Ch. 25: Reflection

They charged the door, trying to get to it before she did anything rash. When they bounded up the stairs to the door, they noticed her behind it doing something. With their combined force, the three of them plowed into the door with hopes of knocking it down. They didn't. Through the glass of the door, Larry and Ahkmenrah noticed a block of wood pinned up under the door knob.

Mayati smiled sweetly to the frightened young Pharaoh, her hand lightly touching the glass. Her eyes were red, her cheeks glistening and her heart broken. She couldn't remain mad at the young man, it wasn't his fault. As she looked at the people looking back at her, she could tell they really cared about the young woman she was inhabiting. They couldn't interrupt her though, this had to happen.

Kicking the bottom of the board, Mayati ensured it was firmly planted into the roof and under the door knob. They were barricaded in and no matter of key was going to let them out. The young woman kissed her finger tips and pressed them against the glass, her eyes still locked on Ahkmenrah. Again, she smiled sweetly to him and mouthed something he had never wanted to hear.

Good-bye.

"No!" he yelled, muffled through the door. "Mayati don't!"

It was too late. She turned and walked out of their view.

Mayati walked to the edge of the roof, still crying as she looked down at the wondrous city beneath her. This was the only thing she knew she could do in order to save the young woman she would never meet. The two of them were the same. Jasmine was the 'newer' version of Mayati, but everything about this situation was wrong.

As she stared out into the world, the young woman began to mutter a few words. She had to expel her control over this body, loose her conscious mind. Mayati was going to disappear forever just for Jasmine to survive. Because the two of them were the same, the memories might still remain, flashes of the past. Maybe, Jasmine would get a chance to remember who she was, but there was no guarantee. The only thing she could think to do was bury herself, deep inside the young woman forever.

Her words started quietly but quickly grew louder the longer she spoke. Her hands raised to the skies as she spoke, her body growing cold. The rain that had been threatening to fall all night broke free from the clouds, spilling down and flooding everything in thick sheets. There was no turning back.

"We have to get out there." Ahkmenrah said as they pushed against the door again.

"No kidding... You think Columbus could take this down? What's he made of?" Larry asked.

"Brass I think. Ya know what, I bet he could." Rebbecca replied, turning and running down the steps to get the statue.

They waited for a few moments, still trying to knock the door down when they heard the familiar clanging sound of Columbus's feet. The two men moved to the side, and with one strong kick, the explorer had the door open.

"Thanks man." Larry told him as they walked through the door, splintered wood everywhere. "Jasmine...or Mayati...or... Who ever the hells up here!"

No response.

The group of three began a frantic search for the young woman, fanning out everywhere to try and find her. The rain was cold, stinging every inch of bare skin, blinding them completely. They ducked under AC units, behind the duct work, anywhere they could to find any sign of her.

Ahkmenrah's breath caught in his throat as he rounded a corner. Laying on the gravel roof was the young woman. Water was drenching him, making his robes heavy as he ran to her side. He knelt low, slowly turning her onto her back. Lightly he touched her face, trying his best to wake her, but she didn't move.

Larry and Rebbecca finally came to his side, staring down at the young woman in the Pharaoh's arms. The young man looked up at the couple, fear in his eyes as he picked her up.

"We should go inside."

The two nodded and waited for him to walk in front of them, the young woman laying limply in his arms.

...

It had been an hour and she still hadn't woken up. They didn't know what to do or even call her for that matter. Larry had pushed Ahk to the side, it wasn't intentional, but he wanted to get a better look at his friend. His hand came to her face and lightly touched her cheek. He tapped her a few times, trying to see if she would respond. Nothing.

"Hey Rebbecca," he finally said. "You think you could take her home?"

"Yeah..." she replied. "Yeah, I can do that..."

The Pharaoh wanted to protest their decision, but he had no right. It didn't matter how much he wanted to be there when she woke up, he had to think about what was best for her... for once.

Slowly, Larry lifted the young woman into his arms while Rebbecca called a cab. Thankfully, it didn't take long for it to get there. Larry loaded her into the cab while Ahk watched from inside the museum. The night guard spouted some story about her being drunk, which the cabby apparently believed. He said goodbye to his friends and watched as the two drove off.

When he turned, the young man couldn't help but glare at the man inside the building. He didn't mean to do it, it just happened. He was furious with him. How could he have done something so reckless? Does Jasmine not matter to him at all? He more or less just tried to kill her... Larry couldn't help but think about what Ahk's kingdom must have been like if he made decisions like this all the time.

"Larry I..." he began.

The man didn't want to hear it. He simply continued to walk pass the Pharaoh, his hand up to keep him from talking. There was too much going on right now, and he had no idea how he was supposed to handle it. All he knew was he didn't want any more excuses from anyone.

"Lawrence, perhaps you should talk to him." Teddy said as he road up to the young man. "He looks rather down."

"And what do you expect me to say?" Larry snapped.

"What ever you think is necessary." he replied calmly before leaving.

It was then Larry looked pass all of the commotion of the night to see the young King walking off into the distance. His shoulders were slumped forward and it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that he felt bad about what he had done. But he wasn't ready to talk to him yet. Larry knew that if he got any closer to the King, he wouldn't be able to control himself and he didn't want to say something he was going to regret. It was best to avoid him for now.

...

In his chamber, Ahkmenrah stared into nothingness, his mind wandering. The images of Jasmine when he had forced this upon her coursed through his head. The images of Mayati crying before saying goodbye were mixed in as well. In one fail swoop, he had managed to destroy two women's lives and his own. His friends hated him almost as much as he hated himself and he couldn't blame them.

Jasmine had been nothing but kind to him. Asking his opinion on what she should do with his tomb, talking to him like a person, and making him feel again. Until she had come around, Ahkmenrah felt as though he had been stuck in perpetual darkness. Only until he heard her voice, saw her face, touched her skin, did he feel like someone had finally shined the light on him. Traveling through the ages with nothing but yourself to keep you company can get lonely fast, but then she showed up. True, when he first say Jasmine, he felt something for her. When he had gotten his memories back, he forced the same on her without so much as a second thought. Mayati died before he could save her and he had felt so guilty about it that he thought bringing her back was the only choice. He hadn't thought his plan all the way through and was suffering for it.

If Mayati was the one who woke up, he would have to face her at some point. He would have to try and explain to her how much he had missed her, how much guilt he felt for not protecting her. Only after that would he be able to clear his conscience.

If Jasmine woke up, the likelihood of him seeing her again would be slim. He knew as well as anybody, she may never want to see him again. If he got the chance, he would explain to her why he had done what he had done. Try to explain to her how much he wanted her to remember who she really was, what they had, and what they could have. Whether she listened of believed him or not would be entirely up to her.

Then there was the chance she didn't wake up. He didn't want to think about it, but there was always that posibility. He had no idea what Mayati had done while she was by herself, and he might never know. Perhaps that was her plan, to silently let him torture himself about the outcome. To let him sleep thinking she could be dead to teach him a leason... He didn't want to loose her, not again. The news of her death had nearly killed him the first time. He didn't want to loose her twice in a lifetime, but it didn't matter. Everything was out of his control. Ahkmenrah only prayed Larry would tell him when something happened.