Tears of Gold: House of Anubis

Jerome LXV

Summary: Jerome's Birthday ✨

Evie's Notes: Happy Wednesday! Here is the third and final chapter that I am dropping today. I hope that you enjoy, let me know your favorite part in the comments!

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Jerome woke up on the morning of Tuesday January 26th to Alfie, Liliana and Poppy jumping on his bed singing Happy Birthday at the top of their lungs.

"Alright, Alright! I'm up" laughed Jerome, tackling Poppy into a tight hug.

"Happy 17th Birthday, Gerbil!" cheered Poppy.

"Thank you Pops"

"Lili had Patricia make cinnamon apple pancakes for breakfast, so hurry up and get dressed before Eddie eats them all" informed Alfie.

Jerome quickly threw on his uniform and rushed to the dining room to join his housemates for his favorite breakfast.

*Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold*

The school day flew by and before he knew it the bell rang for his last class.

"Are you ready for your first surprise?" asked Alfie as he met up with Jerome at their lockers.

"You know I love surprises, A-dog".

"Well you are going to have to work for them today" revealed Alfie. The boy pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his pocket and passed it over to Jerome. Opening it, Jerome found several lines of printed text and a map of campus.

"A scavenger hunt, Alfie?"

"Yup! Just like we used to do before Anubis. Lili and I thought it would be fun to get back to our roots".

Jerome had to agree, because as he read over the message he remembered the warm summer days they had spent running through the Wells' estate searching for buried treasure. Back when treasure hunting didn't result in a lifetime of PTSD and debilitating trauma.

"The first clue will lead you to the next one, and so on. I'll take your bag back home for you, so go have fun buddy!".

Tossing his bag to Alfie with a grin, Jerome hugged the boy and then dashed off to the scavenger hunt's starting place.

*Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold*

Standing under the large oak tree by the front gate of the school, Jerome read the first clue. "Happy birthday Roe, we love you so much and wanted to plan a special search just for you! Start your search underneath the great oak tree by the front gate. Ready for your riddle? Here you go: Ding Dong goes the bell, running late... everyone can tell"

Where would a bell be... the school? If you were running late to class then everyone would be able to tell since the teachers took attendance in every class! The mention of the bell probably meant the bell tower in the center of the school's main courtyard.

*Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold – Tears of Gold*

Reaching the courtyard, Jerome spotted a very familiar braid of dark auburn hair. "Are you my surprise, Trixie?".

"One of many, Weasel," laughed Patricia. The girl reached into her bag and pulled out a little box that she passed to Jerome.

Opening the box Jerome found a lemon cupcake (his favorite) and a message glued to the lid.

"Did you make this Trix?"

"Of course I did, your girlfriend and I are the only ones in the house that should be trusted with any sort of baking" teased Patricia. "I was told to remind you to mark this location on the map. At a certain point you will have found the last clue and the spots on the map will lead you to your final surprise".