His Lotus Bloom: The Return

Chapter 6: Train Rides and Kicking Arse

Jean slowly peeled her eyes opened and groaned, her vision still wavering. She noted of a shadow leaning over her and she closed her eyes again. Where was she? What happened? She couldn't remember anything except a few fuzzy details. Which were her trying to grab Alex, the screams of her sister and brother in law, then seeing a flash of red before a painful stabbing sensation entered her head as she was knocked unconscious. Jean tried peeling her eyes opened once more, and she was relieved to see that her vision was much better. She tried propping herself up more to take in her surroundings. A passenger car greeted her, along with the swaying motion of the train, or was it her head spinning? She shook her head and concentrated more. There was a chair in the corner of the train car she was in, a small seating table, some ancient Egyptian artifacts piled haphazardly in the other corner, and a woman who she just noticed that popped out of the shadows. Jean warily swayed back and winced when the movement was too much for her body. But that didn't stop her from authoritatively demanding. 

"Where's Alex? Who are you? And why am I here?" 

The woman simply gave a small smirk of a smile before dragging the chair across the floor and plopping it in front of Jean's makeshift bed. She sat down languidly like a cat before staring at Jean. Then looked interested at her nails before replying. 

"So that's the little boy's name, Alex, like Alexander the Great, pfff, what a boring and crude name." She huffed out before flicking her eyes back to Jean. Jean was absolutely livid . She LOVED her little nephew, and he was courageous like Alexander the Great, not power hungry like the ruler. 

"You don't even know him, let alone me, so don't judge us before you get to know us." Jean snapped, all the while glaring at the woman in black. 

The woman looked at her shocked before a satisfactory smile crossed her lips, 

"I think we'll be great friends yet again Asernath." she stated before getting up to leave the room, leaving Jean in a foul mood before shouting, "I'm not Asernath! My name is Jean Marie Carnahan!". 

While Jean was fuming in her room, Meela giddily sat down and opened the Book of the Dead to scan through its contents for future reference. She was so happy to have her friend back, but she would need to learn a spell to bring her entirely back. Imhotep had told Meela about the last events and how it nearly killed Asernath. Thinking of the other woman who had cursed her friend made her veins fill with deep hatred and a burning for vengeance. But her vengeance would have to wait. She had to find a cure with Imhotep to bring Asernath back. While she was reading the curator fetched the boy at Imhotep's command along with Jean. 

Alex was telling them to "watch the suit" while Jean tried to keep the thugs away from her nephew. They were quickly pushed in a darker room filled with incense and ancient treasures. Jean quickly gripped Alex's shoulders and had him hide behind her, so she could use herself as a human shield. A tall male figure clad in black was standing in front of the altar, his broad- shouldered back to them. The man quickly turned around, his face covered in a metallic silver mask that made Alex gasp and even slightly cower. It looked terrifying to say the least, like one of those ornate Egyptian masks he seen on the mummies in the museum. Jean paled as the being strode towards them. Flashes of nine years ago impaired her to even bat an eyelid as she hyperventilated. The figure stopped in front of her, merely a foot away. For a moment nothing happened, they simply just stared at one another, everyone in the room hearing Jean's heart rate soar in dangerous amounts, and seeing her face resembling a doe eyed animal trapped in a cage with a beast. Then in an instant the figure was in front of her whispering in her ear while gripping her waist tightly. Jean was only able to fight for a moment before the spell took hold of her and she slumped forward, deep in a slumber of past memories. The figure in the mask smirked at her adoringly before gently lying her down on the floor, turning to Alex. 

"My dad is going to kick your arse!" Alex shouted at him, enraged at someone taking advantage of his aunt. Imhotep slowly removed his mask before grimly smiling with his mummified and carnage looking face, 

"I don't think so." And had one of the henchmen take Alex back to the other train car, leaving Jean all alone with him.....