Chapter Eight
Larry arrives in the Egyptian pharaoh's exhibit, looking as stressed as ever.
"Was everything alright while I was gone?"
"Perfectly fine, thanks." I reply, smiling as reassuringly as I can. He shouldn't worry about me so much.
"Larry, if I am able to, could I fly with you and Alexandria?"
"You are, Ahk. You'll be in your sarcophagus in the baggage portion of the plane."
"No, I meant with you. In the seats. I've never flown on an airplane before."
Larry stares at him, "Ahk. You can't leave the museum without dying, remember?"
"On the contrary," Ahk grins at him, "as long as Alexandria is in contact with me in some way, I can."
Larry tilts his head, "I don't know… I don't want to risk it."
"Please. If anything happens to her while on the flight, I can help."
That convinces Larry.
"Oh, fine. Our flight isn't very packed, I'm sure I can get another ticket. Are you sure?"
Larry looks at me for approval, and I nod. The thought of having to kill him again is too much for me to handle at the moment. If he flies with us, I won't have to. I'll just have to make sure to hold his hand. Not that I have a problem with that. Wait. What?
"You'll need some normal clothes, though." Larry comments, taking in Ahk's royal garb.
"Maybe some of Nick's stuff? I know he's not as tall as Ahk is…"
"That actually might work. Nick buys his pants larger so they sag a little." Larry says with a rueful grin.
Ahk tilts his head, "Why on Earth would he do that?"
I stifle a giggle, "No reason, Ahk."
I keep forgetting that he's not quite in touch with twenty first century trends. Larry leads us to the loading dock, where he has parked his car. He threw all of our suitcases into the trunk, not knowing how much we would need, and tugs Nick's suitcase from the back. Ahk and I are careful to stay inside the museum.
"What are you doing?" Nick asks from inside the car.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it."
"But Dad, that's my-"
Larry closes the trunk, and poor Nicky doesn't get to finish his sentence.
"Alex, pick something out that looks normal?"
Larry hands me the suitcase, and I salute at him. I roll the suitcase a little ways inside of the loading dock, and open it. Inside are Nick's soft graphic t-shirts that I love to sleep in, some sweaters, and his jeans. Thank goodness Larry thought to bring an extra pair of shoes. I pull out the black Vans, some khaki jeans, and a soft looking gray t-shirt with a faded image of an electric guitar on the front. I pull out a black beanie for good measure, and hand him some socks and boxers.
"Go put all of this on, okay? You can bring it back if it doesn't fit."
The Egyptian looks very skeptical of the clothing, but takes it without protest and disappears into a storage closet. I slip the tablet into Nicky's suitcase, wrapping it in clothes. It looks like it could be a toy, or maybe a cosplay sort of thing. We can get it through security. I think. I turn around to find Larry staring at me.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Honestly, not sure. But with Ahk there, it'll be much better. He'll be able to help out if… something happens."
"Right."
I hear the door open and shut behind me. I turn around. Ahk is walking hesitantly towards me, tugging down the hem of the shirt as far as it will go. The jeans fit well, slung low on his hips. The sleeves of the t-shirt hug his bulging biceps. He is carrying the beanie in his hand.
"I wasn't sure how to put this on…" he trail off with a sheepish grin.
It takes me a second to regain my ability to speak, "Wow, I, uh, okay."
What is wrong with me? I take the hat from his grip and reach up, pulling it over his head and adjusting it in the back to make it look as hipster as possible. The dark locks of his hair peek out from beneath the hat perfectly. His eyes hold me in place for a moment. Suddenly, I'm all too aware of the closeness of our bodies. His lips curve up into a small smirk that makes my stomach flutter. Larry clears his throat. I blink, and snap my hands back down from around his neck. I cough.
"Um, sorry. There you go. It looks great."
Larry seems to know exactly what just happened, that smirk is stretching wider.
"Come on, you two. We have to go."
"I, uh, right. Right."
My brain is scattered. I can't even form a coherent sentence! Get a hold of yourself, Monroe! I zip up Nick's suitcase and hand it back to Larry. He loads it into the back of the car.
"You two can have the back seat."
The way he says it makes it sound way more suggestive than he probably intended. Then again, the look on his face says he knows exactly what that was. Ahk slips his hand into mine, lacing our fingers together. Butterflies flit through my stomach again. Stop! He's only holding your hand so he doesn't die. Get a grip.
We walk to the door of the car, which he opens for me. I slide in. We don't let go of each others hands, which is proving to be a difficult task. I don't bother buckling in, and I doubt Ahk even knows what a seatbelt is, so we don't worry about it. Larry starts the car and drives away. It's only then that I notice Nick is staring at Ahk with a mildly annoyed look on his face. He's probably just mad that Ahk looks hotter in his clothes than he does. Oh. My God. What is wrong with me?
"Are those…" Nick is eyeing his t-shirt on Ahk's body.
"Yes, Nick, I'm sorry. Just until we get back home."
"I, uh, yeah sure. It's fine."
He looks a little less than convinced, but Ahk's voice is so sincere that he can't bring himself to be upset. He twists back around in his seat, gazing through the windshield. Larry speeds through the city, twisting through streets and getting us to La Guardia in record time. I'm kind of nervous to be flying, but it seems that my body has been chilling itself out. Hopefully, no fainting spells while we're thousands of feet in the air. The thought makes my stomach curl. I subconsciously tighten my grip on Ahk's hand, and he looks down at me.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
He makes a soft sound of acknowledgement, and his thumb begins to rub circles on the back of my hand. Oh, why does he have to do that? I'm getting butterflies again. Why am I worrying so much? An Egyptian pharaoh would have no interest in me. None at all. So there's nothing to worry about. Larry parks the car and we all get out, again making sure to maintain contact through our hands. Ahk doesn't have a suitcase, so he insists on rolling mine so I don't have to worry about any luggage. As soon as we walk through the doors, we're getting stares. Mostly from women. So it isn't just me that thinks Ahkmenrah is attractive. Yes, fine, I admit it. He's kinda hot.
Larry makes a big show at the check-in desk of needing another ticket for the flight because my "boyfriend" needs to come with us on the trip to visit my dying grandmother in London. It's a bit of a stretch, even for Larry, but Ahk's innocent smile and Larry's story convince her to let us buy another ticket and rearrange out seats without pressing for too much personal information from Ahk. Our crew makes our way to security. I'm worried about Ahk and myself. We can manage to be normal for the seven hour flight, can't we? We get to security, and the guard checks through the tickets and I.D.s of the passengers in front of us. Larry turns around with a worried glance.
"Ahk doesn't have an I.D."
"What is that?" the Egyptian asks, confusion furrowing his features.
"Something that proves you aren't a terrorist." Nick says, his voice has a slight edge. He's still pissed about the clothes thing.
Ahk pulls me a little closer to him, bending his head down to whisper in my ear. I can feel his warm breath tickle my cheek, and I momentarily forget to listen to what he's actually saying.
"You can convince this man that I am allowed to get on the airplane without an I.D."
"What?"
"If you truly do hold the tablet's powers now, all you have to do is look into his eyes and tell him what he will do, and he'll do it. The tablet can control other peoples' minds, if your intentions are noble. I think that this is a worthy cause."
"I happen to agree with you," Larry interjects, "can we get a move on? We're holding up the line, and our flight leaves soon."
"Right. Sorry."
Nicky and Larry make it past the guard with no problem. Ahk goes next, bringing me with him and handing the guard our tickets.
"London, huh?" he says, a kind smile greeting us.
"Yes, sir." I reply, unsure of how to make this work. Do I just tell him that he doesn't need to see Ahk's I.D.? What if this doesn't work? Will we be detained?
"I.D.s, please."
I hand mine to him, and he looks over it before handing it back to me and stamping my ticket.
"And you?" he asks Ahk.
I step forward as Ahk gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. The guard locks eyes with me, and I take my chance.
"Oh, it's alright. You don't need to see his I.D."
The man's eyes glaze over slightly, and he tilts his head.
"I don't?"
"No, you don't. If you could stamp his ticket, that would be wonderful."
"Sure thing." he replies dreamily, stamping Ahk's ticket and handing it to us slowly. He doesn't look away from my eyes.
"Have a great day." I say to him, smiling.
"Enjoy your flight." he responds.
As soon as I look away, he snaps back to his normal self.
"Ticket?" he asks the woman behind us.
A sick feeling worms its way through my stomach. I suddenly get hit with a feeling of nausea, and I clutch Ahk's hand tightly as the golden tinge begins to seep into my vision. I'm having trouble breathing.
"Alexandria?" Ahk asks, turning to me.
I look over at him, and he realizes what is happening. He hurriedly makes me walk over to a nearby bench, and sits me down. I'm grabbing his hand, hard. That choking feeling is like when you have to throw up, but there is nothing there, and you just gag over and over again. I still can't breathe.
"You have to listen to me. You're fine. You were just using your powers, and your body hasn't gotten used to it yet. You're okay. You're okay."
He wraps his other arm across the front of my body in a tight hug, and strokes my hair. I slam my eyes shut as the nausea begins to get the best of me. I black out for a second, but quickly regain consciousness.
"You must remain strong." he whispers in my ear.
The Arabic is like a song, lilting and decadent. I can't see much past the gold in my eyes. Even when I close them, I can't get away from it. Stop. Stop. Stop! Suddenly, it blinks out, and I inhale a huge gulp of air. I'm panting for breath as Nick comes walking quickly over to us.
"Alex, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
I don't feel fine, but I'm not about to tell him that. Ahk continues to pet my hair and gently rock us back and forth. A TSA agent comes over to us.
"Is everything all right here?"
"Yeah, fine. She's just afraid of flying." Nicky lies smoothly, and the lady makes an understanding face before walking away. Nick reaches out to touch me, and is instantly zapped by the electric currents that haven't yet subsided.
"Holy shit. Are you sure you're okay?"
I'm starting to feel better. It was just a quick relapse. If I don't use the powers again, I'll be fine. I'll be fine. Keeping Ahkmenrah alive for this long is surely hurting my body. There's no way I'm telling him that, though. I don't want to make him feel bad. Ahk lets me out of his hug, squeezing my hand again in his. I can't help but notice he wasn't shocked by my skin.
"Are you alright? Can you stand?"
"Yes."
I slowly get to my feet, trembling and dizzy. I shake my head to get it to go away, and wipe my sweaty palm on my jeans. I'm fine. That wasn't as bad that time. I was able to control it. Nick shoots me a worried glance before proceeding to the line. Larry has already gotten through and is waiting on the other side. He looks positively terrified that he can't come back over here to help. I shoot him a shaky smile, and he returns it. He's glad I'm okay. Luckily, we got in to the TSA first class line, which means we don't have to take our shoes off. That would have been a hassle considering I only have one hand to use. We set my suitcase down on the conveyor belt. I'm not wearing any jewelry, and neither is Ahk. We get to the scanner. Oh God. I'm going to have to let go of his hand. There's no way they'll let us through otherwise.
"Ahk. I have to let go."
He stops in his tracks, "You what?"
"We have to go through the scanner one at a time. Those are the rules."
He sets his jaw, "I can do it. As long as it's not more than a minute, I can do it."
"Are you sure?"
"I am."
I immediately regret this. I don't want to have to hurt him.
"I'll go first." he says, smiling reassuringly at me.
"Right this way, sweetie."
The same TSA agent that checked on me a few minutes ago is running the body scanner.
"You'll have to let go of your boyfriend's hand for just a second, hon. Then you can have him back."
The fact that she called Ahkmenrah my boyfriend is the least of my problems right now. I squeeze his hand and let go. A brief flash of gold illuminates my eyes before I force it away. No. Not now. He steps inside the machine and slowly raises his arms above his head. I can see his skin starting to fade from that deep tan color to a pale, dead pallor. The machine finishes with a ding, announcing his safety, and he steps out of it as slowly as an old man. He coughs, gripping the side of the conveyor belt to steady himself. He's trying to mask the pain as best he can. My stomach feels sick remembering the way he described his recurring death. The burning scars, the failing organs…
I step into the machine as fast as I can. I put my hands above my head and breathe a sigh to calm my rapidly pounding heart. It whirs around me, seemingly in slow motion. Can't it go any faster? I hear another sick cough from Ahk. Finally, it dings. I rush out of the scanner and place my hand on his arm. A zing of electricity jolts through us, and life floods back into his body. He straightens, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, and catches his breath. His shaking fingers slide into mine. I squeeze his hand.
"It's okay. I'm here."
"I know." he says thickly.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Please tell me we don't have to do that again any time soon."
"Only on the flight back."
He looks pained. He doesn't say anything as he grabs my suitcase from the conveyor belt and we make our way to Nick and Larry.
"Are you two okay?" Larry asks.
"Just fine." I reply.
Ahk looks a little far away, his eyes glassy and his skin dry and scaly. He catches me looking at him and gives me a weak smile. I return it. We follow Larry and Nick through the airport to our gate. By the time we are boarding, Ahk appears to have returned to a relatively normal state. I'm mulling over today's events in my mind as we board the plane. My body only betrays me when I use the powers. Whether it be to keep Ahk alive, or manipulate innocent people. Guilt gnaws at my insides. I controlled that guard's mind. I seized control of his will and snapped it in half. That poor man. And he went right back to his job afterwards. So it's okay! Despite trying to reassure myself, the guilt doesn't go away. I want to get rid of this before it can get worse. I hope Ahk's parents can fix me.
Ahk leads me to our seats, closer to the back of the plane. We are sitting together, Larry and Nicky are sitting closer to the front. We may get first class boarding, but I doubt that Larry wanted to blow money on four first class tickets. Understandable, I suppose. Ahk lets me sit by the window, and he sits down next to me. We help each other buckle our seat belts, and exchange hand holding for my linking my arm through his. The flight really is quite empty. The plane is normally sized, but is only about half way full. Ahkmenrah's leg is bouncing beneath mine like a nervous tick.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
"I'll be alright. I'm just nervous about flying, I've never done it before."
"I am, too. It'll be alright, though."
"Mm."
He falls silent, his leg continuing to bounce up and down. Larry stands and turns to look back at us. He flashes the thumbs-up sign with a questioning expression. I return the sign and smile at him as sweetly as I can. He's such a worrier. Granted, this is a little scary, but Larry always worries about things. He smiles back and sits down again. The flight attendants begin the safety demonstration. Ahk looks as confused as ever, I realize how much I have taken flying on an airplane for granted.
"Do I need to worry about any of that?" he asks, puzzled.
"No, don't worry. Just stay buckled."
"Alright."
No sooner have the flight attendants taken their seats, the plan begins to move. Ahk's hand slides back into mine, his palm is beginning to sweat. He's nervous. I softly squeeze his hand. The plane begins to pick up speed, coasting down the runway. When it lifts off, Ahk involuntarily tightens his grip on my hand. This is actually quite adorable. He's never flown on an airplane before! He leans over me to stare out the window, watching the ground get smaller and smaller beneath us.
"We're awfully high up." he mumbles.
"Not to worry. They wouldn't let us fly if there was a concern for our safety."
That seems to comfort him. I may be nervous, but I can't let him see that. I need to make him feel better. He settles back into his seat, and I do the same. I suddenly realize how tired I am. I haven't slept in ages. But I just can't sleep on planes. The thought of dropping your guard thousands of feet in the air and surrounded by strangers is an idea that terrifies me. Ahk seems to read my mind. He has figured out how to recline the seats, and makes a big show of leaning back and snapping up again a few times over. I giggle.
"You're going to break it."
"They wouldn't let us do it if there was a concern for our safety." he retorts, spitting my words back at me with a playful grin.
I jokingly glare at him before reclining my chair back as well. Now, we have a little bed in the privacy of our row. There are no passengers around us for a few rows in all directions. The flight attendant walks by then, with the drink cart. She sees us lying down, and chuckles.
"Would you like a blanket?"
"Oh, no thank you." I say, at the exact same time as Ahk says, "Yes, please."
She laughs again and reaches under the cart to withdraw a fuzzy blue fleece blanket, more than big enough for the two of us.
"Here you are."
"Thank you." Ahk replies.
She smiles and continues on her way. My eyes are starting to droop. I haven't slept for almost a full day. Ahk spreads the blanket over the two of us, graciously cushioning my body from the armrest. I lean against his shoulder as his crackling touch trails over my shoulders. His arm rest over my shoulders, his fingers drawing small, electrifying circles into my arm. The sensation is never going to be something I get used to, it sends excited pulses through my lower belly every time. I soon relax against him, his warm touch lulling me to sleep.
"Sleep now. Many sleepless nights await."
siiiiiiilent nighttttttt, hooooooooly nighttttttt, allllll is calmmmmm, alllll is brighttt. okay, I'll shut up. anyway, merry christmas (or whatever holiday you do/don't celebrate!) here's your late christmas present, an extra long chapter because I love you all tons and bunches! hello and thank you to daii16, Nyxis, Thebestdisneydescendant, Miss Scarlet Darkness, MoonlightShadow94 (thank you for following me as well!), phantomshadow99, Lizi Rose, n-i-g-h-t-s-n-o-w-s-t-o-r-m, ArtemisLuna85 (thank you for following me!), Dina Eragon Black, xTinyGhoulx, shannonb58, bluefox93, and stefi4eva (thanks for following me too!). also, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to those of you that have reviewed and/or PM'd me with your thoughts/reviews! omg you have no idea how much I love reading reviews honestly they must be my life source or something. I love reviews. I also love talking with you guys, so hit me up ;P anyways, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! remember to review, favorite, and follow!