Chapter 1
The rain fell slowly making the ground under Nadine's feet her sandals submerged in a puddle. Nadine stood next to Serefina, her staff glowing softly. Her cloak now seemed heavier because of the rain. "We have made it Serefina. Now to find the Pharaoh." Serefina nodded and stretched her back muscles trying to look around without looking to obvious and caught movement to her right.
"Hey ya girlie. Want to have some real fun? I mean since you like your goin to a party want to party with some real people. We have lots of fun..."He trailed off his breath hot on Serefina's shoulder. Another tried to touch Nadine and so Serefina stepped up both of them back away from the women.
"We are here on something important so we have no time for your parties. Please part and let us pass." Her voice held firm though her whole body trembled with the need to protect the girl behind her.
"Fine then, you wont party with us you dun party." His voice held a dark promise as he struck out at the two girls.
Serefina eyed the boys around her, her hand up blocking her face from the kicks her other hand holding the girl behind her so as she would be safe.
"Serefina!" the girl yelled her voice holding the authority that only someone of high rank could pull off. But the girl ignored her in favor of pushing Nadine out of the way the man in front of her punching Serefina in the jaw. The girls hood fell back to reveal a chocolate brown haired girl, her green eyes wide in fear.
"Run!" Serefina yelled as she stood somewhat shakily and fended off blows protecting the girl frozen on the ground. Her hair had fallen from its flat bun on her head with each movement it floated around her. Another punch sent her to ground and Serefina's companion just looked at her in fear. "Run Nadine, Find the Pharaoh..." Her voice trailed off in favor of a slight whimper as one of the boys pulled her up to her feet by her hair.
Nadine, the girl on the ground, got the message and ran off shedding her cloak with a quick flick of her wrist on the eye clasp. The thin material of her skirt quickly soaked in the water making it stick to her skin as she realized that rain fell from the sky. She cursed and forced her body to run faster as the sounds of a body hitting the pavement ringing in her ears. Her body collided with a stronger one and she stumbled back.
"Hey you okay?" The boy asked his eyes flitting to her before returning the scene behind Nadine. Nadine refused to turn since the only sounds were the sounds of feet connecting with thick thuds and stray cries to Isis. With each cry Nadine cringed and the boy looked down at her in alarm. When his answer still went unanswered he said in a low dangerous voice, "Tristen, stay here with her, I have feeling that there is someone who needs our help. If I look like I'm in trouble then help but other then that watch over the girl." He tossed the cloak to Tristen who caught it and wrapped it around the shivering girl. Nadine turned and reached into a hidden pocket in the cloak.
"Your friend is lucky, Joey will help her." Tristen said ignoring quite easily that she looked like she was ready to go to a Halloween party. Her eyes looked like an Egyptian's from the wall pieces he had seen. But the dark brown hair curling around her face seemed to bring more attention to her piercing green eyes.
"It is rude to stare." She stated her eyes glancing over him her eyes cool and like ice. Tristen flushed brightly before looking up to see Joey helping a girl walk to them. When they reached Tristen and Nadine, the girl dropped and revealed her neck, her body flat against the ground.
"Please forgive me Nadine. I failed you. Please when we find the Pharaoh report me so as I may be punished rightly." Serefina mumbled her body rigid. Nadine kneeled down her cloak spreading out to reveal again the ankle length white skirt. Her fingers touched the girl's head to reveal the same make up on her face as Nadine's.
"Serefina, we are no longer in ancient Egypt. And Pharaoh will not punish you, you saved my life and even in Egypt you would not be punished." Her voice was kind and acting like they were the only ones in the world. Joey eyed them and realized it was like his sister was to him, always kind and though younger still loved to give advice to her older brother.
"Um guys, we have friends that live near by so if you would like to get warm then we should get going." Joey said quietly the rain beginning to fall harder. Nadine nodded and stood, the girl standing also.
"Lets go. Serefina catch." Nadine said in a small voice throwing over her shoulder gold arm cuffs. Serefina caught them and smiled as she slipped them on, the feeling of the familiar metal like an old friend. Joey eyed them and realized that the eye on the arm cuffs were the same as the ones on Yugi's. But he ignored it as he opened the door to the game shop. Serefina's short skirt was now skin tight and ripped in a couple places from the beating she took, while like Nadine, her gold chest ring was only dotted with the rain drops.
"YUGI!" Joey yelled as he walked into the shop before helping Nadine remove her cloak. Her skirt had dried slightly and brushed her sandals. Her golden chest ring was more elaborate the Serefina's, yet it was slightly smaller then Serefina's since the girl was smaller then Serefina. Serefina smiled as Tristen tried to talk to her and nodded to the man behind him. Tristen turned to see Yugi, his face young and seemingly carefree.
"Pharaoh!" Nadine gasped as she bowed low. Yugi looked confused and let Yami take over. Yami looked at the girl with a look akin to the one of someone trying very hard to remember a long lost memory. Nadine stood and turned to Serefina who moved to stand just behind her.
"I'm very sorry miss, but my name is Yami and that is all I know. So you know me?" Yami said in his deep voice, one that had seen many troubles, almost the exact opposite of Yugi.
"Yami. My name is Nadine Chienka, High priestess of Horus. This is Serefina Najra, my protector. We have come from Egypt, But not the Egypt of your time. It is the Egypt that you may call ancient Egypt." Her voice was one of high respect and even when setting the room straight she acted as if she was in front of a court of nobles.
"Welcome Nadine and Serefina. Yugi, the boy you saw before, lives here with his grandfather. From what he is telling me is that any friend of mine is a friend of his. I will speak with you later." And with those parting words he changed back into Yugi. Joey leaned against the counter his eyes watching the entire goings on. Tristen walked over to Yugi and patted his head slipping past him to head up stairs. Joey herded the girls up stairs with Yugi's help.
"Yugi, who are these people?" An older man asked which Serefina and Nadine assumed was Yugi's grandfather.
Yugi pointed to the girls in their revealing outfits and said in his childish voice, "Serefina and Nadine are friends that Joey brought over. We are going to my room." Yugi walked off and Nadine shuddered her thought returning to the memories of Yami's grandfather, who incidentally, looked just like the old man. Yugi sat Nadine on the Futon Serefina refusing to sit down instead sat in the window sill her eyes watching the new world with fascination. Joey eyed her suspiciously before sitting next to her and looking at the same world she was with a bored expression.
"Yugi, Your puzzle looks like the one Pharaoh used to wear. Seto and I were his high priest and priestess so we saw a lot of that necklace. Yugi I have come here to warn you of a great peril that will befall you. The High Priest of Pharaoh's father felt betrayed that he was not the Pharaoh's so he vowed revenge. Seto was corrupted and they were about to succeed when Pharaoh passed away unexpectedly. His son is now in power and I'm still his high priestess though I was given permission to come see you." she paused and in that time Yami appeared and leaned more fully on the desk that Yugi had sat on. "Pharaoh-" Yami held up a hand and abruptly stopped the speech from Nadine's mouth.
"I'm not a Pharaoh here, I barely remember anything so please just call me Yami." Yami said a slightly smile on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, Yami saw the frown on Serefina's face. "What seems to be bothering you Serefina?" Yami asked the girl as she glared at her reflection.
"This world is so different, so foreign to me that I fear I will forget Egypt. There I am but a protector to the high priestess. Here I fear freedom will try to consume me and I will forget my place. I'm sorry Pharaoh Yami, but I fear, a Pharaoh you must stay at least in my mind. It is above my station to think that I could be so familiar with the Pharaoh." Serefina ended with a whisper and she looked at her wrists, the manacles glinting merrily from the lights. Yami transformed to Yugi and so Yugi walked over and placed an arm around the girl's shoulder.
"Its okay Serefina. Only problem is that you will have to go to school with me, but Yami and me have lots of friends, and you already met two of them. But please follow me you look tired." Yugi grinned amiably and led the girl's out of the room and into a guest room the futon's ready for them to sleep. He said good night and left them. Serefina looked over the books until she came to one that seemed familiar to her. She took her manacles and chest ring off to reveal a thin cloth that covered her chest and her skirt, which had dried quickly. To her surprise there were clothes on the futons. Serefina saw a pair of baggy shorts that obviously belonged to a man and a tank top, which obviously belonged to a woman. Nadine found a large shirt that looked like something the males would wear in Egypt and a small pair of pants.
A light knock at the door alerted them to visitors as a girl slipped in her dark brown hair looking damp from the rain. "Hiya everyone, my name is Tea. I'm here to help if you need any help dressing. Yugi told me he had some friends from out of the country so I thought I would help. Though I bet you have these things at home." Her talk made the girl's nervous as Tea basically dressed them and then sat down her blue eyes bright a friendly.
"Please leave us so as we may sleep, our, um, journey has been long and we wish to sleep." Nadine said her eyes full of command like before. Tea nodded and left, leaning on the closed door before telling Yugi she has finished and would be back the next morning. Then she went home thinking about Yugi's strange friends.
Serefina seemed comfortable though Nadine seemed to have troubles slightly trying to fall asleep. Serefina whispered Egyptian easily. The words just slipped from her lips and when Nadine caught the sound she sat up and looked over to see what she was reading from. Her eyes landed on the open pages of the "Book Of The Dead", something that even to Nadine was as common as her fingers on her hand. Everyone in the palace had a copy that had been done so as if anyone died there would be the blessed book to send them rightfully off to the afterlife.
"Go to sleep Serefina. We will have a full day tomorrow. "Nadine commanded softly before turning to face away from Serefina. Serefina placed the book down and did as she was commanded her face stone faced. As sleep stole them away, Yugi stuck his head in to see them asleep.
"Sleep well you two." He whispered before closing their door and walking back down stairs so as to talk to everyone. His first sight was Weevil against some novice. Joey was pointing out his mistakes, flushing when Yugi's grandfather pointed out that he made the same as a novice.
"I swear, Gramps, that if I even liked Weevil I would think he was going easy on the novice." Joey stated as he stretched out on the couch. Yugi sat on the floor his face somewhat distanced from the show. "Are they asleep Yug?" Joey asked as he sat up a thoughtful look on his face.
"Yes and they look like they could use it." Yugi answered fitfully yawning also. "Hey guys see ya tomorrow morning I'm heading to bed too." Joey and Tristen nodded heading to the door. Yugi's grandfather looked after Yugi and sighed before shaking his head turning the TV off and heading to bed also.
A dark shadow touched the window and peered in seeing the two girls lying in beds, and then moved to look in Yugi's window. "I found you Pharaoh." was all it said as it dissipated into nothingness.