\\Egyptian

After the whole end of the world deal, with a giant serpent eating the sun and all that stuff, Sadie and Carter had thought that they could finally live happily ever after, with no other worries than to finish school, take care of their Nome and afterwards, when the time came, to rule the Egyptian world to glory and peace.

But no, things cannot be that simple.

The first to notice things had started to go wrong all over again was Sadie. And it wasn't really when she saw that she was being followed by huge one-eyed people, nor when she noticed some feathery winged serpents trying to hide from her sight – though these evidences should have made her think that there was something weird going on.

But, well, she is Sadie Kane, and it wouldn't be a couple of demons that would startle her – especially not those that wouldn't even try killing her.

At least that was until her ba decided to take a flight.

First, she could see nothing but darkness - a deep, swallowing darkness. It was unpleasant, suffocating, giving her a claustrophobia she'd never had. She felt relieved to see a dim light spreading slowly yet constantly, giving her an idea of the depth of the place she was.

The first thing Sadie noticed as she saw her surroundings getting color, shape and texture was that she was underground. The walls were nowhere to be seen, such was the extension of the place. Yet, every now and then there was a pillar of what seemed to be a mixture of rock, clay and twisting roots of what seemed to be giant trees.

The next thing she saw was the woman.

The tone of her skin was tanned, like coffee with milk. Her body was slim, skinny, in a gracious way. Her calm and reflexive eyes were amber, with a shape that reminded Sadie of Pocahontas, and her dark hair was long and luxurious. She wore a simple beige dress which seemed somewhat handmade and by her neck hung a few beads' necklaces.

She was beautiful yet odd, as if she lived in another time, in a different environment, with other kind of people… As if she didn't belong.

Sadie had been contemplating the woman for a while, wishing she could solve her, understand that calm and distant expression, learn what was behind those enigmatically simple eyes. That was when the deep voice of a woman invaded her mind, echoing straight through her soul.

"WATCH HER, SADIE KANE - WATCH HER WELL - FOR THIS IS THE WOMAN WHO WILL BRING TRAGEDY AND MISERY TO YOUR LIFE AGAIN"

Sadie felt the despair surge from inside, like a giant and violent wave that couldn't be contended – like a tsunami. She wanted to scream, to take that intruder out of her mind, to make the feeling that her ba was being burned go away. She probably closed her eyes for just a second. But when she opened the woman was gone. The underworld was gone.

All that was left to see was the Statue of Liberty cracking up by the waves – being crushed and swallowed by an uncontrollable swirl of water, sinking like a paper boat in a tsunami.

When Sadie woke up she was screaming.

It was a rainy day when all the disgrace started to happen. The clouds were heavy, of the color of lead, and the air was humid and dense, almost hard to inhale. The drops that poured from the gloomy sky, however, were too thin and smooth to promise the horrible weather to go away any time soon.

It is so understandable why Carter definitely didn't want to leave the Brooklyn House. What wasn't understandable was Sadie's resistance to his leave.

"Sadie, it's alright." He'd said to her incomprehensible apprehension.

"You can't know! You can get a flu, you can meet a kidnapper, a murderer, I don't know!" she paused, suddenly realizing the absurd of what she'd just said. That was definitely Sadie not being Sadie.

"Ok, what have you done to my sister?"

She inhaled deeply, trying to make sure she'd sound reasonable this time.

"Listen, Carter, I have my reasons for wanting you not to go out. I… I can't tell you right now. But please listen to me."

"Sadie, I'm just going to the drugstore on the corner." He placed his hand on her shoulder while shaking his head. "Really what's up with you these days? I mean, I'm supposed to be the worried responsible brother, right?"

She bit her lower lip, struggling against her feelings.

"Fine then. But if you get killed, I swear I will get you back to life just to kill you again, understand?" before he could reply to that, Sadie turned and left.

"Seems you made her mad, man" Walt observed his stormy girlfriend with worry.

"Well, that's not a very difficult task, is it?"

Walt smiled, but his eyes still showed concern.

"She's been acting weird lately."

Carter nodded, feeling suddenly tired.

"Yes, she has. Do you have any idea of what it could be? Didn't she tell you anything?"

"No… I've been trying to talk to her, but she… well, she always finds a way to distract me."

Carter smiled to his embarrassment. "Well, try again. You know she can't keep her mouth shut for very long. That's not quite her specialty", and with that he left.

If the day seemed unpleasant from the inside, from the outside it felt somewhat refreshing. Carter hadn't realized how badly he needed a time for himself up until then. Sure he loved being with the kids from Brooklyn House, and teaching had proven to be an amusing activity, after all. Yet, he was always surrounded by loud kids with a lot of energy to spend and he suddenly felt that he had the weight of the world over his shoulders.

The streets were calm, almost empty. It wasn't cold, but still the rain discouraged almost everyone from going out. His footsteps echoed quietly and the cold water drops touched gently his skin. As he walked, he felt his head getting lighter and his thoughts clearer. By the time he got to the drugstore, he felt even disappointed that it wasn't further away.

He had just forgotten about Sadie's strange behavior when a deep hoarse voice coming from behind him emerged.

"We're closed."

Carter almost jumped back, his hand instantly reaching for the khopesh that was hidden under his coat. As he turned he saw a muscular dark skinned man, about double of his size and dark, piercing eyes.

Carter pointed with his head to the glass door from which he'd come in.

"That's not what the sign says."

The man stared at him for some moments, as if trying to decide whether to ask him politely to leave or to kick him off.

"Listen, kid, if I were you I would leave before-" he got interrupted by a scrawny little guy with the skin as dark as the first man's.

"Heeey, looks like we have another costumer!" he rubbed his hands with very good mood, his large smile kind and welcoming. "Jack, you have to welcome well our clients, or else they will run away from us!" the man winked with a look of amusement on his face.

"I'm sorry, Masi." He said, though he didn't look sorry at all.

"So what is for you, buddy?" still smiling, the man who seemed to be called Masi turned towards Carter.

"I need some Sudafed... let me see…" he paused to think for a while "Four is enough."

"Are you gonna open a drugstore on your own, kiddo?" he laughed of his own joke, and as he laughed the warmth of his manners made their effect on Carter. For a moment, a bad thought crossed his mind, as he remembered a book by Stephen King he'd read. A flash of Sadie's angry supplicant eyes went through his head and he almost shuddered.

But it should be alright, shouldn't it? What could go wrong? In any case, Carter had a khopesh with him, though he doubted he would need it against the skinny guy in front of him.

Masi told him to wait for a while and entered the same door he'd come from. Carter laid himself by the counter, ready to wait as much time as it took. After all, he was actually enjoying being on his own for a while. He glanced absently through the dirty showcase, observing as the rain got thicker.

That was the last thing he remembered before something hit his head and everything went dark.

So... what do you think?

Please, review! :D