A/N- I have way too much free time...

Disclaimer: I don't own NATM.

I glanced around the museum, watching all the exhibits continue to move, even after everyone left. In fact, they seemed to relax a bit, and hung out, talking and socializing as if this was a normal occurrence. The T-Rex shook out, like a dog flinging off water, and picked off one of his ribs, dropping it by my uncle's feet, and looking between the two expectantly.

Uncle Larry picked up the bone, and handed it to me, smiling. When seeing my hesitation, he jerked his head toward the skeleton. "Throw it. Rexy loves playing fetch."

Shrugging, I pulled my arm back, and threw the bone, as hard as I could. The dinosaur launched after it, skidding through the halls, and trying not to crash into anything. I laughed a bit in amazement, and shook my head in disbelief.

"A bit to take in, huh?" Uncle Larry chuckled.

I snorted. "Actually, this isn't the weirdest thing I've had to deal with. Coolest? Yes. Weirdest? No."

"Really?" Uncle Larry raised an eyebrow, silently challenging me to top this.

I smirked. "Truly. 'Mom, I need a dress for Dave.' 'Mom, today I stole an alpaca.'" I listed the two on my fingers, but my uncle still didn't look convinced, so I pulled out what was probably the strangest thing I have ever uttered. "'Yo, Cruiser, quit swapping spit and foxtrotting with the llama, and come get this giant yurple banana to the car. We have lemonade to smoke, banks to rob, and cloths to slow dance with.'"

If my uncle had been drinking something, he would have done a spit-take. As it was, he started choking on his own spit. Trust me, it's not pleasant. But, funny as hell to watch. I doubled over with laughter, and it took me at least five minutes to compose myself. When I finally stood up, Uncle Larry was giving me an incredulous look. "What the hell were you doing out in Chester?"

I shrugged, grinning. "Strange stuff, trust me. Enough that this," I jerked my head in the direction of the living, partying exhibits, "doesn't phase me in the least. I just think it's cool as holy fucking shit."

Uncle Larry threw me a glare. "Language."

I rolled my eyes, but chuckled in exasperation. I looked around, surveying the people and creatures milling about, but noticed one that I would really enjoy speaking with was missing. "Hey, Uncle Larry, isn't there supposed to be a pharaoh? If everyone else comes to life, shouldn't he be around, too?"

Uncle Larry rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Oh, Ahkmenrah? He, uh, he hasn't come out of his tomb for a while. He kinda prefers to be left alone, recently."

I narrowed my eyes. I absolutely loved Egyptian mythology. If there was a chance I could meet an actual, living mummy there was no way in fucking hell I was gonna let that get away without putting up a fight. "Where is he? Ten bucks says I can get him out in ten minutes. Twenty if I can do it in five."

Uncle Larry gave me an odd look. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Ahkmenrah's usually fairly nice, but he's been through a lot recently, so-"

I cut him off with a glare. "Either you can give me access, or I'll find a way to him myself. And, trust me, that option is not pretty."

Uncle Larry raised an eyebrow, but sighed in resignation, and handed me a key off his ring, labeled Ahk. I took it from him, grinned, and sauntered away, whistling to myself. Sometimes being from the really bad part of Chester had it's perks.

Soon, I came to a room with a closed door, covered in hieroglyphics. If any place held a dead pharaoh, it was here. I stuck the key in, and pushed open the door. I stepped in, and was greeted with the tip of a massive spear being shoved in my face. It stopped just before it touched me, though, but would have been enough to scare pretty much anyone in their right minds off. Luckily, I was nowhere near being in my right mind, so my feet stayed planted where they were. I did lean back a bit, though, and placed a finger on the sharp edge.

"Well, that's quite a large pointy thing in my face," I raised an eyebrow, and glanced around it, at the twenty-foot, jackal-headed guard glaring down at me. "I'll thank you not to impale me."

Stepping around the spearhead, I waltzed by the jackals, not giving them a second glance, and into the next room. A large, golden sarcophagus stood proudly in the middle of the room, slightly ajar, and the wall behind had a golden tablet hung, surrounded by hieroglyphics. I didn't see a mummy, though.

"Who are you?" A deep voice, slightly malicious, inquired from behind me.

I wasn't daunted, though, and simply turned to face the speaker. What I saw was almost enough to make me lose my nerve, though for a reason completely different than fear. Standing before me was a man, no older than seventeen or eighteen, garbed in a shendyt (pleated skirt), shoulder cape, wesekh (wide collar), and a deshret, complete with the uraeus (red crown of Lower Egypt, with a cobra on the front). The usual wear for a pharaoh. He was glaring at me, obviously waiting for a response, and I shook my head slightly, regaining my composure. "The name's Alyissa. I'm Larry's niece. And you," I jabbed a finger in his direction, "are coming out of this tomb, to be social, whether you want to or not."

The pharaoh looked offended by my words. Oh, well. I don't sugarcoat shit. "Excuse me? I am Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Fourth King-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I cut him off. "I happen to love reading about Ancient Egypt, and you were kind included in that. Which is why there is no way in Duat I'm letting you stay in here and be antisocial. Antisocial is my thing."

He gave me an odd look. "What gives you the right to demand this?"

"Nothing," I snorted. "And, yet, that has never stopped me. You coming or are you afraid to stick your pampered little pharaoh head out of range of your bodyguards, Mummy Boy?"

Cue the slightly offended look. Though, this time, it was more playful, and fused with a spark of competitiveness. "Are you calling me cowardly?"

"Perhaps I am," I replied, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Only way for you to you're not is to come with me."

"Fine," Ahkmenrah conceded. "I'll join you and the others."

"Good," I grinned cheekily, sticking my tongue between my teeth. "Allons-y."

With that, I drug him out of the tomb and back to the lobby, where we met up with my uncle and Teddy, both of whom seemed surprised.

"You got him to come out," Uncle Larry noted. He checked his watch. "And in about five minutes, too. Gotta admit, I'm impressed."

I swept a hand across my face, throwing my head back dramatically. "You didn't believe me? I'm offended!" I smirked, and held out a hand. "Fork it over."

Uncle Larry raised an eyebrow. "I never agreed to your bet."

I crossed my arms. "But, you did give me the keys. That's what we like to call a silent bet. It means you agree to the terms, but you don't verbally announce it. You know this. So, you agreed to the bet. Gimme my twenty."

Uncle Larry sighed, shaking his head, but pulled the twenty out of his wallet and handed it to me. I pocketed the cash immediately. Before Uncle Larry could put away his wallet, a small blur of brown swooshed past, and the wallet was gone. I glanced in the direction the blur had gone, and saw a monkey perched atop the globe in the center of the room, making a face similar to a smirk. I think he and I were going to get along.

Ahkmenrah and Teddy looked on in amusement, and I burst out laughing. Uncle Larry, however, looked immensely peeved. "Dexter! Give that back!"

"Run, Dexter!" I called, still laughing, and taking off in a sprint. The monkey chattered, and hopped on my shoulder. I ran through the halls, and I could hear Uncle Larry shout, followed by his footsteps pounding after us. Dexter chittered, and pointed off to a side hall. Without thinking, I dove down it, pressing myself against the wall, and covering my mouth to stifle my laughter. Uncle Larry ran past, still calling out for me, oblivious to the fact that I had escaped him. I glanced at the small primate on the shoulder, and gave him a sly grin. "You and I make a pretty good team, huh, Bud?"

The monkey chittered with approval, and pulled his lips back in a monkey-smile. I studied him a bit, trying to figure out what species he was. "So, you're smart, cheeky, small, and I'm assuming African?" Dexter nodded, and I examined him a few seconds longer. "Capuchin?"

Dexter clapped, babbling happily.

"Impressive,"

I jumped slightly, and turned, glancing up to see Ahkmenrah standing over me, arms crossed, and smirking.

I shrugged, and grinned smugly. "Yeah, well. You'd be surprised the amount of useless information I know."

"So, remind me why you assisted the monkey in stealing your uncle's wallet?" Ahkmenrah raised an eyebrow, and held out a hand to help me up, which I accepted. Dexter ran off, but not before I snatched the wallet from him.

"Because it was funny as hell," I replied, brushing past the pharaoh, and back into the main hall, making my way back to the lobby. "Besides, he knows I'll give it back. He's pretty much just doing this 'cause he knows I find it entertaining."

"I do have to admit, it was quite humorous," Ahkmenrah conceded.

"And, to think, you would have missed the entire escapade, had I not drug you out of your little hidey-hole." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Speaking of, I need to find one here."

"Find one what?" Ahkmenrah asked, keeping pace with me, as I explored all the nooks and crannies of the hall.

"A place to avoid people." I answered. "I like having somewhere quiet, where I can just hide away and read, or write."

"You enjoy literature?"

I laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't survive without books. Honestly, I tend to like fake people more than real people. Much more pleasant to be around. I'm not a fan of crowds, or socializing in general."

"And yet, you walked right into my tomb, and dragged me out, against my will," Ahkmenrah retorted with a chuckle.

I shrugged. "I can be pretty fresh when it suits me. But, I usually like to hide away from everything else. Last New Year's, I hid in my neighbor's attic for hours before anyone found me."

Ahkmenrah laughed at this. "How did you manage that?"

I smirked. "I have my ways. If it's not too heavily guarded, I can get in pretty much anywhere. Works great for when I break curfew."

I spotted a dark stairway leading up, and decided to check it out. Soon, I came to a door, which I assumed lead to the roof. I tried the handle, but it was locked.

"Larry has the keys," Ahkmenrah said. "You can't get up there without-"

I hadn't been paying attention, instead picking the lock with a bobby pin I had in me pocket. As a result, the pharaoh was cut off by me opening the door. I stepped out on the roof, and felt Ahkmenrah's perplexed eyes following me, then heard him join me.

I walked over to the ledge and sat, my legs dangling over the side of the building. I sighed, staring out at the peaceful view of the nighttime city. I smiled wistfully. "I love being up high, and far away from everything else. Makes everything feel more ethereal, like all of my problems just vanish."

"Is that why you like to be alone?" Ahkmenrah sat beside me.

I glanced over at him, and shrugged, looking away. "Partially, yeah, I do it to escape. But, I also do it because I'm kinda trying to figure out who I am. When I'm out in public, I have to put up a front, whether it be the tough girl, or the precious momma's child, or just the quiet girl who gets good grades in school. But, when I'm alone, I can actually feel. And, the feeling turns to dreaming, which turns to imagining, which turns to thinking, which turns to writing, because I have so many thoughts racing in at a million miles an hour, in every direction. The writing leads to me expressing myself, then, when I go through and read what I just poured my heart and soul into, I get to see who I really am, when I'm not trying, when I'm not thinking about anything else." My blue eyes met his brown ones, and I saw nothing but interest and understanding reflected back. I sighed. "That's kinda why I usually lock myself away in my room. But, I know that I do need to still interact with other people, otherwise you lose an important part of finding yourself. Which is partially why I was so insistent that you come out, because, from what I could gather, you had changed for whatever reason, from what the others had originally known you as, and they were starting to worry. Because, if you ever want to get better, you have to let people in, so they can help, because healing can't be done on your own."

Ahkmenrah was silent for a long while, and I was starting to fear that I had crossed a line. Then, he spoke, quietly, so I could just barely hear him. "You're right, you know. And, extremely intelligent. Wise beyond your years, and you don't quite seem to realize it."

I shrugged, feeling self-conscious. "I get philosophical sometimes. It's kinda weird for me, too."

"I'm not saying it's bad," Ahkmenrah assured. "In fact, it's quite the opposite."

I looked away, and I could feel the heat rise to my face. Staring at the horizon, I could see the faintest traces of light beginning to show. "Ahkmenrah, don't you all turn back into exhibits when the sun rises?"

He nodded, and looked out where I was staring with a bit of concern. "We should head back inside. The sun will be up soon."

I nodded, and stood up. Ahkmenrah lead the way back to his sarcophagus. Before getting in, he turned to me. "Will you return tomorrow night?"

I smiled, and nodded. "Of course! Tonight's been the most fun I've had in awhile."

Ahkmenrah grinned back at me. "Good. I'll see you, then."

I nodded, and turned away. "Good morning, Ahkmenrah."

"Good morning, Alyissa."

A/N- I have nothing to say right now, which is incredibly rare for me. Usually I ramble endlessly...

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