Ariela was busy studying some charts when the knock came. Her head came up and she sighed.

She was as beautiful as her mother was but her coloring was totally opposite. While her mother had brown hair, Ariela was jet black. Her mother had green eyes and Ariela's where violet. But mother and daughter where both beautiful. The men of the house where totally devoted to them and Ariela was the apple of her father and brother's eye.

Since when she was twelve and had heard the tale of the mummy and how it had awoke, Ariela had been studying about him and the curse that was over it. And now at twenty she was ready. She waited for the day it would awake and her and her family along with Evelyn's brother Jonathan, who lived with them, would go back to Egypt.

"Come in."

Rick came in. "Hello Precious."

Ariela dimpled a smile up at her father. "Hello."

Rick held up the telegram. "This is a telegram from Ardeth Bay."

Ariela cocked her head. "Don't know him."

"Oh yes you do."

"I do?" said Ariela. She blinked her bright violet eyes.

"He guards Hamunaptra."

Ariela's eyes lit up. "He's back?"

"You don't have to look so excited," muttered Rick. "If I had my way, which I don't, we would not even be thinking of going back."

"Oh, we're going back," said Ariela. "Because I've found something very interesting about this curse." She tugged a black notebook from the top drawer. "And yes, I do remember Ardeth Bay now. Is he coming?"

"He'll be here tomorrow night."

Jonathan poked his head into the room. He grinned at Ariela. "Here's your chance, girl."

"I know."

"Not one bit happy about this myself," said Jonathan as he came in and sat beside Rick.

"Me either. Neither is Alex for that matter."

"Hey I have an idea!" said Jonathan. "Let's let Evy and Ariela go! And we can stay here!"

"You'd let Ariela go to Hamunaptra by herself with only your sister to protect her?"

Jonathan thought about that for a moment. Then he grinned and shook his head. "No, I guess I couldn't. We could lock Ariela up and let Evy go by herself. The whole blasted thing is her fault anyway. If she hadn't read out of that book."

Evelyn appeared at the door and raised an eyebrow at her brother and husband. "Talking about someone I know, Jonathan?"

"Of course not, my sweet. I was just saying I couldn't wait to get back to Hamunaptra and see good ole Im-Ho-Tep."

Evelyn nodded her head and rolled her eyes. "Sure. But I can't either." She looked at Rick. "I thought he was rather handsome when he had all his skin on."

"Yeah, sure," said Rick. "Handsome."