Two is Company (House of Anubis)

Chapter 99: One's Impossible, Two is Dreary

Eddie managed to slip away from the prying eyes of Team Evil and find some relief in the entrance hall. He felt a little bad about leaving Willow and Joy in there by themselves, but he needed to find the rest of his friends. Like seriously, did they just all evaporate? Where the hell was everyone?

The front door slammed open, and Eddie leaped out of his skin, ready to defend himself, but it was just Fabian and Alfie. They were panting and sweating like crazy, and Eddie wondered if they were gonna pass out. "Jesus, you guys look like shit!" he exclaimed in a harsh whisper, not wanting to draw the attention of the partygoers. "What happened? Where's KT? Kira?"

Alfie looked green around the gills, and the two exchanged heavy looks that made Eddie's stomach begin to sink. How much more bad news could he handle in one day?

"Guys, c'mon," he prompted nervously. "Just pull the band-aid off: what happened?"

Fabian took one for the team, clapping Alfie on the back. "KT's still at the Gatehouse, watching the door. She said she'd let us know if anything changes, but..." he reported grimly, shoulders still heaving from the sprint across campus. "Kira, ah... I'm sorry, it's not good, Eddie."

Eddie swallowed, but his spit felt like ashes going down his throat. "What happened?" he repeated slowly.

Fabian and Alfie shared another glance, and this time Alfie spoke: "Mara's one of them," he explained, and Eddie's breath caught in his throat. Mara? "I- I don't know how, but it had to have happened while you and I were searching the crypt."

"Frobisher almost got me," added Fabian. "He was pretending to be sick, and he tricked me into helping him to the Gatehouse. Kira was supposed to find you for help, but... but I don't know what happened. She never found you. Found Mara instead, I don't know. But, Eddie, I saw her face in the sarcophagus. They were trying to lock me up there for later; I barely escaped."

"That's not what I asked," Eddie interrupted impatiently, trying to keep his voice level, but he was certain his friends could see through his facade. Realizing that maybe that was a bit callous of him, he put a hand on his roommate's shoulder. "Look, I-I'm sorry, I'm really not trying to minimize what you just went through; that must have been horrible, but... but what happened to my sister?"

"We tried to stop her," Alfie promised. "I ran into Fabian and KT and they explained what was going on. We got there, but Mara... well, you know how fit she is..."

"Kira's inside the Gatehouse, Eddie. And they only need one more Sinner," Fabian said, finally cutting the bullshit.

It felt like Eddie's lungs were collapsing as his best friend laid it out for him. Robert had his sister, and he was going to turn her into an empty, evil shell of herself, just like he had with Patricia.

"Eddie," Fabian said again, drawing his attention from his mental spiral, "there's something else you need to know..."

"I know about Patricia already," Eddie replied distractedly, mind already whirring like a broken laptop. "I don't—"

"No, I know," he interrupted. "It's... Eddie, I'm so sorry; Mr. Sweet's one of them, too. Kira thought so, and then I saw it... I'm sorry."