Another old man, Marion predicted as she offered a hand to Sam, who was still lying on the ground rolling his eyes at her. The owner of the voice turned around.
While Sam was busy apologizing, Marion looked at the stranger through narrowed eyes, studying him, her hands on her hips. "Funny, your not so old are you."
The man gave her a crooked, confused smile. "Twenty four. Is that old?"
"Nah, I'm just tryin to figure out why you're here voluntarily." She paused and raised her eyebrows, "unless one uh them," she motioned to the old archeologists bent over peering through glasses at ancient artifacts, "kidnapped ya."
"Indiana Jones," the man said, extending a muscular hand.
"Marion Ravenwood," Marion wiped her dirty hands on her legs and returned the handshake.
"Figured," said Indiana, repositioning his fedora on his head. He looked around the campsite, "Abner told me he had a kid and there aren't a lot of other Americans under the age of forty." They both grinned.
Marion began to follow Sam toward the tent where shards of pottery were being catalogued. She looked back at her father's assistant, "What kinda kid where you expecting."
Indiana Jones shrugged, he was concentrating on the surroundings, examining the landscape.
"You said your father's assistants were all old," Sam remarked.
"Yeah," Marion replied, "they usually are. I think this one was one of Abner's old students or something. I don't know." She shrugged. "Do you think your brother would be up for a rematch later today." Marion said brightly, referring to the game they had played earlier.
"I don't know, you beat him twice, and he prides himself on being the champion." Sam laughed.
For the remainder of the afternoon Sam helped Abner and the other archeologists catalogue the all the ceramics that had just recently began to appear with the discovery of some room, Marion couldn't remember what Abner had called it…something about storing food. Marion lay on her stomach in the hot sand, moving her toes back and forth in the sand. She skimmed over a few paragraphs of the book she was reading, but her eyes were concentrated on Abner and this new student of his, Indiana, was it? How interesting, she thought, that Abner should bring a student along with him. She thought this Indiana's nose was a bit off center and that he had a strange scar on his chin. He looked rather unshaven and his hat was ugly. She looked back down at her book and made herself concentrate on the words.
….At dinner later that night:
"Marion, this is Indiana Jones," Abner said as they sat down to eat. Seems Indiana had already been introduced to the other archeologists on the dig.
Indiana Jones tipped his hat and smiled at Marion, who smiled politely at her father and said, "We've met."
The dinner conversation drifted toward some archeologists work in China and Indiana Jones, who was sitting across from Marion, next to Abner said, "You've been on quite a few digs I presume."
She shrugged, and looked up at him, "yeah, quite a few."
"Must be something," he said wistfully looking around the tent.
She downed a glass of wine and laughed coolly, "Nah, I don't really give a shit for broken shards of kitchen wear. All these archeological sites start to blend together, Mr. Jones."
He looked at Marion for moment, puzzled, and then smiled thoughtfully, "to each their own," and he held up his wine glass.
She held hers up and when the glass met they made a clanking noise. "So," Marion began, "what are they looking for anyway."
His face lit up as he began to talk, "It's a medallion," he set his glass down and with his index fingers and thumbs made a circle in the air to demonstrate the size. Marion rested her chin in her palm, listening. She liked having someone else besides her father explain to her the details of the expedition. "Of course we're not entirely sure what it looks like, but it supposed to fit on a staff, supposed to unveil the location of the Ark of the Covenant."
"Hmmm," said Marion thoughtfully, squinting her eyes in thought, "and so this medallion is here, at this dig."
"In a tomb, a burial site or something, that's what we're searching for!" Indiana Jones said excitedly.
Marion couldn't help but smile. He reminded her of her father when he talked about all these old things. She took another sip of wine and nodded toward Indiana, "Your hat's ugly."
He touched the brim of his hat, "Yeah?"
"Yeah," grinned Marion looking at him through big green eyes.
He couldn't help but smile back.
---------------
The next morning Marion went down to the village to find Sam. "Your not workin today are ya?"
"Nah," said Sam, "not today."
"Have you been there," Marion motioned toward a series of sandy buildings and holes and ladders that made up what was uncovered so far.
"You mean, into the uncovered remains of the city their looking at?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," said Marion.
"A bit," said Sam suspiciously. "Why are you so curious all of a sudden? You said you couldn't care less about what Mr. Ravenwood does."
Marion shrugged and skipped ahead. "They're lookin for a tomb you know?"
"I know."
"Well, have they found it," she turned around to face Sam, hands on her hips, head tilted, waiting for an answer.
"No," he said.
"Lets find it." Marion suggested plainly.
"Your crazy Marion." It was both a question and a statement. When Sam realized Marion was serious he added, "I'm not working today!"
"This won't be work Sam! An adventure, come on."
Reluctantly, Sam followed her and didn't object when she handed up a shovel. They proceeded down the steps into a chamber with painted walls, where men were brushing away at frescos and archeologists armed with tools that resembled tooth brushes were cleaning off old jars.