A/N ~~ NEVER FEAR, TIGEREVE IS HERE!! I hope none of you thought that I abandoned this fic. I had a major case of stress from all the homework I've been getting and writer's block! *gasp* I hope you enjoy this chapter. It answers a lot of questions, including the most important one: Does Ja-Kal love Nefer-Tina? Well maybe you've already known that, but if you haven't here it is!
Happy Holidays!!
Disclaimer ~~ I am in now way affiliated with the cartoon series, "Mummies Alive!" or the DIC Corporation, and any of its affiliates. This fanfic is for entertainment purposes only. This fanfic and its author do not intend to infringe on any copyrights.
On to the fanfic!
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Chapter 5: Shadows
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Ja-Kal carefully rose from the bed; he did not want to wake Nefer-Tina. He walked into the bathroom and splashed a handful of cold water on his face. His memory was still hazy. He had no idea what had transpired last night. All he knew is that he woke up barely dressed with Nefer-Tina lying next to him.
Ja-Kal rubbed his head and tried to make sense of everything. The words "I love you" echoed in his head. Did he truly reveal to Nefer-Tina that he loved her? Although it pained him, he had finally come to terms with his feelings. He never loved Tia. He only married her because of a silly crush he had on her. A crush he thought was true love. When he married her and felt that he didn't love her anymore, he pushed those thoughts aside. The reason Ja-Kal would always spend most of his day working was because, subconsciously, he couldn't stand the lie he was living with Tia. Ja-Kal would still act as though he loved his wife and would sometimes make love to her, yet in the back of his mind he knew he could never love Tia. Divorce was acceptable, but he couldn't believe he had failed at something in his life. It broke Ja-Kal's heart when he found out Tia was pregnant. He had brought a child into a loveless marriage. A marriage which he could not escape, since divorce was now no longer an option. Although he did truly love his son. His son made his life much brighter and happier.
"Ja-Kal?" Nefer-Tina yawned, eyes half closed. She stood in the frame of the bathroom door; once again wearing the extra pair of pajamas Ja-Kal had given her.
"Does your head still hurt?" she asked as concern washed over her face. "Let me see if you still have a fever." Nefer-Tina extended her hands towards Ja-Kal's forehead. Upon contact, Ja-Kal flinched. He felt the difference between her cool hand and his warm forehead.
Nefer-Tina turned away from him and walked to the drawer. On top was a plastic bottle, which Nefer-Tina grabbed and opened. "Here take one of these to help," she instructed, giving a half smile.
Ja-Kal did as told and swallowed the pill. Then, he walked towards Nefer-Tina, stopping only a few inches away. "Nefer-Tina, can I ask you a question?" he stuttered.
"Oh," she simply replied. "You mean about what happened last night."
Ja-Kal nodded.
Nefer-Tina walked over to the bed and sat down. "Well, after you passed out on the elevator, I brought you to the room. The doctor came and couldn't find out what was ailing you, but told me for you to take those pills," she said solemnly. She paused for a moment and let a sigh escape her lips. He eyes stared at the floor. "Then he told me that you should sleep in just a pair of shorts and left. So I had to, um, undress you and put the shorts on you."
Ja-Kal leaned against the wall, taking in all that she had just told him.
"Don't worry, I didn't see anything I shouldn't have!" she quickly added. Nefer-Tina fiddled with a sheet near her, "Then I just kept you company until I was tried. I got ready and made my bed on the couch, but I was having trouble sleeping so I came back to your side."
Nefer-Tina's mind flashed back to the night before…
Ja-Kal had shifted, but was still asleep. Nefer-Tina laughed at herself for frightening so easily.
Ja-Kal was profusely sweating, trying to break the fever. Nefer-Tina could see he was struggling with the pain of both a headache and fever.
"I pray to goddess Isis, please help heal Ja-Kal," she whispered silently.
She gazed at Ja-Kal and wanted to hold him in her arms, but feared that moving him would make him worst.
Nefer-Tina shifted uncomfortably in the chair. She was stressed out from the day and the many emotions that came with it. Love, anger, fear, happiness, concern, and confusion.
She got up from the chair, but Ja-Kal stopped her. "Nefer-Tina, don't leave me," he whimpered.
She hushed him, "Go to sleep, Ja-Kal."
His eyes looked up weakly at her. Nefer-Tina sighed. She was tried, but she could lie on the other side of the bed until Ja-Kal fell asleep.
Ja-Kal did eventually go to sleep, but so did Nefer-Tina. Nefer-Tina had lain on top of the sheets, but during the course of the night she grew cold and slid under the sheets.
"I slept on the bed on accident. I thought I could just lie on the other side for awhile. You looked so sick; I was worried. I guess I fell asleep and wrapped the sheets around me."
Ja-Kal breathed a sign of relief. He hadn't slept with Nefer-Tina, thank Ra! The only thought that pained him was that Nefer-Tina didn't mention what he had told her. He now clearly remembered that he had told her he loved her. She didn't believe him. Did that mean that she didn't love him in return?
"What did you think happened?" Her rosy mouth curved into a mischievous smile.
Ja-Kal shook his head, not wanting to answer the question.
Nefer-Tina's face turned more serious. "Ja-Kal, did you eat breakfast yesterday? How many hours of sleep did you get?" she asked, softly.
Ja-Kal walked away from her. He didn't want her to think he was irresponsible.
She crossed her arms and lectured, "You didn't eat breakfast, did you? I bet sleeping on the couch didn't help you sleep either."
He responded to her with silence.
"Fine," she said, giving up.
"I'm going to go to the gym," he informed her.
When he got up, Nefer-Tina grabbed his arm. "I can't let you. You are still sick and need to rest," she ordered.
"Nefer-Tina I haven't missed a day in my daily routine for as long as I can remember and I am not going to stop now," he rebutted.
Nefer-Tina let go of his arm, "Okay, but I'm coming with you. I'm going to make sure you don't stress yourself out too much." She walked towards the bathroom to change into more appropriate clothes, "Besides, I need to warm up for the athletic competitions today."
Ja-Kal faced Nefer-Tina. He opened his mouth to tell her he was going alone, but stopped. She had a stern look on her face and her arms were on her hips. He knew that Nefer-Tina meant what she had said and nothing was going to change her mind.
"You may come," he simply said.
Nefer-Tina smiled triumphantly.
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The gym was a large room filled with a great variety of equipment. The room was filled with heavy breathing and grunts from several people. The room was quickly warming up from all the people sweating. Ja-Kal was in shorts and a T-shirt and Nefer-Tina was in shorts and a small sleeveless shirt that revealed a portion of her stomach.
"What's all this stuff for?" Nefer-Tina curiously asked, fiddling with some weights.
Ja-Kal looked down at Nefer-Tina and replied, "Those are weights. You lift them."
"Do they really need all these machines in order to exercise?" she asked, rhetorically. Nefer-Tina was baffled at all the machines in the room. Things were much simpler in Egypt.
Ja-Kal decided to lift some weights. Nefer-Tina sat next to him and decided to follow suit.
After Ja-Kal had finished a set, he sat the weight down. Suddenly the world became hazy to him. Nefer-Tina noticed, and setting her weight down, she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Ja-Kal…" she said, softly. Nefer-Tina's face was full of concern.
"I'm okay. I think the pills are having a side effect on me," he declared.
Ja-Kal, why do you have to be so damn proud, she thought. "Please promise me that you'll take it easy, Ja-Kal. The prince would not want you to get sick. Don't worry. I don't think the competitions will pose such a challenge," she said. "I mean we are the best guardians ever," Nefer-Tina grinned.
"I would not take things lightly, Nefer-Tina. Our main goal is to protect the prince," Ja-Kal stated.
"I know, I know. I've heard it a million times."
"That means we must put our all into this," he said in a stern tone.
Nefer-Tina hated it when Ja-Kal went into his "leader mode". She just nodded in reply.
As Ja-Kal rubbed his eyes with his hand he noticed out of the corner of his eye a figure in the corner of the gym. He looked up in that direction and saw no one, besides a few people running on treadmills. Turning to his right, he saw Nefer-Tina's intent gaze on him.
When the moment became too intense, they both darted their eyes towards the floor.
Nefer-Tina cleared her throat and asked, "So, um, what else can we do to prepare for the competitions?"
Ja-Kal replied, "Well this gym has a great variety of training tools available."
Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina spent another hour in the gym warming up for the long day ahead of them. The awkwardness between the two slowly started to disappear. They had an enjoyable time free of any stress or pressure to act as a married couple.
Ja-Kal kept seeing a figure watching them, yet whenever he turned to see who it was there would be no one there. The idea that some unknown stranger was watching them sent chills down Ja-Kal's spine and he decided to be more alert. If Nefer-Tina also saw someone watching them, she gave no sign. Ja-Kal decided not to tell her, incase he was just being paranoid.
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Back in San Francisco, Presley was laying down on a couch. Large ostrich feathers magically fanned him.
"This is the life," Presley said yawning, and turned over on his side.
The Sphinx was lavishly decorated. Rich tapestries covered the walls. The rooms sparkled when the rays of the sun touched the exotic jewels sporadically placed in the Sphinx.
Armon was stationed in a very expensive couch watching a wide screen television. Some drool drifted down the corner of his mouth as large pictures of beefy burgers were shown on the television.
"The power of George Washington is great!" exclaimed Armon with a huge smile.
"Young prince, I do not think it is wise to indulge in such luxury. When Ja-Kal comes back he will surely order us to remove everything," Rath said, arms crossed.
Presley showed no sign of listening to him. So, Rath angrily waved his hands in front of the large ostrich feathers, stopping the enchantment they were under.
Feeling the loss of the flow of air to his face, Presley woke up startled.
"Huh?!"
He looked up at his guardian, Rath, who didn't look too pleased.
"What?" Presley asked, well knowing what had gotten Rath peeved.
"My prince, you must persist in these activities," Rath demanded. "You have done none of your homework."
"Couldn't you do it?" came the simple reply from Presley.
Sensing that Rath did not find it amusing, Presley got up. Rath grinned and basked in his victory over the young prince. Unfortunately for Rath, Presley had one last trick up his sleeve.
"Fine, but I guess that means your entire collection of books that you got must also go back," Presley said matter-of-factly, a victorious grin hidden in his features.
Rath dropped his head in defeat. "Fine, you can keep everything for now at least. But when Ja-Kal returns, everything, " he said and turned towards Armon, "and I mean everything must go back."
Rath turned away from the richly decorated room and walked towards his study in order to spend some quality time with his books.
Before Rath left the room, Presley cleared his throat and said, pointing towards the fallen ostrich feathers piled on the ground, "The feathers?"
Rath rolled his eyes and grumbled a small spell causing the rich ostrich feathers to levitate up and begin fanning Presley.
Presley smiled and settled back into the soft couch mumbling, "Besides I'm sure that Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina are having a luxurious time too."
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Nefer-Tina grabbed her stomach in pain. She had done 100 push-ups, 100 pull-ups, and 200 crunches. Ja-Kal had stated one of them had to be in top condition in order to ensure their chance of winning the athletic competitions. Since Ja-Kal was still weak from his illness, Nefer-Tina had volunteered to follow Ja-Kal's daily exercise routine. Of course she hadn't know how difficult the work out was going to be. In fact, Ja-Kal had failed to mention at the beginning that she would be doing it twice! Her muscles ached and burned from the strenuous work out as she walked to the café for breakfast.
Ja-Kal was quite surprised by Nefer-Tina. He had never expected her to be able to do his exercise routine once, let alone twice. He looked over at the charioteer, who was trying to walk with grace, but failed miserably. Perhaps Nefer-Tina had overdone it when exercising. He was the leader and it was his job to take care of Nefer-Tina not the other way around.
After spending some time in the gym, Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina had gone up to their room. They showered and changed into some causal clothes. Today was the day of the athletic competitions. Now they were on their way to eat breakfast.
Ja-Kal opened his mouth to say something, but immediately closed it. Nefer-Tina seemed intently focused on something in her mind and he did not want to disturb her.
The couple continued down the long, quiet hall without conversation. The hotel was mostly empty save a few early birds walking around and employees.
The silent moment was destroyed when Nefer-Tina's stomach growled. Nefer-Tina blushed and rubbed her abdomen.
"Sorry," she squeaked.
Neither spoke after. A soft silence surrounded the two. Only the voices of two male employees walking past the couple broke the awkward silence.
Ja-Kal cleared his throat and said, "Nefer-Tina, I hope that you haven't overworked yourself."
She stopped walking, facing Ja-Kal and replied, "I'm fine don't worry."
Once again out of the corner of his eye, a figure kept close watch.
Sensing the more serious appearance Ja-Kal's face took, Nefer-Tina tensed up. The only time she saw Ja-Kal get like that was when they were about to be attacked.
"What is it?" she asked anxiously.
He walked closer to Nefer-Tina and whispered into her ear, "Someone's following us."
Nefer-Tina could feel the heat radiating from Ja-Kal's face. Her breaths deepened and her pulse raced.
Ja-Kal enclosed Nefer-Tina in a warm hug, as an old lady walked by and smiled at the sight. At first Nefer-Tina was startled and tense, but soon loosened up at his touch and enjoyed it. She wondered what Ja-Kal was doing.
That question was soon answered. "Pretend I'm whispering something romantic."
Nefer-Tina softly nodded and wrapped her arms around Ja-Kal. Her arms trembled at this new experience. She'd never been this close to a man before.
"Relax," Ja-Kal whispered, slowly caressing her raven black hair. He couldn't help be take in the lovely smell of her hair. The aroma was so enchanting.
His trance was broken by Nefer-Tina's voice. "Ja-Kal, who's following us?"
"I'm not sure. Now giggle." Nefer-Tina obeyed and a soft giggle escaped her lips.
"I saw someone spying on us in the gym," Ja-Kal said keeping an eye on the stranger. "Do you see somebody?"
Nefer-Tina scanned the hall and couldn't find anyone. "No," she replied and then giggled as she saw a family walk by.
She could feel Ja-Kal's hot breath on the back of her neck as he spoke.
"What time is it?"
"Around 8:30," Nefer-Tina said, breaking away from Ja-Kal. She smoothed out her shirt and pants.
Ja-Kal grabbed Nefer-Tina by the arm and pulled her along. "We better go eat something."
"Could Scarab be here trying to get the gem of Ra?" Nefer-Tina asked, in a worried tone.
"I'm not sure, but we better keep our guard up from now on. I don't want you leaving my side unless its absolutely necessary, got it?"
"Right," she said, nodding her head.
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The fierce red head was pissed, extremely pissed. She needed to hurt someone or something. That object of rage happened to be a vase. Tiffany picked up the vase filled with dark red roses and threw it at the wall. In her rage she accidentally handled a rose by its thorns.
"Shit!" she cried. Her finger suddenly became stained with her dark red blood.
Tiffany quickly sucked on her finger trying to rid any trace of the blood on her finger. She hated to see blood, including her own.
Dan came out from behind the bed. His eyes darting around the room searching for any flying projectiles.
"You!" she hissed, grabbing another object and throwing it at him.
Dan ducked, barely missing the thing she threw at him.
"Calm down, Tiff!" he called out.
"How dare you tell me what to do, you idiot! You're the one that screwed up and now your precious little blow-up doll and her husband are still in the competition!"
"I gave him the poison!" Dan defended. He covered his face incase another object flew in his direction.
Tiffany growled at him, "You were also supposed to keep the doctor busy so he couldn't cure Ja-Kal!"
"Oops!" Dan ducked again as a phone came crashing behind him on the wall.
Satisfied with the scare she had given Dan, Tiffany composed herself and said, "At least you've weaken him. Getting that beautiful gem won't be that hard."
"And then I get my part of the deal," Dan said, still somewhat nervous about Tiffany.
She sighed, "Yes, and then you'll get her." Tiffany's face became hardened. "Just remember that if you screw up during the rest of the competition you can kiss it all goodbye."
"I know."
"Good," she said, licking her lips.
She was about to walk out of the room, when she suddenly remembered something. "Oh Danny, go down to the lobby and see what exactly we have to do for the athletic portion."
"Sure," he replied in a flat tone.
As soon as Dan left, a wicked smile filled her features. Looking around the room to make sure absolutely no one was there, she walked over to a chest. The chest was totally black with the golden emblem of a black widow on the top.
She slowly lifted the chest open and pulled out a blood red mirror with carvings of spiders around it. On top of the mirror itself was a large black widow.
Tiffany whispered something in a long lost tongue. Her normally brown eyes flashed a bloodthirsty red. The black widow on the mirror snapped open its eyes and crawled behind the mirror.
"Yes my pet, its time for mommy to have a little chat with that loser," she said, softly placed the mirror on a table.
"Scarab!" she hissed at the mirror.
"What is it woman?!" came the sharp reply from the mirror. Scarab said the word "woman" in a condescending tone.
"I'm the one keeping you alive you old fool, so you better behave."
A groan was heard from the mirror. Scarab hated relying on others, and the fact that it was a woman made it most awful.
"The souls of those mummies will keep me alive and young forever," she grinned.
"Don't forget I want Rapses' soul!"
Tiffany rolled her eyes. "This human male I have helping me is a total barbarian. That will make my job harder."
"Why don't you just steal the gem of Ra and use it on Rapses and his guardians?!"
She cocked her eyebrow at the mirror, "Oh please, where's the fun in that?"
"You just want to toy with the mummies' minds."
"Maybe," she said, tracing a finger down the side of the mirror. Ja-Kal does look somewhat tempting.
A huff comes out of the mirror causing Tiffany's lip to curl up angrily. "What I do with the mummies is my business," she shouted, tightly gripping the mirror. "Besides, your little spy got caught today by Ja-Kal."
"I would have made a better spy, but this mirror you have me in limits my magic."
"Oh blame the mirror! Your magic is already weak. It's the mirror that is keeping you alive."
Suddenly, Tiffany heard the door open and she slammed down the mirror.
"What are you doing?" Dan asked, eyeing the blood red mirror.
"Just fixing myself in the mirror," she said, giving a fake smile. The tone in her voice became more cheerful as opposed to the anger it previous held.
Dan silently questioned her about the large black widow on the back of the mirror.
"I like spiders."
Dan rubbed his head. Tiffany sure had a strange fetish for spiders.
"Come on, everyone is ready for breakfast now," he said, grabbing her arm.
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"Ja-Kal, over here!" Bill Rogers shouted.
Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina walked over to the table Bill occupied with his wife.
"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers," Nefer-Tina pleasantly said.
"Why hello dear," Mrs. Rogers replied.
"You two ready for the day's events?" Bill asked.
The couple nodded in response.
"Remember that the activities are more then just about physical strength. It has more to do with teamwork between the couple."
"Thank you for your advice Bill," Ja-Kal said, shaking hands with him.
"Are you going to the ball tonight Nefer-Tina?" Betsy Rogers asked.
"I'd love to go, but its really up to Ja-Kal to decided," Nefer-Tina replied. With a stranger following them around, going to a ball did not seem to be the best idea at the moment. Nefer-Tina hoped that Ja-Kal was just being extremely paranoid. The thought of Scarab being there was not a pleasant thought. Especially when they were only at half force with Rath and Armon in San Francisco.
Betsy Rogers whispered to Nefer-Tina, "Going to the ball gives you extra points with the judges."
Nefer-Tina gasped at the prospect. Her eyes widened and silently asked if it was true. Betsy just nodded her head.
Both couples shook hands and went their separate ways.
Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina sat down at a near-by table.
"I believe the hotel has a buffet during breakfast. The prince said we just need to pay once and are entitled to all the food we can eat," Ja-Kal stated.
Nefer-Tina grinned, "Armon would love this place."
"He'd put them out of business," Ja-Kal added.
After a second, both burst out laughing, calling the attention of the people around them. They calmed down and held in their laughter. It feels good to laugh, Nefer-Tina thought.
A waiter came by the table and asked, "Ready to order?"
"We'll be having the buffet," Ja-Kal said, reaching into his pocket and taking out his wallet.
"Okay, plates are over there. That'll be $13.65, sir."
Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina walked over to the buffet line to get their food.
Half an hour later, both had finished eating. Dan Hickey and Tiffany walked by the table. Dan had that same overconfident grin on his face. Tiffany seemed peeved, but then slowly relaxed her face into a calmer appearance.
Dan nodded in Ja-Kal's direction and then took Nefer-Tina's hands and gently kissed it.
"Hello Dan," she softly said.
Ja-Kal's face became stiff at the mention of his name.
"Why Nefer-Tina you are looking as splendid as always!" he exclaimed, caressing her face.
Nefer-Tina became startled by his touch. Ja-Kal saw the exchange between the two and decided to intervene.
"So Dan, I guess your wife is a shy one."
"Yeah, Tiffany isn't such a people person. Isn't that right, baby?"
Tiffany smiled up at Dan and landed a kiss on his cheek.
"You must be Ja-Kal," Tiffany said calmly.
Dan paid no attention to Tiffany or Ja-Kal and kept his eyes on Nefer-Tina.
Tiffany looked over at Dan and mentally sighed. That sick bastard must be mentally undressing her and who knows what else.
"So Nefer-Tina think you have a shot at winning the athletic competitions?" Tiffany asked, almost in a challenging tone.
She touched her stomach and replied, "After all the work I've been through, I'm ready for anything." So bring it on, she mused.
Dan smiled looking at Ja-Kal, "I'm not sure if your husband can take the challenge. He might be worried about other problems."
Tiffany jabbed Dan in the gut. Shut up you fool! He must not know that we are responsible for the shadow following him.
Ja-Kal formed a fist under the table. "Don't worry Dan, I can handle whatever comes."
The eyes of the two women darted between Ja-Kal and Dan. Nefer-Tina took one last bite out of her food, while watching. Tiffany's weak figure stood motionless next to the table.
Tiffany grinned at the once dead mummy, Ja-Kal. I like a fighter. "I'm sure we'll all have a blast."
Dan opened his mouth to say something, but Tiffany cut him off. "Time to go eat. See you later!" she shouted and walked off with Dan.
Nefer-Tina placed her napkin down and took a sip of her drink.
After Dan and Tiffany left, Ja-Kal bluntly said, "I think Dan Hickey has been following us."
Nefer-Tina almost spat out her drink from the abruptness.
"What?! But why?"
"I have reason to believe that it could be him," Ja-Kal defended.
"Well I don't think its him."
"Do you like him?" Ja-Kal asked, jealously hidden in his voice.
"What do you have against him? He seems like a nice guy," Nefer-Tina said, crossing her arms.
Ja-Kal leaned in closer to Nefer-Tina, "I don't like him looking at you the way he does."
"You're not in charge of my life!"
"As long as this competition is going, I am. Or are you forgetting why we're here in the first place?"
"No," Nefer-Tina silently said. Ja-Kal was right. She had to act like she was a faithful wife to Ja-Kal. That meant not being receptive to the affections of other men.
Although that didn't matter to Nefer-Tina. The man of her life was already her husband, even if it wasn't for real.
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"Bus five is loading up! All participants of Cupids Marriage competition please enter the bus! Once the bus is full, please wait for another bus to come," shouted the woman in the blue suit.
The crowd of couples walked up to the bus and rushed to get the best seats. Even the older couples acted like children when trying to get a good seat.
"Come on Ja-Kal, I want to get a seat!" Nefer-Tina gleefully cried, pulling along Ja-Kal with a less then amused appearance.
Nefer-Tina was excited to compete in the athletic competitions. She knew she could handle most physical tests. Nefer-Tina wanted to make up for her faults during the interview. She could not fail her prince. If they failed to get the gem of Ra they would lose the soul of the prince forever and Scarab would win.
Ja-Kal and Nefer-Tina sat in the middle of the bus. They were almost at the park were the competitions were to be held.
Nefer-Tina gazed over and looked at Ja-Kal. He was sleeping with his head rested on the window. Nefer-Tina smiled to herself as she looked at his peaceful appearance.
Nefer-Tina started to close her eyes, when Ja-Kal's body jerked and startled her. Ja-Kal was breathing heavily and his face was red.
Nefer-Tina placed a warm hand on his shoulder for comfort and support.
Ja-Kal swallowed a lump in his throat, and said with a shaky tone, "I'm fine, Nefer-Tina."
The bus came to a sudden halt and various dreamers awoke. The noise level in the bus rose dramatically.
"Looks like we're here," Ja-Kal announced, and rose from his seat.
Nefer-Tina nodded and also rose. "Take it easy Ja-Kal," she whispered.
Outside, the wind started to pick up into a light breeze. Some of Nefer-Tina's long black hair flew into her face.
Music from a loud speaker was heard in all directions. The music faded out and was replaced with a strong male voice.
"Welcome everyone, to the athletic portion. Most of you probably already know what each event is about. Just incase you haven't heard, we've decided on a new addition to the events. A chariot race!!"
A gasp was heard in the crowd.
"Did you hear that, Ja-Kal?! A chariot race!" Nefer-Tina was ecstatic. She would be able to once again experience her love for the chariot race.
"I hope everyone hear has a wonderful time. Best of luck to all." The director turned off the microphone and the music once again filled the air.
Ja-Kal smiled. He knew Nefer-Tina could beat anyone in this competition including him in a chariot race. The chances of winning the gem were looking up. If Nefer-Tina has good experience in most the event then his weakness wouldn't effect their chances after all.
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"Let's kick tut!" Nefer-Tina joyfully exclaimed as she hopped along the track.
The first event was a potato sack race. At the halfway point she would hand the sack to Ja-Kal.
The cold air blew defiantly in her face. Nefer-Tina smiled at the sour looks other women had on their faces. Unlike her, other participates were having trouble with the sack. She was almost about to reach Ja-Kal, when the ground seemed to lift up to her face. She had tripped over a rock and fallen on her face.
Inwardly groaning at the pain, Nefer-Tina struggled to rise up. Ja-Kal's shouts of encouragement gave her extra strength. With a large red mark on the front of her face, she got out of the sack.
Ja-Kal grabbed the brown sack and began hopping. He was behind two other men. Suddenly the man to his right hit the ground. Ja-Kal quickly gained a place in the race. He was only 7 feet away from finish line.
"Come on, Ja-Kal! You can do it!" came the cries from Nefer-Tina. A lady to her left also gave shouts of praise and encouragement to her husband.
Nefer-Tina saw this as a challenge, and the two women began to have a contest to see who could rally the loudest for their respective partners.
Ja-Kal smiled. He had forgotten how childish Nefer-Tina could be at times. Ja-Kal then turned his mind and totally focused on the task ahead. Getting to the finish line.
The man in front of him was really agile. Ja-Kal grinned. He would just have to be better.
Ja-Kal used his strength to propel him farther. His legs coiled up for a second and then shot out into the air. He landed with a thud and regained his balance and coiled up again. The hunter was quickly gaining ground.
The man in front turned to see the opposition behind him. He grew more nervous and fearful of losing the race, so he quickened his hops. This was a careless mistake on his part. He was now vulnerable to losing his balance. The man's legs collapsed before him and he fell to the ground with a large thud. He was only a foot away from the finish line.
Nefer-Tina shirked in pure joy as Ja-Kal crossed the finish line in first place.
"You made it!"
Nefer-Tina ran to him and gave him a huge hug. The force of the embrace knocked Ja-Kal down as he brought Nefer-Tina down with him. Nefer-Tina let a giggle escape her lips as she laid next to him.
"Was there ever a doubt?" Ja-Kal smirked.
The two laughed at the remark. They remained on the ground and smiled at each other, not saying a word. The only sound they made was their heavy breathing. Noticing the uncomfortable looks they were receiving from the people around them, they quickly got up. Ja-Kal brushed off some dirt and got out of the brown sack he was still in.
"Ready for the next event?" she inquired, brushing her black hair with her hand.
"Is the lion always ready for the prowl?"
Nefer-Tina rolled her eyes.
An employee from the Marriage Competition came by and wrote down the names of the winners.
"Are you thirsty? I am. Let's go get a drink!" Nefer-Tina grabbed Ja-Kal by the arm and pulled him along. The smile still remained on her exotic features.
They walked over to a large steel blue bucket filled with ice. They each grabbed a bottle of water.
Ja-Kal held up the opened water bottle and said, "To the prince, Rath, and Armon!"
Nefer-Tina nodded her head and tapped her bottle with Ja-Kal's. "And to a successful mission!" she said with an amused grin.
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TO BE CONTINUED…
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A/N ~~ Next chapter, the rest of the competitions take place and it's time for the ball!
