chapter sixteen. house of frauds

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"So you woke up and this guy was just there?" I question Fabian, my voice blending into all the different conversations at the breakfast table this morning, as I come back from the kitchen and sit in Nina's usual seat, while she's in mine talking to Amber. We switched seats for just today so I could talk to Fabian about his new roommate, who appeared out of nowhere. "What, did he sneak in in the middle of the night?"

"He must have," Fabian replies with a nod. "I didn't speak to him long."

"What's his name?"

The second I say that, I can actually feel the air change in the dining room. Like...things are more balanced, somehow. But I chalk it up to the entire table falling silent, every conversation ceasing, as the new guy walks in. I turn around, eyebrows furrowing. Spiky blonde hair, kind of screams 'bad boy.' There's a strange feeling of familiarity as I watch him take the only open seat the table. I glance at the others, noticing how the boys are looking at the newbie warily, whereas the girls (except for Trixie, who's got a death glare on him for whatever reason) are looking at him suddenly very interested.

Nina breaks the silence that had fallen, asking politely, "Would you like some OJ?"

"Finally," the boy replies with an American accent, clearly relieved, "someone that speaks English."

"Oh, great, another American," I mumble.

"What was that, Ash?" Nina asks nonchalantly.

"Oh, great, another American!" I correct with fake brightness. Nina smiles, pleased, and I drop my smile and roll my eyes. The new student is an American. That's two in the same number of years—did Anubis House suddenly move to America and no one informed me?

The boy chuckles lightly, and I swear all the other girls save Patricia melt at the sound. Uh...weird. He continues to Nina, "You're the best thing I've heard since I've gotten here."

"When did you get here?" Fabian questions. "I got a shock when I woke up this morning and saw you in Mick's bed."

"I can imagine," Patricia says.

"Yesterday," the guy answers. "I only had the pleasure of meeting Yacker here." Patricia sneers at him. So the first Anubis resident he met was Patricia. I can relate—she was the first person I met, and the first person Nina met as well. Okay, technically Joy was with her, but I can say Patricia was nicer to me than she was to Nina and apparently this guy, too. "Speaking of which," he links his fingers together, "who do we have here?" The girls at the table who aren't Nina, Patricia, or myself say their names with a lovesick tone, and he finally gives us his name. "Hey, I'm Eddie."

So his name's Eddie then. There's still something so familiar about him, I just can't place it.

Eddie glances my way, finding that I'm staring at him skeptically. "Didn't catch your name."

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