☾ ☽
Eddie, Alfie, Patricia, and I stand in a straight line in the living room, watching Victor carefully. He hasn't gotten ahold of the artifact—yet. Victor's a sinner, I've no doubt about it. Patricia's one, too. My only question is—have they taken a third yet? I haven't been around anyone who's given me one of those feelings other than those two.
"Do you have a death wish?" Victor asks of us bluntly, his back to us.
"I don't," Alfie stutters. "I really don't."
"Alfie, rhetorical question," I tell him quietly.
Victor turns. "You are all coming with me to the gatehouse." I glance at Alfie worriedly, biting the inside of my cheek. "There is something I need you to see."
Once again—thank God for Trudy. She comes in and stops Victor from taking us to the gatehouse by saying sharply, "Victor, my job is to look after these children, and that's exactly what I'm going to do."
"How dare you interrupt me?" Victor demands, grabbing hold of Trudy's forearm. Eddie grabs mine when I make a reckless move forward, shaking his head. Not now.
"But they've been working so hard for today's play. They're not going to miss it just because they've broken one of your ridiculous rules."
"Um, it's okay, Trudy," Patricia, much to the surprise of Eddie and Alfie (not so much mine) speaks up. "I don't want you to get in trouble because of us."
"It's fine, Patricia," Trudy says. God bless this woman, honestly. "Go on. Get back to your play."
Wait. Wait, no, we can't leave her alone with Victor.
"They are not going anywhere," Victor advances toward Trudy once more.
Eddie has to physically pull me out of the room because I'm so reluctant to leave her alone as their tense conversation continues. Alfie has to do the same with Patricia, but for a completely different reason. Patricia wants us to go to the gatehouse.
"We can't just leave her alone in there!" I insist, throwing my hand toward the door as we exit Anubis House. "Just let me go back in—"
"No, you can't!" Eddie exclaims. "Victor's there and we can't let him get you, all right? We have to get back to the school."
—
I had to find an empty classroom to calm down in once we got back to the school. I just need some quiet to think and force myself to calm down, to breathe lighter, and to try and get this insane weight off my shoulders. So I found what used to be Mrs. Andrews' classroom, took the desk in the front middle, and sat down, resting before the chaos of the play resumes.
Patricia. Victor. Frobisher. Denby.
They're all working together, to try and bring Ammit into the mortal realm. Patricia got captured as a sinner somehow. But when? How? Which sin did she commit so strongly that she was deemed suitable to be a sinner? Jealousy because of thinking Eddie had a secret admirer? Spite because she's Patricia?
I tried calling Fabian to tell him about the second artifact and to see if he's all right, but he didn't answer. It went straight to voicemail, and I'm concerned. KT didn't answer when I called either. I don't want to think about it. Haven't got much of a choice on that, though.
"Hey. What are you doing?"
I look up, letting out a heavy sigh as I see Jerome leaning against the doorway. "What? How'd you know I was here?"
"Alfie told me," he answers, coming in and standing next to the desk, looking down at me. "He said you were upset, so I made him tell me where you were. Can I sit?" I shrug, and he sits beside me. "What's wrong?"
"Life," I state bluntly. "Life's wrong."
"You want to be a little more specific?"
"Fabian won't answer my calls."
"And that's cause for concern, why?"
"Not important."
"Obviously it is if it's bothering you this much."
"Forget about it, Jerome," I mumble, putting my head in my hands. "Just distract me. Please."
Jerome clears his throat. "All right. Well, your uncle's acting weird." I peek out from my hands, willing him to go on. "Joy and I went to ask him earlier if we could have a party after the play and he got all on our case about thinking school's a constant rave or something. And he was being really... aggressive toward other students. It was just not like him."
I sit straight, turning to him fully. "Really? That's strange."
"Yeah. When was the last time you spoke to him?"
I frown, trying to think. Fabian and I spoke to him yesterday to get permission for the lighting. "Well... yesterday morning. He was normal. What could have happened between then and now that he would..." And then it dawns on me. Could he... could they have...? "Uh, you—you and Joy might want to steer clear of him f-for a while."
Jerome tilts his head. "You look freaked out."
"No, I'm good."
"It'd be nice if you could stop lying to me."
"Who says I'm lying?"
"I've known you for four years and been in love with you for that entire time. I know when you're lying."
"Maybe I'm a better liar than you think."
"Not to me. I know you too well."
"That's a... big ego you got there."
"You knew that when you kissed me for the first time."
I glare at him, my eyes narrowed. This boy, I swear to Anubis... I shake my thoughts away, pursing my lips as I rest my weight entirely on my elbows. "How goes the play?"
Jerome looks at me, his gaze hard, but then he sighs and answers, "Terribly. Mara and Joy are trying to make a bunch of new costumes. We'll probably just end up doing it in our uniforms."
"Why does there have to be new costumes?"
"Willow... let's just say she likes unicorns."
—
The curtain's due to rise any minute. Joy's sitting in front of me as I brush some blush onto the apples of her cheeks. Well, attempt to. "Joy, I know things are a mess right now, but I need you to smile so I don't put the blush somewhere where it doesn't need to be."
Joy exhales deeply, smiling widely and tensely so I can apply the pink better. "How does it look?"
"Like a star," I say truthfully. "And the last scene of the play? How's that?"
"A surprise."
"Are you gonna let the audience know if they're lovers or best friends?"
"I wanted to," she answers, "but Mara shot it down. The ending's the same as before—walking into the sunset open-ended."
"So what do you think they are?" I inquire, setting the brush on the tray beside me.
She looks at me carefully, biting the inside of her cheek. I show her the mascara I've just grabbed and she changes her expression accordingly to apply it, and then she says, "I think they're lovers. I suggested to Mara that they kiss before walking into the sunset, but she likes the vague thing. So we're going with that."
"You didn't fight it?"
"'Course I did. But, you know, the plot's her idea and she's had a lot go wrong for her this year, so... but I did write my own ending, just for myself."
"So why do you think they're lovers?"
"It's just..." Joy inhales sharply, shrugging as I rest for a moment, prepared to listen to her. "Since we've been writing this play, I've been doing some... thinking about myself. And I think that I... might have had a little crush on Mara when we first met. And you, a little."
My eyebrows raise high. This, I was not expecting. "Wow. Really?"
"No, uh, I don't feel that way now," Joy tells me quickly, "in case you think I'm declaring some love. I'm not. It was for, like, five minutes, with both of you. I'm just... I've been realizing some things since you suggested the whole love-story-with-two-girls thing."
I nod slowly. Not exactly what I expected her to say, but I'm glad she trusts me enough to tell me. "All right... so is this you coming out to me as...?" I trail off, waiting to see if she would give me a bit more specific descriptor.
"Bisexual," she finishes. "Boys and girls for me. I'm not completely secure in it all yet, but I've been doing a lot of reading. And a lot of things make sense now, so, um... I'm giving it some time. You're the first person I've told."
"I'm honored," I comment sincerely. "I'll keep it to myself. And if anyone has anything bad to say about it or you, send 'em to me. I'll take care of it."
"Thanks, I think. By take care of it you mean..."
"If I told you, that might defeat the purpose of telling you to send them to me," I reply, chuckling lightly at her raised eyebrows. "I'm kidding. I'm not gonna beat them up. However, I will verbally fight them for you."
"That's... good to know, I think," Joy states slowly. "But anyway, it's not a big deal and definitely not the biggest thing going on today." She cranes her neck to look over; Mara's giving Eddie the final scene of the script. "Curtain up in, like, two minutes. You ready with the lights?"
"I'm on it," I confirm. "Break an arm."
"Break a leg."
"What?"
"You mean break a leg, not break an arm."
"Well, breaking an arm wouldn't impair your ability to walk—"
"Okay, annoying me right before we start isn't a good idea."
I mimic zipping my lips shut and throwing away the key. Joy chuckles as she walks away, and as I'm about to go over to where the light controls are, KT all of a sudden runs through the curtain Jerome's closing, and just her. I told Fabian to find her; the fact that she's alone is not good. "Eddie!" KT shouts. I forgo the lights for a moment, running across the stage to her. "Eddie, I need to talk to you."
"KT, where's Fabian?" I ask her worriedly.
"That's why I'm here," she answers, looking between me and Eddie. "I think something's happened to him."
Suddenly, Patricia appears as if from nowhere. "Such as?"
KT glances at her, a fear in her eyes, but then it's replaced by courage as she looks at me. "I think he's with Frobisher."
"Come on, KT," Patricia snarks. I glare at her. "You're just trying to get one of us to go with you to look for Fabian, and then you're gonna kidnap us."
"Shut up, Patricia," KT snaps, and as she turns back to Eddie, I see Patricia's eyes glow red. My mouth drops at the sight. It's far different seeing it on her than it was seeing it on myself, and makes it real. "Eddie—"
"No, KT," Patricia physically throws KT back. "You shut up."
I put myself between the two girls, protecting KT from Sinner Patricia. Eddie throws his hands out, stating sharply, "Whoa, drop it, KT, all right? You're upsetting Patricia."
"Oh, Patricia?" I repeat incredulously. "Eddie, you might do well to listen to someone other than her for once."
"Just leave it," he tells me.
I clench my jaw, digging my nails into my palm. I really want to punch something right now. A pillow would be nice. Instead, I grab KT's arm and pull her away. "I believe you. I know Patricia's the sinner, not you. Fabian saw her with red eyes and I told him to get you and bring you here. And I just saw those red eyes."
"I can trust you, can't I?" KT inquires cautiously. I don't blame her for the question; we already know I'm somehow a part of Frobisher's plan. But I think she knows that I won't do it knowingly. What she's gauging is whether or not I'm one.
"Only if I can trust you," I settle on an answer.
"You can."
"Good."
As I start to follow her out, someone grabs my arm and pulls me back. It's Jerome, who tells me, "You can't leave, you're in charge of lighting and make-up. You promised Mara, remember?"
"Jerome—" I begin, but KT's the one who interrupts.
"It's fine, Ashley," she says warily, glancing behind me at someone. When I look, it's Patricia. "I'll be fine. I'll text you when I know something." I pull my arm from Jerome's grip as KT leaves the room, zig-zagging through the students entering, and walk away from the curtain.
This time, I'm the one grabbing someone's arm, Patricia's as I pull her way to the side, out of the way of everyone else. "You know, it's amazing how you've got Eddie wrapped around your little finger. How'd you do it, then? How'd Frobisher get you?"
Patricia scoffs. "Ashley, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Drop it," I tell her harshly. "I knew it was you the second I walked into the house that afternoon. I'll admit, I didn't want to believe it, but you're not Patricia. Not the real one."
Her face changes suddenly, in the blink of an eye. One second, she was defensive. The next, she's smirking at me, way evil, and her eyes flash red again. "Surprise."
I press my lips together, dryly repeating, "Yeah, surprise."
"No one will believe you."
"Maybe," I concede reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you go about unnoticed. Face it, you and the rest of your evil, sinning cohorts aren't going to get away with this."
Somehow, her smirk grows as she leans toward me. "Watch us," she states in a threatening tone. "Eddie won't believe you. No one will. You'll be the new KT."
"That's fine with me. I can handle myself, which the real Patricia knows."
"You don't want to test me."
"No, I think I do," I remark. Probably not the best thing to do, but what's she gonna do to me right now? We're surrounded by our housemates. "What, you want to try and drag me off to the gatehouse? Have Frobisher take me as another one of his sinners? Try it, Trixie. See how far you get. I'm not afraid of any of you."
"You should be."
"I'm. Not. Afraid."
But then the air changes. It's like all the happiness has been sucked out of the room, like hell has frozen over in the room. I look behind her, through the crack in the curtain. Mr. Sweet's getting on the stage to introduce the play. It's him, but it's not him. It's the first time I've seen him since yesterday, but something has changed. Like with Victor and Patricia.
Mr. Sweet—my uncle, Eddie's father—is a sinner. They got him.
Patricia smirks as she takes note of my expression. "But aren't you?"
She leaves me standing there alone in my shock as our audience settles in. How am I supposed to focus on this when: I've just threatened and been threatened by Sinner Patricia, learned my uncle (whom in recent days has gone back to being just the headmaster in my head, but now I find I'm really offended on behalf of him) is a sinner as well, Fabian's missing, and KT's left to go God knows where. I hope she doesn't do anything I would do.
I.E, don't go the gatehouse, don't punch Robert Frobisher-Smythe in the face, and for the love of God, do not threaten a sinner.
I slowly take my seat by the lights, glancing at my reflection in the shiny black surface of it. I'm just gonna block everything out. I know my cues by heart and—wait. Fabian was supposed to be here to remind me when my cues are. No, stop, I'm blocking everything out.
Everything but what Mr. Sweet says to the audience before the play begins. "Welcome, welcome," he says. I glance at the curtain again, unable to see him. "The offering for this year's drama module has been co-written by Joy Mercer and Mara Jaffray and is entitled Lost Love."
That went better than expected. I was expecting him to say something only Sinner Sweet would say. But as the chaos backstage quickly fixes itself, Eddie and Willow take their places and the curtain opens. Like I said, I'm blocking everything out.
I love Mara and Joy, I do, but this is the absolute last thing I should be focusing on. As I adjust the lighting, deliberately making it darker as Patricia, in her silent role as a waitress, comes on and pretends to pour tea into Joy and Willow's cup, Eddie (with no apparent regard for the stage) grabs my arm and pulls me away from the controls. He drags me through backstage (out of the view of the audience and any prying sinner eyes), to Alfie, and says, "We have to go. Sibuna calls."
"Uh, meaning?" I ask.
Alfie's retort is, "I can't leave and neither can she. I'm the stage manager, she's in charge of lighting! And you're the lead, and you get out there, and you help us pass this module."
"Alfie, we have to go," he says insistently, "and we have to go right now. Devoured souls?" I glance toward Patricia and Sweet. "Evil? End of the world?"
As Eddie throws his hand over his eye, I do the same. Alfie says strained, doing the same as us, "That is a good point. Sibuna."
"Let's go," I say quickly, pushing them backstage before anyone can stop us. I think he's suspicious about Patricia. Why else do this when she's on stage and can't come with us?
( not sure how many of u guys know this but i happen to be a lesbian and when i was writing this fic and rewatching season three joy, in particular, just had such a major bisexual sapphic energy so i decided to write it in! plus yesterday was coincidentally national coming out day so that sorta works out tbh. anyway this said joy does get a ~girlfriend~ between the end of season three & the beginning of the touchstone of ra who i have legitimately considered writing a short spinoff fic or at least a one-shot about bc they're cute & representation matters )
( also ash is definitely bi too, if jerome wasn't her love interest it would 100% be joy, and there is an ashjoy au one-shot living in my head i'm determined to write before the end of the year )