As it turned out, Monifa was in Alex's arithmetic and English class as
well. They came to know each other a little better and Elizabeth, Mathew,
and Monifa all walked with Alex to his house so they could work on their
project that was about what life was like in Ancient Egypt. Figuring that
the O'Connell Mansion had more books on Egypt than the library, the group
made Alex's house their base of operations.
"How big exactly is this project?" Monifa asked.
"Big enough to pass or fail us this semester." Mathew answered not at all in a good mood. In his eyes she was one more problem to deal with. "You came at an difficult time."
"Oh." She said meekly.
"But you lived in Cairo, right? You can help us on comparing what life was like back then and what life in like now in the present." Alex put in trying to get people to relax.
"What was school like in Egypt?" Elizabeth asked already starting the interview.
"I didn't go. My mother taught me."
"So then why did you move to London?" Mathew asked as if what Monifa had just said didn't make any sense, his patience with her already wearing thin.
"My mother died and I was sent here to live with my aunt." Monifa said matter-of-factly, "Is that a good enough answer?"
The four walked in silence the rest of the way.
*~*~*
"Hello, Alex. Who are your friends?" Rick O'Connell asked as he came home just a few minutes after the four finished getting settled. He had dirt all over him, but he was careful not to track any mud inside.
"Hello, Dad. This is Elizabeth Baker, Mathew Jones, and Monifa Bay." Alex said making the introductions. The fact that his father was a complete mess didn't faze him one bit. It happened all of the time.
Rick paused at the name 'Bay' but shook it off as a coincidence.
"Nice to meet you all." He said as he left to go clean himself up.
Despite all of the tension in the room, the four immediately went to work.
*~*~*
Three hours passed, and Elizabeth and Mathew had long since left, but Alex and Monifa still kept on reading.
"I think my eyes are going cross-eyed." Alex stated as he closed his book.
"Me too." Monifa agreed pushing her book aside.
"I didn't know you could read hieroglyphs." He said as he noticed that instead of small printed words, her book was filled with the ancient symbols.
"I learned it from my father when I was a little girl."
"Where is he, your father?" Alex asked his curious nature getting the best of him.
"I don't know. He left me when I was eight. I haven't seen him since."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"Care to look around?" Alex asked.
He nearly laughed as he saw Monifa's face instantly lighten up.
"You mean to look at the artifacts in your house?"
"Something like that."
Evelyn O'Connell found the two, ten minutes later, hunched over a display case in the main foyer.
"Is your friend staying for dinner?" She asked.
She watched her son and his friend jump at the sound of her voice and placed a hand over her mouth to hide her smile.
"Mother. This is Monifa." Alex said face flustered a little. He hated when his mum snuck up on him like that.
Monifa walked up and shook hands with Evelyn, bowing her head a bit. Alex noticed that she had bowed her head when she met him in class and when she met his dad. How odd. Evelyn just looked on with interest. 'So Alex finally picked a girl with manners' she found herself thinking.
"I'm sorry to decline your dinner invitation, Mrs. O'Connell, but I think I better head home and finish the rest of my school work. I'll just go get my things." She said excusing herself as she headed back to the library.
"Decline my dinner invitation? I like this one already." Evelyn said once Monifa was out of earshot.
"Mother! She's just my friend. We only met today."
"Pity. The one girl I like and she isn't a romantic interest."
Alex had no answer to that.
"Thank you for inviting me over, Alex. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Nice meeting you, Mrs. O'Connell." Monifa said as she headed towards the front door her book bag slung over her shoulder.
"I hope to see you again, dear."
"Good bye." Alex said shooting his mother an evil glare.
"What was that for?" Evelyn asked as the door closed shut.
"You know what you did." He said as he walked away.
"Gees Evie, way to embarrass the boy in front of his new lady friend." Jonathan, Evelyn's brother, joked as he walked down the stairs into the main hall.
"She wasn't even here half the time. Honestly, I was just having a little fun."
"Well I think you were the only one laughing." Rick pointed out as he came in from the study, no trace of mud left on his body.
"Oh please. She was a rather sweet girl. What was her name again?"
"Monifa. Monifa Bay." Rick answered.
"Bay as in Ardeth?"
"Well I don't think there are that many 'Bay's' out there." Jonathan said.
"But what would his daughter be doing here?" Evelyn asked.
"Perhaps its just coincidence." Rick suggested, but didn't seem to convince anyone.
"How about that dinner?" Jonathan asked rubbing his hands together.
*~*~*
MEANWHILE BACK AT AHM SHERE....
"Dig faster. We are in a time frame here." Dr. Michael Scott yelled at the slaves he had digging in the sand.
"Sir, the girl, she's in London." A messenger informed Dr. Scott as he dismounted from his horse.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"And her birthday, February 13th?"
"Is in a week."
Dr. Scott turned and faced the giant excavation sight.
"Excellent."
A/N: I updated, ImhotepsLover, just like I promised.
Like? No like? Thanks to all of the reviewers so far. All....four of you!!
"How big exactly is this project?" Monifa asked.
"Big enough to pass or fail us this semester." Mathew answered not at all in a good mood. In his eyes she was one more problem to deal with. "You came at an difficult time."
"Oh." She said meekly.
"But you lived in Cairo, right? You can help us on comparing what life was like back then and what life in like now in the present." Alex put in trying to get people to relax.
"What was school like in Egypt?" Elizabeth asked already starting the interview.
"I didn't go. My mother taught me."
"So then why did you move to London?" Mathew asked as if what Monifa had just said didn't make any sense, his patience with her already wearing thin.
"My mother died and I was sent here to live with my aunt." Monifa said matter-of-factly, "Is that a good enough answer?"
The four walked in silence the rest of the way.
*~*~*
"Hello, Alex. Who are your friends?" Rick O'Connell asked as he came home just a few minutes after the four finished getting settled. He had dirt all over him, but he was careful not to track any mud inside.
"Hello, Dad. This is Elizabeth Baker, Mathew Jones, and Monifa Bay." Alex said making the introductions. The fact that his father was a complete mess didn't faze him one bit. It happened all of the time.
Rick paused at the name 'Bay' but shook it off as a coincidence.
"Nice to meet you all." He said as he left to go clean himself up.
Despite all of the tension in the room, the four immediately went to work.
*~*~*
Three hours passed, and Elizabeth and Mathew had long since left, but Alex and Monifa still kept on reading.
"I think my eyes are going cross-eyed." Alex stated as he closed his book.
"Me too." Monifa agreed pushing her book aside.
"I didn't know you could read hieroglyphs." He said as he noticed that instead of small printed words, her book was filled with the ancient symbols.
"I learned it from my father when I was a little girl."
"Where is he, your father?" Alex asked his curious nature getting the best of him.
"I don't know. He left me when I was eight. I haven't seen him since."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
They sat in silence for a moment.
"Care to look around?" Alex asked.
He nearly laughed as he saw Monifa's face instantly lighten up.
"You mean to look at the artifacts in your house?"
"Something like that."
Evelyn O'Connell found the two, ten minutes later, hunched over a display case in the main foyer.
"Is your friend staying for dinner?" She asked.
She watched her son and his friend jump at the sound of her voice and placed a hand over her mouth to hide her smile.
"Mother. This is Monifa." Alex said face flustered a little. He hated when his mum snuck up on him like that.
Monifa walked up and shook hands with Evelyn, bowing her head a bit. Alex noticed that she had bowed her head when she met him in class and when she met his dad. How odd. Evelyn just looked on with interest. 'So Alex finally picked a girl with manners' she found herself thinking.
"I'm sorry to decline your dinner invitation, Mrs. O'Connell, but I think I better head home and finish the rest of my school work. I'll just go get my things." She said excusing herself as she headed back to the library.
"Decline my dinner invitation? I like this one already." Evelyn said once Monifa was out of earshot.
"Mother! She's just my friend. We only met today."
"Pity. The one girl I like and she isn't a romantic interest."
Alex had no answer to that.
"Thank you for inviting me over, Alex. I'll see you at school tomorrow. Nice meeting you, Mrs. O'Connell." Monifa said as she headed towards the front door her book bag slung over her shoulder.
"I hope to see you again, dear."
"Good bye." Alex said shooting his mother an evil glare.
"What was that for?" Evelyn asked as the door closed shut.
"You know what you did." He said as he walked away.
"Gees Evie, way to embarrass the boy in front of his new lady friend." Jonathan, Evelyn's brother, joked as he walked down the stairs into the main hall.
"She wasn't even here half the time. Honestly, I was just having a little fun."
"Well I think you were the only one laughing." Rick pointed out as he came in from the study, no trace of mud left on his body.
"Oh please. She was a rather sweet girl. What was her name again?"
"Monifa. Monifa Bay." Rick answered.
"Bay as in Ardeth?"
"Well I don't think there are that many 'Bay's' out there." Jonathan said.
"But what would his daughter be doing here?" Evelyn asked.
"Perhaps its just coincidence." Rick suggested, but didn't seem to convince anyone.
"How about that dinner?" Jonathan asked rubbing his hands together.
*~*~*
MEANWHILE BACK AT AHM SHERE....
"Dig faster. We are in a time frame here." Dr. Michael Scott yelled at the slaves he had digging in the sand.
"Sir, the girl, she's in London." A messenger informed Dr. Scott as he dismounted from his horse.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"And her birthday, February 13th?"
"Is in a week."
Dr. Scott turned and faced the giant excavation sight.
"Excellent."
A/N: I updated, ImhotepsLover, just like I promised.
Like? No like? Thanks to all of the reviewers so far. All....four of you!!