*Unedited*
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Somewhere under the depths of Amun Academy, The Protector, Camilla-Anne Rutter groaned loudly as she woke up. A hand going to her head as she sat up from the cold dusty ground, she had found herself found on. The room she found herself in looked like it once was some kind of storage room, with boxes piled up in two of the corners. There was no exit to be seen with the walls bare bar the small hole Camilla clearly had slid out of from the task and a handprint like button on the wall next to it. The only light came from small vents in the ceiling.
"well at least there is oxygen coming in," Camilla groaned as she looked around. It wasn't the worst place she'd ever found herself in – some digs with her family she'd literally were caves that might have collapsed at any moment that they had to be lifted up and down into on a makeshift bucket seat.
As the girl got to her feet, she glanced around the room seeing nothing but that meant nothing when it came to Robert Frobisher-Smythe. The man had tricks up his sleeve for days and this too could be tricked also. "Can whatever god is here to kill me, just get it over with?" She called out to the room.
"I'm not here to kill you," the words came from a familiar but not familiar voice at the same time. Camilla turned as a bright light blue light came from behind her and her eyes widened as she saw the ghostly figure of Victor Rodenmaar Sr. the man was sat on one of the boxes in the corner and looked back at her with a curious expression as he spoke his eyes widening as he saw the amulet of Isis that had come loose knowing instantly who she was and the future in store for the girl, "and I think it's safe to say the gods don't plan on killing you, young Mage."
Camilla tilted her head at his words, kind of reassured that death wasn't an option on the table for her, "this is some test. A trial of Roberts?" she looked around the room angrily, "Oi! I'm not some damsel in distress, you know. I'm not the girl who gets rescued."
Her shouts caused a chuckle to come from the man in the corner, "I must say its reassuring to see someone so young not panicking about the predicament they are in."
"What do you mean?" Camilla asked the man crossing her arms.
"There is no way out," he told her simply.
"Okay Victor Senior," she sassed causing the man to raise his eyebrows at her knowledge of who he was, "I have one thing the great Robert Frobisher-Smythe couldn't possibly have imagined."
"hmm, and what is that now?"
"a big brother and a kick-ass team who won't stop until I am found." She said simply with a shrug causing the man to laugh and gesture to the box next to him, Camilla smiling slightly glad of the company as she crossed her legs and settled down to talk to him.
"So, you know of my little Victor," Victor Rodenmaar Sr spoke as he looked at the girl to watch her reaction to his sons' name.
A smile graced Camilla's face at the man's name and her whole demeanour changed into one of relaxation, causing the ghostly man to look at her oddly. It wasn't a reaction he had expected, "I know Vicky well, he decided to take on the stress of training me up in magic. Wait, Victor said one day you just disappeared... is this, did you get trapped here?" Camilla asked the man softly.
"yes, now I am dead as a doorknob my dear, yes..." Victor Senor told her looking away from the girls' sympathetic gaze.
"wait I'm not dead am I?" Camilla questioned quickly holding her hands out showing the man The Ring of The Protector on her right hand causing his mouth to twitch up. This meant the Chosen One had resurfaced again. The Protector and the Chosen One, their triangle of three was almost complete – but the question was; were they the destined three to help form the great dynasty with the future Pharaoh as he once assumed little Sarah, Rufus and Victor once did.
"I assure you, my dear, you are very much alive." He spoke up causing Camilla to let out a sigh of relief.
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Many floors above the two a drama class was happening where 5 Sibuna's were all wishing they were somewhere else.
"Okay today," Ms Valentine spoke from the front of the class, "we're going to talk about tragedies."
"This is wrong," Fabian mumbled.
Amber rolled her eyes at the irony of the teacher's words as she looked at Fabian who was sat in front of her in his usual seat next to Nina. The seat Camilla normally sat in remained empty, a gaping reminder of the girl who always protected them needing their protection this time.
"This is all wrong." Fabian spoke again causing the two girls near him to glance to him in worry. "why are we sitting here when we know Camilla is missing?" he asked Nina. She had been the one to drag him to class when he was more than happy to miss them all in order to keep practising Senet. "we need to tell someone," Fabian whispered too her.
The girl's eyes widened and she shook her head, "we are not going to Victor with this."
"Victor isn't the bad guy, not when it comes to Camilla..." Fabian weakly tried to argue with Nina but the girl shook her head. She refused to let Victor know about Sibuna or Senet or even what had happened to Camilla, they couldn't do that. He was after the mask and doing so would just put all their lives in danger.
"A tragedy is a tale which sees our hero become stuck, because of a flaw in their character or their inability to deal with what lies ahead," Ms Valentine continued from the front of the class. "so often, our hero or heroine, comes to an untimely end."
Fabian was taking in the teacher's words in fear, Camilla couldn't come to an untimely end, she just couldn't. How was he to cope with life without her? "not this time she doesn't!" he screamed before he could stop himself causing everyone to turn to look at him, the Sibuna's all being able to make the leap and looking to Fabian with sympathy. Their teacher had chosen an ironic time to talk about tragedies.
"oh, I'm sorry Fabian..." Ms Valentine spoke up confused.
Fabian glanced around the room slightly embarrassed, "oh I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...." He couldn't help himself it was too much. With that, he ran from the class much to the shock of everyone but the Sibuna's. Out of them, all losing Camilla had struck him the hardest.
"I think Fabian might be having a breakdown..." Amber said to the silence that had fallen in the boy's wake.
"he's lost it... totally..." Patricia murmured as she glanced from Nina and Amber to the door.
"Is everything okay? I noticed Camilla isn't here today and now Fabian..." Ms Valentine asked the girls, looking to Nina, in particular, hoping she'd have some answer's as to what was wrong with the Rutter twins.
"Yeah, yeah," Nina told the woman gathering Fabian's bag as Amber got to her feet. "Eh... "
"he's just a bit upset," Amber told the woman with a smile.
"their parents contacted them..." Nina added, "They always take that kind of news pretty harsh."
"we'll go see if he's okay," Amber added, grabbing Nina and rushing after Fabian before the teacher could say anything to them.
"What was that?" Jerome hissed to Alfie watching as Patricia and he shared looked.
"It's fine." Alfie's tone was harsh and biting but he needed to stop Jerome asking questions especially in public. He'd already made up his mind to tell the boy about what had happened, but he couldn't do it now or here. Camilla would want Jerome to know.
"Okay..." Ms Valentine started her speech back up again, and Jerome looked between Alfie and Patricia as the pair tried to look attentive but the worry, they two clearly felt was all over their faces. Something big had happened and it involved Camilla... it was the only explanation as to why Fabian was acting sooo off.
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The two girls who'd run after Fabian caught up with him as he headed directly to Mr Sweets office.
"Fabian!" Amber rushed ahead blocking the headteacher's door.
"What are you doing?" Nina asked helping Amber block the door.
"Well seeing as Victor is out of the question, I am going to Mr Sweet." Fabian explained to the pair, "we need to find her! Dig up the tunnels! Whatever it takes!"
The two girls looked to one another before looking back to the hysterical Fabian.
"Fabian you're not thinking straight..." Nina started.
"I'm the only one that is Nina!" Fabian argued back, "we can't just leave her down there!" with that Fabian raised his fist and knocked on the door that was visible between the girl's heads.
"enter!" Mr Sweet ordered. The two girls look to one another in desperation, but their moment's pause was all that was needed for Fabian to push Nina to one side and enter the office. The two knew they had to follow even if it was simply for damage control.
Camilla had dozed off at one point she wasn't actually sure when it seemed with no real clock to tell you the time she had to trust her body to tell her when it needed rest. The young girl's eyes only closed however after the senior Rodenmaar promised to watch over her in her sleep so her ba wouldn't from leaving her in her sleep. Camilla didn't know what he meant and how part of her soul would leave her but was rather glad someone was making sure it didn't happen. Though as she blinked awake, she noticed she was alone.
"Hello? Hello? Victor Senior?" she called out looking around the room, as she pulled her jacket around her. By the Gods, she had not worn trapped appropriate clothing when trying to complete the task.
In Mr Sweet's office, the three students were forced to wait as the headteacher finished a rather heated conversation he was having on the phone.
"Well I'm sorry, that's just not good enough!" with that Mr Sweet slammed the phone down and the three students looked to one another surprised. The man rarely raised his voice so when he did it was always rather surprising.
"Mr Sweet, can I talk to you?" Fabian started quietly but the man raised a hand as he rushed for the door.
"sorry Fabian," he apologized, "give me five minutes, I have a fish crisis in the school cafeteria!" with that the man was out of the room closing the door behind him.
"Fabian," Amber turned to the boy the moment the coast was clear, "think about this, by doing this you could be putting Camilla's life into even greater danger." She told him in a kind but stern voice.
"don't you think I've thought that through?" Fabian told the blonde, "but seeing as Nina won't let me go to Victor, the one adult Camilla trusts above all, I have no other choice but to go to Mr Sweet." Nina scoffed at Fabian's words as Amber glanced her way, the girl crossing her arms. She didn't trust Victor; she knew Camilla did but Victor had not shown her anything to prove he could be trusted.
Camilla titled her head as she heard something, looking towards the air vent in the ceiling. She had assumed it led to the outside but perhaps it led somewhere in the school. Somewhere people could hear her.
"What is the alternative, Amber? Nina?!" Fabian's voice echoed down to her caused a small bubble of laughter to joyfully leave Camilla's mouth.
Quickly climbing onto the boy's she gripped onto the small bars of the vent and started to shout their names, not noticing her ring as it started to glow orange.
In Sweetie's office, Amber paused to look to Nina eyes widening as she noticed the girls locket. "Nina your locket."
"It's glowing..." Nina whispered in awe as she lifted it.
"Cam..." Fabian whispered too all three of them falling silent just in time to hear the faint voice of Camilla.
"Fabian! Amber! Nina! I'm down here!! Can you hear me?!"
"its Camilla!" Fabian covered his mouth in joy as he heard his sister's faint voice. "it's Camilla!"
"I'm down here!" Camilla shouted up the vent wanting one of them to reply back to say they could hear her.
"She's in the suit of armour?" Amber questioned as they all turned to face the noise seeing Nina's locket glow brighter.
"or behind it..." Nina whispered pointing to the air vent on the floor behind the armour.
Quickly the three pushed the armour to one side and scrambled over to the vent.
"Camilla can you hear me?!" Fabian shouted as he got on his hands and knees to shout into the vent.
"yes!" Camilla screamed back relief flooding both her and Fabian as they realized they could still communicate.
"she can hear us..." Fabian whispered getting to his feet and hugging a teary eye Amber, "she's okay." He told the girl in reassurance.
"Camilla, where are you?" Nina asked as Fabian and Amber let go of one another and Fabian joined her back on the floor.
"Cam, I promise I'm going to get you back up here," Fabian shouted to his sister.
"I know!" Camilla couldn't help but shout up at the vent "I love you Fabby."
"I love you too Cam," Fabian replied leaning his head against the wall as a bright smile appeared on his face. His sister was alive, right now it was the best news he'd heard all day.
Just then Mr Sweet came storming back into his office, pausing as he saw Fabian and Nina on their hands and knees behind his suit of armour. "What on earth are you doing?" the man demanded of the pair.
"eh...." Fabian stuttered as he and Nina got to their feet looking at one another a little shell shocked.
"I dropped an earring, they were two of a kind, vintage ..." Nina lied looking to Fabian who nodded his head in agreement. "we were just... looking for it."
Mr Sweet shook his head, teenagers he'd never understand them, "what was it you wanted to see me about Fabian?" he asked instead.
"Are you still there?"
The three students froze as Camilla's voice came up from the floor.
"What was that?" Mr Sweet asked looking around for the source of the noise.
"Hello?!"
"QUIET!" Fabian shouted, hoping it would reach his sister. "Quiet-a funny story..." Fabian looked to the headteacher who was looking even more perplexed causing the two girls next to him to put on clearly fake smiles as they looked at him.
"Fabian, are you feeling alright?" Mr Sweet asked the boy.
Fabian nodded his head. "Eh, he's suffering from stress... he needs to lie down," Amber told the headteacher as she put an arm around Fabian and Nina rushed to the door, "the nurse knows all about it don't worry."
"D-do you think she heard?" Fabian asked his friends.
"I think everyone heard," Amber told him with a fake smile on her face as they backed out of the room.
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The three ran to the student lounge happy to see their fellow Sibuna's were as predictable as ever. Patricia was sat with Eddie and Alfie was sat with Jerome.
"Patricia...." Amber called as Nina tapped Alfie on the shoulder, "a word... like right now."
Patricia took one look at the three's expressions and knew they had made some breakthrough. Spitting something into a tissue the girl got up and raced over to them, Alfie scrambling to his feet too.
"Later fish face," Patricia told Eddie with a smile before leaving.
"that's way more like it," Eddie laughed as he watched the group go, his eyes focusing on the Anubis resident left with him in the study hall. Jerome Clarke who had a book out but was not reading it, headphones in his ears. "So, eh, taking some time off from tailing Mara to realise your true feelings for our favourite small female twin?" he teased the boy.
Jerome's head whipped around at the even hint of Camilla's eyes wide.
"Good for you."
"dude I didn't tail Mara," Jerome argued causing Eddie to look at him, "we just... often end up in the same place at the same time."
"ignoring my second point there I see Jerry," Eddie pointed out using his tuna sandwich to gesture at the boy.
"not ignoring, per se..." Jerome looked at him, "still trying to work out what it all means."
Eddie tilted his head, "okay... well she's not been here all day, how does that make you feel?"
"like something is missing, like nothing feels right,"
Eddie smiled at the boy, "you have it bad and you don't even know it..."
Jerome groaned lifting the book he had to his face causing Eddie to laugh slightly. Now he just needed the boy to do something about the feelings.
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On the way to the library Amber, Nina and Fabian explained the whole finding Camilla thing to the Sibuna's, which seemed to have given Fabian the motivation needed to go down to the tunnels and try again.
"Dude, I thought you said you didn't feel ready," Alfie pipped up as they entered the library.
"No, no...." Fabian looked at them all with the new confidence he had found, "that was before. Now I know she's safe and well we need to do this now and bring Camilla home."
"Trudy I really think you should reconsider," Jasper spoke across the room. The reason they hadn't gone into the tunnels yet was because Trudy and Jasper were still in the main room in the building.
"No," Trudy told him with a shake of her head, "I need to know what happened. I've been having these flashbacks and dreams, and well... if a therapist could help with any of that then –" the two looked around to see the small group of students huddled together.
"I'm sorry," Fabian spoke up looking to his uncle in particular, "we hoped, we thought," he corrected knowing his uncle would understand the slip-up code, "you were closing for lunch round about now..."
"I'm trying dis way, Trudy, here, from calling in a therapist," Jasper explained to them with a sigh giving Fabian and nod to say once the two adults left the kids could do what they needed to do.
"A therapist?" Patricia asked looking to the woman.
"to help me regain my memory," Trudy explained to them all, causing Nina and Fabian to share a shocking look. The last thing they needed was Trudy to remember Rufus and be in more danger, especially since they didn't have Camilla to magic him like last time.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Fabian asked the woman kindly.
"exactly what I just said," Jasper agreed with his godson.
"yes, I do." Trudy told them all bluntly, "and there are fully qualified therapists out there that can help with this kind of thing. Actually, I think I'll make a few calls." With that the woman bustled out of the room, Jasper on her heels the man understanding as well as the Sibuna's that the last thing they needed was Trudy remembering and then being in danger once again.
"if Trudy gets her memory back, it's going to be a world of awkward." Patricia groaned as Fabian watched the adults leave the building.
"I say we worry about that next," he told them before hurrying to the secret library passage, "we don't have much time to do this."
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Camilla was curled up on two of the boxes that she had pushed together to form a makeshift bed when Victor Senior appeared once again the man looking over the girl with a smile though she could tell it wasn't a normal occurrence on his face but she couldn't fault the man for trying.
"you know you have the gift to see, it's a rarity not many have," He started as he limped over to where she was, the girl sitting up so he could sit next to her.
"see Magic?"
"Indeed, my dear,"
"But I'm not the only one who can see, Nina can, Fabian can..." Camilla spoke up looking to her ring, "when this glows everyone can."
"Ah," the man looked to the ring too, "then there is some magic that all can see. Magic is tricky in that way."
"or annoying," Camilla rolled her eyes causing a chuckle to leave the man's throat though it slowly turned into a cough.
"Your gift is great, my dear, greater than anyone suspects I can feel it." He told her after a moment's pause.
"yeah, so great I ended up down here." Camilla sighed slightly, "I have to give Robert credit, he knows how to make one killer security system."
"I am glad you took the time to notice, whilst you and your friends broke past it all." The ghost told her causing the smallest of smiles to creep onto her face.
"Are you a ghost?" she asked looking to the man who nodded his head. "how did you end up down here?"
"I sought the power of the Mask, but Robert was too clever for me and my own Son was too stupid."
"Don't discredit Victor like that," Camilla immediately argued back looking to the man with a glare, "he's been dealing with more than you can imagine."
"you have a soft spot for him?"
Camilla looked down at her hands and said the words she had thought but never said out loud until that moment, "he has become the closest thing to an actual father I have ever had."
There was a short intake of what would have been breath, if the ghost could breathe, causing Camilla to look up at the man in confusion. "I was never good as a father; I do hope my son is better than I was." The ghost looked to the girl with a small smile, "I know your story will be different than mine, someone will come for you young Mage."
Hearing someone else say those words filled Camilla with hope. Fabian would get her out, she could feel it in her very essence but it was nice to hear someone else have the same hope as her.
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The Sibuna's were littered around the board, they had to win the game and they all knew it.
"Amber one square forward." Fabian barked instructions, "Nina one to your left. Patricia one forward and the same with you Alfie."
"Dude, me and Nina have dog squares... what if we get hit next?" Alfie asked as he watched Nina take a deep breath and step onto the square.
"no... I've been watching him," Fabian told the boy with a smile. "I think he's going to point the other way on his next move."
"Besides we need to make progress," Nina told Alfie quietly, "if we get taken, we're going to be with Camilla."
Alfie looked between the pair and pulled a face as he took the step forward not happy about the choice of Fabians.
Due to the fact, Alfie had caused such a fuss they where all watching the jackal that turned near him, none of them were watching the one that turned to face Nina.
"NINA!" Patricia shouted as the girl dropped below the ground into the darkness with a scream.
"NO!" Fabian cried a hand going over his mouth. They had lost someone else.
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Camilla looked up from her box as Victor Senor faded away as someone came flying into the room, she was in.
"Nim?" Camilla asked in a whisper as she got to her feet.
Nina raced to the girl wrapping her arms around her shaking with tears, "I'm so sorry, this is my fault," she whispered.
Camilla wrapped her arms around Nina and comforted her as she noticed the hand symbol on the wall glowing red, "this was my choice," Camilla told the girl, "this was all my choice..."
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Guess who managed to finish the chapter last night so can publish it today! Meeee!
I'm having the WORST day at work so spam me with all your thoughts so I have something to smile at when I get out of work ❤️❤️❤️
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Sarah xxx