Camilla rushed over to the two, amusement clear in her voice, "anger is not good for the face remember..." Amber nodded at Camilla's words and took a deep breath.
Thankfully the rest of the Sibuna's turned up at that moment, Alfie looking between a silently laughing Camilla and Fabian who kept glancing at Amber with fear in confusion as Nina spoke, "Jerome won't help us get the amulet back."
"Yeah," Amber said in a calm voice, flipping her hair over her shoulder and acting like she hadn't just ran through the school like a beautiful freight train. "it's an outrage!" Amber looked at Fabian meaningfully causing the boy to gulp in fear.
Thankfully only the twins really understood the meaning behind Amber's words, Nina looked between Alfie and Camilla with a small smile, "Guys, any ideas?"
Alfie looked to Camilla who nodded her head, they needed the amulet back that badly, "Okay," Alfie sighed before explaining the situation, "Jerome's looking for this gem that his lost years ago, and he found it then he lost it,"
"Well, our goose ate it," Camilla chimed in causing the three other Sibuna's to look at her strangely before they could ask anything Alfie was talking again.
"Anyway, Vera's stolen it," Alfie told them all. Even Camilla finding that last bit interesting as it was new information to her.
Fabian looked between the two, mouth open in shock, "I'm sorry but you're going to have to say all that again." Alfie took in a large intake of breath causing Fabian to smile and shake his head, "Eh don't really..."
"But why would Vera do that?" Amber asked.
Camilla opening her mouth to talk but Fabian's subtly shook his head, now wasn't the time or place for Camilla to pose her Vera is the real bad guy theory, though the look in Fabian's eye told Camilla he was believing her theory more and more.
"Maybe she confiscated it because she knew he wasn't supposed to have it?" Nina proposed to the group.
"Well if we steal it back..." Camilla started looking to Fabian who grinned at her.
"...We can use it to make a deal with Jerome." Fabian finished for her.
"Good plan," Nina smiled at the twins.
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So far in Anubis house resident's history, they had never gone through a housemother's stuff. At least to Camilla's knowledge. Before Vera, it was Trudy and before Trudy, it was some woman named Catherine. Both women before Vera were respectable, normal women so there was never a need to hunt through their things. Which just proved once again to Camilla that there was something more to Vera. Something she was hiding. Something that gave the girl a bad feeling.
Camilla joined Fabian and Nina as they snuck up to Vera's attic room. The two found the Gem with ease but Camilla found something else. The three of them heard someone on the stairs and race into the old secret room that had been converted into a closet space. The three of them looked from behind the cloth to see the person entering the room was Jerome. Fabian and Nina looked at one another before slipping unseen from their hiding spot, Camilla slipped out behind them, but she leant against the pillar In the middle of the room allowing the two nerds to have their moment to bask in outwitting Jerome. Camilla, however, looked down at some of the loose papers she had found on Vera's desk. Folding them and pocketing them in the inside pocket of her blazer her expression was deadly as her mind whirred at the information she had just read.
"if I was Vera where would I hide it?" Jerome muttered to himself as he looked through the jewellery box.
"We thought you'd be quicker off the mark Jerome," Fabian spoke causing the boy to whip his head around. His eyes found Camilla first as she lazily leant against the pillar, her expression deadly but her eyes weren't on him but on the door. From the way, her arms were crossed he knew something else was bothering her and she wanted nothing more to go deal with it but her brother and Nina needed her there in the attic at that moment. Which caused his eyes to look at the duo who looked way to smug and it was a look neither of them suited.
"Oh?" Jerome sounded surprised as he knew Fabian and Nina were the people he was dealing with; Camilla wouldn't be as sloppy as to out herself so blatantly.
"Vera's been gone for hours," Fabian explained himself simply.
"But you were right," Nina spoke up, "that's where it was hidden."
Jerome looked at the two suspiciously moving towards them, "where what was hidden?"
Nina fake laughed and looked to Fabian causing Camilla to roll her eyes. The two were lapping this moment up for everything it was worth. She needed them to hurry this exchange ASAP because she could feel her anger building and she needed to go have a scream in her lab and smash something. Or even yell at her guardian because he kept insisting Vera was 'good', but now Camilla knew she wasn't.
"Don't play dumb," Fabian said to Jerome, "we know you are looking for the gem."
Nina lifted her hand where the gem was sat in the middle of her palm, "All coming back to you?"
Jerome rushed forward to grab it from Nina's hand but thanks to Camilla telling her that's exactly what the boy would do Nina moved her hand just in time.
"Not so fast." The American girl told him.
Jerome breathed in angrily as he glanced around at Camilla, seeing her meddling fingers all over this setup but the girl wasn't looking their way. "what's going on you guys?" Jerome asked looking back to Fabian and Nina, trying to remain polite but they could all hear the strain in his voice.
"We want to trade you," Fabian explained simply, "the Gem... for the Amulet."
"Why do you want it?" Jerome asked quickly.
"Why do you want the Gem?" Nina retorted.
Jerome glanced to Camilla who looked away from the door to meet his gaze, "just do the trade J," she told him softly, "knowing our house we'll all know each other's secret by the end of the year."
"You know, I was going to give it to you anyway Cam," He said, as he pulled the Amulet from his back pocket, turning back to face Nina and Fabian.
"Yeah, of course, you were," Fabian said but the sceptical tone they all expected to hear with that sentence wasn't there. He had watched Camilla and Jerome over the last year and part of him believed Jerome might have actually given his sister the Amulet.
Nina took the Amulet from the boy and Jerome took his gem from Nina causing Camilla to stand straight, "Are we all done here?" she asked them all, looking between her friends who nodded, "good... I need to go shout at someone." With that, she turned her attention to the door and clicked her fingers causing the three to see it whip open at a dangerous speed and from the loud bang the door downstairs also had done the same.
Camilla then stormed from the room hearing Nina whisper, "what the hell did she read in those papers?"
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If it wasn't for the anger that had built up inside her Camilla would have burst out laughing as she stormed into the lab to see Victor in a lime green apron, on his knees singing to a rather large magical Venus flytrap, which was swaying in time to his song.
Victor looked up at the young teen and his only comment on her current state was "you need a calming draught," with that, he patted the top of the plant's head and got to his knees. Walking around to their potion section looking through corked bottles.
Camilla knew the man was right, which was why she was in the lab and not in the kitchen doing something rather permanent to their house mother. If Victor had managed to drill anything into her head it was that there were always consequences to magic and the powers, she had come with a responsibility to use them wisely. She so she did the next best thing, she sought out her Guardian so he could help her keep her anger under control – though she was pretty proud that she had managed to keep it under control thus far, no lights flashing, no windows smashing nothing. That was a win for Team Camilla in her book.
Still shaking with anger, the girl approached the table the man was stood at. Watching him as he added two drops of a dark green shimmering liquid to a glass of water. The liquid dissolving into the water almost on the moment of impact. Camilla took the glass and threw her head back as she drank it in one. The effects of the potion where instantaneous, her anger washing away causing the girl's body to relax all the tension away.
Victor watched as Camilla's shoulders dropped and the girl took a calming breath. "Are you ready to tell me what has you worked up?" he asked, gesturing to the comfy seats on the opposite side of the room.
Camilla wandered over to them, pulling the pages from her blazer pocket and handing them to the man as he settled himself down in an armchair. The Calming draught was in her system but Victor has diluted it down so she wasn't as angry as she had been but she was still irritated causing her to resort to pacing back and forth, "This is a list of ways your little crush as thought up to kill me and Nina!" she spat as she walked.
Victor glanced over the paper, "they are not...ALL ways to kill you and Miss Martin." Victor spoke quietly, "there are options here."
Camilla scoffed and started to list the ones she could remember off the top of her head, "Erase their memories?"
"you can argue that is humane."
"Drop them in the middle of Egypt, because at least Rutter can keep them alive!"
"We can argue that's simply stalling time because Egypt will hand you both right back to the UK after more than a year with you in their country." Victor chuckled at the look Camilla gave him before he folded the pages and placed them on the table. "what is this really about Camilla?"
Camilla paused and turned to face the man, "When you were my age, how many of your friends did you see cursed?" she asked quietly letting fear ebb into her voice for the first time. Victor didn't know how to reply to that question but clearly it wasn't really a question Camilla needed a response from, "because I now have 5 people's lives on the line, 6 if you include me. It's my job to protect these people and I feel like I am failing them all." She paused to take a calming breath her voice shaking a little, "and then I find out that on top of some creepy ancient spirit cursing my friends, there is also someone out there trying to murder me and Nina. Clearly one of the adults in my life is on team killer." Camilla looked to Victor, "I am 16. This...," Camilla lifted her wrist to show Victor the mark of Anubis, "These" Camilla pointed to the letters on the table, "they are not normal and I have no clue how to protect the people I love from any of it!"
Victor looked at Camilla, really looked at her for the first time in a few weeks. The weight of everything going on was clearly there. The girl looked exhausted, there were purple circles under her eyes and he could tell she was burdening a lot so other people didn't have too. "I can't give you the answers you want, but I can tell you that you are stronger than anyone gives you credit for. You were given this impossible task because you are the only one who could shoulder the burden of it all."
"These Powers? I didn't want them! I didn't ask for them." Camilla countered.
"Which is why you have them." Victor sighed, getting to his feet and wandering over to the large cabinet that they kept their teacups in. Victor tapping on the back of a drawer to reveal a hidden compartment. The man pulled out a small vial, no bigger than a £2 coin, with a black potion in it. "I can tell you haven't been sleeping." He said as he turned to Camilla and held the glass vile to the air, "dreamless sleep." He murmured looking at it before glancing to Camilla, "take this. Gain back some energy. I'll phone Mr Sweet and dismiss you from the rest of your classes."
Camilla nodded and took the vile from Victor, taking the glass topper off it before drinking the liquid inside, pulling a face at how sickly sweet the potion was. Within a few minutes, the girl had let out a large yawn and had curled up on the sofa. All her stresses seeming to have faded away as sleep overtook her.
Victor watched his young protégée with worry for a few moments knowing he needed to get guidance on how to help her. "You are doing well Guardian; I know you have not been given the easiest of jobs with this protector." The voice was soft and it tinkled like a bell. The sound soothed Victor and he knew who it was without needing to turn around. In fact, he was too scared to even attempt to turn to see his Deity who was behind him, seeing the golden glow she emitted just from just standing behind him.
"What do I do to help her? At this age she should be falling in love with all the wrong people, not dealing with what is to come..." Victor sighed as he looked at Camilla's sleeping form, his heartbreaking for the painful future the girl was fated to have.
"What you need to do is stay focused and stay alive for that little girl," Isis's otherworldly voice advised softly, "you both have been chosen because you both have the strength to do what needs to be done. Together."
Victor sighed and moved forward to Camilla and sat down on the coffee table as the light flitted away like a candle that had just been blown out telling the man it was just him and the sleeping girl again. "you are worth every sacrifice," Victor murmured to her as he watched over her with worried eyes.
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Woooo longer chapter for you today!
How are you all doing? guess who starts work tomorrow (ahhhhhhhhhhhhh) but don't worry I have written like all the chapters for this week :) so every other day you'll get a chapter
Remember to ask questions for the interviews!
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Love ya
Sarah xxx