*Unedited*
-------------------------------------------------------
Nina greeted Camilla warmly as she walked back into the house, the girl had an armful of binders so clearly, she had been picking up the research she and Fabian had been doing from his room for the Sibuna meeting that was taking place that evening.
"Everything go okay with your uncle?" Nina asked as the pair climbed the stairs together.
"I think so," Camilla shrugged in an innocent way which instantly caused a red flag to wave in Nina's head at the movement, "Time will only tell." The vague and mysterious way the girl spoke was becoming too much of a daily occurrence and Nina could only hope whatever she discussed with the man wasn't something Sibuna needed to worry about.
Before Camilla could say anything else Nina and Victor, who had come rushing from his office, collided at the top of the stairs which caused the female twin to snort with laughter as she stepped around the two. Papers going flying as both of them dropped what they where holding. It truly was a moment right out of a movie.
"Watch where you're going you silly –" Victor's rant stopped as he, Camilla and Nina all glanced down at the papers and the two girls eyes widened. There amongst them, all was the complete zodiac they had been hunting for.
Camilla coughed loudly breaking Nina from her stare from the floor and causing Victor to look Camilla's way as Nina started to bumble an apology knowing she only had this moment to grab the zodiac – and both girls knew it. Well if she couldn't at least they knew someone who did have the zodiac, though how they would get it Camilla had no clue.
"I am so sorry Victor!" Nina quickly grabbed her papers, Victor getting to his knees too to collect them.
"Don't touch anything!" he told the American.
Knowing they needed time, Camilla put two of her fingers together and swiped them to the side causing some of the man's papers to mysteriously fall down over the bannister. As if the smallest gust of wind had mischievously decided to come to play. Victor let out a frustrated groan as he watched the papers fall.
"Oppsy..." Camilla innocently said as the man turned to look at her. All three know the papers falling where her doing.
"Do not move, from there." Victor instructed, pointing his fingers at the two girls before he moved past Nina and rushed downstairs to collect the papers that had fallen.
As Nina hurriedly gathered her papers along with the zodiac paper, Victor had collected the papers which had fallen and was already coming back up the stairs.
"go!" Camilla instructed gesturing to the door behind her that lead to their rooms, before running to the balcony to call down to the man below, "sorry Vicky but we have a History test tomorrow and Nina needs all the time she can get to study for it." The man looked up at her as she dived for the door Nina had just run from.
"MISS RUTTER!" Victor's scream could be heard as the door shut behind her.
She entered their bedroom like a wildcat looking around the room frantically, knowing Victor was hot on their heels, thankfully Nina had had the extra time and as Camilla burst into the room, Nina already had Amber off her bed and was dragging her from the room.
"Twins look busy!" Was the instructions Nina shouted at the pair causing them both to look to one another before they dived for Camilla's bed. Fabian opening his laptop on his lap (the boy making sure to pull Camilla's teddy to him and under his arm as if it was helping him with his essay) and Camilla lying so her head was hanging off the edge her legs on top of her brothers, her fingers under her chin hands pushed together as if she was deep in thought – a very Rutter looking position that many an Anubis house member had seen the twins in.
"MISS RUTTER! MISS MARTIN!" Victor shouted as he entered the girl's hallway. The man pausing by the open bedroom door to see the twins on Camilla's bed and no one else in the room and proceeded up the hall where the bathroom door lock had clicked.
The twins looked to one another as Victor walked past the room, both of them hoping their friends where going to be fine. They could only listen in knowing neither of them could help them at that moment.
"Sorry Victor," they heard Nina shout, "urgent girl talk."
There was a lot of banging on the door as Victor shouted, "Nina Martin, you have something that belongs to me and I want it back! You have until the count of 5, to give me back that piece of paper!" They heard Victor threaten loudly, "if you do not, the consequences will be severe. 1... 2... 3... 4..."
Until all of a sudden it went silent. Scarily silent.
Like Camilla and Fabian where sure their friends may be dead kinda quiet.
Until they suddenly heard the strangely cheery voice of Nina, "Sorry Victor. Just had to master Amber's look for prom"
Camilla turned to her brother and mouthed 'Prom?' causing him to shrug at her. He hadnt heard they were having another prom this year either clearly.
"it is a very long way off." The demanding voice of Victor interrupted the twins puzzling.
"true... but hey, it's never to early to get ready right? Anyway, I think we cracked it."
Whatever else was said the twins couldn't hear but they both pretended once again to look busy as Victor stalked past the bedroom and out of the hallway, leaving Amber and Nina to follow him, neither of them surprised to see the strange position on Camilla's bed. It was a very common Rutter twin sight to see.
The twins detangled as their friends came in the room and Nina shut the door, Camilla being the first to speak up, "Okay I hope you are happy I've not seen him that mad in forever," she told Nina with a sigh knowing angry Victor was not a good Victor she had to deal with. She then turned to Amber who had rollers in her hair, "what is with that hair?" she asked before she could stop herself causing a laugh from the blonde.
"you guys need to see this," Nina told the twins rolling her eyes at Camilla's mutterings about Victor to show them Amber's phone. On it was a clear photo of the zodiac, they finally had a clue to work off to find the reflectors.
"this is the chart from the tunnel wall," Fabian excitedly exclaimed as he looked at the photo, Camilla looking over his shoulder.
The very bottom of the paper was covered in hieroglyphs, due to her little tattoo behind her ear she could read them slowly but what was surprising – and from the sound of his voice Fabian found it surprising too – was as she spoke Fabian did too; as if he could read them with the same ease. "the Zodiac of Horus." The twins spoke together before looking to one another.
The split second of shock and then look to one another was all the twins needed to know they had to keep that little bit of freaky to themselves. For now, at least, until they had more information.
"so that's what it is called." Fabian continued in a confident voice turning to his open laptop to google the phrase in question, knowing only Camilla would hear the slight wobble in his tone to show his slight unease.
"So now we know what it's called," Nina spoke up as the twins both looked at the laptop screen, "maybe we can finally find some info online about this zodiac."
"and find out what my Egyptian star sign is," Amber added as that was as important to her as the Sibuna quest.
₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪
Unknown to Camilla but she wasn't the only student to have given her uncle a late-night visit. Jerome too had gone to question him about the gem just before she had, the boy had then decided to wait around until Jasper left to do some digging which meant he had witnessed her little threat to her Uncle and the man's nervous behaviour after she had gone. Jasper had stayed in the library for only another 30 minutes or so after Camilla had left. Clearly the girls visit and threat – something Jerome wished he could have cheered her on for – had gotten to him and after a while, the man just knew he wasn't going to get any more late-night research done. With a final look around the library/exhibition, he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, his mind full of the threat and message he had been given. Wishing he could explain his reasoning to his niece and hoping one day when she knew, she would forgive him.
Jerome waited a few moments after the door was closed before coming out from his hiding spot, wanting to make sure the coast was clear before he hunted for anything he could get. His first place to search was Jasper's desk, where the man's laptop was. Opening it up and boosting it he was faced with the issue of a password – oh how he wished he had thought ahead and brought the data stick that Patricia had that bypassed passwords (the girl had created software so she could use teachers PC's because they had the better internet connections). Instead, he was stuck guessing at the password.
"What would your password be?" Jerome spoke out loud softly, trying to think of anything he had learnt about the man whilst working the exhibition.
Jasper often spoke about his adopted brother, the Rutter's dad, and his wife and their projects. He was most excited about Annabeth's as he felt Jonathan's was a load of rubbish. Maybe it was that?
"Tutankhamun..." he spoke as he typed out the name – cursing all the Rutter's in his life for how easily he knew how to spell the boy kings name.
PASSWORD INCORRECT greeted him causing him to groan slightly.
"Horus," Jerome tried again, as he knew that was Jasper's favourite god. The man and Camilla had gushed over the great love story of Egypt causing the birth of the true king one too many times over tea and biscuits during his working hours for him to know it was the man's favourite god.
PASSWORD INCORRECT.
"Anubis," Jerome tried thinking of their house.
PASSWORD INCORRECT.
"The Nile," He knew he was now just naming things he knew to be Egyptian now but it was worth a guess.
PASSWORD INCORRECT.
"Pyramid"
PASSWORD INCORRECT
"Mummy."
PASSWORD INCORRECT
"Sand."
PASSWORD INCORRECT
Jerome groaned and leaned back in the chair looking around the desk for anything to help him figure out what could be the man's password. His eyes landed on the only framed photo on the desk.
It was taken at Christmas time, as the large Christmas tree the three occupants where stood in front of gave it away. Jerome assumed it was in Rutter Manor, the dark wood walls and the wooden floor with the red burgundy carpet creeping into the corner gave away the luxury and wealth of the room they were in without the grandness of the tree to help. Jasper stood with a huge grin on his face with a little girl on his hip no older than 5 or 6 and a young boy the same age as the girl looking up at his sister with a smile holding onto his uncles' hand in one hand and a fairy tree topper in the other – the fairy slight drooping onto the ground in the boy's small hands. The girl was in a burgundy dress, her hair in pig tales that ringleted with dark green bows in either pig-tailed ringlet, a bright smile on her face, though she was clearly missing one of her front teeth, as she held the glittering star that was to go on the top of the tree. The boy was in a dark navy suit, with a bow tie, his hair messy like Fabian's always was giving away it was him.
Camilla had once told him, one sleepy sleepover of theirs when Alfie was on a sugar high and his friends were doing their best just to stay awake, of the old tradition the Rutter's used to have every Christmas when their grandparents were alive. A Tradition they no longer did but she missed. They used to throw grand Christmas balls, the Rutter clan came from old money and knew Lords and Lady's so it was part of that circle. Of course, she and Fabian had to attend these much to the annoyance of both of them, so their grandpa started a tradition. Before the party started the twins had to choose an adult, and with the adults help they had to put the tree toppers onto the two large tree's in the great entrance hall to the manor that led to the grand staircase that split halfway and led to the upper floors. Now Grandpa Rutter had claimed each twin had to make a wish as they placed their toppers, as a Christmas wish was its own unique sort of magic and Christmas hadn't truly begun until the twins had finished the decorating.
The photo was clearly of a year when the twins had both chosen Jasper to be their adult (a very common occurrence from the story's the twins always chose the same adults to help them out), and from the way, the photo held pride of place on the desk clearly it was a very special moment for Jasper.
Jerome smiled slightly before looking back to the computer knowing what the password was, "Fabian and Camilla." He typed out
PASSWORD CORRECT.
He was in, he could have whooped for joy if it wasn't for the fact he was on a secret mission and he didn't want to be on Jasper's laptop too long, just in case the man came back and he had to go running back to hiding again.
The first place he clicked was the man's email, seeing the username The Collector instantly. Clicking on the first email, whose subject matter was simply; 'RE; The Gem', he opened it to see a photo of the gem and the words:
'If you are right about this gem, I must have it in my collection'.
Written by The Collector.
Jerome let out a groan, he and Camilla where right Jasper had taken the gem. "it looks like you've got some explaining to do Jasper." Jerome muttered looking at the screen to see if there was any way, he could print the email.
"that makes two of us, Jerome." Jasper's voice came from the doorway causing the boy to freeze. He had been caught red-handed.
₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪
"I cannot believe that you gave the gem away after everything I went through!" Jerome all but screamed at the man. He knew he should be respectful; it was Camilla's Uncle and he always tried to be respectful and look his best in front of her family for some reason, but the gem was his family's issue and problem. He felt he was in his right in that moment to scream at the man. "sweat, tears, goose poo!"
"I could report you for hacking into my laptop..." Jasper tried to argue weakly but this was Jerome Clarke, the one person who was on par with his niece at getting away with pranks and trouble. He knew whatever argument he had the boy could counter it – if he was anything like his father anyway the man knew it was hopeless to argue, but he could try.
"Just try it," Jerome laughed at the man's words.
Jasper sighed and leaned on his desk, "I'm sorry..." he told the boy, the sorrow clear in his tone. "but The Collector is not someone you can refuse. If you do..." he paused as he looked at the photo of his niece and nephew, "well... I know what will happen to those closest to you."
Jerome scoffed at the man's words. He had dealt with Rufus Zeno last year; nothing was as scary as that man in his opinion... well maybe Camilla's anger if you got on the wrong side of her but the girl had magic powers, he felt he had reason to be a little scared of her.
"Please," Jasper begged him to take what he was saying seriously, "Jerome, drop this. For Fabian and Camilla's sake more than mine."
Jerome's face went serious as the man mentioned his housemates, "What?"
"He wants Camilla, for some unknown reason I don't know... and anyone who knows my niece and nephew in any capacity knows the best way to get her to cooperate is..."
"to threaten Fabian... she'd do anything for her brother." Jerome finished for the man causing a tense but understanding silence to fall between the two in the room as Jerome ran a hand through his hair in stress. "we can't let him get away with all this and keep the gem." Jerome knew he was treading on thin ice now. He could hear Camilla calling him an idiot in his head as he spoke but he had to look at the big picture. Someone was threatening her, that didn't sit well inside him. He needed to do something about it if he could. Even if that meant doing something, he knew was possibly stupid and dangerous. If it meant protecting her, it is worth it.
"look, the only way to get it back is to offer The Collector, something he wants even more," Jasper spoke slowly taking in the change in stance in Jerome. He had gone from stressed and running his hand through his hair and over his jaw to determined, a gleam in his eye as if he had some bigger plan working away in his brain.
"Go on," Jerome encouraged Jasper to elaborate.
"The Gem once belonged to the Frobisher-Smyths, that makes irresistible to The Collector," Jasper explained to the boy.
"So, all we really have to do is find something bigger and better from the Frobisher back catalogue," Jerome spoke up trying to play it off as easy, but he knew it was going to be harder than that.
"yes," Jasper slightly agreed, "then we would have a bargaining chip, but I've looked and The Gem is the only thing I've been able to secure." Jasper watched as the boy's shoulders hunched in defeat, closing his eyes as he pressed his hands into a praying motion before placing them over his mouth shaking his head slightly as he thought over the man's words. "I guess it's time I was locking up..." Jasper said quietly, knowing he had just overloaded the boy with information.
Jerome glanced down at the table, as the man walked to the door. Trudy's letter was still there. Maybe, just maybe that could be of some use. It had sounded strange before, maybe there was more to it.
"Goodnight Jerome," Jasper spoke up gesturing to the door.
Jerome grabbed his blazer and made sure to pass it over the table so he could pick up Trudy's letter without Jasper knowing. He had a mission of his own now, and he was determined to see it through. This Collector was not going to Collect Camilla. Not on his watch anyway.
₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪₪
"So, neither of you have heard of the zodiac of Horus?" Nina asked the twins surprised as she watched Camilla get to her feet frustratedly from her bed. Clearly their search through the Rutter family archives was a bust (always easier to check there before the internet).
"No..." Fabian told the American with a sigh, his eyes half on the screen the other half on his sister who he knew was trying not to kick something in frustration. "and neither has our family or the internet."
"what about these hieroglyphics under the chart?" Nina asked walking over to Fabian and holding the phone out to him to see. "can we translate those?" she asked as Fabian took the phone off her and glanced at them.
The boy sighed, all he could read was the initial 'Zodiac of Horus' after that he had no clue what was written underneath them, "I think these symbols predate the known alphabet. They could contain something vital and we have no way of translating it."
"Great," Amber spoke as she brushed out the curls in her hair at her vanity. "a zodiac that's not a zodiac. It can't even tell me who to date,"
Nina glanced at Amber as she took in the girls' words, "what if its not meant to be a zodiac." She told the twins who but turned to look at her with confused glanced. "what if Robert wanted us to see these pictures as clues..." she explained to the to confused faces.
"So, he found the ancient zodiac, and then he chose his reflectors based on the symbols?" the doubt in Fabian's words was mirrored in Camilla's face. What Egyptologist would do something like that? No one they knew one. Nina gave Fabian a look to just go with it causing him to sigh and look down at the phone, "a cup, some kind of sarcophagus, some kind of clock thing..."
As Fabian spoke out loud there was a soft knock at the bedroom door and it crept open. Amber and Camilla both turned their heads to look to the door to see Jerome in the small gap. "Camilla, pst! Can we talk?" he muttered. He sounded worried; a tone Camilla didn't hear often with Jerome causing her to look to Amber. The blonde girl nodded her head, she could cover for Camilla if she wanted to see what Jerome needed. Camilla glanced to her brother and Nina who were still talking together on her bed, neither of them would notice she was gone for a few minutes so she opened the door a little wider and slipped from the room.
When she got to the hallway the last thing she expected was to be marched down to Mara, Joy and Patricia's room. Mara opening the door and seeing Jerome giving him a bright smile before noticing Camilla behind him and her smile dropped. She moved to one side to let the two of them in, hearing Camilla's comment of:
"When are you going to stop being such a bitch to me?"
But deciding not to comment as Jerome clearly had something on his mind.
"wow, tornado alert?" Jerome spoke up as he took in the mess that was the bedroom he and Camilla had walked into.
"oh yeah..." Mara tried to dismiss the mess slightly, "Joy's work, Messy Mercer we call her."
"Look we need a word." Jerome spoke before Camilla could correct Mara, "I need you both to look at this." Mara glanced to Camilla to see the girl looking as confused as she felt, both girls looking to Jerome as he pulled a letter from his jacket. A letter Camilla instantly recognised as Mara took it and opened it up.
"What is this?"
"It's a letter from Trudy," Camilla told her softly before she looked to Jerome trying to find out how he had it.
"I took it from Jasper's desk," he told the girl with a small smile. He knew it was stupid to have pulled her into this, but if she was in front of him then she wasn't with The Collector – or that was his reasoning for taking her from her friends.
Mara read over the letter quickly before looking up at Jerome, "that's stealing?!"
"So? Camilla doesn't look bothered?" Jerome retorted causing the Mara to send him a look as Camilla snorted. "something is not right about it..."
Mara looked over the letter, letting Camilla re-read it over her shoulder. It was this time, as she could finally see the letter and see what was bugging her about it.
"Dear Jasper. Had to leave suddenly. Everything fine – just need to Look after my nieces and their pets for a while..." Mara paused to look at the two with her, "that's weird,"
"I know!" Jerome agreed, "it doesn't sound like Trudy..."
"True, but that's not what I meant." Mara told the boy and she handed Camilla the paper to read herself, "I always thought Trudy didn't have nieces or Nephews. She told me once we're the closest she's got."
"why would she lie?" Jerome asked, "unless she wants us to know she was lying..."
"Guys..." Camilla spoke up as she looked over the letter, "The Capitalize letters..."
Mara and Jerome both looked at each other before racing over to where Camilla stood in the middle of the room with the letter.
Jerome and Mara let out a gasp as they saw what Camilla had figured out, "Help me..." Jerome whispered as he took the letter from Camilla. The Collector had taken Trudy, he was sure of it. She was close to Jasper. He had to do something to get her back, he was the only one bar the Rutter's uncle who knew the truth.
-----------------------------------------------------
Chapter 60?! I am in shock we are so far in already and we all know there is so much still to go in such little time! ahhhh
Sorry for the late chapter btw I was distracted by the internet cos its very distracting....
What is your favourite part so far?
Remember to ask the cast questions for the QandA in that chapter :P
Fav, Comment and Share
Love ya
Sarah xxx