The scorching heat didn't help when trekking through the suppressing sands of Egypt. The sand was roasted, sizzling due to the sun's radiant rays. The water held in a canteen was gulped down ferociously. As the expedition group was led, groups dispersed along the way, knowing one trail was open for exploring today. There was no fear of abandonment or getting lost. The guide had told the campers the area of which would be the preferred spot for the day. Groups of 4s and 5s split up, scouring for a good, shady spot to dig. For the married couple, they just needed each other, working as lab partners a long with being frequent excursionists, this pair knew what they were doing. Their inquisitive minds, and their curious attitude established them as the lead scientists of Symmetry, a lab incorporation. Envious eyes followed their every move, some envied their brains, others their relationship, and few over their positions. Such things were trivial compared to the considerable discoveries made everyday. As the group was wrapping up for the day, the pair didn't seem satisfied with their work. They continued working long after the troop headed back.

"Nina, look I think I found something." He pointed to the neck piece. Gold, and rusted, it had definitely seen better days. It seemed valuable, but it didn't seem like it should be by itself. Nina dug deeper, rummaging her hands through every layer of sand. The pesky sand was all over her, and her husband, but she didn't seem to mind. It was a normal thing by then. Her hands soon caught a hold of a diary. Countless pages, long gone. There must have been less than 10 pages in the worn out book. The spine was damaged, and the ink was faded. Yet the importance of the object seemed to show automatically, not for once did Nina even consider leaving the journal there. Her and her husband trekked back to their private tent, unnoticed when they slipped past.

"Our last day, and we found something!" Nina whispered in sheer excitement. She knew for a fact, as did her husband, that they couldn't no matter what tell anyone of the artifact. They had to research it, soon at that.

"Fabian, I think this deserves a reward." Nina spoke, her voice melodious than ever. They kissed like it was their first one ever. They packed the artifact, wrapping it in clothes, to protect it and themselves (just in case anyone dared to open their luggage). Nina slipped the diary into her purse, knowing it would get rattled around in the suitcase and the backpack. That night, their slumber was peaceful, the best it had been in days. Tomorrow taking the plane back to London was all that could be thought about, as their dreams slowly faded their consciousness away.

—

The next morning was busy and bustling. The group were packing their belongings ready to head back to London, where some would stay and some would have to catch yet another plane. Nina's giddy behavior, and cheerful smile was contagious; everyone soon found themselves smiling and reminiscing the past few days. The plane ride was anything but fun, but the constant reminder of what they had found kept Nina and Fabian content the whole way through.

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After the airport, they headed straight to their home, a comfy 2 story house that they purchased after the wedding, which truly did feel like a home. Fabian didn't even have time to fully open the door, before he saw a flash of color pass him inside. He shook his head at his wife's excitement. As Fabian's 2nd major was architecture, with electronics, he dabbled a bit in building devices which helped both him and his wife. One of his most successful ones was a device that scanned lab samples, artifacts, etc and researching the substance/item. It was very helpful, and was definitely something he was proud of. After showering, and changing into some fresh clothes, the pair headed to their private study, filled with clippings of research, thesis', lab reports, and more. Fabian quickly called Symmetry letting the staff he wouldn't return until tomorrow, explaining the tired condition both him and his wife were in due to the recent trip. It wasn't a totally lie. They were tired, thats for sure, but they were preoccupied with other matters. Fabian sat down in his seat, Nina beside him. She opened up a fresh notebook, with a brand new pen, ready to note down anything needed.

This mysterious artifact posed as a real enigma, as no previous data seemed to be reachable. She hadn't even had time to sift through the diary to look for legible notes. Fabian's device starting scanning the artifact, and Nina simply shouted an "I'm gonna start dinner. Holler when it's done scanning." Her american accent, perfectly untouched even though she had lived abroad for 6 years. True, some words were slowly catching on to the british accent, but they were british terms to begin with, so she couldn't argue with that. Fabian smiled at his wife's need to multitask. The device beeped, signaling the scanning was over, and the reading on the computer screen was one Fabian couldn't decipher. Sure he understood what it said, he didn't know why it would say it though.

"You know I worry when your eyes frown like that. Sure you're concentrating, but a bit too hard don't you think?" Nina chuckled from the doorway. She had pulled him from his trance.

"Nina, don't you find it a bit odd that this pops up after scanning it?" He asked, completely baffled by the information displayed.

"Maybe we should scan it again?" Nina tried, hoping their efforts of finding the artifact wouldn't go in vain. "Here I'll do it. You did it last time. Maybe the second time's the charm?" She offered, changing the famous 'third times the charm' to second. As it scanned once more, Nina went to go check on the Fettucini pasta boiling on the stove. To cook the pasta would take over 20 minutes, so she knew she had time.

"Nina, it says the exact same thing!" Fabian exclaimed from the study room.

Nina scurried back, and took out her notebook, clearly intrigued by what was being displayed on the screen.

"Fabian why don't you look at the diary, its upstairs on the vanity table. I'll finish dinner." Nina suggested. Fabian nodded and headed upstairs. After Nina finished making her famous pasta, along with the fresh garlic bread, she heard Fabian call her to the room. She convinced him to have dinner first, so he would be re-energized. After the quick but delicious dinner, they headed back, to read what Fabian was so frantic about.

"Look, it reads Follow where it takes you. It is your only clue. Don't look for help elsewhere. Just assemble the group."

"And all it says in the end is a few faded initials. We really need to find out who this person is. And other than that, the rest are just a few frantic drawings and scribbled notes. That's all that survived the disaster of time."

"Fabian, honey, calm down. This looks like some real interesting stuff. We've gotta look into it. I say we take the adventure, and see where it takes us." Nina, always the optimist.

"It says follow where it takes you. And looks like its taking us to a very specific destination. Lets pack the artifact, the diary, and our laptops plus the scanner. After we get our other necessities, we can catch a train and head out tomorrow morning. I'll call the lab and let them know we'll be out of town for a few days. Okay?" Fabian listened carefully, fully knowing that whatever his wife was saying was completely true. They had found the neck piece and the diary. It was their duty to follow it. This was gonna be one heck of a trip. He followed after Nina, packing all their clothes, and all the other stuff they absolutely needed. He booked some train tickets online for the morning and he knew that his gut feeling was to be completely ignored.

2260 Worthington Boulevard in Liverpool, England

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How was that first chapter? This is AU for those of you who weren't sure. Does this sound enticing and inviting? I hope so! Its definitely different than HOA: Many Years Later, but I'll give it a shot if you do:)

How do you like the Rutters? Any idea where the neck piece will take us? I hope it isn't too fast for you guys, I feel like its pretty slow, and it's not speeding up rapidly anytime soon. Comment your thoughts below! I would love to hear them!

Gonna start the future one-shot series, so send in some specific prompts please! :)

With love, Justagirlwithwords