It's A Twin Thing | j. clarke [1]

nineteen

-:- House of Arrest / House of Hoax -:-

"I'm taking these to school with me," Fabian held the pieces in his hands. "I know Joy said that Victor was one of the good guys but I still don't trust him."

Fabian had just returned from his room, the clues in hand. Patricia crossed her arms as he spoke, but kept quiet nonetheless. I saw Nina open her mouth to speak, but Trudy interrupted her before she could say anything.

"Oh Fabian, be a love and give these letters to Victor," she held out a manilla envelope and several smaller ones that he took quickly. "I'm off to the supermarket."

"Are you getting canned pumpkin?" I asked.

"Of course sweetie," she smiled at me. "We should be all set for your pumpkin pie tomorrow evening."

"Thanks, Trudy," I said as I mirrored her expression.

"If I don't go now I'll miss my bus," she continued. "And then I have lunch with your uncle Ade."

As she finished talking she pointed to Fabian, who's eyebrows rose as his uncle came into question. Before we could ask questions, Trudy waved goodbye and zipped up her jacket with a swift exit. When she was gone, I caught my sister's expression of confusion.

"I didn't know you were making pumpkin pie," she explained

"Oh, yeah, I decided on it a couple of days ago," I informed her. "Alfie wanted me to make another dessert, and next Thursday would be Thanksgiving if we were back ho—"

"I think it's a great idea," my sister cut me off.

"I don't," Patricia spoke up. "Pumpkin pie sounds disgusting."

"It's an American staple," I defended.

"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" Nina directed her question at Fabian, breaking up Patricia and I's conversation.

"This one's from the hospital," he explained.

"It must be Alfie's toxicology report," Nina gasped.

"Right," Fabian realized.

"The hall is not an area for loitering," Victor yelled at us from above.

Fabian shuffled up the stairs awkwardly, delivering Victor's letters before we went back to school. We made it back in time for English, and I shivered as I took my seat next to Amber. Mrs. Andrews started talking about the book we were reading, Atonement by Ian McEwan, and I thought hard to remember what Jerome had told me the night before.

During our lunch hour, Nina, Fabian, and I were snooping in Victor's office. I don't know how they'd managed to talk me into stealing from his office, again, but my mind was put to ease when Fabian moved a fake squirrel in front of Victor's camera. The three of us were free to search through his desk without bother, and I took the right side while Nina and Fabian took the left.