A/N: Hi readers! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter, here's the second! Also, when certain characters are speaking Egyptian, those words will be in italics. Enjoy!

Chapter Two

"Alright, everyone onto the bus please!" Zahra of course took her usual seat next to Taylor, but the two girls wound up right behind Tara.

"What on earth is that ugly thing you're wearing?"

"Tara, I'm surprised you even care. To answer your question though, the symbol is the Eye of Horus, which was a symbol of protection in Ancient Egypt."

"You're weird." Zahra muttered something under her breath at that remark. It wasn't the first time she had been called weird, and it wouldn't be the last. Then again, Tara had called her much worse than weird. Oh, if only she knew the truth.

"At least we'll be sticking together today. We can avoid Tara as much as we want." Zahra and Taylor were like twins. They were very close friends, and Zahra had even taught Taylor the language her own father spoke growing up, so they could have private conversations out in the open without people knowing what they were saying.

'Are you sure there's something wrong with the tablet?'

'Taylor, I'm sure. There was something off about it on Saturday night, almost as if it was starting to struggle to stay activated.'

'Well, maybe you should let your dad know, maybe he can fix it.'

'If by chance something is wrong with the tablet, my father wouldn't be able to do much, he didn't create it, his own father did.'

"Everyone off the bus and file inside please!" When Zahra entered the museum, she could sense a feeling of doom. Even she knew the tablet sometimes could have little mood swings, but nothing like this. The teacher had given them instructions to meet back in the lobby by 5 PM that evening to leave, and everyone split up, with Zahra and Taylor being the only students headed for the Egyptian wing. Thankfully, nobody was there.

"Will we get into trouble?"

"Providing I put the tablet back, no. Even McPhee knows the truth about this place." The two girls examined the tablet carefully, looking for any signs that could indicate something was wrong.

"I don't see anything. Do you?" Zahra shook her head.

"Not right now, I can't. I'll ask my father about it when I get home tonight. I just know there's something off." Quickly putting the tablet back before anyone saw them handling it, the two girls went to the food court for lunch.

"What makes you say there's something off?"

"Taylor, it's a bit difficult to explain. Ever since I could remember, I could always sense the tablet's powers, even when I was a baby. Sometimes the way the tablet was acting would affect how I was behaving. I know I'm not mistaken when I say something's wrong with it, I just don't know what's wrong." Their teacher had also mentioned that they would have a small guided tour of the Egyptian wing, which displeased just about everyone.

"Now remember, please don't touch anything, and if you want to take pictures, no flash photography." Most people couldn't care less about the artifacts, instead discussing school gossip. Zahra couldn't take her eyes off the tablet, studying the artifact and trying to figure out what could possibly be going on.

"Zahra, are you okay? You're really pale." Taylor put an arm around her friend's shoulders, steadying the other girl.

"I just feel really dizzy." With that, the entire room started spinning and went black. When Zahra woke up, she was laying on the floor.

"Taylor, take Zahra to the lobby and call one of her parents to come pick her up."

"Alright. Come on, you." Zahra couldn't explain what had just happened. She knew her fainting was no accident. Sitting in the lobby waiting for her mother, the young Princess wondered if something more serious was going on. When the two got home that night, Alexandria could tell something was bothering her daughter.

"How was the trip?"

"It was good, but mum, I think there's something wrong with the tablet. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know something's wrong." Taylor nodded.

"Zahra even fainted today, and I don't think it was an accident."

"Well, when your father gets home, we'll ask him about it."

"Okay. What's for dinner?"

"I was planning on ordering a pizza. What do you girls want on it?" When Akhmenrah walked into the house he shared with the two women he loved, he could sense something was up.

"Zahra, is something wrong? You look rather forlorn."

"I think there's something wrong with the tablet. I can sense the power from it fading a little bit and I wound up fainting today as well, and I know it was no accident." Even Akhmenrah had not sensed anything unusual with the tablet. The fact that Zahra was made him believe that she truly was something special.

"I'll look at it tonight. In the mean time, do some research and record anything that might be useful." Dinner was a very quiet affair that evening, void of the usual chatter. Zahra, normally a social butterfly, was unusually quiet, which made both her parents worried.

"Zahra, have you noticed anything else strange going on lately?"

"No, I haven't." There was a moment of silence.

"Well, then we'll all have to keep a close eye on things at the museum. With that evening gala in a few weeks' time, the last thing we need is for the tablet to start acting up." Zahra was pale, even more so than normal. It worried Akhmenrah, because he knew that Zahra never lied. It wasn't in her nature.

"Maybe the tablet is having one of it's occasional mood swings." Zahra shook her head at her mother's suggestion.

"Mum, this is different. There's something wrong with the tablet. It's never had mood swings like this before. Ever." The next few days went by without any incidents, but now Akhmenrah was starting to see there was something not right going on. On one night when Larry came for a visit, they had just been heading to the diorama room to help the Romans.

"Is Zahra sure something's going on? Maybe it's one of those moody times."

"Larry, you know Zahra doesn't lie, it's not in her nature. Now I am also starting to see that there is something not right. However, things are working as they should, so I am not too worried about it." Larry nodded. His own son Nicky was in his early twenties and away at university and didn't come to the museum too often anymore.

"Nicky is coming back for the entire summer. It's amazing how much he's grown."

"What is he studying again?"

"History so he can be a history teacher. Being here all the time really helped him and inspired him."

"Nicky will make a fine teacher. His friendly personality will help, too. Zahra hasn't decided what she wants to do for a career, but her mother and I will support her with whatever she decides to do with her life." Upon the morning coming, Larry met everyone in the lobby. When Zahra and Taylor appeared, Zahra looked horribly pale. She was sweating, shaking and Taylor was having to hold onto her with a firm grip to prevent her from falling.

"Oh my god, is she okay?" Larry helped steady Zahra as the teenager tried to sit down.

"We were just coming back from the washroom and she started getting sick and threw up on the floor and she was like this." As Larry's apartment was closer, everyone went there. School had just gotten out for the summer, so there was no need to call the school. Larry made breakfast for everyone while Akhmenrah spoke with Zahra.

"How long has it been now since the tablet started acting strangely?"

"It's been three weeks now. Something is really wrong, I noticed a tiny little green spot on the tablet as well. I don't know what that's all about, but it's as if the tablet itself is dying, almost."

"Well, at least the tablet decided to behave itself during that event a few nights ago. What can we do though?"

"I will be keeping a very close eye on the tablet, and Zahra, should you choose to come to the museum, then make sure that Taylor is always with you in case you get sick again."

"Alright, I can do that." Akhmenrah however had a horrible feeling that Zahra's suspicions about the tablet dying were very true.