I got home as the sun rose, and went straight to bed. Thank God I don't have a class today, I thought. I had Ancient Civilizations the next day, so I considered not going to the Museum. But I knew that I would end up there at sundown against my better judgement no matter what.

            I awoke to darkness, confused. Slowly, I got up and realized I was still in the same outfit as the night before. I changed into different clothes, and looked out the window to see that I had slept the day away – evening had arrived.

            Rushing to the kitchen, I quickly made a sandwich and some soup. As I ate, I pulled out my textbook and did some reading on Ancient Rome. After the lesson I got from Octavius the night before, I felt like I had a deeper understanding of what life was really like. After devouring my dinner, I grabbed an Arizona ice tea and gathered my shoulder bag's contents. I didn't bring any work, but I had glanced ahead and saw that the next unit was Egypt.

            I have a life-long dream that you should know about: travelling the wonders of the Ancient world. The Pyramids have always enthralled me beyond belief, and I have seen many documentaries on them.

            My trip to the Museum was shorter than the last, my legs working faster than my brain. Before I knew it, I was at the entrance and began to slowly zigzag my way down to the security office without being seen. Once there, I settled myself on the couch and began to play games on my phone.

            This was the worst part of the day – waiting for the sun to set. Growing bored, I left my shoulder bag and headed back up to search for an Egyptian exhibit.

            As it turned out, the exhibit was not hard to find. It was huge, with a huge sarcophagus in the middle of it. A plaque beside it read:

Ahkmenrah, Fourth King of the Forth King

And

The Tablet of Ahkmenrah

            I glanced up, looking for the "Tablet" and spotting it on the wall behind the sarcophagus. It looked like it was made of pure gold, and it had a strange feeling to it. Suddenly, I found myself in front of it, about to touch it.

            "Hey! You can't do that, Miss." I heard Larry's voice call behind me. Turning, I shook myself out of the daze.

            "Sorry Larry...I don't know what came over me there," I muttered to him, walking back towards him and noticing that the Museum was silent now. "Is everyone gone?"

            "Just about. Do you mind heading somewhere else for a bit? I have to help the Pharaoh get ready." He motioned for me to leave, a sorry look on his face.

            "That's fine, Larry. I don't mind. I'll be with Jed and Octavius if you need me," I waved, walking down to the Hall of Miniatures.

            I wonder, I thought. If this Pharaoh has a golden cape.

            "...and then they ran away! They saw the Indians behind us and ran away!"

            Jed had been telling us all a story from his past, and the way he told it had made us all laugh. Teddy had joined us, along with Sacagawea. Upon meeting her, I found that she was very nice, and tried to understand everything I said, even if it made no sense to her.

            "Firea?" Larry was calling me from the entrance. I stood up and walked over to him, apologizing to Jed on my way by.

            "What is it, Larry?" I smiled, my face hurting from the previous laughter. He smiled back nervously, rubbing his hands together again.

            "There's someone I want you to meet." He turned and led me up to the Egyptian exhibit. As we entered, I noticed the sarcophagus was empty and the lid pushed to the side. Slightly alarmed, I slowed my pace and glanced around carefully. I was looking to the left when Larry took my arm and led me forward, towards the Tablet. When I swung my head around, my gaze locked with that of the most beautiful man in the world. His skin was the perfect mix between chocolate and vanilla, and his eyes were shining, but shy.

            "Uh..." was all I could muster, and I could feel my mouth fall open as I stared at him. He was doing the same to me, and Larry felt he needed to do something about it.

            "Well, why don't you two introduce yourselves?" He said, nudging me forward.

            "Um...I'm Firea." I said, my face flushing as I held out my shaking hand. He took it in his, bringing it up to press against his lips. My face turned very red, and I didn't know how to respond. Fortunately, he took the moment to introduce himself.

            "I am Ahkmenrah of Egypt. I am a Pharaoh, but you don't need to use my title, Princess," he spoke in a British accent, the same one I had heard two nights ago. Then, as I looked down nervously, I noticed the golden cape. Had he been watching me the night before?

            "Um, thank you..." I responded, looking to Larry for help. But he had disappeared, leaving me alone with Ahkmenrah, who was still holding my hand. For a few more moments, he held my hand and turned it over, tracing the lines along my palm. I grew more and more attracted to him the more he studied my palm, his curious expression making my heart flutter and my stomach turned to mush.

            "What..." my voice cracked, and he looked up at me questioningly. I tried again. "What are you looking at?" My voice was small and shaky, but Ahkmenrah just smiled – and it was amazing. He shone, his teeth straight and his mouth curving perfectly. It made my heart stop and then immediately melt. I smiled back, knowing that mine was nothing in comparison to his.

            It took me a while to get my hand back, but I wasn't really complaining. His hands were warm and soft, and he was so very gentle. My heart was everywhere at once, and I didn't even notice when Teddy rode in and called to us. Ahkmenrah looked up, releasing my hand. I turned towards Teddy as well.

            "What is it, Teddy?" I called, making my way towards him and hiking up my shoulder bag. I could feel the Pharaoh keeping close behind me, and I tried to take my mind off of him. I focused on Teddy's next words.

            "Lawrence is calling a meeting in the main foyer. He would like to formally introduce you to everyone at once," he said, riding on ahead of us. I took a deep breath to calm myself, feeling Ahkmenrah move away from me. I could see him ahead of me, but it didn't register in my brain until I walked right into his chest.

            He caught me before I fell in my surprise, holding me close to him. I stuttered again, trying to say something. He silenced me, though, as he began to lean towards me. Startled, I took a step back. He stopped, as if he was just now realizing his actions.

            "I apologize, Princess. I don't know what came over me there..." He let me go, turning to walk down the hall, head hanging. As my heart fell, I made my decision. I ran to catch up with him, slipping my hand into his.

            "I may not be ready for that yet, but that doesn't mean I won't be later. I do kinda...um...like you..." The blush rose to my face again, and I tilted my face away from him. Ahkmenrah smiled, bringing us both around to face each other.

            "I feel that we have a connection as well, Princess. But only time will tell, and for now, let us be friends." He kissed my forehead, sending sparks shooting throughout my body. I smiled shyly, following him to the main foyer.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

            "Everyone, listen up! This is Firea..." Larry leaned over to me, whispering in my ear. "What's your last name?"

            "Fahyne," I whispered back.

            "Firea Fahyne. She'll hopefully being staying with us for a while, and asking most of you for help with your histories. Please make her feel welcome!" Larry stood back as everyone cheered, making me blush uncomfortably. I was able to force a smile, but soon everyone dispersed and I was able to make my way over to Jed and Octavius, partly to laugh, and partly to avoid Ahkmenrah. I definitely had feelings for him, from the moment I saw him. And he had the same feelings, as he had said. But my heart was telling me no: I'm not going to survive much more heartbreak.