A/N: A pretty big rewrite going on here. Thanks to Ligeia1987 for bringing this story back to the fore-front of my mind! It really helped me get motivated to rewrite it! Hope this one is better!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Kane Chronicles. A copy of it, but not the rights to it and the copyright.
So here it is, folks!
So, they were throwing a party. Figures. I sighed and placed the invitation down, massaging my temples in thought. What to do, what to do... I stood quietly and walked over to the large bay window, looking out into the river as the fish swam lazily past.
He'll probably be there... My mind offered, and I let out a wistful smile before frowning.
"He won't want to see me... And I don't want to see him..." I said lamely, walking back over to the couch and gazing down at the invitation once more.
Dear Nephthys,
We at the 21st Nome would like to cordially invite you to a small party on the 22nd of this month. The dress will be formal, and the other Gods will also be invited.
We thank you for your consideration,
Carter and Sadie Kane
A frown formed onto my face. I couldn't possibly go! It was sheer and utter madness! I was never the one to go to big events and such, much less one where he would be there!
You were there at the coronation party, and he was there then. A voice chided in my mind and I sighed.
"I was merely there to stop him from doing exactly what he did that day... Now it's different." I spoke loudly, my voice echoing around the chambers.
The voice in my head seemed to quiet down and my eyes drifted back to the letter on the table, before I let out a small smile.
"Sister!" A cheery voice called out, and I turned just in time to receive a huge hug from my sister, Isis. She was absolutely stunning in her long white dress, and her hair straightened especially for this occasion, "We're so glad you could make it! Horus wasn't sure you would show! Oh he'll be so pleased to see his Aunt again..." Isis trailed off, studying my ace for a moment in concern, "Sis... What's wrong?"
I snapped out of my daze and attempted to put on a confident mask.
"Nothing. I'm fine. Thank you for the welcome Isis... I- I really appreciate it..." I said, smiling forcibly.
"Sister... You can tell me anything... You know that, right?" Isis questioned, her smile dropping.
"I-" I stuttered for a moment, my brain trying to wrap itself around what exactly was wrong with me. "Is Set here yet? Or is he even going to show at all?" I blurted out, trying to seem nonchalant about it all but failing miserably.
Isis stumbled a bit, her eyes widening, before her mouth set in a thin line.
"Yes, Set is supposed to be attending... But then again, Osiris is too, but he hasn't shown up yet either..." Isis trailed off, and I immediately jumped into this new topic.
"Would you like me to help you look for him or something? If he said he'll be here, he certainly will if I know Osiris at all," I comforted her, leading her over to a small bench, where we could sit in peace.
"Yes... I suppose so... So are you going to save a dance for anyone in particular?" Isis questioned me, and I shrugged.
"I- I was just thinking about sitting over in a corner or something, to be honest... I'm not a good dancer..." I said, fumbling a bit in shyness.
"Oh come now Sis! Tons of people are wanting to dance with you! I heard that Sobek wants to dance with you for at least one dance! That... could be fun, I guess..." Isis trailed off, as the music began to play, "Well, I guess that means that the dance has started... Better keep an eye out for anyone wanting to grab a dance with you!"
As Isis walked off to peruse the party, I sighed dramatically. Figures. Now I'm the only one having to sit here awkwardly in the corner and hope no one makes contact with me. I brushed myself off self consciously, when suddenly the front doors burst open and the torches spluttered. I immediately shot up out of my chair, memories of the last time torches spluttered to dramatically taking over. Osiris was the one to walk in. He was wearing a black suit with a green tie that went well with his entire outfit, tying it all in nicely. Isis broke out into a wide grin as he gave us all an apologetic look.
"Sorry to disturb such a wonderful party... Set was taking a long time to get ready..." He said, a small smile playing on the corner of his lips as Set stormed in.
I could feel my cheeks blushing as he met my eyes and gave a simple nod in acknowledgement. He was wearing his red suit complete with a black tie, and of course, a self-confident smirk on his face.
"Now, now, brother, I daresay it was you who made us late... If you would have let us use a portal instead of merely driving all of the way here, obeying the speed limit, I might add, we would have gotten here quicker." Set said, smiling widely, sharp teeth glinting as Osiris rolled his eyes.
"I prefer not to run people over, Brother, if you must know," Osiris said, frowning in Set's direction as Set shrugged.
"Now that's no fun," He pouted, before the doors slammed shut behind them.
Within seconds, Isis had made her way towards Osiris, and was now hugging him, smiling widely. I let out a small laugh at the look of disgust on Set's face before he disappeared into the crowd and I couldn't spot him any longer.
The music began anew as a slow song played, and people immediately formed into pairs. Suddenly, I felt a strong hand on my arm and turned to see Sobek standing there smiling.
"Lady Nephthys, would you grant me this one dance with you?" He asked sincerely, and I looked around for Set before nodding mutely.
Throughout the dance, we were silent, merely following the lead of those around us. A few times, Sobek seemed to try and press himself closer to me, but of course, each time I merely stepped back a few feet. Where in the world is Set? If he would have been on time this never would have happened! Wait... I didn't even want to dance with him in the first place! I shook my head a bit to clear it as the song came to a close, and I curtsied to Sobek as he bowed.
"Lady Nephthys, if you ever need a dance partner, you can always come a see me," He said, smiling ferally as he disappeared into the crowd once more.
More upbeat songs were played throughout the night, and I had almost lost hope of finding someone else to dance with when suddenly a slow song played once again. I shot out of my seat where I had stayed planted for quite awhile, and searched the room for any sign of Set, or anyone who would dance with me. Suddenly, Sobek was once again in front of me, smiling in a somewhat harmless manner. I stifled a moan of despair, and opened my mouth when suddenly it seemed that everyone was looking behind me.
I spun around to see Set standing merely a foot away. Of course, this rather startled me, and I jumped back a bit, into Sobek's arms. Sobek seemed to realize exactly what he was doing in about .14 seconds, and immediately released his hold on me, causing me to slightly stumble again.
I eyed Set carefully as he helped me regain my balance. Suddenly, he gave a confident smirk, and bowed low to kiss my hand. I blushed red (Which I suppose he probably liked) and stood shock still as he straightened himself up and re-plastered his signature smirk onto his face.
"If you don't mind, Sobek, I think I would like to have this dance," He said, still smiling, but with a feral gleam in his eyes as Sobek nodded quickly and disappeared into the crowd.
Set looked at me and gave a smile.
"May I have this dance, Lady Nephthys?" He asked, and I gave a small smile and nodded quietly as he led me out onto the dance floor.
We danced in silence, twirling to the rhythm of the slow song as he concentrated on his dancing, trying not to trip. A few times he stumbled a bit, and I had to stifle a laugh. Too soon, it seemed, the slow song came to an end, and Set stood up straighter.
"Thank you for this dance, Lady Nephthys," He stated, before trying to turn and disappear into the crowd once more.
Without thinking, I reached forward and grabbed his arm. He stopped quickly, and turned back to look at me with confusion in his face. He lifted an eyebrow questioningly and I simply gave a small smile. As he turned around all the way, I summoned my courage and stretched up on tip-toes to peck him on the cheek.
He froze in shock, eyes locked onto my face as I blushed furiously. Of course he doesn't like me anymore... Why in Ma'at would I think that it was a good idea to kiss him without asking, or even at all! He's going to hate me, he's going to hate me, he hates me. My mind repeated in a mantra as I shut my eyes tight and began to turn before suddenly someone held my arm back.
I turned around, and Set was smiling the widest I had seen in quite a while. It reminded me of when we first started dating and it was like we were the only two people in the world. He leaned my face up tenderly and kissed me on the lips as I blushed furiously. Without a second thought, I kissed him back.