CHAPTER 33

Avery was in the last few weeks of class. Her brain felt fried but she needed to stop procrastinating and sit down to at least outline her final thesis paper. She wracked her brain trying to think of a topic. While she was thinking, her mind wandered to Ahk and his situation, being a mummy and all. That peaked her interest. She spent most of the day and subsequent night following lead after lead. She had more than outlined her paper, she nearly finished writing it! Time flies when you have a topic of interest. She was at the museum in the archives room, the only space where she could work quietly and peacefully. Ironically she knew that the museum waking up would cause some semblance of chaos but she had since grown used to it and considered it helpful background noise. Ahk had come down to see if she was around and to give her some company should she want it. The lights were on and the door was unlocked which meant she was 'home' in a sense. He opened the door that unfortunately let out a loud squeak that startled Avery.

"Ahh! Oh, hi Ahk. Sorry I wasn't expecting anyone and I certainly wasn't expecting that sound."

"Apologies, Avery. I came to see how you are this evening and if you would like some company?"

"Of course, that would be wonderful, but let's move to the security office to sit on the couch, my back is protesting from sitting on the floor!"

"So, what is it that you are working on this time?" Ahk asked as they sunk into the couch. For a moment, Avery hesitated, debating what she would say. She struggled to meet his eyeline at first.

"It's, well, it's my final thesis paper. We have to pick a topic, research it and write up what feels like a 25 page paper when really it's like 10 pages, 15 at the most."

"Oh? And what is your topic?" Of course he would ask, that's the next relevant question!

"Well, let's just say that you inspired me, so it's going to be on mummies…" She felt her face become red. Meanwhile Ahk's face lit up with amusement and he smirked a bit.

"And what is it about mummies that you are researching?"

"It, well, umm…" His smirk fell as she was hesitating again. "Avery?"

"Well, okay, okay. I'll tell you but I don't think you're going to like the end result, so please don't get mad at me for this…"

"Of course I would never get mad at you but will you please tell me so I can satiate my curiosity?"

"So when I got the idea to research mummies, my research took me down a rabbit hole and I ended up in Victorian times with some fairly disturbing pieces of information. So you know Victorian times were very…death centered? Like taking pictures of the family around a deceased relative. Ya know, weird stuff like that? Well, they were equally fascinated by Egypt and discovered lots of mummies. It was called Egyptomania. Those mummies were brought back to Europe and people were able to purchase them as a type of souvenir. There were even mummy vendors. As you can imagine the trade was extremely lucrative. But the kicker is that the elite would host "unwrapping parties." It was a whole spectacle where people would gather around a mummy and take turns unwrapping the gauze, or what have you, from the body. They would become delighted whenever they found something of value; jewelry, precious metals, heirlooms. They basically defaced a corpse for a few minutes of entertainment.

"This is kind of where it gets even more disturbing. So just prepare yourself, okay? The corpses would be ground up and used as a medicinal supplement because obviously ancient people had some sort of ailment defying power. It was basically a snake oil sales pitch, claiming to cure nearly everything from headaches to the plague. Of course we know now that that was just as effective as trying to breathe underwater; It's really disgusting. But it didn't stop there either…

"There was a special paint that was made out of the ground up mummies… It was called mummy brown. It was a rich, dark brown color. We don't know the extent of just how many paintings contain the, uh, pigment. Several famous artworks are said to contain it because there is proof that the painters had purchased some of it. But thankfully or maybe a little too late, the popularity of the pigment faded as more people began to realize what it was made out of…and the fact that the so-called 'corpse market' was running low on supplies."

"That's the gist of it. How…how are you feeling? I'm sorry, I know it's a dumb question but-... Ahk?" She nervously glanced over at him after she finished her spiel. He had remained silent throughout it and only his ragged breathing could be heard. She went out to place a hand on his shoulder when suddenly he leapt up from the couch and started pacing and muttering to himself.

"I can't believe… The utter lack of respect for…I can't even-!" Ahk he was so furious that he couldn't think straight for a few minutes. Avery knew he might react like this but even with her premonition, she still shrunk in on herself waiting for him to blow up at her.

"Why would you pick such a topic Avery! How could you research something so close to home for me? What were you thinking!" These thoughts ran through her head as she pictured that that would be his reaction.

"The thousands of lives that they disrupted for their own amusement and games! Their Ka-their souls- can never rest! It'll be wandering the edge of Earth for eternity! How could people think that that was an acceptable form of entertainment! What had we done to deserve this fate? Do they have no respect for our culture or our people? Are we just a 'play thing' to them? That they think they can destroy decades, no, centuries of customs and culture! That they think they can mock the dead by destroying their physical being all while consuming it consciously? I have never felt so angry before, Avery. I feel as though I might do something rash so please step out of my way, I would not wish to hurt you."

The dark tone in his voice made Avery quickly gather her laptop from the couch and ran out the door. She soon heard crashing and looked back in to find that the items on the security desk had been swept onto the floor. A few fragile items like random coffee mugs had been shattered. Ahk started to scream and grunt as he found other items to throw about the small room. He gripped his crown and threw it against a wall. He began pulling at his hair, still screaming in anguish. Avery jumped back and gasped as she heard him become almost feral. But no matter how many times she called his name she couldn't get through to him. It terrified her. Fear had clawed at her throat and her chest tightened. She hated hearing him like this, it brought her back to when she heard him screaming from inside his sarcophagus the first time. But this was way worse. She needed help. She raced through the museum trying to find the two people she knew she could count on. She was almost in tears when she found them.

"Teddy, Larry. Come with me! It's Ahk. I don't know what to do!"

The two men shared a concerned look and immediately followed Avery back to where the Pharaoh was. As they approached they heard screaming and crashing inside the security office. Avery stood outside, paralyzed in fear at what they might find.

He could have hurt himself!

"Ahk, buddy? What's wrong?" Larry was first to enter the room. Teddy was right behind him.

"The disrespect that these people have for our culture! How dare they mock and destroy our ways! How dare they destroy us!" Another object was thrown against the wall. Both men looked back to Avery for some context.

"I was telling him about my thesis paper, about Victorian mummy unwrapping parties. It's as it sounds! And how they would grind up the mummies for snake oil pitches." Both men were wide eyed and mouth agape. They had never heard of anything like that.

Poor guy, that's awful, Larry thought to himself frowning at his friend.

Ahk let out one final gut-wrenching scream before he collapsed onto the floor seemingly out of rage fueled adrenaline. He kept muttering under his breath that he had failed them. It took Larry and Teddy a few seconds to react before they caught him under his arms. Looking at all the shards of glass and other sharp items on the floor, they did not want to run the risk of him getting physically hurt. They carried him out of the room and towards his exhibit with Avery trailing close behind them. Ahk could do little protest, his body was weakened by his sudden fit of rage, his throat sore from his screaming. He thought of Avery suddenly and oh how he wished he could take it all back, upon remembering the fear in her eyes and voice. He began to feel immense shame for the way he behaved. What was wrong with him? Why did he have to react strongly like that? It was out of character for him. He was the calm, level headed one.

Upon seeing their king in distress, the two jackal guards barred Avery from entering. They allowed Teddy and Larry to move Ahk inside. But surely, they thought, this girl had something to do with it? With a soft command from their king, they removed their spears and went down on one knee allowing Avery to enter the tomb. She couldn't help but feel as though they were now watching her every move more carefully than before. After gently setting Ahk down on the floor next to his sarcophagus, the two men excused themselves and let the two star-crossed lovers talk it out.

"I am so sorry Ahk! I truly meant no harm in sharing all that with you. God, I knew it was such a crazy idea, that's why I was hesitant to tell you. I am so sorry, it's all my fault. But not to worry, I still have a little bit of time to get my proposal accepted. I just need to start from square one, maybe on a lighter topic?" Avery spoke her peace first rambling on with frantic thoughts. She couldn't help but apologize profusely to her boyfriend.

"Avery, it is I who should be apologizing. I reacted most unbecoming of a Pharaoh… and of myself. I scared you which was never to be my intention. I could not think straight, I truly do not know what came over me. I haven't felt that helpless since I was locked away. Avery, please do not take this on yourself. It had nothing to do with you, I promise. I shudder to think that I may have even acted like my brother, throwing a big tantrum like that…" He reached out and grabbed ahold of her hands and willed her to look at him.

"Please do not think that this is your fault. You were merely showing me something that you had been working on for a while, something you were proud of. Something that reminded you of me in some way. Please do not change it. I would hate for all your hard work to be thrown away all because of my reaction." Avery looked at his face, searching for the usual sincerity in his voice and face. It was there, and she knew that he truly did not blame her. Her doubting thoughts still told her that it was her fault. She remained quiet for a long time, looking away from his face at their clasped hands.

"Avery? Please, my love, say something." His voice cracked. He feared that she would leave and never return because she had a glimpse of a truly ghastly side of him.

"I get why you reacted as strongly as you did. But honestly, you really scared me. You changed completely. It's like one minute you were Dr Jekyll and the next you were Mr Hyde. I didn't know what to do. You said you felt helpless? I felt it even more so because I didn't know what to do or how to reach you Ahk!" She took a few shaky breaths to try and calm the panic that had risen inside her. He looked down ashamed of himself.

"But…what's done is done. I won't and don't hold it against you, I forgive you."

"You are too generous, but I am not sure I deserve your forgiveness, Avery. The way I acted, the damage I created..." He couldn't meet her eye until he felt her put a hand on his cheek and gently tilted his face towards hers.

"Hey, that's starting to get into self loathing territory and there is no place for that here. Not if I have a say in it. From my own experience, it'll take some time to get over it but you have me now and everyone else to help you. And if you need any, I have lots of therapy skills at the ready!" She cracked a smile and hoped her small attempt at humor would help lighten the mood. To her relief it did as he immediately swept her into a hug.

"Thank you, and now it appears that you have seen me at my worst moment," he whispered in her ear. They stayed like that for a few minutes, helping to regulate each other.

"If…if it's alright with you, I think I should go and clean up the mess I made. It wouldn't be fair to you or Larry to have to deal with the aftermath."

"Okay, but I'm helping clean up too, no arguments please. I'm quite stubborn when I need to be. Now c'mon we have a room to clean with less than a few hours til sunrise!" She stood up and pulled him up with surprising ease.

After gathering brooms and dustpans, the pair got to work. Ahk tried hard not to slip into a state of self loathing. And if Avery noticed the warning signs, she was able to direct his attention elsewhere for a few moments. He was grateful that he had her as an anchor.

The room looked ten times better after they finished cleaning. And thank the Gods that Ahk's crown had not been damaged. He sheepishly picked it up and placed it under his arm, not ready to bear the weight of responsibility just yet. After the room was put back in decent shape, the pair stood around awkwardly..

"So usually after something like this happens, what I find helpful is a distraction to help get the mind off of it. Do you maybe wanna go see the butterflies exhibit or maybe just chill in the Ocean?"

"As nice as the isolation and serenity of the Ocean might be, I think it might be best if we visit the butterflies."

Avery held out her hand to which he gratefully accepted and the pair made their way up to the exhibit. And soon they were surrounded by brightly colored butterflies who swarmed them when they entered. It was that tiny little gesture that made them relax infinitesimally. It was a great distraction. Avery gently took his crown and put it aside as she pulled Ahk down to sit on a bench and rested her head on his shoulder. He returned the gesture by resting his head against hers. They stayed like that several minutes before Larry's voice interrupted and told them that sunrise was approaching.

They made their way back to his exhibit in comfortable silence. He placed his crown in its rightful space and took a moment to reflect upon it.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I was just thinking about the weight of responsibility to my people I feel. It's an immense pressure, one that I feel I must do right by them even after death. Hearing about the horrors centuries after I and my people had passed, I feel like I have failed them somehow. Like I could not protect them…"

"Hey, don't talk like that. Is that what you were saying under your breath earlier? That you failed them, meaning your people? It's not like you were personally responsible for what transpired. Like you said, it happened centuries after you passed. You couldn't predict the future, even with all the power of your Gods on your side. You haven't failed them, Ahk. I know you care deeply about your people. You wouldn't have reacted that strongly if you didn't care. I know your culture reveres you as Gods but underneath the Pharaoh, you are human first and foremost. And you are allowed to have these 'human' moments. Yes history can be cruel sometimes but it also serves as a reminder of the ways we can improve upon as a society. But the funny thing about history and fate is it led me to this museum. It led me to you after all. Getting to know you these past few months I know you are a compassionate, thoughtful and wise man. It's one of the reasons I fell for you. You helped me when I was at my most vulnerable. You are always putting other people first, Ahk. It's okay to put yourself first too."

He was not expecting such an honest, heartfelt confession from her but it was most welcome. He wrapped her in a big hug once again. She let out a surprised laugh but hugged him back all the same. When they separated, she leaned in and gave him a small kiss on his lips. She was surprised that she even had the courage to do something like that. They were blushing madly but she didn't feel embarrassed. She never pictured what her first kiss would be like and given the circumstances she never would have guessed to be kissing a Pharaoh. But something about the situation just felt right.

AN: It's a real thing that happened. Search at your own risk. You're welcome for a little bit of history tidbits! Ka is the egyptian word for spirit, very important so go research that too

Also I highly recc reading Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

And one final note, the next chapter is shaping up to be the finale of this story!