Touch of Fear ▸ House of Anubis [2]

chapter fifty. house of warnings

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            "Amber!"

            "Mirror, mirror, mirror, mirror."

            "Do you two mind? People are trying to sleep!"

            That's the conversation that takes place in the middle of the night. The first is Nina, the second is Amber, and the last is obviously me. I roll over in my bed, sitting up and switching on my lamp to see that Nina's sitting on Amber's bed and Amber's holding up a mirror to her face.

            "Okay, and breathe," Amber instructs herself, doing as she says. "Breathe."

            "What happened?" I question, getting out of my bed to sit on hers. "Bad dream?"

            Amber nods. "It felt so real. I was old. Like, old-old. It's not going to get like that, is it, Nina?"

            "No, Amber, it's not," Nina tells her.

            "I can't grow old before I grow up. Nina, what's going to happen?"

            "I'm going to fix this is what. You'll see."

—

            "Yeah, it's definitely white back here," Fabian confirms, examining the back of Amber's hair at breakfast. I wince at his words, glancing at her carefully. Amber's hair going white is not going to go over well for her.

            "I need a hat," Amber states, "or a wig."

            "Or a head transplant," Alfie speaks up with a laugh.

            "Just as soon as you get a personality transplant, Alfie."

            "Ooh!"

            I roll my eyes. We have to get past that next task sooner rather than later so that we can get rid of these curses. The only good thing about mine, the truth-telling one, is that no one here has taken advantage of it yet to get the truth of certain things out of me. Alfie would be the one to do that, but considering he's over here acting like a little kid, I doubt it's at the forefront of his mind.

            Nina comes in, informing, "Guys, I don't want anyone to panic, but Victor's got the amulet."

            And cue the panic.

            "What?!" I ask loudly. Lowering my voice, I continue, "How? We've got all seven, haven't we?"

            "Maybe not," Nina comments. I look at her strangely, doing a head-count in my head. I've still got mine, as do Trixie, Nina, and Amber. Alfie's still got his, he's still got it taped to his ankle and I know this because he showed me how cool his socks were earlier. And Fabian still has his, because I can see the chain around his neck, and the spare is back in the dollhouse drawer. "Patricia, remember when you lost yours and took the spare one from the dollhouse?" She nods. "What if it was a fake? What if Victor found it, had a copy made—"