CHAPTER 3
This is where the story really begins and gets interesting! Please leave a review/comment to let me know if you like it! Also make sure to please follow this story! I would appreciate it 3
A few weeks later on a brisk October day, Avery was just about to relax in her dorm room. Until she remembered that she had forgotten some papers that needed to be filed immediately before McPhee's next meeting with the board. She cursed herself for forgetting about it but her mind was preoccupied by the stress of doing a group project with two of her, shall we say, lazy classmates. It seemed like she was doing all the work and they just stuck their name on the PowerPoint to get credit. Luckily for her, McPhee had given her a key to the archive room after she had proven herself worthy of it.
One afternoon, Avery was helping to sort out some of McPhee's files in his office. He was casually looking over some financial reports. She managed to glance over his shoulders and looked at the low numbers. She guessed it was an attendance rate but it didn't look promising. As soon as McPhee glanced over at her, he immediately huffed and turned the report to another page. To keep her prying eyes off of important museum business.
"Miss Daniels. Seeing as you are mainly working in the archives room, I think it is high time you got your own key. I can't have you coming to me to ask for a key every time you are down there."
From his desk he produced a silver key and handed it to Avery.
"Don't lose it." And that was that.
It was right before closing time that she managed to sneak in through the front doors. She just needed to go in and grab the papers and put them on McPhee's desk. She wanted to get in and out quickly because she had to meet with her classmates to finalize their project. Fate had other plans.
Looking for the papers took a little longer than she thought because she knew where she had initially put them, but with all the extra added stressors, she forgot! Finally after what seemed like forever, she found the papers. She delivered them to McPhee's office only to find that his door was locked. Of course it's locked, he's gone home for the day! Perfect. So she dropped it off in the file organizer hanging right by his door.
After that she raced to the front door to hopefully make it in time before Cecil and the other guards locked up. As she reached the door she tried to push it open but frowned as she realized she was too late. Who knew the guards were that fast to lock the doors? Frustrated, she tried one more time to open the doors to no avail. She took out her phone and emailed her classmates that she was going to be late.
Does it really matter? I've done most if not all of the work! I think I can afford to miss meeting with them. They can figure it out themselves! So she revised her email saying she wasn't going to be able to make it tonight.
Satisfied, yet anxious over the thought of abandoning her partners, Avery was preoccupied with herself that when she heard a noise come from behind her, she froze. Avery tried to convince herself that this was just the museum being old, so of course there's going to be creaks and groans. But this sound came from behind her and the only thing behind her was the T-rex skeleton. She forced herself to turn around and her blood ran cold. The T-rex had moved!
Her breath escaped her, her mouth became dry. The skeleton then lifted itself off of the pedestal and circled Avery. Her eyes darted everywhere for a chance of escape, but her feet remained rooted to the floor. She briefly remembered from her favorite movie Jurassic Park that if you stood still, then the rex couldn't see you. But that was cinema, surely it wouldn't work in real life? This skeleton was already dead! As the skeleton moved to circle her again, her mind told her to "Move!" and she took a chance and ran off towards a hallway. The rex certainly noticed and was intent on following her. She screamed louder than she ever thought she could as the floor rumbled while the rex was in pursuit. Unbeknownst to her, those screams traveled far across the museum to the three night guards' ears.
Cecil had just finished locking up the Hall of African Mammals exhibit when he heard the unmistakable sound of a woman screaming. He knew it wasn't one of the exhibits screams that he had grown accustomed to.
Someone else is in the museum, he thought as he gestured for Gus and Reginald to follow him. They would neutralize this threat.
Oh god, oh god, oh god! How is it alive! These thoughts filtered through Avery's head along with a certain F word.
She raced along the hallways desperate to find a hiding place. She kept screaming as the rex almost caught up to her. Her eyes landed on the large staircase and she climbed the stairs as fast as she could. However the rexes' heavy footprints rumbled the ground and caused her to slip up and she fell, surely bruising and skinning her knees. The pain was intense as was the fear of becoming this creature's last meal. As she lay on the staircase, not daring to move, the skeleton hovered over her giving her a direct view of its very sharp and deadly teeth. She was so stressed that she started to cry. Is this how she dies? She closed her eyes, preparing for the worst when suddenly… she heard a weird sound coming from the rex. She dared to peek and found it removing one of its ribs and dropping it at the base of the stairs. Avery looked bewildered at the strange creature. So it was not going to eat her?
She shakily and slowly got up, maintaining what she had hoped was eye contact with the rex. Suddenly the rex looked above her and started to… wag its tail?
"Rexy! DOWN!" A booming voice came from the top of the steps. It was Cecil and the other two night guards that she hadn't formally met.
"Miss Daniels! What in heaven's name are you doing here at this hour? The museum is closed!" His voice was a mix between concern and irritation, like he hadn't expected her to be there. Probably because he really didn't expect to see her outside of the normal museum hours.
"'Closed' means closed missy!" A short, stout man waved his fist at her.
"Gus, give it a rest will ya? Can't you see she's scared?"
"Alright that's enough you two," Cecil said as he approached Avery.
Avery was still on the staircase when she started to get back on her feet. Her knees were still in pain which made it difficult to stand up straight but Cecil was kind enough to lend her a hand for support.
"Now surely you must have lots of questions, but let's get you someplace quiet first and bandage up your knees."
The group of four walked down to the security guards office, on the way passing by some very curious exhibits. Avery was bewildered by this whole experience. They soon reached the office and got out a first aid kit, handing Avery some antiseptic wipes and bandages. One of the other two guards had gotten her some ice to put over her bruises.
"Well I suppose introductions are in order. This is Reginald and that's Gus, and of course you know me already," Cecil said, cracking a smile to ease some of the tension. Gus and Reginald nodded to her.
"Now I'm sure you have questions as to how everything is alive? Well remember back on your first day here when I told you about the tablet of Ahkmenrah? And how it supposedly had magical powers?" Avery nodded, listening intently. She felt her curiosity grow as she heard the next words out of his mouth.
"It is magic, indeed! It has the power to bring this whole museum to life!"
"Wait what! No way! That is so cool! But how-? And everything just magically comes to life? Everything everything?" She was stunned. Avery could not believe the magic she had stumbled upon all because she forgot to do one thing. Fate does indeed work in mysterious ways.
"Now that you know the secret, you better be keeping your mouth shut about it!" Gus angrily said, waving his fists at her. A silent threat in itself.
"Yes, we wouldn't want anyone else, especially Dr McPhee to become involved in this." Reginald said.
The three guards were watching her intently, waiting for her answer. They were all tense, making the whole situation uncomfortable. What if she squealed to everyone the magic of the tablet? That would throw off their whole plan for their endgame.
Taken aback by the intense stares she was getting, Avery felt like she definitely stumbled upon something that she was not supposed to. So to smooth everything over she said,
"Of course I'll keep it a secret. You have my solemn word."
And she meant every word too. She didn't want to be the reason for blabbing about the secret, ruining the magic. She didn't want to alert anyone about this unnatural phenomenon. It would be the most important secret she kept. And with her words, the guards relaxed a bit. There came a knocking at the door and Reginald opened it to reveal a man in a tan uniform. Avery recognized his statue near the entrance as Theodore Roosevelt!
Well a wax replica of him.
"Sorry to intrude gentlemen but I just had to make sure this young lady is alright."
"Oh, I'm alright, just a little scraped but nothing too bad!" Avery was nervous, she never dreamed of meeting a historical figure.
"Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of these United States, at your service Miss…"
"Oh, I'm Avery Daniels, but just Avery is fine."
Just then Cecil had a thought pop into his head that seemed like a grand opportunity.
"Say now that you two have been acquainted, Teddy would you do the honor of escorting Miss Avery here around the museum? Give her the grand tour! I'm sure she would like that. We would have done it gladly but there is an issue at which we must attend first."
Avery was in shock, having a personal tour just for her?
"Yeah, if it's not too much to ask, I would love a tour, President Roosevelt."
"Splendid my dear! And please call me Teddy!" He boasted loudly but had an infectious smile. And off the two went leaving the guards to discuss some serious business.
Gus looked a mix between skeptical and irritated. Reginald raised an eyebrow at Cecil.
"What do you think you're doing Cecil! Finding that girl trespassing and learning the secret of this place should have been grounds to give her the boot immediately! But instead you're letting her gallivant around the place with a wax figure!" Gus chastised Cecil.
How can this knucklehead be so daft!
"Yeah Cecil, what were you thinking man?"
"Gentlemen please. Think of the bigger picture here. She could just fit into our little plan perfectly. I'm certain that this was no mistake. She was made to find out about this place's secret. Now all we need now is a new night guard…"
And with that, the three went back to scheming.