Chapter Text
"Are we nearly there yet?" Camilla whispered to their driver, who, for what felt like the hundredth time during the journey, continued to ignore her. In truth, it had likely been more than that. She noticed he was scribbling something into a notebook balanced on his knee—Fabian's old leather-bound one, filled with barely legible hieroglyphs and notes that looked more like ancient curses than handwriting.
They had only just returned to London after their flight from Cairo International. The plan had been simple: Uncle Abe would meet them at the airport, fuss over how much they'd grown, and drive them to school in Liverpool. But, as with most things involving Uncle Abe, it hadn't gone quite as expected.
Bleary-eyed and still buzzing with post-flight adrenaline, the twins had stepped into the Pick-Up/Drop-Off area, scanning the crowd for their eccentric uncle in his homemade red suede jacket with the elbow patches stitched on crookedly. Instead, they were greeted by a tall, unsmiling man in a sharp suit and dark sunglasses, standing like a statue beside a sign bearing only one word: Rutter.
Too tired to argue and far too British to make a fuss, they exchanged wary glances and climbed into the glossy black Land Rover idling at the kerb. The engine purred to life, and before they knew it, they were locked into what promised to be a very long four-hour drive north—with a man who didn't utter a single word for the first thirty minutes, no matter how many times they asked where on earth Uncle Abe had vanished to.
Fabian, ever the academic, had since buried himself in their father's latest manuscript, which he'd been poring over since Cairo. Jonathan Rutter's newest obsession revolved around a tomb the twins had helped excavate over several summers—a burial site believed to belong to a previously unknown wife of Ramesses II. Near the end of the dig, rumours had begun to swirl about a startling set of hieroglyphs found near the sarcophagus, suggesting she had given birth not only to a son, but to other children, too.
It didn't take long for their father to latch onto the idea that some remnant of the pharaoh's bloodline might have survived—an idea he was now desperately chasing. Camilla had overheard enough conversations with his colleagues to know this theory would become his next all-consuming passion. Every time he uncovered something, he threw himself into it completely, and they'd be lucky to hear about anything else for months. Fortunately, his publishers had convinced him to stick to the facts this time—because factual books tended to sell better than speculative fantasies.
"Anything interesting?" Camilla murmured to her brother, leaning slightly towards him while eyeing their silent chauffeur out of the corner of her eye.
"Just some stuff about how the jewellery links her to Ramesses II, a few bits on her life, and something about a papyrus scroll believed to contain spells that could hide a bloodline," Fabian replied, his voice low and drowsy. "Oh, and Dad's latest ridiculous theory."
He shot her a sleepy grin.
"Mum's new book is way more interesting—even if her obsession with the boy king is getting a bit creepy," he added.
Camilla let out a soft snort of laughter.
Annabeth Rutter had practically made it her life's mission to unearth every scrap of information about Tutankhamun. Camilla was fairly certain no one else alive had studied him so intensely. On this most recent trip, their mum had even taken them to a private viewing of the Tutankhamun exhibition—after hours, of course. It had been eerie and magical in equal measure, wandering those darkened halls with only a torch and their mother's sharp commentary for company. Naturally, she'd dismissed every observation they'd made, but it had still been one of the trip's rare moments of pure wonder.
As the Land Rover turned sharply left, a familiar wooden sign loomed into view: Welcome to Amun Boarding School. Fabian glanced up from his notes and looked out of the window.
The moment they passed through the gatehouse, a shared breath of relief escaped the twins. The buildings, with their ivy-covered brickwork and grand, slightly crumbling charm, were exactly as they remembered them.
"Home sweet home," Fabian said, smiling over at Camilla.
She returned the grin, her eyes lighting up.
Finally. Back where they belonged—ready to collapse, recharge, and pretend, just for a little while, that they were ordinary teenagers again.
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As Camilla and Fabian flung open the car doors and stepped out onto the gravel, they were instantly engulfed by the familiar hum of returning students. Laughter, shouted greetings, and the occasional scrape of suitcases over stone echoed around the courtyard, washing over them like a warm tide. The start-of-term energy was almost tangible.
"Dude, it was awesome talking to you," Camilla said dryly, turning to address their still-silent driver with a mockingly bright smile.
He scowled at her as he hefted her suitcase from the boot—a rather sizeable thing, plastered with glow-in-the-dark stars carefully arranged to mirror her favourite constellations. The handle was wrapped in faded rainbow thread, and the corners were fraying from years of travel. Alongside it came her battered, dusty brown rucksack, still crusted with sand and crammed with the remnants of their latest dig—spiral notebooks, plastic baggies full of broken pottery shards, and brushes in various states of disrepair. She didn't even bother to check it; it was exactly how she'd left it.
As she continued, Fabian chuckled and slung his own equally worn rucksack over one shoulder.
"Honestly, I think we should become pen pals. We have sooo much in common."
Their companion didn't dignify that with a response, though his eyebrows did twitch upwards in what could only be described as a supremely unimpressed expression. Without a word, he turned on his polished heel, climbed back into the car, and pulled the door shut with finality. The engine purred once more, and within seconds, the sleek black Land Rover had disappeared around the corner.
"You really have a talent, Cam," Fabian said, smirking as his sister slipped her arm through his.
Together, the twins began the short walk towards Anubis House. Shoulders brushing, rucksacks bouncing against their backs, they leaned into each other slightly—equal parts exhaustion and quiet excitement. The imposing façade of the boarding house loomed ahead, ivy curling up the stone like green fingers, its tall windows glowing faintly in the late afternoon light. It felt like stepping back into something familiar and half-forgotten, a world both old and new, waiting to be lived in once more.
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Most of their housemates were congregated outside, deep in animated conversation, completely oblivious to the twins' weary expressions as they rounded the corner. Amber and Camilla exchanged a knowing glance, both silently acknowledging they should have notified everyone about their arrival, yet, in that moment, neither of them particularly cared. A year ago, they would have laughed at the mere suggestion of missing one another this much. Yes, they were friends, but truly—this much? After living together for a year, something had shifted between them. They'd discovered a bond far deeper than friendship—a sisterhood. Texting and FaceTiming through the summer had sufficed for a while, but the moment they squealed in unison and embraced, it was as if they finally realised just how much they had missed each other.
"Well, my eardrums are officially gone," Fabian muttered, wincing slightly as he neared his twin and the blonde girl.
Camilla offered a sheepish smile, though her gaze quickly softened as she watched Amber wrap her arms around him in greeting. The three of them stood in the sunshine, a comfortable warmth in the air, each taking in the other's presence after a summer apart.
"You both look positively sun-kissed!" Amber exclaimed, stepping back and eyeing the twins as though trying to assess just how much the Egyptian sun had left its mark.
"That's the effect of three months in the Egyptian sun, Amber," Fabian chuckled, giving his sister a knowing look as he guided them both towards the rest of Anubis House. The other housemates, who had been chatting animatedly, turned at the sound of Amber's squeal, her excitement bursting forth like a child on Christmas morning. Without another word, Amber dashed off toward the rest of the group.
When Fabian opened the front door, the house fell silent. The usual commotion of students arriving with their bags and belongings had yet to fully take over, and it gave the place a slightly eerie stillness. The kitchen door swung open with a creak, and Trudy appeared in the hallway, her face lighting up as she spotted the twins.
"Well, look who's here!" she exclaimed, her arms already open for a warm hug. "You lot are right on time!"
Before anyone could respond, Patricia—always quick to speak—called out, "Where's Joy?"
Fabian, having moved to unload some of the luggage, swiftly answered with a grin, "Oh, is Nina here?"
The mention of Nina made Camilla roll her eyes and shoot a playful look at Amber, who, in return, giggled. The two of them moved toward the hallway, each of them dragging one of Amber's heavy suitcases behind them. Amber's laughter lingered in the air as the twins found themselves momentarily distracted from the questions about their summer.
That summer, Amber had become Camilla's lifeline, alongside Jerome and Alfie. But Fabian? Well, he seemed most interested in discussing Nina and how she would have been fascinated by X, Y, and Z. For the first month of their travels, her brother had been nothing short of sulky—grumpier than Camilla had ever seen him. It wasn't until their parents had informed him that they wouldn't be funding his trip to America to visit Nina that he seemed to turn into a full-on storm cloud. To their parents, the twins were just free archaeologists—who, apparently, knew their stuff far better than the hired professionals. They were there to work, just like the rest of the team.
"Oh, they're both on their way," Trudy assured the twins with a soft chuckle before turning her attention to Mick and Mara. "Oh, how wonderful to see you two!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms around them in a motherly embrace. "Now, go on inside. I've been baking all day!"
The mention of food sent delighted reactions rippling through the group. Patricia, Fabian, Mara, and Mick all hurried toward the living room in search of whatever culinary delights Trudy had prepared. Meanwhile, Amber and Camilla struggled to heave Amber's oversized suitcase across the threshold, the sound of it scraping the floor filling the hall as they exerted every bit of effort.
"Oh, you've brought enough luggage, have you?" Trudy teased, eyeing the mountain of bags the girls were attempting to manoeuvre. The twins' smaller suitcases—barely large enough to hold their clothes and essentials—were dwarfed by Amber's massive, slightly ridiculous suitcase, which clearly held more than just clothes.
"These are just shoes," Amber explained, offering Trudy a playful smile. "Actually, just my wedges. The rest are in the drive." With that, she threw her arms around Trudy in another hug before glancing around, eager to see where everyone had gone.
Trudy followed closely behind her, a warm smile on her face as she led them deeper into the house. "My chicks are home," she murmured to herself with satisfaction.
Camilla, meanwhile, glanced up to find Victor standing on the upstairs balcony, glaring down at them with a disapproving expression. She met his gaze and offered a cheerful smile. For a brief moment, his lips quirked upward, just enough to suggest that he might have been more fond of her than he let on. But then, as quickly as the smile appeared, it vanished. Without a word, he stormed into his office.
Camilla couldn't help the small grin that spread across her face. Victor hadn't changed much since last year. He was still the grumpy Caretaker, though now he was also her magic teacher. Deep down, Camilla suspected there was more to him than met the eye—and in her story, he wouldn't be the villain everyone else assumed him to be.
"Cam!" Amber's voice pulled Camilla out of her thoughts. "Trudy has made you Rocky Road!"
Camilla glanced over to where Amber was already making her way to the living room, where the rest of their housemates were gathered, chatting and catching up. A familiar, comforting feeling of home settled over Camilla as she followed her sister inside, ready to join her friends and begin yet another unforgettable year at Amun House.
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Camilla perched herself instantly on the arm of Amber's armchair just as Trudy handed her an envelope.
"What you got?" Fabian called across the room, eyeing her with mild curiosity. He already knew Camilla wasn't the type to keep secrets—at least not this early in the term.
"I applied to the big sibling programme this year," Camilla replied, tearing open the envelope. "It's probably just more information about it. Mrs Andrews said at least one Anubis house member had to take part since no one's volunteered in, like, three years."
"Why didn't Mrs Andrews come to me?" Mara asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Maybe she reckons you've got enough on your plate? You are student body president, and you're doing more classes than the rest of us combined," Camilla reasoned. "She probably didn't want to burn you out. Besides, I rather like the idea of corrupting the next generation."
That drew laughter from Mick and Amber as Camilla took a generous bite of her brownie.
Fabian quirked an eyebrow at his sister's words but held back any remark as the door opened and Joy entered. Patricia's grin lit up the room as she dashed over and pulled her best friend into a warm embrace.
"Joy!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, it's so good to be back!" Joy sighed happily, taking in the familiar room.
"It's good to have you back," Fabian said with a warm smile.
"Thanks, Fabes..." Joy replied, flashing him a flirtatious smile—one that didn't go unnoticed. Amber shot Camilla a loaded look. They'd spent all summer carefully nudging Fabian and Nina closer together, and they weren't about to let one smile undo all that progress. Thankfully, the glance between the girls went unseen.
Joy, meanwhile, turned her attention to the couple on the couch. "And you two? I didn't see that one coming," she said with genuine surprise. Her comment earned a round of chuckles; no one had predicted Mick and Mara would get together, yet it was oddly fitting.
"Oh, I know," Mick teased first. "The athlete..."
"And the mathlete," Mara chimed in, beaming.
"She can't run, and he can't add," Patricia added dryly, which set the entire room off again.
Joy grabbed a plate and joined the circle as Camilla turned her attention back to her letter from Mrs Andrews. It was filled with formalities and vagueness—no concrete information. She wouldn't know who her little sibling was for a few more days; the lower school were still doing personality assessments.
Rolling her eyes, Camilla folded the letter and tucked it into her pocket. A complete waste of paper, if you asked her.
"Remember when Fabian got the brownie mix smeared—" Joy began as she reached for a brownie herself, but she was abruptly interrupted when Nina entered the room, prompting another squeal from Amber.
"Nina!" Amber shot to her feet to hug the American girl, with Camilla and Patricia hot on her heels.
After enveloping her three closest friends in warm hugs—followed by one for Mick and Mara—Nina looked around the group with a bright, familiar smile. "Hi everyone!"
"So, how are you?" Amber asked eagerly.
"Still American?" Patricia added with a cheeky grin.
"Still Patricia?" Nina retorted without missing a beat, earning another round of laughter.
Then her gaze landed on Fabian. Camilla watched closely, her smile softening. No matter what anyone said, she knew Nina was Fabian's first real love. One day, she hoped someone would look at her the way her brother looked at Nina—like she hung the stars.
Camilla caught Amber's eye again. They both resisted the overwhelming urge to let out an "Aww" and embarrass Fabian, deciding instead to give him his moment. After three months apart, he deserved it. The teasing could wait.
"Time to make a discreet exit, everyone," Amber said with a mischievous grin, and Camilla eagerly led the charge.
"Do you want to come see our new room, Joy?" Patricia asked as she gently pulled her friend along. "We share with Mara now."
"What was wrong with our old room?" Joy asked, frowning slightly.
Patricia was just about to explain when the front door burst open and Alfie came barrelling in, Jerome close behind.
If anyone thought Amber and Camilla's reunion had been dramatic, it was nothing compared to this. The two usually spent some part of the holidays together, but this summer had been different. When Jerome visited the Lewis household, Camilla was normally invited too—Fabian either staying at Mick's or with their Uncle Abe. They rarely went more than a few weeks without seeing each other. But this year, after their parents banned Fabian from visiting Nina in America, Camilla was grounded by the same rule. She hadn't seen either of her best friends in nearly three months. Far too long.
Alfie clearly felt the same. Without hesitation, he ran straight for Camilla, lifting her into a spinning hug the moment they collided.
"I missed the hell out of you, Lady Camilla!" Alfie grinned, finally setting her back down.
"I missed you too, Sir Alfred," she replied, beaming—though she barely had a moment to enjoy the reunion before Amber seized her arm with an iron grip.
"We need to decorate, Camilla," was all Amber said as she began dragging her towards the stairs.
"But now Amber is a-calling..." Camilla called out dramatically over her shoulder, waving at Alfie and Jerome as they laughed at her predicament. Up she went, spirited away for the next mission—turning their room into something worthy of their return.
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Decorating Amber's dormitory was an organised sort of chaos: Camilla found herself holding up strings of fairy lights, passing pins and blue tack as requested, and rearranging the beds into the exact configuration they'd used the previous year—all under Amber's discerning direction. They hung up new photos, fussed over pillow placements, and Amber even had strong opinions about the symmetry of their bookshelves.
It was only when Trudy's unmistakable call echoed up the staircase announcing that dinner was ready that the whirlwind paused. Camilla didn't hesitate—Trudy's cooking was one of the things she'd missed the most over the summer. In her opinion, the first dinner back at school was always the best: full of chatter, comfort, and carbs.
She wasn't the only one who felt that way. By the time she and Amber reached the top of the stairs, Mara, Joy, and Patricia had already barrelled past them, laughing as they raced to the dining room. But Camilla hesitated, her gaze drifting towards the dim hallway that led to Victor's office.
Amber noticed. She followed Camilla's line of sight and offered a knowing smile.
Camilla had confided in both Amber and Fabian last term about what Victor had told her—the truth about her powers, about being Isis's Protector, and the promise that he would begin teaching her to harness her magic. She hadn't spoken to him yet since arriving back, and wasn't sure she'd even get the chance. Once term officially started, the days always seemed to rush by in a blur.
"Go talk to him," Amber nudged her gently. "I'll make sure Alfie doesn't finish all the food."
That made Camilla smile—properly smile, not one of her usual polite ones. Her secret magic lessons had been one of the few things she'd looked forward to over the summer. And thank goodness, too; the holidays hadn't exactly been easy. There had been a few... incidents. Nothing catastrophic, but enough to remind her that trying to suppress her powers around her parents was a recipe for disaster.
Thankfully, Fabian had been there for most of it. Between the two of them, they'd managed to turn the worst moments into dark comedy—Camilla had developed a real knack for laughing things off when she couldn't scream.
She gave Amber's hand a quick, grateful squeeze—partly for the emotional support, mostly for promising to protect her plate. They both knew how much Alfie could eat on a normal day, let alone after three months of Trudy's home-cooked food deprivation.
Amber gave her an encouraging nod and swept off down the staircase, hair bouncing, ready to rejoin the chaos below.
Camilla turned and made her way towards Victor's office.
The corridor was quieter here, thick with the hush that always seemed to cling to this part of the house. When she gently opened the door, Victor didn't look up. He was seated behind his desk, reading something that looked heavy and old, the spine cracked, the cover weathered.
He didn't say a word until she had walked in and slowly settled herself into the chair across from him, unsure where to begin or whether she even had the right to be there.
"I was wondering when you would come to see me," Victor said at last, his voice calm but not unkind as he shut the book with a soft snap. He looked up, his sharp eyes meeting hers.
"You mentioned teaching me," Camilla said cautiously, her voice quiet but steady. "About my magic... and what it means to be Isis's Protector."
Victor studied her a moment longer, then offered the rarest of things—a smile.
"I did say that. Please, sit down; you're going to find your schedule differs slightly from your fellow housemates from now on."
Camilla's lips twitched into a smile of her own as she relaxed into the chair properly. It felt like the air in the room shifted slightly—less tense, more certain. For the first time since discovering the truth, she felt safe. And for the first time in her life, she realised she no longer needed to fear her magic.
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Camilla wasn't entirely sure what Amber had said to her brother, but the moment she stepped into the dining hall, Fabian gave her a worried look. She pulled a face at him in return, and that seemed to settle him a bit. Perhaps he was just being paranoid—after all, Victor wasn't about to harm her.
As she moved through the room, Camilla made her way towards her usual seat beside Alfie, only to find Jerome sitting there instead.
"Alfie wanted to sit beside Amber," Jerome murmured in explanation, already scooping a generous portion of spaghetti onto her plate.
Camilla didn't question it. After nearly twenty-four hours without proper sleep, she knew the best way to fend off jet lag was simply to stay awake until their normal bedtime. Beside her, Fabian stifled a yawn, his expression mirroring the exhaustion she felt.
His demeanour, however, immediately lifted when Nina entered the room. She slipped into the seat beside him and laced her fingers through his without hesitation, and Camilla couldn't help but smile. The two of them really were adorable.
"Hey," Fabian whispered—just quietly enough for Camilla and Amber to hear as well—"I wondered where you got to."
"I just had to fix something at the school," Nina said reassuringly.
"Is everything alright?" Fabian asked, and even without seeing his face, Camilla knew he was probably imagining a disaster. Nina let out a soft laugh and nodded just as Joy walked in. Her cheerful expression faltered the moment she spotted Nina and Fabian's hands clasped together, along with the unmistakable look of infatuation in both their eyes.
"It's got very couply around here..." she muttered as she moved around the table and dropped into a seat next to Patricia.
"Well, you're not wrong there, Joy!" Alfie piped up, reaching out to try and take Amber's hand. She, however, neatly avoided his grasp, giving him a raised eyebrow and a look of mild disbelief.
Jerome and Camilla sat opposite them, both burst into quiet laughter.
"Eh, what are you doing?" Amber asked Alfie, her confusion evident.
"Eh, being couply?" Alfie replied with an equally puzzled expression.
Amber waved a hand toward Camilla and Jerome, her tone teasing as she said, "Go ahead and hold one of their hands." She tilted her head slightly, squinting at them. "Why aren't you being all sweet? What happened with Jamilla?"
Camilla's eyes widened in surprise, glancing over at Jerome, who looked just as startled. The two exchanged a wordless conversation in a flurry of raised eyebrows and half-smiles. Meanwhile, Fabian burst into laughter, quickly joined by Joy, Mick, and Patricia.
Mara, however, simply frowned at Camilla. The look she gave was unreadable, and Camilla, running on empty, didn't have the energy to unpack it.
"We... kind of broke up?" Camilla offered, directing the answer at Amber, who clearly hadn't heard the update that the rest of the group—excluding Mara—had long since absorbed.
"We're better off as friends," Jerome added with a grin, throwing an arm around Camilla and pulling her into a side-hug. "Milly and I are the best of buds."
"It's as if we never really existed at all," Camilla said with a playful smile, biting her lip as Jerome dissolved into laughter at her dramatic delivery.
The pair of them still found it amusing—how earnestly Amber had believed they were a couple last year, and the infamous ship name 'Jamilla' she'd coined with such pride. It was bizarre but oddly endearing that someone would go to such lengths just to romanticise their friendship.
Thankfully, Fabian picked up on Camilla's need to change the subject and smoothly redirected the conversation. "Your last letter," he began, and Amber turned sharply to look at Camilla, eyes widening. Apparently, no one had mentioned that Fabian and Nina had been writing to each other—how very romantic. Fabian, oblivious to the reactions around him, continued. "You mentioned something about your grandmother coming over?"
"Yeah, yeah," Nina smiled, glancing around the table and catching the continued exchange of amused glances between Jerome and Camilla. "She's coming to visit. She's staying in a little hotel in town. She's really excited to meet you all." Nina turned to Fabian and gave his hand another affectionate squeeze. "Especially you. I've told her a lot about you."
"Yeah, we do breed better geeks over here!" Patricia teased, prompting laughter from everyone—everyone except the 'geeks' in question: Mara, Nina, and Fabian.
As the laughter rippled around the table, Amber leaned in to whisper something to Nina, then shot Camilla a wink. Clearly, Nina was now in on the secret—Amber's carefully planned Sibuna midnight feast, an idea she'd been plotting while they decorated their room earlier.
Suddenly, a ringtone pierced the cosy din. Mick glanced at the caller ID and barked a laugh. Jerome, however, visibly tensed.
"You're popular for once?!" Mick teased, squinting at the screen. "Who's Poopy?"
Jerome froze. Rather than answer, he quickly stood, stretched across the table, and snatched the phone from Mick's hand. "My... life coach..." he said, the hesitation obvious.
The awkward pause that followed wasn't brief enough to go unnoticed. He quickly ended the call and shoved the phone into his pocket, drawing a few curious stares as the conversation slowly picked back up.
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"It's ten o'clock!" Victor's voice boomed from the floor below, echoing through the house like a familiar stormcloud. Despite the collective groan that usually accompanied the nightly curfew, the announcement on their first night back brought smirks and fond eye-rolls from the Anubis House residents nestled in their beds. It marked the start of another year—another chapter of chaos, secrets, and the kind of fun only they could seem to attract.
"You know what that means! You have exactly five minutes, and I want to hear a pin..." A pause followed—his signature theatrical silence. "Drop!"
Of course, planning a Sibuna midnight feast on the very first night back was probably the definition of poor judgement. But this was Sibuna. Since when had their ideas ever leaned toward sensible?
The girls made their exit with surprising ease, slipping out like shadows. Each one clutched a bag of contraband snacks pilfered from the generous dinner spread. All except Nina, who had something decidedly less edible in her possession—something far more dangerous. After dinner, Camilla had spotted it immediately, her expression darkening. The ensuing whispered argument with her fellow Chosen One had been brief but heated. Despite what they had all been led to believe, the Cup of Ankh hadn't melted at all. It was, quite alarmingly, very much intact. And Nina was carting it about in her bag like a picnic blanket. Camilla's eyes narrowed at the sight of it now, every inch of her bracing for the inevitable trouble it would invite this term.
At the far end of the corridor, Patricia grimaced as her door gave a loud and traitorous creak. She winced, shot a quick glance behind her, and then tiptoed with exaggerated care towards Nina, Camilla, and Amber, her slippers barely whispering against the floorboards.
"Do we have anything to pick the lock?" Amber whispered conspiratorially, peering at the door like it might bite.
Nina turned to Camilla with a mischievous grin before answering airily, "Pick the lock, or use a protector to magic..." But as the words left her lips, the door creaked open all on its own. "...It..."
The three girls snapped their gazes towards Camilla in perfect synchrony.
She raised both hands in immediate protest. "That wasn't me!" she insisted, sounding more amused than concerned.
"Welcome back to Creepy Towers..." Patricia muttered under her breath, her voice dry as toast. There was no mistaking it—the house had opened the door for them.
Amber visibly shivered, her nerves clearly fraying. "Maybe this midnight feast should take place in daylight?" she muttered, half-turning to leave, only to be stopped by Nina's arm across her path and an unwavering look.
"Good night!" Amber squeaked, as if hoping that declaring bedtime might end the madness.
But there would be no turning back. Patricia and Camilla were already creeping up the stairs toward the attic, torches bobbing. Nina gave Amber a gentle but determined nudge forward. Like it or not, the midnight feast was happening.
And the house—creaky, mysterious, and clearly still alive—had just RSVP'd.
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By the time the boys arrived, the attic had been transformed into something almost cosy. One of the dust-slick sheets draped over abandoned furniture had been repurposed into a makeshift blanket, and Patricia's torch—subtly enhanced with a flick of Camilla's magic—bathed the space in a warm, flickering glow. The assortment of snacks they'd smuggled up was laid out like a banquet, turning the old, forgotten attic into an unexpectedly pleasant gathering spot. Though cobwebbed and drafty, Camilla couldn't help but be impressed at how they managed to make the best of what they had.
"Sibuna, everyone," Amber began grandly, raising her right hand to her right eye in the familiar salute. "Welcome back!"
"Sibuna," came the cheerful chorus, smiles all around.
"No trouble getting past Victor?" Nina asked, even as Amber busied herself with handing out pieces of chocolate justice. Camilla, without hesitation, reached for the Rocky Road that Patricia had sneakily added to the stash.
Fabian and Alfie both shook their heads hastily. "No... he wasn't in his office. Maybe he's finally changed his ways and gone to bed early."
That earned a round of chuckles. "Well, he needs his beauty sleep. He is 101," Amber quipped with a grin.
"Oh!" Patricia said suddenly, rummaging in her bag. "Talking about creeps who are obsessed with living forever, I thought you guys would be interested in this." She pulled out a small, slightly crumpled newspaper clipping.
It was short. Nina glanced at it before giving a quick summary. "It's an obituary for Renay Zeltman..."
"Rufus..." Alfie whispered.
"Guess he found out he wasn't immortal...." Fabian added.
"...the hard way," Camilla said, her tone matter-of-fact, cutting through the room's lingering amusement.
There was a beat of silence before Amber spun on the twins. "Okay, I'm sorry!" she declared, pointing an accusing finger. "Are we really not going to talk about the fact you two are in matching PJs?!"
Instantly, the mood lifted again. The twins glanced down at themselves in unison. Camilla was in one of Fabian's oversized grey jumpers, complete with elbow patches, while Fabian wore a navy-blue button-up pyjama top. Though they hadn't planned it, the resemblance was unmistakable.
Just as laughter bubbled up, it was cut short by the sound of a door creaking open downstairs.
"What was that?" Fabian asked in a low voice.
"Someone's coming!" Alfie hissed, and all eyes snapped to the attic door—just in time to see a familiar face appear around it.
"Joy! You scared us to death," Patricia said sharply, as the rest of them began to relax.
"Hey, everyone..." Joy called over her shoulder. "We're up here!" Moments later, the rest of the Anubis House residents began climbing the stairs to join them.
"Nice hangout, guys...." Mick mumbled, still half-asleep. His yawn set off a chain reaction; both Rutter twins echoed it, their exhaustion from a 30-hour stint of wakefulness finally catching up to them.
"I can't believe you're having an Anubis midnight reunion, and you never even invited us..." Joy's voice took on that familiar guilt-trip tone, prompting Amber and Camilla to exchange exasperated looks.
"Surprise!" said Patricia and Nina at the same time, which only earned them a round of confused expressions from the group.
"We wanted to welcome you back properly," Patricia said quickly, spinning the lie like a seasoned professional.
"Up here?" Joy questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, totally..." Camilla replied, her sarcasm apparent—though, as usual, only Jerome seemed to notice, hiding his laughter behind his hand.
"While I'm asleep?" Joy added incredulously.
"Well... Y-yeah!" Nina interjected, turning to Joy with an overly hopeful grin. "Are you surprised or what?"
That drew laughter from the others, and Amber got to her feet. "I'll get another sheet."
Meanwhile, Jerome had made a beeline for Camilla, who was hoarding the Rocky Road like a dragon guarding treasure. It was only the two of them who really enjoyed it, but that had never stopped Trudy from preparing enough to feed an entire army of Alfies.
"Move over, Shorty; you can't have all the Rocky Road," Jerome muttered, gently nudging Camilla closer to Fabian. He settled beside her, helping himself to a piece, and let out a soft moan of delight.
Suddenly, Amber let out a gasp that caught everyone's attention. From beneath the sheet she'd just lifted sat a miniature version of the Anubis House. It was stunning in its craftsmanship—ornate and oddly pristine—but something about it made Camilla uneasy. There was a strange energy around it, as though the dollhouse was hiding something, waiting.
Amber reached for it, and Alfie, ever the gentleman, stood to help. Naturally, this ended in disaster. The dollhouse slipped, landing squarely on Alfie's foot with a thud.
"Sorry, Alfie, it was heavy," Amber offered, half-apologising, her attention already back on the object of her fascination. "I always wanted a dollhouse," she sighed dreamily.
"Even one that's a replica of creepy old Anubis house?" Fabian asked, eyes narrowing as they examined it more closely.
"Where dollies go to die...." Alfie intoned in a mock-spooky voice that sent a ripple of laughter through the room.
But the moment of amusement was abruptly shattered by a familiar bellow from below. "Whoever is up there, come down at once!" Victor's voice boomed up the staircase.
Panic erupted. Everyone scattered in different directions like startled cats. Within seconds, only Camilla and Nina remained behind.
Nina pulled the Cup from her bag and turned to Camilla, eyes pleading. "Cam... you know what to do."
They needed to hide it. Now. And this strange attic, with its ancient dollhouse and magical oddities, seemed as good a place as any.
Camilla let out a breath. "If my nose bleeds, it'll be because you punched me in the face or something..." she muttered darkly.
Nina blinked at her, confused.
"Victor will ask," Camilla clarified flatly, before closing her eyes. She silently willed the right words to find her, as she always did when calling on her magic.
"Secreta Revelare, Secreta Revelare, Secreta Revelare," she chanted softly—but was interrupted by Nina letting out a sudden yelp.
Nina had lunged forward, pressing her locket to the side of the dollhouse. With a quiet click, it opened, and she hastily tucked the Cup inside. Together, the girls watched the hidden panel close again, sealing the object from view.
Camilla paused, fingertips brushing under her nose. No blood. She blinked, startled. She hadn't even felt dizzy. That had never happened before.
But there was no time to dwell on it—Victor was thundering up the attic stairs, his fury practically radiating off him.
This was very bad.
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Guess whos back, baby!! excided to learn more about Camilla, Fabian and Rutter family Lore along with Protector/Chosen One/ Osirian Lore?
Who is excited? what scene season 2 are you most excited to see me tackle?
Translations;
1. secreta revelare - secretsreveal
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Love ya
Sarah xxx