Feel Again by Kim Selzer
One Republic- Feel Again
Kitty Inaz Writing Contest: March
Twilight/Mummy: AU: Rated: T
Characters: Bella/Imhotep
AN: At this point I’ve suspended all disbelief and ask that you do too.
Bella stepped off the plane in Egypt and inhaled the dry sand heat. The weather reminded her of life in Phoenix and she smiled brightly at the thought. She had just started her internship for her Archeology degree. The team was mostly in place upon her arrival, but she had been delayed as the TA for one of her teachers. She caught a cab to the dig site and took a deep breath before exiting the vehicle. She had never been out of the country or on her own so, everything felt exciting and new. After being shown where to place her bags, she went to meet her professor in the tent that had been erected for meals.
“Hello, my dear Swan.”
“Hello Dr. Chamberlain, I’m so excited to be here. Thank you for letting me do my internship with you.”
“No problem my dear, your grades were higher than anyone else’s and you could spot a fake artifact from a mile away. Plus, you can read ancient glyphs and speak multiple languages. Your apprenticeship should pass quickly with those assets.”
“Where do you want me to get started at?”
“We could use you over by the Anubis statue. We were digging around it and the little twerps caught a snag. Maybe with your help we will be able to see the hieroglyphs.”
“Yes, Dr.; let me see what I can do.”
Bella headed over to the base of the statue and began helping the other students carefully dig around the statue. As they near its base she sees what appear to be hieroglyphs. The others stop digging as Bella takes a brush and sweeps the sand clear of the writing. A quick read has her calling over Dr. Chamberlain.
“Dr., the writing on the statue claims it as the last resting place for the Book of the Dead.”
“Book of the Dead,” one of the students asks.”
“Yes, the Book of the Dead was supposed to bring those who are dead back to life,” Bella answers.
“Well, let’s not waste any time. Did you see a way to open the statue?”
“It appears there is a crack right here, maybe it’s a door.”
They are able to open the door with a pry bar and inside find a wooden chest with gold edging and letters.
“Death will come with swift wings to whoever opens this chest. One, the undead, will kill all who open this chest.”
“Well, it’s not like we haven’t seen curses before, right Dr.?”
“Yes, Bella, however, just to be sure let’s open this one under safer conditions. I have a tent set up. We can open the chest behind protective fabric, just in case there are any booby traps.”
The students lift the chest and carry it to the tent. After getting suited up a few of the students there on spring break volunteer to open the chest. Thankfully, the Dr. was correct; the chest did have some sort booby trap, but thanks to their protective gear, everyone was fine.
Dr. Chamberlain and Bella gently approach the chest and inside find a book of pure obsidian, gold hinges, and what appears to be a star shaped lock. Dr. Chamberlain tries to pry it open with his bare hands, but without the odd shaped key, it won’t budge. Meanwhile, Bella is slowly walking around the outside of chest. Finding another seam she gently pries’s it open. Inside she finds Canopic jars. There are five jars; only four are intact.
“Dr., there are Canopic jars over here.”
“Really?”
“Yes sir. If there are Canopic jars, then somewhere around the Anubis statue there must be a mummy. It wouldn’t make sense for there to be jars and no body.”
“Very wise observation my dear. Where do you think the mummy is?”
“There was a mirror near the statue, maybe there is a burial chamber around that would contain clues.”
“Take a group over and see. I want to get a better look at this book.”
A small group heads to where she had seen the mirror. Nearby they find what looks to be a well. After cleaning the mirror and aiming it down the “well” they tie themselves off and slowly descend into the dark. Bella, always prepared, shines her flashlight around when they land. Finding a series of mirrors she asks they each take on and clean them. When they are all clean she carefully aims them, allowing sunlight to flood the chamber.
“I was right, it is a burial chamber and right above here should be the Statue of Anubis. For him to be guarding this area someone of great importance must have been mummified here. Spread out and look for clues about possible burial places, but don’t leave this room. Burial chambers can have multiple passageways and hidden spots for you to get lost in.”
They take their time searching high and low but, no one can find anything. One of the students has a question though, “Bella, you said the mummy wouldn’t be too far from the Canopic jars. What if the mummy is under the Statue of Anubis?”
“Hmm, if that’s true, they would have to be someone of very great importance or they did something very bad. Doesn’t mean it isn’t true. We brought some picks, so let’s see if your theory is correct.”
They begin digging at the base of Anubis. Not a few minutes later the students’ theory is proven correct when a mummy case falls and almost knocks him off the stone alter he was standing on. They all cough from the sand, when it clears they see a coffin. This too contains a star shaped lock, keeping them from opening the lid.
“Whoever this was, they are in some way tied to the book of the dead. Whoever was buried in here, they didn’t want him getting out without a little assistance,” one student exclaims.
“Or they didn’t want him getting out at all,” stated Bella. “We will have to leave the coffin here until we have the equipment to lift him out. For now, let’s head back up and report our findings to Professor Chamberlain. All but Bella and the student who had suggested digging under Anubis had made it up the ropes when he stopped Bella.
“Miss Bella, I didn’t want to say anything to Dr. Chamberlain or around the other students because, I don’t trust them. However, I found this in our dig the other day. It was near the Anubis statue, around the back.” He holds out a cylinder with writing. “If you twist the top it opens into this shape.” He opens it up and the symbol looks exactly like the lock on the book and coffin. “There was a map inside to this location, Hamunaptra.”
“Thank you for telling me, but why? Why do you distrust Dr. Chamberlain and why did you trust me with this information?”
“I don’t trust Chamberlain because, I overheard a conversation. He was on the phone and was telling someone that he would have the City of Dead gold for them in a short time, his best student was coming and she would unknowingly lead him right to it. I trust you because, you have been nice to all of us, you listened to the ideas we have had so far and actually trusted us to help you.”
“Thank you for the compliment, but I can tell by your face that you think there is something else.”
“I’ve been studying Egyptology since I was a kid. When I heard you were coming to the dig I did a little research. Did you know that you look just like Nefritiri, Seti’s daughter? I believe that you are meant to be here, you are meant to be in possession of the key and the book. In lore, Nefritiri was the keeper of the book for her father. He trusted her above all others, even Imhotep, his high priest, to keep it safe.”
“I appreciate your observations. Let’s see if the key fits the lock, shall we,” a twinkle in her eye and smirk on her face.
The key fits and they look to each other, giddy like two kids on Christmas morning. After the key is turned and the coffin lid moved off, they rear back in surprise.
“Have you ever seen a mummy look like that?”
“No, he still looks…”
“Juicy?”
“Yes, like he hasn’t been here for thousands of years.” She takes a closer look at the lid and notices scratch marks. “It’s almost as if her were…buried alive. He must have suffered the Hom Dai. I’ve heard of the curse but it was never put into practice.”
“Why?”
“The Egyptians feared it so. Whoever suffered the curse of the Hom Dai, would be buried alive, and meant to suffer even in death. But, if they were ever awakened they would contain the powers of the ten plagues, something the Egyptians never wanted, for it would bring the end of the world.”
They return to the surface and settle into camp for the night. Bella still has the key and is curious about the book. She knows that the Book of the Dead can resurrect the dead, but she doesn’t believe in magic, so sees no harm in reading the book. She sneaks to the Dr.’s tent; finding him resting outside, the book clutched in his hands. After prying it from him, she carries it back to her own tent. She opens the book and begins reading it to herself, in her head. As long as the words aren’t spoken aloud it should be ok. Right? What she doesn’t know is that the student was correct. She is the reincarnation of Nefritiri. Her soul was never split, never raised from the dead, simply reborn. This explains why she can say and do things she never really learned, such as reading and writing ancient Egyptian. She never told anyone but, she was never taught Egyptian. She was at a museum with her mother when she was 7. They were in the Egypt wing when she noticed hieroglyphs. The glyphs seemed to call to her, begging to be read. One look and she instantly understood what they said. Ever since, she has wanted to learn more, know more about Egypt and its history. She also began having dreams. In those dreams she ran around the Palace as a little girl. Learned from priests and sat at her dad’s side in the throne room. She also falls in love, in love with the high priest, Imhotep. Knowing nothing could ever come from it; she pushed her feelings aside and focused on her fighting skills. Her last memory, the one that always haunts her, is the night her father dies, at the hand of the one she loves and the one she hates. She doesn’t know what happens after that. The dreams always fade to black or she wakes up in a sweat.
Her connection to the book and its contents are so great, just reading in her head sets in motion what could be a series of catastrophes. A great roar and shift in the sands stops her readings. Leaving the book behind she runs outside her tent to see a horde of locusts bearing down upon the tents. Her memories tell her that she must get underground to escape the pests, so she heads for the burial chamber. Everyone else has the same idea, and they all congregate in the big chamber. Looking around she notices that the once full coffin is now empty. The student who gave her the key runs up, grabbing her by the shoulders.
“Did you read from the book,” he screams in her face.
“N…ooo. Not out loud.”
“But you are Nefritiri. You hold the power over the book. Only you could have raised him from the dead.”
“Raised? Raised who?”
“Imhotep, the once High Priest of Seti. He betrayed your father. He was caught trying to raise Anck-Su-Namun from the dead. He was to suffer the Hom Dai for his traitorous ways. By reading from the book you have raised him from the dead and now the world will suffer the ten plagues of Egypt.”
“How do we kill him?”
“We don’t. He will only listen to two people, you and Anck-Su-Namun.”
“I will search for him then. He will want to put himself together. He can’t do that without the Canopic jars.” She turns to the professor, “Where are the jars? The ones buried with the book?”
“They are still in the research tent. No one took them, except for one, it is in my tent.”
“Professor, he will be coming after you. I need you to stay here with the others. I am going to find him and see what I can do. If he will only listen to me and one other, let’s keep the other one dead.”
Bella leaves the burial chamber and begins to search for the mummy, Imhotep. Most burial sites are laid out similarly so, she heads for what should be the treasure room. She finally reaches the room, and across the way, she sees him standing there. He stands tall, proud, even with rotting flesh. He says her name, softly gently, though it carries in the stone room.
“Nefritiri.”
“Yes Imhotep, it is I. Not raised from the dead, simply reincarnated. Why, why did you try to revive her? You knew what would happen when you were discovered.”
“I didn’t plan to be discovered.”
“And how would you do that? Go into hiding, run away from Egypt? It’s not as if others wouldn’t have noticed her. Why couldn’t you be with someone who loved you, was ready to be with you and had since you’d been kids?”
“Your father would have never let us be together.”
“My father would have never let you and that whore be together either! Don’t play that with me. Why?!”
“I did not think you would ever love me, that you could ever love me. There is an age gap between us.”
“Those things mattered not back then.”
“But they did to you. You were constantly complaining about your father being with Anck-Su-Namun, marrying her.”
“That’s because I did not like her. She was there for two things, money and power. She didn’t care how she got there, as long as she was at the top.”
As they’d been conversing, in ancient Egyptian, they had been moving closer and Imhotep slowly resembled the man he used to be.
“Imhotep, you must stop these plagues. This is not who you are, the man you were. The plagues are all from the curse, something you never would have done. You love Egypt. Why would you want to destroy it?”
“There is only one reason I would stop my wrath.”
“And what is that one reason?”
“If you would be mine, if you promise to stand beside me forever.”
“I love you Imhotep. But, I can’t be with you if you are going to kill everyone. Stop the plagues and I will promise to be yours forever.”
Abruptly, the howling winds, barely noticeable so far underground, ceased. They were so close, toes touching and breathes washing over faces. A smile graced both of their faces, Imhotep now complete, having drawn on life from the scarabs in the tomb.
He gently cupped her check, lowered his lips to hers and placed a gentle kiss upon her lips.
“With you I feel again. I was a lonely soul, but that’s the old me,” he whispers as they turn to sand and dance across the Sahara.
