Tears of Gold: House of Anubis

Eddie LXXXV

Summary: Eddie comes across a troubling situation

Evie's Notes: Happy Saturday! I hope you all had a wonderful week . This is the second of two updates today! I hope that you all continue to love this story and enjoy the new update🌺.

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Another night, another anxiety spiral. Sick of staring at the ceiling and not being able to sleep, Eddie slid on his slippers intent on making himself a late night snack. He moved through the room without fear of waking his roommate, given that the boy was once again gone. Eddie had quickly learned that he had pinned the boy as a "nerd" wrong when he first arrived. While Fabian had a geeky aesthetic, see Jess he did know how to use that word, and a hyperfocus on Egyptian History, that was where the stereotype stopped. Fabian and his friends had the worst class attendance record Eddie had ever seen, if this school had Truancy Cops the group of six would never be out of trouble. After Joy had revealed a little bit more about the group members history, things started to make a little more sense.

All the same, Eddie wasn't complaining about essentially having his own room. Heading into the kitchen, Eddie made a beeline for the fridge. Hopefully there was some of Vera's leftover spaghetti squireled away in there!

Seeing the outline of a familiar lean and tall form, Eddie called out a greeting "Hey Jerry!" but stopped when he got a good look at the situation in front of him.

"Uh hi...." he hesitantly stated to the man wrapping his hands tightly around his classmate in a possessive grip. "Is everything ok here?"

The fright Eddie could see shining in Jerome's eyes even in the faint light of the kitchen assured him that all was NOT ok.

"Ahh! Yes, hello there" smarmed the sketchy man. "I am Jerome's Uncle Rene. It is truly a pleasure to meet you".

Rene? Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Nice to meet you Uncle Rene" uttered Eddie, moving close to the pair under the guise of a handshake. He didn't know who this man was, but he didn't trust him for a second. Eddie knew a predator when he saw one.

"Jerome's a little upset right now" explained the man. "A favorite aunt of his has just passed away, and I was sent to pick him up for the wake".

"Oh" muttered Eddie with false sympathy. The subtle head shaking of Jerome showed that this story was clearly a lie.

"We were just leaving" added the man, squeezing ever tighter on Eddie's friend to try and drag him out the door.

"No. No we weren't" protested Jerry desperately.

"Yes, we are" threatened 'Rene' in a dark voice. "Or perhaps I should go get Poppy too? What do you think about that, Jerome?"

Eddie and Jerome were not close, but Eddie knew that Jerry would do anything, even get kidnapped, to protect his baby sister. Slipping off his apple watch, Eddie thanked his lucky stars for his past as a pick pocket as he slipped the watch into Jeromes back pocket. Hopefully the device would allow him to track the boy.

"N-NO! No! Not Poppy" begged the taller blond.

"No, I guess you are right. She is far too young to cope with grief. It is better to leave her oblivious at this time".

Dude. That's not how deaths in a family work.

"Come along Jerome. Uncle Peter is desperate to see you" drawled the man as he dragged the boy out the door.

Eddie kept up his calm facade until the pair were out of sight, then he broke into a sprint back to his room. Rene... Rene. He had to figure out where he had heard that name before!

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

Eddie had searched through various notebooks but could not for the life of him remember why that name was important, he just knew that it was. He had checked the "Find My I-phone App" many times but at the moment his watch was still at the same warehouse it had arrived at last night... hopefully Jerome was still with it.

He had to stop his search when Fabian rolled in a couple hours later, since he did not want to alarm his roommate. Eddie resigned himself to the knowledge that he would just have to wait until breakfast to keep searching for ways to help his kidnapped friend, after all maybe Joy would have some good ideas. He would ask her in the morning.

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

Eddie was anxiously fixing himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen as he waited for Joy to come down for breakfast. His brooding was interrupted by the increasingly comical amounts of food Amber was shoving into her school bag.

"Amber?! What are you doing?" he had to ask.

"I get low blood sugar," snapped the blonde. "And it's rude to stare".

"Anyone seen Jerome this morning? Or Alfie?" asked Mara bursting into the room, clearly disturbed by her best friend's disappearance.

"Uh, Alfie's sick" offered Patricia.

"Yeah, his parents came by to pick him up to go see a specialist" added Amber.

"And Jerome?" pressed Mara.

"Actually now that you mention it, I have no idea where Jerome is..." muttered Fabian.

"Has anyone seen him?" worried Amber.

"I saw him last night," offered Eddie. If this rescue operation was to get underway he had better start planting the seeds. "He left with his uncle, it was super bizarre".

"Why?" questioned Mara.

"The man claimed a relative of Jerome's died"

"Huh, well I'll touch base with Poppy" decided the journalist. "I am sure she and Jerome need someone to comfort them now".

Before Eddie could inquire where Joy was, Mara's school alarm went off and the students had to sprint across campus for their first class.

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Evie's Notes 2: Thank you all so much for reading 💕! I hope you enjoyed this update, let me know what you want to see more of in the comments!

Next Update: Alfie faces a difficult decision.

I love hearing from y'all! Let me know what you think of the chapter and the story so far in the comments or my Tumblr House-of-Secrets! Have a great week and stay safe! - Xo Evie🌺