Bedford Park, London, England:
As usual for the country, a grey, cloudy mist hung over the grand city of London, England, giving it a somewhat gloomy look. But none of the natives of this grand city gave notice, as they were so used to it, and each busily went about their own way in the early morning. Moments later, two large school buses drove up to the entrance of the famous Bedford Park, and when the bus doors opened, a rush of students came out, mostly seniors and juniors, each talking excitedly about the school trip they were going to have that day; that is, all the students except one, and she sighed as she got up and walked to the bus door.
Jeneta was one of the last to come out of the second crowded bus. She yawned and stretched, then despite wearing a thick jacket, hugged herself tighter to ward off the chilly Autumn air. When all of the students had gotten off the bus, they were instructed by the teachers that organized the trip to head to the center of the park, where they would receive their assignments and instructions. Rolling her eyes, Jeneta slung her book bag over her shoulders and followed the crowd of chatty students to the meeting area.
She was almost there when she heard her name being called loudly. Turning, she saw Heather rushing up to her, excitement shining in her eyes. "Jeneta! There you are! I lost you with all that commotion back there." When Heather saw that Jeneta wasn't as excited as the others, she looked at her with concern. "Are you okay? You've been really quiet since we passed Paddington Station."
"Oh, yeah, I'm alright," Jeneta sighed softly once more as she and Heather walked together to the park's center. "It's just that...well...I'm still a little tired. I didn't sleep all that well last night, and...well...."
"You've had this strange feeling something was going to happen," finished Heather, nodding her head.
"Yeah, that's it exactly! I don't know how to explain it. It's just....weird. I almost didn't come to this trip, but my parents insisted." Jeneta looked up at her blonde friend. "Did...you feel something too?"
"Yeah. Although I don't think I felt it as strongly as you did. At least not to the point that I didn't want to come," Heather replied, pulling her jacket closer around her like Jeneta did a minute ago. "But it's just a feeling. We should just try to make the best of it. Besides, we're going to spend the day at the British Royal Museum. What could be better than that?" Always the one to get excited about learning new things and cultures, Heather could barely contain her excitement at being in such a world famous place. She had only been there once or twice when she was younger with her grandfather, since he liked to learn about new things too, but they never really stayed too long.
"Right," Jeneta said unenthusiastically. "Just what I need...to learn about dead people, and learn about how the old saying goes..." 'history was written by the winners of war...' " Jeneta chuckled at the shocked look on Heather's face, and before the blonde girl could say anything, she pointed ahead of her. "Look, there's Prya, Angeni, and Ling. Let's go see what's they've been up to on the other bus." Taking Heather's hand, she rushed up to where the other three girls were waiting.
"Hey guys!" Jeneta called out, coming up to them pass the crowd of students.
"Hey!" Angeni smiled and jerked a thumb towards Prya, who was standing next to her looking a little nervous and pale. "You'd never guess who got car sickness on the way over here. She almost barfed!"
"Oh no! Are you going to be okay Prya?" Heather asked, looking at the Indian girl with concern.
"I'll....be okay. I'm just not used to riding for so long in a vehicle that big, since at home we mostly ride bikes or a take taxi," Prya swallowed and nervously ran a hand through her dark hair. "I guess I still have to get used to being here. And...I wasn't feeling all too well, since...since.."
"I know, you had trouble sleeping," Ling said, finishing for her. "I think we all did. I don't know about you guys, but I'm keeping my eyes open. I can't help feel that something's about to happen here." The Chinese girl nodded, determination in her eyes.
At that moment, one of the many teachers stepped up in front of the crowd and spoke loudly through his bullhorn. "Alright students, if you will all settle down, please. Each of you have all been assigned a group that will visit a different exhibition and section of the British Museum. You will receive your group number and assignment instructions on the exhibitions you will see. Remember, you are all representing our school here, so NO disruptive behavior or anything of that nature. Group teachers, you can now give your students their group number and assignments." The brown-haired man nodded, and each of the teachers began handing out their assignment sheets. Students began to groan as they soon realized they wouldn't hang out with most of their friends.
"Oh great, here we go," Jeneta said, as the teacher for her group began walking her way. "I hope we can at least all stay together and..." But whatever more she was about to say was interrupted as Prya, Ling, and Angeni's teacher came up behind them and slapped their number and assignments in their hands. The tall woman gave them an annoyed look, then walked away to find the rest of the students in her group.
"Oh man, we have to go to the Ancient Greece exhibition?" Ling said as she compared her sheet with Angeni and Prya. "And it says we have to write about the most popular philosophies of Aristotle and his students."
Just then, Jeneta and Heather's teacher came up to them, and smiling, she handed them their numbers and assignments. "Better get hopping girls. It's a big place, and you don't want to get lost."
"Thanks Mrs. Beckford," Jeneta said, smiling at the popular black-haired teacher from Jamaica as she walked off. She looked down at her sheet. "Oh cool, Ancient Egypt. It says I have to write a short essay on the different styles of clothing between the Old and Middle Kingdom." She looked up at the other girls. "Well, at least it won't be so bad with Mrs. Beckford there."
"Yeah, and we can always meet in the cafeteria after we've done looking around." Heather looked at the crowd of students as they began to leave the park and cross Great Russell Street to go to the museum's large Greek style entrance. "Come on, we should head off. Like she said, it's a big place."
The girls rushed off to catch up with the crowd. Unknown to them, a pair of eyes belonging to a dark-skinned man watched them intensely as he stood off to the side behind a tree. A strong feeling enveloped him as he watched the five friends hurry to the crowd of youngsters. From the moment they came together, he had that feeling.....a feeling that somehow, these may be the ones he was looking for. But he shook his head, trying to dismissed it. Unless there was a way to determine whether or not they WERE the ones, he couldn't be sure. And right now, he couldn't, because there was no way he was going to risk exposing himself to the inhabitants of this world, or to any of the Brothers Of Darkness that might have followed him here. But that didn't mean he couldn't follow them and make sure. With a nod, the man walked on, being careful not to lose sight of the girls or draw any attention to himself.
Maybe if he saw how they acted, listen to more of their words, then he'll know more about them. They did mention something about having trouble sleeping, according to their conversation. It could mean that they were having the dreams that foretold the dangers ahead, as the Ones Who Are Blessed did. He sighed softly in confusion. He just couldn't be sure. He just didn't want to make any mistakes. He couldn't take any chances with something so important. Determination in his eyes, the man walked on, feeling more nervous than ever before.
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Walking with Heather, Jeneta looked curiously around the ancient Egyptian section of the museum. Everywhere she looked, there were thousands of displays of old jewelry, pottery, models, and old wigs. Luckily, the section wasn't too crowded, and the two girls...along with the rest of the group that was assigned to the section, were able to take as long as they wanted without getting in anyone's way.
Heather walked off by herself to a display of a mummy, and excitedly called to Jeneta. "Jeneta! Quick, look over here!" The blonde English girl fixed her glasses on her nose, then bent down and pointed at the sign plastered on the glass wall that sealed in the old mummy with its possessions. "It says here his name was...umm... H...Hornedjitef and he was the priest during the reign of Ptolemy III."
"Great," Jeneta looked around and shuddered slightly. "For such advanced people, you'd think the ancient Egyptians could have come up with easier names for people to pronounce." she said, noticing Heather struggling to say the name. "Can we hurry this up? This place is really giving me the creeps."
"What's wrong? Are you..okay?" Heather looked at her curiously. "I thought you said your parents used to take you here when you were younger."
"Yeah, they did....but every time I would come in here, I would just get...I don't know...get this weird feeling." She shook her head. "It's nothing, I'm fine. Let's just look around and write down what we can."
Heather was about to say something, then thought better of it. Although still not convinced of Jeneta's assurance she was fine, she nodded, then went over to a statue display of the Egyptian goddesses Nut and Isis.
"Hey, look at this! Wow, you look a little bit like the goddess Nut!" Heather chuckled as she pointed at the ancient goddess.
"Yeah right!" Jeneta rolled her eyes as she looked at her watch. "We should get started on our assignment. It's 25 percent of our grade you know."
"Alright, alright," Heather sighed. She took out her notebook along with Jeneta, and both began looking at pictures of different styles of clothing. A moment later, unseen by them, a dull, shimmer of light flashed next to the mummy they were just looking at, and a large figure slowly began to emerge out of it.
Just as Jeneta finished writing what she thought of a small, priestess gown, she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hey! How's it going here?"
Jeneta looked up in surprise at Ling, who smiled mischievously. "Ling!" She looked at Prya and Angeni standing behind her. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you had to go to the Ancient Greece exhibition room."
"Yeah well, it got boring, so we decided to look for you and Heather." Ling nodded her head at Prya. "Besides, Prya studied a lot about ancient philosophy from Greece and other countries back in her country, so she was a good source. We hardly had to write down anything." Ling winked at the blushing Indian girl, then looked back at Jeneta. "Mrs. Beckford isn't around, is she?"
"No, you're safe for now. She went to check up on some kids at the other exhibition displays." Heather said, walking up to them.
"Well, I guess a few minutes won't hurt." Angeni gladly put away her notebook in her bag.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you're caught here, you're in BIG trouble!" said a loud, annoying voice in a slight Scottish accent. A black-haired girl walked up to them, a smirk on her lips. "I knew you freaks would find some way to be together. Just wait until I tell!"
Jeneta narrowed her eyes at the Scottish girl. "Don't you even start Sheila! They were just stopping by...and..and.."
"Whatever. I'm telling, and I'm going to make sure you FREAKS get in trouble!" With a high-pitched laugh, the black-haired girl left the large exhibition room, her friends following behind her.
"Oh, I really wish I could teach that little tart a lesson! That Sheila McDowell has got to be the most annoying girl in the world!" Ling growled out, punching her fist in her right palm. She itched to pummel the girl good for all the trouble she caused them.
"Forget about it Ling. Let's just go. We'll come back after lunch." Jeneta rolled her eyes at the thought of the girl. Sheila was often the "teacher's pet" and deleted in getting students in trouble. It surprised her that most students tolerated her at all. But deep down, Jeneta knew the girl's arrogance covered up something else. She just hoped the girl could work through it before she said and did the wrong thing, and someone REALLY made her pay for it.
But instead of leaving the large room together, something unexpected happened to the girls; The glass wall over the mummy display suddenly shattered, sending shards of glass everywhere.
The girls, being the only ones left in the room since everyone else had written their essays and left for lunch, screamed as they dropped to the ground and covered their heads. When they dared to get back up when the crashing was done, they gaped in horror as a grey-colored monster stood over them. Its large teeth hung over its bottom lip a large overbite, and its large, almond-shaped eyes glowed dark and red at the girls. It raised a hand, and when it clenched a fist and released it, large, razor sharp nails appeared as if by magic.
"Bloody hell! What the heck is THAT?!" screamed out Jeneta, backing away in fright.
"I don't know, but whatever it is, it's TOAST!" yelled out Ling. Getting in a fighting stance, she gave the monster a fierce look, then attacked. "HIIII YAH!" Jumping up high, the Chinese girl kicked her leg out and was about to smash her foot at the side of the monster's head....until it reached out and grabbed her foot. With a roar, it swung Ling over his head once as she screamed, then threw her against the glass wall behind the other girls. Luckily, it wasn't hard enough to smash it, but the girl still crumbled to the floor, groaning in pain.
"Ling!" screamed out Jeneta. She and the others rushed over to her. Having the wind knocked out of her, Ling looked up groggily at the girls as they helped her to stand.
"Oh my God, Ling, are you badly hurt?" asked Heather, looking her over for any injuries.
"No, but unless we do something, that...thing is going to do some serious harm!" Ling pointed at the monster as it got ready to rush at them.
"Oh no! Why is it after us?" Prya gasped, feeling more frightened than she ever had in her life. Not knowing what else to do, the girls huddled together and closed their eyes, thinking this would be the last day of their lives.
Just then, there was a loud voice, shouting in a strange language, and suddenly, a flash of light appeared. When it struck the monster, it roared loudly in pain, then began to slowly turn into dust. A moment later, the girls opened their eyes, and watched a tall figure slowly walk towards them. He had dark brown skin, and medium-sized cornrows braided into his hair. The ends of his braids reached to nearly the middle of his back, and his dark, brown eyes looked curiously at the girls. He wore a long, trench coat over some strange clothing, and it flapped lightly in an unfelt wind.
"Who....who are you?" Angeni asked, slowly standing up with the girls and giving him a wide-eyed look.
The stranger looked at the girls for a long moment, then at the spot the creature was before it was destroyed. "The meijaiki, it wasn't really after you. It was looking for me." The man looked sadly at the girls and shook his head. "But there will be many more, if you all do not come with me right now. If I am right, the five of you are destined for a great journey to end a terrible evil...."
"Wait a minute, just what the heck's going on here? We're not going ANYWHERE with you!" Ling shouted out. "What do you mean they'll be more of those things if we don't go with you? What destiny?"
"Please, you must believe me. My name is Djoser, I have searched for a long time for you girls." The man gave them a pleading look, and before any of them could say more, he took out an old looking scroll from the inside of his trench coat. He opened it, and closing his eyes, began chanting a spell in a language the girls had never heard before.
A moment later, there was a flash of bright light, and a silvery-colored vortex opened, lighting the dimmed exhibition room with nearly unbearable light. The light dimmed slightly, and Djoser once more looked pleadingly at the girls. "Please, there isn't time to waste. You must follow me if you want anymore attacks like that one to stop. I promise I will explain everything when we get to our destination. Just...please trust me..."
Jeneta looked into the man's dark eyes for a moment, and seeing the sincerity in them, nodded her head. She looked at her friends. "Guys, I think he might be telling the truth. I say we check it out..."
"But...what he's doing...that's scientifically impossible!" Heather blurted out. "How's he doing that?"
"Well, I've come to believe that science can't explain everything." Angeni said. "Maybe Jeneta's right. Maybe we should just check it out for now. If it turns out he's a lunatic, we'll just report him to the police."
"Well...alright. But this better not be some trick!" Ling said. She turned to Prya. "Prya, are you okay with this?"
The shy girl looked frightened at the man for a moment, then turned back to the girls and nodded her head. "Maybe...maybe it's worth just a look."
But just as they were about to tell Djoser their decision, the man stretched out his hand to them, already half way through the vortex, leaving a ripple in it as his body entered.
"Well, here goes nothing." Jeneta breathed to herself. Each girl then took each other's hand in their own, forming a chain. Jeneta looked at Djoser, and with a nod, reached out and took his hand in her own. For a moment, Jeneta felt a quiet strength from this strange man....as though everything he believed in, SHE now believed in. For some strange reason, she smiled softly at him, as though she was letting him know that she trusted him, and that she would do her best to help him in whatever danger he was in. One by one, the girls fell through the vortex, their hearts beating loudly in their chest, knowing that deep down, this moment would change the rest of their lives. If it was indeed their destiny, it would be the beginning of a great adventure, an adventure no one else had been through. If they lived through it, they all knew that it would also be the whole reason behind their dreams.
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To Be Continued...
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