The House of the Rising Sun

Chapter Thirteen: The Truth About Amenemhet

Chapter Thirteen: The Truth About Amenemhet

Selene

I lay awake in my bed that night, unable to sleep, no matter how hard I tried and wanted to. I couldn’t stop thinking about Alexander. I wondered if he was thinking about me right now as I thought about him. Maybe not. Thanks to Amenemhet, I know very well what goes on in the mind of a man: food. I sighed and turned over in my bed, my lips burning. Alexander had kissed me. That was the number one thought in my head right now. Oh, and also how foolish I had been to let him—and enjoy it. If Amenemhet or Kerpheres—especially Kerpheres—found out, I’d be Ammit food for breakfast. However, as sweet thoughts of life and Alexander swam through my mind, I began to drift to sleep.

“Meow.”

Something jumped up on my stomach and licked my face. What in the world is a dog doing here? I thought.

“Meowwww.” And I realized it was Nofre-Ari, not a dog. I opened my eyes slowly and sure enough my cat was sitting regally on my stomach.

“Morning, Nofre-Ari,” I said groggily.

“Meowwww!” the cat meowed. She looked desperately through my window. I slowly sat up and she jumped off, still staring at the window.

“Give me a tick on the sundial, please,” I stated, and I got dressed in a white dress and gold jewelry. I lined my eyes with kohl, extending a line towards my temples, and I looked back at Nofre-Ari. “What do you need, blessed of Bastet?”

Nofre-Ari looked at me with knowing green eyes and sprinted towards the window. When she leaped out, I realized what she wanted. Alexander was leaving today.

“Oh my gods,” I breathed. “Wait, Nofre-Ari!” And I followed my cat out the window. Maybe I could see Alexander just one more time before he left for Rome again. “Nofre-Ari!” I ran after the cat, wondering where she was taking me. The wise cat wasn’t heading towards the alley where he lived. She also wasn’t headed to the Temple of Ra. I sprinted after Nofre-Ari, stumbling here and there until I hiked up my dress a little. At one point I think I passed Amenemhet and Kerpheres. I didn’t care at the moment, however.

And then I realized where the blessed cat was taking me. I realized so when the Lighthouse of Alexandria loomed over me, and I slowed down. I peered towards the horizon and I saw a big ship heading out to sea. The sails were of a Roman design, and I realized this was Alexander’s ship.

“Alexander!” I called. They were surely close enough for them to hear me. “Alexander!” Amazingly, one of the men on board turned around. I began to run towards the ship and didn’t stop. Not even when I hit the water and waded waist-deep. “Alexander!” I shouted. The man who had turned around rushed towards the railing. He saw me.

“Selene!” he shouted back. I waded deeper until I was up to my ribs.

“Alexander!”

Don’t ask me the point of this. All I wanted was to see him again. And he had. I

I stopped my wading and shut my mouth. All I did was…wave good-bye. Alexander stood up straight and waved back, a solemn look on his face.

“Good-bye,” I whispered. I lowered my hand, clasped them underwater, and watched the Roman ship sail the Mediterranean until they were just a dot in the horizon and Ra had made it higher in the sky.

“Selene!” I heard someone call from far behind me. I turned around and saw Amenemhet and Kerpheres standing at the shore, waving frantically. “Selene! Come back!” I didn’t really have a choice. I wasn’t going to stay in the water waiting for Alexander to return. I splashed back over to the shore, my clothes sopping wet and the tips of my hair dripping down my back. “Selene! What in the Duat were you doing?” Amenemhet asked when I reached the shore. Nofre-Ari stood diligently nearby.