Shards of Ankh

Chapter One

"Are you excited for the shipment today?"

Thea Amaris looked up from her desk where she was doing some paperwork. She pushed away frizzy brown hair from her bespectacled tawny eyes. Blinking, she tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear, though it didn't do much; it was curly and unruly, clipped about her chin, and refused to stay in one place for very long.

Thea smiled at one of her only friends, Rose Thorton. Rose stood in a pair of khaki pants tucked into black riding boots. A button down white blouse covered her top half, decorative frills around the neck. In her hand was a coffee holder that held two coffees. Thea smiled; Rose was always good for a cup of coffee.

"I'm very excited," Thea admitted as Rose walked over, placing down the large cup of coffee in front of her.

Rose raised her naturally blonde eyebrows, looking impressed. "Wow--'very excited'. I haven't heard such strong words come out of that cute mouth of yours for a really long time."

Thea blushed and hid a smile behind the steaming cup, taking a sip. Rose was a shameless flirt; it was all harmless. She knew Thea was only interested in men, but she also knew Thea found it flattering. Furthermore, Rose--along with everyone else in the known world--knew that Thea didn't have time for such relationships.

"Well it's not every day I get first cracks at uncovering the mysteries of a brand new Pharaoh!"

"What do you think you'll find?" Rose asked, tossing the coffee holder into the trash can beneath Rose's desk before sitting on the desk itself. Rose was the only one who was allowed such informal gestures. "Do you think he will have been a kind or ruthless leader?"

Thea grinned. "Who says it's a 'he'?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Thea--come on. I read the papers."

Thea let out a heavy sigh, shutting her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she met Rose with a glare. "You really need to stop doing that, Rose."

"And yet I never do," Rose replied lightly with a laugh. Thea pursed her lips as Rose grabbed the paper that was sitting in front of her. "Ankhenaten Abasi Badru." Rose looked impressed at Thea, who continued to glower. "Wow, we lucked out--a full name."

"Yes," Thea replied, snatching the paper back, "I lucked out."

"I can't believe after all this time we've managed to unearth an intact tomb of an unknown Pharaoh!" Rose's red stained lips broke into a huge grin, and she sighed dramatically. "Romantic, isn't it?"

"I guess," Thea commented dully, shuffling through the papers to make sure she would have everything she needed. "Although my task isn't quite so romantic."

"Oh?"

"I'm in charge of putting together three badly damaged vases," Thea said with a curt nod. "The shipment we are receiving today consists of the fragments, along with one intact canopic jar."

"Bless you."

Thea rolled her eyes and got to her feet, scooping up the papers. She taped them out neatly and whisked them away into a manila file folder. "This is why you're only a tour guide, Rose."

Rose playfully stuck out her tongue.

Thea came around the desk and Rose eagerly followed her. Thea paused only briefly to shut off her office light and lock the door behind them before heading down the long corridor that led into the main museum.

"A canopic jar is what the ancient Egyptians used during the embalming process to store the important organs for the afterlife."

Rose scrunched her face. "Ew."