House of Anubis: Sibuna Descending

4. Games over a Hot Dinner

"And then," Dexter continued, "he tumbled over into the back garden. Someone left the door open!" The table erupted with laughter. Nobody had expected their first evening at the house to be as lively as it was. Dexter then added, with an air of sadness, "He rolled right into my snowman, but it was still hilarious to see him roll like that."

"Hahaha!" Simon roared, desperately attempting to cover his full mouth with his handkerchief. His appearance of being a well-mannered gentleman faltered slightly, but to no one's dismay. Everyone was loving the fun. "That really is funny, Dexter. Right, I think someone else is up to make us laugh. Don't be shy, just try your best." Dexter held up his index finger, which was the "magic finger" as Simon had appointed it to choose a pair of people. The pair chosen (it could be any two people on the table) had to state their names and play a round of rock, paper, scissors, and whoever lost had to tell a funny story to the others. Even Trudy, who was initially in the kitchen, stood behind Summer's chair and watched in amusement.

Dexter's finger first, after wiggling about whilst receiving threats of detachment from Cassie, pointed at Adil, then Ian. Ian's stomach plummeted. What was a funny event in his life? How fast could he remember one? How fast could he create an entirely fake one?

"I'm Adil," Adil stated.

"And I'm Ian," Ian returned to Adil on his right as well as everyone else.

"Let the round begin," Simon said dramatically. Ian and Adil turned to face each other, raised their hands and lowered them repeatedly three times, saying, "Rock, paper, scissors," in unison. Ian held up scissors, whilst Adil...

Adil held up rock.

"Um, sorry," came a voice, thickly American, from the hallway. A black boy with his coat slung over his shoulder revealed himself in the second doorway right behind the table. "It's scissors, paper, stone. Your way sounds weird." His style was very loose and urban.

"Not in England, mate," Dexter spoke out.

"Hello, there," Simon greeted the boy. "Are you the latecomer? Mister King?"

"Yeah," the boy replied. "PJ's my name."

"Well, nice to meet you, PJ," Simon said. "I got another late notice that you would also be arriving. We were just doing some icebreakers over dinner. This table is already squashed with the extra chair, as it is, so I apologise for that."

"How much of America knows about this place?" Cassie whispered jokingly to Erin, who shrugged.

"I have never," Trudy muttered, "during my entire time at Anubis house, seen this many residents. Ten kids? Haha!"

"It's all just amazing, though, right?" Raymond spoke up. He then fell silent, his smile plastered to his face, his beady eyes scanning everyone.

"Care to elaborate?" Susan, the ginger girl in the blue sweater, asked.

"More protection from Bigfoot!" Raymond exclaimed, as though it were obvious. Ian and Cassie's eyes met, and with smiles they both rolled their eyes.

"So you believe in the Sasquatch?" Simon asked. "Please, tell us about this magnificent beast."

"No offence, dude," PJ interrupted, retrieving a chair from Trudy and positioning it between Raymond and Dexter as though avoiding being near Mr Goodman, "but if you're gonna be talking about Bigfoot, I'm gonna fall asleep in my food." Now the caretaker, Raymond, and the latecomer were squashed at the head of the table.

"Food!" Trudy suddenly shouted, jumping. "Right, you need a plate. You're lucky I always make more than is needed."

"You're telling me," Raymond breathed, "that you think the great beast is...boring?"

"No," PJ answered back, "I just think he ain't real." Raymond slapped his hand to his chest, appearing to be personally offended by PJ's opinion.

"It took the guy who just arrived to say this?" Amaya remarked. A few people sniggered before Simon noted, "That is Raymond's opinion."

"Ray," Raymond slipped in.

"Ray's opinion," Simon corrected himself. "Please, let's not start any conflict at our first meal of the term."

"Technically," Cassie said, "term doesn't start till tomorrow. So...Susan." Both girls edged forwards in their seats and squealed: "All-nighter!"

"And there's a big field, right?" Adil asked. "Hey, Ian, you coming?"

"Sure," Ian said after glancing at Mr Goodman. The caretaker bowed his head to give permission, much to Trudy's shock. She commented, "I think I've worked with Victor too long."

"Ha!" Dexter laughed in response. Another inside joke that slipped over everyone's heads but Dexter's, and probably Cassie's and Erin's.

"Heh, what the heck," PJ muttered, before telling Adil, "Mind if I tag along?"

"Not at all," Adil happily said.

"Well," Simon said, "I can't stop you. Term does, as Cassie so correctly stated, begin tomorrow. But Ian, do share a comical moment from your past with us."

Everyone looked expectantly at Ian. Now Ian was placed under the spotlight, forced to sing in front of the audience.

"Errrrr," Ian droned. "Oh, I know! There was a time when my little brother, Liam, had a mini crush on his teacher when he was six." A few of the girls let out, "Awwww."

"But one day," Ian proceeded, "when he was finger-painting in class, he decided to paint his teacher, but her body was so awkwardly shaped, and everyone assumed it was an image of a random potato." The whole table was full of laughs. With a sense of satisfaction, Ian leaned back against his chair, chuckling to himself.

"That is both cute," Simon said, "and funny. Though, for his sake, I do hope that crush is...well, crushed."

"To the ground," Ian assured. "He felt too embarrassed to even think about her for a while."

After everyone, apart from PJ, had finished eating, Ian, Adil and PJ got up from the table to head out to the field by the school building. Trudy pointed out that PJ hadn't finished his food, but PJ said he'd finish it off after he returned. It was getting dark, but as long as the three of them were back before ten, which was the time Simon said the lights would go out, they were fine.