User blog:Corbierr/Classified~ Chapter 4 / Chapter 5





Chapter 4-

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Nina was asleep when the door to her cell opened. However, that wasn’t what woke her up. It was the voice of the strange leader- or Khair, as she was going to forever call him for now on until she learned of his real name- that did it instead. Even after only meeting him once, his voice had worked it’s way into her subconscious, and hearing it again was literally a rude awakening.



“Hello, Chosen One.”



She nearly fell off her bed once he spoke. Scrambling to her feet, Nina tried not to be afraid of him. I’ve spent enough time with his stupid followers, the young prisoner thought. <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">They aren’t as scary as they are emotionless drones. But they’re <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">his <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> emotionless drones. Should I fear him, or see him just like all the others?

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Sir.” Nina gave him a tense nod, and nothing more, as a greeting. It was all she felt he deserved.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Khair seemed to loom over her, more than he did the first time they met. She noticed this as he stared down at her; he was such a tall, well-muscled man...and she was a young, skinny girl. Had he gotten larger since she saw him? It was more likely that she had just gotten smaller. “I have a couple things I would like to tell you. That is, if you aren’t...in a questioning mood.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">It took her a minute to remember what he was referring to. Lifting her head, she said, “Of course not, as long as you aren’t going to hide everything again.” Her voice was a bit more angry than she had expected it to be. However, he seemed to think it was funny somehow, because he laughed.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Then he took a step closer, and she forced herself not to back away and show fear to him. “You don’t seem to understand. Do you think you have the authority to demand answers? Think again. I will tell you what I want to tell you and nothing more. And you will keep your stupid mouth shut, or I can have the guards come in here once again and move your unconscious body into an even smaller cell where you can think about whether or not you wish to continue being disobedient to me. I do not have the time or the patience to deal with a silly teenager who thinks they know everything. Do I make myself clear, Chosen One?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Nina felt a fear chill come over her. “...Crystal.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Excellent.” Khair smiled. “Now, onto some good news first...your grandmother has been officially moved into our little home.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“You have my Gran?” She echoed, before she could help herself.

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Yes. Don’t worry. She will not be harmed. She will be taken care of as well as my agents can do. We simply thought it’d make you feel more...comfortable to have family here. You will see her tomorrow morning.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Nina simply looked at him. He didn’t seem to be lying, but then again, he also seemed rather sociopathic, at least from her point of view. Who knows what he was really thinking? All she knew was that she didn’t want to trust him...yet, if her Gran wouldn’t be harmed, she couldn’t complain just yet. “I see...thank you.” Thanking him was very difficult. She justified it by thinking that if she acted polite, he may throw her more bones along the way.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Moving on...have you been eating much, Chosen One?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">That was unexpected. “Umm...well, I’ve been eating all I’ve been given, sir.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Khair came even closer, and looked her over. He was uncomfortably close. It made her freeze up; she became almost hyper-aware of every movement he made. If he touched her, she didn’t know what she’d do. Thankfully, all he did was look at her. “You’re malnourished, I believe.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Am I?” Nina had already thought something like that, considering all the barely edible food she had been eating in tiny portions. “I hadn’t noticed.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">He shook his head and took out the remote again. Once he pressed the button, one of his agents had arrived almost instantly. “You. Find the people responsible for her meals and give them my orders to feed the Chosen One something good, and with portions enough to make her full. Oh, and fire the doctors who claimed she was at full health. She is clearly not well. She needs rest, exercise, and food. Got it?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The agent nodded and ran off. Meanwhile, she was left confused over Khair’s’ sudden kindness. Nina looked at him in shock, but was unable to think of a way to respond. Did she thank him again? Maybe. Could she ask him what was happening? What if he took away what he had just given her for her “defiance”? But then again, what if he actually gave her an answer? And why was he doing this at all? He must have had an ulterior motive...but if that was so, why only wait until now to show any sort of human decency? And if he didn’t have any motives, why was he doing it at all?

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Do not look so surprised, Chosen One. I need you to be healthy and comfortable for the time being. You will see why eventually.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“...Thank you.” Nina said again, this time a little less difficult to do.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">He nodded to her and walked back out of the cell, closing the door. Before leaving, he paused and looked at her through the bars. He was smiling. She didn’t know how to react to that, so she simply stared back at him.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Goodnight, Chosen One.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">And then, Khair was gone again.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:19px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Chapter 5-

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">When Fabian got the text the next morning that Sibuna was definitely going to get back together, he went immediately to work. First, he contacted Alfie and KT about this. Alfie was the first to call back.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“You’re awake,” He said, surprised, when picking up his cellphone. “I expected you to be in bed for at least another hour.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Dad has me up early every day,” Alfie replied, with a groan. “He says it’ll help me...umm...I don’t know, something about having to rise early to be successful or something?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Fabian laughed a little. “Well how’s that going?” He couldn’t relate to having issues with his father. Not that his childhood was perfect- but his father wasn’t the problem. It was his mother who was the issue; always ignoring her husband and son to cheat, drink and cheat some more, only coming back to her family for more money.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">It was okay. <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">He <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;"> was okay. His father, Uncle Ade and Jasper had been the ones to raise him, and his friends and experiences at Anubis had all shaped his life most of all; it was hard to relate to everyone else and their parental issues when his memories were minor, vague and pretty repressed.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“It’s awful!” Alfie answered, bringing Fabian out of his thoughts and back to the conversation. “He didn’t even let me sleep for five extra minutes! He’s like Victor, but worse!...I miss Anubis House.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“I know, I know, me too.” He said. “Speaking of...the Sibuna thing.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">There was a pause on the other line.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Oh, yeah.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Are you going to come help?”

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Dude, I don’t know! What about Willow? I can’t just leave her, not after all the work she had to go through just so we could get into the same university! I...I don’t feel good about leaving her like this.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">He sighed and paced around his bedroom while responding. “It’s summer, Alfie! We could probably get this whole thing done with before we have to start going to school. Right? Willow will be fine.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“But…” He heard him groaning again and moving around with a bit of energy, at least from what it sounded like over the line. “How exactly am I supposed to tell her I want her to leave for...who knows how long?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Tell her you’re going to some...Zombie fighting camp. I don’t know, just tell her <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">something <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">!”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Alfie sighed. “Are you sure you need me there?” <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Yes. We need everyone...If this is as big as I think it is.” <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“It’s a picture on a lock on a briefcase!”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“When Nina and I started, all we had to go on was a picture on the back of a painting.” Fabian reminded him. Bringing up Nina was a bit painful for him, even still. Briefly, he wondered if he should try contacting her. Maybe she’d like to come back for one last mystery.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">But he invited her to the graduation party. He invited her to the Anubis <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Christmas <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">party, where even distant family members had been able to make it- such as Poppy and John, as well as Piper. He even tried to send her an email based on everything that had happened with the Ammut mystery. Nina never replied to any of them, even just to say she didn’t want to come. What chance did he have to get her to join the mystery?

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">With a saddened breath, he quickly decided to change the subject. “Look, are you in or not? Because...if you come, Alfie, I can promise you, it won’t be pointless. And I promise, you’ll be able to see Willow again when it’s all done.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Okay...I’ll be there by tomorrow. Wait, where are we meeting again?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Eddie wanted us to meet up in that clearing in the woods, you know the one, since it’s nearby and we all know where it is. We’ll figure out the rest from there,”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Got it. Later, man.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“See you.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Fabian hung up the phone and proceeded to do some research on his laptop. Mostly, he was searching up the Eye of Horus. It was all just busy work for now, as he knew it wouldn’t be until tomorrow that he could actually do anything important. There was always the possibility of finding <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">something <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">, though.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">KT called around lunch time, and she was much easier to convince than Alfie was. She agreed almost immediately, partially because she was still living at Anubis House until she could find another place to go for the summer. It wasn’t like she could go back to live with her dead grandfather, or hunt down Frobisher as he was on his exhibition in Egypt. Maybe getting into the mystery was just seen as a way for her to get out of the House at last. Either way, she was all set to join the team once more.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Finally, Fabian called Eddie back with the good news.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“KT and Alfie are in,” he said, excitedly.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Eddie sighed a little. “Great. It’s Sibuna time again, huh?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“What’s wrong?”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Nothing, nothing. I’m just still a little...shaken up from the whole ‘dying’ thing, I guess.” His old roommate laughed a bit, awkwardly, and then said, “I guess I’m ready for a little more mystery…”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Fabian grinned. “Good. See you tomorrow, then.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Yup.”

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">After that ended, he went back online. He had an email from Mara, asking him if he wanted to drive up and see her this weekend. There was some science thing that she wanted to go to.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">He hesitated to reply. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Mara- just not in the way he liked Nina. The kiss was just in the heat of the moment for him, but for her, it seemed to be something real. Or as real as it could have been, seeing as how he wasn’t sure she was even completely over Jerome yet.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Fabian decided to simply decline her invitation and made up some small lie about having to help out Uncle Ade all summer with running the antique shop. He didn’t like being dishonest, but it was better than being <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">too <span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">honest.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">He went back to searching up any and all information that might help him, but it was all useless. He only kept searching up the Eye of Horus because it reminded him about Nina, and that fact, even when it hurt him on the inside, was something that compelled him to keep going.

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<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-align:center;"><span style="font-size:15px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;font-weight:normal;font-style:italic;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">I miss you, Nina… This last mystery is for you. Sibuna.

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