A Trouble Mind
" Mum, shouldn't dad be back by now?" Alex asked who had just finished building his mouse trap.
" Yes, I think he should." Evy answered looking out the window.
" Do you think he is alright?" Alex asked.
" I don't now." Evy said turning around.
" Ahhh!" she screamed.
Alex jumped up.
" What?!" he asked.
" M….mongoose!" Evy said pointing to the bed.
" Cool!" Alex said as he started to walk toward it.
Evy grabbed him.
" Alex, don't touch it. It might not be safe." Evy said
" But…its just like a ferret." Alex replied
" Ferrets…do not eat other animals." Evy said nervously.
Malik the mongoose squeaked as if it were saying something back. Then it jumped off the bed.
" Ahh!" Evy screamed again at the site of it on the floor.
Just then, the door flew open and Rick was standing in the doorway with Ardeth, Mariana and Izzy behind him.
" Hey Honey. Sorry to barge in, but you haven't seen a mongoose lately have you?" Rick asked sarcastically.
" There." Evy answered in horror. " By the bed." she added.
" Thanks. Close the door." Rick told the others.
" We want it out not in!" Evy snapped still angry.
" Calm down." Rick said going slowly towards the mongoose.
" Alex, why don't you help me get this thing, since you seem to have a way with animals." Rick said.
" Ok." Alex replied and got out of his mother's grip and slowly started walking towards it.
Malik the mongoose was up against the wall looking up at Alex and Rick.
* That man touches me, or even so much as reaches for me, I'll bite him* the mongoose thought.
" Here mongoose, I wont hurt you." Alex said softly.
* No you wouldn't would you? At least not this age, your genes haven't kicked in yet.* Malik the mongoose thought.
Everyone was watching. Evy was now coming up cautiously behind Rick, who had noticed that Alex was getting closer to the mongoose than he was, so he backed off.
" Come on, I wont hurt you." Alex said.
Then he gently grabbed her before she could get away.
" Good job Alex." Rick said coming over to him and reached for the mongoose, but she bit him.
" Owww!" Rick yelled shaking his had.
" Alright, you'll pay for that later Malik!" Rick said grabbing her.
" Malik?" Evy asked puzzled. " What is going on? Why are you talking to a rat? Why are you even chasing a rat? I think you have finally lost it." Evy said.
Rick gave her the " ha ha." look.
" Its Malik." Mariana answered.
" What?" Evy asked.
" The mongoose is Malik." Ardeth answered.
" The mongoose is Malik?" Evy asked.
" Yes, is that so hard to understand?" Rick asked.
Evy glared at him. Rick gave her the look that said " I'm shutting up now."
" I understand Rick!" Evy snapped " But how?" she asked.
" Apparently, our old friend sent more of his goons, and one of them cursed Malik." Mariana answered.
Rick was fighting Malik the mongoose, trying to keep her from biting him.
" Is there a way to bring her back?" Evy asked.
" Well, don't you know?" Rick asked. " I mean, you know this stuff." he finished quickly looking away, so he wouldn't catch her glare.
" I know how to read and write ancient Egyptian, and I can decipher hieroglyphics and heratics, but I never studied about curses." Evy answered.
" Huh, you would think with our everyday life of mummies coming after us and such, that you would have learned about them." Rick said.
" Curses are not a main concern for Egyptologists!" Evy snapped. " Of course then again, I'm not your average Egyptologist." she finished.
" Well, while you all are figuring out how to fix this, I'm going to stand here and watch my fingers fall off." Rick said still fighting the mongoose, who was practically stuck on his fingers.
" Here dad, put her under my mouse trap, its like a cage." Alex said bringing it over.
" Good idea Alex." Rick said putting Malik into the mouse trap with a little force.
* That hurt you big…jerk! I hope your fingers do fall off!* Malik thought as she looked out from the cage.
" Ok, now that's over." Rick said looking at his fingers. " Owww!" he said.
" Well, what did the commanders say?" Evy asked.
" Yeah, don't worry about me, you just go on with your discussion, while I sit here and watch my fingers fall off! I'm sure no one cares!" he yelled almost towards Evy.
" Perhaps maybe we should wait, O'Connell need aid and we have to find your brother." Mariana said.
" Yeah, good idea, aid me…but don't worry about finding Jonathan." Rick muttered in the background.
" Is that all we are doing? It seems that's all we have been doing is waiting." Evy said. " We don't have time to wait, and neither does the rest of the world." she finished.
" It's alright, we still have time, because the commanders are gathering the Medji." Mariana answered.
" Alright, just as long as we are not wasting time." Evy said.
" Right, we will find your brother and meet you in the Kasbah, when you are finished." Ardeth said and turned around.
Izzy, who had been watching the whole thing without a word, moved out of the way as Ardeth walked by.
" Mariana, why don't you take Alex with you." Evy said.
" Alright, come on Alex, you can meet the Medji." Mariana said
" Cool." Alex said running out of the door.
" I'll tell you something O'Connell, your life is scary and really screwed up." Izzy said closing the door to follow the others.
Evy stood and looked at Rick.
" I know. Don't say it." Rick said.
" I wasn't going to say anything to you." Evy said grabbing a cloth and the bowl of water that was on the table.
Rick sighed and sat on the edge of the bed.
" Listen, I'm sorry I snapped at you, I was just getting agitated." Rick said.
" With me." Evy said going over to her bag and grabbing the alcohol.
She came back over and sat down and poured some on the cloth.
" No, not with you, with all of this…OWWW!!" Rick yelled as Evy put the cloth on and started dabbing the bites.
" Why?" Evy asked.
" I don't know, I guess just because of waiting, and just the fact that we are here, yet again, to kill some dead guy who wants to take over the world or bring his brother back." Rick said wincing a bit at the pain.
" Well, that's nothing to be sorry about, I feel the same way." Evy said, now blowing on Rick's hand to help with the alcohol.
" But, it didn't give me the right to snap at you. I should never have done that." Rick said sincerely.
Evy took the cloth and dipped it into the bowl of water, and wiped off some of the blood.
" I know you didn't mean anything by it. I guess I just took the opportunity to get my feelings out too." Evy said as she finished with him and let go of his hand.
She got up to put everything back.
" Well, how bout a mense?" Rick said moving his fingers.
" Fine." Evy said with a bit of a smile.
" From now on, the anger gets taken out on the dead guys." Rick said smiling.
" Deal." Evy said.
" Now, lets go get this show on the…uh…sand…uh, you get the picture…" Rick said and Evy laughed.
" Right." Evy said and they left the room.
"So, do you think the commanders will help us fight?" Mariana asked.
" I hope so." Ardeth replied.
" Lets just hope we will win." Ardeth said.
Mariana acknowledged. They waited for Rick and Evy to come. Mariana looked away from her master and out towards the sand. She was getting one of her feelings again. Ardeth must have noticed, for he stopped walking and she almost ran into him.
" Why did you stop, Master?" Mariana asked looking away.
Ardeth sighed.
" Why are you being so distant Mariana?" he asked worriedly
Mariana met her masters gaze with a coolness in her own. She didn't answer, but looked back out over the sand. Ardeth grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around. Izzy, Alex, and Jonathan all gasped upon seeing her tear-stained face.
At this time, Evy and Rick had shown up silently and were watching this display with growing nervousness.
" I…was…" Mariana choked out, but never finished.
She tried to tear away from Ardeth's grasp, but to no avail.
" Mariana…" Ardeth started, but instead of finishing, he (against all public Medji rules) drew her close to him, cradling her body close to his own.
Evy looked to Rick for an answer, but only got a blank, confused stare.
Ardeth picked Mariana up and held her like a baby, close to his body and began to walk. Everyone followed, silently behind.
" What's going on?" Evy asked Rick in a whisper as they were walking.
" I don't know, but it doesn't seem good." Rick answered back in a whisper
*this little conversation is in whisper*
" Do you think it has anything to do with Kurai?" Evy asked.
" I'm not sure, but all I know is that we came here to do one thing, and that's what I'm keeping my mind on. And the only thing on my mind, is protecting you two." Rick finished.
" So, where exactly are we going?" Izzy asked " Cause I am getting tired." Izzy finished.
Everyone turned and looked at him.
" Izzy, come here!" Rick said grabbing him and pulling him off to the side.
" Listen, you're here to help, not complain, so whatever goes, on, unless it threatens you , stay out of it. Otherwise just go." Rick scolded.
" But, you ordered me out her O'Connell!" Izzy said.
" Well, if all your going to do is complain, then just go." Rick said and walked back over to Evy and Alex.
" Well, I appreciate all the mess you have gotten me into O'Connell." Izzy said and they all looked at him.
" But, you are the only one who can, well keep me alive in times like this when creepy dead guys, and for some reason always come after you, want to take over the bloody world. Somehow I always manage to run into you during these times, but you always manage to get me out of it. You're the only real friend I've got O'Connell, and I believe that if anyone can save the world, it's you. I mean you have already done it three times and I'm gonna do what I can to help." Izzy finished.
Everyone looked shocked.
" Thank you Izzy." Rick said. " Don't worry, we wont let you down." he finished.
Ardeth turned, still not saying a word, and continued to walk. Everyone else followed once more.