Chapter 3
Year: 2009 B.C.
Place: Ancient Egypt
In the dead of night with the moon shining, footsteps are heard running in the sands of the Egyptian desert. As the person comes into focus, he is fast approaching what looks like a pyramid. He runs around the opposite side of which he approached and leaned up against the pyramid's outside wall. He started to huff and puff while trying to catch his breath. He peaked around the corner only to be face to face with another person dressed all in black. He fell backwards onto the sand and looked into the yellow eyes of the cloaked person in front of him.
For the first time, he spoke. "Kamenwati, why are you doing this?" The cloaked person looked right at person on the ground and spoke. "Why, I expected more from you Baraka. You are after all, the all knowing one. Am I correct?" The man named Baraka looked down at the ground and then swiftly back up to the man named Kamenwati. "I am indeed that man, but I believe you have underestimated me. Not only am I "All Knowing" I also have the same powers as you do, perhaps even more powerful." Kamenwati laughed loudly. "You, more powerful than me? That is absurd! How can someone as weak as you, with good magic, possibly possess more power than someone of dark magic?"
Baraka stood up and stood his ground. "I, myself, may be weaker than you. But with the power of my father and his father before him, I will defeat you!" Kamenwati laughed and struck a pose. He then extended his arm quickly and a beam of purple lightning came from his fingers. It struck the ground in front of Baraka which made him fly backwards. Kamenwati then let out another lightning bolt, but Baraka quickly rolled away from it then pushed off the ground with a twist and landed on his feet. He did a few movements with his arms and then with his hands formed a cup to his side and threw his arms forward, thus thrusting the powerful ball at Kamenwati. He simply caught it in his hand and closed his hand to a fist and reducing the ball to nothing. Baraka looked at the entrance to the pyramid and dodging another attack from Kamenwati, ducked inside. He ran down the hall and ducked into a room that had only a small pillar and a lamp. The pillar was in the middle of the room, however the lamp was in the corner.
Kamenwati floated into the room and saw Baraka standing out of the way and crossed his long skinny arms. "So, are you finally admitting your defeat? How noble of you. Sacrificing yourself for the sake of the king. I'm sure King Mentuhotep would be pleased." Baraka simply laughed. "I am not out to please the King. I am simply abiding my time so that I can take over the thrown when I kill him and blame it on you! Since I am, after all the King's Head Soldier, it is obvious that since he doesn't have any kin, nor does he have any siblings, that I shall take over as King." He walked closer to the pillar, smiled and turned back to Kamenwati. "That is why I have brought you out here. To defeat you so that I can blame his death, tomorrow, on you and since you'll be dead, they will not pursue you and all will be forgotten."
Kamenwati smiled. "I never knew you had such evil in you. I should've taken you as a companion, not as a rival. I say that you ditch that plan and we scheme up together so that we both can rule over Egypt!" Baraka smiled and looked at the pillar. "That idea intrigues me. But if we are to do this, we need to make a solemn vow to not do harm to each other in the future, for whoever does, will perish without any hope of return." Kamenwati, still smiling, said, "Yes, I believe that is a splendid idea. What kind of vow do you propose?"
Baraka walked over to a box that was on the ground beside the pillar and pulled out a cloth rag. The cloth was purple and it looked like there was something inside it. Baraka pulled the cloth to one side, then the other. Under the cloth was a dagger. It was silver in color with a gold handle with some jewels in different places. Baraka held up the dagger, looked at it then at Kamenwati. "I propose, a blood oath. We shall take, each, a drop of blood, place it onto the circle on the pillar and the oath will take affect." Kamenwati took the dagger from Baraka's hand and looked it over. He then looked back up to Baraka and said, "Everything seems to be in order, let us begin."
Year: 2009 A.D.
Place: LAX Airport
Ms. Watkins was the first in the area of their terminal. She set her stuff down and turned to the class. "Okay, everyone sit down here while I talk to the stewardess at the podium." She turned around and walked over to the woman. Jon sat down in a chair next to Mike. Without looking at him he said, "How long do you think it will take for the plane to be ready?" Ryen walked over to the seat next to Mike (2 back-to-back rows of 4), set down his luggage and looked down the line at Jon. "Dude, we have been here a total of, like, ten seconds and you are already wondering when we will leave?" Jon's head fell to his chest and he sighed. "I'm not being impatient, I am just wondering when we will take off. It could be hours or minutes from now, I just want a rough estimate."
At that same moment Ms. Watkins came back to the area. "Well it seems they need to fill the plane's tank with gas, and they believe it will take at least two hours." There was a class-wide groan as all their heads bowed in discouragement. Keith spoke up, "Isn't there anything you can do to speed it up, Ms. Watkins?" Everyone looked up to her to see if she was either joking around or was thinking, only to be disappointed. Ms. Watkins bowed her head. "I'm sorry everyone. We will definitely be here a while." The class all lowered their heads in unanticipated disappointment.
Year: 2009 B.C.
Place: Ancient Egypt
Kamenwati stood on one side of the pillar and Baraka stood on the other. They faced each other with Kamenwati holding the dagger. He held it up and said, "With this dagger I do pledge to an ever lasting bond with the other individual who gives his blood for the just cause." With that he pricked his finger. A tiny drop of blood appeared on his finger and he proceeded to place the blood droplet into the middle of a circle that was inscribed on the pillar. Baraka took the dagger, sighed and said, "With this dagger I do pledge to an ever lasting bond with the other individual who gives his blood for the wrong cause." Kamenwati looked up at Baraka who quickly pricked his finger and placed the droplet onto the pillar with Kamenwati's. As the droplet hit the pillar Baraka snapped his finger and a lamp appeared. He then called out, "With this lamp and my blood I shall seal this evil for all of eternity!" In a last attempt Kamenwati lunged at Baraka, but it was too late, for in a swirl of colors the two were swept up in the air and Kamenwati was slowly sucked into the pillar while yelling, "I will have my revenge! I will! I WILL!" At last Kamenwati was sucked into the pillar. Baraka, seeing his work was done held the lamp under him and instead of being sucked into the pillar was sucked into the lamp. The lamp fell right on top of the circle on the pillar and thus preventing anything, or anyone from getting out.
Year: 2009 A.D.
Place: JFK Airport - 2 hours later
Everyone was extremely bored now as Jon and Ryen were engaged in a heated battle of "I-Spy", Keith and Mike were battling each other on Pokemon Pearl with their WiFi connections on their Nintendo DS's, Jessica and Michelle were exchanging glamour magazines they had brought and discussing the beauty tips that they either thought were ugly or in the words of Michelle, "just plan fugly!" and Ms. Watkins, in tranquility, was sitting in the chair closest to the door for the boarding area. Mike was looking around the area and then pointed and shouted, "The clock!" Jon lowered his head at the response. "How do you always get these?" Mike took his thumb and grazed his nose and pumped his right arm. "I'm just that good!" Jon simply kept his head lowered and shook it. "You really need to stop the Sentai impersonations." Mike shook his head and placed a finger on his chin. "Now, where were we. Ah, yes! My turn!" Mike looked around the room and caught a glimpse of Michelle. His face then went from a thinking mode to evil grin mode. He turned to a Jon, with a now regular face, and said, "Let's see how "aware" you really are. I spy with my little eye a good looking brunette with a blue shirt."
Jon's face was curiosity at first until he looked around and saw what Michelle was wearing. His eyes, if possible, shrank to about five times smaller than they should be. He sat there and looked at the beauty before him. She stood about five foot three and had baby blue eyes and lovely brown hair that went to about the swell of her back. "I can't say her. Or else I will really say that I love her." he thought to himself. He sank in his chair and looked around nervously hoping to find another brunette with a blue shirt. To his surprise a stewardess came around the corner and sure enough, she was a brunette with a blue shirt on (actually a vest but it was good enough). Jon almost, jumping out of his chair, pointed to the woman. "Right there! Brunette with a blue shirt! HA! I win!" He stood and did a mini twist. He was so caught up with the twist that when he finally stopped, everyone, including all the other waiting people, were staring at him. He stood still and thankfully the stewardess, who Jon had pointed to, was bringing good news.
She stepped up to a little microphone at the gate and said, "Attention passengers who are boarding Flight 469 going to Egypt, your plane is now ready to board. Please enter the tunnel in a single file line so we can check your ticket and passport for boarding. Thank you and have a nice flight." She hit a button on the console that turned off the microphone. Jon and all his classmates jumped in the air in excitement. They all grabbed their bags and got in line. One by one they filed into the tunnel. Jessica quickly jumped in behind Michelle who was in front of Mike. She winked at him and he winked back. Jessica took Michelle's ticket out of her pouch and replaced it with her own. She snickered at Mike who snickered back. Michelle walked to the lady at the podium and she checked the ticket, stamped it and Michelle walked into the tunnel. Jessica took a hand and put it behind her. Mike slapped it softly, then she, Mike and the rest of the classmates boarded the plane.
Jon was the last of the group to get on the plane and warily he walked down the aisle all while looking for his seat. He was looking at his ticket then at the seats. He paused once to look at the ticket and realized he reached his seat. So, still without looking at the seat itself, he took his carry-on and put it in the overhead compartment. He kept out his headphones and his iPod and took a seat in his chair. He put the iPod and headphones in a little holster in the seat in front of him and sat back. It only just occurred to him that there was someone sitting next to him. He looked over and to his horror, there was Michelle who was looking out the window. By her physical appearance it was obvious, to all but Jon, that she had seen him show up at the seat in the beginning. Jon's face went red and he then looked over at Mike and Jessica who were sharing a seat. They were both smiling at him with evil grins. He gave them an awful look but they merely smiled back. Unbeknownst to Jon, Michelle was also giving the same look as him to Mike and Jessica.
Jon turned slowly to face Michelle and as he did she wiped the look from her face. He gave her a polite smile and started to look randomly around the plane just wishing that it would take off so he could put on his headphones and ignore anything that happens. Just when it couldn't get anymore weirder, a stewardess walked by them and asked, "Can I get you two anything?" Jon spoke up first, "Yes, can I get a bottle of water?" The stewardess nodded and asked, "Are you ordering for your girlfriend as well?" Across the aisle Jon heard some snickering. He looked around the stewardess to see that Mike and Jessica were laughing at the stewardess's comment. He gave them an awful look then sat back in his chair. He politely looked up at the stewardess and with a beet red face said, "Uh, we aren't, um, going out ma'am." The stewardess went pink and put a hand on her chest. "Oh, I am so sorry. I thought you two were going out because you make such a cute couple."
From across the aisle Mike and Jessica, as if on cue, leaned forward so Jon and Michelle could see them and said, "We have been telling them that for a while now." They started laughing and sat back in their chairs. The stewardess let out a giggle and looked at Michelle. "Anyway, is there anything I can get you, miss?" Without saying a word or looking up Michelle simply shook her head. The stewardess looked and pointed at Jon and said, "Okay, so one water bottle. Anything else?" Jon smiled and nodded at her, "Nope, that's it for now." The stewardess nodded and left the two "lovebirds" to their thoughts. She walked into another room and after a minute or two she was back with the bottle of water. She then walked down the aisle and handed it to Jon. She held it out and as Jon took it she said, "Here you go, fresh from a cold refrigerator." She giggled at the joke she made. Jon forced a chuckle while smiling at her. As she walked away Jon's face went to a look that said, "Is she for real?" He looked at Michelle who looked like she was extremely uncomfortable.
Michelle looked up at Jon and immediately turned red and looked away. Jon, feeling so uncomfortable, took out his cell phone and started to type something. After he finished he closed his phone and put it away. A few seconds later Mike came over with Jessica. Jon immediately stood up, grabbed Jessica and threw her into the chair that he just left. He then grabbed Mike and he dragged him back to where Mike was sitting. Jon sat in the window set and Mike slowly sat down in the aisle seat. There was a pause for a minute or two and then Mike spoke. "So, uh." He stuttered. "What exactly happened?" Jon sat there silent, then said softly, "I blew it." Mike leaned in towards Jon. "What do you mean, 'blew it'?" Jon then lifted his head and looked into Mike's eyes, with what looked like a tear in his right eye. "I mean I blew it," he paused. "with Michelle." Mike's face went from possible terror to a smile. "Don't worry dude. We still have a long time to help you muster up the courage to ask her out. It's not a lost cause until she bluntly says, 'I don't like you and I don't love you.'. So just relax and when we get back to the States we'll figure something out." Mike patted Jon on the back and Jon nodded. "Thanks. I hope this trip will help me open up a little."
Jessica still in "aw" from what just happened, looked over at Michelle who had her head down. She laid a hand on her back and started to rub it.
"Hey, what's up?"
Michelle looked up at Jessica and placed her head on Jessica's lap.
"I'm totally confused." Michelle said.
"Confused about what?" Jessica asked, with a puzzled look on her face.
"The stewardess and the water. The giggling and the red faces."
"Michelle?"
"You and Mike. Jokes and more jokes.
"Michelle?"
"I'm just so confused that I don't even know what to think anymore!"
"MICHELLE!"
Michelle jumped, sat up and looked at Jessica.
Jessica jumped a little as well and placed a hand on her chest. After a couple seconds she took a deep breath.
"Okay, Michelle. I know what you are talking about. But you have to think of it this way, we know he likes you as much as you like him. Now we just have to wait for HIM to make the first move. I'll admit that me and Mike tried to set something up tonight, but we only did it to help you and Jon finally confess your feelings. I guess we have some more planning to do."
She sat back and put her pointer finger and her thumb on her chin. But before she could even think of anything Michelle spoke.
"Stop."
Jessica blinked and looked over at Michelle who was now looking out the window.
"Stop? Why?" Jessica asked. "Don't you want to be with Jon?"
Michelle nodded and looked at Jessica. "I do, it's just." she paused. "If he really does feel the way we think he does, I want him to talk to me by himself, without help. I'd like to know that if he really does like me, or even more than that," she paused again. "that he do it on his own, when he's ready."
Jessica nodded in agreement and placed a hand on Michelle's shoulder.
"Alright, you win. I'll tell Mike that we are backing off now. I just hope this will be worth the wild."
Under her breath, Michelle says, "Me too."
What she didn't know is that Jessica heard her and she smiled.