Touch of Fear ▸ House of Anubis [2]

chapter thirty-nine. house of double-cross

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            "Okay, so we have a poisonous web," Nina recaps to Amber and I as we walk in the halls at school, "three hooks, and a spider-shaped hole thing."

            "I had hoped," Amber remarks, "this task would be about mermaids, or baking."

            I chuckle lightly and shake my head. "Nice wishful thinking. We'll figure it out, Neens. It's just another of Frobisher-Smythe's booby traps," I comment. As Poppy passes by, I greet, "Hey, Poppy."

            "Hey, Ashley," Poppy says, smiling at me.

            But there's something around her neck, something very familiar, because I'm wearing one just like it under my jumper. Where did she get it from?! Nina and Amber noticed it as well because Amber goes, "Whoa, stop right there. What's that?"

            Poppy takes the amulet she's wearing in her hands—our amulet. "Oh, uh, this is nothing. It's mine, okay? My brother gave it to me."

            Oh, no. "Your brother?" I repeat carefully. Poppy nods. "As in, Jerome Clarke, and not some other secret brother you may have?" She nods again, giving me a sort of strange look before walking away. I turn to face my roommates, finding that they're both looking at me with tilted heads. "I swear I didn't know, but now that I do, let's get him."

            The boy in question is across the hall talking to Alfie. We stalk over there and I grab his arm roughly, dragging him across the hallway. Nearly in sync, we cross our arms, staring him down. Jerome glances over us and questions, "Have you three started a strange girls acting strangely club? Because right now it's going very well."

            Amber retorts, "Poppy's wearing a necklace around her neck."

            "Seems logical, Amber. That is where you wear them. Continue?"

            "It's ours," I inform. "She said you gave it to her."

            A beat. "Yes, I did. What of it?"

            "Well, it belongs to us," Nina reiterates. "We lost it, and we'd like it back."

            "Right, well, Nina," Jerome replies, in a tone that says we're about to be very angry with him, "I'm afraid the operative word you used was 'lost.' In my book, that makes Poppy the finder keeper, and you a trio of loser weepers. Have a nice day."

            Amber states as he walks away, "He's acting too weird."

            Glaring at his back, I add, "I think he needs to find a new book. We have to get that amulet back."

—

            I originally considered going back to Poppy and explaining that it's ours in an attempt to get the amulet back. But I wasn't sure if that would have worked, so I decided to go with my next best bet: Jerome himself. I'll probably have more luck with him than with her. I do know him better, and I think I know how to get him to agree to get the amulet back from his sister.