Chapter One

Dear Olive,

I keep telling Joey to write but he's too lazy. Anyway, he says to tell you hi and that he hopes you're having a good time. We've had a really good summer, although it would be a whole lot better with you here. Bakura and I have both been working at your mom's clothing store. She misses you a lot. Every time someone comes into the store, she shows them pictures and talks all about you. She's really proud of you, but I know she can't wait for you to come home. Yugi and Joey have been working at the game shop and Tristan has an internship downtown. Of course, all the boys are busy playing duel monsters every chance that they get. About a month ago, Yugi and Joey ended up going into a virtual reality system that Kaiba developed. They went with Mokuba and Mai was there too. It was scary, but everything's okay now. Anyway, I just wanted to write and see how you were doing. I included a picture as well! You get home in a couple of weeks, but I can't wait to see you!

Love, Tea

I smiled as I read the letter and then pulled out a picture. It was a photo of Tea, Bakura, and my mom in the little clothing store that my mother owned. I propped the pictures up on the small side table next to my cot. For a second I stared at it and then I stood up and went outside to eat dinner. I was wearing khaki shorts that barely covered the top of my thighs and a white button up short sleeved shirt. The material was cooler in the midday heat than wearing a cotton shirt.

"Olive, you should be wearing shoes," one of the other kids scolded me.

I shrugged. "I hate shoes," I said.

"Well, you won't hate them when you step on a snake or a scorpion," the kid shot back at me.

I raised my eyebrows. "Haven't you heard? Being the coolest person alive, snake and scorpion venom doesn't affect me," I said.

The kid rolled her eyes and walked away.

I got my dinner, a water bottle, and a beer and sat down to eat.

This summer had been unlike any other. The day after I'd gotten back from a duel monsters tournament in a place called Duelist Kingdom, I'd let for Italy. I had been accepted to a studying abroad program for students. I was a part of a group of ten students form all over the world who were interested in archaeology, anthropology, ancient history, or all of the above. Our group had spent a week in Italy eating rich food and listening to lectures in museums. The next week in Greece, we'd still listened to lectures. At night, I'd gone swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. After our week in Greece, it was onto Egypt. For the last two months, that was where we'd been.

I had two weeks left before I flew home and it was nearly impossible to imagine being away from here. The class was all about studying ancient Egyptian culture and comparing it to the ancient Greek and Roman cultures. We'd gone to several museums and spoke to many experts. We'd sat in on lectures and studied artifacts. We'd also been taught how to read and write ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. For about three weeks, we did desk work. After that, we'd gone out into the desert on an archaeological dig with some professionals. There were the ten of us, our teacher, and a group of seven students from Egypt who were in their own separate program.

Despite the sand, the heat, the long days, and the uncomfortable cots, I was having the time of my life. Everyday we worked hard digging in the sand and cleaning off artifacts as gently as possible. We were unearthing a chamber that was buried in the sand. So far we had one small room and a hallway. Every night, I ate like I'd been starved and drank water and beer that was warm. During any free time, we played soccer, kickball, football, and danced. I ended every day caked in sand and dirt. My hair was almost always dirty and twisted into a bun on top of my head. My skin had become a dark tan color from my long hours in the sun. If I didn't moisturize consistently every day, my skin would get flaky and itchy. But I loved every second of it. I had notebooks filled with recollections of my summer, notes, and my studies. I had a box filled with pictures and a duffle bag filled with souvenirs from Italy, Greece, and, most of all, Egypt.

That night, after I finished my dinner and almost everyone had gone to bed, I stood up and stretched. The only people left were sitting at the table away from the flames, writing. I pulled my iPod out of my pocket, put my headphones in my ears, and turned on my music. Letting my hair down, I turned up the music and, beer in hand, began to dance around the fire. I breathed in the night air and laughed as I turned and spun and twisted. I felt so free.

Opening my eyes, I saw him standing on the other side of the fire, eyes on me and a smirk on his face. He raised his own beer in a mock toast. I smiled and repeated the gesture. I'd noticed him before when we were working in the museums, but we'd never talked. He worked on the excavation in a different group than I did, but we'd each caught the other staring from time to time.

I kept dancing when he walked around the fire and caught me in his arms.

"Hey, sweetheart," he said, smiling. He was very tanned and toned. His eyes were a mysterious and beautiful pale violet color. His hair was a very light shade of blonde, lighter even because of our days spent in the sun. His arms around me were strong.

"Hey yourself," I replied. "What do they call you, Blondie?"

He smiled. "You can call me whatever you want," he said.

"Can you dance?" I asked, breathlessly as he began to match my movements.

"There is not a person in the world who can't dance, kid," he said.

"Do you dance?"

"Every chance I get," he murmured.

"You're here with the Egyptian students, right?" I asked.

He nodded as we continued to dance. "Yes," he said. "Where are you from?"

"I've lived in Japan for the last year," I said. "Before that, I lived in California."

"I hear California girls are unlike any others," he said.

I put my arms around his neck and leaned my head back. With a smile, I tossed my hair forward. Pieces of it fell over my face and I turned and pressed my back against his chest, guiding his hands to my hips as I swung them from side to side. "I don't know about that," I said. "How about you tell me?"

He took my hand and spun me around. Still holding my hand, he began to walk away, leading me with him. I wasn't sure if it was the beer or the fact that I was more drunk off life than alcohol, but my heart was pounding with anticipation. Checking to see that no one was following us, he ducked behind a tent, pulling me with him. Laughing, we ran across the sand and ducked under the ropes surrounding the expedition site. He took me down the short flight of stairs that led into the underground chamber.

Talking like a museum curator, he began to show me all the things that his group had been working on. When we reached the hallway, he pulled me around the corner and pushed me roughly against the wall. Staring into his eyes, I took a deep, excited breath. I loved this. There were no consequences here. I couldn't be grounded and there nothing I could do that would affect any of my friends or family.

He pressed his body against mine and I pressed back, trying to pull him closer. His hands were on my hips, his thumbs on the edge of my shorts. He looked down at me, his lips hovering near mine. Then he slipped his hands under my thighs and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and leaned back against the wall. He moved my hands above my head and held them there with one hand. I felt jolt of excitement go through my body. Grinning at me, he kissed my neck. I let out a small moan of pleasure.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered in my ear.

"And you are sexy as hell," I whispered back.

With one hand, he unbuttoned my shirt and slipped his hand inside my shirt. My skin erupted in goose bumps.

"Cold?" he asked me, smirking.

I shook my head.

His hand slid around behind my back and he had started to undo my bra when we heard footsteps and saw a flashlight. Smiling and shrugging apologetically, he set me back on my feet and took my hand. We raced around another corner and crouched down in the dark. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing.