Chapter Two

I awoke later that morning with more enthusiasm than I have had for anything in a long while. I actually felt as if I had a mission, a purpose.

To be completely honest I had let myself get so wrapped up in helping others that I had started to forget about myself. I had put my family and their needs above my own so much that I had started to feel as if I was losing my own identity. I had never let myself notice it before, I had always been to busy keeping busy for the purpose of forgetting my past.

I was never popular in school. Heck, I was hardly even acknowledged by my classmates. I was an outcast, a loner. To everyone around me, it seemed, I was to strange, to different. Those who did notice me, only paid me enough attention to make fun of me. They were hardly nice to me and when they were, it made me suspicious. I never knew who to trust and because of that it made it very difficult to make friends.

I let my thoughts continue to wander as I proceeded to get myself ready for the excursion I had planned for my birthday. I was happy that my grandma had wanted to come with me. I never really liked going places on my own. Even now.

I remember how it felt when I was younger to feel so alone and insecure. The loneliness would have consumed me then had it not been for the one person I could have called a friend. Elementary school for me was mostly a nightmare.

I was almost always alone and because of that I had spent a lot of my free time studying and reading. I basically just focused on my school work. I had tried to make friends. I had even joined after school groups in hopes that I would at least meet one person who wouldn't be cruel to me. I was excited when I joined, excited to try at least. I was 6 then. I had just started kindergarten and I had hope at first but was still very shy.

It wasn't long after I joined my troop, that the other girls began to be mean to me. It was subtle at first but began to get worse over time. That's when I met Tea. She was the only one to even talk to me and she always made sure to include me in any conversations. She even started to stick up for me when the bullying really started to get bad. Over a short time she became my best friend.

So when I was told we would be moving away from Domino and all the way to America, I was devastated. We did our best to keep in touch as much as an 8 year old could who lived across the ocean. We wrote each other mostly and talked on the phone a few times.

It was hard to make real friends once I moved. It seemed as if the kids grew meaner and it grew ever harder to learn to trust. Each time I had tried I ended up being hurt in some way. I didn't know who I could trust.

As I pull myself back to the present , my thoughts continue to sadden me. ' All I really want are true friends. Someone who accepts me as I am. I want a friend who will never judge me and who can understand and relate to me on every level. A soul mate. I'm tired of having to always have my defenses up.' I think to myself, 'Even being with my family, I always feel the pressure to be the responsible, reliable one. It's all I have ever known.'

I look myself over in the mirror. ' It will have to do.: I think as I lecture myself. ' Okay Shiko, snap out of it. It's your day today and we have a mission.'

I head down to the kitchen, where my grandmother sits drinking her coffee while working on a crossword puzzle.

I pause in the doorway, confused for a moment at the sight. My grandma is almost always at work, just like my grandpa and my dad. My sisters and I have basically had to fend for ourselves for a long time because of that. For that same reason it had fallen on me to look out for both of them for a long time

My sister, Kohaku, is two years younger than me. She was always way more sensitive to the bullies than I was and so I always kept her close to me. She always tried her hardest to fit in just as I have but for she always seemed a bit braver than me when it came to being social.

Where I stayed mostly in the shadows to remain off of anyone's radar, she would always be willing to put herself out there. I know she was just as afraid as I was and just as lonely, too. I could see it in her behavior as time went on. She wanted the same things I did, love and acceptance. She just did things differently. Where I always fought to be myself, she would change to fit the group she was with. Kinda like a chameleon.

My other sister was the compete opposite of us. She is two years older than myself and had always seemed as if the world around her didn't phase her at all. Like she truly didn't care about what others think. I worried for her just as much as I do Kohaku. It just wasn't the same kind of worry.

When I worry for Kohaku, it is because I fear her changing herself and getting hurt on the process. With Yuki, I fear that what could have been a great strength had grown into something else. Over time it seemed more and more as if she just didn't care. About anything. Including herself.

It is often overwhelming to carry such a burden and still have to carry all the responsibilities that my family expects of me. I don't fight against it although sometimes I want to. I have mostly accepted it as my life because it's not just my sisters who need and rely on me. I also have spent most of my weekends helping out my grandpa with his work. He has trouble moving around and gripping things. My grandma had to take on an extra job and is almost always working on the weekends as well as my dad. So I have done everything I could to help out.

That's why I was started to see my grandma sitting there in the kitchen on a Saturday morning. It took me only a moment to realize that she must have taken the day off to spend with me on my birthday.

" Hey Grandma, " I said as I walked over to the table, " I'm ready to go when you are. "

" Would you like some breakfast first? I will make you your favorite, stuffed french toast with fruit!"

My eyes lit up in excitement, "That sounds Great! Thank you!"

" Well of course! It is your birthday after all. You shouldn't have to cook for yourself today."

" Thanks Grandma. You are the best!" I hugged her tightly before going to sit down and wait. " Where is everyone else anyway?" I ask.

" Both of your sisters had sleepovers last night but they should be home this afternoon sometime. Your dad should be home around the same time. Your grandpa is asleep. He just got home a bit ago." She replied.

" Oh, I see." I whispered as I tried to hide my slight disappointment. " I had hoped they would be here this morning. Oh well." I shrugged as Grandma placed my breakfast on the table.

"Now eat up. We don't want to get there to late." She says and I immediately dug into my Birthday breakfast.

My grandma and I arrived at the museum around 10 am. We explored for a while, enjoying the many exhibits. It was early afternoon before we finally approached the one we originally came to see.

The ancient Egyptian exhibit had always been my favorite. It was exciting and mysterious. Something about that time and place just seemed to spark something deep within me that I couldn't explain. But I was drawn to it. " The only thing I wish I could do is to read the hieroglyphs" I said to my grandma with a sigh.

She looked at me with a smile, " I know. " She said. " That is why I have arranged for you to have a teacher. " She finished, still smiling. It took me a moment to register what she had just said. I knew we had sort of discussed the topic earlier and I came here to see what I could learn. I didn't expect for her to already have one on standby. I couldn't help but to wonder when she could possibly find time to make such an arrangement. " When did you do that?" I asked in confusion. " Why would you have done that... I mean how did you know I wish want to learn such a thing?" I was in shock. She continued to smile at me as she spoke.

"Shiko, you act as if I don't know you. I have raised you since you were born. I know what things mean the most to you. I have seen the spark in your eyes whenever you talk of Egypt!" She playfully scolded me, " it is because of that spark, that I decided to give you that artifact. And it is that spark that lead us here on your birthday." She finished. I looked at her in bewilderment.

" So... Umm... What is this arrangement you mentioned?" I asked, my curiosity having gotten the better of me. Just as I started to ask her more about it, I noticed an older gentleman approaching us.

He was talking with short gray hair and glasses. He even had a well trimmed above his lip. He looked every bit the professor he had to be. No way could he be anything but.

I watched in curiosity as he approached my grandmother with a smile on his face. "Ah. There you are Marie. I hadn't expected you to have wandered so far into the museum so quickly.." he said as he took her hand and missed the back in a gentlemanly manner. " And this must be your lovely grand daughter, Shiko." He smiled as he turned to take my hand in the same fashion he had just had my grandma's. I blushed at his behavior, not being used to such contact and compliments.

" Don't mind her, Professor Hawkins, she is just a bit shy around new people." My grandma said when she noticed that I was still quietly blushing. It took me only a moment to recover from my embarrassment.

" Sorry," I said quietly. "I'm just not used to someone kissing my hand like that. I wasn't expecting it." I chuckled softly. "Grandma never mentioned a professor Hawkins before." I say as I look at her for answers.

"I just never had the chance and it never came up, that's all." She said with an embarrassed chuckle.

" That's quite all right, my dear. I understand, we have all been busy and it has been a while." The professor spoke. " I'm glad she thought of me for this. I'm flattered at the thought."

"Not to sound rude but what exactly is it that you are talking about?" I say without thinking. My excitement and confusion conflicting in the moment.

"Oh, that's right. I was just about to tell you of the arrangement I have been working on for you. Now don't say anything till we finish explaining, ok?" My grandma said with a smile. The smile on their faces was starting to make me worried. I gulped then replied with a slight tremble, " Ok..."

" Now hunny, I have been thinking a lot lately, I mean not just me of course but your father and grandfather as well. We have been talking about this for a while now. We have been worried for you. You put so much of yourself into taking care of the family, that you don't take enough time for yourself and now that you are older we feel as if you deserve a chance to do what makes you happy. We know that you have always had a love for ancient Egypt and may even decide on village in the future, too. We also know how hard you have had it since we moved back to America. So we have decided that we all will be moving back to Domino In a year or so." Grandma waits for my reaction to avoid any interruptions. She knows how excitable I can be sometimes. As I open my mouth to reply, the words die on my tongue. I really don't know what to say.

" We decided to wait for your younger sister and older sister to finish out their current years to make the transition easier for them. We were just gonna wait all around but since you are a very smart girl and I happened to run into the professor. We decided to give you a choice. Arthur is going to be going to Domino to follow the exhibit and he has another archaeologist friend that may be able to help you out as well with your artifact." I was still confused. I couldn't understand what she was trying to say.

" Ah yes. My old friend Solomon. We had just made a very interesting discovery, when the cavern we were I. Collapsed. He saved my life that day." The professor elaborated a bit before my grandma Continued explaining.

" Anyway, the point is, that when we ran into each other and got to talking, he explained that he works be heading back to Domino to do some research and explained that he was looking for an intern to help him part time. I mentioned you. So he extended the offer to you and is willing to bring you with him to Domino ahead of us."

" Wait!" I interrupted her explanation as the excitement at what she was saying started to sink in. " Are you saying that I would be going to Domino alone? " I clarified for my own sake.

" Well you could look at it that way. The professor has offered you a place as an Intern and has also offered to help enroll you in school and get you set up with a place to live. He would be like a temporary guardian of sorts." She explained. " It is, of course, up to you to accept the offer."

My eyes grew wide in astonishment as the reality of what has just been offered set in. It's more than I could ever have imagined. I turned to Professor Hawkins to verify if what my grandma had said was true. " Are you serious!" I gush I excitement. " I mean, I don't know you at all. Why would you do something like this for me? " I asked as I tried to compose myself.

" Because, my dear, after hearing how your lovely grandma Marie gushed about you and your love for Egypt, I couldn't help but to feel as if fate had chosen you for the job. I need someone with a passion for the magic and mysteries of the time. I believe In Nurturing young minds and not many show the potential that you do. I can see you doing great things. All you need is to be given the chance. The choice, of course, would be yours. We would be leaving next week. Take your time to think on it if you desire"

I laugh to myself with giddiness. I would have to be stupid to turn down such an opportunity. I really don't need to think on it. I would love to accept this opportunity.I'm still amazed. Things like this just don't happen to me. "Yes!" I say excitedly. I blush and turn as I try to compose myself, embarrassed at my sudden outburst. " I mean of course I would love to accept this opportunity." I try to say with more grace and composure than I felt.

"Now that we have settled that bit of business, what of your questions you wanted to ask me? Marie mentioned an artifact?"

I reached I to my bag and pulled out my birthday gift and placed it in his hands to examine. After such an exciting announcement, I was unprepared for the information I would receive or for what would happen after our visit to the museum was over.

Authors Note: Thank you all for your patience with my updates. I write my stories by hand as a rough draft and since I dont have a normal computer to type on at the moment my thumbs get a little tired typing on my phone. I will try to keep my chapters around the same size unless longer chapters are requested. I work a lot so chapters may be sporadic. As long as my muse remains compliant, however, the story will continue. I have enough written for at least another 5 or 6 chapters they just need to be typed and proof read. Thats all for now

Chao,

Shiko