When she woke up the next morning, it was as of she had never gotten sick at all. And it was because of Horus. Slowly, she rose from her bed, carefully to not wake her sister. She looked over at the small clock on her bedside table and saw what time it was. By this hour, Steven was up and making them breakfast.
Strange enough, Steven wasn't in her flat yet. Her eyes scanned the room with a puzzled look on her face, it was indeed strange. After cooking up some breakfast for her and Arabella, she went for a quick shower, half expecting that when she comes out, Steven was bursting through the door.
But he never came.
Worry grew in her chest, wondering what could've happened to him. She headed to his flat but doesn't barge in like she usually does since she figured that he was still sleeping. She wanted him to get as much sleep as possible, these past few days he seemed to be getting lesser sleep that she could no longer ignore the bags under his eyes. She hoped that was the case but yet she could not quell the dread inside of her.
She knocked a couple of times on the door before calling for him. "Steven? Are you there?"
She was expecting a quick response but it never came.
Instinctively, she grabbed ahold of the doorknob and twisted it. Her eyes grew wide in surprise when she find out it was unlocked, it was unlike of Steven to leave it unlocked especially all the measures he makes just to keep this closed.
Curiosity and worry got the best of her and so, she marched on inside, but with slow, careful steps. Her eyes searched the room, there were a few books left open here and there. Her eyes then drifted towards Gus, swimming aimlessly in his tank.
The more she wakes deeper into his flat the more she had gotten closer to her bed. What she saw next made her heart drop.
Her gaze first fell upon the ankle restraint Steven told her about. It was left on top of his unmade bed. She then looked to the floor, where she recalled the sand was, and found no footprints on them that could tell if Steven had left or not.
"Oh god," she muttered under her breath, running her hand through her to pull them back. "Where are you?"
She hurried out of his flat, locking it so that no one else could enter.
I sensed that you are worried, child. I came as quick as I could.
Elizabeth looked over at the source of the voice and saw Horus, standing a few meters away from her, concern filling his eyes as he gazed down at her in anticipation.
"Steven's not at his flat." Elizabeth huffed as she started to head down to the elevator, she walked past Horus who then reappeared once again inside the lift with her. He altered his height so that he was able to fit inside. A smile ghosted her features, Horis had admitted that he came as soon as he could when he sensed that she was distressed.
Once she got out of the lift, she headed to the front door when she saw the vendor that sold an assortment of brushes and brooms blocking the entrance, she shook her head in irritation and stepped to the side. She dialed his phone number, she hoped that he was alright.
A few rings and he didn't answer.
"Bloody hell." she mumbled as she turned her phone off and shows it back to her pocket, "Where could he be?"
Perhaps he is already at your workplace.
She tilted her head upwards and saw Horus standing across the street, hidden within the shadows of an alleyway. She almost forgot that he chose to be seen by her, which also means he could be seen by others unless she served him as his Avatar.
"Of course, why didn't I think of that?" She chuckled softly in relief and started to make her way to the bus stop, "But it's kind of odd that he left without me."
Perhaps he didn't want to be late.
Elizabeth glanced sideways and saw Horus standing in an alleyway she was about to walk past. He was right, maybe Donna called him early for work, it could be that. Still, Steven would've texted her about it.
As if on cue, her phone started buzzing from inside her pocket. With frantic hands, she pulled it from her pocket and answered it, without bothering to check the caller ID. Her heart was racing in her chest as she waited for Steven's voice to come.
"Hey, where'd you put my bags?" Arabella said groggily from the other line.
Elizabeth released a heavy sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose. "In the living room."
Arabella noticed the sullen tone in her sister's voice, making her worry. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"It's only 8 in the morning and here you are all gloomy and stuff. Are you sure you're okay?" Arabella asked, concern coating her voice as she left the bed.
"Yep, perfectly fine. Anyways, I made breakfast, I left yours in the kitchen."
"Thank you." Ara smiled softly, "Also, I forgot to ask, what time do you usually get home?"
"Around 8 or 9, depending on the boss's mood, to be honest." Elizabeth chuckled at the last statement, but deep inside, she was worried about what Donna was going to say once she gets there.
"Why does your boss seem like she always has a stick up her arse?"
"Beats me."
Both of them shared a light-hearted laugh.
"Okay, I don't want you to get late for work. I'll see you later, okay? Love you."
"Love you too."
Once their call ended, she arrived at the bus stop and got into the first that stopped in front of her that leads to her workplace. She was glad that she was able to spot a seat. Sitting down, she looked out of the window, hoping that Steven would come out from the crowd and chase after them.
When she arrived at the museum, she was greeted by J.B, who, since he got to work, never left his attention on his phone until she saw Elizabeth come in. Elizabeth smiled back at him in return and immediately spotted Donna carrying piles of boxes in her arms.
"Allow me." She told Donna as she collected the boxes from her.
"Elizabeth? I thought you were sick?" Donna asked in confusion as her eyes scanned her from head to toe.
"Yes but I just got better and—"
"You sure you're alright with working now?" Donna asked, Elizabeth sensed a hint of concern in Donna's tone, it was unbecoming and it surprised the brunette.
"I...yes, I'm fine."
"If you say so then, I'll need your help in the inventory while we're waiting for Stevie to come. Speaking of, don't you two always come to work together?" Donna shot her a skeptical look as they walked toward the gift shop so that Elizabeth could set the boxes down.
"Yeah, I don't know. He hasn't been answering my texts." As soon as she set her boxes down, she pulled out her phone from her pocket and checked if Steven had answered yet or not.
"He's late again, that's why he's going to do inventory this week."
"I just hope he's just late," she mumbled to herself. She followed Donna to the storage room and picked up a few boxes, some new items to put in the gift shop. With both of them carrying boxes much large than their stature, the two women walked back to the gift shop.
Elizabeth was fixing the boxes on the top of the pile when she noticed a familiar face amongst the crowd. Standing in front of a small replica of the Pyramid of Giza was Steven himself, talking to a little girl.
"Will you look at that?" Steven said to the little girl after he witnessed her putting her gum packets into the hole of the small replica of the pyramid. "Looks like someone mistook the Great Pyramid of Giza for a rubbish dump."
The girl stared at the replica with a blank expression. "It's not like there's anything in there."
Steven glanced at the pyramid, scrunching his nose as he nodded his head. "Yeah. Maybe not. But in there—" he tapped the girl's arm and when he got his attention, pointed at the sarcophagus that was on display not too far from there. "Something wicked."
When the girl started to head for the sarcophagus, Steven pulled the packet that she had inserted into the replica.
Relief washed over her whole being, seeing that Steven was well and was, in fact, late. After she set the boxes down on the counter, Elizabeth walked toward Steven's direction, oblivious to the way Donna was glaring at her.
Steven and the girl now stood beside a display with a sarcophagus inside of it. Elizabeth stopped walking, watching as Steven tell the kid about it.
"Check it out. They'd take this big metal hook, right? And they go up the old nozzle and..." Steven curled his pointer finger, mimicking a hook and he moved it upwards, imitating a suctioning sound before he turned to the girl again, "All the organs would come out. Except for the heart."
"How come?" the girl asked curiously, interest piqued.
"Because they believed you needed your heart to be judged in the Underworld and only the worthiest would be allowed to pass through the Field of Reeds."
"And did it suck for you? Getting rejected from the Field of Reeds?" the girl asked. Elizabeth rolled her eyes with a chuckle and she approached the both of them.
"That doesn't make sense 'cause I'm not dead, am I?" Steven retorted before he felt a pair of arms wrap around his left one.
"If he was, he's definitely going to be accepted in the Field of Reed,." Elizabeth interjected, causing both Steven and the girl to send her a puzzled look. "Because this person has got to be the most kind-hearted man you've ever seen. This man would no doubt, be able to get to the Field of Reeds."
"I see." The girl glanced between the two of them with a mischievous smile. She noticed the way the two looked at each other, she wanted to speak up about it but opted against it.
"Stevie."
The two turned their heads at the familiar voice, both met the irritated eyes of their boss who was still carrying the boxes. Steven and Elizabeth moved away from each other, sparing each other one last look before they went their separate ways.
"That better not be you again." Donna shook her head disapprovingly as Steven collected the boxes from her arms.
"Sorry, Donna. Yeah, sorry. Got it."Steven apologized quickly. Donna rolled her eyes as they started to walk back to the gift shop. Steven spared a glance over his shoulders, spotting Elizabeth speaking to the little with a smile on her face. Donna's voice seemed to be drowned out by the sound of Elizabeth's laughter after the girl has told her a joke.
"Don't know how many times I have to tell you this. You're not the bloody tour guide, Stevie." Donna carried on, clueless that Steven was not paying attention to what she had said prior.
"Steven, actually." he said his small name tag before putting it in his shirt, he tapped it with his finger, making her look at it."I am... Steven."
"No, you're bloody useless unless you're actually doing what you're paid to do, which is to sell these to children." Donna picked up the small baskets of sweets and pushed them in front of Steven. Donna shot him a glare before she walked off.
While he arranged the items, he felt a pair of arms around his torso. He got startled and he turned, seeing who it was.
"How's the sugar trade going?" she asked with a playful tone before letting go of Steven and heading towards the other side of the shop, dealing with the boxes she and Donna had brought up from inventory.
"I don't know what this has to do with Egypt really. They didn't have that back then, did they? No. They liked figs and dates, and..."
Elizabeth placed her hand on top of his so he'd stop ranting again, also, so that they could talk about what happened earlier. "I was worried about you. You weren't answering my texts and—"
Elizabeth scrunched her eyebrows in confusion when she noticed something on Steven's face. Her hand reached up, fingers pressing against the bruise that was right next to his eyebrow and he winced, hissing in pain.
"What happened to you? Did you get knocked out?" Elizabeth questioned worriedly as she continued staring at the bruise just below his left eyebrow. "Goodness, just look at it."
Steven chuckled softly as he grabbed her hand that was once again reaching for the bruise. "I'll be fine."
"And you were gone, I thought you went to work first."
Steven's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. "What do you mean gone?"
"Forgive me for barging into your room earlier," she explained nervously, she joined both of her hands, fiddling with them, "But I was so worried, you didn't come to my flat like the usual and you weren't answering the door when I knocked so I panicked and went inside. When I got in, I saw that your bed was unmade, your...door was unlocked and...I thought something had happened to you."
This confused Steven greatly, he never left his room at night, from what he remembered. He went straight to bed after bidding Elizabeth good night.
"Look, I'm just glad you're fine, Steven." she held onto his jacket and pulled him closer so that she could kiss his cheek. "Anyways, I've got to help Donna with some stuff but I've thought about last night, and does tomorrow at seven sound good to you?"
Steven blinked as if he wasn't paying attention to what she had said prior, "Seven, tomorrow?"
"Yeah, for our date. In that steak place?" she reminded him.
"Oh, yeah. Right. Yeah."
"Don't tell me you've forgotten already, Stevie." she teased him, nudging his arm playfully. "I'll see you then."
Steven nodded and smiled as he watched Elizabeth's retreating figure. But the thought of what she had told him lingered in his mind, worrying him. He couldn't have been gone because when he woke up, there was no sign of him walking around. When he woke up he was still bound to the post with ankle restraints, there were no footprints on the sand around his bed and the tape on his door was untouched.
"Stevie, you absolute rascal. I didn't know you had taken a crack." Donna disrupted his thoughts when she walked to the gift shop, the two of them watched as she walked out, carrying piles of boxes in her arms when the security guard J.B started talking to her.
"Hang on, did she say steak? What's in the world's a bloody vegan gonna ear in a steak house?"
"I don't know, Donna. Salad? Bread?" he retorted.
Donna cast him a judging look as she chewed on her gum. "Yeah, I can see why she went for it. Real catch you are."
By the time, Donna had been walking away, Elizabeth returned to the gift shop, setting down the boxes. Steven walked up to her so he could collect them.
"So what did you talk about?" Steven asked, glancing up to meet Elizabeth's eyes.
"He was asking me out," Elizabeth replied as she rounded the counter and brought boxes down after they pulled out all the items from it. She looked over to Steven and noticed the way his jaw clenched as he set the items on the shelves behind them.
"What did you say?" he asked, not sparing her a glance.
Elizabeth smiled, walking up to him slowly. "I told him that I already have a date and that's you, so don't go all Mr. Jealous Pants over there."
Steven spun around, facing her. "I'm not jealous."
"Yeah, you are." she bit her bottom lip, holding back a large grin that was attempting to break into her face when a thought came to mind. "You remind me of a character in my childhood when you get all jealous like that."
Steve smiled back. "Care to tell me who it was?"
"That grumpy eagle from the Muppets."
He gave her a disapproving look. "Really? It's because of the eyebrows isn't it?"
"Yep."
•••
"You're not gonna come home with me?"
Steven turned around to face Elizabeth, who had decided to help him a bit in the inventory before she told him that she would not be heading back home with him.
"Ara just invited me to go out." Elizabeth looked around and saw a box full of hippotamus plushies that resembled the goddess Taweret.
"But we always go home together," Steven told her, continuing his task. Besides, he wasn't also comfortable with the fact that Elizabeth was heading out on her own, in the dark.
After Steven placed the box on the counter, he turned around to grab the code reader but stopped halfway when there was a Taweret plushie lifted near his face.
"Don't worry, we'll still be able to hang out tomorrow. We've got a date remember?"
"How could I forget?" Steven lowered the plushie from his face and lifted his hand to her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. His lips pulled into a grin when Elizabeth leaned in and sighed with contentment. "I can't wait."
"Me too," she replied. She lifted her gaze and their eyes met, Elizabeth chuckled softly as she bumped the plushie against his nose.
A large grin occupied his face afterward, he had been wanting to ask Elizabeth out but he could never find a chance to do it. It seemed like every time he would, something would come up.
"You two better not be doing anything naughty in here, this is a workplace, not a bloody motel." Donna walked inside, her face still holding a bitter look like it's been permanent on her face for a long time. Steven stepped back, allowing more space between him and Elizabeth.
"You, go home now. It's late and there's a bunch of creeps hanging about in the dark." Donna told Elizabeth dismissively while she was practically shoving her out of the inventory.
Elizabeth tossed the plushie and she released a victorious noise when it landed perfectly on top of the pile. Elizabeth brought her gaze towards Steven one last time, giving him a wink before leaving the room completely.
"Look at you two. Who would've thought." Donna stated in a teasing tone, with Steven still staring at the door, she snatched the code reader from his hand and started scanning the items.
"Bring those hippos up here, will you?" Donna asked, tipping her head towards the box of hippo plushies that resembled Taweret.
"Yeah, sure," Steven replied, leaving his previous task to get the box and carry it over to Donna. He then corrected her, "Taweret. The hippo, Goddess Taweret. Oh, Donna, that reminds me. When I was coming in this morning, I saw the banners outside."
"And that's what made you late for work again, was it?"
"No. Sorry about that. The bus came early..."
"Third time this week you've shuffled in like a lazy sod."
"I know."
"That's why you'll be on inventory this week." she then flashed Steven a false smile, then said, "Well done."
"All right. Aye, aye, Captain. But no." Steven walked over to the side of the room, grabbing the large frame of the Ennead he saw and holding it up so that Donna could see. "I want to tell you that the banners and the posters of the Ennead—"
"The what?" Donna interrupted, looking at Steven like she had no interest at all.
"The Ennead? You know, like, the supergroup of Egyptian gods? You got Horus, Osiris, Tefnut—"
Donna raised a hand, stopping Steven at mid-sentence, saying. "Stop, please. If this is some weird audition to tour guide here, the answer's still no."
"No. What I'm trying..." Steven trailed off, staring at Donna incredulously as her words began to sink in, "That's actually crushing to hear. But what I'm trying to point out, I'm not trying to slag off marketing, but there's been a major blunder because they've got seven gods here, and the Ennead has nine."
"I fired two of them for bein' late." Donna retorted with an irritated look on her face, "Listen, if you don't stop natterin' at me, I swear I'll shove you in a sarcophagus. You can tell the pharaoh in there what's wrong with them and all."
Donna waved at Steven dismissively, "Go on."
"All right." Steven let go of the banner but it tumbled over and made a mess, making Donna grow more irritated at the man. She shouted, "Go. Now. Oh, leave it! Just leave it. Get out. Go away from me.
"All right, always lovely to chat." Steven bade her farewell and hurriedly walked out of the room, he released a relieved sigh once he got out. He pulled his phone and saw the number of texts Elizabeth had sent her that morning. He felt bad for making her worry, he didn't mean to do it.
Steven scratched the back of his head as he walked down the steps of the museum. He quickly typed in an apology before sending it to her, in a minute or so, Elizabeth replied with a smiling emoji.
Steven chuckled softly and hid his phone away. He walked to where the living statue was located, although he wasn't responding to anything Steven was saying, he still confides in him, he told things to him that he could never tell Elizabeth, like his growing feelings for her. Even without his responses, this man had, for some reason, persuaded him to finally ask her out.
He sat down and began eating away at the lunch Elizabeth gave him that he wasn't able to eat earlier.
"Honestly, it's like my body wants to get up and wander about, you know, like it has to get the 10,000 steps in." he started, looking over to the man beside him, "You know? And I don't even know about it until I wake up wherever. Nah. You're right. I mean, I guess there are stranger things that people do, but... No? Well, I think it's a bit...
He took a bite out of his lunch, moaning softly in delight with how delicious it was, despite the one who made it wasn't rather fond of vegetables. He brought his attention back to the living statue beside him, feeling guilty that he was eating beside him and not giving him anything.
He reached inside his bag and grabbed his extra food and set it beside him while saying, "Extra pralines for the man himself."
Steven adjusted in his seat as he took a bite once more, "So, the girl I was telling you about, the one from work. We're going on a date tomorrow."
He was then cut off when a couple approached him, asking him if he could take a photo of them with a living statue. Steven obliged and he stood up, giving up his seat for the woman while his partner sat on the opposite side of the living statue. After he took a picture and returned their phone to them, Steven reminded them about paying the man before they left.
"I finally asked her. Finally had the guts to tell her. It might be weird for her though because it was after I kissed her, you don't usually go through that without asking the woman out first right? Still, she accepted." he continued, a grin coming up to his face at the memory.
"Anyway, if I am gonna have a girlfriend, at some point, obviously can't have ankle restraints on my bed, can I?" he chuckled softly, "That's like the definition of a red flag, isn't it? But her, gosh, her...she was understanding. She never judged me." Steven carried on while finishing the rest of his food.
"All right, I better jog on." he then rises after putting away his trash, he then reached for his coins in his pocket and tossed it into the hat in front of his feet while saying, "I will see you on the flip-flop."
•••
I have a bad feeling about this.
Elizabeth turned her head to her side, spotting Horus standing beside her with tensed shoulders. Elizabeth looked around and all she saw were people walking about, minding their own business.
"If you're talking about my sister then, yes." Elizabeth kidded, trying to calm the tension on the God. However, Horus was not amused, he kept a wary gaze around his surroundings.
"Would you calm down? Nothing's going to happen."
I'm worried about you.
Elizabeth chuckled softly while rolling her eyes. "I appreciate that."
But I can only do much. Be my avatar and I promise I will protect you.
"Still going about that l, huh?" She turned her phone off, her eyes observing everyone around before she pressed her phone to her ear. She thought of it so she could talk to Horus freely, without the people around them thinking that she was talking to the air.
"Look, we're outside. There are a lot of people around, why don't you look for your new avatar here?" She suggested while facing him. For the first time since they had arrived in the park, Horus peered down at her, the worry in his eyes still evident.
I can't.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Because you choose me."
The god nodded before looking ahead, looking out for any impending danger that might come their way. Elizabeth lowered her phone and turned it on, the screen flashed her wallpaper of her, Ara, and their parents on a mountain hiking trip they took years ago.
Her eyes stayed glued to her parents, especially her Dad, who was smiling brightly at the camera. She started to consider it, that maybe being his Avatar won't be so bad at all. After all, she had been on her side at all times, even though she cannot physically see him, she could always feel his presence around her, watching over him. And he healed her not too long ago.
That still doesn't stray from the fact that he didn't do anything to save her parents.
At this point, it's conflicting.
"Hey!" Arabella greeted, her voice snapped Elizabeth out of her reverie and caused her to turn her head in her direction. She stood up and the two sisters shared a hug. "Ready to go?"
"Where are we going exactly?" Elizabeth asked as she joined her sister's side and wrapped her arm around hers.
"I want you to meet someone. A friend told me about him after they saw on the news what happened to our parents." Arabella then looked over to the bench where Elizabeth sat, wearing a puzzled look. "You didn't bring your boyfriend? I could've met him and introduced him to Dad."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes and shook her head, "He's not here. He's in trouble for being late so now he's doing inventory. Also, he is not my boyfriend."
"Yet." she teased, causing Elizabeth's eyes to roll again. "Come on, we can catch up while we head there."
It hasn't been long since she left yet they shared many stories about each other. Elizabeth was elated that their Dad was starting to act more like himself now than he was after the incident. She also told her that Ara had been promoted in her job and now was getting higher pay. She even told her that it won't be long until Elizabeth would be able to come back home and continue her studies because the salary provided by Arabella's new job would be enough to help their Dad.
Elizabeth was glad about it but she was now used to London, she never once thought of leaving it. She liked her job in the museum, even if her boss was kind of a snob and she liked being around Steven. She couldn't think of a time when Steven is no longer by her side.
The thought suddenly made her sad, and it shows. Arabella's smile dropped when her little sister no longer had that enthusiastic glow on her face.
"Is there something wrong? Did I say something bad?" she asked curiously and worriedly, she reached across the table to take her sister's hand.
"Nothing. I just..." Elizabeth exhaled heavily, squeezing her sister's hand back.
"It's about that Steven guy isn't it?" Arabella guessed with a smirk coming up to her face.
"Maybe."
"You're head over heels for this guy. I don't think I've ever seen you like this." Arabella teased as she pinched her little sister's arm.
"This guy is different. He's really sweet and caring." Elizabeth glanced down at their joined hands, smiling softly at the memory of the night he came to her flat and listened to her. "It's only been a month since I met this man and gosh, I've fallen madly in love with him."
Arabella smiled at her, "This is why I wanted to meet this man so badly when you talk about him. Because I could see how happy you are when you're with him." Arabella's hand left Elizabeth's as they stopped on the sidewalk. Before she called for a cab, she said, "And when I finally got to meet him, you took him away. I wanted to thank him personally because he could do what I've been trying to do for months."
Elizabeth chuckled. "You make me happy. You and Dad."
"But not the way Steven does huh? Have you two shagged? Is that why you couldn't—"
"Shut up!"
Arabella broke into a fit of laughter, which caught the attention of many others on the sidewalk but they went about their business soon as Arabella's laughter died down. Elizabeth was laughing as well but softer than Arabella's.
Elizabeth held her hand up, calling for a cab. When one stopped in front of them, Arabella told the cab driver their destination as they got inside.
"Can you hold this for me?" Arabella handed Elizabeth her purse and she obliged. She watched Ara pull her phone from her pocket. Elizabeth's gaze fell upon the dark mark on her arm, she recalled seeing it yesterday and now she can see it much closer.
"What is that?" Elizabeth asked and moved Arabella's sleeve up so that she could get a full view of what the mark is.
It was shaped like balance scales with crocodile heads that held the pan holders.
"You got a tattoo?" Elizabeth asked while Arabella pulled her arm away from her sister's grasp.
"You will see, love." Arabella offered her a smile as she drank the rest of her shake. With that, Elizabeth disregarded it and continued spending time with her sister.
If only Elizabeth knew how dangerous that mark was.
They arrived somewhere in London that Elizabeth wasn't familiar with. After paying the cab driver, Elizabeth remained close to her sister as she observed her surroundings. It looks sketchy and she felt like she shouldn't be here in the first place. They walked down the neighborhood and finally, Elizabeth could see other people, this calmed her nerves.
Don't worry, I'm here. You'll be safe.
Horus' voice caused Elizabeth to look around, searching for him. She didn't see him but then, she felt the wind caressing her cheek. Elizabeth smiled, he was reminding her that he was there.
"Ara!"
The two sisters snapped their heads towards a woman with dark skin. Arabella let go of Elizabeth so she could run to the woman and hug her.
"I'm so glad you came." the woman then drifted her gaze towards Elizabeth, acknowledging her. "And you must her little sister."
"Elizabeth." she introduced herself as extended her hand towards the woman and in return, the woman took her hand and shook it.
"Bobbi Kennedy. Nice to meet you." Bobbi then returned her gaze towards Ara, "He will be excited to see you both."
"He?" Elizabeth gave both women a questioning look.
"Follow me." Bobbi beckoned them to come with her hand. Elizabeth and Ara followed her down the street. Elizabeth stood close to Ara, her eyes scanning her surroundings wearily, there was a fear inside her that she couldn't shake and the closer she got to meeting this person they were talking about the more she felt the fear becoming stronger.
"You're just in time." Bobbi told them as she opened a door, "We were just preparing to take off for Latvia."
"That's pretty far," Elizabeth remarked, and Bobbi chuckled softly and she nodded.
"It is but it's for something important."
"Important like what?"
"One that will bring us to our answer that will eradicate evil from this world."
The three women turned their heads at the sound of a gravelly voice coming from behind them. Elizabeth's gaze fell upon a man in a red long-sleeved shirt and trousers. He approached them, Elizabeth noted the way he was walking with a limp, hence the cane in his hand. She noticed with every step he took, she could hear the sound of glass clinking in his sandals.
"Arabella Foster." The man wore a soft smile as he greeted Ara with a hug. "It's great to see you again."
"Likewise, Mr. Harrow." Ara smiled then she turned, her arm extending towards Elizabeth so that she could pull her closer to him. "I brought my sister."
"Ah, you must be Elizabeth Foster." he offered his hand to her and in turn, Elizabeth took it and shook it once, "I've heard all about you. How unfortunate it was for your family to suffer such a fate."
"I...How did you know?" she asked, shooting him a questioning look as she let go of his hand.
"Your sister told me everything. It was brave of you, to have to give up your education, your dream so that you could take care of your father."
"T-Thank you, Mr. Harrow."
"Please, call me Arthur."
"Okay, Arthur." she chuckled softly as she turned toward her sister, unsure of what to do next. She then asked, "So what do you do here exactly? Some kind of organization?"
"We are people trying to create a heaven on earth by eradicating evil from this world permanently."
"What do you mean?" she asked him with a confused gaze, "H-How would you do it?"
"By judging people." He answered with a faint smile on his face.
"Isn't that a bad thing? Judging people?" she retorted, chuckling softly, "You know what they say, don't judge a book by its cover, right?"
Arthur chuckled softly. "Not in that way, Elizabeth. Give me your hands."
Elizabeth was unsure, but after one encouraging look from Ara and Elizabeth relented. She moved her arms towards Arthur, allowing him to take them. He moved them, palms and forearms faced upwards before he placed his cane in between them, the crocodile-shaped handles kept it hanging on her arms.
Harrow then exposed his left forearm, Elizabeth's eyes grew wide when she realized that he had the same one as Arabella's.
"Are you afraid?" Harrow inquired as his hands now held hers, but soothingly to help her calm her nerves.
"A little bit." She replied sheepishly as she watched the cane swing back and forth on its own, with no force causing it to move in the first place. Elizabeth's mouth slightly fell open as she watched in awe. But dread started to grow within her when the tattoo started to move.
But all of a sudden, the doors slammed open and a strong gust of wind blew inside the building nearly blowing away everything inside. Elizabeth gasped in surprise when a strong force suddenly hit her arms and Harrow's, separating them and knocking the cane from them.
"Oh no." Elizabeth ran towards it and picked it up before returning to Harrow, "Strong winds, huh?"
"Indeed." he replied, his face holding a confused look as he grabbed the came from her, "Thank you."
"Sir." A tall man with red hair approached Harrow, taking his attention away from Elizabeth, "We have to go now, your flight leaves in about 2 hours."
"I see. How unfortunate that we have to stop our conversation here, Elizabeth. But we have other matters to attend to." Arthur Harrow sent an apologetic look her way before walking away with the man with red hair. "Until next time."
"Are you alright?" Ara asked as she pulled Elizabeth up, "Bloody hell that was some wind huh?"
"Y-Yeah." Elizabeth glanced over to the doors, the people inside started to close them. But outside, standing in the shadows, was Horus.