Chapter Fifteen
Crystal Tokyo
Rini stirred and opened her eyes. Her mother was sitting by her bedside, her face in her hands. Her father had a seat beside her and had a hand on her shoulder. She tried to raise her hand to touch theirs but the Silver Crystal had stolen that strength from her. Swallowing, she stammered,
"Momma? Daddy?"
The Queen and King jerked their heads up and raced to her side. Neo-Queen Serenity gathered her daughter into her arms and held her close.
"Oh Darling, you scared Mommy to death."
Rini smiled. She hadn't called her mother 'Mommy' for years. But she held her back. The queen could feel the weakness in her daughter's grip. The King rubbed his daughter's bright pink pigtails.
"Oh Rini, you scared your mother and I senseless. You've been out for three days," he informed her. "We didn't think you'd ever wake up."
Rini looked up at them both. "We have to find Annika, soon!"
Amy chose that moment to walk in. "Well, you need to rest some more young lady." She stated sternly. She checked an IV and for the first time, Rini realized she had been hooked up to one for nourishment. Amy removed it now making Rini wince and grab her mother's hand. The queen smiled and the King smoothed his daughter's forehead.
Amy smiled. "Just take it easy. I want you here for one more night though."
The Princess sighed.
"Momma?"
The Queen smiled, "Sorry Baby, but Amy knows best."
"But Momma, the way I saw Annika treated…"
"What about my baby?" a voice interrupted.
The four turned to see Raye walking in. Rini saw the desperation in her eyes and immediately wished that she had never mentioned it. She swallowed,
"You don't want to know."
Raye's eyes told otherwise. Rini gave in and told her what she'd seen.
"NO! ANNIKA!"
* * *
Gloria awoke by a searing pain in her back. Sitting up, she found her self lost in the sands. The sun was blazing hot. She glanced about, her eyes strained by the bright light of the sun. Suddenly a hand found its way to her shoulder. The girl turned and was met with a handsome boy, about her age.
"Who are you? It's dangerous out here."
Gloria's mouth dropped. He spoke Japanese!
The boy smiled, "Yes, I speak Japanese, I heard you moaning in that language. I was born in Egypt, here, but I'm studying Japan."
"What's your name?" Gloria demanded.
"Seti," he replied and helped her up onto his horse. "Here, let me help you back to my house."
Not seeing another option and having no way to track Annika without a clue, she agreed. Seti pulled her up and they trotted off. Gloria took note of his features. He was about an inch taller than her with swept back black hair. His eyes shimmered a chocolate brown and his skin was about Pluto's shade.
He wore light white slacks and a white shirt with a red black vest. He rode quite some time before coming to civilization. He smiled. "What's your name?"
"Gloria," she replied. Seti smiled,
"Welcome to Cairo, Gloria."
He stopped by a small building, looking like an apartment. By then, Gloria was burning up and hot in her slacks. But Seti didn't seem hot at all. He noted her discomfort and smiled,
"Here, let me get you some clothes that'll feel better."
Gloria sat down and waited.
* * *
It was some time later before Seti returned, with some clothes. Gloria went into the bathroom to change, carefully setting down her wands. She undressed and slipped on her new slacks. They were bagger and had a thinner navy blue skirt over them. She slipped on the top, which covered most of her chest and had translucent sleeves that went to her wrists. She slipped on some navy boots and walked back out, grabbing her wands.
It was cooler!
Seti smiled at her and said,
"Now why are you here?"
"My best friend's in trouble. Have you seen a girl with long purple hair, wailing her eyes out?"
Seti shook his head. He got up, "Come on though, we can look for her. I heard about some strange activity around the Pyramids of Giza. Let's go."
Gloria nodded, followed him outside and they hopped on a camel, as the horse had to rest. Seti smiled at her. He liked her already.
"Pat, pat, pat!"
The camel took off like a shot.
