What Lies Beneath ▸ House of Anubis [1]

chapter six. house of locks

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            When I hear Patricia snoring, I decide now is the best time to get Nina out of the attic. I slowly open the door, barely peeking out to make sure that Victor's not in the corridor. He's not. Good. Stepping out, I carefully close the door back. Amber and Fabian must've had the same idea as me, because when I turn around, they're both standing behind me.

            "God!" I whisper-shout, hitting them on the arms.

            "Is he still up there?" Fabian asks.

            Amber shushes him as I shrug. No one gets a chance to say anything else because the attic door opens, and the three of us push each other into the girls' bathroom. Victor's keyring jangles and I poke my head out, my companions doing the same. He's alone. Footsteps, only one pair, sound near us and we hide again. Then the light is turned off and the door is closed.

            "He hasn't got her," Amber whispers.

            "Let's get the key from Patricia," I suggest. "I don't know where she put it, we'll have to wake her up."

            "Fine by me," Fabian says.

            I open the door to my bedroom, switching on the lights and grabbing one of the pillows from Nina's bed, chucking it across the room at a sleeping Patricia. "Wake up, Trixie—now."

            Patricia sits up, and Fabian demands immediately, "Patricia, give me the key!"

            "I haven't got it," Patricia claims.

            "Liar!" Amber accuses.

            "Seriously, I haven't!"

            "Well, it didn't just get up and walk out the front door!" I reply sharply. "Where's the key, Patricia?"

            Patricia suddenly looks sheepish. "I... I threw it out the window when you were in the bathroom."

            "You did what?!" Fabian exclaims.

            I let out an incredulous laugh, turning away from her. "God, Patricia! Which window?"

            "This one?" Fabian points to one of the two windows in my room, the one opposite by my bed.

            "I think it went in the bushes," Patricia says.

            I sigh, reluctantly admitting, "We won't be able to look for it 'til morning. Now what?"

            "What a mess," Fabian adds.

            "I think," Amber suggests, "we should go and tell Victor everything."

            Patricia immediately protests as I nod to agree, "No, you can't do that!"

            Fabian retorts, "Well, we can't just leave Nina in there."