#peddle

Commission for @foodielovethealicorn

This fanfic is based upon Keane’s song “Somewhere Only We Know.” It has always reminded me of the sibuna clearing so I wanted to incorporate it into a fanfiction.

Fair warning: I am the CEO of writing sappy sibuna fanfic. I absolutely love the found family aspect of sibuna and will die on that hill.

“I walked across an empty land

I knew the pathway like the back of my hand

I felt the earth beneath my feet

Sat by the river, and it made me complete”

Amber’s freshly cut, shoulder length blonde hair gently flew behind her as she walked down the hill. Even though she was in the woods, she still wore her favorite pair of wedges. Such a monumental occasion like this called for such measures. Today was the first time sibuna was going to be in the same place together, at once, in two years- there if you counted the year since they had last seen Nina. It was a very special day. Of course it had been Amber who had planned the whole thing and of course she had been the first to arrive. Even after all these years, she still knew the pathway to the Sibuna Clearing like the back of her hand. How could she not? This was the place where it all began. This was the place where the club, she had named and founded, mind you, was born that crisp autumn afternoon with Nina and Fabian. Everything led back to here. So, she sat on one of the logs and waited. She waited to see the raven hair of her favorite geek; the red hair of the only girl she knew who could pull off such a goth pixie look; the silly outfit of the boy who she loved first; the boyish grin of the boy who saved Sibuna; the not so well-known, but trusted, perfect curls of the newbie; and perhaps the one she was most excited to see, the extremely missed smile of her best friend.

For the first time since she had left Anubis all those years ago, Amber felt complete. Sitting in this beloved spot, she couldn’t help but reminisce on the feelings that sibuna brought her. Sure, it was scary as hell being haunted by egyptain spirits and deadly curses, but being in sibuna had taught her what it felt like to belong. She had found a family through the scared eyes of the six other teenagers who were in well over their heads. For the first time in her life, she had felt loved.

“Oh, simple thing, where have you gone?

I'm getting old, and I need something to rely on

So tell me when you're gonna let me in

I'm getting tired, and I need somewhere to begin”

Fabin ran his fingers through his hair- a sure sign that he was nervous. It was his tale-tale sign that he was struggling with some deep inner turnmoil. Even after spending years of building up confidence from his once previous state of being that nerdy push over in high school….even after spending three years of his high school career fighting egyptian spirits, curses and saving the world...the idea of seeing her for the first time in three years was enough to send him right back over the edge. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see her. No, it wasn’t that at. He had spent the past three years wanting nothing more than to see Nina Martin again. But now that he finally had the chance? Well, he just didn’t know where to begin.

He had spent the last two years since graduation desperately trying to escape the feeling that, at the mere age of 18, he had already fulfilled his life’s purpose. Since leaving sibuna, nothing had ever measured up. He had never felt that feeling of belonging again. He was so young, yet he felt like he was already 100 years old and had done everything in life he was meant to do. Solving ancient egyptian curses? Check. Escaping Egyptian ghosts whose purpose was to kill you? Check. Saving the world multiple times from utter destruction? Check. He was so tired of feeling like he had nothing left for him anymore. And all he wanted was to feel like he belonged again- like he was more than a pushover nerd like the boy he spent so long proving to others he wasn’t anymore. What Fabian never truly realized was that he didn’t need to prove himself to others anymore. He was constantly trying to prove himself to, well, himself.

“I came across a fallen tree

I felt the branches of it looking at me

Is this the place we used to love?

Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?”

Patrica and Eddie walked down the hill in silence. Of course they had come together- back to the spot where, even if they hadn’t been there for the founding of the club, the couple owed everything to. Sibuna may have been a hindrance to their relationship in the beginning, with Patricia having to constantly hide her real reasons for disappearing so suddenly and so often. And that time she even had to go as far as using Eddie as a Sibuna swing temp for one of their tunnel tasks (something they could laugh at now). But, for Eddie and Patrica separately….it was what gave them a home and something to hold on to. Before sibuna and before each other, neither Eddie or Patrica had ever felt like they had a purpose. Both of them had spent so long feeling forgotten by their respective parents, like they were disposable in their own family hierarchies. Sibuna had taught each of them that they had a purpose. But, more than that, it taught them each that they were deserving of unconditional love and friendship.

“So,” Patrica broke the silence, “you’re sure that she is going to be here?”

There was no question about the she in question.

Eddie shrugged his shoulders. “I mean I think so. She responded to Amber’s SOS message about the urgent need for a sibuna reunion.”

Eddie and Nina hadn’t kept total silence between the two of them since she had practically fallen off the face of the earth. They did share a godly connection between the two of them after all. A connection that no one, no even their fellow sibunas, would understand. So, when Eddie lost his osirian powers, Nina received a frantic text a few days later. Since then, they touched base a couple times. Nina had made Eddie swear that he would keep her up to date on her friends she had to leave behind. He told her everything, from what universities everyone had gotten into to who everyone was dating. Even if that meant that he had to break the news about Mara and Fabian not so long lasting relationship (she wasn’t as quick to reply to that message).

Patrica was silent for a beat before finally responding. “I’m glad. I’ve really missed her.”

And Eddie could tell she was being sincere. Nina had left so suddenly and so unexpected. Seeing her again? It was all they had wanted for the past three years. No matter how far she tried to stay away or how much time had passed, Nina would always be apart of their family.

“Oh simple thing, where have you gone?

I'm getting old and I need something to rely on

So tell me when you're gonna let me in

I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin”

Alfie slid down the hill that led him to the familiar fire pit with the logs surrounding it. He couldn’t help but remember the time when he had (more like was forced) to burn his favorite joker hat in order to really be considered a sibuna. But, if he was being honest, it took him a long time to really feel like he belonged in sibuna. He couldn’t help but feel like his unfortunate time being locked in the cellar was the only reason he was allowed to be a sibuna. If it hadn’t been for that, well he probably would have stayed in the dark about what was really going on in Anubis House for his entire time there. Alfie never said anything, but he could always hear the unwillingness in Nina’s voice when she finally told him about the secrets of Anubis House. Now, after being a sibuna for three years, he knew that Nina was just a very stubborn person who was just trying to protect him by keeping him in the dark. But it had stung, to think that he wasn't wanted in the club that he loved being a part of. It was nice to finally feel like he was more than the stupid, class clown. Sibuna gave him the chance to prove himself. To prove that he was brave, smart and, well, needed. He would never forget that.

So, when had received a text from his ex-girlfriend saying that she was planning a sibuna reunion and that it was absolutely mandatory they all be there, he was the first to respond. He needed to feel like he belonged again. He needed something to rely on again.

“And if you have a minute, why don't we go

Talk about it somewhere only we know?

This could be the end of everything

So why don't we go somewhere only we know?

Somewhere only we know”

Sometimes, K.T couldn’t help but feel like an imposter. Like she was just a replacement. She couldn’t help but remember that she had only been a member of sibuna for one year. She wasn’t there for its founding or for the first two years its members spent fighting for their lives. So, sometimes, she looked at Fabina, Patrica, Alfie (and Amber for that short while she was there) with envy. There was an invisible string that held the four of them together based on shared past trauma, unconditional friendship and a kind of trust K.T never knew was possible to be shared. Even Eddie, with all of his Osirian and leader of sibuna glory, wasn’t a part of this bond the four of them shared. The four of them shared a bond that K.T would never truly be able to nudge her way into. And she was okay with that. It wasn’t that she felt unwanted or anything. No, it wasn’t that at all. She knew her fellow sibuna members loved her and wanted her there. But she wasn’t an original and that was something that made her feel very insecure about her position in sibuna. Even if such feelings were unwarranted by the actions of her fellow sibunas.

So, K.T couldn’t help but feel nervous about this reunion. She didn’t want to be. At all. This was her family for crying out loud. But...the infamous Nina Martin was going to be there today and K.T didn’t know what to expect. Would Nina welcome her with open arms into the club she had founded? Or would she view K.T as nothing more than her replacement and give her the cold shoulder? She had never met Nina, but she felt like she had. This was the chosen one. The girl who founded sibuna and served as leader for two years. The girl who was Amber’s best friend and roommate. The girl who broke Fabian’s heart with a simple letter. She had never met Nina, but she was already intimidated by her.

“Oh simple thing, where have you gone?

I'm getting old and I need something to rely on

So tell me when you're gonna let me in

I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin”

Nina Martin was scared. Ever since she was little, Nina had a reputation for being fearless. She was the little girl who got into trouble for jumping off of high platforms on the playground at recess. Then, when her parents died, everyone looked at Nina with admiration. They looked at her with pity, sure, but also with wonder. Even being so young, Nina had held herself together so well. What everyone didn’t realize was that Nina held her tears for the pillow at night when no one else was around. That was when she allowed herself to be weak. To be scared. Even when she came to Anubis House and began her lead over sibuna, her fellow sibuna members looked at her with the same admiration. Yet they too (not even Amber despite being her roommate) didn’t realize that she allowed herself to be weak when no one was around. Nina prided herself on being brave-on being fearless. Allowing others to see her break? That just wasn’t acceptable.

So maybe that was why Nina didn’t come back to England for her final year. Maybe that was why, when everything started to crumple, when her Gran’s health took such a drastic decrease, when the ancient Egyptian Gods started taunting her even when she was home in America with worse nightmares than ever before, that Nina chose to spare her friends. She didn’t want them to see her at her lowest. She didn’t want to bring the hopelessness she felt about her gran’s health, or how haunting the Gods tasks were getting. About how the Gods were demanding more of her than ever, with much more higher stakes. So...Nina did what may have either been the bravest or cowardice thing of her life (she still couldn't decide). She ran and hid in America. She ignored her friends’ desperate pleas for any contact. And, quite frankly, it was the worst year of her life. She had to say goodbye to the boy who was her first love...a boy she still loved. She had to say goodbye to her best friend and roommate. She had to say goodbye to the only people, who besides her gran, she knew loved her. But she was about to see them all again for the first time in three years and, despite all of the egyptian gods she fought off, this was the scariest thing she had ever done. At this moment, Nina Martin wasn’t fearless. She felt like the biggest coward ever.

“And if you have a minute, why don't we go

Talk about it somewhere only we know?

This could be the end of everything

So why don't we go? So why don't we go?”

Perhaps it was sheer fate or a coincidence but, ironically ceremonially, Nina was the last to arrive at the sibuna clearing. She stopped a couple tracks away from where the group had gathered- just far enough away where she was hidden from eye sight by the tree line but close enough where she could hear what they were saying. Through the trees, Nina could see them. She heard her best friend’s laugh echo through the forest as she hugged Alfie (who was no doubt telling some stupid joke). She saw how Patrica and Eddie’s hands were intertwined so tightly, like they afraid what would happened if they let go. Looked like Nina wasn’t the only one still plagued by the ghosts and nightmares of what happened here. She saw an unfamiliar face, but noted how much it looked like she just clicked with the others (which made Nina’s heart happy). Finally, she allowed her eyes to land on Fabian. She could quite literally feel her heart sink to the ground when she saw his familiar raven black hair and boyish grin. Of everyone, he was the one who was the hardest to let go. He was the first boy to ever hold her heart, and that was something time nor distance would ever change.

Suddenly, Nina became fearless again. She looked around at these five people who she trusted with her life and she knew she was home. Almost as if just being around them was enough to make her feel strong and brave again, Nina knew everything would work out. This place...this simple clearing in the woods on the grounds of their old boarding school was where everything changed for Nina. For all of them. What looked like a simple clearing in the woods to outsiders, was a lifeline to the six souls who gathered there today. It was where they, as lost and confused teenagers, were found by a force much bigger than themselves. It was somewhere only they knew.

Nina took a deep breath and fed off the courage sheerly being in this spot gave off. She stepped out of the lining of trees and into the eyesight of her fellow sibunas. Five pairs of eyes turned to her. Yet, Nina was no longer scared of what came next

She was finally home.

“Oh, this could be the end of everything

So why don't we go somewhere only we know?

Somewhere only we know

Sling

Pen & Ink

2019