You know the disclaimer drill as much as I do...Calliope and Tiamu-ri along with the minor chars of Stina, Patrick and Garret belong to me, as do Careith, Kalinh and Rhidessa. Though Tiamu-ri is loosely based upon a char that the writers at the show created, but decided not to elaborate on. Their misfortune and my great fortune. The wonderful char of Ashake appeared courtesy of her creator Beth. The creative char of Corryn appeared courtesy of Lacey, who created her. These two chars were used with permission. If you want to use one of my chars, then I expect the same courtesy. All other chars belong to DIC Entertainment, the company that brought us this wonderful show. No infringement is intended. }}}
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With the first blow, her mind became blissfully numb. Quickly she looked violently to her sides fir a cloth, anything that would cover her nakedness. She knew that this was a part of her station, yet when she looked into her master's eyes, there was something that she had never seen so much of before. Of course, her had become angry with her before, but never so much as could be called rage. But with each blow that she took, she saw now her master, for who he truly was. Shuddering with tears that she could not bring to her face, she glanced back at the floor. Her master lifted her chin gently, as her tears threatened to flood down her face. She couldn't cry, at least, not in front of her master. To do so would only bring more pain to her, she winced as she gingerly touched her cheek that had been the victim of her masters last tantrum. That was why she couldn't let herself cry in front of him, there was no telling what he would do to her next time. To do so would be foolish, and this frustrated her more than ever. She wanted to cry, to scream, to let her pain and her anger flow like the great Nile. But, if she allowed herself to feel, she would face more punishment...
He allowed her to get back up. Gently taking her hand, he cruelly twisted her arm behind her back. He ordered her to go back and lay on his bed. Shaking, she did as she was told.
As he continued to ravish her body, she let her mind drift far away, to the only happy place that she had ever known, as her heart sang the familiar song that had been her first solace, and was now her only comfort.
"May Ra hold you in the palm of his hand,
As his rays travel over the world.
Let his love guide you in your life..."
Her mother's voice had always soothed her to sleep on more than one occasion, and this time was no different. Though Tiamu-ri was eight years old, she never tired of her mother's singing. Especially, this lullaby, to sing her to sleep, when bad visions threatened her peaceful dreams. Her father had died when she was barely three. She could just hardly recall his face.
Oh, she missed him. That's when the bad visions started. What she saw was her father's death replayed over and over again in her mind. When her mother had told her that her father was going to rest with Osiris, she knew what she had meant, but that didn't help her.
She never knew what to feel, how to act. She knew that she should be feeling sad, and in her heart she knew that she was sad.
But, yet, there was another feeling there, too. She had loved her father very much, and knew that he had been an honorable man, though poor. He had loved his wife and children very much, and they loved him. But in one earth-shattering moment, he was taken from them. And with him, so too, was their brother gone.
They had been told the news and were left to dwell on this change with shock and fear. What were they going to do? A young woman, left a widow with three small daughters, to raise by herself. Their oldest daughter was not yet eight yet. The man was the one who was respected and had a chance of finding work. Without the father there was no hope of survival, unless the widow remarried. But she had lost the great love in her life, how was she supposed to find another when Ra allowed only one? The eldest daughter Safira, was six. She had no recollection of her own of who her father was. Shauuru, the middle daughter, was five, and had no more recollection than her sister. But Tiamu-ri. Tiamu-ri was different. She knew her father well. More than that, she remembered him as well. Daughters were not known to have very close bonds with their fathers, but theirs was a relationship different than others.
Her father was a proud hunter, who was a member of the Royal Hunting Guard. His duty was the lead. In the hunting guard, there were certain ranks that one could achieve: The scout, the lowest rank, was the one who saw no action, and thus had no standing because he didn't have a chance to make any kills. The midrange were the ones who brought up the rear, they protected the firsts of the group from sneak attacks from behind. Then there were the leads, who were the ones to make the killing. They would separate, flanking around their prey on all sides. They would move in and trap the animal. Hunters in the Royal Guard were not the most reputable. They were far below the scribes in terms of rank, but were far more important in the understanding that they would bring food to the palace and protect the people from dangerous animals. Being in the guard was a very big risk. While not as brutal as a soldier, they too, had to withstand meticulous training to become even a scout. The Guard were the best hunters in all of Egypt.
While on a hunt, her father was far off in the front of all of the others. He spotted their objective, a large stag, with oversized horns, and hooves that had stamped many men to their deaths. He moved ahead with heavy concentration. His brow furrowed, perspiration gleaming on his jawline. Slowly...slowly he crept forward, with his bow grasped firmly in his left hand, and with his right, he reached for an arrow. He held on to the arrow and slowly raised his bow to his shoulder.
Extending his arms, he placed the arrow's tip on the string that was attached to both ends of the bow. He pulled back and let go. The arrow flowed through the air silently. Yet there was a loud noise as the arrow found it's mark in the stags chest. With a great bellow, the beast turned to see who dared to disturb his banquet of leaves. All of a sudden, the beast charged straight ahead with one destination in his sight.
Timoth turned to flee towards where the others had stood and jumped on his horse. The horse thundered away with beast close upon his hooves. The horse became startled and panicked. As he did so, he threw Timoth from his back. Timoth stared, with great trepidation in his eyes as he watched the stags hooves come down on his face...
That was all they knew of Timoth's death, all that they had wanted to know. The only thing that they had wanted to know was satisfied with the notification of his death. His death had been painless, the stag had went straight for his head. Death had been instant.
Her brother, Pata-so, had followed his father without his knowing. Someday, he was going to follow in his father's footsteps. Unfortunately, he had seen his father's demise. The nine year old let out a strangled cry and stood up. He had wanted to run to his father's side. The stag had seen his sudden movement about the same time that he had realized his mistake. He would walk in his fathers steps soon enough, for the beast turned his outrage on the youngster. The last thing that he had seen was the look of crazed hatred in the stags eyes.
The recovered the bodies and buried them in Geb's side. Things were said at the burials. People showed grief and mourning, but Tiamu-ri didn't know what to show. The death of her beloved father and brother had not yet sunk in. To her, there was no reason to show grief, for Timoth would soon be returning home from the Royal hunt to cover his family with love. And she was certain that her brother, Pata-so, soon would follow. So she acted as though nothing was wrong. Her mother worried, her daughter scared her. She was acting aloof, and denied her feelings to show through.
Tiamu-ri soon regretted that for, not long after, her grief broke through and her night visions started. At first they were meaningless, of a dog in the fields or of a sacred cat. But within a short period of time, they elevated into something much scarier, tormenting her. She would close her eyes and see her father's death re-occurring as though she had been there with him as he died. This would happen every night. She would wake up screaming every night, and her mother and sisters would come running to her room. They were concerned for her health, of course, but there was something more. For a while she had been exhibiting signs of empathic abilities. She could make herself to feel as others in pain suffered. This made her mother extremely nervous. She had doubled herself up in pain, because her sister, Shauuru, whom she was closest to, had stomach problems. Her night visions made her extremely vulnerable, and she suffered sickness more easily. When she had these, she couldn't eat, or wouldn't. And she was growing weaker everyday.
They didn't know what she saw and she wouldn't volunteer. She didn't want them to feel what she felt or even to imagine what she had seen. She felt as though their deaths were her fault. She knew his death was somehow her fault. But out of fear and personal loathing, she must keep quiet about her feelings...They wouldn't understand the depth of her sufferings, how would they feel towards her if they were to find out?
She allowed herself to be soothed out of longing for the day when her family was together. So she laid her head on her mother's lap and closed her eyes as her mother started singing that familiar tune...
May Ra hold you in the palm of his hand,
As his rays travel over the land.
Let his love guide you in your life...
()()()()()
Her master handed her a towel and ordered her back to her cell. With the frightening promise of comfort later on. That is precisely why she knew she couldn't stay. But then, where would she go? She had nowhere to run. If she went back to her mother's house, she knew that he would find her again. He had found her once, and he had often made the vow that, if she ever left him, he would spare nothing to find her again. And woe to whoever helped her. There was but one thing that she could do, and that was to run into the woods where her father had met her fate...
Quietly she sank to the floor beside Astiana, her only friend in here and one of the Lord Scarab's other concubines that he kept locked in the palace. She knew that is why no one could find them. She would never have thought of looking in the Royal Palace. And even if she did, what could she do? Scarab was a very powerful man. "Man? If that's really what he was" Tiamu-ri thought with contempt.
She knew that escape was nearly impossible, if not so, and that she would need a midrange, someone to watch her back and cover for her. She thought of Astiana. She was stolen when she was small too, too small to resist. They both had grown in the ten years that they had been locked up in Lord Scarab's dungeon. They had often talked of escape, but never really dared to before. However, Tiamu-ri's mind had been changed due to some new circumstances, she touched the fading bruise on her cheek.
Tiamu-ri had been the first to be captured by Lord Scarab. She had been walking in the woods talking to her father's spirit, when some of his servants, or shabties, gathered around and grabbed her before she even had time to utter any protest. When the blinders were taken from her eyes, she saw a wondrous place, then Lord Scarab stepped into her view... She was only nine years old, what could he possibly want with her? She would soon find out...
Lord Scarab was an evil looking man with eyes that gently slanted. She knew that he was the kings most trusted advisor. Her father, before his death, had worked for the Pharaoh, and he had often spoke of a great man named Lord Scarab, and how kind he was. She would wait and see...
She knew that they were in a palace of some sort, due to the opulent furnishings around them. She didn't think to look around. She gasped as she was blinded again. When Scarab would transport her to the "dark room", she could see the marble tiles from beneath her blindfold. She knew taht only palaces had the tiles that were displayed this opulently. The room which was to be her cell for the next ten years, was a simple room with off-white colored walls. There were no decorations that were obvious to her. She slept during the day, and lay awake in terror during the night. Was this going to be an awful night? Every night here was an awful night. Even though she wished that Lord Scarab had not captured anyone, she...she was grateful to have a friend if she had to be here. She found great comfort in her friend in Astiana.
()()()()()
"What are you talking about? Are you mad?", came the frightened reply from Astiana. "What if he found us? I couldn't bear another beating."
"Please, Astiana, calm down and listen to me. We have to get out of her now!" Tiamu-ri urgently whispered this to Astiana. Any louder and they would draw attention. "If we're ever going to leave this place of evil, it has to be now! Lord Scarab has grown so evil and much more abusive than he was ever before. Besides we were born free, and we should be as we were meant to be. Servants, yes...but servants to the Pharaoh. Not servants of a servant to the Pharaoh! C'mon! We gotta got out of this place. All I did was cry in front of him, and this is what he did to me", she put her fingers gently on her swollen cheek, "And he will do much worse the next time, to both of us, if we don't leave now."
Astiana looked at Tiamu-ri with great sadness in her eyes. "I can't leave. I have nothing to go home to. You forget...my parents sold me to him as a slave... If I go back to my parents, they would only alert Scarab as to where I am, and then I would be in for harsher punishment." She looked strangled with her pain.
Tiamu-ri put her arm around her shoulder and hugged her weeping friend tightly. She knew that she could not persuade her anymore. And that she would never see her again. Tiamu-ri would tell her no more. She didn't want to endanger her friend anymore than she already was. They just held each other and let their tears comfort each other as the night wore on.
Tiamu-ri left. In the middle of the night, she packed up her few belongings. The items that she had had on her the night of her capture. She left the items that she had acquired while at Scarabs. She wanted no reminders of her time spent here. Her dress no longer fit her, so ripped slits in the sides so that she could slip in. She disconnected the skirt from the top, so that the skirt would cover her hips. She threw her dress in a heap beneath her blanket. Then gathering up her wrap, she cast one last look at her friend as she slept on her cot. "I will come back for you, Astiana. This I swear", she whispered with determination in her voice. She slipped out of the one window that allowed air into their otherwise dark room. She landed with a soft thud on the small patches of grass below. She looked back up to the window, with anxiety in her mind. She began to weep, the same muffled weep that they had learned years ago, when they would get beaten for crying. Silently she vowed again in her heart that she would return to get her friend, she would return with help and maybe even throw Lord Scarab away. She turned towards the wooded area far behind the palace and began to run. She never once looked back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She was free. It was an odd feeling. One that she hadn't felt in a long time. She knew these trees like the ground she stood on. These were the trees that witnessed her father's death thirteen years ago.
Lord Scarab had known of her hunting lineage before, she would be a great asset to his game. Her knowledge of hunting and scouting had indeed made her a valuable asset to him. He had even started to trust her...well, maybe only a little bit. But still, she had been allowed more freedom than she had seen since before she was captured.
Oh, how she longed to return to her mother, to hear her beautiful voice once again. Quickly, she shook that thought out of her head... When Lord Scarab found her missing the next morning, that was the first place that he would check, and the less her beloved family knew...the better. Besides her mother already believed her to be dead, to have her come back and then have to leave again would be too much for her to handle. No, she could never return until the threat and power of Lord Scarab had gone, which she prayed would not be too much longer.
She didn't sleep that entire night, the adrenaline racing through her veins causing her to go on. Out of fear, out of desperation, she wasn't sure. But she did know that she couldn't rest until she was far away from him. She threw off the last bit of clothing that Lord Scarab had made her wear. A brightly colored head-wrap, that she had forgotten about in her haste to leave. When she had been captured, Lord Scarab had made her wear a brightly colored tunic so that, if she ran, she could be spotted easily. Lord Scarab neglected to think that they might have gotten their hands on cloth.
She stared at the cloth from the wrap in her hands now. She couldn't just drop it, the would find it. Nor could she set it ablaze, Lord Scarab and his servants would certainly see the smoke. No, she would just have to hang on to it for a while longer. She couldn't risk anything right now. She trudged on, through the thorns that tore at her skin and ripped at her long hair, making her appear so disheveled that she was not recognizable to anyone. She then went to the rivers edge and took some mud in her hands and smoothed it over her arms and legs, so that, in her browned dress, she looked no different than a standing beast. Let them come, she thought, I am ready.
Several trips had Ra taken and still no sign of Lord Scarab or his shabties. Still she had to remain on her guard. She had every right to be so suspicious, for any moment now, she could come upon her, and then he would shackle her hands and drag her body back to his lair. She shuddered to think of what he was capable of...She knew what he had been capable of when she was there, she could only imagine and fear what he would do to her after she had run. She kept moving. She couldn't lose her only chance at freedom. There could be no mistakes.
Many moons had passed, and still no sign. She was now caked with mud and dirt. Even though she smelled terribly, she couldn't take a bath and get clean. To do so could risk her freedom, her life.
She hated being dirty, she was rather lady like, considering how she had spent half of her life. She liked being a woman; but she found the prospect of returning as a trophy for Lord Scarab even less appealing.
She was foraging for food, berries and a bug every now and then. Her father had taught her how to survive in the wild. But, now, as she leaned over a tree stump, she froze in mid-meal. She let her ears hear, and listened for Lord Scarab to show his ugly face... This couldn't be happening, she wasn't ready. There was no time to get ready for what she was certain would be the final attack... Lord Scarab had finally found her.
She turn towards the noise and raised her chin defiantly, and waited...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The attack eventually came, but when it finally did, Tiamu-ri laughed to see that it was a mere dog, and not the monster that she had expected. Relief flooded her mind as her color returned to her dirty face. She silently thanked Ra for his protection and guidance, and set upon her way again.
She came to the waters edge and reached a long and slender arm into the shallow water. She looked longingly at the fool water and thought of the glorious feeling to let her body slip into the pool. She was so filthy, she looked as though she were a common beggar. She laughed as she thought of Lord Scarab finding her as she was: would he even recognize her? She shivered as she knew the answer, Yes. Yes, he would know. Even covered in mud and sand, he would know her body, if not her face, well. She fell to her knees and placed her fingers so that they were teasing the surface with ripples. She situated herself so that she was sitting cross-legged on the ground. She looked about her with obvious interest. The forest where her father had been killed what seemed so long ago...when she was still innocent. And her brother, too. Their spirits were with her as she ventured back to the land of the living. She found herself staring into the pool, with nothing in her mind, and nothing in her heart. For the first time in five moons, she had finally felt like she could stop and let her breath catch up with her. She was finally able to breathe freely. What a wondrous feeling that was! She hardly remembered what it was to breathe deeply again, she hadn't, since the day that she was captured. She lifted her soiled face to the sun to let Ra's bright rays make her feel alive again.
Letting her mind drift off, she didn't see the eyes that were watching her from behind the trees.
()()()()()
Calliope woke up and stretched her arms in front of her. The day had just begun. She looked with happiness as she felt the suns rays fall warmly upon her arms. She smiled. She couldn't remember a time before when she had felt this at peace with herself, since...
A beautiful aroma snapped her out of her reverie. It was soothing, just like her moms pancakes, with maple syrup, and just a tiny hint -OK- a lot of powdered sugar. Mmmmmm. She could almost taste them. That was her mothers cooking that she smelled downstairs. With that, she dropped her legs over the side of her bed and slipped on her slippers. Then she stepped her way to the shower, and put the water on. As the steam rose to spread itself over the mirror, she smiled happily to herself.
()()()()()
Stina watched the clock as she heard the upstairs water running. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back towards Calliope's breakfast. Her daughter would have to hurry or she would be late to her new job. And she knew what that would do to Calliope. Her youngest and most pleasant daughter hated to be late. She was always the first to get there, arriving not too early, and staying to help with the clean-up. She had trued to get her daughter to go to the clubs and meet people, but she just wasn't that interested. She knew that Calliope wanted to be around her, but, she needed time for other things too. And this new position as the museum's new assistant curator was the best thing for her daughter.
After Garret had died, Calliope had lost all of her faith. As painful as that was for a mother to watch, she knew that Calliope would have to regain strength in the only way that she knew how....by burying herself in her work.
She silently tsked. It really was awful, her beautiful daughter had been left a widow at the tender age of twenty-four. She had moved back into her mother's house soon after, citing that she couldn't be by herself. Garret had been her only boyfriend, and she had been his only girlfriend.
Soon after they graduation, they were married, and married four years later. They had two wonderful years, the last year with a beautiful baby boy named Patrick. Then, suddenly, like a flash of lightning, they were both gone from her.
Stina looked up as her daughter entered the room. Each time that she saw her, she stifled her breath. Her daughter held an ethereal beauty that was brought to life with her luminous blackish blue eyes. Normally children are born with bright blue eyes, baby blues. But hers, hers were that color from the very beginning. As if that wasn't odd enough, they changed from Blue to black...mirroring other's eyes. They caught your eyes, and they caught your heart as well...
"Morning, mom", Calliope said as she kissed her mother's cheek. "Boy, you don't know how much I missed these pancakes!" She lifted the sheet coving the doughy crepes, as her mother lightly smacked her hand out of the way. Both of them laughed.
But Stina did know how much her daughter missed her cooking, for this was the same ritual that had been happening every morning since she moved back into the house where she had grown. That had been...two years ago. Stina worried. Calliope never discussed Garret or Patrick, as though they had never existed. She hoped, she prayed that her daughter would soon come to grips with her husbands and child's death.
But now as Calliope gobbled her pancakes up, her mother had to chuckle. This was her daughter, her feminine daughter. The one that drank every thing with a pinky raised. The one who had been the proper lady at all times, even in the face of despair. She had often marveled at this - lovely creature that seemed so demure and everything that had stereotypically defined a "lady". And now she had syrup on her fingers. A puzzle to behold, truly.
Calliope said one last good-bye to her mother, the worrier, and slipped out the door. She clicked at the button on her keychain and her car made those two short bleeps. She got into her car, a white Honda Civic, turned the key in the ignition and grinned as her car purred to life...
With her hand on the back of the headrest of the passengers seat, she turned toward the back. Keeping a watch, she slowly and cautiously backed out of the driveway. She turned the radio on, and started channel surfing. Finding nothing worth listening to on, she shut it off and began to hum to herself.
Why can't I get this song out of my head? She asked herself, with frustration. She couldn't recall all the words, but she could remember little bits and phrases, she began to sing a few words - Let God guide you in your life...
She groaned as she remembered now where she had heard that song before...Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that!?
Her mother had taken her to look at trinkets the day before her wedding to Garret. They entered this shop and began to look around and then something small caught her eye...an unusual musicbox in the shape of a fish. She had turned the key and heard a beautiful song come out- Tears grew in her eyes as she remembered bringing Garret back to the store to get it. The saleslady had just sold it. But she could order another in the shipment that they were to be getting... Calliope was describing the musicbox to the saleslady and to Garret. The saleslady looked sad as she told Calliope that the musicbox that she had seen, was the last one that was made by the manufacturer. It was a display box. Calliope was so upset that she almost started crying, such had been her desire for the unusual box. Garret tried to comfort her as much as he could. She chose instead a trinket, a necklace in the shape of a heart. A simple gift, for a complex lady, Garret had joked afterwards. This caused her to smile. She had wanted the musicbox, but the gift that Garret had given her was much more lovely, and priceless. For what gift is more precious than love?
Less than a year later, they celebrated the birth of their son. He brought out his gift...the fish musicbox. He had been the one to buy the last box. Stina had told him about it, and he went back to the store to talk to the saleslady and he talked her into saying that it was the last box they had of that shape and music. She had thought that it was perfectly romantic, so of course she would go along with it. With that gift and the gift of their son, Patrick, Calliope thought that this was the perfect end to a great first year of marriage. But she was mistaken, it wasn't over yet. Garret surprised her further by bringing Patrick over to Stina's and then bringing his lovely wife on a cruise. That was two weeks before the crash...
She quickly caught herself before any tears could escape the cavern of her eyes. She couldn't cry, not here not now, not ever. From the time she was bon, she had wanted nothing more than to be a good wife and a loving mother. She had had that briefly. Why hadn't they gotten married right away? She hadn't allowed herself to consummate their relationship until they were married, and Garret had agreed. She was glad of that. But still, it wasn't fair, she should've been able to have him for longer than she had.
But she had always known that life isn't fair. Fate had dealt her a cruel hand to test the strength in her heart, and her capacity to love. She would not lose this round, she vowed to herself.
Little did she know, that she was going to be tested in more ways than she could possibly have comprehended. She would need every ounce of the strength which resided in her heart.
()()()()()
She stepped out onto the pavement, as the butterflies appeared in the depth of her gut again. Why should she be nervous? This is what she had studied to be, what Garret had pushed her so hard to follow through on. She knew that somewhere, Garret was holding Patrick and looking down on her. This gave her great comfort and she confidently strided into the main office.
She looked at the nameplate on the first door that she came upon:
Amanda Carnovan, Managing Curator
She sucked in her gut and knocked on the door. A pleasant voice from behind her said, "the door is open, please go in and take a seat, I will be right with you."
She strained to hear the sweet voice that rang clear in her mind, and she slowly smiled. This must be the one that she was supposed to meet with, Ms. Carnovan. She seemed nice enough. She went in and sat on the smaller chair across the worn gray chair. The desk in front was a neat display of documents, pamphlets, and books. Calliope felt that she liked this woman already, as she read some of the titles of the books on her desk. They were not books about just Egyptian history, but also she had books for obvious recreation. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, among others of equal literal talent. That particular title was one of her very favorite books. She, herself, owned a very well-worn copy of the hardcover.
Her reverie was interrupted by the entrance of her new boss. "Sorry, that was Harrison Stone, an anthropologist that donates many hours to this museum, as well as many of his findings." She smiled at Calliope as she started to stand up. "No, please don't get up." Shaking Calliope's outstretched hand. "You'll have many opportunities to become acquainted with Mr. Stone, but for, let's get to know a little bit of each other. I firmly believe that we will work together better if we understand a little bit about each other's goals, expectations and something of our lives." She smiled at her. "I apologize for the mess in here right now...but I have been searching through my records trying to find information on the Stone of Life." Quickly she shook her head, as though trying to clear her mind.
"Ms. Carnovan?" Calliope stood up.
"Yes, Calliope? But please call me Amanda. Ms. Carnovan is so...formal. After a while of working with me... you will see just how formal I am.." She made a face, as if to accentuate her disgust at the formalities.
Calliope looked around herself with wonder, never before had she seen so many "lost" treasures in one room, she started to move about in exploration.
Watching her, Amanda couldn't help but think go this strange and beautiful woman with Black eyes, with interest in her own keen eyes. She was going to make a wonderful assistant. Of that, she had very little doubt, but the question in her mind, was where did she know this girl before? She looked so familiar, but she couldn't place her face on any of her other acquaintances. Sighing, she picked up her own book to guide her way through these delicate items, she would have time to ponder this later...
()()()()()
She fell exhausted to the floor of the forest, all of a sudden, she was grabbed from behind. With a scream caught in her throat, she tried to push her attacker away. But he was too strong, and she was too tired to fight. The thing that she heard before she drifted into sweet unconsciousness, was the rapid sound of a man's heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Calliope looked up from the artifact that she had been inspecting as she heard a boy call out to Amanda. She gazed curiously at this boy. With his reddish brown hair and his windbreaker on. He looked like a nice kid. But the most amazing thing about him was his eyes. For as long as she had been on this earth, she only seen eyes that green on one occasion. That was long ago, when Garret was still alive. her eyes glazed over for a mere instant when Amanda's voice broke into her reverie.
"Calliope!", she called, beckoning the girl over with a wave of her hand. "Come here for a minute. I'd like you to meet my son, Presley. He sometimes helps out with exhibits here." With that she winked at Calliope as Presley rolled his eyes. He had helped alright, but it hadn't been her that was the recipient...In fact, what he had actually done was help to vandalize the museum on more than one occasion. He grinned, though what the cause for his grin was, was known only to himself. Now he looked at this new woman that his mother had recently hired...She had talked of little else for the past week. He was not impressed, but she did look familiar. He slowly cocked his head, and narrowly closed one eye. "Do I know you?" Came the suspicious, yet inevitable question. The kind that people asked when they gave you looks that required closing one eye...She sighed.
Calliope smiled faintly, as he continued to gaze at her. "No. I don't think that we have met before." she held out her hand to him, as he took it, she asked, "Why?"
"Oh, I don't know. You just seem familiar." With that, Presley turned back to his mother, shutting off a very willing Calliope to go back to her work. She turned to the mask that she had been fixated with, before Presley had come. She didn't want to eavesdrop, and besides, she had work to do. She returned to the display case and gently took the mask out again. Strange, she thought, but she hadn't noticed the mark on the top of the mask a minute ago. Oh well, she sighed, she would just ask Amanda about it later. She made a mental note to remind herself. She looked over to where Amanda and Presley had been standing but a moment ago, they were no longer there. She leaned back over the mask, and felt it begin to radiate some heat. Frightened, she placed it back in the case...Still shaking, she decided now was good time to take her lunch break.
()()()()()
Calliope sat at one of those round tables in the break room. She softly groaned. Her fingers were still tingling from the mask. She slowly rubbed her hands together to get the feelings back in her fingertips. She shivered. When had it become so cold in her? She opened her lunch bag and took out her sandwich. She unwrapped it from the cellophane bag. She took a bite, and remembered that she was glad to live at home again. Smiling, she saw Presley slink against the wall by the vending machines. She considered approaching him, but then quickly checked herself. Amanda must have turned down his request for whatever it was that he had wanted, and now he was sulking. It was not her place to interfere. But still, the mother inside of her was wanted to shield him from his problem. So she got up, and slowly with very deliberate steps, she quietly made her way towards him.
He must have heard a noise, for he looked up just then. He slyly watched her with a pained expression in his beautiful green eyes. She was almost taken aback by the intensity in them, it was almost as if they were not from this world.
"What is wrong, Presley?" She gently asked. Almost dreading the answer because she had no authority over him and could never go against what his mother, her boss, had declared.
"Can I trust you? He said, once again narrowing his eyes. "Yes, you can trust me. I won't tell anyone. Now what's wrong?" She asked, genuinely concerned. She didn't even know this boy, and yet....
"Nothing" was the reply. Nothing wasn't etched in his face. He looked guilty for some reason... She turned away. She didn't want to know...nope, not at all... She started to walk away.
"Hey wait!" He said, grabbing her arm. Presley moved a little bit closer. "So, you're new to San Francisco?"
Seeing this as her chance to get to know the boy better, she said that she wasn't new, but so much had changed since she had last been here, that she could hardly find her way around anymore. It wasn't exactly a lie. So much had changed, but more than that, she was curious about the boy with the old eyes.
"Would you like to come over sometime and see my collection? I mean sometime, not now, of course. Maybe when you come over for dinner tonight, you can take a moment to look at it??" He grinned sheepishly, but in his eyes there was a pleading look. So he must think that she was a little closer to his age than she actually was. Now she understood. She smiled gently back at him. "I would like that very much...to see your collection, and maybe you could even show me around?"
He nodded excitedly, and turned to leave. Casting a smile over his shoulder.
Her eyes glazed over again. He reminded her so much of the son that she had lost. Of who he might've been, had he lived. It had been so long since she had held him. Presley gently touched her shoulder. He had come back when she got that odd look in her eyes. Now as he touched her shoulder, he got weird sensations. "So you will be there tonight?" He said, snapping her back to the present...
"Of course, I would love to do this. It sounds like fun." She replied, happy to oblige him. She wanted to be around this boy, because he reminded her of happier times, when baby made three.
But still as he happily walked away, she couldn't help but be troubled by the old intensity in those green eyes.
()()()()()
Calliope arrived early, bringing her favorite hotdish. She rang the doorbell, and smiled as Amanda opened the door. "Oh, you really didn't have to bring anything." She accepted the dish.
Smiling Calliope said, "It's a tradition, that one brings their favorite course to a dinner. It really was no problem. In fact, it was actually fun to make this dish, I haven't made it in years" She didn't add that it had been Garret's favorite.
Amanda graciously accepted the casserole, and closed the door behind her. "Please excuse me for a moment, as I get dinner on the table?" With that, she turned on her heel, and walked briskly towards the kitchen, she turned her face so that she could see Calliope. "Pres is in his room with his room with his collection, he wanted me to tell you." with a wink and a grin, she entered through the archway that led to the kitchen.
Calliope ventured upstairs, looking around her. This really was a nice house, with light green paint on the walls. Her right hand brushed against something cool. The banister. As she reached the top step, she heard Presley's voice calling out her name, pointing her in the direction of his room. She lightly knocked on his door, and walked in, having attained his permission.
She was amazed to see the items in this boy's room. She had items that looked like they were centuries old, but surprisingly were in exceptional condition, as though they were new. Presley smiled at her from the floor in front of his dresser. Her jaw dropped open. Presley was sitting by a box, and inside this box were some incredibly rare Egyptian artifacts. How could he have possibly gotten them?
"Wow, Is this your collection?" Presley nodded. "Where did you get all of these ancient artifacts? You didn't take them from your m-"
Presley cut her off. "Few of my cousins gave them to me. They came here from Egypt and brought over some of their heirlooms for me to look at...", that wasn't exactly a lie, he thought.
For some reason, that answer was acceptable to her. She wouldn't ask again. Her eyes swept over the items in his room. There were many different amulets, including one that looked like the fish music box that Garret had gotten for her. She picked it up. It felt so familiar, and so warm. She shivered. She couldn't get over how she felt...some sort of DejaVu. She knew this from bef-. She noticed Presley staring at her as though he were in a trance, and gently laid the amulet back into the box.
Trying to cover up his amazement, Presley said that not even his mother was allowed to touch these items, particularly that fish amulet. Calliope apologized and her eyes caught a glimpse of something golden around his neck. She looked up at his face and then quickly turned back towards the amulet around his neck. She leaned closer, seeing the Eye of Horus proudly displayed, she leaned back again. Her eyes continuing to stare at at the eye as though it were staring back at her, hypnotizing her.
Presley watched her reaction in quiet satisfaction. He nodded. He knew that he knew her from somewhere, though he could not, for the life of Rapses, remember where. He thought of something then, surely one of the mummies would know who this familiar one was. He made a mental note to check on it later.
"Where were you just now, Presley?", she asked, seeing him nodding.
She was confused. he knew it. So much for the better...the less she knew meant that the mummies were safer. He knew that he also had a duty and that was to protect the mummies as much as they protected him.
All of a sudden, Amanda's voice cut into the silence in the room. As she climbed the stairs they both rose to their feet. Amanda walked into the room. Apologetically she said "Sorry, but I have to cut out on dinner, but maybe we can make it another night?"
"Oh, that would be fine. Is there anything wrong?" Calliope asked nervously. "Nothing that I can't handle", Amanda laughed. "No, really. Mr. Stone just called saying that he had a lead on the artifact that we were looking for earlier. I'm going down to the museum to check it out." Turning to Presley, "Could you show Calliope around while I'm out? I promise I won't be too long." She kissed his forehead and quickly walked out of the house.
Presley looked at Calliope. It was not difficult to see that he could trust this woman, and yet he had no idea how he knew that he could trust her. Basically he just got a feeling that she was alright, and that was good enough for him...He was slow to trust anyone, especially after all the fights with Scarab. He was not suspicious by nature. But even the spirit of the slain Prince Rapses seemed to believe every word that she didn't say.
"Do you like the arcade?" Presley asked.
"Yeah, I rock at Super Mario Brothers, even if I do say so myself." she giggled.
"Ok, then. Do you mind if we stop somewhere along the way?" Calliope grabbed her coat as a response.
They walked out of the house and down the street. She hadn't driven her car here, it was a short enough distance to walk, just a couple of blocks. They continued until they came to what resembled the ancient Egyptian sphinx at Giza. Smaller of course. She remembered driving by this place with Amanda. She had said that they had excavated the tomb of Prince Rapses, son of Pharaoh Amenhotep, the heir to the throne of Upper and Lower Egypt. He died when he was only twelve years old. But that was before Harrison Stone hastily moved the exhibit to an undisclosed location, that was the last time that they had seen the artifacts...
Presley put his amulet in the slot in the door, turned it gently and pushed open the heavy door. He led her through different corridors, with an unknown destination. She knew that she should be scared, but she was not. These long and winding pathways seemed oddly familiar to her. She had been here before.
The smell was awful. Like dusty fabric mixed with a little bit of decaying flesh. Presley looked at her as she pinched her nose with two fingers. He laughed. "That's only Armon's dinner, don't worry, you'll get used to it!"
He finally entered a wide archway. Telling her to stay back for a little bit, to which she quickly agreed, he stepped through the door. Calliope stood far back against the wall. She heard voices coming through the wall. She wasn't sure who they belonged to, but they sounded anxious. To meet her? Oh, why did she let Presley bring her here?
She let out a slow breath and felt the room start spinning. She couldn't get oriented. She put her hands on her knees to steady her, and closed her eyes. Slowly she opened her eyes and hung her head down so that she was facing the ground. Suddenly, with a groan, she collapsed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She was dancing, an odd dance, with a partner that she did not recognize. He held out his hand to her, and she readily took it. He lifted her hand up and let her slowly spin under his arm. Grinning they began to dance again. He twirled her around. She was laughing. She had never felt so comfortable...at least not in a great while...with a man. He put his arm at the small of her back, and slowly tipped her until her long hair was nearly touching the ground. He was a wonderful dancer...slow movements graced her, and her seem to have more elegance with the perfection of his steps. He gratified her. It had been so long since she felt like a girl. If only she could see his face...She closed her eyes, and could almost hear his voice speaking to her with concern echoing in his sweet baritone timbre. "Are you all right? Please answer me..." She slowly smiled up at the voice "I am fine", was all she said.
She opened her eyes. She felt...confusion. Where was she? She certainly wasn't in the Great Hall dancing with her desire. And the man who stood over her. Who was he? Yet, even as she looked at him closely...there was something familiar about him...
"Oh, good. You're awake. You had me concerned. You just fell to the ground." He set her down on the ground, she reached up to touch her face, but he stopped her. "You're pretty banged up, there. Let me get you to safety and feeling a little bit better. And then you can tell me what you were running from..." He smiled at her.
She stared at him...who was this man...he couldn't be more than twenty-five. The she realized that she was exhausted. She started to hang limply again. The man noticed this and gathered her in his arms, and started walking towards his chariot. The last thing that she remembered were his amazing eyes, more intensity than the cobalt hue of a flame. And his question, "What is your name?"
The only word that she managed to get out was Tia - before she blacked out again.
()()()()()
When she opened her eyes again, she was in a small house. He had set her down on...what she assumed was a bed. She couldn't tell for sure, though. She sat up. With the first pain in her forehead, she quickly laid back down again. He wasn't in the room with her. He. She laughed silently, she didn't even know his name, and here she was in his bed. Not exactly the perfect woman. But then again...when had she been? Not since before she had been taken. She sighed. She sat up a little bit and very slowly. She took this opportunity to look at herself and around the room that she was in. It would be difficult as long as she was confined to her bed - er - his bed. She was in different clothing than she had been in when she had left that evil man. She was alarmed suddenly, had he dressed her in these new garments? How much of her body had he seen? She had wrappings around her legs and around her arms. She must have been a sore sight. She was concerned still about the changing. With all that she had been through for the last ten years, she shouldn't be in the least bit uncomfortable with a man looking at her body. After all, Scarab had raised her to be submissive to sexual requests. But this man seemed to be different.
The room was not especially large, but it was very comfortable. Not what she would have expected from a man, but... The walls were a sandy shade of beige, with make-shift shelves on one side, and blank on the others. Who did this guys decorating, anyway? This room, though nice in size, was very boring and drab. Besides these walls were so confining to her after she had spent most of the past two weeks outdoors. On one side of the room there was a bow and a quiver of arrows. He must be a hunter. There were a few chairs and, of course, the bed. The bed looked like a sleigh made with heavy wood. She wondered it he had made the bed. She wished that she knew his name. Where was he anyway? Then, with a sniff of her nose, she discovered the answer.
As if on cue, he entered through the massive doorway. he looked relieved. To see her up? He was carrying a tray of some sort, with different foods.
"Good morning, Tia.", he spoke so softly that she had to strain to hear his voice. "You were pretty badly hurt out there when I found you. Why were you out there anyway?"
"I was hunting and I guess I must've lost track of the time and before I knew it, I had taken a wrong turn and fell down the ravine." She changed the subject with a pained smile. "What is your name, so I know who to thank?" she smiled.
"Oh, I apologize. My name is Ja-kal... From the house of Kalinh and Rhidesa. Sorry for that oversight, I am sure that you were wondering..." He kindly smiled at her. He knew that she was lying about her story, of course. There had been no ravine where he had found her. Besides women did not hunt. And even if that part had been true, hunters don't just lose their way when hunting. One must always be familiar with the land in which they are gaming. Though he knew, he was wise enough not to say anything. Instead he brought the tray low enough that she could see what the selection was without straining herself. He had made the food himself. He did like to cook, when he had time. He smiled tenderly at her. She noticed, and returned the sentiment, though faintly. He had called her Tia, why?
He had looked in on her earlier, when she was still resting. She looked as though she was having a bad dream. She was shifting around on the bed. He was worried, she was so bruised and had cuts all along her arms and legs. "What could she have been running from that would do this to her?" He wondered. Who was this strange girl with the long black hair, and the beautiful eyes? What was her story?
She had blue eyes, the same hue as his. His was an unusual color. He had always had blue eyes. He was teased for this, but learned to deal with it. He even began to look on this like it was a blessing, and now...he knew that it was a blessing, if only to meet a woman with eyes like his. The poor girl. But whatever had been chasing her, he vowed that he would never let it catch up with her. Not so long as she was under his care. She would be safe with him. He would let no harm come to her.
He had had his female servant, Careith, tend to her cleansing and her changing. She had thrown out the rags that she had been wearing, and found some cloth for her to wear. The cloth fit around her body snugly, accentuating her every curve. Careith was extremely gentle with this young woman, as Ja-kal had ordered her to be. Maybe...?
She was beautiful, with an ethereal elegance around her. He found himself wonder at her. For him, it was an uncomfortable feeling. He had never been one to prize beauty, nor give it a second look. But she was different. He stood almost gazing at her with a look that found a rhythm far away. He felt an uncomfortable and new sensation between his legs. He just concentrated on every feature of her lovely face, trying to memorize little details. So he could recall her at will.
She looked up at him, lost in his own thoughts. He was staring at her with an intensity that caused her to shiver and become increasingly aware of the clinging material over her bosom. She felt herself blush. He was an odd one, to say the least. She grabbed a small piece of the bread that he had offered her. She bit into it thoughtfully. She needed to get out of here as soon as she possibly could. But there was something in his eyes that made her want to stay. It was not safe to stay. She couldn't endanger his life as well as her own and Astiana's. Astiana. Tiamu-ri couldn't bear to think of what Lord Scarab was doing to her at this very moment. In her mind, she could almost hear Astiana's silent weeping. She shook her head sadly. She couldn't think of that. The thought made her want to go back to save Astiana from the torture that she was surely enduring right now, even as she breathed. She felt her eyelids become heavier with each thought. Slowly she blinked at Ja-kal, who was still staring at her. She didn't want to be alone right now. Lord Scarab's magic was very powerful, he might do something to her in her dreams. She really didn't want to be alone right now. She looked up at him, with sleep in her eyes and asked Ja-kal not to leave. He took a seat by the side of the bed and leaned over so that his hands were on the mattress. His eyes widened when Tia placed her hand on his. He had that uncomfortable sensation between his legs, a movement. He inwardly groaned. She smiled sleepily and innocently at him, and let herself sink back into the pillow. She slowly drifted off to sleep. As her eyes closed, she held a smile on her lips, and in his heart. He had felt something that he had never felt before. It was not altogether unpleasant. Uncomfortable, yes; but unpleasant? No. He felt that he could get used to this. He heard her soft and even breathing, and he smiled restlessly. He continued to hold her hand, and used his other to gently caress her hair. He was still gazing at her with an emotion so intense that she could feel it through her slumber.
()()()()()
She remained with Ja-kal for a while. Her recovery was slow. But during that time so much had happened. To both of them. She was frightened at first, they were at the palace. The same palace that she had run from. Ja-kal didn't know why, he couldn't possibly fathom the true reason.
They often found the time to talk. He called her Tia, a name that she wouldn't normally go for, but the way he said it...she liked it very much. She learned that he was a hunter in the Pharaoh's Royal Hunting Guard. And that the Pharaoh had been so impressed with his leadership skills, and his hunting, at such an early age, that he promoted the young hunter to be a royal guardian to his young son, and heir to the throne of Upper and Lower Egypt, Prince Rapses. He had been initiated when he was only fifteen. She learned that he was twenty-seven now. He had never been married. He was too busy with his work. Being a Royal Guardian demanded that he devote much of his life to his work. So much, that he hardly had time to live a life outside of the palace. He didn't push her to tell him what had happened. She knew that he knew that she was lying to him. And he didn't seem to care. He was so understanding, and she was glad. It felt good to be able to trust someone again...it had been so long. She yearned to stay with him. To live in a perfect world with no worry. At least not of the magnitude that she was suffering. But she knew that she had to leave to continue her escape and it had to be soon. For though she trusted Ja-kal, she knew that as a Royal Guardian, he was under constant contact with Lord Scarab. Yes, she had to leave, before she endangered his life. She remembered the threats that Lord Scarab had made...that he would harm whomever helped her to escape. She knew how evil Lord Scarab was.
She walked up to Ja-kal outside among the garden, to tell him good-bye. She felt like crying. Here was a man whom she had come to regard favorably, as a friend, as something more? She had never had this honest feeling before. Love. She sounded it out on her tongue. It tasted odd to her. A bittersweet cologne. It was not right for a woman and a man to live together unmarried, no matter about servants in the house or not. Now he was kneeling over the small patch of grass in the desert surrounding them. She walked up behind him, and lightly touched his shoulder. He turned, startled to see her looking so...ready to go? She was leaving already?
She smiled brightly at him, and his eyes lit up. "What are you up to, Ja-kal?" She tried to see what he had been doing in the garden, but he repositioned himself to block her view. She turned serious. "Ja-kal, I need to speak with you." He immediately looked concerned, "What is it, Tia?"
She looked away from him, and hugged herself, she hadn't thought that it would be this hard to say good-bye to him. She should've known better. She had grown to have rather strong feelings for the hunter. The kind of feelings that made her heart beat faster. She took a deep breath. "It's time for me to leave... I have stayed too long, as it is." She turned now to face him again. The look in his eyes broke her heart. He stared at her open-mouthed. "But, Tia, where would you go?", he was finally able to utter.
"To tell you the truth - I don't know. I want to stay here, with you, but I can't. I have grown fond of you, very fond. And that is why I can let no threat of harm come to you." She took another deep breath, and blurted out "I love you, Ja-kal!" She turned away again, in shame. It was not right for a woman to be the first to declare feelings to a man. She turned to face him again. She didn't care anymore...She had already had her virginity defiled, what more could be thought of her, that she didn't already feel for herself?"
Ja-kal felt the faint glimmer of tears come to his eyes, mirrored in hers. She quickly turned from him. If she let them see how this hurt her, she would break down. Ja-kal grabbed her arm and turned her body so that she was facing him again. Looking into her eyes, he said the question that would haunt her for many moons... "Why?"
"Ja-kal, it is not safe for us to be together. You are a very important member among the pharaoh's servants. I am nothing among society as a whole. You are better off without me."
"But, Tia, I don't care. I love you, too. How I feel when I am in your presence is a wonderful feeling and I really don't want that to end. I will protect you, for always." He lovingly wiped a tear from beneath her eye.
She backed away from his embrace. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she said "Please don't forget me..." She stepped o her toes and kissed him lightly on his tanned cheek, the, she turned away from him and sprinted into the forest where he had found her. Leaving him to stare off after her retreating figure, his eyes reflecting the pain in his heart.
()()()()()
Calliope slowly opened her eyes and looked around her. Her eyes adjusted to the small amount of light that was allowed in. Was she still in the sphinx? She gasped. There were four - no, five figures standing around her. Quickly, she called out to Presley, who stood among the figures, to get out and run as fast as he could to get help.. She leaped to her feet, and quickly swooned back to her knees. One of the figures stepped behind her, and she felt his arms go under her arms, supporting her. She hastily stepped out of the way as soon as she regained her footing, before the figure standing behind her could attack her. Presley was not moving. What was wrong with him? Didn't he feel the danger? She ran to his side, and started to pull him away. He still would not move. In fact, he seemed to resist the movement. He just smiled oddly at her. One of the figures started to advance on the both of them, and she backed away. She felt something behind her, she turned around and her eyes widened in fear as she turned her orbs up towards the towering giant. He was big, but he had only one arm. He grinned at her. An innocent grin. She took a closer look at him. He was covered with bandages...She looked at all of the others that were surrounding her and Presley. They were all wearing bandages.
"Are you injured? If you let Presley go, I can take you to a hospital. I have a car. Nobody has to know about this..." She looked up at them nervously.
After a moment of astonished silence, Presley started to laugh. A slow laugh at first, then mounted into an uncontrollable sound, that deafened even the strongest ears. Calliope was confused. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and jumped. Then one of them spoke...
"Hmmm...Perhaps you should explain this to her, my prince?"
"My PRINCE?!", She repeated. "What the heck is going on here? Who are you and what do you want with us?" She wasn't feeling so panicked now, only confused and a little frightened. She looked to Presley...Who was grinning happily now, as he took her arm. "Let's go for a little walk...?" Numbly, she nodded as he led her out through the door.
()()()()()
Once they were outside in the hall, she took a deep breath and stared at Presley. After making sure that he was okay, she said "What was that?"
She continued to stare at him disbelievingly as he told her the whole story. She listened. Then, at the end, she shook her head. "Okay, fine...but why did you bring me here?"
"Because I wanted you to meet them. I don't know why, but for some odd reason, I trust you. I feel like I have met you somewhere else before. Believe me...I know the difference between real DejaVu, and just the odd sensation. I know that I - I mean Rapses - knew you in Egypt...You are familiar...we just need to figure out who you were..." He looked at Calliope urgently then, as he said "You cannot tell anyone of this...NO ONE CAN KNOW! Not even my mother."
She met his eyes. "I promise no one will ever know. But would I not also recognize you...experience DejaVu, as you call it?"
Presley thought hard for a moment, then with excitement in his voice. "When you first met me, you had an odd look on your face, as though something about me was familiar...Do you remember what that was...that was so familiar about me, that is? Think hard, this is important..." He pleaded.
She thoughtfully twirled a strand of her dark blonde hair, then her eyes brightened. "Yes! I believe that I do recall something of a familiarity about you...Your eyes. They seemed so familiar to me. It was as though I should know you...That is the reason that I walked up to you that day in the cafeteria." Still thoughtful, "So THAT is why I found you so familiar...? Can you help me remember?"
"Of course I can, I will. So will the guardians. They would probably be better than me at helping you to remember...Come with me...I'll introduce you to them..." He led her back into the room where the others were waiting.
()()()()()
"Calliope, first you should meet my guardians..." He pointed to a tall man, wearing an odd amulet of an upside down arrow with blue stone in the center of the tip of the arrow. "This is the leader, Ja-kal." Ja-kal nodded at her with his eyes still narrowed in suspicion. She made a mental note never to cross him. Her attention was redirected at a another tall man wearing an odd, green hat. He had an amulet around his neck as well, though his was of a snake. Presley said that his name was Rath. He, too, looked suspicious of her. Then Presley was pointing toward the man with one arm: Armon, he was wearing an amulet of the ram. She could tell that he was the nice one...He just continued to smile that innocent and shy grin. He was endearing. Then Presley pointed at the only woman of the group. She definitely stood out. She had a cat amulet around her long and slender neck. Before Presley could say anything, she stepped forward and grabbed Calliope's hand. She introduced herself as Nefertina. Calliope could make out a sly glint in the smiling eyes of the woman. She seemed very outgoing. Almost a tomboy. They were all wrapped in bandages in different patterns on each of their bodies. Presley had told her that they were mummies. She shrugged. Ok, then, they were mummies. Who would she tell anyway? No one in their right mind would believe her. They'd probably just send her to an institution, so what would be the point?
She nodded at each of them, She could tell that she was going to get along well with the last two "mummies". But she was not so sure about the first two. Although, there was something so familiar about the leader - Ja-kal. She didn't know exactly what, but she would do her best to figure it out...no matter how long it would take her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tiamu-ri looked back at the house where she had spent the past days, with sadness. She saw him still standing there, searching the thicket of leaves and brush for her...for anything that she might have left behind, a trail of sorts. He had stood there longer than she had thought that he would. Finally after one more heartfelt gaze and one airblown kiss, she turned her back to him. Sighing, she felt her heart sting as the saltwater tears rolled down her cheek.
She had been walking for what seemed like days, though she knew that it was only a mere matter of moments. Her heart was breaking. She thought briefly of her father, and what her mother must've felt like when he died. She had never thought that her father had gone through this kind of pain. And she wasn't even married to Ja-kal, she could only imagine the intense pain that her mother had felt. She thought of her sisters Safira and Shauuru. She wanted to see them so badly, but she knew that she couldn't. Not as long as the threat of Scarab was still present in her life.
But then, as always, she found that her thoughts would drift back to Ja-kal. She didn't know him for that long, but she had already felt so strongly. She had told him that she loved him! She couldn't remember how it was to feel love in her heart, honest love. What an odd sensation. Her heart was so full that she could hardly breathe. Her breaths were like gasps in her heart. She sighed. It was pointless to even dwell on the past, she couldn't do anything to change it. She wasn't strong enough. She was weak. Still suffering the effects of the abuse that she had endured for half of her life. And the withdrawl, she thought as her stomach turned and her mouth had a sour taste in it. Lord Scarab must've slipped her something, to secure her captivity.
While she was at Ja-kal's apartment in the palaca, she hadn't noticed anything. But now...her stomach was churning and she felt weak. Her forehead was sticky with perspiration, and her chest felt as though someone was gripping her lungs in their fist and squeezing. She sat down on a log for a little bit. She couldn't breathe. She put her hand over her left breast. What was wrong with her? She had never felt like this before. She was feeling hot, and then cold, and then hot again. A hot flashing pain. Her mind wandered back to Ja-kal. She never should have left him. She wondered if he was thinking of her...she started to panic. Grimacing, she tried to shake the pain from her head. She couldn't think of him right now...groaning, she doubled over in pain. She lay there unconscious, until two scaly arms lifted her up and started to fly.
She didn't feel the wind through her hair, nor the smell of the dung that she was placed near. She was out, and it was best that way. Then, she couldn't see what they were doing to her...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
With the first blow, her mind became blissfully numb. Quickly she looked violently to her sides fir a cloth, anything that would cover her nakedness. She knew that this was a part of her station, yet when she looked into her master's eyes, there was something that she had never seen so much of before. Of course, her had become angry with her before, but never so much as could be called rage. But with each blow that she took, she saw now her master, for who he truly was. Shuddering with tears that she could not bring to her face, she glanced back at the floor. Her master lifted her chin gently, as her tears threatened to flood down her face. She couldn't cry, at least, not in front of her master. To do so would only bring more pain to her, she winced as she gingerly touched her cheek that had been the victim of her masters last tantrum. That was why she couldn't let herself cry in front of him, there was no telling what he would do to her next time. To do so would be foolish, and this frustrated her more than ever. She wanted to cry, to scream, to let her pain and her anger flow like the great Nile. But, if she allowed herself to feel, she would face more punishment...
He allowed her to get back up. Gently taking her hand, he cruelly twisted her arm behind her back. He ordered her to go back and lay on his bed. Shaking, she did as she was told.
As he continued to ravish her body, she let her mind drift far away, to the only happy place that she had ever known, as her heart sang the familiar song that had been her first solace, and was now her only comfort.
"May Ra hold you in the palm of his hand,
As his rays travel over the world.
Let his love guide you in your life..."
Her mother's voice had always soothed her to sleep on more than one occasion, and this time was no different. Though Tiamu-ri was eight years old, she never tired of her mother's singing. Especially, this lullaby, to sing her to sleep, when bad visions threatened her peaceful dreams. Her father had died when she was barely three. She could just hardly recall his face.
Oh, she missed him. That's when the bad visions started. What she saw was her father's death replayed over and over again in her mind. When her mother had told her that her father was going to rest with Osiris, she knew what she had meant, but that didn't help her.
She never knew what to feel, how to act. She knew that she should be feeling sad, and in her heart she knew that she was sad.
But, yet, there was another feeling there, too. She had loved her father very much, and knew that he had been an honorable man, though poor. He had loved his wife and children very much, and they loved him. But in one earth-shattering moment, he was taken from them. And with him, so too, was their brother gone.
They had been told the news and were left to dwell on this change with shock and fear. What were they going to do? A young woman, left a widow with three small daughters, to raise by herself. Their oldest daughter was not yet eight yet. The man was the one who was respected and had a chance of finding work. Without the father there was no hope of survival, unless the widow remarried. But she had lost the great love in her life, how was she supposed to find another when Ra allowed only one? The eldest daughter Safira, was six. She had no recollection of her own of who her father was. Shauuru, the middle daughter, was five, and had no more recollection than her sister. But Tiamu-ri. Tiamu-ri was different. She knew her father well. More than that, she remembered him as well. Daughters were not known to have very close bonds with their fathers, but theirs was a relationship different than others.
Her father was a proud hunter, who was a member of the Royal Hunting Guard. His duty was the lead. In the hunting guard, there were certain ranks that one could achieve: The scout, the lowest rank, was the one who saw no action, and thus had no standing because he didn't have a chance to make any kills. The midrange were the ones who brought up the rear, they protected the firsts of the group from sneak attacks from behind. Then there were the leads, who were the ones to make the killing. They would separate, flanking around their prey on all sides. They would move in and trap the animal. Hunters in the Royal Guard were not the most reputable. They were far below the scribes in terms of rank, but were far more important in the understanding that they would bring food to the palace and protect the people from dangerous animals. Being in the guard was a very big risk. While not as brutal as a soldier, they too, had to withstand meticulous training to become even a scout. The Guard were the best hunters in all of Egypt.
While on a hunt, her father was far off in the front of all of the others. He spotted their objective, a large stag, with oversized horns, and hooves that had stamped many men to their deaths. He moved ahead with heavy concentration. His brow furrowed, perspiration gleaming on his jawline. Slowly...slowly he crept forward, with his bow grasped firmly in his left hand, and with his right, he reached for an arrow. He held on to the arrow and slowly raised his bow to his shoulder.
Extending his arms, he placed the arrow's tip on the string that was attached to both ends of the bow. He pulled back and let go. The arrow flowed through the air silently. Yet there was a loud noise as the arrow found it's mark in the stags chest. With a great bellow, the beast turned to see who dared to disturb his banquet of leaves. All of a sudden, the beast charged straight ahead with one destination in his sight.
Timoth turned to flee towards where the others had stood and jumped on his horse. The horse thundered away with beast close upon his hooves. The horse became startled and panicked. As he did so, he threw Timoth from his back. Timoth stared, with great trepidation in his eyes as he watched the stags hooves come down on his face...
That was all they knew of Timoth's death, all that they had wanted to know. The only thing that they had wanted to know was satisfied with the notification of his death. His death had been painless, the stag had went straight for his head. Death had been instant.
Her brother, Pata-so, had followed his father without his knowing. Someday, he was going to follow in his father's footsteps. Unfortunately, he had seen his father's demise. The nine year old let out a strangled cry and stood up. He had wanted to run to his father's side. The stag had seen his sudden movement about the same time that he had realized his mistake. He would walk in his fathers steps soon enough, for the beast turned his outrage on the youngster. The last thing that he had seen was the look of crazed hatred in the stags eyes.
The recovered the bodies and buried them in Geb's side. Things were said at the burials. People showed grief and mourning, but Tiamu-ri didn't know what to show. The death of her beloved father and brother had not yet sunk in. To her, there was no reason to show grief, for Timoth would soon be returning home from the Royal hunt to cover his family with love. And she was certain that her brother, Pata-so, soon would follow. So she acted as though nothing was wrong. Her mother worried, her daughter scared her. She was acting aloof, and denied her feelings to show through.
Tiamu-ri soon regretted that for, not long after, her grief broke through and her night visions started. At first they were meaningless, of a dog in the fields or of a sacred cat. But within a short period of time, they elevated into something much scarier, tormenting her. She would close her eyes and see her father's death re-occurring as though she had been there with him as he died. This would happen every night. She would wake up screaming every night, and her mother and sisters would come running to her room. They were concerned for her health, of course, but there was something more. For a while she had been exhibiting signs of empathic abilities. She could make herself to feel as others in pain suffered. This made her mother extremely nervous. She had doubled herself up in pain, because her sister, Shauuru, whom she was closest to, had stomach problems. Her night visions made her extremely vulnerable, and she suffered sickness more easily. When she had these, she couldn't eat, or wouldn't. And she was growing weaker everyday.
They didn't know what she saw and she wouldn't volunteer. She didn't want them to feel what she felt or even to imagine what she had seen. She felt as though their deaths were her fault. She knew his death was somehow her fault. But out of fear and personal loathing, she must keep quiet about her feelings...They wouldn't understand the depth of her sufferings, how would they feel towards her if they were to find out?
She allowed herself to be soothed out of longing for the day when her family was together. So she laid her head on her mother's lap and closed her eyes as her mother started singing that familiar tune...
May Ra hold you in the palm of his hand,
As his rays travel over the land.
Let his love guide you in your life...
()()()()()
Her master handed her a towel and ordered her back to her cell. With the frightening promise of comfort later on. That is precisely why she knew she couldn't stay. But then, where would she go? She had nowhere to run. If she went back to her mother's house, she knew that he would find her again. He had found her once, and he had often made the vow that, if she ever left him, he would spare nothing to find her again. And woe to whoever helped her. There was but one thing that she could do, and that was to run into the woods where her father had met her fate...
Quietly she sank to the floor beside Astiana, her only friend in here and one of the Lord Scarab's other concubines that he kept locked in the palace. She knew that is why no one could find them. She would never have thought of looking in the Royal Palace. And even if she did, what could she do? Scarab was a very powerful man. "Man? If that's really what he was" Tiamu-ri thought with contempt.
She knew that escape was nearly impossible, if not so, and that she would need a midrange, someone to watch her back and cover for her. She thought of Astiana. She was stolen when she was small too, too small to resist. They both had grown in the ten years that they had been locked up in Lord Scarab's dungeon. They had often talked of escape, but never really dared to before. However, Tiamu-ri's mind had been changed due to some new circumstances, she touched the fading bruise on her cheek.
Tiamu-ri had been the first to be captured by Lord Scarab. She had been walking in the woods talking to her father's spirit, when some of his servants, or shabties, gathered around and grabbed her before she even had time to utter any protest. When the blinders were taken from her eyes, she saw a wondrous place, then Lord Scarab stepped into her view... She was only nine years old, what could he possibly want with her? She would soon find out...
Lord Scarab was an evil looking man with eyes that gently slanted. She knew that he was the kings most trusted advisor. Her father, before his death, had worked for the Pharaoh, and he had often spoke of a great man named Lord Scarab, and how kind he was. She would wait and see...
She knew that they were in a palace of some sort, due to the opulent furnishings around them. She didn't think to look around. She gasped as she was blinded again. When Scarab would transport her to the "dark room", she could see the marble tiles from beneath her blindfold. She knew taht only palaces had the tiles that were displayed this opulently. The room which was to be her cell for the next ten years, was a simple room with off-white colored walls. There were no decorations that were obvious to her. She slept during the day, and lay awake in terror during the night. Was this going to be an awful night? Every night here was an awful night. Even though she wished that Lord Scarab had not captured anyone, she...she was grateful to have a friend if she had to be here. She found great comfort in her friend in Astiana.
()()()()()
"What are you talking about? Are you mad?", came the frightened reply from Astiana. "What if he found us? I couldn't bear another beating."
"Please, Astiana, calm down and listen to me. We have to get out of her now!" Tiamu-ri urgently whispered this to Astiana. Any louder and they would draw attention. "If we're ever going to leave this place of evil, it has to be now! Lord Scarab has grown so evil and much more abusive than he was ever before. Besides we were born free, and we should be as we were meant to be. Servants, yes...but servants to the Pharaoh. Not servants of a servant to the Pharaoh! C'mon! We gotta got out of this place. All I did was cry in front of him, and this is what he did to me", she put her fingers gently on her swollen cheek, "And he will do much worse the next time, to both of us, if we don't leave now."
Astiana looked at Tiamu-ri with great sadness in her eyes. "I can't leave. I have nothing to go home to. You forget...my parents sold me to him as a slave... If I go back to my parents, they would only alert Scarab as to where I am, and then I would be in for harsher punishment." She looked strangled with her pain.
Tiamu-ri put her arm around her shoulder and hugged her weeping friend tightly. She knew that she could not persuade her anymore. And that she would never see her again. Tiamu-ri would tell her no more. She didn't want to endanger her friend anymore than she already was. They just held each other and let their tears comfort each other as the night wore on.
Tiamu-ri left. In the middle of the night, she packed up her few belongings. The items that she had had on her the night of her capture. She left the items that she had acquired while at Scarabs. She wanted no reminders of her time spent here. Her dress no longer fit her, so ripped slits in the sides so that she could slip in. She disconnected the skirt from the top, so that the skirt would cover her hips. She threw her dress in a heap beneath her blanket. Then gathering up her wrap, she cast one last look at her friend as she slept on her cot. "I will come back for you, Astiana. This I swear", she whispered with determination in her voice. She slipped out of the one window that allowed air into their otherwise dark room. She landed with a soft thud on the small patches of grass below. She looked back up to the window, with anxiety in her mind. She began to weep, the same muffled weep that they had learned years ago, when they would get beaten for crying. Silently she vowed again in her heart that she would return to get her friend, she would return with help and maybe even throw Lord Scarab away. She turned towards the wooded area far behind the palace and began to run. She never once looked back.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She was free. It was an odd feeling. One that she hadn't felt in a long time. She knew these trees like the ground she stood on. These were the trees that witnessed her father's death thirteen years ago.
Lord Scarab had known of her hunting lineage before, she would be a great asset to his game. Her knowledge of hunting and scouting had indeed made her a valuable asset to him. He had even started to trust her...well, maybe only a little bit. But still, she had been allowed more freedom than she had seen since before she was captured.
Oh, how she longed to return to her mother, to hear her beautiful voice once again. Quickly, she shook that thought out of her head... When Lord Scarab found her missing the next morning, that was the first place that he would check, and the less her beloved family knew...the better. Besides her mother already believed her to be dead, to have her come back and then have to leave again would be too much for her to handle. No, she could never return until the threat and power of Lord Scarab had gone, which she prayed would not be too much longer.
She didn't sleep that entire night, the adrenaline racing through her veins causing her to go on. Out of fear, out of desperation, she wasn't sure. But she did know that she couldn't rest until she was far away from him. She threw off the last bit of clothing that Lord Scarab had made her wear. A brightly colored head-wrap, that she had forgotten about in her haste to leave. When she had been captured, Lord Scarab had made her wear a brightly colored tunic so that, if she ran, she could be spotted easily. Lord Scarab neglected to think that they might have gotten their hands on cloth.
She stared at the cloth from the wrap in her hands now. She couldn't just drop it, the would find it. Nor could she set it ablaze, Lord Scarab and his servants would certainly see the smoke. No, she would just have to hang on to it for a while longer. She couldn't risk anything right now. She trudged on, through the thorns that tore at her skin and ripped at her long hair, making her appear so disheveled that she was not recognizable to anyone. She then went to the rivers edge and took some mud in her hands and smoothed it over her arms and legs, so that, in her browned dress, she looked no different than a standing beast. Let them come, she thought, I am ready.
Several trips had Ra taken and still no sign of Lord Scarab or his shabties. Still she had to remain on her guard. She had every right to be so suspicious, for any moment now, she could come upon her, and then he would shackle her hands and drag her body back to his lair. She shuddered to think of what he was capable of...She knew what he had been capable of when she was there, she could only imagine and fear what he would do to her after she had run. She kept moving. She couldn't lose her only chance at freedom. There could be no mistakes.
Many moons had passed, and still no sign. She was now caked with mud and dirt. Even though she smelled terribly, she couldn't take a bath and get clean. To do so could risk her freedom, her life.
She hated being dirty, she was rather lady like, considering how she had spent half of her life. She liked being a woman; but she found the prospect of returning as a trophy for Lord Scarab even less appealing.
She was foraging for food, berries and a bug every now and then. Her father had taught her how to survive in the wild. But, now, as she leaned over a tree stump, she froze in mid-meal. She let her ears hear, and listened for Lord Scarab to show his ugly face... This couldn't be happening, she wasn't ready. There was no time to get ready for what she was certain would be the final attack... Lord Scarab had finally found her.
She turn towards the noise and raised her chin defiantly, and waited...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The attack eventually came, but when it finally did, Tiamu-ri laughed to see that it was a mere dog, and not the monster that she had expected. Relief flooded her mind as her color returned to her dirty face. She silently thanked Ra for his protection and guidance, and set upon her way again.
She came to the waters edge and reached a long and slender arm into the shallow water. She looked longingly at the fool water and thought of the glorious feeling to let her body slip into the pool. She was so filthy, she looked as though she were a common beggar. She laughed as she thought of Lord Scarab finding her as she was: would he even recognize her? She shivered as she knew the answer, Yes. Yes, he would know. Even covered in mud and sand, he would know her body, if not her face, well. She fell to her knees and placed her fingers so that they were teasing the surface with ripples. She situated herself so that she was sitting cross-legged on the ground. She looked about her with obvious interest. The forest where her father had been killed what seemed so long ago...when she was still innocent. And her brother, too. Their spirits were with her as she ventured back to the land of the living. She found herself staring into the pool, with nothing in her mind, and nothing in her heart. For the first time in five moons, she had finally felt like she could stop and let her breath catch up with her. She was finally able to breathe freely. What a wondrous feeling that was! She hardly remembered what it was to breathe deeply again, she hadn't, since the day that she was captured. She lifted her soiled face to the sun to let Ra's bright rays make her feel alive again.
Letting her mind drift off, she didn't see the eyes that were watching her from behind the trees.
()()()()()
Calliope woke up and stretched her arms in front of her. The day had just begun. She looked with happiness as she felt the suns rays fall warmly upon her arms. She smiled. She couldn't remember a time before when she had felt this at peace with herself, since...
A beautiful aroma snapped her out of her reverie. It was soothing, just like her moms pancakes, with maple syrup, and just a tiny hint -OK- a lot of powdered sugar. Mmmmmm. She could almost taste them. That was her mothers cooking that she smelled downstairs. With that, she dropped her legs over the side of her bed and slipped on her slippers. Then she stepped her way to the shower, and put the water on. As the steam rose to spread itself over the mirror, she smiled happily to herself.
()()()()()
Stina watched the clock as she heard the upstairs water running. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back towards Calliope's breakfast. Her daughter would have to hurry or she would be late to her new job. And she knew what that would do to Calliope. Her youngest and most pleasant daughter hated to be late. She was always the first to get there, arriving not too early, and staying to help with the clean-up. She had trued to get her daughter to go to the clubs and meet people, but she just wasn't that interested. She knew that Calliope wanted to be around her, but, she needed time for other things too. And this new position as the museum's new assistant curator was the best thing for her daughter.
After Garret had died, Calliope had lost all of her faith. As painful as that was for a mother to watch, she knew that Calliope would have to regain strength in the only way that she knew how....by burying herself in her work.
She silently tsked. It really was awful, her beautiful daughter had been left a widow at the tender age of twenty-four. She had moved back into her mother's house soon after, citing that she couldn't be by herself. Garret had been her only boyfriend, and she had been his only girlfriend.
Soon after they graduation, they were married, and married four years later. They had two wonderful years, the last year with a beautiful baby boy named Patrick. Then, suddenly, like a flash of lightning, they were both gone from her.
Stina looked up as her daughter entered the room. Each time that she saw her, she stifled her breath. Her daughter held an ethereal beauty that was brought to life with her luminous blackish blue eyes. Normally children are born with bright blue eyes, baby blues. But hers, hers were that color from the very beginning. As if that wasn't odd enough, they changed from Blue to black...mirroring other's eyes. They caught your eyes, and they caught your heart as well...
"Morning, mom", Calliope said as she kissed her mother's cheek. "Boy, you don't know how much I missed these pancakes!" She lifted the sheet coving the doughy crepes, as her mother lightly smacked her hand out of the way. Both of them laughed.
But Stina did know how much her daughter missed her cooking, for this was the same ritual that had been happening every morning since she moved back into the house where she had grown. That had been...two years ago. Stina worried. Calliope never discussed Garret or Patrick, as though they had never existed. She hoped, she prayed that her daughter would soon come to grips with her husbands and child's death.
But now as Calliope gobbled her pancakes up, her mother had to chuckle. This was her daughter, her feminine daughter. The one that drank every thing with a pinky raised. The one who had been the proper lady at all times, even in the face of despair. She had often marveled at this - lovely creature that seemed so demure and everything that had stereotypically defined a "lady". And now she had syrup on her fingers. A puzzle to behold, truly.
Calliope said one last good-bye to her mother, the worrier, and slipped out the door. She clicked at the button on her keychain and her car made those two short bleeps. She got into her car, a white Honda Civic, turned the key in the ignition and grinned as her car purred to life...
With her hand on the back of the headrest of the passengers seat, she turned toward the back. Keeping a watch, she slowly and cautiously backed out of the driveway. She turned the radio on, and started channel surfing. Finding nothing worth listening to on, she shut it off and began to hum to herself.
Why can't I get this song out of my head? She asked herself, with frustration. She couldn't recall all the words, but she could remember little bits and phrases, she began to sing a few words - Let God guide you in your life...
She groaned as she remembered now where she had heard that song before...Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that!?
Her mother had taken her to look at trinkets the day before her wedding to Garret. They entered this shop and began to look around and then something small caught her eye...an unusual musicbox in the shape of a fish. She had turned the key and heard a beautiful song come out- Tears grew in her eyes as she remembered bringing Garret back to the store to get it. The saleslady had just sold it. But she could order another in the shipment that they were to be getting... Calliope was describing the musicbox to the saleslady and to Garret. The saleslady looked sad as she told Calliope that the musicbox that she had seen, was the last one that was made by the manufacturer. It was a display box. Calliope was so upset that she almost started crying, such had been her desire for the unusual box. Garret tried to comfort her as much as he could. She chose instead a trinket, a necklace in the shape of a heart. A simple gift, for a complex lady, Garret had joked afterwards. This caused her to smile. She had wanted the musicbox, but the gift that Garret had given her was much more lovely, and priceless. For what gift is more precious than love?
Less than a year later, they celebrated the birth of their son. He brought out his gift...the fish musicbox. He had been the one to buy the last box. Stina had told him about it, and he went back to the store to talk to the saleslady and he talked her into saying that it was the last box they had of that shape and music. She had thought that it was perfectly romantic, so of course she would go along with it. With that gift and the gift of their son, Patrick, Calliope thought that this was the perfect end to a great first year of marriage. But she was mistaken, it wasn't over yet. Garret surprised her further by bringing Patrick over to Stina's and then bringing his lovely wife on a cruise. That was two weeks before the crash...
She quickly caught herself before any tears could escape the cavern of her eyes. She couldn't cry, not here not now, not ever. From the time she was bon, she had wanted nothing more than to be a good wife and a loving mother. She had had that briefly. Why hadn't they gotten married right away? She hadn't allowed herself to consummate their relationship until they were married, and Garret had agreed. She was glad of that. But still, it wasn't fair, she should've been able to have him for longer than she had.
But she had always known that life isn't fair. Fate had dealt her a cruel hand to test the strength in her heart, and her capacity to love. She would not lose this round, she vowed to herself.
Little did she know, that she was going to be tested in more ways than she could possibly have comprehended. She would need every ounce of the strength which resided in her heart.
()()()()()
She stepped out onto the pavement, as the butterflies appeared in the depth of her gut again. Why should she be nervous? This is what she had studied to be, what Garret had pushed her so hard to follow through on. She knew that somewhere, Garret was holding Patrick and looking down on her. This gave her great comfort and she confidently strided into the main office.
She looked at the nameplate on the first door that she came upon:
Amanda Carnovan, Managing Curator
She sucked in her gut and knocked on the door. A pleasant voice from behind her said, "the door is open, please go in and take a seat, I will be right with you."
She strained to hear the sweet voice that rang clear in her mind, and she slowly smiled. This must be the one that she was supposed to meet with, Ms. Carnovan. She seemed nice enough. She went in and sat on the smaller chair across the worn gray chair. The desk in front was a neat display of documents, pamphlets, and books. Calliope felt that she liked this woman already, as she read some of the titles of the books on her desk. They were not books about just Egyptian history, but also she had books for obvious recreation. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, among others of equal literal talent. That particular title was one of her very favorite books. She, herself, owned a very well-worn copy of the hardcover.
Her reverie was interrupted by the entrance of her new boss. "Sorry, that was Harrison Stone, an anthropologist that donates many hours to this museum, as well as many of his findings." She smiled at Calliope as she started to stand up. "No, please don't get up." Shaking Calliope's outstretched hand. "You'll have many opportunities to become acquainted with Mr. Stone, but for, let's get to know a little bit of each other. I firmly believe that we will work together better if we understand a little bit about each other's goals, expectations and something of our lives." She smiled at her. "I apologize for the mess in here right now...but I have been searching through my records trying to find information on the Stone of Life." Quickly she shook her head, as though trying to clear her mind.
"Ms. Carnovan?" Calliope stood up.
"Yes, Calliope? But please call me Amanda. Ms. Carnovan is so...formal. After a while of working with me... you will see just how formal I am.." She made a face, as if to accentuate her disgust at the formalities.
Calliope looked around herself with wonder, never before had she seen so many "lost" treasures in one room, she started to move about in exploration.
Watching her, Amanda couldn't help but think go this strange and beautiful woman with Black eyes, with interest in her own keen eyes. She was going to make a wonderful assistant. Of that, she had very little doubt, but the question in her mind, was where did she know this girl before? She looked so familiar, but she couldn't place her face on any of her other acquaintances. Sighing, she picked up her own book to guide her way through these delicate items, she would have time to ponder this later...
()()()()()
She fell exhausted to the floor of the forest, all of a sudden, she was grabbed from behind. With a scream caught in her throat, she tried to push her attacker away. But he was too strong, and she was too tired to fight. The thing that she heard before she drifted into sweet unconsciousness, was the rapid sound of a man's heart.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Calliope looked up from the artifact that she had been inspecting as she heard a boy call out to Amanda. She gazed curiously at this boy. With his reddish brown hair and his windbreaker on. He looked like a nice kid. But the most amazing thing about him was his eyes. For as long as she had been on this earth, she only seen eyes that green on one occasion. That was long ago, when Garret was still alive. her eyes glazed over for a mere instant when Amanda's voice broke into her reverie.
"Calliope!", she called, beckoning the girl over with a wave of her hand. "Come here for a minute. I'd like you to meet my son, Presley. He sometimes helps out with exhibits here." With that she winked at Calliope as Presley rolled his eyes. He had helped alright, but it hadn't been her that was the recipient...In fact, what he had actually done was help to vandalize the museum on more than one occasion. He grinned, though what the cause for his grin was, was known only to himself. Now he looked at this new woman that his mother had recently hired...She had talked of little else for the past week. He was not impressed, but she did look familiar. He slowly cocked his head, and narrowly closed one eye. "Do I know you?" Came the suspicious, yet inevitable question. The kind that people asked when they gave you looks that required closing one eye...She sighed.
Calliope smiled faintly, as he continued to gaze at her. "No. I don't think that we have met before." she held out her hand to him, as he took it, she asked, "Why?"
"Oh, I don't know. You just seem familiar." With that, Presley turned back to his mother, shutting off a very willing Calliope to go back to her work. She turned to the mask that she had been fixated with, before Presley had come. She didn't want to eavesdrop, and besides, she had work to do. She returned to the display case and gently took the mask out again. Strange, she thought, but she hadn't noticed the mark on the top of the mask a minute ago. Oh well, she sighed, she would just ask Amanda about it later. She made a mental note to remind herself. She looked over to where Amanda and Presley had been standing but a moment ago, they were no longer there. She leaned back over the mask, and felt it begin to radiate some heat. Frightened, she placed it back in the case...Still shaking, she decided now was good time to take her lunch break.
()()()()()
Calliope sat at one of those round tables in the break room. She softly groaned. Her fingers were still tingling from the mask. She slowly rubbed her hands together to get the feelings back in her fingertips. She shivered. When had it become so cold in her? She opened her lunch bag and took out her sandwich. She unwrapped it from the cellophane bag. She took a bite, and remembered that she was glad to live at home again. Smiling, she saw Presley slink against the wall by the vending machines. She considered approaching him, but then quickly checked herself. Amanda must have turned down his request for whatever it was that he had wanted, and now he was sulking. It was not her place to interfere. But still, the mother inside of her was wanted to shield him from his problem. So she got up, and slowly with very deliberate steps, she quietly made her way towards him.
He must have heard a noise, for he looked up just then. He slyly watched her with a pained expression in his beautiful green eyes. She was almost taken aback by the intensity in them, it was almost as if they were not from this world.
"What is wrong, Presley?" She gently asked. Almost dreading the answer because she had no authority over him and could never go against what his mother, her boss, had declared.
"Can I trust you? He said, once again narrowing his eyes. "Yes, you can trust me. I won't tell anyone. Now what's wrong?" She asked, genuinely concerned. She didn't even know this boy, and yet....
"Nothing" was the reply. Nothing wasn't etched in his face. He looked guilty for some reason... She turned away. She didn't want to know...nope, not at all... She started to walk away.
"Hey wait!" He said, grabbing her arm. Presley moved a little bit closer. "So, you're new to San Francisco?"
Seeing this as her chance to get to know the boy better, she said that she wasn't new, but so much had changed since she had last been here, that she could hardly find her way around anymore. It wasn't exactly a lie. So much had changed, but more than that, she was curious about the boy with the old eyes.
"Would you like to come over sometime and see my collection? I mean sometime, not now, of course. Maybe when you come over for dinner tonight, you can take a moment to look at it??" He grinned sheepishly, but in his eyes there was a pleading look. So he must think that she was a little closer to his age than she actually was. Now she understood. She smiled gently back at him. "I would like that very much...to see your collection, and maybe you could even show me around?"
He nodded excitedly, and turned to leave. Casting a smile over his shoulder.
Her eyes glazed over again. He reminded her so much of the son that she had lost. Of who he might've been, had he lived. It had been so long since she had held him. Presley gently touched her shoulder. He had come back when she got that odd look in her eyes. Now as he touched her shoulder, he got weird sensations. "So you will be there tonight?" He said, snapping her back to the present...
"Of course, I would love to do this. It sounds like fun." She replied, happy to oblige him. She wanted to be around this boy, because he reminded her of happier times, when baby made three.
But still as he happily walked away, she couldn't help but be troubled by the old intensity in those green eyes.
()()()()()
Calliope arrived early, bringing her favorite hotdish. She rang the doorbell, and smiled as Amanda opened the door. "Oh, you really didn't have to bring anything." She accepted the dish.
Smiling Calliope said, "It's a tradition, that one brings their favorite course to a dinner. It really was no problem. In fact, it was actually fun to make this dish, I haven't made it in years" She didn't add that it had been Garret's favorite.
Amanda graciously accepted the casserole, and closed the door behind her. "Please excuse me for a moment, as I get dinner on the table?" With that, she turned on her heel, and walked briskly towards the kitchen, she turned her face so that she could see Calliope. "Pres is in his room with his room with his collection, he wanted me to tell you." with a wink and a grin, she entered through the archway that led to the kitchen.
Calliope ventured upstairs, looking around her. This really was a nice house, with light green paint on the walls. Her right hand brushed against something cool. The banister. As she reached the top step, she heard Presley's voice calling out her name, pointing her in the direction of his room. She lightly knocked on his door, and walked in, having attained his permission.
She was amazed to see the items in this boy's room. She had items that looked like they were centuries old, but surprisingly were in exceptional condition, as though they were new. Presley smiled at her from the floor in front of his dresser. Her jaw dropped open. Presley was sitting by a box, and inside this box were some incredibly rare Egyptian artifacts. How could he have possibly gotten them?
"Wow, Is this your collection?" Presley nodded. "Where did you get all of these ancient artifacts? You didn't take them from your m-"
Presley cut her off. "Few of my cousins gave them to me. They came here from Egypt and brought over some of their heirlooms for me to look at...", that wasn't exactly a lie, he thought.
For some reason, that answer was acceptable to her. She wouldn't ask again. Her eyes swept over the items in his room. There were many different amulets, including one that looked like the fish music box that Garret had gotten for her. She picked it up. It felt so familiar, and so warm. She shivered. She couldn't get over how she felt...some sort of DejaVu. She knew this from bef-. She noticed Presley staring at her as though he were in a trance, and gently laid the amulet back into the box.
Trying to cover up his amazement, Presley said that not even his mother was allowed to touch these items, particularly that fish amulet. Calliope apologized and her eyes caught a glimpse of something golden around his neck. She looked up at his face and then quickly turned back towards the amulet around his neck. She leaned closer, seeing the Eye of Horus proudly displayed, she leaned back again. Her eyes continuing to stare at at the eye as though it were staring back at her, hypnotizing her.
Presley watched her reaction in quiet satisfaction. He nodded. He knew that he knew her from somewhere, though he could not, for the life of Rapses, remember where. He thought of something then, surely one of the mummies would know who this familiar one was. He made a mental note to check on it later.
"Where were you just now, Presley?", she asked, seeing him nodding.
She was confused. he knew it. So much for the better...the less she knew meant that the mummies were safer. He knew that he also had a duty and that was to protect the mummies as much as they protected him.
All of a sudden, Amanda's voice cut into the silence in the room. As she climbed the stairs they both rose to their feet. Amanda walked into the room. Apologetically she said "Sorry, but I have to cut out on dinner, but maybe we can make it another night?"
"Oh, that would be fine. Is there anything wrong?" Calliope asked nervously. "Nothing that I can't handle", Amanda laughed. "No, really. Mr. Stone just called saying that he had a lead on the artifact that we were looking for earlier. I'm going down to the museum to check it out." Turning to Presley, "Could you show Calliope around while I'm out? I promise I won't be too long." She kissed his forehead and quickly walked out of the house.
Presley looked at Calliope. It was not difficult to see that he could trust this woman, and yet he had no idea how he knew that he could trust her. Basically he just got a feeling that she was alright, and that was good enough for him...He was slow to trust anyone, especially after all the fights with Scarab. He was not suspicious by nature. But even the spirit of the slain Prince Rapses seemed to believe every word that she didn't say.
"Do you like the arcade?" Presley asked.
"Yeah, I rock at Super Mario Brothers, even if I do say so myself." she giggled.
"Ok, then. Do you mind if we stop somewhere along the way?" Calliope grabbed her coat as a response.
They walked out of the house and down the street. She hadn't driven her car here, it was a short enough distance to walk, just a couple of blocks. They continued until they came to what resembled the ancient Egyptian sphinx at Giza. Smaller of course. She remembered driving by this place with Amanda. She had said that they had excavated the tomb of Prince Rapses, son of Pharaoh Amenhotep, the heir to the throne of Upper and Lower Egypt. He died when he was only twelve years old. But that was before Harrison Stone hastily moved the exhibit to an undisclosed location, that was the last time that they had seen the artifacts...
Presley put his amulet in the slot in the door, turned it gently and pushed open the heavy door. He led her through different corridors, with an unknown destination. She knew that she should be scared, but she was not. These long and winding pathways seemed oddly familiar to her. She had been here before.
The smell was awful. Like dusty fabric mixed with a little bit of decaying flesh. Presley looked at her as she pinched her nose with two fingers. He laughed. "That's only Armon's dinner, don't worry, you'll get used to it!"
He finally entered a wide archway. Telling her to stay back for a little bit, to which she quickly agreed, he stepped through the door. Calliope stood far back against the wall. She heard voices coming through the wall. She wasn't sure who they belonged to, but they sounded anxious. To meet her? Oh, why did she let Presley bring her here?
She let out a slow breath and felt the room start spinning. She couldn't get oriented. She put her hands on her knees to steady her, and closed her eyes. Slowly she opened her eyes and hung her head down so that she was facing the ground. Suddenly, with a groan, she collapsed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
She was dancing, an odd dance, with a partner that she did not recognize. He held out his hand to her, and she readily took it. He lifted her hand up and let her slowly spin under his arm. Grinning they began to dance again. He twirled her around. She was laughing. She had never felt so comfortable...at least not in a great while...with a man. He put his arm at the small of her back, and slowly tipped her until her long hair was nearly touching the ground. He was a wonderful dancer...slow movements graced her, and her seem to have more elegance with the perfection of his steps. He gratified her. It had been so long since she felt like a girl. If only she could see his face...She closed her eyes, and could almost hear his voice speaking to her with concern echoing in his sweet baritone timbre. "Are you all right? Please answer me..." She slowly smiled up at the voice "I am fine", was all she said.
She opened her eyes. She felt...confusion. Where was she? She certainly wasn't in the Great Hall dancing with her desire. And the man who stood over her. Who was he? Yet, even as she looked at him closely...there was something familiar about him...
"Oh, good. You're awake. You had me concerned. You just fell to the ground." He set her down on the ground, she reached up to touch her face, but he stopped her. "You're pretty banged up, there. Let me get you to safety and feeling a little bit better. And then you can tell me what you were running from..." He smiled at her.
She stared at him...who was this man...he couldn't be more than twenty-five. The she realized that she was exhausted. She started to hang limply again. The man noticed this and gathered her in his arms, and started walking towards his chariot. The last thing that she remembered were his amazing eyes, more intensity than the cobalt hue of a flame. And his question, "What is your name?"
The only word that she managed to get out was Tia - before she blacked out again.
()()()()()
When she opened her eyes again, she was in a small house. He had set her down on...what she assumed was a bed. She couldn't tell for sure, though. She sat up. With the first pain in her forehead, she quickly laid back down again. He wasn't in the room with her. He. She laughed silently, she didn't even know his name, and here she was in his bed. Not exactly the perfect woman. But then again...when had she been? Not since before she had been taken. She sighed. She sat up a little bit and very slowly. She took this opportunity to look at herself and around the room that she was in. It would be difficult as long as she was confined to her bed - er - his bed. She was in different clothing than she had been in when she had left that evil man. She was alarmed suddenly, had he dressed her in these new garments? How much of her body had he seen? She had wrappings around her legs and around her arms. She must have been a sore sight. She was concerned still about the changing. With all that she had been through for the last ten years, she shouldn't be in the least bit uncomfortable with a man looking at her body. After all, Scarab had raised her to be submissive to sexual requests. But this man seemed to be different.
The room was not especially large, but it was very comfortable. Not what she would have expected from a man, but... The walls were a sandy shade of beige, with make-shift shelves on one side, and blank on the others. Who did this guys decorating, anyway? This room, though nice in size, was very boring and drab. Besides these walls were so confining to her after she had spent most of the past two weeks outdoors. On one side of the room there was a bow and a quiver of arrows. He must be a hunter. There were a few chairs and, of course, the bed. The bed looked like a sleigh made with heavy wood. She wondered it he had made the bed. She wished that she knew his name. Where was he anyway? Then, with a sniff of her nose, she discovered the answer.
As if on cue, he entered through the massive doorway. he looked relieved. To see her up? He was carrying a tray of some sort, with different foods.
"Good morning, Tia.", he spoke so softly that she had to strain to hear his voice. "You were pretty badly hurt out there when I found you. Why were you out there anyway?"
"I was hunting and I guess I must've lost track of the time and before I knew it, I had taken a wrong turn and fell down the ravine." She changed the subject with a pained smile. "What is your name, so I know who to thank?" she smiled.
"Oh, I apologize. My name is Ja-kal... From the house of Kalinh and Rhidesa. Sorry for that oversight, I am sure that you were wondering..." He kindly smiled at her. He knew that she was lying about her story, of course. There had been no ravine where he had found her. Besides women did not hunt. And even if that part had been true, hunters don't just lose their way when hunting. One must always be familiar with the land in which they are gaming. Though he knew, he was wise enough not to say anything. Instead he brought the tray low enough that she could see what the selection was without straining herself. He had made the food himself. He did like to cook, when he had time. He smiled tenderly at her. She noticed, and returned the sentiment, though faintly. He had called her Tia, why?
He had looked in on her earlier, when she was still resting. She looked as though she was having a bad dream. She was shifting around on the bed. He was worried, she was so bruised and had cuts all along her arms and legs. "What could she have been running from that would do this to her?" He wondered. Who was this strange girl with the long black hair, and the beautiful eyes? What was her story?
She had blue eyes, the same hue as his. His was an unusual color. He had always had blue eyes. He was teased for this, but learned to deal with it. He even began to look on this like it was a blessing, and now...he knew that it was a blessing, if only to meet a woman with eyes like his. The poor girl. But whatever had been chasing her, he vowed that he would never let it catch up with her. Not so long as she was under his care. She would be safe with him. He would let no harm come to her.
He had had his female servant, Careith, tend to her cleansing and her changing. She had thrown out the rags that she had been wearing, and found some cloth for her to wear. The cloth fit around her body snugly, accentuating her every curve. Careith was extremely gentle with this young woman, as Ja-kal had ordered her to be. Maybe...?
She was beautiful, with an ethereal elegance around her. He found himself wonder at her. For him, it was an uncomfortable feeling. He had never been one to prize beauty, nor give it a second look. But she was different. He stood almost gazing at her with a look that found a rhythm far away. He felt an uncomfortable and new sensation between his legs. He just concentrated on every feature of her lovely face, trying to memorize little details. So he could recall her at will.
She looked up at him, lost in his own thoughts. He was staring at her with an intensity that caused her to shiver and become increasingly aware of the clinging material over her bosom. She felt herself blush. He was an odd one, to say the least. She grabbed a small piece of the bread that he had offered her. She bit into it thoughtfully. She needed to get out of here as soon as she possibly could. But there was something in his eyes that made her want to stay. It was not safe to stay. She couldn't endanger his life as well as her own and Astiana's. Astiana. Tiamu-ri couldn't bear to think of what Lord Scarab was doing to her at this very moment. In her mind, she could almost hear Astiana's silent weeping. She shook her head sadly. She couldn't think of that. The thought made her want to go back to save Astiana from the torture that she was surely enduring right now, even as she breathed. She felt her eyelids become heavier with each thought. Slowly she blinked at Ja-kal, who was still staring at her. She didn't want to be alone right now. Lord Scarab's magic was very powerful, he might do something to her in her dreams. She really didn't want to be alone right now. She looked up at him, with sleep in her eyes and asked Ja-kal not to leave. He took a seat by the side of the bed and leaned over so that his hands were on the mattress. His eyes widened when Tia placed her hand on his. He had that uncomfortable sensation between his legs, a movement. He inwardly groaned. She smiled sleepily and innocently at him, and let herself sink back into the pillow. She slowly drifted off to sleep. As her eyes closed, she held a smile on her lips, and in his heart. He had felt something that he had never felt before. It was not altogether unpleasant. Uncomfortable, yes; but unpleasant? No. He felt that he could get used to this. He heard her soft and even breathing, and he smiled restlessly. He continued to hold her hand, and used his other to gently caress her hair. He was still gazing at her with an emotion so intense that she could feel it through her slumber.
()()()()()
She remained with Ja-kal for a while. Her recovery was slow. But during that time so much had happened. To both of them. She was frightened at first, they were at the palace. The same palace that she had run from. Ja-kal didn't know why, he couldn't possibly fathom the true reason.
They often found the time to talk. He called her Tia, a name that she wouldn't normally go for, but the way he said it...she liked it very much. She learned that he was a hunter in the Pharaoh's Royal Hunting Guard. And that the Pharaoh had been so impressed with his leadership skills, and his hunting, at such an early age, that he promoted the young hunter to be a royal guardian to his young son, and heir to the throne of Upper and Lower Egypt, Prince Rapses. He had been initiated when he was only fifteen. She learned that he was twenty-seven now. He had never been married. He was too busy with his work. Being a Royal Guardian demanded that he devote much of his life to his work. So much, that he hardly had time to live a life outside of the palace. He didn't push her to tell him what had happened. She knew that he knew that she was lying to him. And he didn't seem to care. He was so understanding, and she was glad. It felt good to be able to trust someone again...it had been so long. She yearned to stay with him. To live in a perfect world with no worry. At least not of the magnitude that she was suffering. But she knew that she had to leave to continue her escape and it had to be soon. For though she trusted Ja-kal, she knew that as a Royal Guardian, he was under constant contact with Lord Scarab. Yes, she had to leave, before she endangered his life. She remembered the threats that Lord Scarab had made...that he would harm whomever helped her to escape. She knew how evil Lord Scarab was.
She walked up to Ja-kal outside among the garden, to tell him good-bye. She felt like crying. Here was a man whom she had come to regard favorably, as a friend, as something more? She had never had this honest feeling before. Love. She sounded it out on her tongue. It tasted odd to her. A bittersweet cologne. It was not right for a woman and a man to live together unmarried, no matter about servants in the house or not. Now he was kneeling over the small patch of grass in the desert surrounding them. She walked up behind him, and lightly touched his shoulder. He turned, startled to see her looking so...ready to go? She was leaving already?
She smiled brightly at him, and his eyes lit up. "What are you up to, Ja-kal?" She tried to see what he had been doing in the garden, but he repositioned himself to block her view. She turned serious. "Ja-kal, I need to speak with you." He immediately looked concerned, "What is it, Tia?"
She looked away from him, and hugged herself, she hadn't thought that it would be this hard to say good-bye to him. She should've known better. She had grown to have rather strong feelings for the hunter. The kind of feelings that made her heart beat faster. She took a deep breath. "It's time for me to leave... I have stayed too long, as it is." She turned now to face him again. The look in his eyes broke her heart. He stared at her open-mouthed. "But, Tia, where would you go?", he was finally able to utter.
"To tell you the truth - I don't know. I want to stay here, with you, but I can't. I have grown fond of you, very fond. And that is why I can let no threat of harm come to you." She took another deep breath, and blurted out "I love you, Ja-kal!" She turned away again, in shame. It was not right for a woman to be the first to declare feelings to a man. She turned to face him again. She didn't care anymore...She had already had her virginity defiled, what more could be thought of her, that she didn't already feel for herself?"
Ja-kal felt the faint glimmer of tears come to his eyes, mirrored in hers. She quickly turned from him. If she let them see how this hurt her, she would break down. Ja-kal grabbed her arm and turned her body so that she was facing him again. Looking into her eyes, he said the question that would haunt her for many moons... "Why?"
"Ja-kal, it is not safe for us to be together. You are a very important member among the pharaoh's servants. I am nothing among society as a whole. You are better off without me."
"But, Tia, I don't care. I love you, too. How I feel when I am in your presence is a wonderful feeling and I really don't want that to end. I will protect you, for always." He lovingly wiped a tear from beneath her eye.
She backed away from his embrace. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she said "Please don't forget me..." She stepped o her toes and kissed him lightly on his tanned cheek, the, she turned away from him and sprinted into the forest where he had found her. Leaving him to stare off after her retreating figure, his eyes reflecting the pain in his heart.
()()()()()
Calliope slowly opened her eyes and looked around her. Her eyes adjusted to the small amount of light that was allowed in. Was she still in the sphinx? She gasped. There were four - no, five figures standing around her. Quickly, she called out to Presley, who stood among the figures, to get out and run as fast as he could to get help.. She leaped to her feet, and quickly swooned back to her knees. One of the figures stepped behind her, and she felt his arms go under her arms, supporting her. She hastily stepped out of the way as soon as she regained her footing, before the figure standing behind her could attack her. Presley was not moving. What was wrong with him? Didn't he feel the danger? She ran to his side, and started to pull him away. He still would not move. In fact, he seemed to resist the movement. He just smiled oddly at her. One of the figures started to advance on the both of them, and she backed away. She felt something behind her, she turned around and her eyes widened in fear as she turned her orbs up towards the towering giant. He was big, but he had only one arm. He grinned at her. An innocent grin. She took a closer look at him. He was covered with bandages...She looked at all of the others that were surrounding her and Presley. They were all wearing bandages.
"Are you injured? If you let Presley go, I can take you to a hospital. I have a car. Nobody has to know about this..." She looked up at them nervously.
After a moment of astonished silence, Presley started to laugh. A slow laugh at first, then mounted into an uncontrollable sound, that deafened even the strongest ears. Calliope was confused. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and jumped. Then one of them spoke...
"Hmmm...Perhaps you should explain this to her, my prince?"
"My PRINCE?!", She repeated. "What the heck is going on here? Who are you and what do you want with us?" She wasn't feeling so panicked now, only confused and a little frightened. She looked to Presley...Who was grinning happily now, as he took her arm. "Let's go for a little walk...?" Numbly, she nodded as he led her out through the door.
()()()()()
Once they were outside in the hall, she took a deep breath and stared at Presley. After making sure that he was okay, she said "What was that?"
She continued to stare at him disbelievingly as he told her the whole story. She listened. Then, at the end, she shook her head. "Okay, fine...but why did you bring me here?"
"Because I wanted you to meet them. I don't know why, but for some odd reason, I trust you. I feel like I have met you somewhere else before. Believe me...I know the difference between real DejaVu, and just the odd sensation. I know that I - I mean Rapses - knew you in Egypt...You are familiar...we just need to figure out who you were..." He looked at Calliope urgently then, as he said "You cannot tell anyone of this...NO ONE CAN KNOW! Not even my mother."
She met his eyes. "I promise no one will ever know. But would I not also recognize you...experience DejaVu, as you call it?"
Presley thought hard for a moment, then with excitement in his voice. "When you first met me, you had an odd look on your face, as though something about me was familiar...Do you remember what that was...that was so familiar about me, that is? Think hard, this is important..." He pleaded.
She thoughtfully twirled a strand of her dark blonde hair, then her eyes brightened. "Yes! I believe that I do recall something of a familiarity about you...Your eyes. They seemed so familiar to me. It was as though I should know you...That is the reason that I walked up to you that day in the cafeteria." Still thoughtful, "So THAT is why I found you so familiar...? Can you help me remember?"
"Of course I can, I will. So will the guardians. They would probably be better than me at helping you to remember...Come with me...I'll introduce you to them..." He led her back into the room where the others were waiting.
()()()()()
"Calliope, first you should meet my guardians..." He pointed to a tall man, wearing an odd amulet of an upside down arrow with blue stone in the center of the tip of the arrow. "This is the leader, Ja-kal." Ja-kal nodded at her with his eyes still narrowed in suspicion. She made a mental note never to cross him. Her attention was redirected at a another tall man wearing an odd, green hat. He had an amulet around his neck as well, though his was of a snake. Presley said that his name was Rath. He, too, looked suspicious of her. Then Presley was pointing toward the man with one arm: Armon, he was wearing an amulet of the ram. She could tell that he was the nice one...He just continued to smile that innocent and shy grin. He was endearing. Then Presley pointed at the only woman of the group. She definitely stood out. She had a cat amulet around her long and slender neck. Before Presley could say anything, she stepped forward and grabbed Calliope's hand. She introduced herself as Nefertina. Calliope could make out a sly glint in the smiling eyes of the woman. She seemed very outgoing. Almost a tomboy. They were all wrapped in bandages in different patterns on each of their bodies. Presley had told her that they were mummies. She shrugged. Ok, then, they were mummies. Who would she tell anyway? No one in their right mind would believe her. They'd probably just send her to an institution, so what would be the point?
She nodded at each of them, She could tell that she was going to get along well with the last two "mummies". But she was not so sure about the first two. Although, there was something so familiar about the leader - Ja-kal. She didn't know exactly what, but she would do her best to figure it out...no matter how long it would take her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Tiamu-ri looked back at the house where she had spent the past days, with sadness. She saw him still standing there, searching the thicket of leaves and brush for her...for anything that she might have left behind, a trail of sorts. He had stood there longer than she had thought that he would. Finally after one more heartfelt gaze and one airblown kiss, she turned her back to him. Sighing, she felt her heart sting as the saltwater tears rolled down her cheek.
She had been walking for what seemed like days, though she knew that it was only a mere matter of moments. Her heart was breaking. She thought briefly of her father, and what her mother must've felt like when he died. She had never thought that her father had gone through this kind of pain. And she wasn't even married to Ja-kal, she could only imagine the intense pain that her mother had felt. She thought of her sisters Safira and Shauuru. She wanted to see them so badly, but she knew that she couldn't. Not as long as the threat of Scarab was still present in her life.
But then, as always, she found that her thoughts would drift back to Ja-kal. She didn't know him for that long, but she had already felt so strongly. She had told him that she loved him! She couldn't remember how it was to feel love in her heart, honest love. What an odd sensation. Her heart was so full that she could hardly breathe. Her breaths were like gasps in her heart. She sighed. It was pointless to even dwell on the past, she couldn't do anything to change it. She wasn't strong enough. She was weak. Still suffering the effects of the abuse that she had endured for half of her life. And the withdrawl, she thought as her stomach turned and her mouth had a sour taste in it. Lord Scarab must've slipped her something, to secure her captivity.
While she was at Ja-kal's apartment in the palaca, she hadn't noticed anything. But now...her stomach was churning and she felt weak. Her forehead was sticky with perspiration, and her chest felt as though someone was gripping her lungs in their fist and squeezing. She sat down on a log for a little bit. She couldn't breathe. She put her hand over her left breast. What was wrong with her? She had never felt like this before. She was feeling hot, and then cold, and then hot again. A hot flashing pain. Her mind wandered back to Ja-kal. She never should have left him. She wondered if he was thinking of her...she started to panic. Grimacing, she tried to shake the pain from her head. She couldn't think of him right now...groaning, she doubled over in pain. She lay there unconscious, until two scaly arms lifted her up and started to fly.
She didn't feel the wind through her hair, nor the smell of the dung that she was placed near. She was out, and it was best that way. Then, she couldn't see what they were doing to her...