Hey... Remember me?

So I wasn't planning on ever uploading to this story again. In fact, I just released the first chapter of a new house of anubis story (that you should all totally read. It's called The Next Ruler) but then I was reading the reviews on this one from a couple of years ago and it struck a chord with me. I found the document on my computer that holds this story and saw that I had almost finished the second chapter a while ago, so I quickly finished it and decided to upload it. Now, this might seem mean but I don't think I am going to upload any more to this story after this. I used to have this whole story planned out in my mind, and I still know what I was planning on doing with it, but I've lost most of my interest in this story. I just hate the fact that I have a complete chapter sitting on my computer that I could upload, so that's what I'm deciding to do. If you're like me and you hate falling in love with a story and never having the author finish it, then please don't read this chapter because it's likely going to be the last. And trust me, the ending is not satisfying.

Alright, here we go.

Chapter 2

Nina's POV

The group sat in silence following the words just spoken.

"Some bigger force? What does that mean?" Patricia asked.

"Well, knowing Nina and Eddie it could mean anything," Fabian replied, clearly confused by the whole situation.

"Maybe we should go to the library tomorrow," I suggested. "The Frobisher library. It's bound to have some books in there."

"We can also check the tunnel entrance study," Eddie added.

"Alright, tomorrow, first thing after breakfast," Fabian confirmed. The group nodded, all chanting Sibuna at the same time. The group dispersed, leaving Nina in search of Trudy.

"Ah, Nina, I heard you were back," Trudy exclaimed when Nina found her in the kitchen. Trudy ran up to Nina and embraced her in a motherly hug.

"Is it alright if I stay for a little bit?" Nina asked.

"Of course, dearie," Trudy responded. The housemother thought for a moment before darting into the storage closet. "We can set up a cot in Patricia, Joy, and Mara's room, if you'd like."

"Four people in a room? Won't that be crowded?" Nina asked. "I could stay in the other room."

"Nonsense, the room is plenty big for you," Trudy assured Nina. "Besides, I know you would feel more comfortable with your friends."

Nina smiled warmly at Trudy before grabbing her bags from the hallway and lugging them up the stairs.

Nina was welcomed with open arms by Joy and Patricia, and Mara offered a kind smile and helped Trudy set up the cot on the far side of the room.

"This is going to be so fun!" Joy squealed. "The original Anubis girls, minus Amber, having a sleepover!"

"I am not doing makeovers," Patricia warned, pointing at the other girls.

Nina rolled her eyes with a smile. "Of course, Patricia."

"So, Nina, have you spoken to Amber much since you left?" Mara asked.

"No, actually, not at all," Nina revealed to the surprise of the other girls. "I tried calling her a few times but she didn't pick up, and I missed all of her calls. Bad timing, I guess."

Joy nodded sympathetically. "I guess it's hard to keep in touch with people who are miles away from you."

"Yeah, to be honest the only one I talked to was Eddie," Nina said. "And I only saw him over break, before I decided not to come back."

"Well you are back now, that's all that matters," Joy smiled. "And I'm determined to make these three weeks just like the old days."

"Apparently with a mystery as well," Patricia muttered.

"Not too much like the old days though, right?" Mara joked. The group of friends all laughed with each other in response.

Trudy's call for dinner interrupted the reunion, though the smell of Trudy's cooking was something Nina wished to reunite with.

Downstairs, Nina discovered how much the seating had changed from when Nina was last here. Eddie had taken a seat at the head of the table, where Nina usually sat. Fabian had moved to the opposite end near Mara, and everyone else had seemingly moved.

"Nina, why don't you sit here?" KT offered her seat at the other end opposite Eddie. "I'll grab an extra chair."

"Thank you," Nina replied. KT simply nodded and smiled before leaving in search of a spare seat.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Alfie exclaimed suddenly. "The Chosen One and Osirian sitting at opposite sides of the table. It's like you two are the king and queen of Anubis!"

"They practically are," Joy muttered, causing a string of laughter.

About halfway through dinner, Nina found her attention turned towards an annoying tapping sound. She glanced up and saw Eddie's fingers lightly touching the table, though making the sounds of knocking.

"Eddie, could you stop that?" Nina asked.

Eddie looked up sheepishly. "Yeah, sorry."

Nina returned her gaze towards her plate, unaware of the looks her old housemates were exchanging.

A few minutes later, the table started vibrating again.

"Eddie!" Nina exclaimed, not bothering to look up this time.

"What, I can't help it!" Eddie complained.

"Nina, how are you hearing that?" Joy asked.

Nina looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I can't even hear the tapping, and I'm sitting right next to Eddie," Joy said.

Nina shrugged. "I just have good hearing I guess."

The table of teens continued on with their meal in peace. The meal concluded and the students slowly started making their way up to bed. Without Victor there to give his speech, the kids found themselves going up to bed whenever they pleased.

Nina, Fabian, and Eddie were the last ones sitting at the dining table.

"Well, I'd better get going to bed," Fabian announced. "Mara and I are going to the cinema tomorrow morning."

"Alright," Nina replied. "Have fun."

Fabian left the room quickly, leaving Nina alone with her Osirian.

"So…" Eddie said.

"So…" Nina said.

"How were things in America?" Eddie asked.

Nina raised an eyebrow. "Apparently not nearly as interesting as here. Gran's better though, which is what matters."

"That's good," Eddie said. The two sat in awkward silence for a moment. "Well, I should be getting to sleep."

"Me too," Nina agreed. She stood up and walked over to Eddie. As if drawn by a force, Nina and Eddie's arms wrapped around the other's torso.

"I'm glad your back," Eddie murmured into Nina's hair.

Nina smiled in response. Eddie's hand reached up and met with Nina's shoulder, but Nina gasped in pain at a burning sensation where Eddie's fingers met her skin.

"What?" Eddie asked, pulling himself away with fear in his eyes.

Nina's hand tentatively touched her shoulder. "It feels like a burn mark."

"Let me see," Eddie said, walking around Nina and looking at her shoulder. "It looks like a burn mark."

"I must have burned myself without realizing it," Nina shook her head.

"Typical Nina," Eddie teased.

"I thought you were going to sleep," Nina said, trying to suppress a grin.

Eddie threw his hands up in defeat with a smirk. "Alright, alright. Goodnight, Nina."

"Goodnight, Edison," Nina teased.

Eddie smirked before walking towards the hallway. Once he was gone, Nina found herself being pulled into the kitchen, specifically the old oven door.

Nina instinctively reached for her necklace, only to be met with air. Nina frowned at this, though was distracted when the Eye of Horus began to glow its red glow anyways.

Nina's fingers quickly brushed over the symbol and the door drew open, surprising Nina.

"Well that's new," She noted. Nina glanced at her surroundings before ducking into the oven and then into the cellar.

The cellar was similar in that it kept its musty smell and murky lighting. However, the tables of failed elixirs and chemicals had been cleared out, leaving the cellar mostly open.

Nina walked over to the secret tunnel entrance and mindlessly entered the code. The door slid open, revealing the dusty chamber.

Knowing that the amulets had been stored elsewhere, Nina decided to take one of the many old books and sit on the old leather chair instead.

"The Egyptian Princess," Nina muttered, reciting the title of the book. "I didn't realize Frobisher kept fiction books."

The book's spine cracked open as Nina read the first page, blowing off a layer of dust. Sleep tugged at Nina's eyes, so she decided to read aloud in order to stay awake.

"Long ago, at the beginning of Egyptian Civilization, the gods and goddesses roamed Earth as the mortals did. The mortals promised to never harm a god or goddess, in exchange for the gods' protection and plentiful crop. For centuries the two groups worked coherently, but all did not stay this well for long.

"The mortals began to crave the gods' power for themselves. They demanded that they be given some semblance of power, but the gods denied them repeatedly. The mortals, angered by this, took matters into their own hands. They began killing the gods who had the ability to walk on the earth, for a god on earth resembled a human in physical form. This caused the major gods to close the portal between the mortal and immortal world from both sides, permanently cutting off all contact and leaving the humans to fend for themselves.

"Meanwhile, the gods rejoiced as Isis and Osiris welcomed a daughter into the kingdom. The daughter was known to be the most beautiful of the goddesses, and also showed power that could rival Osiris's. Perhaps most shocking was that the goddess harbored the ability to walk amongst the mortals, even after the closing of the portal. Osiris and Isis desperately tried to keep their daughter away from the mortal world, but the goddess was too powerful.

"She kept her identity hidden from the mortals. She lived as they did, working on a farm and travelling by foot. For a century she lived this way, only visiting the immortal world briefly. However, one day she met a mortal boy. She fell in love with him, and disclosed her true identity to him. The boy seemed willing to keep the secret.

"But the goddess was fooled, for that same night, the boy whom she deeply loved snuck into her cottage and stabbed her mortal heart while she slept. The goddess's mortal body perished, trapping her soul in the mortal world.

"Osiris and Isis were outraged by the news. Osiris opened the portal to the world and personally sent the boy to Anubis in the underworld. This did not help with the pain of losing his daughter. The only thing Osiris could do was find her soul and preserve it until his daughter could be reborn. It was prophesized that once her mortal soul was reborn, her immortal soul would return to it in all its power and she would challenge Osiris for his power over his immortal kingdom."

Nina closed the book, slowly placing it back on the shelf. She frowned, for if there was one thing she knew about Robert Frobisher, it is that none of his books are irrelevant. He wouldn't harbor a simple work of fiction, so this story must be true. Nina only hoped that it had already happened, for she wasn't sure that the world would be able to survive a war between gods.