This is my first ever story. I am open to criticism and tips to get better. I obviously don't own the show nor the characters. This is a rewrite that respect the original material but try the explore more of the story.
This is a rewrite of the series. The first episode/chapter have some minor changes but the basics are the same, I added some scenes and more interaction between some characters. I also added more explanations about some details that I thought were a little vague in the show. I didn't changed anything on the fight scenes so o didn't thought it would be necessary to describe it, it's the same as the original.
The major change is that the main character is not a boy of 12 years old but a girl of 16 years old. I have some reasons to change the characters age and gender. First of all, because in the Egypt society the principal role of the woman was as a mother and wife. Woman's were allowed in some professions as included weaving, perfume making, and entertainment but having the role of a princess has some limitations, limitations that our protagonist was fighting against. This story won't focus too much on that but it explains why she made some enemies, as they thought a girl shouldn't mess with what wasn't her business. Also it makes her friendship with Nefertina more important as both of them had problems because of their gender. I will explain more of her relationships with the other guardians too. On that topic, there will be a reason why they are so loyal to her. As I changed the age from 12 to 16 both the princess and the protagonist are more mature and had more time to make friends and enemies in life. Still talking about age, the protagonist will be more rational and resourceful than the original as she is older.
About her name: Her Egyptian name is based of Hatshepsut, the first female paraoh. And as Evelyn it was based from the protagonist from the Mummy movie from 1999.
I am not going to give myself a deadline to make the second chapter. I probably will wait a little to see how people will react to this story. So please leave your opinion after reading, the more comments the more chance that there will be a chapter two.
I also have to mention that English isn't my main language so if there are some grammatical error, please tell me.
Edit (21/12/2020): Because of a new review, I made some corrections in this chapter. Some grammar fixed. Fixed the name of the princess in some parts of the chapter to "Hatshet". Fixed Mr. Stone's name mentions too. If there are more grammar mistakes feel free to tell me in the review.
The guardians of Eve
Episode one: The awakening
That night was lit by the full moon. While most of the city's inhabitants rested peacefully in their homes, one did not share that peace. That night, an ancestral soul had trouble sleeping. Even though she was still totally oblivious to her past life, Eve's memories of when she was not yet Evelyn Jones eventually resurfaced in her sleep.
It had been going on for some time but the more time passed the more complex her dreams became. Initially they were just flashes of sand and a sky lit by a bright sun. Soon she started to see figures and buildings in the middle of the sand, and then she started to see these shapes better. Details on people's clothes and the shape of the structures became clearer. She even started to hear voices, still like whispers, and feel ... emotions. Unfortunately, her memories were messy and incomplete, so the girl concluded that they were just products of her imagination. "Dreams are really weird", she used to conclude.
But that night was different, in her dream there were no flashes or whispers that she heard. For the first time in her sixteen years of life, Eve has recovered a complete memory from her past life. And that was just the beginning of a chain of events that was going to change her life forever.
It started with the vision of a big city in the middle of the desert. Eve was delighted to see that scenery extended in front of her, it was the first time she had seen the buildings in her dreams in sharp detail. But she was surprised by the feeling of nostalgia that welled up in her chest, why would she feel nostalgic when seeing a landscape for the first time? That's when she realized she was on a kind of balcony with a perfect view of the city. The building she was in was different from the others that she could see in the city, some parts of this structure appeared to be made of gold. Eve unconsciously ran her hand over the railing in front of her, feeling the gold pressed against her fingers. Looking at her hands on the gold she noticed what she was wearing, a beautiful white dress with red and blue details and accessories like her golden bracelets. This hair was also a lot longer than her normal one that went up to her neck. It was too elegant of a style for her taste.
Before she could analyze more of the environment she was in, she heard the sound of doors opening behind her. And when she turned to see what looked like a bedroom about ten times larger than hers, she noticed a man entering through gilded doors.
'There's a bunch of gold in this place...' She concludes.
The muscular man approached her in firm, controlled steps, Eve noticed that he was walking like a soldier or something similar. With him closer Eve noted that he also wore golden pieces of clothing but less detailed than hers, on his head was a type of helmet also in gold.
"My princess." He greets her in a formal tone.
If they weren't the only ones there, Eve would think he was talking to someone else. She tried to question who he was, but to her surprise, another question came from her lips. It was as if someone else was speaking in her voice.
"Did you find something?" Her own voice asks using words she didn't choose.
"I followed him as you asked, but he made no suspicious move." He reported seriously as he walked more steps towards her until he was just a few steps behind her.
"With all due respect, princess. How are you sure he is planning something?" The mysterious man asked hesitantly. If Eve could guess, she would say that he didn't want to question her.
Eve could feel several feelings rising within her: worry, fear, uncertainty, anger and pain. It was the strangest situation she ever found herself in, she was in her body but had no control over her movements or emotions. It was like living a movie in the protagonist's place but without control of her actions.
The person in control of her body was silent for a few seconds as if deciding how to organize her next words.
"From the first time I met him, I was nervous in his presence ... as if he were a threat. I didn't know the source of that feeling, but now I understand. He was always a greedy man, always looking for more power. I always see envy in his eyes when he looks at my father. The most powerful person in this realm. "Her eyes briefly contemplated the land under her father's domain before her gaze lands on her companion again. Her next words emanated firmness and certainty so that the man before her would doubt what she was claiming no more. "I know he is planning something. He wants more power and we both know how he will try to get it. "
This time it was the mysterious man who went silent, her words made him reflect more on the situation before them. He became more serious from this point onwards, the doubt he had before disappeared completely.
"... It is a serious accusation. He has been your father's chief royal advisor for a long time, if you accuse him without evidence, no one will believe it." He warns her.
"That's why I asked you to follow him. I would do that, but he would obviously notice me..." She starts but when she mentions her plan to follow him in person, her companion interrupts her.
"No!" He exclaims firmly, immediately denying her plan without leaving room for negotiation. It was clear that he would not let her do this at all. "I will do that. If he is dangerous, I don't want you around him."
Eve was more comfortable now. A part of her didn't feel comfortable being so close to a stranger, but whoever this man was, it was clear he cared about her and wouldn't hurt her. Eve felt that a smile was forming on her face.
"So you do believe in me." She speaks with relief. Feeling grateful that he believed her.
"I will always believe in you, my princess. If you think he is a threat than I will help you prove it." He declared with a bow.
"... thanks." She speaks in a voice rich in gratitude.
"You don't have to thank me, it is my duty to serve you." He states firmly, and also with what Eve assumed was a touch of affection.
"I'm not thanking you as my guard." The person controlling Eve's body clarifies, still smiling fondly. "I am thanking you as my friend. You are one of the few people I can really trust."
'So they are friends ...' Eve concludes but can't say outloud.
In the blink of an eye, the scenery around her including her mate disappeared. She was in the middle of the desert, no form of construction in sight, in fact she couldn't see anything around her but sand. Eve froze with fear when she realized that she was indeed trapped in the center of a sandstorm. The girl wished to return to the scenario of before when at least she was inside a safe building.
That was when another feeling came up inside her.
Fear.
All her senses were on alert, as if she knew that at any moment she would be attacked. Her hands were shaking with nervousness, her eyes wide looking from side to side looking for whatever was causing her so much fear.
Never in her life like Eve had she felt such intense feeling.
That was when the worst happened. She noticed a figure approaching her through the sand. Eve couldn't quite identify who it was, but she can tell he was bigger than her and probably a man. What she knew for sure was that this presence was not friendly. He was definitely there to hurt her. Without realizing it, she took a step back in an attempt to put some distance between them, but, to her terror, she didn't feel ground beneath her foot. With nothing to lean on, she lost her balance and fell backwards into a bottomless hole. As she fell everything around her started to get dark and she heard a voice shouting something before everything went dark.
"Hatshet!" The voice screams in dispair.
And then she was back at her home. In total control of her body. It took Eve a few seconds to calm down, she was still shaking with fear. Slowly, with shaky breaths, she tried to calm herself. She put her hand on her chest, feeling her racing heartbeat. Her experience with her dreams has become more intense over the years. If it went on like this, she would end up having a heart attack!
"What the hell was that ...?" She asks herself still in shock.
The girl eventually decided to try to ignore the matter until later. It would be better not to waste what was left of your night's sleep.
The next morning was no better. Eve only managed to sleep a few more hours before her mother woke her up, warning that it was time to get ready for school and soon Eve was on her way. At school the situation did not improve, unlike her previous dreams, that of the night before did not leave Eve's mind. She could still remember perfectly what happened including what she felt every moment. The first part of the dream mostly left her curious and confused. Who was that guy and what they were talking about? That she could handle. Her problem was the second part, the feeling of dread in her dream at the last moments haunted her.
After hours of thinking about it while the teachers gave classes on subjects she couldn't pay attention to at the moment, she just wanted to relax and do something to finally get her mind off the dream. Skating with her friend seemed like the perfect opportunity.
"Race you down the hill, Walter!" She exclaims. Ready to skate her worries away.
Her friend wasn't motivated enought to do that.
"It's too steep, Eve! Toast yourself not me." He says, noticing her strange eagerness to risk it.
She went down the steep street being careful not to fall and taking pleasure in focusing completely on something that was not her dream, even if it was only for some seconds.
She stopped close to the entrence of the museum her mother worked in. Her friend, Walter, got there some minutes later.
"What kept you, slowpoke?" She asked with smirk, still feeling the adrenaline from the race downhill.
"Ok. Spill it out." He called out.
She turned to him, confused.
"What?"
"You were distracted all class. Even in history... and you love history!" He exclaims.
It was fruitless trying to deny it. Walter was her best friend since they first meet when they were three and he mistook her for a guy and when she told him she was a girl, he tried to convince her that she was mistaken about her own gender. Surprisingly after some time talking they took a like in each other. They had much in common, even liked the same movies. Since then they became best friends. Of course he would have noticed her strange behavior all day.
"It's just that I am thinking about a dream that I had last night..." She confesses, trailing off.
"You are distracted like that because of a dream?" Walter was surprised, Eve wasn't the type of person that let dreams bother her that much. For it to make her behave that way, It must have been some disturbing dream.
"It was different from the others..."
She proceeds to describe to him about everything she saw in the dream: the city, the mysterious guy, the spying, the part in the sandstorm and the name( at least, she thought it sounded like a name) by the end.
"So you are saying that you dreamed that you were some kind of desert princess that had a suspicion that some royal advisor was planning to take the power from her father than asked her loyal friend to spy on him?" Walter asked after she finished. He smirked at her, thinking the dream shouldn't be something to worry about. "Sounds like the plot of a movie. You should write it."
"I am serious, Walter." She scolds her friend.
"Me too. It's just your mind playing tricks on you. It's not real. Your mind must have taken things you saw during the day and reflected it on your dream." He explains as the duo got closer to the museum.
"How can you be so sure? You weren't the one in the dream!" Eve argued, her friend was doing a terrible job making her feel better.
Walter stopped and kicked up his board.
"What was the name that you heard by the end of your dream?" He simply asked.
"Hatshet."
"Like the exhibit that your mother have been working the last months?" He pointed at something behind her.
It was a poster promoting the Hatshet's exihibition at the city museum, the same museum her mother worked and was talking all the time about. Eve must have heard her mom talking about it and after that dreamed about it.
It was just coincidence...
Eve and Walter stared at each other for some seconds before both of them burst in laughter.
"Dude, I can't believe I forgot about it! Mom talks about it all the time! Of course the name is in my mind!" Eve exclaimed, relieved that her dream had an explanation... at least part of it.
"You need to relax, Eve. Hearing your mother talk about Egypt history all the time is messing with your mind!" Walter warned his friend in a playful tone.
"Maybe it's an vision warning about the tomb of the pharaoh with his mummy missing, is it alive? Alive!" Eve said in a fake scary voice.
"Get real, Eve!" He rolled his eyes but still smiled at her.
With the dream problem solved. Eve felt better. They talked for some minutes before Walter's dad called to ask if he was on his way home. The duo said goodbye to each other and Walter left.
With his friend gone, Eve entered the museum and went to her mother's office.
"Mom?" She asked but immediately realized that her mother was on the phone. Talking about her work, as always.
"Im sorry. We just can't afford to book your exhibit." She acknowledged her daughter presence by looking at her direction and giving a quick wave of her hand. "Yes the Hatshet exhibit is expensive but Mister Stone's donations Covered de costs." She continued.
Eve let out a sigh. Her mother was a good parent, definitely better than Eve's dad, but she was an busy woman. Especially last months, she had a lot of work at the museum. It made Eve felt lonely but she knew it was necessary for them to have money to live.
Eve then shrugged, she wouldn't be able to talk with her mother at that moment so she decided to instead find something to eat. The girl recalled about a vending machine that was installed at the museum some time ago. Eve had some money with her so she could by something.
After the walk to the machine, the girl noticed that the place was completely empty and dark too. The only source of light came from the machine. Eve was annoyed to realize that there wasn't anything good to eat that day. She settled with the least worst food but before she could chose she heard a male voice.
"Come back to me."
She tenses. Because of her mom, Eve already meet everybody that worked there. So she knew that voice wasn't from any of them.
For reasons she didn't understand, Eve felt de need to follow the voice to the hallway.
"Walter?" She asked, thinking her friend could be pranking her.
She kept walking down the hallway until she heard the voice again.
"Come back to me, my daughter."
As Eve couldn't find the source of the voice, she got frustrated. If her friend was really pranking her that wasn't even a little funny. He knew how the dream was worrying her and now he was going to make fun of her?
"I'm not falling for that Walter! I thought you were more mature than that!" She complained thinking that maybe it would be better to walk back to her mother's office and ignore the voice.
To her surprise, as she walked past the clay soldiers, the girl could swear she saw something moving. As she looked around she noticed where she was.
"Hatshet's exhibition? Great!" The sarcasm was evident in her voice.
The voice returned as she got close to five Sarcophagus's.
"Goodbye... Hatshet." The teen noticed that the disembodied voice carried grief.
Eve was completely unaware of the identity of the owner of the voice but hearing him say goodbye with that voice felt like... like hearing goodbye from her own mother. It didn't make any sense but Eve couldn't help but feel like that.
"Stop, doing that!" Shouted louder than before. Stopping to think rationally, she was left to wonder why she felt the need to follow the mysterious voice in the first place. It didn't seem like a prank... and she didn't wanted to consider the possibility that the voice was on her head. She wasn't crazy!
...was that place hunted? Eve was getting spooked so it made sense. Regardless of the explanation for the voice, it clearly was better for her to leave. So she walked backwards to the exit.
"Okay, I'm out of here."
The girl tripped on something on the ground and landed on the floor below with a loud thud.
"Ouch!" She exclaimed before checking for what she tripped over, she noticed was a small sarcophagus that was shaped like a cat. "I didn't noticed that before..."
Curious, she read the inscription in the sarcophagus.
"The mummified remains of a cat, believed to be Princess Hatshet's pet." As she read the girl felt pang of sudden sadness.
"Poor little guy..." She says with some tears escaping her eyes, but as quickly as it appeared, the feeling of sadness disappeared and Eve then realized that she didn't even knew why she was suddenly sad.
"Hey! Why would I be upset? I don't even like cats..." She takes a second glance at the small cat sarcophagus, wondering what of the object made her suddenly sad. "...do I?"
Eve set the sarcophagus back where she found it, not noticing the glow that started emanating from herself.
Before she could leave the room, she passed another clay soldier. Seeing something move made the girl let out a scream as a clay soldier suddenly threw itself in her direction and tried to grab her. Luckily her reflexes were fast, Eve twisted around on her heel and dashed out of the room.
Se quickly got out of the exposition and as she got out she saw a guard. Relieved to see someone that could help, she called him.
"Hey mister, you gotta do something! They're are these guys after me with faces like-" To her horror as the guard turned around, she saw that it was another clay soldier disguised as a guard.
"...your's!" She ran back to the exhibition before that soldier could grab her.
Her heart was pounding on her chest as she tried to find a hiding spot. The best place she could find was an empty sarcophagus.
In the darkness, Eve tries to calm down and don't make any sound. She didn't knew who were those people or why they after her and she didn't want to find out. Maybe she could hide until they left and then find some help.
Her plan didn't work as the sarchopagus was opened and someone rudely grabbed her wrist, pulling her out of her hiding spot. The light momentally blinded her but she still could hear someone's voice talking to her.
"Finally, after 3500 years you've come back princess Hatshet." When her eyes adjusted to the light she looked at the creepy guy grabbing her. For some reason, he gave her the same sense of dread from her dream. She immediately wanted to get away from him.
"Who are you?!" She exclaims.
"Don't you reorganize me, my princess? I'm your old pal Scarab. I was the royal adviser to your father."
Her eyes widen as his words made her remember another part of her dream. The voice of her unnamed friend sounds on her head.
"... It is a serious accusation. He has been your father's chief royal advisor for a long time, if you accuse him without evidence, no one will believe it."
"Oh... shit. That can't be the same person...? Can it be?" She whispers to herself, not noticing she was speaking instead of only thinking that.
He apparently heard her, he looked a little surprised but not displeased.
"So you do recognize me. You can't imagine how content I am to see you again." He got serious before adding. "We have unfinished business, princess Hatshet."
"I don't know what you are talking about! Stay away from me!" She exclaims as tries to escape from his tight grip. As the sense of dread became unbearable she screamed the louder she could, hoping someone would hear.
In her despair, she didn't noticed some of the sarcophagus close to them slowly opening.
"HELP!"
With her cry for aid, four of the sarcophagi blasted open. As they snapped open a wave of energy threw the duo on the ground, freeing Eve from Scarab's grasp. Eve and her attacker turned to see four mummies rising from their resting places. They had different shapes and sizes. There was the largest that surprisingly had only one arm. Two had comparatively the same size, but one was slightly more muscular and the other had a longer face. And the last one looked more feminine.
"With the strength of Ra!" All of them exclaims in unison, as some kind of battle cry.
There was a bright light emanating from them and in seconds, they were wearing armor. Each one of them was animal themed. One was based on a falcon, other on a snake, other an ox and the feminine one was based on a cat.
Needless to say, they weren't what Eve had in mind when she called for help. Eve was still in shock with the turn of events but Scarab knew really well who those four were and reacted quickly.
"Shabti, destroy them." He orders and the clay soldiers, or Shabti, at his command obey.
As a fight between the four armored mummies and the clay soldiers started, Eve watches amazed for some time as the group used their weapons and fists to destroy the soldiers. They were defiantly good fighters.
Shaking herself out of her amazed state, Eve takes advantage of the distraction to run away. But she wasn't looking at the direction she was running to so she ended up tripped over the cat sarcophagus again, but this time she saw something getting out of it.
Apparently the cat's alive too. Not that he would be any help, Eve concludes.
Before she could escape the room, Scarab grabs her again. Eve notices that now he was also wearing armor.
"Not again! Let me go!" She tries to break free from his grip but the guy was stronger than he looked, especially with the armor. Eve let out a scream of horror when she realized that they were flying a few feet above the ground. She didn't expect her captor to fly, but she knew it couldn't be a good thing for her.
Trying to flee with the girl, Scarab blasts a hole in the the roof. Fortunately he didn't had time to get away as the falcon mummy shoot a flaming arrow which ripped the back of Eve's shirt. She screams as she fell but she safely landed in someone's arms. The girl turned to see the ox mummy.
"You are safe." He said with a deep voice.
Normally she would scream at the sight of a walking-talking-living mummy but in that situation she was just happy to be away from Scarab.
Also, for some reason she didn't felt any treat coming from any of them.
Annoyed with the interference of the mummies, Scarab shot many flaming balls at Eve's direction but the Ox mummy turned protected her with his own armored body.
"The girl is mine!" Scarab exclaims, making Eve very uncomfortable with his persistence. Why was he so invested in capturing her?
"Not while we are here." The falcon mummy declares preparing to shoot another arrow at his enemy. Eve takes notice that his voice sounded familiar to her. But from where?
They both shoot and their attacks collided against each other, creating a wave of power that send shivers on Eve's spine. In what kind of messed up situation did she got thrown into?
Scarab and his minions fled, leaving Eve and the mummies alone in what was left of the exposition.
An uncomfortable silence stalled at the room, the girl and the mummies stared at each other. It was strange, while Scarabs presence was dark and threatening theirs was bright and comforting. It's like she knew that they wouldn't hurt her, regardless of their strange appearance.
Finally Eve stood from Ox's arms and talked to them.
"So... I guess you are the good guys. I thank you for the rescue." Before they could answer she continued. "I have many questions but this isn't a good place to talk. We should leave before someone gets here... I don't want to have to explain this to my mom." She looked at the destruction of the room. Part of the exhibition was on fire... freaking purple fire! "That place is a mess right now..."
"You are wise young princess. Even the desert lion retreats when the pack of hunting dogs is too large."
Eve was taken back by his way of speaking but she let him continue.
"The sacred cat shall go first." The falcon mummy said while he carried the cat and threw it onto the roof. As he threw the cat on the roof one of its strips was set loose. "Armon, after you."
Armon used the strip to climb to the roof, Eve was surprised that the strip didn't snap at Armon's weight.
Looking at the arrow shooter, Eve had to wonder. What's with everybody calling her princess? Eve then turned to watch the large mummy climb to the roof. After that the other's followed, all of them made it to out of the roof and hide behind some bushes before the cops showed up.
"They do not see us, you are safe now. We have obeyed the commands of pharaoh." The falcon mummy says as he bows in a gesture of respect that only confuses Eve. He got no reason to bow to her.
Before Eve could ask what he meant he and the others changed back to their original forms.
Eve was impressed with their powers. "Wow, how did you do that?"
"Magic." The snake armored mummy answers shrugging as if it was obvious.
"So why don't you guys stay pumped up all the time? It makes you look... well... less dead." Eve asks in curiosity.
"The magic that gives us power is limited. When it ends we must rest in our sarcophagus and renew it." The falcon mummy explains.
"So it's like recharging a cell phone." Eve concludes.
"What's a celpone?" Armon asks.
"And celpone is... er... you wouldn't understand..." Snake tries to explain but apparently he had no idea either.
"Well, we can't go back there for now." Falcon concludes, keeping an eye at the cops.
"I still want answers. But yes, it's better if we don't stay here. Someone may find us..." Eve stops to think about her options.
As much as she didn't like the idea, it's best to hide them at home. Any other place would be too risky, besides with the exhibition destroyed her mom would be busy for a while.
She took a second glance at her companions and to her surprise they were staring at her, as if waiting for her decision.
"We better get to my house. Let's go." She resolves, turning to guide them in the direction of her house. In the back of her head, the girl prayed she wouldn't regret that decision.
She was some steps ahead but still could hear two of them whispering to each other.
"Didn't she mean her palace? She is still the princess after all." Snake asks falcon.
Judging by the way the others talk to him, Falcon must be the leader. Eve deduces.
"It seems like we were sleeping for a long time, Rath. Things must have changed... still, we must protect the princess. So it's better if we try to get used to those changes." Falcon concludes as Snake, or Rath, nods at him.
Eve guided them in the direction of her house. Luckily for them, there wasn't many people in the streets so they managed to get to Eve's home without any problem. As they got closer Eve got more tense, she was worried about her neighbors. Those guys love some gossip, it was kind of annoying sometimes.
"Hurry up, we got some pretty snoopy neighbors." She warns her new friends. She pulls out her key to unlock the front door.
"The great house of you're father in Memphis was bigger." One of them notices.
Eve was in shock for a few seconds, she didn't expect them to talk about her father. She didn't talk about him to anyone, no even her mother. How would they know about him?
"How'd you know my dad was from Memphis?" Eve asks in confusion.
"We know every detail of your life. You are princess Hatshet only daughter of the Pharaoh Amenotep." The falcon mummy explains.
"Princess? I am no princess! My name is Evelyn , Evelyn Jones. You must have got the wrong..." She starts, but didn't finish. It was at that moment that she realized why she thought his voice was so familiar.
She knew she had heard that voice somewhere, but the way he said 'princess' reminded her of her recent dream. Was he the same guy from the dream? It was hard to tell by the looks, since ... well, his mummification made it difficult to be sure.
With the whole group already inside the house. Eve decides it's past time for her to have some answers and try to make sense of this situation. Then she starts her questionnaire with a basic question.
"Who are you, anyway?" Eve begins.
"I am Ja-Kal,this is Rath, Armon and he is Nefer." Ja-Kal said, introducing everyone as he gestures to Rath, Armon and Nefer, who was playing in a chair. She already knew Rath and Armon's names as they were mentioned earlier but Ja-kal was familiar too. Even if she was sure she didn't heard it being said before.
Eve took a closer look at "Nefer". The girl had noticed how Nefer had a female figure in the museum but it was only with that closer look at 'him' that she was sure there was no way "Nefer" could be a man. Didn't the others notice that? They seemed to be a team, but didn't they realize that a member was obviously female ?
"You DO know that "Nefer" is a she, right?" Eve corrects, thinking it wasn't that hard to see that Nefer was a girl. Maybe the guys at least suspected that.
The male trio looks surprised. They start muttering to each other. It was confirmation to Eve that they really had no idea of their mate's true gender.
"She is right. I am Nefer-Tina." The female mummy confesses as she took off her helmet, revealing her long white hair. Eve takes note that even as a mummy her hair was beautiful. "I only disguised myself as a man since women aren't allowed to drive the chariots of the Pharaoh."
By the looks on their faces, the guys really didn't suspect a thing.
"No wonder he never went swimming in the Nile with us." Armon comments while looking at Ja-Kal and Rath. With the truth revealed, they could now see some hints they missed in the past.
"Only princess Hatshet knew." Nefertina adds while placing a hand on Eve's shoulder.
That whole princess thing was starting to annoy her so Eve snapped at them.
"I already told you guys! I am not Hatshet! Why are you so sure I am her?" Eve asks trying to find an explanation. She immediately recalls about her hiding place in the museum. "... if this is about the sarcophagus, you just misunderstood. I was only hiding there. Don't you guys see that I am not a mummy?!"
"It's more than that. Scarab went after you. Even if he is evil, he still is powerful with magic. He wouldn't try to capture you if he wasn't sure you had the spirit he was looking for." Rath calmly explains, trying to make her understand the situation.
"You were the one that summoned us at the museum. Only the power of the soul of princess Hatshet would be able to awaken us. If you weren't really Ratshet we wouldn't have reacted to your call." Ja-kal adds, making Eve remember the moments before they appeared. She was really calling for help... just not their help.
"Also you look just like her... gods, you even smell like her." Nefertina continues. Unknown to Eve at that moment, Nefertina's feline powers granted her refined senses, so she could smell better than the other guardians.
"...you scream like her." Armon comments making Eve raise an eyebrow and the others to look at him. "What? She does."
"There also must be something remaining from your last incarnation. Maybe something like a vision or dream..." Rath explains but trailed off as the quartet notice Eve became tense. Their princess probably does remember something.
"Are you remembering something, my princess?" Ja-kal inquires to be sure. He looks at the girl intensely.
She returns the look back at him. More and more she connected the mummy in front of her to the man on her dream... she had to be sure.
"There is one thing. A dream that I had, I remembered asking someone to spy on my father's advisor. When she- I asked him to spy on the advisor, who I suppose was Scarab, I told him I wasn't ordering him as a princess. What she- I told him?"
"You thanked me as a friend and told me I was one of the few people you trusted." Ja-kal answers, he still remembers that meeting clearly. If only they had known about Scarab's true plans by that time nothing bad would have happened. They expected Scarab to try to kill the paraoh, not the princess.
With all the proof presented to her: the events of the museum, her resemblance to the princess and her strange dreams, Eve decided to believe in them. Still... she couldn't connect herself with the Egypt princess.
So she just continues with her questions.
"So I guess I am... or was Hatshet. But what do you guys had to do with her?"
"We were her guardians, we were supposed to protect her... but we failed. Now that we found her reincarnation, you, we must protect you from Scarab." Rath explains.
"So let me get this straight, you four are supposed to protect the princess reincarnation, even though your mummies now, and when Hatshet is in trouble you call on the power of Ra to help you kick butt?" Eve summarizes.
"Why in the name of Ra would anyone want to kick tut?" Rath asked, causing Eve to giggle a little at his confusion.
They would have a lot to learn about modern times.
She didn't realize that while they were talking Armon had sneaked to the kitchen. He returns with some food.
"Excuse me, Hatshet. I opened the white stone sarcophagus and saw the offerings of food."
"White stone..." Eve was a little confused but quickly understood what he was talking about. Their reactions to modern gadgets and expressions were funny. The girl tries to explain the simplest way she can. "Armon, that was the refrigerator. We use it to cool the temperature of the food so it lasts longer."
The other mummies seemed interested in her explanation, especially Rath.
"Interesting..." He murmurs to himself.
Armon in the other hand(no pun intended), was more interested in the food.
"So... I can eat it?" He asks.
"Sure. Go for it." Eve answers, not minding if he had some food.
"Thank you, my princess." Armon says.
"Please, don't call me that. It's weird..." Eve requests.
Ja-kal was going to say something but was interrupted by a loud sound.
It was Eve mother's car. Amanda had returned home earlier than Eve expected.
The four mummies stood up, startled by the strange sound. They moved closer to Eve, ready to defend her in case of an attack.
"What creature makes that kind of sound?" Ja-kal asks, knowing that Eve had much more knowledge of the new world he and the others woken in.
"It's not a creature, It's a car. My mother's car! She can't see you guys, she would freak out..." Eve explains as she ran to the second floor. The mummies followed her to a door, as she opens it, the guardians look inside curious.
"This is my room. You can stay here while I talk to mom." Eva tells them as she gestures for them to enter. The quartet obeys and enters the room, it was a small space for four people but now they had no better option. Eve found the television control lying on her bed and had an idea of how to entertain her friends. She turned on the television and almost laughed at their surprised expressions at the images moving on the screen. "... you can watch some TV or read a book, but please don't make a sound under any circumstances."
She gives control to Armon and walks back to the corridor where she suddenly freezes in place. The only one who noticed her sudden stop was Ja-kal since the others were exploring the room or watching the television.
"Is something wrong, princess Hatshet?" He asks, having noticed her hesitation. Reborn or not, he could still read her expressions.
Eve turn to look at him before answering, not even bothering to correct him about the princess thing.
"My mom was responsible for the Hatshet's exhibition at the museum. She must be freaking out that everything was destroyed..." She gestures to her other three new mummy friends exploring her room. "... and four mummies are missing."
Eve didn't knew if she would be able to hide the truth from her mother, but she didn't say it out loud.
Ja-kal understood how responsibility can be stressful. Hatshet's father got snappy with all his responsibilities sometimes. Even he himself got frustrated at being a guardian when he couldn't protect Hatshet.
"No matter how the desert lion get enraged, he would never wound his pups." He quotes.
Eve stares at him. She could understand what he was trying to say but his way of speaking still caught her off guard.
"Thanks... I guess." She answers before she goes downstairs already hearing her mom mumbling to herself.
"Hey, mom... Is something wrong?" She asked trying to make it seem like she didn't knew what happened.
As her mom looks at her, Eve could see the frustration in her face. However it faded away as soon as Amanda saw at her only daughter.
"Sorry. It's just that everything went wrong today... Some crazy people destroyed the Hatshet's exposition and stole the mummies. The strangest part is that they left many expensive treasures behind. You would think that thieves would prefer to steel jewels instead of dead bodies." Amanda unburdens.
Eve felt bad about lying to her mother. She knew how passionate Amanda was about her job. Even so, telling her about the mummies was out of question.
"...maybe they were Egypt enthusiastics. Or just... crazy, as you said." Eve suggests to comfort her.
"Maybe." Amanda points to some food in the kitchen countertop. "Anyway, I bought some food for you to eat. We still have some pie left from yesterday if you want dessert." Amanda adds but as she checks the refrigerator notices that there is no food left. At the same time Eve realizes the mummy cat trying to approach her mother but she quickly caught it and hide it on her back. She had already forgot about the freaking cat. "Strange. I was sure we had some leftovers..."
Eve already knew who could be the one that ate all the food. Note to herself: don't let Armon get close to the refrigerator.
"I have to get back to the museum. Mr. Stone want what's left of the exhibition to be sent back to Egypt." She tells her daughter, not knowing how important that information was for the young girl.
'Oh no! The sarcophagus!' Eve exclaims in her mind.
"B-but the exhibition just started! Also, you don't know if the mummies will show up. Maybe they are still close..." Eve thought it was ironic how close they really were.
"I know. I thought about that too. But Mr. Stone insisted. He said he felt responsible for the artifacts. He was the one that found Hatshet's tomb after all." Amanda explains, making Eve curious.
"Really? I didn't knew that." Eve mumbles.
"Yes. He was the one that paid for the exhibition. And now he is paying more to send everything back. I expected him to try to find the mummies but he probably don't want anything else to get stolen." Amanda concludes. She was still annoyed that the exhibition would end, but she understood Mr. Stone's decision.
Eve, on the contrary, never meet Mr. Stone in person. She heard that he went in some expeditions in Egypt and that he was rich but that's all she knew of him. Knowing about his involvement in the Hatshet's exhibition made her feel suspicions about him.
'I better keep an eye on him...' Eve decides.
Amanda get her keys and walks to the door.
"Don't wait for me to eat. I am probably going to be back very late." Amanda informs her daughter before leaving.
As soon as Amanda leaves, Eve runs back upstairs to warn the mummies. Eve knew the they couldn't recharge without their sarcophagus.
"Guys. We have a problem." She starts.
"Get the little creep!" A man in the TV exclaims.
Ja-Kal quickly reacts, thinking Eve was in danger.
"Hatshet, look out!" Then he tackles Eve to the floor as Armon punched and broke the TV.
"That tiny man in the spirit box can't hurt you now." Armon says with a smile.
Eve stood up and stares at her now broken TV. She would have to deal with that later.
"You guys really need to learn how the modern day works." Eve shakes her head. "They are sending your sarcophagus back to Egypt. We have to hurry or you will have no way of recharging."
Without wasting any time, the group ran back to the museum. As they got there, the sarcophagus were being placed in the back of a truck.
Eve let out a sigh of relief, she feared they would be too late.
"Great. We still have time. If we manage to distract the workers long enough we can steal the truck."
She felt a hand on her shoulder and turn to see that it was Ja-kal's.
"You have to be careful, my princess." Ja-kal warns.
"We don't have time to be careful. Don't you guys understand? If we don't get the truck you guys won't be able to recharge!" She exclaims, pointing to the truck.
"You don't understand. This probably is a trap. Scarab must be using our sarcophagus to as bait to lure all of us out in the open. Like a hunter staking out the goat to draw the hungry lion." Ja-kal tells her.
"How would he do that? The person that required that the artifacts were sent back was Mr. Stone." She remembers from her previous talk with her mom.
The mummies look at each other for a moment as if they were thinking the same thing.
"Princess, we think Mr. Stone and Scarab can be the same person." Rath explains.
Eve was taken back, she was worried about Stone as thought maybe he and Scarab were connected but she didn't expect them to be the same person!
"What do you mean? How can they be the same person? They don't even look like each other."
"Magic." Rath simply answers shrugging the same way he did earlier. Again the answer was simply 'magic'.
"Oh..." Was all that Eve said before adding. "Wait! Mom said Mr. Stone was the one that paid for the exhibition in the first place. So that means..."
"...that it was all a plan to find you? Probably." Rath concludes.
"Oh man..." Eve tenses. If Scarab and Mr. Stone were the same person that meant that one of the most rich and influential man on the country was trying to kill her.
"But we are here now. And we won't let him get to you." Nefertina tries to comfort her with a reassuring smile on her face.
Eve returns the smile but it faded as soon as she heard the truck engine turning on. The group get out of their hiding spot to see the truck driving away.
"We got to stop that truck!" Eve exclaims.
Nefertina notices a car parked close to them. It reminds her of the ones she saw on the TV earlier.
"We can follow him in the horseless chariot." She suggests. Itching to try this modern chariot she heard about.
"It had to be my mother's boss car, hasn't it...?" Eve mumbles to herself as she can't see any more cars that they could use.
"We don't even have the keys. Also, I don't have a driving license." Eve points out.
Rath gets closer to the car and touches it.
"Do they teach you nothing at school?"
Before Eve could ask what he meant, Rath uses a spell to make the car doors open and the engine start.
"Awaken sleeping chariot." He enchants as the car momentarily glows green and all of it's doors open.
"...You have to teach me that trick." Eve asks, momentary forgetting the situation they were in. She was deciding where to sit as she reflects on her inability to drive. "I really should have taken some driving lessons..."
"Don't worry I will drive. I drove the royal chariots for years and if the people in the tiny box can drive, so can I." Nefertina says already sitting on the driver's chair. She got there so fast that Eve didn't notice until that moment.
"I guess we have no choice." Eve murmurs.
All of the group got inside the car, Eve in the front with Nefertina and the boys in the back. Eve got her seatbelt and gave the others a warning to do the same.
At least put on the seatbelts." She says.
"What's a seatbelt?" Armon asks.
Before she could explain, Nefertina starts driving at a high speed. Even though it is her first time driving this type of vehicle, she managed to do well, with the exception of some moments like when they drove over a fountain, a bench in the square and almost hit a child.
When turning around a corner, the girls did not realize that the boys were thrown out of the car at high speed.
"This chariot is most swift." Nefertina comments, already deciding that she liked to drive this modern type of chariot.
Eve let's out a smile. Driving with Nefertina made her feel nostalgic... Maybe they did it before she reincarnated.
"It should be. It has a hundred and eighty horses under the hood." Eve points out.
"There must be really small horses."
Eve giggles at Nefertina's comment. Deciding to take some time to explain more about vehicles to her new friend. At that moment, she notices the guys running after the car in the review mirror. It was only than that she realizes they weren't sitting behind them anymore.
"Stop!" She shouts.
"What?" Nefertina notices the boys in her mirror too. "Oh!"
Nefertina steps on the break. As they stop, the trio clumsily run inside. With them inside, Nefertina drives off after the truck before it gets away. Eve turns to see the boys.
"Didn't used the seatbelts, did you?" She asks.
"So that's what they are for..." Armon realizes.
As they got closer to the truck. The guardians got to the roof of the vehicle.
"Take the rains of the chariot, Ratshet." Nefertina asks.
"What? I said I couldn't drive!" Eve exclaims.
"Don't worry. It's not that hard." She said with a confident smile as she let go of the steering wheel.
Without another option, Eve quickly grabs steering wheel and tries to keep the car under control.
"Speak for yourself!" She argues trying not to get far from the truck. She could see her friends jumping to the roof of the truck and opening a hole to get to their sarcophagus.
"We shall return, young princess." Ja-kal exclaims still on the roof.
Eve let a sigh of relief, everything was working out. Not wanting to let her friends alone, she drives after the truck. She stops the car as she sees that there are police cars blocking the road.
'That can't be good...' She dreads.
She gets out of the car and runs to see what was happening. There were police officers close to the truck and to her surprise Mr. Stone was there too. Eve deduces that he must have be there to be sure if his treasures were safe but to her surprise his words said otherwise.
"Destroy the truck." He instructs to the cops.
Eve wouldn't let them hurt her friends so she tries to stop them.
"What are you doing?" She speaks in a loud tone before thinking better about how she would explain her intrusion. When she attracted the attention of those present for her arrival, the policemen looked in her direction. Eve takes a step back in surprise when she sees their faces clearly. They weren't real policemen, they were clay soldiers!
That means... She thinks as she looks at Mr. Stone, who had a macabre smile on his face when he noticed her presence.
A dark energy emanates from him as he changes form and in a second the armored figure of Scarab stood on his place.
"Princess, I was wondering if you would show up." He says.
Eve stares at him, speechless. Of course, the mummies warned her but seeing him transforming with her own eyes was still surprising.
"I don't understand..." She mumbles as her persuer listens.
"You don't understand?" He asks, still smirking. Seeing her confused was amusing to him.
"If you were Mr. Stone all along than why are you after me only now?"
She shivers as he let out a dark laughter.
"You are wrong, young princess. I am not really Mr. Stone. I simply got his place." He explains feeling intense joy in explaning his ingenous plan. He was the type of person that likes showing his inteligence to his adversaries. "After my failed attempt to get your soul, your father got really revengeful at me..."
Failed? Eve notices but didn't say anything as Scarab continues.
"...he entombed me alive. I managed to keep myself alive all those years with the energy that I stole from you. It wasn't enough to grant me imortality but I survived all those years trapped before the true Mr. Stone found me. I couldn't be walking around as an ancient Egyptian, so I got rid of him an took his place. The fact the he was rich was a bonus but his contact with Egyptian artifacts was what I really needed..."
"You used his influence to get Hatshet's artifacts. Then you sent it around in exhibitions to try and attract her reincarnation." Eve points out, understanding his plan.
"Yes. And my plan worked. You are here." He concludes with a smirk.
"But it backfired." She counters as the smirk disappears from his ugly face. She glared at him without fear. "You thought I was some unsuspecting teenager but you are wrong! Hatshet's soul is still powerful inside of me! You may know where I am now but I am not alone! I still managed to summon my guardians and we will kick your butt back to your tumb! And you will NEVER get Hatshet's soul!" She ends with a shout at his face.
Scarab growls at her. He had to admit, the girl was brave. She reminded him of Hatshet more and more, that annoying princess was always suspecting of him. Even as a child he noticed how she avoided him. And then there were her guardians, the loyal quartet always took good care of her. If it wasn't for their interference he would had Hatshet's soul much quicker.
"Hehe. The little princess has her claws out." A female voice says and Eve took a moment before noticing that it came from his scepter.
The scepter is alive too!
Eve's previous bravery faded as Scarab's minions approached her from all directions. She wouldn't be able to escape.
"Don't worry, princess. I need you alive... for now."
She felt darkness was sorrownding her from all directions but soon a shining light illuminated the road and Eve heard the battle cry that sounded more like music to her ears.
"With the strength of Ra!" Nefertina cuts an opening on the side of the truck using her claws so the team could get out. As they got out, Nefertina shouts. "Let's kick tut!"
And the a fight begin again. With their armors back, the guardians were successful in destroying many soldiers.
"Destroy the truck! Leave nothing the mummies can use!" Scarab orders as he and his minions start shooting at the truck.
"Not with me here!" Eve exclaims as she ran to the truck. She may be not able to fight but at least she could protect the sarcophagus.
The team run to the truck and tries to escape on it but some clay soldiers climb the truck after them.
Others try to stand in their way but they just run them over.
Judging by the sound comming from the back, Eve realizes that the others on the back were fighting some soldiers.
One of them tried to grab Nefertina from the driver's seat but she just punched it destroying it.
When Nefertina turned the truck, Eve felt herself being thrown from her seat as she had the realization that she forgot the seatbelt. She felt someone grabbing her and putting her on her feet on the roof of the truck. As she already expected it was Ja-kal, the two of them exchanged a smile as he said.
"I believe our princess said we should always wear seatbelts."
Neither of them noticed Scarab's approach and he manages to hit Ja-kal with an attack directly hitting his chest.
"Ja-Kal has saved you for the last time."
Thinking fast the turns around to find a way to defend herself, she let out a smirk as she saw a low bridge close to them.
"I still have some tricks up my sleeve." Eve says as she ducks down and Scarab wasn't fast and was hit by the side of the bridge and fell off the truck.
As Eve got up she stares at the direction Scarab fell off.
"I can't believe that actually worked..." She confesses to herself.
"Are you okay, princess Hatshet?" Ja-kal asks already on her side. Eve was relieved to see that he was fine after being shot in the chest by Scarab.
"About that... could you call me Eve? I may be Hatshet reincarnated but I'm still a different person." Eve asks.
"If that's what you want, princess Eve." Ja-kal answers.
Eve shakes her head but still smiles. It's probably the better it will get for now.
"Close enough."
With Scarab and his minions defeated, the group decided to flee the scene before authorities could show up. The truck was damaged quite a bit by the fight but the sarcophagus were intact so they were victorious in their mission. That battle was won but Eve knew this was only the beggining of something big. Scarab was still out there after all. Nefertina was driving again as she had a natural talent for driving but she cutted a hole so that she could talk to the others on the back of the truck.
"We will leave you home first, Eve." Nefertina informs the girl, not turning around from the road.
The other mummies and Eve were sitting close to the sarcophagus to make sure they were safe.
"But what about you? Where will you go?" Eve asks in worry, voicing the questions that had been in her mind the hole time. They had their sarcophagus back but they still hadn't a place to stay. There was no way she could hide them and the sarcophagus at her home. And it had to be a safe place since they would be defenseless while recharging. She felt shame of herself for not being able to help them with that while they saved her twice in the same day.
"It is our job to protect you, not the other way around. We will be close by." Ja-kal reassures her, reading her expression of shame.
"We know a place, it might not be home but it will do." Rath informes her. He already had some ideias in mind, he was the brains of the team after all.
But that still didn't ease Eve's worry.
"Ok... but what will we do now? Scarab is still out there and he won't stop until he has my soul... he said it would grant him imortality but he also mentioned that he failed the first time... do you guys know what he meant?"
Eve wanted nothing more but to take that back as she noticed how the others became tense with her question. She should had realized that whatever Scarab meant by that wasn't good.
Still, Ja-kal answers her. The girl deserved to know the truth.
"The first time, princess Hatshet took her own life to make sure Scarab couldn't absorv her soul." He says in a solemn tone that send chills in Eve's skin.
Eve disturbed with his answer, she couldn't imagine how her previous life felt when she decided to sacrifice herself. Eve hoped she wouldn't have to make the same decision.
"We will find a way to stop Scarab, princess. His magic may be powerful but he isn't invincible." Rath tells her. In an attempt to get her hopes up, and also their's. They wouldn't fail their princess and friend a second time.
"Yeah! We will put an end to him once and for all!" Nefertina adds opting to be more enthusiastic.
From Armon, Eve got a reassuring smile. The one armed man wasn't good with words but he still managed to make her feel better. They all did.
Eve smiles at them, their words making her hopes get up again. She felt thankful to have them as guardians. They had their problems, sure, but Eve already knew they were amazing people and loyal friends. It felt good to know she wasn't alone in that situation.
Seeing a smile appear in their young protected's face the others started to smile too. All of them felt more hopefull with the future ahead of them.
Almost all of them, in his corner, Ja-kal was still tense. He already decided that he wouldn't fail Ratshet or Eve again. He was the leader of the team and Ratshet's oldest guardian, if anyone would make sure Scarab would never harm her again that would be him.
Thanks for reading, see you on the next chapter!
Edit: If you are reading this after the update from december 2020. Know that I am already working on chapter seven but until that chapter is ready I will make some changes in the previous ones.