'I want to go with you!' shouted Alex. 'I always go with you!'
'Not this time Alex,' said Rick, pointing at him as he leapt up the stairs. 'This time's a bit different.'
'What's different? Someone's trying to destroy the world again! I was allowed to go then.'
'Yeah but you had a life-sucking bracelet stuck to you and we didn't know they were going to destroy the world when we went to find the bracelet!' Rick handed him. On that thought, he turned to Evie, who was frantically searching through the bookcase. 'You know, we should really stop finding this kind of stuff so the whole destroy-the-world thing wouldn't happen.'
Evie rolled her eyes and made no replied. Piles of books surrounded her feet but nowhere could she find an old map of Memphis, which seemed odd because the bookcase at the top of the stairs had everything.
'Looking for this, Mum?' called Alex from below.
Evie and Rick leaned over the balconey and saw Alex holding the book on ancient Memphis.
'Alex, bring that here now!' his mother demanded.
'No way! Not until you let me go with you!'
Rick shook his head. 'Alex, give your mother the book...Why are you moving toward the fireplace?'
Evie gasped. 'Alex, don't you dare!'
'Then let me come with you, or the wrath of Sekhmet gets to keep Memphis all to herself!' He waved the book dangerously close to the fire.
Rick looked at Evie. 'He'll do it. He gets it from your side.'
Evie raised an eyebrow. 'What, destruction? That's you side.'
'No, stubbornness. That's your side.
'Look, if we're going to save the world, again, then we need that book. It has a copy of the only map of ancient Memphis.'
Rick considered. 'Well, it's not like he won't be safe. You are, after all, an incarnated butt-kicking princess.'
She smiled. 'And you are part of the Medjai. And plus...' She gave Rick a knowing look. He realised what she meant and nodded. Evie leaned back over the rail. 'Alright, Alex. You can come.'
Alex whooped at getting his way and accidentally threw the book up when he threw up his hands. All three O'Connell's gasped as the book seemed to fall, slow-motion, straight towards the fire when Alex dove forward Rick-style and caught it just before it hit the flames.
Everyone sighed in relief and Alex grinned sheepishly. "Thanks Mum and Dad."
They smiled back, but not sheepishly. "Don't thank us yet. You want to come, you have to have some responsibility,"
Alex didn't like the way they said 'responsibility'.
Then, the front door opened. In walked no other than Johnathan carrying a smallish suitcase. "Alright chaps, who's ready to make it rich?"
Alex began to smoulder. "No!" he implored to his parents. They were nodding.
"Oh yes," said Evie, "you will be taking care of uncle Johnathan."
Johnathan was puzzled. "I say, shouldn't it be the other way around?"
"No," Rick promptly replied.
"Oh, alright then."
Alex shook his head. He hadn't got his way after all.
Evie smiled. "Kids," she said under her breath. She was talking about Johnathan.
