Chapter 5

The sun's rays streamed in through her window, revealing what would undoubtedly be another bright day, but at the same time, causing her to wake up. Elizabeth shifted in bed with displeasure. The previous night, after finishing her conversation with Cristina, it took her a while to fall asleep. It was past two in the morning when Morpheus finally allowed her to succumb to his embrace, although, to be honest, she couldn't rest well there either. Nightmares had returned to haunt Elizabeth, playing relentlessly with her mind, preventing her from thinking clearly and stealing her peace.

She hadn't closed the curtains, and the light filtered into her room, hitting her face directly. She opened her eyes with annoyance and discomfort; her eyes weren't accustomed to the brightness, and she couldn't focus well on her surroundings. After a few minutes, she finally stopped seeing blurred, carefully rubbed her eyes while releasing a yawn. She leaned over to check the time on her cell phone, which was on a table next to her bed.

7:30 am.

She huffed with annoyance. It was still too early, but she would have to get up because once she was awake, she couldn't go back to sleep. She removed the sheets and put her feet on the floor. Her body shivered as soon as she touched it. "It's very cold," she thought as she put on her slippers.

She entered the bathroom within the room, turned on the light, and started getting ready. She opened the shower and undressed, stepping underneath. The warm water fell comfortably, relaxing her muscles in the process. She grabbed the soap and ran it across her body; the scent of jasmine engulfed her completely.

Once she was ready, she grabbed the towel hanging outside the shower, drying herself carefully. She had brought some clothes with her and, now dressed, she left the bathroom. She went straight to her bag and took out a hair tie, gathering the long black curtain that was her hair while simultaneously answering a phone call.

Elizabeth checked the screen to see who it was. Mike.

She involuntarily smiled.

It had been just twenty-four hours since they parted, and her friends were already calling her. Although she couldn't be hypocritical, she had missed them in that short time, and she wasn't ashamed of it because they were the closest thing she had to a family.

Amused, she answered the video call.

"Guys... It's seven-thirty in the morning. What the hell do you want?" she asked as soon as she saw Carmen accompanying the blonde.

"Come on, don't be so grumpy. Be grateful you have awesome friends who care about you," Carmen replied.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes; her friend couldn't be more dramatic.

"How are you?" Mike asked. He knew that if he let both girls start arguing, nothing would end well. So he took the risk of becoming the focus of their anger.

"I'm fine, the trip was tiring, but that's it. The hotel where I'm staying is beautiful."

"We're glad you liked the trip," he nodded. She had loved the journey there, but she wouldn't admit it to them. Obviously.

"Any news?" Carmen asked.

"How could there be news? I arrived yesterday; I probably haven't even had time to unpack."

"You're wrong, Mike. I do have news. Something happened to me when I arrived."

Elizabeth told them about the incident with the bedroom. The guys listened attentively, very surprised by everything. She realized they were holding back from interrupting her because they were visibly interested in the story, especially the redhead.

"Is he handsome?"

"Carmen!" Both of them reprimanded her.

The redhead raised her hands in a peace gesture.

"Please, that should have been the first thing you noticed. Maybe he was really good-looking."

"With that attitude, I don't care if he was the most handsome man on Earth," Elizabeth made a disgusted face.

The phone started ringing, and Mark's number appeared on the screen.

"Guys, I have to go; Mark is calling me. Goodbye."

Her friends said their goodbyes and hung up. Elizabeth answered the other call immediately.

"Good morning, Lizzie," Mark's voice sounded very excited.

"Good morning. How are you today?"

"Everything's fine. I'm calling to let you know that I'll pick you up in about thirty minutes. I'll wait for you in the restaurant," he said, although Elizabeth had trouble understanding him due to his hurried speech.

"Of course. Is something wrong? You sound agitated," she asked subtly, maybe it was something she didn't need to know.

"I have a lot to do; work has me stressed."

"But relax, if you stress out, everything will go worse."

Elizabeth heard a laugh coming from her throat.

"Great way to cheer me up, Lizzie. Well, see you in a while. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

They both hung up.

Liz got up from bed and checked her suitcase. She wanted to dress nicely but comfortably. She found something she liked: a white shirt, beige pants, and a white flannel. To complete the outfit, she paired it with black boots and a hat. Wherever she went in that country, it was very sunny, so she had to protect herself. She looked at herself in the mirror; she liked the outfit. It was comfortable and practical, just like her.

She grabbed her bag with all her things and left the room. The restaurant was crowded with people having breakfast. It took Elizabeth quite some time to find Mark in the crowd. She saw him sitting at a table somewhat separated from the others and, to her liking, next to a window.

"Hello, Mark. I hope you've ordered breakfast for me," she joked, hugging him.

"Of course I did," he returned the hug enthusiastically. "But please, have a seat," he said, pointing to a chair across from him. Elizabeth sat down and smiled at him.

"So, what are we going to do today?" She fidgeted her nervous hands; she was very eager to start working. Mark took a sip of his coffee, contemplating his answer.

"Today, we'll go to the museum where I work. Then we'll visit the ruins; I want to introduce you to all my research colleagues."

She was about to answer, but at that moment, her food arrived. The dish looked (and smelled) delicious. It was scrambled eggs with toast, cheese, and fruit. All accompanied by a delicious orange juice and a steaming cup of coffee. She took a bite of her toast and sighed; the food was quite delicious, and the warmth radiating from it was comforting to her stomach. She wiped her lips with the napkin and continued.

"It would be a pleasure; I'm excited to get started," she took a sip of her juice. "The food is fantastic."

"You have to taste how Pemaviar cooks. He's one of my workers, he comes from Germany, but he's an excellent chef. His specialty is Latin cuisine."

"Well, let's go, I want to do it as soon as possible."

"Patience, first have breakfast."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow, but she obeyed. After finishing her meal, she gathered the courage to ask Mark something that had been on her mind for days.

"Mark, what tomb are you expecting to discover?" The man's gaze

 widened with surprise, but then he composed himself, so she thought it had just been her imagination.

"The tomb of Princess Nefertiti. My team and I have been trying to find it for months, and for the first time, I think we're very close."

"Nefertiti?" The name didn't ring a bell for her as an Egyptian princess, at least not from what she had studied so far.

"Yes, perhaps you know her as Nefertari," he replied simply.

An image came to her mind. She did know that princess; they had studied her the previous semester.

"Is she the one who was queen during the 19th Dynasty? She was the wife of Ramses the Great, if I'm not mistaken," Mark nodded with pride, as if he had expected her to know the information.

Elizabeth looked at him strangely; he was behaving very strangely today.

"I didn't expect anything less from Fabian Twoys' daughter," Liz blushed; she wasn't used to compliments. But something about it seemed odd to her.

"Mark, wasn't her remains supposed to be in the city of Abydos? That's what most archaeologists say. Why are we in Thebes?" She had many doubts about all this.

"It was believed so, but all our research points in the opposite direction. We believe the tomb is here, in Thebes."

Elizabeth was surprised.

Was it possible?

"Why did you invite me? I mean, it seems like you already have all the information."

"We still need something; the tomb, when found, can only be opened with a special key."

"What is it?"

She had a feeling she wouldn't like the answer, but there was no turning back now. The anxiety that had been lurking over her for the past few days finally found an outlet to seep through.

She had discovered, even at a very young age, that if she concentrated hard enough on something, she could easily ignore all the thoughts in her mind telling her to run. Although later on, she would realize that for once in her life, she should have listened to that instinct to flee.

"We are almost entirely sure that the key is the Ankh necklace."

It didn't surprise her at all that the key was the same thing her parents had been researching before they died, but as always happened when she thought of them, a cloud of sadness enveloped her, and she lost her appetite.

"Liar," a voice in her head whispered, a voice that sounded nothing like her own.

Suddenly, she began to feel strange, a little dizzy and weak. Her body felt heavy, and perhaps it was just the black-haired girl's imagination, but it seemed that her body was not responding to her commands or the slightest action. She started to get scared.

The voice in her mind kept whispering.

"Don't be deceived."

"Liar."

What did it mean?

Was Mark deceiving her? That was impossible and undoubtedly dismissible. That man had been a friend of her parents and had practically watched her grow up; he wouldn't be capable of deceiving her.

And even if he were (which was not the case), what would be the purpose? She couldn't imagine what Mark could have or desire that would drive him to deceive her. Up until that moment, he had been behaving just as she remembered.

Elizabeth was petrified. She felt everything spinning. She needed all her willpower not to faint right there. She placed her hand on the table to keep from losing her balance. The air wouldn't enter her lungs.

Her head felt like it was about to explode.

Now, could she not even trust her own consciousness?

"Are you absolutely sure?" Her words came out trembling, so she cleared her throat before speaking again. "On what basis do you arrive at these conclusions?"

"Well, we've found some documents and papyri that... Lizzie, are you okay?" Mark's gaze was worried.

Elizabeth nodded but got up from the table. Her legs felt like jelly, and all she wanted was to find a place where she could breathe fresh air.

She knew she was having a panic attack because, although they were infrequent, she had experienced them in the past, especially after her parents' death.

She tried to take a step and opened her mouth to tell Mark that she was perfectly fine, that he shouldn't worry, that she just needed a moment to breathe or any excuse that came to mind.

She couldn't answer because everything turned black. Despite all her efforts, she lost consciousness.