What Lies Beneath ▸ House of Anubis [1]

chapter forty-six. house of bribes

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            The only reason I even voted in the school election was to get my mind off everything that's happened today. I was pretty much working on autopilot after lunch and just checked Amber's name, which was first on the ballot. Though admittedly Mara—who did end up winning by two votes—had a better platform, and I don't think Amber actually wanted to be school rep and just put her name in the ring because of her jealousy over Mick and Mara, so maybe it all worked out for the best.

            But Sarah's funeral is today. And it's been a long time since I wore black.

            Yet here I stand now in my room, looking at myself in the mirror. The black dress is simple, one of Patricia's, actually. She's letting me borrow it since I didn't have one in my wardrobe, which is nice of her.

            The last time I was at a funeral was my parents'. I don't remember much of it. I was seven and fresh out of the hospital. I remember my sister gave the eulogy and held my hand. There weren't a lot of people there, I think. Olivia and I are the last of our family. We're the only ones left. I hope there will be more people there for Sarah than there were for my parents.

            I shake my head at my own reflection, noting how unlike myself I look today, and go over to sit on my bed. I reach for Lily's diary, carefully touching the cover as though it may fall apart under my touch. I read some of her entries last night before bed, though not many. I couldn't bring myself to. But in the ones I read, I was able to note a few similarities between us other than our faces. We were both born on 31st October—AKA Halloween, AKA All Hallows' Eve, AKA the best day of the year. We both had a half-sister, although Lily's didn't make it past her first year and was eight years younger than her (looks like her father had an affair, which is gross) and mine is eight years older than me and is from my dad's first marriage. And judging by all the sketches in her diary, we both love art. She was really good.

            Nina and I switched boxes after dinner and I looked through Sarah's things and she looked through Lily's. She even saw the photo of Sarah and Lily and said it looked like her and me if we had known each other as kids, like I had thought. It was a little funny and we both laughed at that.

            "Okay, so I got beat by a mathlete in the election," states Amber, still going on about her loss. It's actually a nice distraction from the funeral, though a bit insensitive considering Nina and I are both wearing black dresses at this exact moment. "I can't hide away in here forever, can I? I mean, it's not like my life is over or anything."

            Amber Millington: queen of tact.

            She seems to realize what she said and how it could be taken by two girls in funeral wear and apologizes, "I'm so sorry, Nina and Ashley."

            "It's okay," Nina tells her.

            Fabian stands up and says, "You've always got us, remember?"