━━ Prologue
Shakirat tried her best to not look at the time as she packed the last of her things into a small yellow suitcase. The sunshine yellow case with bumblebees all over it looked ready to overflow, but she continued to stuff it anyway. As she packed her unmentionables, she tried not to think about what was coming. She was never very good at goodbyes and yet she had chosen a career that was full of them. The last time she had said goodbye had ended with her ugly crying and her friends teasing her about it for months.
The brunette beauty looked around at the lifeless room that she and her roommate, Jacqueline, had shared for over three months. It had been one of the most emotional three months as she had accepted a position identifying victims of mass genocide. Each layer of sediment opened another wound for a different family. Although the work was necessary, Shakirat couldn't help the emotional toll it took on her body.
Shakirat didn't dwell on the white walls for a moment longer as she collected the rest of her remaining belongings. With her sunflower suitcase in hands as well as her bag of tools she descended the winding stairs to the common room. The young girl wasn't expecting anybody to be up at such an early hour, but evidently she was wrong.
The room looked like any other airbnb, with its basic necessities and bland furniture. However, after spending months living in the small condo with six other people it had begun to feel like home. In the middle of the living room holding two bananas in the shape of a very disturbing heart stood Jacqueline Stone and Keanu Ikaika.
Jacqueline Stone had been Shakirat's first buddy on the excavation site and the two had gotten along rather well. Jacqueline had been blessed with blonde hair and stunning Hazel eyes with a little crooked nose that she swears she'll get plastic surgery one day. They weren't at all surprised when their boss added the third musketeer to their trio in Keanu. He was quiet and very observant, but when he spoke he definitely sounded more like a surfer than an archaeologist. His tousled brown hair that stayed in spiky dreads summed up his love for washing everywhere else, but his hair. It was something the girls teased him about constantly.
"Happy Last Day!" They shouted and Shakirat had to try not to cry.
"That is one sad looking heart."
Shakirat pointed at the two bananas as she set her suitcase down to envelop her friends in a hug. She hadn't expected them to do anything, much less be up so early before they had to leave, but she was glad they were. The brunette had come to realize just how much she was going to miss them when she went back to England.
"We tried okay?" Jacqueline said, pulling the lone banana to her chest as if to protect it.
Keanu Ikaika looked over at Jacqueline in amusement. He was the youngest on the dig site and was currently at Boston University studying for his bachelors in Biological Anthropology. Out of the three of them Keanu was quiet and calculating with a good heart and a mind for tradition. Having grown up on Hawaii as a native Keanu had a lot of respect for tradition and most of the time stuck up for the locals when their Professor went too far.
"How are you feeling?"
Shakirat sighed, "Honestly? It feels surreal to be going home to the UK. After months of being down here my body and mind still can't agree that it's time to go home."
"Are you excited to see your moms?" Jacqueline asked as she followed Shakirat to the kitchen.
Shakirat glanced behind her as she began to make porridge, "Excited is one word."
"And another?" Keanu asked.
Shakirat stayed silent not knowing what to say. Part of her wanted to say the kind thing, but others wanted to say what they were really like. She loved her moms, but at the same time constantly lived in the shadow of one of them. It made it hard to make a name for herself and break free of the mold they had created for her. Shakirat what they were doing was out of love, but she still felt like she had missed out on having a normal life.
"I do miss them." Shakirat said. "I just don't want to go back to just being "their daughter". I've finally broken free of their spotlight here and I don't know if I'm ready to go back."
"Well aren't you hoping to hear back about that archive job in America starting next month? At the natural history museum?"
Shakirat nodded.
Keanu continued, "Well you're all set to finish your PhD within the next year or so, and then you can decide where you want to go."
Shakirat nodded, "There are a lot more opportunities in America than there are in Britain."
Jacqueline laughed, "Well we look forward to having you as our neighbor."
Shakirat smiled, "Thanks Jaq."
The trio ate their food in blessed silence as the rest of their dig team filtered in for breakfast. There were roughly fifteen of them and each looked as tired as the next. They all sent smiles of goodbye to Shakirat as they sat around the roundtable discussing the schedule for that day. It wasn't until their professor walked down the stairs that silence once again filtered over the group.
"Good morning." A chorus of 'morning' and 'good morning' followed his greeting, "As you know we have a rough day ahead of us as we finish units 3 and 4 today as well as opening units 7 and 8. The locals have asked us to also join them for a ceremony for the remains already identified this week. Please be ready to leave at 6:00pm for that. Lastly, miss Shakirat Asad is leaving us today so please be sure to say your goodbyes before we leave for the excavation site."
The room erupted into chaos as people went back to their rooms to grab their tools and hats, as well as their large steel toed boots. Shakirat watched them go with a hint of sadness that she wouldn't be joining them, but didn't let the emotion show. Instead she grabbed her luggage and headed outside where the truck was stalling for her.
One of the village boys helped her lift it into the bed and she turned and sent him a small smile. Shakirat waited for the students and archaeologists to file into a bus to head back to the digsite. Jacqueline and Keanu were the last to leave, each giving her a hug. The young woman knew this wasn't the last time they would all be together, however she knew she would miss them dearly until they met again.
"Give your moms a hug from me?" Jacqueline asked.
Shakirat scoffed, "As long as I don't suffocate first."
When Shakirat landed safely in the United Kingdom she could practically feel the change in temperature without stepping foot outside. From her body adjusting from 100 degree weather at her dig site to the cool summer rain at 60 degrees. She was already regretting coming home when she got on the plane, but even more so when she saw her moms standing at the gate holding balloons and a sign.
"There she is!"
"Oh my precious baby girl."
"Come to momma!"
Shakirat cringed at all the attention she was getting as she kept her head low. She loved her parents dearly, but sometimes they forgot their child was a young adult. She pulled her jacket tighter to her as she finished security and was engulfed in hugs and kisses. Tonya and Sanem had embarrassed her more in the past five minutes than Shakirat had done in her lifetime.
"How was your flight?" Tonya asked, grabbing her daughter's suitcase in one hand.
Shakirat shrugged as they exited the airport towards their waiting car, "It was fine, mum. All I want to do now is sleep."
Sanem scoffed, "Well we knew that."
Tonya lightly whacked her partner, "You can't blame the girl."
"Can we just get home?"
"Is anything the matter?" Sanem asked as they entered the car.
Shakirat shrugged, "No. Like I said. I just want to go home and sleep."
The car grew quiet at Shakirat's curt response. The two women picked up that Shakirat was dealing with being home in her own way. They had to give her the space she needed to adjust back. Shakirat on the other hand, was just barely holding on as she placed headphones on and played jazz music all the way home.
All things she saw back in Mesoamerica came rushing back. All the carnage and destruction and genocide seemed to be playing on repeat in her mind. All the bodies and how most of them would go unclaimed, while other families learned the fate of their loved ones. It was the part of the job that Shakirat loved and despised. In finding a piece of the puzzle it only unlocked more unknown variables and heartbreak.
When the car pulled up to the small loft, Shakirat was the first to exit the car and grab her stuff. Neither Tonya or Sanem were fast enough to catch her as she entered the flat and made her way to her small room. It was just as she left it with bills and job offers on her desk and clothes that didn't make her suitcase were strewn about her bed. The walls lay bare and colorless as Shakirat proceeded to unpack her suitcase.
Part of her knew she was being unkind to her moms, but the other part didn't care. She needed space and she wasn't afraid to ask for it. It didn't take her long to unpack and store her sunflower suitcase once more before going to her desk and answering her mail. Most of it was as she expected, bills and random job offers, but there was one envelope that did catch her eye.
It had so many stamps on it she was surprised the sender knew what they were doing. It was a yellow envelope with the picture of the Pharaoh Ahkmenrah or at least his sarcophagus on the side. Stamped dead center was her name and place of residence along with a return address belonging to the Natural History Museum in America. She opened it up, her eyes filling with curiosity and what she found was exactly what she needed.
Shakirat raced down the stairs of their small flat and followed the smell of organic green tea to the kitchen. When she rounded the corner she found Tonya making tea while Sanem sat at the kitchenette with a book in hand. The kitchen was a little worse for wear, but it was well loved and they tried to patch up the holes where they could. The two looked up at their daughter in surprise to see her down, having not changed out of her airport clothes.
"I'm going to America."
Tonya almost dropped the teapot she was holding, "What?"
"You just got home, darling." Sanem said, taking off her reading glasses. "Perhaps you should finally spend a semester home with your family."
Shakirat shook her head, "You don't understand I got the internship."
"You did!?"
Sanem looked at her daughter and wife, confused, "What internship?"
Shakirat sat down and gladly accepted the cup of piping hot tea that her mum offered her, "Before leaving for mesoamerica I applied to an internship position at the Natural History Museum in New York City. I didn't really think they would hire or even consider someone from abroad, but it appears I was wrong. It would be closer to my university and would give me access to the text I need to finish my dissertation. It's the last thing I need to do before I graduate with my PhD in Anthropology."
Sanem looked at her in disbelief, "And you told mum instead of me?"
Shakirat rolled her eyes, "I had mum post my application after I was gone. I really did think nothing would come of it."
"Well first don't roll your eyes at your momma." Tonya began, sitting down next to her wife and placing a soft kiss on her temple. "And second, we couldn't be more excited for you. We just wish we saw more of you."
Shakirat looked between the two, "You have to understand that as an Anthropologist my job requires me to travel?"
"We know."
"Then I don't see why you want to tie me down. I've had a lot of amazing opportunities and sure some of them have brought me to travel far, but I have so many fond memories."
Tonya reached forward and grasped her daughter's hand, "Just tell us what you need and we'll help you."
Sanem nodded, "But I have one request for you to think about while you finish your last semester."
"What?"
"After you graduate, we will take a family vacation somewhere. It could even be of historical significance for your benefit, but we rarely see you and all we ask is a summer of holiday fun, before we lose you to the work force for good."
Shakirat nodded, "I'm sure I could have my people fix something up with your people."
Sanem scoffed, "Right."
Tonya laughed at her silliness, "So when do you leave?"
"The end of the month." Shakirat said. "I'll get there about a week before classes begin and I can know my way around too."
Tonya nodded, "It's settled then."
"To America I go."
Shakirat stood outside the Natural History Museum with butterflies coursing through her at an alarming rate. She had gone over the different exhibits they offered as well as brushed up on her American History. She felt she had prepared her best in the small studio apartment she was renting for the semester and that's all she could do.
In a burst of confidence Shakirat entered the museum through the revolving door and entered an entirely new world. A large tyrannosaurus skeleton greeted her and she was impressed by how they got it to look so lifelike, when she knew for a fact it was most likely made of clay like everything else. To her right stood a wax version of Teddy Roosevelt and in the middle was a large orange globe with an arrangement of desks underneath it.
She walked up in search of a guide that could point her in the direction of the director and came to face a brunette woman looking beside herself. She was quite young and dressed more like a business woman than a tour guide, so Shakirat suspected she was most likely a volunteer. The young girl tried to get her attention, but it seemed like she was in another world.
"Excuse me."
Finally, after 5 minutes of trying the burnette notices her, "Can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Dr. McPhee for my internship."
The girl stared at her, "You're willingly looking for Dr. McPhee?"
"Umm… yes?" Shakirat answered, now completely confused.
"Well I show you to his office, but I don't know why you wouldn't look for the head of your department."
"I'm working in the archives." Shakirat supplied.
"Ah that explains it then. No ones been down there in ages. The last person that tried to work on it complained of hearing voices and things getting rearranged back into chaos. Honestly I'm surprised they are letting you try."
"Well desperate times call for desperate measures."
"Indeed." She said, "I'm Rebecca by the way."
"Shakirat."
"Shaki- what now?"
"Just call me Kira, everyone does."
"Kira it is."
Shakirat followed her to a room just left of the information center that looked to be more like a broom closet than the director's quarters. When she entered she wasn't at all surprised to find it completely organized to perfection. Nothing was out of place, even the pens were all the same and sat straight in a row. Shakirat wondered what would happen if she pushed one out of place, but didn't get the chance to continue when a middle aged man entered.
He seemed to be in a bit of a rush with his hair out of place and files upon files being held in each arm. He hadn't noticed her presence at all as he began to place the stack of files neatly to the side making sure no stray papers were a miss. Shakirat cleared her throat to get his attention and when he looked up his face morphed into one of displeasure immediately.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm your new archiver, Shakirat Asad."
"Miss Asad is it?" He said as he looked at his planner. "I don't think you're meant to start until next week."
"I understand, sir. I just arrived early to settle in and learn my way around town. I had hoped to see my work space and what would be required a bit early so I could be more prepared."
If the man was impressed by her explanation he didn't show it as he sat down to look at the file on top of the large stack. An awkward silence passed between them as Shakirat waited to hear his answer. Part of her hoped she hadn't overstep, while the other half hoped she wouldn't get fired before the internship even started.
"We wouldn't start your pay until next week, but if you're sure you want to start now." Dr. McPhee finally said, looking up at her.
Shakirat nodded, "I would really love to get to know all the exhibits in person as well as access the damage downstairs."
"Very well, Miss Asad." He said.
"Thank you so much for the opportunity, sir. I hope to exceed your expectations." She said, wearing her diplomatic smile.
"A word of advice on your unofficial first day." He stated, and Shakirat was all ears. "Don't work during the night."
Shakirat found the advice rather odd, but thanked him again before leaving his office. If she had listened then she would've missed out on some magical discoveries and the love of her life. However, the museum has a way of bringing people together that no one would expect and that was the most interesting tale of all.