Effie was breathing hard as she fled up the stairs and out of the lobby, the protests of the figures below flying over her head. She needed to find Nick, or the night guard, and make them tell her what the bloody hell was going on. She broke into a jog when she heard the footfalls of pursuit on the stairs behind her, twisting and turning down corridors at random in the hope to throw them off. She passed a group of Amish looking women; ignored them and sped up all the more, desperate to outrun the freakish phenomenon that was becoming the museum.
"Miss! Halt!" Roosevelt's voice called out from behind her, and she turned to see him and his horse riding down the corridor towards her. She let out a cry and broke into a flat out sprint, turning right at the end of the hall. There was a turn off into another exhibit before her and she raced into it, not bothering to check her surroundings. She dropped to the floor and curled into a ball, rolling behind a massive black marble statue and pressing against the wall. She heard the sound of approaching hooves and held her breath, watching as the President peered into the exhibit, before shrugging and leaving, continuing on.
Effie let out her breath and collapsed against the wall, the rough edges poking into her back. She closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing, putting her head in between her legs as if about to faint.
"That was far too close." She breathed, smiling in a moment of madness and shock. She began to giggle and soon it became uncontrollable, and she clamped her hand over her mouth to suppress them.
A sudden grating of rock and a crash like thunder had her frozen and alert in a second.
"What on…?" She trailed off, her mouth hanging open, fear replacing all relief and laughter from the minute before. The hairs on her neck stood on end as she took in the sight above her, a tremor running up and down her spine. Two massive black Jackals – at least fifteen feet tall - towered above her menacingly, evil looking spears clutched in their hands, pointing in her direction.
"Oh. My. GOD!" She shrieked as a spear flew towards her, ducking in the nick of time. She turned towards the exit and saw it blocked by another Jackal, leaving her no choice but to head up to the other end of the hallway. She threw herself into a run and skidded under the legs of another statue, narrowly avoiding being impaled on a spike.
"HELP!" She screamed, stumbling on her own feet and sliding along the ground, before pushing herself back up and into a sprint. She approached the glinting sarcophagus and threw herself over it, ducking and pressing herself to the side for cover. A spear missed her head by a hairs breadth, and she began to cry once more, finding herself more utterly terrified than she had ever been before. She wasn't ready to die – she was only eleven – and death by ancient spears seemed a particularly nasty and agonizing way to go.
"Teddy! Nick! Someone, HELP!" She shrieked, waves of fear overcoming her as she heard the hulking masses of the statues coming closer. The ground shook with their steps, and any minute now and she was going to find herself a human pin cushion. She started to cry harder, curling into a ball, wrapping her hands over her head.
Then she heard it.
A voice, commanding her, speaking to her from inside of the coffin.
"Open my sarcophagus, young child! Let me out, and I can stop my guards!"
"What?" She yelled, pressing her cheek against the gold edge to hear further.
"Open it, or you will find yourself hurt, child!"
She froze, indecisive, more tears spilling over her cheeks as she bit her lip hard. If she opened the Sarcophagus, who knew what entail? She had seen enough horror movies to realise that letting out the Mummy was always a stupid and often fatal idea. But if she didn't…
Effie leaped to her feet quickly, leaning over the sarcophagus and yanking at the bolts keeping the lid at place. She glanced up and saw the Jackals honing in on her, and her heart damn nigh stopped altogether. She pulled at the lid desperately, finding that it wouldn't budge.
"The stone!" She heard from inside, and she glanced to the end of the coffin where a dark stone slab lay over it. Bracing her muscles, she shoved at it with all of her might, before yanking at the lid and falling back against the wall as it sprang open. She saw a bandaged figure pull themselves out, their movements jerked, and squeezed her eyes closed, pressing her palms over her face.
"Stop, just stop." She sobbed, her body aching from shock and physical strain – the stone slab had been a heavy task for someone her build. She heard a harsh command – in a language she couldn't recognize – and a colossal thump, then nothing but her own quiet tears and heavy breathing.
And then light footfalls, in her direction.
"Child?" The voice came suddenly from near, surprisingly articulate for a corpse.
Effie shrank back against the wall, pressing into herself tightly – trembling with fear.
"Don't hurt me." She begged, envisioning a number of horrors that would greet her if she opened her eyes. She had seen both The Mummy, and The Mummy Returns, and pictured the walking, rotting corpse in front of her to be similar to the one in the film.
"Don't drain my life force." She tried again, and she heard a grunt of surprise.
"Your life…force? Child, do not fear me." The voice spoke again, with gentle and melodic tones. The accent was strangely similar to her own, and Effie almost laughed at the idiocy of the situation. Almost.
"You wouldn't say that you were going to hurt me though, would you. You'd make me look so you could steal my eyes." She whispered tearfully, remembering that certain scene from the film. "And my tongue." She added as an afterthought.
"Your…?" The voice trailed off, silent. Deliberating.
Suddenly, Effie felt a pair of hands over her own, tugging them from her face.
"No!" She squirmed, kicking out, but connecting with nothing. Her hands were pulled from her face, and she kept her eyes squeezed shut.
"Do I feel as you expect me to?" The voice asked calmly, and Effie paused, wondering. The hands pressed against her cheeks, and she noted that they felt unusually warm, almost human…
She opened a single eye cautiously, blinking away at the tears for better vision, a few twinkling like diamonds where they rested on her lashes. The first thing she noticed was a young and exotic looking man sat in front of her, his expression kind and his eyes gentle. His skin was olive toned, and his eyes were a warm brown – a shade lighter than her own. His hair was also brown and curly, and Effie remembered a conversation.
"I was right." She breathed, shock induced, and the face furrowed in confusion.
"Pardon me?"
"You're not really a ginger."
"Effie?" A familiar voice rang from behind the man, and Nicky stepped into view over his shoulder, an older looking man beside him. "Effie, are you alright?"
"Am I alright? Am I alright!" Effie asked shakily her fear beginning to dissipate at the sight of a familiar face. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she squashed the last of her terror down – instead replaced by a cocktail of anger and shock.
"You… you… imbecilic, good-for-nothing ratfink!" She exploded tearfully, still trembling as she shouted. "You could have told me about all of this! Do you have any idea what I've been through? I nearly died!"
"Okay, calm down, Effie." The older man tried to soothe her, coming to crouch beside the man from the sarcophagus – she couldn't recall his name in her shock. Ahk something.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice shrill, a few extra tears dribbling from her eyes. She wiped at them angrily with the back of her sleeve, before sticking her chin out defiantly.
"I'm, uh, Larry. The night guard. Nicky's father."
"A pleasure." she retorted sarcastically, tucking her hands behind her back. Larry sighed and reached for her, and she shrank back, practically hissing.
"Ahk, could you…?" He asked, and the Pharaoh nodded, before holding out a hand. Effie noticed he was still bandaged up to his wrists, and hesitated, before taking it shakily, letting him pull her to her feet. She wobbled slightly and leaned back against the wall to support herself, her lip trembling as she looked around. She noticed the Jackals kneeling behind them, and whimpered, remembering the spears. The King followed her glance, before turning back, a reassuring look in his eye.
"Do not worry. They will not hurt you. They are under my command."
"I forgot your name." Effie sniffed, and he smiled, standing up a little straighter.
"My name Is Ahkmenrah, fourth king of the fourth kings, ruler of the land of my fathers."
"Oh." She answered feebly, crossing her arms. "Now I remember. My friend took a picture of you with his phone."
The king frowned and Larry stepped forwards, Nick close at his heels.
"Effie, I think you better come with me and sit down. I think you're in shock."
"Probably." She agreed, taking a wobbly step forwards. Larry laced an arm around her back and supported her, pulling her past the statues and towards the exit. Nicky followed close behind. Ahkmerah - unwrapping his bandages – stayed back.
"Why is this happening?" Effie asked the night guard, not needing to explain what she was referring to. A bronze replica of Columbus clattered past, throwing an odd look in her direction.
"I'll explain later. First, we need to sort you out."
"I'm so sorry Effie." Nicky joined in mournfully from behind, his expression riddled with guilt as he stared at the back of her head. He hadn't handled the situation correctly, he knew, and had been stunned by the force behind Effie's angry words – even if he hadn't understood them. It wasn't like Effie at all.
"Nicky, we'll save all that till later." Larry ordered, his expression stern. He was angry at his son's foolishness, both for letting another person in on the secret and for his thoughtlessness. He was concerned about the girl, also, who was taking in everything around her with a freakishly wide-eyed stare. He led her into his office, and sat her down gently on cracked leather couch, pulling a rug over her shoulders.
"Just sit here. I'll get you a cup of coffee, or something."
"I'd prefer tea." She murmured, her eyes firmly on her hands, which lay locked together on her lap.
"Okay."
Effie glanced up and took in her surroundings, relieved to see nothing out of the ordinary. It was a small 'office 'cluttered and cramped with books and furniture, aged and faded rugs laying scattered in random on the floor. The walls were plastered with various posters from the museum, and the air smelt like coffee, shoes, and old leather. She ran a hand over the blanket on her shoulders, liking the crackling feeling of the static.
"Here you go." Larry came over, a mug of tea in his hands. Effie took it and peered in dubiously at the dark and watery liquid, her nose wrinkling at the tea-bag still floating inside.
"Do you have any milk?" She asked, and Larry nodded.
"Sure." He replied, tossing a capsule over to her. She caught it deftly and ripped off the lid, tipping the creamy liquid into her cup until the tea clouded into a more beige-like colour. She took a sip, and leaned back.
"Much better. Thank you."
Larry and Nicky stood around for a few minutes, awkwardly watching as Effie sipped slowly from her mug. Larry noted that she seemed much older than eleven; in both the way she held herself, and her general demeanour. Her eyes were still ringed with red, and he remembered how she had reacted back in Ahk's tomb. She had seemed far more like the age she was back then.
At that moment, Akhmenrah himself walked in – dressed fully in his heavily decorative royal robes and crown. Effie looked up and Larry noticed her calm exterior crumble slightly, before she pulled herself together, only her knuckles turning pale.
"Larry, Nick." He greeted politely, before turning to the girl on the couch, his expression gentle.
"My apologies, child, for my guards." He started, and Effie looked up to meet his eyes. "They strive only to protect me, you see, and must of taken you for a threat."
Effie said nothing, her brown eyes wide as she stared at the figure in front of her. Ahkmenrah looked towards Larry, disconcerted.
"She's a little shocked." Larry explained, walking over and perching on the seat next to her. "It's alright. No-one's going to hurt you."
She looked at Larry for a moment, taking in the trusting light of his eyes, and the hard set of his features, before taking a deep breath and turning back to the Pharaoh.
"Hello, Ahkmenrah." She tried, only the faintest detectable tremor in her voice. The king smiled, and bowed his head.
"A pleasure. And may I know unto who I am speaking?"
Larry was set to simplify Ahkmenrah's sentence for Effie, as he often had to do for Nick, when she answered, in full understanding. He leaned back, eyebrows raised.
"Effie. Effie Kensington." She answered, before hesitating, her mouth hovering open in question. "May I ask you something?" She finally asked, and the Pharaoh nodded cautiously.
"Indeed…"
"Why is it that you can speak English? And so eloquently as well?"
Larry snorted in disbelief, surprised to know that 'eloquent' would even be in an eleven-year-old dictionary. Akhmenrah glanced at him curiously, before answering.
"I went to Cambridge University as part of their Egyptology department. I picked up the language therein."
"Ah." Effie nodded, before giving a shy smile. "My father went to Cambridge. But he didn't do Egyptology."
"Perhaps I heard him, once."
"Maybe." Effie agreed, still nodding. The white pallor had disappeared from her cheeks, and her eyes became less wary as she peered up at the ancient King, taking a sip from her tea.
"Is it your tablet which does this?" She asked suddenly, and Larry cocked his head in surprise. If she was referring to what he thought she was, how had she known?
"It is." Ahkmenrah confirmed, and Effie couldn't help but give purse her lips a little smugly at being correct.
"How did you know?" Nicky asked suddenly from behind his father, and Effie glanced over, her expression hardening a little.
"Earlier, when I was on the tour, Rebecca mentioned some things about the magical properties the tablet held. I dismissed them for urban legends then, naturally."
"Well." Larry began gently, touching her on the shoulder. "As you can see, none of it is legend. The tablet brings the entire museum to life every night, and then returns them to their usual states during the day."
"But how?" Effie asked, her logical mind straining. "And why? Why does it have these properties?"
"Perhaps that is a field where I would be better to explain." Ahkmenrah piped up helpfully, and Effie looked over, her shy little face flushing eagerly.
"If it's not too much trouble."
"In which case, follow me." The King offered, holding out a smooth, brown hand, his warm chocolate eyes reassuring as they probed into her own. Effie hesitated briefly, staring at it for a moment, before taking a deep breath and looking up at him with a nervous albeit slightly more trustful smile. She placed her smaller palm over his own and let him pull her up from the couch, shrugging the rug from her shoulders as she rose.
"Lead on."
Well? What do you think? Do you like how I introduced Ahk? Do you hate it? Did I write him right?
I figured that – despite how mature Effie is – she would still react like an eleven year old when scared. I hope I wrote that part well... if not just let me know.
Shoutouts (Humour me – I enjoy them):
MamaLita: Thank you :) I'm glad you like it.
TTCyclone: I am going to finish this, don't worry. Thank you very much – I hope Ahkmenrah is good as well.
Pinkxjellybean: Thank you
Keep on reviewing anyone. Any less than three a chapter and I don't like to upload.
Thank you!