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After a disappointing dig through the mummification room, Fallon came up empty handed. At least in the department of finding any clues about her parents' disappearance. She had found plenty of mummification tools like pokers and knives, which she wrapped in a blanket with a huff so that she may take them back to Cairo to be presented in the museum. She felt a twang of guilt in her stomach. When she had been at Hamunaptra three years earlier, she didn't really have the chance to explore or excavate, nor look for any clues of her parents. She only watched her friends die around her. Now that she was here again, she's searching for clues to her missing parents. She wished she could be more engaged academically like Evy was. If Fallon didn't have everything in the back of her mind fighting for her attention, then she would jumping out of her too-tight-Mary-Jane shoes with excitement at every turn of the corridor. She wished that life could be simpler.
That night, most of their group was gathered around the campfire. Fallon was in desperate need of a book or something to keep her mind off everything that happened that day, and all she had was her mother's journal, which she felt almost nervous to read. She didn't know why, but she was almost afraid of what she would find if she read it.
Kelly practiced with a scimitar that she found from the raid the night before, Adam searched the grounds by himself, and Fallon sat on her cot by herself, thinking and drawing in the sand with her finger, the diary sitting next to her with an aching call for her to open it. Evy had lingered a little longer around the crypt entrance to examine some of her finds in better light until the sun started to set behind the city. Rick, and Jonathon sat around a fresh campfire talking about what Fallon figured was the gruesome details of mummification and what it had done to their decomposing friend in the sarcophagus.
Adam approached the campsite from behind, laughing with Beni, and the Americans who flashed and cradled shining gold canopic jars.
"Say, O'Connell, how much do you think these babies will fetch back home?" Henderson stated, holding up a canopic jar with the falcon head on it. They all scooted over to allow the Americans to sit with them.
"We heard you all found yourselves a nice gooey mummy. Well, congratulations," Burns said, taking a seat next to Fallon who was wrapped in a dark fleece blanket to protect herself from the cold desert wind.
"You know if you dry him out you might be able to sell him for firewood," Daniels added, he and his buddies laughing.
Fallon didn't quite appreciate it by the look on her face. While she was unnerved by their find, these men didn't understand the value of finding a mummy. But at the same time, selling it for firewood would put that churning in her stomach to rest. She eyed Burns's canopic jar.
"Do you mind if I take a look at it?" Fallon asked Burns. He nodded and handed it to her for her to examine.
"You could probably tell us more about it than Dr. Chamberlain can. He wasn't as interested in these as he was in other things. But he took one for good measure." Burns told her. Dr. Chamberlain was their Egyptologist, a pompous man who took what he wanted, and who Fallon didn't care much for.
"You have the canopic jar that held the liver. Each jar represents one of the God Horus's four sons. You have the human, Imsety. "
Burns made a humorous face at the mention of his treasure having once been used to hold a human organ. She chuckled at his reaction and handed it back to him. "What happened to the other one? There should be five. Do you have it, Beni?" It was the first time she had spoken to him at all since they had arrived at Hamunaptra, and certainly the first time she had spoken to him in 3 years since he abandoned them right before battle in the French Legion. She didn't know what she expected but a disgusted, haughty scoff didn't surprise her.
"Nah, Beni booked it before we could even open the chest," Henderson chuckled.
"Superstitious bastard ran out on us yelling some shit about a curse. 'It's the curse, it's the curse'!" Daniels added. Beni seemed unfazed by their teasing, but Fallon furrowed her brow at what he could possibly mean.
Burns turned to her. "We left the last one there. It was broken, no one wanted."
Fallon cleared her throat. "Well, as much as a I don't condone the selling of priceless historical artifacts, you might want to reconsider. You could probably make more money with a full set, and split the sum between yourselves."
The Americans nodded as they considered. "Not a bad idea, doll-face. Burns has got a smart little lady over," Henderson cooed his approval.
Fallon stiffened her back at the comment, and caught Burns flushing madly behind his spectacles.
"Watch it, boys, that's my sister you're talking about," Adam warned.
"No harm meant, Carnahan. Just playing. It's not exactly a secret that Burns tosses and turns in his cot every night, moaning her name," Henderson giggled.
Adam had Henderson by the collar of his shirt in less than a second with a fist ready to pulverize him. Fallon heard a few guns cock and some yells of warning and disapproval. It all happened so fast that she hardly had any time to process what was happening. Kelly was at Adam's side, trying to loosen his grip on Henderson.
"What are you saying, huh, pal?" Adam hissed through his teeth.
Fallon shook where she sat. "Adam, please, stop," she managed to say. Her meek words hardly made it over the ruckus.
"Come on, Adam, they were just teasing. It was all a bit of fun," Kelly tried reasoning with him.
"Well, I don't think it's funny!" Adam exclaimed. Daniels had a gun aimed straight at Adam.
"Watch it, Carnahan. We don't want any accidents happening here."
"He's right, Adam," Rick agreed, holding two guns aimed right at Daniels. "Think about this very carefully."
Burns stood up and tripped on his way to Adam. "Listen, they're just trying to poke fun at me. They don't really mean what they're saying. It's-it's not true."
With a glance at Burns, Adam had let go of Henderson, and was then grabbing Burns by the collar of his shirt. Guns changed aim, and Fallon stood right up.
"Oh, really? So why don't you tell me how much you have it for my baby sister if it's no secret like they said?" Adam threatened. Burns stumbled over his words.
"Listen, we all just need to calm down. This isn't like you, Adam," Kelly said.
"What's not like me?! I'm sick and tired of being one of the last people to know about what's going on with my sister! First the desert warrior guy last night, and now this twat?! Why don't you all just stay from her?!" Adam seethed. Rick and Kelly shared a glance.
In a swift move, Fallon grabbed the journal and flew across the circle to smack Adam with it. "Everybody just stop! You all need to grow up!" Everyone had froze at her outburst. She felt the blood racing to her face. "Adam, let him go this instant! You're all acting like a bunch of children! My business is my own, just as Mr. Burns's business is his own."
The silence that followed was excruciating to everyone as they waited for Adam to make a move. He freed his grasp from Burns's shirt who and let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you," he said gratefully as people lowered their guns and began to let their guard back down.
"No problem, pal," Adam spat, and popped him square in the jaw,
"Adam!" Fallon shrieked as Burns crumbled to the ground.
Henderson and Daniels jumped on Adam, who was then followed by Rick and Jonathon and Kelly to get them off of Adam. Beni jumped on Rick and started pounding on him for the sheer joy of it. As they tried breaking each other up, Fallon tried to wedge herself between Daniels and Henderson to get to Adam. Blinded by rage, Henderson shoved Fallon out of the way, causing her to fall to the ground with a shriek as the journal flew from her hands.
Some stopped as Fallon scrambled to her hands a knees as she saw the diary beginning to burn within the campfire that it flew into. Without thinking, she launched her left hand into the fire and snatched the diary out before it was too late. Her hand had only been in the fire for two seconds, but she could hardly feel the blisters start to form on her delicate, bony hand. She patted out the lingering flames and opened the journal with a sigh of relief to see that too much hadn't been charred.
"That was my sister, you asshole! Look what you did!" Adam growled, and wrenched his fist back to throw one at Henderson. Kelly grabbed his arm.
"Knock it off!" She cried. She flew to Fallon and grabbed the closest water canteen on the ground, unscrewing it and pouring the water on Fallon's hand.
She shrieked at the sudden pain she felt. Her hand was tender and raw and red, several blisters bubbling on her palm and thumb. The water wasn't cold, which would have been ideal, but it was better than nothing. Burns had scrambled to his hands and knees, a welt the size of a tomato forming on his right cheek, and some blood trickling from a split lip.
"Fallon, I am so sorry-"
Kelly held a finger up, "Shut up." Everyone had ceased from their foolish brawl. Kelly stood up and walked over to Adam, grabbed his sleeve and began to rip some of the cotton off of it. He didn't stop her. When she used the cotton to wrap up Fallon's hand, Fallon protested that she was fine and wasn't that anything to worry about.
"You should all be ashamed of yourselves, fighting like a bunch of assholes! What's gotten into all of you?! Don't you know when enough is enough? Does someone have to almost burn their fucking hand off for you all to get a hold of yourselves? Goddamn!" She stormed off in rage before she decided to get the idea to kill somebody.
Adam, sporting a split lip also, stormed off in another direction, only to change his mind and go right after Kelly. Henderson and Daniels and Beni all sat back down, unsure if they were still welcome to sit at this campsite; but since no one said anything they figured it was still okay. Burns helped himself to his feet and wandered off, mumbling to himself about how he'll patch himself up. Rick helped Fallon up and inspected the first aid Kelly had performed. He noticed the diary on the ground and bent to pick it up. Fallon reached for it, but he swiped it away out of her reach before she could grab it.
"What is so important about this that you would reach into the fire with your bare hands for it?" Rick asked her. Still shaken up from everything that happened, Fallon had to search for words.
"I found it," Fallon choked.
"Not good enough," Rick said. Fallon reached for it again but Rick continued to keep it out of her grasp.
"Just give it to me."
"Why all the secrets, Fal?" Rick asked. Fallon only looked away. "They've upset your brother enough to cause all of this, and everything I know is from Kelly."
"Kelly shouldn't be saying anything to you," Fallon said.
"Yeah, well, I'm glad she is. We're starting to get a little worried. I've always noticed that this place kind of creeped you out, and maybe this place is just getting to all of us. Kelly told me you're looking for clues about your parents. She said they disappeared here." Nothing from Fallon. "Now, I'll ask again: what is this?"
"It was my mother's. And like I said, I found it," Fallon finally told him. He inched it closer to her.
"Anything else?" He asked, like he knew there was more to the story.
"I told you everything," Fallon hissed, snatching the diary from his hands. She stormed off to the only place she knew she could get some privacy, the column where she had her secret meeting with that Medjai.
AN: This chapter turned out to be more eventful than it originally was. It kind of took over itself and I just rolled with it. I love it when that happens! XD There will be more chapters coming later today. I had to cut it because of length and decided that the next bit would be better written in the next chapter. Please Favorite, Follow, and Review!
Also, I'm leaving a note as well about my fictionpress, under the same username HerbalTea-and-Tarzan. I have 5 chapters up of an original fiction story called Duchess of the Damned about pirates, and one chapter up of a fairytale retelling. If you wish, please go check them out and I may be more inclined to continue writing them!
Thanks everyone!