Two is Company (House of Anubis)

Chapter 92: Kangaroo Court

Kira didn't sleep all night. She'd tried to lose herself in a book or two, but when that didn't work, she just lay in bed and stared up at the ceiling until the sun came up.

Mara had slept like a rock the whole night, but Patricia had been restless too. Once or twice she'd gotten up, and then simply hadn't returned to bed at all until just after sunrise. If she had to guess, Kira figured she'd gone downstairs to spend the night with Eddie. The details of such a visit certainly weren't anything she wanted to make her business.

However, the sleepless night gave her time to think. The more Kira thought about the fingerprints, the more uncomfortable she got. Why had Eddie thought it was okay for someone he'd accused of being a traitor to lead the "investigation?" It was such a gaping oversight, it was almost laughable. Besides, what did lifting a fingerprint from the phonograph pieces do besides prove that KT touched it? So had all of them— herself included! The match proved almost nothing, and she resolved to discuss these concerns with her brother as soon as they had a moment to speak in private.

It may not prove KT's innocence, but it certainly didn't prove her guilt.

The atmosphere at breakfast wasn't exactly conducive to having a reasonable discussion, though; in fact, the tension was so thick, Kira could almost spear it with her butterknife. No one in Sibuna spoke, save for a gruff round of 'Good morning's. Only Jerome, Joy, and Mara were talking, and even that was stilted, put off by the rest of their attitudes. And that was even before KT came downstairs; the moment she sat down, the enmity got that much thicker.

"Good morning!" KT greeted chipperly, but there was a desperation in her eyes.

The boys averted their gazes, fixing their attention firmly on their breakfasts; Patricia was less diffident, and instead acknowledged KT's arrival with a neutral stare.

Kira honestly wasn't sure how to react to her presence. Should she smile? Greet her back? Leap across the table and strangle her? How were you supposed to interact with a loved one who might have sold you and your team down the river? Instead of going with any of those options, she spooned a mouthful of Cheerios past her lips, swallowing them without chewing. She wanted to disappear.

Jerome looked more than a bit perplexed at their icy reception of KT, and he blinked at them in confusion. "Er, good morning, KT," he greeted pointedly. "Look, everyone! It's KT! Eh? Well... this is awkward."

The silence only grew more painful when KT reached for the cereal ladle, only for Patricia to snatch it up first; the message was clear to everyone, even those who had no idea what was really going on.

"Patricia, if you wanted your breakfast, you could just ask nicely," continued Jerome with faux-cheer. "And maybe at the same time you can tell me why suddenly no one is speaking to KT?"

"Leave it, Jerome!" Eddie bit out jaggedly. "Okay?"

He blinked, offended. "Fine, fine!"

Kira woodenly took another bite of cereal, shriveling up on the inside at the tears she could see forming in KT's eyes.

"Who's up for seconds?" Trudy called, swooping in with a plate of pancakes.

Joy and Jerome declined, grabbing their stuff to leave. They walked past KT, shooting her concerned looks, before disappearing into the foyer. KT hesitated at Trudy's offer, but ultimately shook her head.

"No thank you, Trudy," she said glumly, scanning her ex-clubmates' faces. "I'm not really hungry." She got up to go, and Kira clenched her spoon so hard enough to leave divots in her palm.

She really needed to talk to Eddie in private before the situation became downright villainous.

Mara clicked her pen at the opposite end of the table, turning her sights on Alfie. "When you've gotten over yourself, I've got the perfect role for you," she said. "Cherry!"