House of Chaos ~FemaleOC x Joy Mercer~ (Seasons 1-3)

House of Scares/House of Fakers

At school, Fabian explained that he found an old book, The Time Machine, in one of the boxes, and he thought it might have a clue. They also showed Amber the photos of Victor.

"Do you think he's a vampire?" Amber questioned.

Max huffed. "No, of course not. But this gives our elixir of life theory a good chance."

"You're in a mood." Amber pouted.

"Sorry..." Max sighed. "I'm just...worried is all. I have photos of my uncle, and he doesn't look like he's aged either, and he was talking to Sarah...I'm wondering if...if the reason Victor took him is because...they were both using this elixir and Victor wanted it for himself."

Patricia placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't lose hope, we'll find Rufus and we'll figure out what's going on, but for now, we should gather more proof."

"Right, like the elixir itself." Nina told them.

Amber winced. "That means going back down to the cellar."

Fabian sighed. "There's no choice, we need to grab that stuff, bring it back and get it analyzed. Don't worry, I'll do it myself."

"I'm coming with you." Nina told him.

Max nodded. "We're a team, we go together."

"Sibuna." They held their hands over their eyes.

~~~

When they got back to the house, they were delighted to see Trudy back to work, her job having been saved thanks to Amber. The cameras were also taken down.

As Max hugged Trudy tight, she didn't notice her gem returning to his ruby red original state.

~~~

Later that day, they all bought Trudy some flowers and cake to truly welcome her back to the house.

~~~

They went down to the cellar later that night, and saw everything was back where it was, returning the cellar to its terrifying state.

They searched around for the elixir, but there were dozens upon dozens of liquids on the table and shelves. There were also strange scales set up.

"This one. This is the one he drank." Fabian insisted, picking up one of the bottles.

"Are you sure?" Nina asked.

He shrugged. "As I can be."

Just then, they heard a strange wail noise, startling them.

Hesitantly, they all approached a closet, hoping it was another cat.

It was not. It was two zombie like creatures.

The gang screamed and bolted out of the cellar.

~~~

"Good morning, good morning, hope everyone slept well last night." Alfie announced as he entered the dining room with Jerome.

Patricia scowled. "What's it to you?"

"I just care. Sleep is important." He smiled, snatching a piece of toast.

Jerome spoke up. "Did anyone else hear that cat last night?"

"It wasn't a cat. It was me. You'd scream too if you were cornered by zombies!" Amber protested.

Nina groaned. "Amber." She winced, realizing what she had just revealed.

Jerome and Alfie started snickering. "I heard two teachers were buried alive down there. You can hear their stomachs rumbling, and at night they come out and EAT YOUR BRAINS!" Alfie announced.

Max swore she felt a vein pop as she smacked Alfie and Jerome's foreheads. "KNOCK IT OFF!" They yelped in pain, clutching their heads.

"I think we found our zombies." Fabian deadpanned.

"So, what were you doing down there anyway?" Jerome asked.

But nobody would answer him, which just made him smug.

"Morning Mick, and others." Mara greeted as she came into the room.

Max raised an eyebrow. "Others?" She mumbled.

"Hi Mara." Mick greeted awkwardly, eating his cereal.

~~~

"Until we can get it analyzed, we need to hide it." Max told them, holding up the elixir in Nina's room.

Patricia took it and poured it into her fruit juice bottle, then stuffed it in her bag.

It was a temporary solution, but it would work.

~~~

Later that day after school, Max got back to Anubis house, Nina went to see Sarah. When she got there, she ran into Mick in the hallway. "Hey Mick." She greeted, heading to their room.

"Ah! Max, wait a second." He grabbed her arm, making her turn to look at him curiously. "Look I just...I need advice. I messed up...I...I kissed Mara." Her eyes widened. "And I just...I don't want to hurt her, and I don't know what I should do."

Max frowned. "Well, do you like her?"

Mick sighed. "Mara is awesome, don't get me wrong...but...she's straight, and sensible, and into books...I'm a fitness freak. It would never work."

"Hm..." Max sighed a little. "Well, I gotta admit I agree with you."

Mick smiled a little. "I knew you'd get it-"

"But..." Max started, making Mick pause. "Make sure you're not dating her for the right reasons. If you truly don't have feelings for her, then don't date, but if it's only out of fear of being judged, that's kind of low, and I like to think you're not that kind of guy." Max told him, making Mick look down.

She walked away towards their room, glancing over her shoulder. "Don't disappoint me, Mick."