*Unedited*
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"Are you sure we're the only ones down here?"
"Of course."
Eddie went to take the blindfold off and Patricia rushed forward and pushed him into the next chamber forgetting the only rule Camilla had told them she had; she goes into the next chamber first so they all can walk out again. In doing so they all saw huge statues of Jackal turn towards Eddie their eyes glowing red.
"Eddie!" Patricia screamed and launched herself at the boy knocking him and herself to the ground. Just in time as well as the two statues turned, the khopesh swords they where holding coming swinging down too clashing together right in the spot Eddie's head once was.
"Ow!" Eddie groaned as Patricia landed on him.
"You were about to lose your head!" the girl worriedly told him, hitting his chest as if mad she had almost lost him. "I mean..." the girl paused as she realised what she had said, "bang your head, low ceilings."
Camilla nudged her brother and nodded to the Jackal statues their eyes fading. Whatever they where they clearly were a first warning and whatever power they had was now gone.
"Thanks?" Eddie responded to the girl on him, "I guess... well I guess this is cosy." He went to take the blindfold off again but was stopped by Patricia.
"no! you can't take that off yet." She told him grabbing his wrist, "I'm not ready... I'm glossing. Anyway, there Is somewhere else I need to take you," with that the girl got to her feet and carefully guided Eddie to his, the Sibuna's knowing that was their cue to slowly leave the task chamber. "so, let's go."
"your acting weirder than normal," Eddie told the girl as Patricia led him to the secret passage in the task room, "you know, that right?"
The moment the pair were out of sight the Sibuna's rushed to the statues.
"khopesh's..." Camilla whispered in awe looking at the metal swords in the statue's hands. "I've never seen one so..."
"clean, in use, not behind a display case..." Fabian offered for his twin but the same awe was in his voice.
"Cop-seesh?" Alfie asked for them all.
"khopesh, its an Ancient Egyptian sword," Camilla explained, "you see how it's curved from the middle to the end, it was so it could trap people's arms in battle or pull opponents shields away to better strike at them."
"Or chop Eddie's head off," Nina added in a panic. Only the twins would find a bobby trap excited.
Camilla ducked under the swords and led the way into the next chamber the Sibuna's following the Protector one by one. All of them looking in awe at the large looming Jackal statues as they passed them. In the middle of the room was a throne of some kind raised on a pedestal looking into the next room where there was a checker like red and white patterned flooring (or what Camilla assumed was once white if it wasn't for the dust now on it) and four more Jackal statues holding Khopesh swords these ones made of the same stone the statues were made off.
"Whoa..." Alfie spoke up as the five students all looked in at the large game from the room's entrance.
"so, this is the chamber of the mask..." Fabian excitedly spoke up looking around the chamber, none of them daring to step foot in just yet. "and the mask is..."
"not here!" Nina spoke up in a panic.
"No!" Amber cried.
"well, maybe there's another door?" Alfie offered going to step into the room but was stopped by Nina and Fabian.
"No, no, no, no." Fabian told the boy, "Cam's rule..."
"Wait! No." Nina agreed. "we don't want to rush in, it might be a trap."
Camilla titled her head as she looked from the floor to the statues, "doesn't this remind anyone of a weird version of chess..."
"Chess..." Fabian seemed to mull over the word before his eyes widened, "you are brilliant Cam!"
"I try!"
"I think this is a game," Fabian turned to the Sibuna's, "I swear I've seen this board before in Cairo Museum or somewhere. We need to look it up." With that Fabian rushed back all of them knowing he was rushing along the tunnels back to the house.
"Guy's let's go," Camilla mumbled softly grabbing Alfie's wrist and pulling him away from the room seeing Nina and Amber leave together too.
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"Can I borrow your laptop?" Mara asked Joy as the two sat in the living room that evening, both in silence up until that point doing homework, "I want to look something up for the history essay and I can't be bothered trailing all the way up the stairs for mine, just to fact check one thing Ms Valentine posted in the online notes."
"Sure, whatever, it's on charge in the kitchen," Joy absentmindedly told the girl not looking up from whatever magazine she had out on her lap, Mara got up and left for the kitchen.
Just then Jerome appeared from the living room doorway, iPad in hands looking rather odd – or as odd as Jerome Clarke could be in Joy's mind. "Joy... you know this article you wrote on father's and sons?" Jerome started looking at the girl in question who didn't look up from her reading though she did reply.
"What about it?" Joy asked rather flatly.
"the resentful son and the guilty father," Jerome quoted reading off the screen, "now that all sounds rather familiar."
"does it? I mean possibly, yeah..."
"Basically, my life with your words." Jerome told the girl trying not to sound as alarmed as he felt when he read the article that evening, "how could you possibly know that my dad is in prison? Unless..." Jerome paused, "but Milly would never tell so..."
"So what?" Joy asked looking up at him finally.
"So Mara must have told you."
"Y-yeah... Mara told me." Joy saw Jerome's expression stiffen at her words and quickly said, "but don't say anything will you."
"don't worry Joy, 'Discretion' is my middle name..." Jerome told her before looking to the girl in the kitchen with a slight frown before leaving the room not returning the small wave she gave him.
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"Okay, J, what the hell is wrong??" Camilla finally asked as Jerome stood silently by her locker as she swapped her history books out for the Shakespeare play, they were studying in drama. Jerome had been her silent companion all day and as much as she loved the company of the boy – she would never say no to hanging out with him – his silence was getting the better of her. She knew something was on his mind and at this point the only way she'd get any answers from him would be for her to just demand to know what was wrong.
Jerome sighed and rubbed his hand along his jaw looking at Camilla. He had stuck to the girl all day because he knew she wasn't the one who would tell his dad's secret. The whole thing about Sweetie Jr proved the twins knew how to keep a secret without letting it affect their judgement of a person – it was something that he admired about her. He met her expectant gaze and knew he was going to tell her before the words spilt from his mouth. "Mara spilled to Joy!" Camilla's eyebrows quirked together in confusion so the boy elaborated, "About my dad! About everything!"
"the father-son article..." Camilla murmured in understanding finally.
"the article on Jack Jackal."
"but spilling doesn't sound like her..." Camilla added as she shut her locker with a slight slam.
"I know... but only you, Poppy and her know about my dad." Jerome sighed, "and I know it wasn't you."
"you do?"
"you would never tell someone else's secret."
Camilla nodded her head slightly the tiniest smile gracing her face. Jerome knew her well enough to know that. Camilla's head turned as Mara came down the corridor, "you should talk to her."
"What?"
"Mara..." Camilla sighed slightly knowing the words out of her mouth were words she hated saying but the girl made Jerome happy – apparently – and that's all she wanted really. "Mara and I may never see eye to eye," this caused a scoff from Jerome but the smile on his face told the girl he understood what Camilla was trying to politely say, "but something feels off about her telling your secret to Joy of all people. You should find out the true story."
Jerome looked from Camilla to Mara thinking over the girl's words before nodding his head.
"Hey!" Mara brightly smiled at him as she approached the pair a slight spring to her step.
"I'm going to go read over my drama notes..." Camilla made her excuses to leave quite glad she didn't need to be around for this conversation, looking to Jerome with a pointed look before moving off.
"have you heard from your dad since our visit then?" Mara asked trying to bring the boy's attention back to her as Jerome's focus was on watching Camilla as she walked down the corridor greeting Eddie halfway with a weird elbow/forearm bump thing the two had started to do ('high fives are too basic for how awesome our friendship is Cam') and a loud laugh before the pair made their way into the student lounge together.
"I'm not sure if I'd tell you if I had," Jerome replied to the girl, hearing how bitter the words were coming out but apparently, he couldn't trust her not to blab. He took a deep breath Camilla's words of asking Mara ringing through his mind before he turned to the girl, "why did you tell Joy all my personal stuff Mara?" he asked in a slightly kinder tone.
"I...I didn't." Mara replied sounding as confused as he felt.
"I thought you were being a friend." Jerome countered, "but the whole time you were clearly taking notes."
"I promise! I didn't tell Joy anything!" Mara exclaimed truthfully.
"then how could she have written it?" Jerome asked until realisation washed over him, "she didn't write it, did she?"
Mara's silence spoke volumes.
"Your Jack Jackal."
"it's a long story..." Mara sighed.
"wait a minute if your jack then Nina-gate that was you?" Jerome couldn't help but ask. The whole Nina article had caused Camilla to have a very long rant at him and he knew all the way's the girl had planned on murdering whoever was Jack... well until Joy was supposedly Jack. Jerome wasn't quite sure why the murderous rampage had subsided in the small girl but it had when the truth bomb was revealed.
"NO!" Mara was quick to defend herself, "that was all Joy. I told you it was a long story."
"I am listening." Was all Jerome had to say.
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"Aww who'd have thought you and your dad would have so much in common," Patricia cooed slightly as she sat leaning on Eddie in the student lounge her phone up so her and Eddie could read the father and Son article.
Camilla had gone silent a few minutes ago from the couch next to them but neither bothered to look her way as they were too busy in a bubble of their own.
"Jack Jackal is great I told you," Eddie smiled at his girlfriend who smiled up at him in return. Their make update had worked and the two were closer now than ever. "are you sure you didn't tell Joy any of that stuff?" Eddie couldn't help but ask his girlfriend once again. Some of the stuff seemed a little too personal for the girl just to have known.
"quit with the accusations." Patricia groaned as she locked her phone, not bothering to even read the latest article from Jack that had been published just a few minutes before. "I thought we were trying to trust each other?"
"Right, right, right," Eddie nodded his head with a smile, "I guess it was Mara then."
"you've told Mara personal stuff about you and your dad?" Patricia asked sitting up and turning to look at Eddie. The jealousy in her flaring but she couldn't help it the girl just struck the wrong nerve with her when it came to the girl's odd friendship with Eddie.
"well, we had time to kill when we were in the cellar staking out for ghosts," Eddie explained simply.
"Eddie!" Jerome's voice caused the pair to look around as the boy entered the student lounge and called over to him. "Can I have a word please?"
Whatever Eddie was going to say was lost as Patricia finally glance to Camilla and saw the silent, pearl-shaped tears rolling down her cheeks. "Cam..." the girl's voice was soft and caused the boy to look Camilla's way but the female twin's focus was on her laptop.
"Milly... what's happened?" Jerome was by Camilla's side within seconds.
Camilla silently handed over her Laptop to the boy with a shaking hand just as her world turned into a blur, along with it all the sounds. The taste. The smell. Everything was simply gone. The last painful emotion slammed against her chest as she heard Jerome's gasp before she lost all feeling entirely. With it came a mask that she had never had to show at school before a mask of indifference of nothingness. A mask that had been carefully created to protect her emotions from her parents and now apparently her peers.
"Another student piece here.
Regarding one of our more infamous pranking stars; a female twin we all know has far too much power over the school due to mummy and daddy who would rather pay far too much money to send her away than deal with her themselves.
To state the simple fact we all know to be true; She is nothing more than a rich little girl who is everyone's second choice.
From best friends to possible boyfriends the girl is nothing but number 2 when it comes to the people in her life. Even her own twin brother would choose his American ex-girlfriend over her.
The question is why? Why are all these people choosing someone else over her?
Me? Well, I can't help but think it's because she thinks she far more grown-up than the rest of us when really, she isn't. Time to bring her down a peg a little me thinks what about you guys?
Once again just my own thoughts ~ Jack."
Jerome read-aloud the article for Eddie and Patricia his voice trailing off towards the end glancing at Camilla in shock to see the emotional girl having been replaced by an emotionless one who wiped the few rogue tears from her face. "Oh Milly..." he whispered in horror.
Before he could say anything more Camilla silenced him with a hand, "My feelings right now, are irrelevant."
"Cam... this is bad."
"then we stop this now for good." She told the three in a monotone voice before looking up at Jerome. "What do you say Clarke? up for a good old-fashioned revenge mission?"
Jerome closed her laptop really hoping that it was Joy who wrote the article, not Mara... but one of the girls claiming to be Jack did and unlike the Nina one this one was written out of spite. "I say let's get the bitch that wrote this... but first I need to talk to you two in private." He pointed too between Camilla and Eddie.
"Rude." Patricia sassed looking to Camilla but knowing right now only Fabian or maybe Jerome alone could get through the mask she had just expertly put up. So, with that, she kissed Eddie's cheek before grabbing her bag and dashing from the room. She seriously needed to talk to Joy if she had written that article... Patricia honestly didn't want to think that far.
"Okay shoot," Eddie spoke not looking to Jerome but his focus was on Camilla.
"what if I was to tell you that Joy didn't write the article about you, me and our dysfunctional dads..." Jerome whispered.
"and how much do you want to bet she didn't write the article on me." Camilla bitterly spoke up causing the two boys to look at her in shock but not being able to say much as the girl got to her feet, taking the laptop from Jerome before marching from the student hall. Both boys scrambling to race after her.
As they caught up, they instantly knew her destination.
Mr Sweets office.
"We go to Sweetie this time, get the truth out, get the site deleted and move the hell along. Jack's done enough damage now."
The two boys looked at one another in shock. This was a level of 'revenge' neither had expected but considering what was written it was tame. Camilla could do a lot worse and she was being surprisingly merciful. Both boys hoped whatever 'Jack' had written the article realised it.
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Mr Sweet looked around as Camilla, Jerome and Eddie all barged into his office.
"I don't remember saying enter!" the man told them all as he hurried around his desk.
"do you want us to go back out?" Eddie asked his dad confused.
"no." Mr Sweet remarked, "No, eh, what can I do for you three?"
Camilla opened her laptop and pulled up the article of herself, Nina and the two boys as the two spoke.
"Remember the Father/Son article on Jackal?" Eddie asked his father.
"ah yes, by the elusive Jack Jackal." Mr Sweet spoke up excitedly before he took in the faces of the student.
Camilla decided to speak up this time. "well this was just written by 'jack' and I'm sure my parents will have a lot to say when I send it to them."
Mr Sweet looked down at the laptop where the articles were up and ready for him. "oh no..." the man squeaked slightly.
"oh no indeed." Camilla told him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "we have a truth to tell you and it better result in this site being deleted permanently." She informed the man in a tone even the boys on either side of her knew not to argue with. The two looked at one another in awe but also fear. This was going to be interesting.
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"Where is Cam?" Amber asked as the Sibuna's all gathered around Fabian's laptop.
"I saw her stalk down the hall to Sweeties office before coming in here," Alfie told the girl, "she had a look in her eye which I didn't want to cross."
"you guys didn't see the Jackal article, did you?" Patricia asked quietly.
Amber frowned and got her phone out trying to get the Jack Jackal sight up but she couldn't, "what article... the site seems to have been deleted." Amber asked Patricia causing the girl to smile slightly. Well, it looks like all it took for Jack to be deleted was to cross Camilla-Anne Rutter. It served Joy right for posting something so mean.
"look," Fabian spoke up pointing to his laptop screen. The boy had noted the conversation that had happened but knew not to ask any questions until he at least saw his sister. "so, I googled ancient games and this is what came up."
"Senet," Nina read looking at the article Fabian had found. "this is our game!"
"that is the board," Amber said looking at the picture.
"Well, technically it's a similar board." Fabian couldn't help but correct the girl causing Amber to roll her eyes at Alfie. "it says here that no one knows the exact rules as played by the ancient Egyptians."
"still print it off," Nina told Fabian, "well bring it down tonight and well compare the games."
Before anything else could be said there was a loud whistle and everyone looked around to see Camilla stood in the doorway, fingers in her mouth, Eddie and Jerome flanking her. There was a blank look on her face which Fabian instantly recognised as the mask she put on around their parents.
"Oh no, this isn't going to be good." He spoke up quietly but in the empty classroom, they all heard him.
Camilla smirked at her brother's words her eyes lethal as she looked over her classmates stopping on two. One of them had attacked her. Let's see how they liked fighting fire with fire.
"you know I thought I was sneaky..." Jerome spoke up as he realised everyone's attention was on them, "but you," He looked at Joy, "are something else."
"What?" Joy asked in confusion.
"Listen up everyone." Eddie said looking around the classroom thankfully because of Camilla they had everyone's undivided attention. "we three have something to say."
"We thought you should all know." Jerome spoke, "there are two Jack Jackals. The real one who writes a sharp insightful blog about stuff that matters." This comment caused a scoff from Camilla but she didn't interrupt Jerome – Amber however noticed and looked to her friend with curiosity.
"and the other who criticizes her classmates and takes credit for a blog that she didn't write," Eddie concluded.
Camilla, however, had something to add and happily leaned down on the front desk looking between Joy and Mara – telling everyone in the classroom who the boys were talking about –
"I don't give a shit about who is the real Jack, I just want whichever bitch wrote that article about me to note that yeah I am just as much of a bitch, but I have something you don't have; power and money. So much so that I just got your blog permanently deleted." Her tone was venomous cutting everyone in the room to the very core, the lights in the classroom flickering dangerously as Camilla looked between the two girls with daggers.
"game on bitches," she hissed before turning on her heel and stalking from the classroom. She needed to go scream somewhere that wouldn't result in a magical catastrophe.
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"Cam..." Fabian whispered to his sister as they crept down to the tunnels to cross-examine the game board with what they had found online.
"Fabian... please don't." Camilla told her brother, for the first time the mask cracked and he saw his sister underneath. "if you ask me about it, then I'm going to have to think about it. If I think about it... well, I don't know what is going to happen." She whispered.
Fabian instantly understood she meant with her magic. He had run after her after the Jack reveal and saw the damage on the forest that surrounded the school her scream of magic had had.
"I'm here for you. Whenever and always,"
"I know," Camilla whispered giving him a small smile before they rushed after their friends who were already in the room before the game board.
"Okay," Fabian pulled out the print out and looked at it, "so it's basically the same game except without the playing pieces."
"and the guards?" Nina asked they had all agreed to keep things strictly Sibuna around Camilla until she brought up the horrific article herself. They had all read it as she had saved a copy onto her laptop which Fabian had found (he needed to know what had caused his sister to become the emotionless robot she became around their parents.) "what are they all about?"
"I don't know..." Fabian trailed off as he looked at them.
"So basically, we have no idea what we are doing?" Alfie said what they were all thinking.
"if only we had the dollhouse, it might give us a clue..."
"well, we don't." Camilla bluntly spoke up, "so there is only one way to figure this out."
"NO!" Sibuna screamed but the girl ignored them as she took a step forward glaring at the guards as if daring them to do something. She was in the mood to blast something to dust with her magic.
There was an oddly familiar mechanical sound before all of them were flooded by a golden light opposite them causing Amber and Nina to gasp as Fabian pulled his sister back to safety.
"the mask of Anubis..." Nina whispered in awe...
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Emotionless Cam? oh no that's not going to be good.
which Jack do you think wrote the article on her?
arent things getting juicy!
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Love ya
Sarah xxx