Episode 8: "House of Flames & House of Passages"

This edited and revised chapter was uploaded on July 27, 2020

Chapter 8: Fiery Clues and Watery Fights

Cameron was sitting on her bed typing away on her laptop when her bedroom door opened. Patricia came in and immediately kneeled at Nina's bed. Cameron's eyes narrowed. Patricia obviously hadn't noticed her. Cameron watched as Patricia rummaged through Nina's things, seemingly looking for something. Cameron was horrified when Patricia found it.

Cameron silently stood and blocked the door. Patricia eventually turned around, and stopped dead.

"How long were you there?" Patricia asked.

"I've been in here the whole time. You didn't notice I was on my bed when you came in," Cameron told her coldly. She held out her hand and Patricia begrudgingly dropped Nina's locket into it. "Why?"

"Because the man who's helping me find Joy needs it," Patricia said.

Cameron's eyes widened at that.

"What man?"

"Didn't I tell you? The man you and I saw is real. He's a Private Investigator and he's looking into Joy's disappearance. He said the Eye of Horus might lead him to Joy."

Cameron scoffed. "The Eye of Horus is an Ancient Egyptian symbol of protection," Cameron said. Patricia's wide eyes said she hadn't known that. "I don't think it has anything to do with Joy's disappearance, and trust me, Nina's locket doesn't either."

"How do you know?" Patricia demanded.

"Because I was there when she got it," Cameron said.

Patricia immediately asked, "How did she get it?"

"A mutual friend of ours gave it to her."

Patricia was silent.

"How do you know you can trust this P.I. anyway? Whenever they investigate something, it's because they were hired to do so. So who hired him? Why is he practically stalking the school? Why did he break into the house in the middle of the night? What is his reasoning for looking for the Eye of Horus — that symbol is everywhere, all over the world. Including our staircase." Cameron shook her head. "It doesn't sound right."

"He's helping me find Joy," Patricia argued. "That's all that matters."

Cameron sighed. "Look, Patricia, I know there's something going on, but please… Make sure you can trust this man. And don't steal things. If you needed the locket, you could've just asked."

Patricia looked down in shame. "Please don't tell Nina."

Cameron didn't say anything, and Patricia silently left the bedroom.

~)8(~

Later that day, after Fabian messed up and got the MP3 player with the cylinder recordings confiscated (something the three girls gave him crap for), the Anubis House residents were sitting in class waiting for the period to start.

"Let's face it, brother," Alfie lamented, "we are so out of the babe race." Alfie stared wistfully at Amber while Jerome stared at Cameron. Jerome had found himself trying to impress her lately. He couldn't deny that he had a small crush (it wasn't small, but he wouldn't admit that) on the still incredibly mysterious American.

"Speak for yourself," Jerome said.

"Right," Alfie said. "So was that your clone Cameron shut down yesterday?"

Jerome scowled lightly. She certainly hadn't been amused by the smoke bomb stunt.

"Caramel's mad about me," Jerome said confidently. "She just doesn't know it yet. Same as Amber with you, mate." Their two girls were sitting next to each other. Amber was refreshing her makeup and Cameron was scribbling away in what looked like a new notebook.

"Okay," Alfie said. "So what's your latest big idea, Casanova?"

Jerome thought for a moment. "If music be the food of love, play on."

"We play them music," Alfie guessed.

"No!"

"Oh, I know, I know, we write them music. A song for Amber, yeah?"

"You see, I was thinking a sonnet. Poetry," Jerome said.

"My song will be poetry, man!" Alfie's determination to woo Amber returned with vigor. "A tune to end all tunes. Oh, yeah, I'm getting the vibe already."

Alfie took out a kazoo and started playing a choppy, bad melody. Jerome laughed, but Alfie ignored him and continued playing, as if nothing in the world could stop him on his mission to win Amber's heart.

~)8(~

"Any luck?" Fabian asked, sitting down on the bed next to Nina. The four Sibuna members were in the girls' bedroom trying to think about what to do. Nina was trying to get the newest puzzle piece to open.

"I was wondering if this jewel bit turns or something," Nina said. "But it's really stiff. I could do with some brute strength."

"Don't give it to Fabian, then," Amber joked. Fabian ignored her and tried turning the jewel at the end of the thin, long puzzle piece. A few seconds later, the jewel popped off.

Nina gasped.

"What's inside?"

Fabian unrolled the riddle and read as Cameron and Amber rushed over.

"Khet is the place to find. And there in the flames, you must look behind."

"Even I have no idea," Amber said.

"What does khet mean?" Nina asked Cameron.

"'Flames' or 'fire.'"

That didn't exactly help. "Fire is the place to find. And there in the flames, you must look behind." It was kind of redundant, but in a completely non-explanatory way.

Later that afternoon, Fabian went back to the school to try and get the MP3 back from Mrs. Andrews. Nina, Cameron, and Amber were in the living room, pondering the riddle instead of doing homework. Cameron paced back and forth, then stopped dead.

She felt like an idiot.

She said so out loud.

"What?" Nina asked.

But Cameron didn't answer. Instead, she simply stared at the fireplace.

"Khet," she said. "Khet can also be used to mean 'place of fire.'"

Nina's eyes widened, and she and Amber jumped up.

"The fireplace!" Nina cried. The three girls rushed over to it and began inspecting. But before they could really start, they heard a deep voice behind them.

"What are you doing?" Victor demanded. "Why are you fooling around in the fireplace?"

"We're collecting soot," Nina lied quickly. Cameron eyed her. Nina lied all the time, but her skill at it varied. "For an art project about Pompeii. Extra credit."

This time, her delivery was decent.

"I don't like you snooping around the house," Victor said. "Chandeliers, fireplaces…"

"Oh, well, we're taking the chandelier down," Nina said. "As soon as Fabian gets back."

"No," Victor said. "Leave it up there."

"But I thought you said that —"

"Yes, I did, but I've changed my mind," Victor said. "I shall want you all in bed early tonight. Lights out at 9 o'clock. And I shall expect to hear a pin drop after that. Tell the others. Miss Zack, my office."

Cameron had no choice but to follow Victor upstairs to his office. She shot Nina and Amber a worried look, and they returned it.

"Sit," Victor said once they were in his office. Cameron obeyed. "Have you seen the man who broke in again?" Cameron blinked. That was not what she expected at all.

"No, I haven't," Cameron said honestly. She shivered at the thought of seeing him again. "But Patricia has. He's apparently a private investigator who's looking into 'Joy's disappearance.'" Cameron's tone went sarcastic at the end of her sentence. Normally, she might not have told Victor the truth, but however creepy the caretaker was, the P.I. was scarier and far more suspicious. She was worried about Patricia, and worried about what would happen if she kept meeting with him.

She hoped Patricia took her advice from earlier and made doubly sure she could trust him before she did anything rash.

"Thank you, Miss Zack," Victor said. "You may go."

Cameron left his office as fast as she could and took refuge in her bedroom.

~)8(~

Later that night, it was nearing nine o'clock when Jerome came and dragged Cameron and Amber out of their room. He ignored their protests and sat them down on individual couches.

Alfie soon came into the living room.

"What am I doing here?" Cameron whispered to Jerome. "If this is Alfie trying to win Amber's heart, it's not going to work. And I don't see why I need to be here to see it."

"Just watch," Jerome whispered back. Cameron rolled her eyes, but fell silent as Alfie began to beatbox.

"What up, what up." More beatboxing. "Owe it to Amber, y'all. Amber if I was a gambler, I'd put my money on you…"

Cameron's eyes widened as Alfie continued to rap. She felt like laughing. Jerome was not so subtle with his amusement and was practically dying of quiet laughter beside her. She half-heartedly elbowed him. Jerome raised a knowing eyebrow, knowing she found this as amusing as he did.

Amber, however, stared at Alfie, completely weirded out.

Soon, she stopped him. "Okay, thanks, Alfie. That was totally and utterly —"

"Yeah?"

"Horrible."

"Oh."

"Sweet, but seriously, don't quit your day job," Amber said. Everyone turned at the sound of approaching footsteps and Nina appeared.

"Victor's on the warpath, guys," she said. "And it is not pretty."

"Uh-oh," Jerome said.

"Time to make a quick exit," Alfie added.

"Night, Caramel." The pair dashed off.

Cameron rolled her eyes at the nickname. She had gotten used to it at this point.

Fabian came into the room, staring at his friends.

"What is going on?" he asked. "I was just at the school and the teachers were acting really, really weird. And then as soon as I get back, Victor bites my head off and sends me straight to my room. But I told him I had to give you this, first." Fabian pulled out the MP3 and Amber gasped with delight.

"You got it!"

"Do you think she heard it?" Nina asked.

"Close," Fabian said, "but no."

"Nine o'clock!" Victor yelled through the house. "You have five minutes and then I want to be able to hear a pin drop!"

The Sibuna members sighed, then went off the bed.

~)8(~

The next morning found Cameron downstairs eating breakfast along with Mick, Alfie, and Jerome. She was writing in her new notebook, munching idly on some cereal. That was, until she felt ice cold water being dumped all over her.

Cameron cried out. She shivered violently, then looked up through her wet hair to see Patricia, empty water pitcher in hand.

"I asked you to keep a secret!" Patricia hissed.

Cameron immediately knew that Nina must've confronted Patricia about her trying to steal the locket. Cameron had told her friend about that as soon as Nina had gotten back to the room.

The girl herself jumped up off the couch and rushed over to a shivering Cameron, but Jerome was closer and quicker.

"Patricia, look what you've done!" Cameron cried. Despite her shivering and sopping wet clothing and hair, she was staring at her notebook in despair.

In fact, Cameron looked like she could cry.

"Like I care! You deserve it!"

"Patricia!" Jerome and Nina cried. Fabian and Mara, having heard Cameron's scream, rushed into the dining room.

"Patricia, what's going on?" Mara cried.

"Betrayal, that's what!"

"I'm not the one who was snooping around other people's rooms and stealing their belongings," Cameron shot back. "And I'm not the one destroying other people's hard work!"

Cameron's glare was replaced with tears as she looked back at her notebook. She hugged the soaked thing to her chest.

"I asked you to keep a secret!" Patricia argued, trying to justify her actions.

"Of course I didn't keep your secret! You were stealing! It's called having ethics and morals, Patricia. You obviously have none."

Patricia had no reply. Everyone was staring at her, completely disgusted and surprised at what Cameron said she had done, and Patricia's abhorrent behavior. Patricia, seeing everyone's gazes on her and filled with anger, threw the last of the water on Cameron before storming out.

The room was silent.

Jerome was the one to break it. "Come on, Cameron." He put his arm around her and steered her out of the dining room. He quickly led her upstairs to her bedroom. Jerome quickly grabbed a towel from the bathroom, then returned to Cameron and handed it to her. She took it silently and began drying her hair.

"I'm sorry Patricia did that," Jerome said. "Are you okay?" Cameron nodded. "Was she really snooping around in here?"

"Yeah, she was," Cameron confirmed quietly. "She was going to steal something of Nina's too. I don't know why she thought I wouldn't tell."

Jerome shook his head. He liked to think that even he had a little more decency than that. He opened his mouth to say something when there was a ringing.

Cameron dug into her bag and withdrew her laptop. Jerome saw it was a video call from someone named Matt Zack.

Cameron's older brother.

The girl bit her lip, as if contemplating something, before accepting the call.

The image of a young man with dark hair and bright blue eyes immediately filled the screen, beaming as brightly as the sun.

"Hey, squirt!" Matt immediately greeted his sister. Cameron instantly smiled.

"Matt! How are you?"

"I'm good, but is your hair wet? And your clothes?" Matt's eyes narrowed in confusion at his sister's appearance.

"Oh, well, there was a little accident this morning at breakfast and I got water all over myself," Cameron quickly lied. Jerome was impressed at how nonchalant she sounded.

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Matt said.

"Yes, Matt. I'm fine," Cameron said smiling. "Actually, there's someone here you should meet." Cameron waved Jerome over and he sat down next to her on the bed. "This is my friend, Jerome. Jerome, this is my brother, Matt."

"Hey, Jerome," Matt said. "You live in Anubis House, too?"

"Yeah. I room with Alfie," Jerome said.

"All right, you two talk, and I'm going to go change," Cameron said. She grabbed herself a new set of clothes and moved to leave. However, she turned back. "Actually, don't talk. The last thing I need is the two banes of my existence getting chummy with each other." Matt and Jerome laughed. "Seriously! He's already figured out two of my weaknesses!"

"Let me guess," Matt said. "The ticklishness and the hair thing."

"I knew about her being ticklish, but what's this about her hair? Do tell," Jerome said.

"No, don't tell!" Cameron yelled.

"She will never admit it, but Cameron loves it when people play with her hair," Matt said. Then he frowned. "But what's the second weakness you figured out?"

Jerome had to think about it. "Um, the ear thing, I think."

Matt looked surprised. "How'd you figure that one out?"

"Long story," Cameron cut in. Seeing as there was no stopping Jerome and Matt, she went into the bathroom to change. Once she was gone, Matt turned serious.

"Okay, what's she so upset about?" Matt asked. He could read his baby sister like a book, and he'd known the moment he saw her there was something wrong. But she could be so independent, preferring to suffer in silence rather than make him worry.

If she wouldn't tell him what was wrong, maybe her friend would.

Jerome, however, grew uncomfortable at Matt's questioning. He didn't want to be the one to tell Matt about Patricia's behavior towards his baby sister. So he decided to tell the truth — but only partially.

"One of her notebooks was ruined when the water was spilt."

Matt sighed.

"Oh, God. That's not good. She's going to be moody for a week because of that."

"I don't know," Jerome said. "The notebook was pretty new as far as I could tell. She was writing in the front, and it wasn't falling apart like all the others. It looked almost mint."

Matt sighed again, but with relief this time.

"Oh, thank God," he said. "Listen, if there's one thing you need to know about Cameron, it's that her writing is very important to her."

"Yeah, it seems every time I see her, she's typing on her laptop or writing in one of her notebooks," Jerome agreed. "Does she have any other weaknesses I should know about?"

Matt smiled deviously. His sister was going to kill him for this, but he didn't care.

"Her two other big ones are when people hug her from behind," Jerome filed that away for later, "and apple juice."

Jerome blinked at that. "Apple juice?"

"Apple juice," Matt confirmed. "And not apple cider, that's different. Apple juice."

"That is so…" Jerome couldn't find the right word.

"Childish? Cute?" Matt supplied.

"Yeah."

"Do you like her?" Matt was so serious that Jerome was caught off guard. However, he couldn't help but be honest and nodded.

"Yeah, I do," Jerome admitted. "A lot, actually." Jerome almost winced at admitting that aloud, but Matt was smiling.

"My advice? Be patient. I can tell Cameron likes you too, but she's awkward with her feelings and doesn't open up easily. Give her time. Don't rush her. If you do, she'll close up on you. Just give her some time. Wait until she's ready. It'll be worth it, I promise."

"How will I know when she's ready?" Jerome asked.

"Well…" Matt looked like he was really thinking about it. "If I had to guess, it'll be when she fully trusts you."

"And how will I know when she fully trusts me?"

"Three things: she'll tell you about Jill, she'll tell you about her little hobby, and she'll fall asleep on you."

One of those things was not like the other.

Matt continued. "And Cameron told me that she told you about Jill, so you're already part of the way there."

"She'll fall asleep on me?" Jerome asked, both amused and confused by that.

"Cameron's not a very touchy-feely person. Too much contact irritates her. And Cameron has a hard time falling asleep in unfamiliar places. So, if she falls asleep on you, and trust me, that'll be the last one to happen, then she fully trusts you and is completely comfortable with you," Matt explained.

"And her little hobby?" Jerome asked. Matt smiled again, more mischievously this time.

"It's not anything to worry about. Nothing illegal or bad," he reassured Jerome. "It actually has to do with her writing. And that's all I'm going to say about it."

Jerome thought that was fair.

"Okay, there's something I'm wondering," Jerome said. "Why do you call Cameron 'squirt?' She's not exactly short."

It was true — Cameron was actually the tallest girl in the house, and only an inch shorter than Fabian and Mick.

"No, I know," Matt said. "But, she was always shorter than me and Jill when she was younger. Plus, despite being taller, my sister is literally tiny. Wrap your arm around her and you'll see what I'm talking about."

Jerome heard a creak and saw Cameron walk in. She had changed into a dry uniform and pulled her hair into a bun.

"Feel better?" Jerome asked.

"Much," she replied. "Now, I hate to do this to the budding bromance, but we have to get to school." Jerome looked at his watch and realized she was right.

"All right, then," Matt said. "Remember what I said, Jerome. Cameron's like a kitten."

"I'm right here, you know!"

"She's shy around those she doesn't know or like, playful with those she does like, and loyal to those she trusts. Plus, she's cute."

"I know," Jerome agreed. "Whenever she cocks her head in confusion or when she's thinking she's so adorable. She makes me want to cuddle."

"No one's stopping you from going and adopting a kitten," Cameron quipped. Matt laughed.

"Wow, you two are perfect for each other."

Cameron blushed and Jerome smirked when he spotted it.

"Love you, Squirt."

"Love you too, Matt. I'll call you tonight."

"All right. Talk to you then."

"Bye." Cameron hung up and closed her laptop. She looked at Jerome. "Do I even want to know what you two talked about?"

"Probably not."

"I was afraid of that." Cameron stuffed her laptop on her bag, then the two went downstairs. She waited while Jerome grabbed his own bag from his room, and they left the house together. They walked to school in a comfortable silence. Jerome found his gaze wandering over to her.

Jerome remembered Matt's words — about how small she was. Upon inspecting her, he realized that she was, in fact, incredibly petite, despite her height.

"Hey, come here," he said. Cameron frowned, but moved closer to him. Jerome reached out and slowly wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" Cameron stepped away from him.

"Wrapping my arm around you." That made Cameron blink. Not his words, but the way he said them. There wasn't even a hint of flirtiness in his tone. He instead, was simply matter-of-fact.

"Why?" Cameron asked.

"It's something Matt said," Jerome explained. "Now, come here." Cameron didn't protest and moved closer to Jerome again. Jerome wrapped his arm around her waist and nearly gasped at the result. Now, he was a tall guy with long arms, but his entire hand was flat against Cameron's stomach, and he wasn't even reaching.

"Blimey, you're tiny!" Jerome exclaimed. Cameron rolled her eyes, realizing what this was about. Matt had explained to Jerome why he called her "squirt."

"I'm not that small," she muttered. Jerome stared at her.

"Cameron, I can wrap my arm around you and nearly reach her other side and I'm not even reaching yet."

Cameron frowned and looked down at herself.

"Am I really that small?" she muttered. She'd always thought she was a very healthy size. But Matt called her "squirt" and now Jerome was commenting on her size. Even Nina and Amber had commented on how they thought she was really thin.

If that many people noticed, it must've been true. Cameron frowned, growing self-conscious.

"Hey," Jerome said, seeing her expression. "I didn't mean it like that. Yes, you're small, but you don't look unhealthy. In fact, you're really pretty." The words had escaped his mouth before he realized it. Cameron turned a beautiful shade of pink and looked down again. Jerome felt his ears go warm.

He cleared his throat.

"We should get to school," he said.

"Right."

He and Cameron fell into silence again. An awkward one, this time. It wasn't until they were in the school that Cameron spoke.

"Thanks," she said. Jerome's brow furrowed in confusion. "For what you said back there… the compliment…"

"Oh, erm, you're welcome," he stumbled in reply. It wasn't every day Jerome told a girl he thought she was pretty, even if it was on accident. He honestly hadn't meant to say it, even if it was true.

However, the small smile Cameron gave him before rushing off to her locker was the most genuine smile she had ever given him. And Jerome didn't regret his words anymore.

~)8(~

"Nobody. Not one body," Amber said, peeking her head into the living room. She, Nina, Fabian, and Cameron were looking to inspect the fireplace without any interruptions. All of them had changed into casual clothing as soon as they got back from school. Nina and Fabian kneeled down and began investigating when they bumped heads. Both of them cried out and moaned.

"I'm sorry," Fabian immediately said.

"It's okay. Probably just a mild concussion," Nina joked. However, she and Fabian didn't look away from each other, leaving Amber and Cameron feeling very awkward.

"Get a room," Cameron quipped. Nina and Fabian immediately snapped out of it, their faces flushing.

They returned to the inspection.

"There's nothing new here," Nina sighed after a few minutes. "But I was so sure!"

"Maybe we've misread the riddle," Fabian said.

"Or it's not a fireplace," Cameron suggested. "There are other places of fire. Or, since this house is so old, it is a fireplace, but one that was bricked up when it was renovated."

Everyone sighed. This was getting them nowhere.

"Maybe it's time to visit Sarah," Nina said, grasping her locket. Cameron nodded in agreement.

~)8(~

"I hope we catch Sarah in one of her more lucid moments," Nina said as the four of them walked into the old folk's home. "She can get very confused. I mean, she could send us to a fireplace back in 1972." Nina quietly opened the door, but quickly closed it. Someone was already in the room besides Sarah.

A man. A large man with short hair, large ears, and a leather jacket.

Cameron froze. It was him. It was the man. The P.I. who stalked the school and broke into Anubis House.

Without another thought, Cameron bolted.

She ran. She ran all the way from the old folk's home back to Anubis House. She ran and ran, and when she arrived, she barged right into Victor's office.

"Miss Zack!" he yelled, startled. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of —"

"I saw him again!" Victor paused. Cameron then noticed that Mrs. Andrews was in the office too, but she didn't care, and simply continued. "I'm sure of it. I was just taking a walk and I saw him snooping around in the woods."

Cameron didn't dare to tell Victor about Sarah. She was very protective of the old woman, especially since she seemed to think Victor was a murderer. And at times, Cameron was inclined to believe her.

But this man… Something was wrong. He scared her. And Cameron would not let him hurt her, or Sarah, or even Patricia.

"Are you sure?" Mrs. Andrews asked. Cameron swallowed hard and nodded.

"Positive. And I know for a fact that Patricia is meeting with him. She says he's a private investigator."

"Thank you, Miss Zack. You may go."

At Victor's dismissal, Cameron left and took refuge in her bedroom. She immediately began to write. With Jill's teddy bear in her lap, Cameron wrote and wrote and wrote.

Her deadline was coming up and despite being ahead of schedule, she wrote. She had to write. It was the only way to get her mind off the man and the incident from three years ago. She couldn't think about it. She couldn't think about it.

~)8(~

That night, everyone was downstairs eating dinner. It was quiet, and tense. Cameron was sitting between Mick and Jerome, writing in a brand-new notebook that Mick had kindly gotten for her.

The silence was eventually broken.

"Pass the juice, please, Mara," Patricia requested.

Mara merely looked at the girl before returning to her meal. A little more tension clung to the air. No one else would even look at Patricia as she got up and fetched the pitcher herself.

"Well, aren't we quiet tonight," Trudy commented.

"No kidding," Patricia agreed. Everyone glanced at her, dirty (Nina, Amber, Fabian, Jerome, Mick) and incredulous (Alfie, Mara, Cameron) looks on their faces.

"So, what's with the silent treatment?" Patricia eventually asked. She was genuinely confused and everyone tossed her looks again.

Nina finally answered her.

"What you did to Cameron was terrible."

"And what do you think, Mara?" Patricia said. If there was anyone who was going to back her up, it was Mara.

Patricia would end up disappointed.

"You went too far," Mara said, agreeing with Nina. "Plus, I was on clean up duty."

"Jerome?" He most likely didn't have an opinion.

Patricia was wrong once again.

Jerome was throwing her the nastiest looks of them all.

"Yeah, okay, you're right," Patricia eventually said.

"Whoa!" Alfie breathed. Everyone paused and looked at Patricia.

"I'm sorry, Cameron," she said.

"Falls out of his chair in amazement," Alfie narrated, indeed slipping from his chair in shock.

"Did Patricia I'm-never-wrong Williamson just apologize?" Jerome asked, almost skeptical.

"Shut up, slimeball!" Patricia shot back. She sniffed. "Oh, and nice cologne. Ode to Cat Pee?"

"I'm not wearing cologne," Jerome muttered. Only Cameron heard him.

"And Nina, I am sorry about going through your stuff. The thing is, I did have a reason. And if you're interested I'll tell you about it. Not now, obviously, but in private sometime?"

"Yeah, sure," Nina said with false enthusiasm. "You, me, no witnesses. It should be fine." Patricia rolled her eyes. "Seriously. I'd like to talk."

Nina was genuinely interested to learn why Patricia so desperately needed her locket. The locket with deep connections to the house and the mysteries it contained.

~)8(~

That night, Nina, Fabian, and Amber told Cameron about how they finally found the answer to the riddle. A secret passageway in the kitchen disguised as the second, broken oven. It had been opened using Nina's locket. They were planning to explore the passageway that night, but Cameron opted out. When they asked her why, she confessed that she had a little investigating of her own to do.

Nina seemed to understand that this was something Cameron needed to do alone, and left her alone.

Night came and when they were sure the house was asleep, Nina and Amber snuck off with Fabian, and Cameron was left on her own. She rose from her bed and pulled on her sweatshirt and a pair of Converse. She took her bag and trusty hairpin before slipping up into the attic.

Her key. The key she had gotten from Sarah. It was bothering her. She had grown used to its constant presence around her neck, but she had been unable to deduce its purpose. She hoped there was something buried in the attic that could help her. Something of Sarah's maybe? Or maybe even something it unlocked.

The attic was as dark and musty and mysterious as normal. It was strange to be up there alone, and Cameron was suddenly unnerved by the silence.

She shook it off. She had some investigating to do.

Cameron quietly sifted through the attic. There were certainly a great many things in there, and many of them were locked. Her key fit none of them.

After about an hour, Cameron was starting to get frustrated. She sat back on her haunches, trying to think of what else to do. Maybe she could sneak into the cellar next.

Cameron stood, figuring there was no use exhausting herself. She'd just be miserable tomorrow if she did. It was time to return to bed. The mystery wouldn't disappear overnight.

Cameron wandered near the notch on the wall, studying the shape of it. She was still amazed at it. And the fact that Nina's locket unlocked secret passages in the house.

The notch began to glow.

Cameron's eyes widened. She leaned closer. The golden glow brightened. And it wasn't just the notch that was glowing.

Cameron's key was glowing too.

She raised the key to the notch, and it slotted perfectly inside.

The panel slid open, and the portrait's eyes glowed golden.

Cameron's eyes widened. Her key… It was like Nina's locket!

But it begged the question… If her key was just like Nina's locket, then why even create it? Why not just create two lockets? Why create a key to nothing?

And most importantly… Why had Sarah been so insistent that no one but Cameron see it? Why was she so insistent that it was for her, and her alone?

Why?

Cameron shook her head. It seems that in her quest for answers, she had only ended up with more questions.

How typical.

Hey all! Here's another update! Leave me a review and let me know what you think :) Make sure to go vote on my poll!

Reviews

FanOfPiPercy: Oh, I'm so glad you love Cameron! Your words really mean the world to me :) As cliche as it sounds, my stories (even fanfiction) are important to me as creations and my characters are like my children. So the fact that you like Cameron and her story and relationship means a lot. I hope you like this chapter! We got to see a bit more of Cameron's past here, and her relationship with her brother.
gossamermouse101: Romeo and Juliet isn't my favorite Shakespeare, that's for sure, but I love the symbolism behind their names. Young, genuine love. Though I am happy to report that Cameron and Jerome won't be killing themselves for each other lol.
scarlet quagmire: Oh, yes... Jerome's four-step plan. Easy to say Cameron won't be so easily wooed. But we'll get there eventually ;) Promise!

Sammiemoosam