I've been working this story for about five years and it has undergone a lot of changes as my writing style has evolved.

I've poured my heart and soul into this story so please give it a chance and let me know what you think!

Updated 2/20/16

Chapter One: Precarious Beginnings

The streets of New York City were a stop and go blur as two friends sat in the back of a taxi cab.

Samantha's cheek met the cool glass of the window as she watched the small pine tree air freshener, which hung from the rear view mirror, dance as the car slowed to a halt in traffic. The air freshener was a poor excuse for trying mask the lingering smell of smoke within the cab.

With a sigh she turned to her friend Amy, who had her hands clasped tightly together in her lap while her teeth worried her bottom lip. Amy was undoubtedly nervous as a first timer in the big city, all of the traffic and people were uncommon where she lived in Washington.

"Are you sure walking wouldn't be easier?" Amy inquired softly, twisting a strand of copper colored hair that had escaped the hold of her ponytail between her fingers.

"We'll be there soon enough," Sam reassured, "besides, I still have a bit of jet lag and I don't want to walk there." She knew it was lazy, but the three hour time difference was already beginning to catch up with her. Besides, Amy would be far more comfortable in a bit of traffic than on the streets.

Within another twenty minutes of driving they had made it to their destination, The American Museum of Natural History.

Samantha hurriedly paid the driver and exited the cab, holding onto her knitted hat, which was pinned precariously to her hair with a few bobby pins, as a brisk fall wind blew through the streets.

Amy seemed at home with the chilly temperature, wearing a navy blue jacket, a thin sweater, and a pair of dark wash jeans. She barely let out a shiver as she exited into the crisp October air.

"You see the left side over there," Sam pointed as they walked up the stairs towards the entrance, "the museum was originally made in a Victorian Gothic style, but more was added onto it later on in a neo-Romanesque style, which is the part we're approaching now, and-"

"Chill, Sam, I don't need every single detail about the architecture of every building we go to," Amy interjected as she opened the door for them.

Samantha gave a frustrated sigh, blowing a strand of her blonde bangs out of her eyes as she entered the building. "I can't help it, it's ingrained into me now."

Amy felt a hand latch onto her forearm as let the door close behind her, she looked up to find that her friend was staring around the room, no doubt having an architectural meltdown.

Amy patted her friend on the shoulder, "It's fine, you just finished your midterms, and I understand that your brain is still in college mode."

One more semester and Sam would be out of college for good, although the thought of becoming a professor at a later time in her life had crossed her mind. Amy, however, was wading her way through medical school.

The two woman walked at a steady pace through the entrance way, which was decorated by a few large dinosaur skeletons, and headed towards a kiosk to purchase their tickets.

"So what exhibit did your dad want us to check out?"

"A medieval one, something to do with the crusades," Sam murmured as she riffled through some of the packets and maps that they had gotten "There," She had her finger pointed to an area of the map, "second floor, west wing."

Samantha's father had been a curator for multiple exhibits for as long as she could remember. His job sometimes caused their family to move, but more often than not had kept him away from home for extended periods of time. Their last move had been from Florida to Poulsbo, where she had met Amy nearly four years ago.

Unfortunately all of his time away meant an unhappy end to her parents' marriage which, quite frankly, she didn't really mind. They had always seemed like an odd couple to her, her mother was always trying to keep up with the changing times while her father was caught up in the past. Samantha, apparently cut from the same proverbial cloth as her father, tended to prefer his company. Which was precisely why she had moved with him.

After a flight of stairs and making their way through a few exhibits, the two friends finally came upon the one they had been looking for.

In her early years of college, before she had chosen a major, Sam had dabbled in a bit of medieval literature. It certainly helped motivate her to want to see the exhibit for herself instead of it being like a chore.

The entrance of the room was guarded by two suits of Templar armor, chainmail covered by an off-white tunic with a large red cross emblazoned on it. A crusaders great helm completed the headpiece of the suits, and Samantha shivered uncomfortably as she walked past, feeling goosebumps prickle on her skin.

The displays in the room were nothing grandiose, glass cases full of artifacts such as jewelry or ornate crosses. There were suits of armor, a few swords, shields, and a large set of armor that would have covered one of their war horses. All in all, it was a little disappointing.

"Is it just me or did you expect something a little bigger?" Amy asked, running her hand absentmindedly across one of the glass cases.

"Honestly?" Sam played with the ring on the ring finger of her right hand as she spun in a slow circle to look over the room again, "Yes. The rest of the exhibits seem to be a lot bigger and more detailed than this one."

"Hm," Amy walked over to Sam, a hand on her hip, "I gotta say this one's a bust."

"I'm inclined to agree, want lunch before we look at everything else then?"

The redhead seem to brighten at the thought. "There was a nice cafe downstairs serving Greek food."

"Sure, but maybe we should just have a quick look around at the other exhibitions up here before we head dow-" The ring Sam had been playing with dropped to the floor and rolled a bit before stopping against the wall underneath a weapon rack. With a groan she cursed the loose ring her mother had given her.

Amy looked on with an amused expression as the blonde dropped to her knees to retrieve the fallen jewelry. "Hey will you get on your knees later for me too?" She teased.

"Suck a dick," Sam shot back as she replaced the ring on her finger before moving to get up. As she rose her shoulder knocked into the rack sending a sword crashing to the tiled floor. "Shit," she cursed loudly and scrabbled to grab the sword. It was fine, she reassured herself, as long as it went back in the right place.

Amy was now practically doubled over laughing at her clumsy mishap, one hand clutching at her side and the other steadying herself with a hand on her friend's shoulder.

Samantha rolled her eyes and grabbed the hilt of the sword. Before she could process what was happening the room began to seemingly spin around her before a wave of nausea hit. Everything went black and she hoped that it was simply a power failure in the museum.

As if in some sort of dream, she had the prickling sensation of falling, even when she knew she was still firmly planted on the ground.