"This is your idea of evil?"

Mara shot Kira a dirty look from across the room, her grip tightening around her comically large coffee mug. "Oh, what do you know?" she snarked, staunchly ignoring Patricia's cackling from her corner of the room. "You've only been here an hour."

"Yeah, sure," Joy drawled from her spot splayed out across Patricia's legs, "but she's not the one on her... third—?"

"Third," Patricia confirmed with a grin.

"Third cup of coffee for the sake of, I dunno, staying up past her bedtime," Joy continued, voice lilting up into a mocking baby voice at the end. "Like, really, Mara, you're supposed to be the Sinner of Pride, and you're kind of looking a little stupid right now, not gonna lie."

"Shut up!" Mara hissed defensively, eyes flashing red, which only served to make the others laugh harder. "How dare you—"

"Relax, Mara, will you?" interrupted Patricia with a sigh. "Though, that might be hard, given the coffee."

"Besides," Willow added, "Robert said we had to get some rest. Tomorrow's going to be a big day, and we need to be prepared."

Oh, yes, tomorrow was going to be a big day, and Kira couldn't wait. Every nerve sang with anticipation for Founder's Day; for the split second of horror-turned-rapture on the ocean of unsuspecting parents' and loved ones' faces; for the end of the world. She couldn't remember a time she was more eager for a new day to begin, except maybe Christmas when she was a little girl. But those memories, which paled in comparison by a long shot, left her cold now; Ammut's imminent reign certainly beat out Christmas. Kira didn't blame Mara for not wanting to miss even a blink of it, even if she was directly disobeying Robert.

Robert Frobisher-Smythe... It was strange, seeing him for the first time as he truly was— the right hand of the Devourer. He was larger than life, and Kira knew instinctively that she was meant to follow him. Meeting him again in the living room of Anubis House that night was something special. The last time she'd been in his presence, she'd been concussed and delirious; now, she was crackling with energy and ready to make it everyone else's problem. After destroying most of the downstairs just for fun, he'd sent his newest regiment of Sinners off to bed with the promise of chaos and destruction the following morning.

Excitement wasn't the only thing keeping Kira up, however. After losing her quarry, the Moon Key, and KT in the woods, Victor and Caroline had sent her back to Anubis House. It was humiliating, to say the least, but it was her own damn fault. After all, she'd given her only way to capture Sinners to KT, and she'd allowed herself to be distracted. It would certainly not happen again... not until victory was secure, at least.

That was the other thing: with her stupid brother and his tiny band of nuisances still at large, the Great Devourer's destiny hung in the balance. Not that she'd ever want to give Eddie that much credit, but whether he had the brain for it or not, he was still the Osirian; he wasn't to be ignored. Not to mention, the Chosen One was still out there somewhere, which might yet pose a problem even if they did manage to neutralize the threat Eddie and the others presented.

There was also KT. The more Kira thought about it, the less satisfied she was with the whole situation. It reeked of foul play, and too many variables were lining up that painted her girlfriend in a very suspicious light. She couldn't be sure, of course, but with the key missing and KT's rather odd reaction... not to mention she'd never made it back to the house...

Ironic, how full circle this is, she mused. KT, babe, you just can't catch a break, can you?

It was entirely possible KT had played her, Victor, and Caroline for fools. It was also possible that she'd been taken hostage by Eddie and Fabian, or maybe she'd gotten lost in the woods looking for them. The trees were dense and dark, after all, and while Ammut's power did have certain effects on the mortal body, it didn't give anyone night vision. Still, if KT had the Moon Key, and had reunited with Eddie and Fabian, then Kira had made a grave mistake in letting her guard down. One that may get her in some serious trouble if she couldn't rectify it.

"I can hear you thinking," Joy remarked, rousing Kira from her thoughts. "You need to lighten up, too, y'know, not just Mara."

Kira rolled her eyes. "I'm fucking light, okay?" she retorted, hoping to play off her own unease. She would handle it one way or another— unlike Eddie, she was clever. "Like air."

"Lame," snorted Patricia, thumbing through her phone. "Ugh!" She threw it down onto the comforter by Joy's thigh. "Like, I don't get it! It's not like they're going to actually win against Ammut. Plus, it's way more fun being bad. I wish everyone would just give up already."

"And by 'everyone,' she means Eddie," Kira quipped.

"Sounds like someone's sore lover boy doesn't want to play with her anymore," Mara drawled in agreement, taking another long sip from her mug.

Patricia began to splutter in protest.

"See, this is what you get for not capturing him while you still had the chance," Joy remarked.

"I was playing the long game!" she protested, kicking her hard in the side.

"Ow!" Joy exclaimed, rolling off the bed and onto the floor. "Bitch," she grumbled, rubbing her ribcage, trotting over to Kira's bed and hopping up onto it. She resumed her old position, this time across Kira's lap, and her old crush's proximity reawakened an equally old thrill in her chest. "You know I'm right!"

"Don't worry, Patricia," Willow cooed obnoxiously, "by tomorrow, I'm sure you'll be reunited; you guys definitely have some catching up to do."

"Yuck," Kira gagged. "Can you maybe, like, not?"

"What? It's true!" exclaimed Willow. Seeing her evil was a trip and a half; somehow she still remained so innocent while being so wickedly inclined. "Am I wrong?"

Patricia cocked her head consideringly. "Well, no..." she conceded after a moment, igniting a chorus of shrieking laughter and gagging noises from the other girls. "Okay, enough!" she announced over the noise. "We actually do need to get some rest, plus I'm tired of you all."

"Boo," groaned Joy, but she obligingly stood up, not before throwing a wink Kira's way that made her cheeks go apple red. "You're no fun. I personally think we should go glitter bomb Victor's office."

"Ooo!" Willow squealed, hopping up too. "I have lots of glitter! I bet Alfie would love to get in on this!"

"No one is glitter bombing anyone until after Founder's Day," Mara ordered firmly, putting her mug on her nightstand. "Understood? We have appearances to keep up."

Joy rolled her eyes, the irises flashing crimson for a moment. "Once again: boo, you're no fun," she snarked. "Come on, Willow, Number Two and Number Four don't want to hang out with us anymore."

"We'll 'hang out' tomorrow, you fucking drama queen," Patricia snorted, throwing a pillow in her general direction. "I'm just following orders."

"Since when do you do that?" Kira remarked.

"Since it was Robert Frobisher-Smythe giving them."

"Fair enough."

"Okay, whatever," Joy scoffed from the doorway, but despite her annoyance, she knew her place. "Bad dreams, ladies."

"Bad dreams," Kira returned with a toothy grin.

"No, no, no!" Willow exclaimed, joining her roommate at the door. "Have good dreams about bad things!"

"Whatever, Willow," Mara deadpanned. "Byyyyyeeee."

Joy rolled her eyes once more, then closed the door behind her and Willow, leaving the three occupants to their own devices.

"Great Ammut, I'd thought they'd never leave," Mara muttered. She eyed her empty coffee mug sitting innocently on the nightstand, and after a moment's consideration, reached over and swiped it off onto the hardwood floor. It broke with a ceramic crash, and she smiled proudly at her handiwork.

"Okay," Kira laughed, a slight smirk tugging up the corner of her mouth. "That was evil."

"Told you so," Mara replied with a little shrug, while Patricia rolled her eyes so hard that her head rolled, too. "Honestly, Kira, you really have a lot to learn."

"Yeah," she replied, the absence of the Moon Key still burning a hole in her pajama pocket, "I guess I do."

—

True to his prediction, Eddie didn't sleep. How could he, with everything rattling around in his head like glass marbles on the brink of shattering? He spent most of the night pacing around the crypt in the dark, tracing the perimeter of the place as quietly as he could so as not to wake the others.

A few times, he stepped outside just to make sure they weren't being surrounded, but the grounds were still and silent as death. Eddie was surprised at that— he'd figured that chaos never slept. It was a foreboding sound, the silence; silence meant something was coming.

Harriet was awake, too; had been since about three o'clock in the morning, but for a long time she didn't speak. Instead, she stared at the floor with wide, unblinking eyes. She looked like she belonged down here: a living corpse. Eddie wanted to kill her himself, but he held back from even speaking to her for almost an hour. Finally, though he couldn't take it anymore.

"You're deplorable," he whispered harshly into the darkness. He used Fabian's fancy word, not exactly knowing what it meant, but aware it wasn't a compliment.

For a few moments, Harriet somehow went even more quiet, even the occasional twitch of her fingers falling still. Then, she looked up at him. "I'm sorry you're hurting," she said carefully, then promptly abandoned tact altogether, "but, Eddie, I'm not sorry I did it."

His hackles raised. "You're not sorry you did it?" he repeated incredulously, the fury in his tone palpable. "You're not sorry you sent my sister out there without even a warning that she wasn't protected?"

"I didn't send her out there," Harriet replied calmly, but there was a hidden tremor in her voice. "If she'd given any of us a chance, I'd have suggested KT try."

"Oh, but then you'd have had to explain that you stole the key off Kira, right?" Eddie challenged. "Yeah, that'd be a really easy thing to explain."

"Eddie, she was... Kira was unwell. She needed a doctor. Ammut's curse should have at the very least healed her, and she's not in pain anymore," she explained.

Eddie wanted to throw something. "Actually, I think she's probably in a lot of pain," he snapped, a little too loudly, because KT made a whining noise in her already fitful sleep. "They probably all are on account of, I dunno, their souls being eaten by Ammut." His voice broke. "You killed her."

"Sh-She was a liability—"

"She was my sister!"

"Eddie, listen to me," Harriet said firmly, but to his surprise, there was regret in her tone. "Sometimes sisters are anchors. They hold us back from achieving our destiny, and sometimes we have to... to cut the line to do what we're supposed to do."

"Oh," he sneered, "so just because your sister turned out to be a raging psychopath—"

"I wasn't talking about Caroline," she interrupted jaggedly, and Eddie fell silent. "Look, I know it was a utilitarian choice, and you needn't ever forgive me— any of you... but you have a better chance of winning this with KT, which means you have a better chance of saving everyone with KT. Do you at least understand?"

The horrible thing was, Eddie did understand. He'd... well, he'd felt that way before about Kira. Not for many months, but he had. He wasn't sure how comfortable he was being compared to Caroline Denby in this situation, though. For a split second, all he felt for Harriet was pity, and he wondered if Caroline had ever felt regret for what she'd done to her. They're just a lot of things that Eddie would never know.

He didn't reply, instead letting the silence stretch on for hours until dawn, occasionally scratching his neck where the fibers of Fabian's sweater irritated his skin, and by the time light began to filter in through the broken skylight, his neck was bright red and raw. "Man, how do you live like this?" he asked Fabian as soon as his friend blinked awake. "I feel like my skin is trying to kill itself."

Fabian's lips twitched in amusement through a yawn. "You get used to it," he remarked dryly. Whether or not he'd been awake for his and Harriet's conversation, Eddie wasn't sure. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

KT stirred next, a few minutes later, stretching uncomfortably. Her joints popped audibly and she winced. "Jesus," she muttered blearily, plucking the tan jacket off her body. "Thanks for the blanket."

"Get much sleep?" Fabian asked.

"Not much," she replied. "Nightmares."

Eddie chuckled hollowly. "Well, hate to break it to you, but most of those are real."

KT sighed and rubbed her neck. "Hey, not that I'm judging, but what's with the sweater?" she asked, zeroing in on Eddie's clothes. "You two finally make it official?"

"Ha, ha," Fabian drawled, rising to his feet.

"Fabian thought I'd blend in better with a uniform sweater if we went into school than... whatever that monstrosity Joy thought up for the play was."

Harriet anxiously wet her lips. "Are you alright, KT?" she asked gently.

Whatever warmth was left in KT's expression drained like a sieve. "Yeah," she said, voice hard, "I'm good."

"I truly didn't mean for—" Harriet began, then stopped herself, grabbing KT's shoulder. "It wasn't an easy decision for me to take the key, but I had to see the bigger picture."

"You know what I think?" KT began, shaking her off and taking a menacing step toward her. "I think you spent so long with your head full of gods and demons that you've forgotten about people."

"Look," interjected Fabian before the situation could escalate, "the best thing we can do for Kira and for everyone is to come up with a plan of action, okay?"

"Okay, well, the point we were at last night still stands: we need to get Denby's key," said KT, "before people start arriving for Founder's Day."

"From what you said last night, the visitors will provide more than enough souls for Ammut to reach her full power."

"And then the Endless Storm begins, and we're all history," finished KT dully.

"If she leaves that Gatehouse, it means everyone is doomed," Harriet concurred.

Fabian crossed his arms impatiently, letting out a huff that sounded straight out of the mouth of a ten year-old girl. "Okay, so I'm hearing a lot of defeatism, not a lot of planning," he snarked.

"Well, how the hell are we gonna get that key?" Eddie retorted. "I mean, they've probably sealed the passage, the Gatehouse is guarded— we've tried everything to get into that place!"

"We haven't tried just walking in, have we?" Fabian countered.

KT raised an eyebrow. "Say what?"

"They still think you're a Sinner, right?" Fabian asked.

She shrugged. "I mean... I guess so? Kira and Victor do, at least, if my prolonged absence didn't tip them off."

"Okay..." whispered Fabian, the gears turning visibly in his head. "Okay, good. Good, then you're going to have to bust out those acting chops I know you have. If you claim you caught us last night, we can probably walk right into the Gatehouse without a fight."

"If we can make them believe we're already Sinners..." Eddie began, the plan finally catching up to him.

"Then they won't be paying attention when we walk in their front door!" KT exclaimed, hope creeping back into her eyes for the first time in hours. "A misdirection! Fabian, you're a genius!"

He preened a little. "Ah, well, I still have my moments."

"So," Harriet began with a dubious trill, "we're going to try to get past their defenses with a shot in the dark magic trick?"

Eddie smiled wryly. "Well, how else are we going to make our problems disappear?"

Fabian half-smiled and nodded resolutely. "Okay, then. Operation Trojan Horse is underway."

—

"Good morning, friends!" roared Mr. Sweet as he jogged out onto the stage where Robert and Victor already stood. He'd been allowed to keep his position as the mouthpiece to the student body, at least as long as he was parroting whatever message Robert had already laid out. "I was very pleased with all the destructive, anti-social behavior I witnessed, and I think you all deserve a round of applause!"

A cheer went up in response, and Kira beamed at him, offering her loudest holler in support. She was proud, of course, that her own father was on of the Five Sinners— how could she not be? If she couldn't feel love, then at least she could feel admiration.

"Ah, yes, this is all well and good," Robert interrupted, still clutching the blessed book of enchantments, "but we must contain our activities moving forward. At least, until our guests have arrived, and they will join with us." His bright eyes grew even brighter, the anticipation in the room palpable. "The Endless Storm will come, and Great Ammut's reign will begin at last!"

The cheering returned with zeal, and beside Kira, Joy grabbed her hand, crushing the bones tightly in excitement. It felt like the end of a war; the only thing missing was confetti.

"Begin tidying the halls!" Victor ordered, waving his hand at the screeching throng of teenagers. "Nothing must look amiss! We do not want to raise any alarm!"

The students dutifully began to disperse, and Kira moved to help Jerome lift a particular mangled chair out of the way of the door, when a cold hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks. She turned to gaze up into the abnormally pointy face of Robert Frobisher-Smythe peering down at her. "Kira, was it?" he asked, even though he definitely knew her name at this point. "My stand-in Seeker, the Osirian's sister?"

"Yes, sir," she confirmed, questioning eyes darting briefly to her father who hovered a few steps behind him.

"I was rather preoccupied last night, and didn't get a chance to speak with you," he said cooly, eyeing her up and down. "Victor tells me that you and my great-granddaughter were caught trying to steal Denby's key, is that correct?"

Oh, Great Ammut, am I in trouble? "Y-Yes, but that was before," she explained quickly. "I would never do anything to endanger—"

"Yes, yes, I know," dismissed Robert, then narrowed his eyes at her. "You were at the assembly. Why weren't you turned then?" He asked that like he already knew the answer, and Kira wondered if it was a trick question or not.

"I was in possession of the Moon Key, sir," she answered slowly, choosing each word carefully. "I didn't know it's true significance at the time, only that it unlocked several doors around the grounds— ingenious craftsmanship, might I add."

"No, you may not," Robert scowled. "The locks weren't my design, but those of my late wife's."

Kira blinked. "O-Oh," she said dumbly, "I'm sorry?" She only just caught herself from asking which one of his wives.

He grunted noncommittally in response. "Where is the Moon Key now?" he demanded a second later. "Do you know?"

Kira visibly winced— the dreaded question. "Well... no. Not exactly. I mean, I have some theories, but—"

"Are you aware that my great-granddaughter never returned from the grounds last night?" he bulldozed her without missing a beat.

Kira's jaw snapped shut. Of course, she had. She'd been hoping that perhaps she'd resurfaced elsewhere. "I am..." she replied, trailing off.

Robert puckered his lips as though he'd tasted something sour. "And is it also possible she was in possession of the Moon Key?"

She glanced over to Victor and Mr. Sweet, who flanked Robert on either side; their faces gave away nothing. "It's, um," she began meekly, "it's possible."

She expected Robert to blow up at her, maybe even sentence her to get swallowed by Ammut as though her mortal form was some sort of aspirin. However, he just nodded slowly. "Then we mustn't take any risks," he deduced, then snapped his fingers at Eric.

Her father jumped and hurriedly pulled out what looked like an empty can of baked beans. "Here," he said, "take this."

Kira hesitantly took the can from him, gasping at the power she felt oozing out of it. It had the same as the feeling of the glass jar and Robert's book... the same as the sarcophagi. She looked up at him with wide, eager eyes. "Sir?"

"I have an important task for you," Robert said simply. "I would like you to guard the Gatehouse during today's festivities; use your discretion about who you let in and who you... deal with. Do you think you can manage that?"

Kira's grip tightened around the can, and she nodded firmly. She understood what needed to be done. "I won't fail you," she vowed. Not again...

"Good," he said with a smirk. Then, the smile dropped as quickly as it had been offered. "Dismissed."

—

Eddie tried to hold himself as straight-backed as possible, biting the inside of his cheeks so hard the blood began to ooze into his mouth. All the other times he'd thought he was on a death march? Yeah, no, he took it back; this was a death march. Fabian's "magic trick" was either their magnum opus or suicide, and it was impossible to tell which was which while they once again approached the Gatehouse.

Sure enough, there was a figure posted outside the door, pacing back and forth in front of it like a hungry lion, and his blood ran cold as they drew closer. "It's Kira," he hissed out of the side of his mouth, not breaking stride.

"Stay calm," Fabian whispered back.

KT had gone ashen at the sight of her, but she kept her features schooled into a decidedly mean indifference. "Babe!" she called out, and Kira's head snapped toward them sharply.

"Stop!" she snapped, and Eddie's insides shriveled up. Had they already been sussed out? Did he not put enough swagger in his step? Gods, had he lost all his street cred? "Osirian, Fabian... Harriet," she said, the last name dripping with disdain, "where do you think you're going?"

"Relax," KT drawled, "they're with us now."

Kira's eyes darted between the four of them, and Eddie held his breath. His twin had always been uncannily observant, and he could only hope that, just this once, she'd believe the lie she was being fed. Finally, she smiled with pursed lips. "Ah, so you managed to capture them after all," she remarked, snaking an arm out and tugging KT toward her by the waist. "We were getting concerned when you never turned up."

KT squeaked in surprise, but recovered quickly. "Yep! Ammut should have an unmatched victory!" she exclaimed. She hesitated, then pulled Kira in by the face to kiss her.

Fabian coughed uncomfortably, and Eddie looked down at his feet. It was all for the cause, but did he really have to watch his sister and his friend make out right in front of him?

When they parted, Kira's tight smile widened. "Excellent," she hissed, but her eyes hardened when they met Eddie's. "Of course, there could always be subterfuge. How do I know you've done the job correctly, babe?"

He was pretty sure "subterfuge" meant something along the lines of funny business, and he scrambled to cover their asses. "I'll prove it to you. Bring me something small and furry," he blurted out, painfully aware of Fabian and Harriet's aggressive side-eye. "I'm feeling a little peckish."

"God help us," Fabian breathed almost inaudibly.

Kira's lips twitched in amusement, and she shook her head slightly. "There's no need for that, Eddie," she said. "We all know of your voracious appetite... That's enough for me."

"Good, because we really must be meeting with Ammut," Fabian said cooly, recovering from his exasperation. "It's a matter of great urgency."

"Ordered directly from Robert," added KT.

The Sinner nodded. "Of course," she said agreeably. "We wouldn't want to keep Ammut waiting."

"Of course," Fabian said.

"Of course," said Kira again. "I just have one more question."

"Anything," KT offered.

"Thank you." Kira smiled at her, then at the rest of them. She looked mighty pleased with herself. "Just how stupid do you think I am?"

Shit.

Before Eddie could react, Kira produced what looked like a can of baked beans, but his Osirian sense picked up the same cold, evil power from before. Oh, gods, Operation Trojan Horse was suicide. "Great Ammut, I give you the goodness in these—"

Fast as lightning, Fabian knocked her arm out of the way, sending the cursed object skittering across the pavement, before launching himself at her in a sloppy tackle. Kira yelped as they tumbled to the ground in a tangle of flailing limbs and shouting. It would have almost been funny had the situation not been so incredibly dire.

"Go!" Fabian cried over Kira's furious swearing. "Finish this, I've got her!"

Eddie shook off his shock, and rushed to the keypad while KT raced for the door. She tugged on the handle. "It's locked!" she shrieked.

"I don't know the code!" he cried, trying just about every possible combination he could remember being relevant.

Fabian let out a sharp shout of pain, and Eddie glanced over to see that Kira had clawed his face with her fingernails, the fucking menace that she was. They were running out of time, and Fabian couldn't hold her forever.

He whirled back around to the keypad and tried another combination. Nothing. "What do I do?!"

Harriet suddenly put a hand on his arm. "Focus, Osirian!" she commanded. "Breathe. Call on the spirits; they will help you."

Eddie looked over at her frantically, but Harriet's face remained stoic and calm. Grounding. He could feel his body trembling when he nodded at her, and forced himself to breathe deeply. Come on, Osirian, he thought, closing his eyes and trying to drown out the chaos around him. Help me out, here.

At first, nothing happened, and just when Eddie was about to abandon all hope, a miracle happened. The familiar voices began whispering furiously, at first a jumble of sounds, then more clearly numbers. His eyes snapped open and there, floating in front of the keypad, were the ghostly phantoms of a combination: 2-0-1-2. He laughed, the lump in his throat catching, and he quickly plugged it in. The lock clicked and KT threw open the door, tearing inside like a bat out of hell with Harriet on her heels. Eddie looked over his shoulder at where Kira and Fabian were still grappling on the ground for the cursed bean can. Kira currently had it, griped by just the tip of her fingers, while Fabian reached around from behind her, trying to grab her arms. It wasn't looking good for him, though. "Fabian?" Eddie called, hesitating in the doorway.

Fabian's eyes snapped to him, scratches in the form of long reddening welts forming down the bridge of his nose. "Just go, I'll be fine!" he shouted, and in the moment's distraction, Kira managed to wrench herself free with the cursed container.

"Oh, you are going to regret that!" she snarled at him, and began to open it.

Eddie had no choice but to throw himself in after the girls and slam the door shut behind him, panting heavily. "Help me barricade the door," he panted, looking over his shoulder at a horrified KT and a grim Harriet.

"W-What about Fabian?" KT asked.

"Now!" he exclaimed, as the door handle began to rattle under his hand. Harriet swiped off the contents of one of the heavier side tables, and she and KT grunted as they shoved it over where Eddie held the door closed.

Kira and Fabian banged on the door, each of them shouting over each other furiously, and Eddie's throat burned with bile. How many more losses were they going to take? One way or another, he just wanted this to be over.

"The door seems secure for now, but it won't hold forever," Harriet said, pulling him from the tide of despair one last time. "We need to do this now."

"We don't even know if Denby's here!" KT wailed, hands shaking so badly she had to dig them into her pockets.

"Oh, no," Harriet said gravely, looking up the stairs with her mouth in a thin line. "She'll be here."

Eddie squared his shoulders and started for the first step. "Anchors away," he said to her, and Harriet nodded.

"Anchors away," she replied, and the three of them ran blindly up the stairs toward whatever horror was yet to come.