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January 7th
2:37 PM
Jerome was going to puke. He and Alfie decided to have a taco night last night, after watching Mexican week on The Great British Bake-Off. Admittedly, neither of them had actually made tacos before, so they may have gotten the seasoning proportions wrong. Or at least, that’s all Jerome could think of how they made the Anubis boys’ bathroom the most rank, disgusting, gaseous room Jerome had ever smelled. And the worst part of it….Jerome was on bathroom cleaning duty this week. He had to clean it by tomorrow, with only Alfie to help.
Jerome quickly washes his hands and exits the bathroom. As he heads to the kitchen to get something, he hears voices coming from behind the door.
“What did Trudy say?” Amber’s voice says.
“Haven’t said anything yet, but I think she’ll like the card. ” Patricia’s voice responded.
“Yes! Oh, I just love birthdays!” Amber’s voice squeals.
It’s Trudy’s birthday? Jerome thinks. Suddenly, he gets an idea.
Jerome runs back to his room, bursting through the door with a frenzied determination. Alfie bursts out of bed at the commotion.
“Good, you’re here. We need to throw a birthday party,” Jerome says.
“Nice! I love birthday parties. Can I do my magic act?” Alfie replies.
“You can do a magic act when you have a magic act.”
“I can’t help it if I’m an improviser—”
“—Alfie, listen, okay? I overheard Patricia and Amber talking. Today is Trudy’s birthday.”
“Wait, how come we never knew it was her birthday before?” Alfie questions.
“I don’t know, but clearly she told someone and now she’s expecting something,” Jerome answers. “If we throw her a surprise party, she’ll be so happy that she might let us get out of chores. And I don’t think I need to remind you that we’re on bathroom duty this week.”
Alfie scrunches his face. He, too, knows the horrors.
“So, will you help me throw the greatest, funnest, most spectacular birthday party that we can possibly put together in the next few hours?” Jerome pleads.
Alfie sighs. “Y’know man, why don’t you care this much about my birthday?”
“Your birthday is in summer, Alfie. I literally do not even see you.”
“Fine. I’ll do it for Trudy,” Alfie agrees. “Oooh wait, can I be the distraction? I’ll get her out of the house so you can set up, and it gives me a chance to work on my improv skills.”
“Sure, okay. Saturdays are usually when she does her shopping anyway, so just tell her you want to tag along. I’ll handle decorations and food. Just make sure she isn’t back here before 7 PM.”
“7 PM, got it,” Alfie confirms. “Wait, isn’t that over four hours from now? What am I supposed to do for four hours?
Jerome sighs. “Just, I don’t know…..improvise.”
3:05 PM
“Hey birthday girl!” Amber greets.
“Half birthday girl, you mean,” Nina corrects as she walks into their bedroom. “And it’s really not a big deal, I’m surprised you even remember.”
“Nina, I don’t know if you’ve forgotten, but your birthday was kind of a huge event last term. Like, Chosen One and everything. Pretty hard to forget,” Amber replies. “Plus, your date with Fabian tonight is clearly to celebrate! Are you excited?”
Nina chuckles. Of course Amber wants to go straight to the gossip. But to be honest, she’s been dying to talk about it with someone else too.
“Definitely. And nervous. And a little overwhelmed. But mostly excited,” Nina replies.
“I get it. I mean, you’ve been on barely any proper dates with each other, unless you count making awkward flirty eyes in the dirty attic during Sibuna meetings.”
“Yikes, was it really that bad?”
“I’m not sure if Alfie noticed, but Patricia and I kept a tally on the wall.”
“That’s what that was?”
“I’m surprised neither you or Fabian figured it out. You’re supposed to be the smart ones of the group.”
“Whatever, I’m just glad that I finally get to spend some time with Fabian in a place that isn’t filled with cobwebs,” Nina says.
“Totally,” Amber agrees. “And you must let me help you get ready. I could do your hair and your makeup, and I can help you put together an outfit that will really blow him away.” Visions of outfits flashed through Amber’s head as rapid as lightning. “We could try femme fatale, or girl-next-door, or sexy librarian. Have you ever actually worn eyeliner?”
3:16 PM
“Hey Trudy, are you going shopping today?” Alfie asks as he enters the kitchen.
“I am, do you need something?” Trudy responds, scribbling something down on a notepad by the fridge. “I’m making a list of everything we need now, so if there’s anything you want just put it on here before I leave.” She scribbles one more thing, then sets the list on the table.
“Actually, I was wondering if I could go with you. It’s been a while since I was in town, and I want a change of scenery,” says Alfie.
“Sure, of course you can come. I’ll be grateful for the extra hands,” Trudy says. “I’m just going to grab my things and check with Victor, but meet me by the front door in 15 minutes.”
“You got it, Trudy,” says Alfie. When Trudy leaves the room, Alfie grabs the list.
“This definitely isn’t enough to get us through four hours,” Alfie thinks aloud. “Maybe if I just add the right things…I got it!” He picks up the pen and starts writing.
3:45 PM
“I need it no later than 6:30 tonight. I’m counting on you—do not mess this up for me,” Jerome says as he snaps his phone shut. As he collapses on the couch, Mara walks in.
“What’s got you all riled up?” she asks.
“It’s Trudy’s birthday, and I’ve got only 3 hours to throw a party,” Jerome responds, already dialing the next number.
“It’s Trudy’s birthday? Why didn’t anybody tell me? I want to help!” Mara exclaims.
“Mara, this is my party, okay? I can do it on my own,” Jerome responds, before speaking into his phone. “Alice? This is Jerome, I need party supplies as soon as possible…Whatever you have, streamers or party hats or a disco ball…No, I need them tonight. The party is at 7 and I need everything by then…well fine, but don’t expect me to do any favors you anytime soon.” Jerome shuts his phone again. “What’s the point of having a cousin who’s a Disney Princess Party actress if she can’t even smuggle you party supplies?”
“I can help, Jerome! I am a great party planner. Plus, I have the key to the student council’s event supply room,” Mara entices.
Jerome thinks for a second, and sighs.
“Fine, you can help. But this is still my party, and I’m the one in charge.”
“Wait, why are you even throwing this party? You never do things like this for other people,” Mara speculates, her eyes narrowing.
“Why must you be so skeptical of me? Can’t I do something nice for the one person who takes care of us every single day? Trudy deserves to have a celebration,” Jerome counters.
“Fine, I guess it doesn’t matter what the motivation is, as long as Trudy has a nice time.”
“Wow, thank you for the immense amount of trust you have in me,” Jerome says sarcastically.
“Alright, alright, let’s just get started while we still have time.”
4:35 PM
“Well, that’s it. Thanks for all your help, Alfie,” says Trudy. She takes their shopping cart, piled high with groceries and cleaning supplies, and make her way to the registers.
“Wait, Trudy, what about the ingredients I added?” Alfie asks.
“Alfie, these are all specialty items. I don’t even know where to get them. I might be able to find the wild rice or escargot at the other shop, but corn husks? Crickets? Pig’s blood? What are you even doing with these, Alfie?”
“They’re for my world literature class. I’m making a food dish from every country we’ve read a book from,” Alfie says confidently.
“Well…I don’t want to keep you from doing your project. I guess we have enough time to keep shopping around. As long as you make sure to clean the kitchen real well after you’ve cooked all of these.”
“Promise,” Alfie says. “Now let’s go!”
5:34 PM
Mick opens his bedroom door and looks down. Yep, there’s a birthday card, exactly where Mara said it would be. She texted him that she slipped it under his door while he was at practice, and asked if he could get the rest of Anubis house to sign it. He opens the card and sure enough, there’s Mara’s and Jerome’s signatures—and what appears to be Alfie’s name in Jerome’s handwriting. He takes out a pen and added his own name, then starts knocking on doors around the house. Patricia is the first to answer.
“Mick? What’s up?”
“Hey Patricia, can you sign this card for Trudy’s birthday?”
“It’s Trudy’s birthday? That’s bizarre, today is also Nina’s half birthday,” she says as she takes the card and signs her name.
“Half birthday?”
“Yeah, Fabian decided that since we can’t celebrate her real birthday together in summer we should do something for her half birthday, while we’re at school. Not much though, just me and Amber giving her a small gift and Fabian taking her on a special date. We’re getting her a card too, but we don’t have it yet. Want to sign it when it gets here?” Patricia asks.
“Yeah, of course,” he says. “There’s going to be a surprise party for Trudy at 7 tonight, you should be there. If you bring the card I can sign it then.”
“I will. Thanks Mick!”
6:17 PM
One hour until the party, and the living room is almost in good condition. Streamers are hung, balloons are full, and there are plenty of paper plates so they don’t have to do dishes afterwards. Everything is ready, except one last thing.
“Where is my cake guy?!?!?!” Jerome shouts frantically while pacing up and down the hall. He looks up and sees Victor staring at him with a warning in his eyes. Victor gave permission for the party, sure, but now’s not the time to push their luck. Jerome takes a breath and regains his composure.
“I mean: I so wish the cake was here already. We are cutting it very close,” Jerome says, quieter this time.
“It’s still 45 minutes until the party, and you asked for it at 6:30 anyway. You don’t need to be so on edge. Besides, why do you even need it here that early?” asks Mara.
“Because I have a cake guy, not a decorator. I still need to frost the entire thing. Sure, he’ll probably put on a crumb coat or maybe even a thing layer of frosting, but if I can’t get an Italian meringue buttercream to be stabilized, decorated, and fully set on it by the time Trudy gets here, the cake will be a failure.”
Mara stares at Jerome while he finishes his rant, an intense look in his eyes. She always suspected that Jerome and Alfie had secret cooking show marathons in their room when they said they were really watching horror movies, because every time she walked past their door she heard things like “that’s not a fucking coulis” and “look at the sear on that steak!” instead of blood curdling screams.
“Is that what you’ve been doing all this time in the kitchen while I decorated? Making buttercream?” she finally asks.
“All you did was hang streamers and fill up balloons, it took more time just to carry them to the house,” Jerome responds.
Ding-Dong. The doorbell rings.
“Finally!” Jerome opens the door, grabs a large box, and immediately closes it.
Jerome carries the box to the kitchen, Mara following close behind him. He opens the lid to reveal a large rectangular sheet cake—perfect for a party. He hurriedly grabs a large bowl of pink frosting from the fridge, and scoops some into a piping bag. Once it’s ready, he gets to work. Mara watches, and tries to hold back laughter.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just I never expected Jerome Clarke to be piping a bunch of pink flowers on a cake,” she says.
“They’re rosettes, and they take skill to perfect.”
“Sorry. Is there anything else I can do to get ready?”
“Would you call Alfie and make sure they’re on time?” Jerome asks.
“Sure,” Mara says.
6:20 PM
“Wow, now this is it. You have to wear this tonight,” Amber says.
“It better be, after half an hour of trying stuff on,” Patricia adds. “But really, you look great, Nina.”
Nina smiles. She twirls around again in a knee-length black skirt with white polka dots. A fuzzy navy blue hugs her upper body, with a white silk scarf of Amber’s to accent it. Under the skirt, she wears sheer black tights and black boots.
“I just feel like it’s missing something, but I don’t know what. I don’t want to go too over the top, I don’t even know what we’re doing. Fabian insists it’s a surprise,” Nina says.
“Well…,” Patricia says, nodding to Amber, “I think we have an idea about what will work for you.” Amber gives Patricia a confused look back. Patricia sighs and continues, “Maybe some jewelry…”
“Ohhhhh, right. Nina, we have something for you,” says Amber. She goes over to her nightstand, opens the drawer, and pulls out a box.
“We know you already have your Eye of Horus necklace, but we wanted to give you something to connect the three of us, after everything we’ve been through,” Patricia says.
Nina opens the box, revealing a tiny gold ankh on a delicate chain.
“Now, you don’t have to wear this all the time. The gold will clash with the silver in your other necklace. But I look best in gold, and so would you, so this is for special occasions,” Amber adds. She and Patricia both reach under their shirts to grab their own ankh necklaces that were hidden from view.
“This is so sweet you guys. You do know that it’s only my half birthday though, right?” Nina says.
Amber laughs. “Half birthdays do not mean half as fabulous. Now come on, we need to finish your hair and makeup before Trudy’s party.”
6:25 PM
Mara gets out her phone and dials. “Alfie?”
“Mara? Why are you calling me?”
“I’ve been helping Jerome set up for the party. He’s busy with the cake right now. I’m just checking if you’re still going to be on time.”
“Yeah, okay, I’ve been trying my best to stall her. We went to this Filipino restaurant to get pig’s blood an hour ago and got some appetizers for the road. After we left she called a cab, so I used my fake puke to pretend I had food poisoning, and now I’ve been in the bathroom at a random store for twenty minutes. I don’t know how much longer I can do this before she finally makes me leave.”
“Wait—pigs blood? And why did you bring your fake puke with you? You know what, I don’t even want to know, but Alfie—how long is the trip back?”
“I don’t know, we had to go to the next town, it might be half an hour?”
A muffled knock and a distant voice comes through Alfie’s end of the phone. Alfie pretends to puke and yells back, “I’m too sick, I can’t leave yet!”
“Alfie, by the time it takes you to get a cab it will be perfectly timed for you to get back by 7 o’clock. Just tell Trudy you’re feeling better and head back,” Mara says.
“Amazing, I was really getting sick of this bathroom,” Alfie says. Away from the phone, he yells “Actually I’m good now!” before hanging up.
Mara exhales. Whatever is going on with Alfie and Trudy, it hurts her brain to think about too much. She definitely got the better party planning task.
6:50 PM
Jerome checks his watch—ten minutes until they get here, if Alfie’s correct. Nina, Amber, and Patricia are sitting on the couch, talking about whatever girls talk about. Mara changed into what she insists is her “party outfit” and is joining them.
Where the hell are Mick and Fabian? Jerome thinks.
“Hey Jerome,” Mick says. Jerome jumps and turns around.
“Mick, hasn’t anyone ever told you to not sneak up on a stressed party planner?” Jerome says.
“Mara has told me that before, actually. She tends to get stressed out and plan things a lot,” Mick responds.
“Figures. Anyway, did you get the signatures for Trudy’s card?”
“Everyone but Fabian, but I haven’t seen him all day,” Mick replies.
Jerome sighs. They can’t wait any longer.
“Alright people! Let’s go over the plan. All the lights will be off, and when they turn on we’ll jump out to yell “Surprise!” and then we’ll sing happy birthday. I’ll light the candles on the cake and bring it in from the kitchen,” Jerome instructs. “Alright, choose your places. And has anyone heard from Fabian?” Everyone shakes their heads.
“Do I have enough time to run to the bathroom?” Nina asks.
Jerome checks his watch again: 6:57 PM. He checks his phone, but there’s no word from Alfie.
“Fine, just be quick,” he says. Nina runs into the hall. Jerome collapses into a chair, and realizes it’s the first time he’s sat down in three hours.
“Hey Jerome, I meant to ask, where do we put gifts?” Mick asks. Jerome bolts upright.
“Gifts?” Jerome says, trying not to sound frustrated. Why didn’t he get Trudy a gift? Thinking on his feet, he continues: “Alfie and I thought that this should be a gift-less party, so it doesn’t become a competition. With such short notice, not everyone can get a gift in time.”
“Oh that’s alright, I just got her laundry detergent, I can save it for another time though,” Mick says.
“Why did you get her laundry detergent?” Mara chimes in.
“My mum likes it when I buy laundry detergent for her, I figured Trudy would too,” Mick responds.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Mick, I’m sure Trudy will love it,” a voice says behind them. They turn around.
“Fabian! Finally you’re here,” Jerome says with a sigh of relief. Suddenly, his phone buzzes in his pocket. He takes it out and checks his texts.
“Everyone hide, Alfie says they’re down the street! Mara, get the lights!” Jerome commands.
“Wait, where’s Nina?” Fabian asks.
“We can’t wait for her. Hide, now!” Jerome commands again, and runs into the kitchen.
Everyone gets into their hiding spot. Mick hides next to Fabian and whispers, “Did you sign the card for Trudy yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Here, it’s in this envelope. There should be an empty space on the bottom left side for you to sign your name.”
Mick hands Fabian a pen and the card. Fabian pulls a lighter from his pocket—where did he get a lighter?—and it illuminates the card just enough to see what he’s doing. Just as he hands it back to Mick, they hear the front door open. Everyone stays quiet, until….
“Surprise!”
Everyone jumps out and yells as soon as the lights turn on. Trudy and Alfie are standing in the doorway, bags of groceries in hand.
“What’s going on here?” Trudy exclaims, catching her breath from the surprise. As she takes everything in, her eyes light up. “Is this a birthday party?”
“Absolutely. Here you go,” Mick hands her a card.
“Oh, thank you Mick! I knew there was something I forgot at the shop,” Trudy says.
“What do you mean?” Mick asks.
“Patricia and Amber asked me to buy a card right before I left, but I didn’t write it down on the shopping list,” Trudy explains, opening the card. “Does anyone have a pen?”
“Wait, isn’t it your birthday today?” Mara asks.
“Not at all, my birthday isn’t until March. Isn’t this for Nina?”
Just then, Jerome bursts through the kitchen door carrying a giant, perfectly-frosted cake.
“Happy birthday to…” Jerome starts singing. He trails off as he sees everyone staring at him.
“Jerome, it’s not Trudy’s birthday,” Mara says.
“What?”
“I haven’t a clue where you got that idea, love. But today is Nina’s half-birthday,” Trudy responds. “I assumed that’s what this party was for.”
Jerome stares down at his cake. “Happy Birthday Trudy” is written in giant letters.
“I can fix that!” Alfie says, grabbing the cake from Jerome and running to the kitchen.
“Alfie, no!” Jerome shouts, following after him.
It’s silent for a moment. Then, a faint sound. A toilet flush.
“Nina’s coming,” Amber says, looking around. Everyone has the same idea.
Mara immediately hits the lights. “Hide!”
Seconds later, the door opens again.
“Surprise!”
Nina stands in the doorway, shock and delight filling her face. “You guys! I can’t believe you used a decoy surprise party to trick me.”
“You can thank Jerome for that,” Amber says.
“Well, maybe ‘thanking’ him is a bit much,” Patricia adds.
Nina turns to see Fabian in the corner. She felt overdressed when she got to the surprise party (back when it was Trudy’s surprise party, anyway) but looking at Fabian now, it feels just right. His normal dress code blazer was replaced with an elegant black one, and black trousers to match. Nina could tell he spent probably too much time trying to iron them. A gentle smile floats across her face, as she realizes that he was probably just as nervous (and excited) as she was.
“Happy half birthday, Nina,” he says, the same smile growing on his face.
“Here, Nina,” Trudy says, handing her the card. “Sorry to rush through, but I still need to put away all the groceries. I’ll be back out in a few minutes.” Trudy grabs the grocery bags and heads into the kitchen.
“This is so kind of you all,” Nina says, opening the card. “Wait, this card has my signature. Is this the card for Trudy?”
Everyone stares at each other, not exactly sure what to say.
“It’s kind of a funny story,” Patricia says. “We’ll tell you later, you two should get going on your date.”
“You sure? I don’t want to ditch my own party,” Nina says.
“Don’t worry about it,” Mara chimes in. Nina and Fabian smile at each other again. Fabian reaches out for Nina’s hand, and she wraps her fingers into his.
“Well, see you later,” Nina says. “Thanks again!”
Just as they walk out the door, Jerome bursts through the kitchen again.
“Happy Birthday to…”
He stops and looks around again. He’s holding the same cake as before. Where “Trudy” was written is now several fingerprints where Alfie clearly scraped off the previous name, and “Nina” in giant frosted letters instead.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Jerome says.
Trudy enters from the kitchen again. “Jerome, I don’t want to bother you during the party, but just be sure you and Alfie have enough time to clean the bathroom before tomorrow, okay?”
Jerome sighs. “Of course, Trudy.”
7:15 PM
Fabian leads Nina outside Anubis house. It’s that time of year where the stars are already showing, so they’re both gazing up as they walk hand-in-hand.
“So, where exactly is this mysterious date spot I hear you’ve been setting up all day?” Nina asks.
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.”
“Today has had enough surprises.”
“Fair enough. But this surprise is worth it, trust me.”
“Is it somewhere on campus?”
“Yes, but I promise you’ve never been there before.”
“How would you know?”
“I have my ways.”
“Just as long as it’s not a secret attic, or anywhere filled with cobwebs and Egyptian artifacts.”
“It’s not. I figured you would want a night away from everything.”
Nina smiles. It was hard for her to believe that she actually found someone who understands her, without having to always explain. She was somewhat grateful for the chaos of their last term, because without it she never would have discovered who she was or gotten so close to her friends. Or Fabian, she thinks. But all that aside, it really was too many hours to spend in a dusty attic.
“Almost there,” Fabian says as they stop next to one of the academic buildings. They’re right next to a fire escape, which Nina can’t believe she never noticed before. Fabian leads her up the steps, then to a door. “Ladies first.”
“Won’t an alarm or something go off?”
“It should, but this school doesn’t do the maintenance it’s supposed to. It probably would have discovered a lot of the secrets in Anubis house if it did.”
“That makes sense, but I just feel like there has to be more going on here. It’s impossible that they wouldn’t have found something.”
“Hey, don’t worry about any of that right now. There’s only one secret that matters—are you ready for it?” Fabian asks. Nina nods, and they step inside.
The door leads to a typical school hallway, but with only two rooms. Nina tries not to look disappointed, but Fabian notices.
“Just one more door,” Fabian reassures her. He leads her into one of the rooms. When the door opens, the room is outlined with the gentle colors of fairy lights. Fabian takes out his lighter and starts lighting candles, arranged around a picnic basket. As more light fills the room, several colors start to appear all throughout.
“Is this a greenhouse?” Nina says, shocked.
“It is. Everybody grows flowers for biology during their first year here. Since you didn’t join until later, you never got to see this place,” Fabian explains, watching Nina’s eyes light up.
“It’s beautiful, Fabian.”
“Is it a good birthday present?”
“It’s…half of a good birthday present,” Nina says. “But I have an idea for what the other half could be.”
Nina stares into Fabian’s eyes and she grabs his hand. Fabian lets out a nervous laugh, and soon both of them start giggling. Then, for just a moment, their lips meet. One blissful, serene, joyful moment.
The stars twinkle above their heads, through the glass ceiling. Fabian wraps his arms around Nina, and they look up at them together. How many of these stars saw them when they first met, and how many have joined the night sky since? Nina lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. How nice it is to finally breathe easy, she thinks.
Fabian reaches into the picnic basket and grabs a bottle of sparkling juice. As he pours it into two glasses, he asks, “Shall we toast anything?”
Nina thinks for a moment, then raises her glass to stars.
“To another year of good surprises.”