Natti’s mind began to drift the moment she stepped foot into her home. The radiant warmth had returned, swirling smoothly through every vein. The effect made her so tired, she actually thought she would pass out right onto the hallway floor. Her father helped her up to her room and let her crawl into bed. The moment she lay down, the heat increased to a soothing temperature, much like a comforting blanket wrapped around her body. In seconds, Natti fell into a deep sleep.
Her dreams were filled with images of two turquoise eyes. Eyes she knew were Seth’s. They were as hypnotic as in real life; filled with such warmth and comfort. The feeling draped over her and dulled the pain in her still-pounding head. She felt light, as if the bed she laid on was made of clouds. Though her focus was on his eyes, Natti could sense Seth’s body, his arms wrapped around her. She was engulfed by his scent of cologne and myrrh while his hand stroked her hair and along her back. His touch excited every nerve. Her pulse raced, and her body melted into his.
“You’ll be all right.” His words echoed when he whispered them into her ear.
Once Natti finally woke up, she was calm, and her headache had vanished. She glanced at the clock on her side table to find it was already five in the evening. She rolled over, remembering her dream. It had felt so real she wondered if it was more a memory than an actual dream. Perhaps the memory of when Seth found her in the hallway. Had he really held her so close; his touch tingling her skin like it had in her dream?
Pushing the fantasy from her mind, she walked into the soft peach bathroom to wash her face with some cool water. She looked at her face in the mirror, staring at her own eyes. “Her eyes? What about her eyes? Are they dilated?” she recalled him asking over the phone. Why was he so concerned about her eyes? She leaned toward the mirror. Her silver-violet irises shimmered, and the pupils looked perfectly normal.
Just out of curiosity, she tried to pull the memory of what exactly happened. Unfortunately, it was still blank, and contemplating all the possibilities just caused her to become even more confused.
One mystery at a time, she told herself. She already had enough on her plate, between Seth and the secret of her grandmother’s locket, to figure out. And honestly, the news about Mandy and Ashley she heard that morning wasn’t helping her nerves any.
She walked back to her room. One mystery at a time, she repeated. Sitting at her desk, she pulled the cedar box toward her and opened it. If the secret it contained really did have something to do with her family, with her grandmother’s murder, then she wanted to know exactly what it was. She laid the letter on top of her open trigonometry book, the seal facing up. Next she took out the Eye of Horus necklace. Flipping it between her fingers, she thought of the clue hidden inside. She brought out a fresh notebook, grabbed a pencil, and started on the first page by sketching the symbol of the seal. She then continued onto sketching the exterior surface of the pendant. Once completed, she opened the latch and copied the hieroglyphs.
Footsteps outside her door startled her. Remembering her grandmother’s words, she slammed her trigonometry book over the letter, closed her notebook, and tucked the necklace back into the box. Her father walked into her room, his eyes brightening when he spotted her at the desk. In his hand he had a bowl of chilled cucumber soup and crackers.
“I thought I heard you were up.” He placed the food next to her. “I brought you some dinner, if you’re hungry enough.”
Natti smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Better now. Even the headache is gone.”
“Good.” He looked at the usual scattered papers on her desk. “So, what are you up to?”
“Nothing, really, I just had to get out of bed for a while.” She fiddled with her notebook. “I might do some homework, later, if I feel up for it.”
“Well, just don’t work too hard. I want you to rest, and you can always catch up on work another day.” Natti nodded, and he kissed her forehead before leaving.
Once the coast was clear, she pulled out the necklace and her notes. She booted up her computer and opened the Google Search webpage. She typed into the little bar on the screen ‘hieroglyphic dictionary.’
Seth swayed a bit on his unsteady legs. His body was numb to any feeling. Only his guilt, sorrow, and rage of his earlier actions still haunted him even in inebriation. He raised the Glock 38 pistol and aimed at the five empty bottles lined up along the fence of an abandoned field. A heavy mixture of hip-hop and hard rock thumped from the stereo of his Jaguar, which was pulled over to the side of the road. He squeezed the trigger to the beat. Three bullets whizzed, shattering three of the targets and scattering their remains into the desert sand.
“See, I told you he would be getting his gun off.” Ky’s voice echoed in the clearing. “I just didn’t think I meant that literally. Hey, save some of that skill for the festival!”
Seth swung the gun around, the barrel pointing at Q’s chest.
Q raised his hands. “Wow, dude. It’s us.”