A Pocket Full of Rye • House of Anubis

i. house of secrets / house of atttitudes

A/N:

Hello, everyone and welcome to another one of Tess' ridiculously big projects!

I'm trying to be more disciplined about this one, though, so it doesn't become ridiculously mammoth like Two is Company currently is (aka, it will not be longer than Bleak House by Charles Dickens lmfaooo). I have planned to write each chapter as one episode of Season 1, with the first and last episodes split into two, because... they're an hour lol. So this will not be updated as frequently as something like TIC

APFOR is a retelling of S1 of HOA that I hope to have contain more lore, more Society backstory, and some more shocking revelations.

I know some will groan when I tell you that there's an OC, Avis Balcom, but I think you will all come to really love her and what she brings to the table in this fic. I promise you, whatever you think it is, it's not. I also promise she's not a Mary Sue— you all know how much I hate unrealistic/perfect portrayals of characters, so know that this is going to be a story full of very flawed characters (including the ones we all know and love).

If you're curious about the family tree I'm using for this story, I will link you to the tumblr post I made. Most of the characters listed will not show up in this fic, but it's fun nevertheless.

https://at.tumblr.com/incorrectsibunaquotes/i-was-trying-to-keep-my-family-tree-headcanons-on/vc4p7cx3mdy3

Okay! If you made it to the end of this gigantic, long-winded author's note, thank you! You're a great listener. Now, without further ado, A Pocket Full of Rye...

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⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

sing a song of sixpence
a pocket full of rye

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The train pulls away from Delamere Station with a sharp blare of its horn, like a long-held breath finally exhaled into the air. Nina sucks in her own breath, and in the quiet atmosphere of the lonely English train station, it feels like her first. Standing there on the platform, she leans over the edge of the tracks and watches the train chug away until the caboose rounds a corner and disappears from view.

There's no going back now, even if she wanted to. Both her plane and train ticket are only one way, and that way leads to a new school and a new life, far from everything she's ever known... or will ever know again.

She's never been more scared or thrilled in her whole life.

Nina walks through the quiet, unmanned station to the other side, smiling politely at the handful of bored commuters sitting on benches or at tables in the little cafe, waiting for their own trains to somewhere. Some lady's Basenji dog cocks its head at her and barks just once like it's saying hello, its tongue lolling out of its mouth. Nina gives it a little wave before moving on to the other side of the station, her suitcase clacking along behind her.

Outside in the pebbled parking lot, she scans the place for her cab. Gran ordered it for her, told her that so long as her train wasn't delayed, there would be someone there waiting for her to pick her up so she didn't have to figure out her own ride. No one is there yet, but even if the cab never arrives, Amun Academic Boarding School is only thirty or so minutes away; she could find another way there.