I held my hands up and began breathing as slowly as I possibly could in this situation. "Please... put that away..." I begged. "Please."
The man stared at me with those scary eyes. "Who are you?" He growled.
"Me?" I hesitated. "I'm... May. My name is May." I realized that I had to be nice. If I said something stupid, this guy could kill me.
The man looked around right then. He looked everywhere, all around him and even above and below him. "Where am I?" He asked when he looked back at me.
"You're in Oakville. Downtown." Cooperate. I told myself, that way you won't get killed.
"Where?" He hissed.
"Oakville." I repeated, trying to remain calm. "A-are you lost?"
His sword pulled away, just a little.
I let out a sigh in relief, and then my eyes fell on Dom, who had a bloody nose and was staring in shock.
Some Knight in Shining Armor he turned out to be.
I looked back at the man. "I... I can try and help you. But you need to put the weapon away."
He kept his eyes on me and then I saw him quickly examine my entire body. Of course, I felt uncomfortable, but I didn't do anything.
Maybe he was checking to see if I had any weapons of my own.
And finally, he lowered the sword.
I then stepped past him and stood between him and Dom, knowing that Dom may have been preparing to do something stupid, like attack the crazy guy with the sword. "Okay." I said, taking deep breaths. "Can you put the sword away?"
The man narrowed his eyes, but when I saw his eyes flicker towards Dom, I realized that he must have found Dom a threat.
"Go, Dom." I said.
"What?"
"Get out of here. This guy doesn't like you."
"And leave you here alone?"
I found it stupid that he wanted to pretend that he needed to, or could for that matter, protect me. "I can handle this!" I said, raising my voice. It was a lie though. I didn't know if I could handle this or not. But here I was, being the hero of the night even after all that happened. "Just go!"
Dom hesitated for just another moment, but then left as fast as he could.
"Okay." I said to the man. "Now, put away your weapon."
He watched me for another moment before he returned his sword to its sheathe that was attached to the belt he was wearing.
When the weapon was finally gone, I sighed in relief and took the moment to really look at this guy.
And god... did I think I was going crazy.
This guy was totally drunk.
I mean, he had to be.
He was wearing a skirt, for crying out loud.
And... all that jewelry and the eye makeup...
Then I finally realized it... he was dressed as an Egyptian Pharaoh... massive crown and all.
He had skin that was the colour of copper and dark, dark, dark eyes. The only facial hair he had was a beard that was lined up on his prominent jawbone, but grew long down his chin.
Like a Pharaoh.
Either it was fake, or he worked very hard for this costume.
But he was extremely fit.
So I knew that if I pissed him off and he attacked me... I was done for. There was no way I would be able to break free from his grasp.
And oh yeah, that sword.
I swallowed hard and looked him straight in the eyes. "So... do you know how you got here?"
From what I could remember, he appeared out of nowhere.
"I was cursed." He said. His voice was deep and harsh. "I need to return... I have to kill the man that did this."
Yeah. He was definitely crazy.
So I tried something else. "Where are you from?"
"Egypt."
I took a deep breath. "Egypt."
"Yes, you stupid girl." He hissed. "Stop wasting my time and tell me how I can return to my palace."
"Palace..."
Suddenly, the dream I had last night flashed through my head again.
A King...
I started to wonder if I was already dead. Maybe the psycho Viktor had already killed me and this was all... heaven?
But why would this be heaven? Why would I be standing in front of a guy who looked like an Egyptian Pharaoh in heaven?
I always imagined heaven to be with Aunty Maya.
Not with this guy with terrifying eyes.
But then again, why was I overthinking this? All of it could have just been a dream.
And in all honesty, despite the situation... I kind of wanted to laugh. How was this actually happening? "Listen..." I had to figure something out, quick. "I need you to give me that sword."
I decided that I had to disarm him first.
That had to have been the smartest thing I could do right now.
"Absolutely not."
"You know very well that I can't hurt you." I said. "But you can hurt me... So just give me that sword and I can hurry up and help you without worrying about my own safety."
My aunt flashed through my mind again.
Someone who was going to scare me...
He took a deep breath, definitely considering what I said, and then he let it out. With that, he removed the sword, sheath and all, and handed it to me.
I sighed in relief. "Thank you." But when he let go of the sword, I gasped. It was much heavier than I had anticipated.
But my reaction to the weight of the sword seemed to have reassured him completely that I was no match for him.
I held the probably ten pound sword in my arms and turned around. "C'mon." I was going to take him to the police. They'd know what to do.
When we got out of the ally, I heard him catch his breath.
I stopped walking and turned to look at him.
His eyes were wide as he looked around. "What... what is this place?"
"It's downtown, Oakville." I said.
He looked at me. "Where is this Oakville? East or west of Egypt?"
I looked up to think as a map appeared in my head. "West." I said. "You have to pass the Atlantic Ocean though." I was only answering his questions to make sure that he didn't get pissed off. I felt that that was the only way to get him to trust me.
"An ocean..." He said, shocked.
"C'mon." I said. "Let me take you to my car."
"To your what?" He suddenly sounded like he didn't trust me anymore... not that he sounded like he did before.
Was he serious? "Car. We have to use it to get to the people who can help you."
He looked at me for a moment and then didn't ask any more questions.
So I walked him over to my brother's black car.
I pulled my keys out of my black side bag and pressed on a button to open the doors.
The beeping sound that the car made him flinch. "What on earth–"
I walked over to the trunk and opened it, tossing the heavy sword into it. He watched me with his eyes wide open.
"What is this thing?" He asked, looking angry.
"It's a car." I said. "You have to get in."
"I am not getting into this."
"It's the only way I can take you to the people who can help you." I tried to ignore the eyes of all the people that walked by.
Of course, I couldn't blame them for staring.
He hesitated.
"Don't worry. I'm a good driver." I walked over to the passenger seat and pulled open the door.
He really didn't trust this. But after contemplating for another moment, he did as I said.
I helped him put on his seatbelt... which of course, he didn't like the idea of. But when I finally got it on, I closed the door, making him flinch again, and walked over to the drivers seat.
When I turned on the engine, he was startled and I noticed his breathing become quick.
But I didn't care. He was in the car, and now I could get to the police.
The drive was silent, as the crazy drunk guy stared outside the window in shock. And when I tried to ask him questions about himself, he told me to mind my own business and that it wasn't my concern. Even when I asked him for his name.
This guy was weird.
But the farther and farther I drove, the more and more my aunt flashed through my head.
She told me I'd have to help someone.
Someone who is confused.
A King.
Only I could help him.
I swallowed back the weird feeling that was filling me as I reached up and touched my aunties' necklace. It was so weird. It was an urge to turn the car around.
I couldn't go to the police.
They couldn't help him.
And suddenly, I did a sharp u-turn, making the strange man shout in panic. But at the next red light, I connected my phone to the cars Bluetooth and called my uncle. I also noticed at that very moment that I had thirty-two missed calls from Aurora. God, she was gonna kill me.
My uncle picked up immediately.
"Hey Princess," the speakers of the car said in my uncle's voice, "you're home now?"
The man's eyes widened as he looked around the car, "who–"
"Don't worry." I said to him. It didn't help.
"You're a princess?" He asked, almost sounding infuriated.
Wow really? But I ignored that.
"May?"
"Hey, uncle Ethan. I need your help."
"What's wrong?"
"Something really weird is going on."
"What is it, love?"
He said he had a weird dream too, right? "I had a weird dream last night..."
He let out a breath. "And?"
"It was about Aunty Maya."
My uncle hesitated. "And?"
"She told me that there's someone who's going to come that I need to help."
Hesitation again. "Okay."
"Well... I think he's here."
"Who?"
"All I'm going to say is that he's dressed like an Egyptian Pharaoh."
"I am an Egyptian Pharaoh." The man said.
My uncle, who obviously heard the other man, took a deep breath. "Are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"Are you in a car?"
"Yeah."
"Where are you taking him?"
I bit my lip for a moment before I spoke. I hadn't thought of that. But then I let out a breath, "to my brother's apartment..."
"I'm catching a plane to come home tomorrow," he suddenly said, "call Blake. I don't want you alone with the stranger for even a second."
My eyes widened in shock. He wasn't going to yell at me for having the weird stranger in my car?
"You knew I was coming?" The man asked.
"No!" I said, quickly. "No."
He hesitated. "Where are you taking me?"
"My uncle knows better than I do. He'll help you."
He narrowed his eyes at me. "You better be able to get me home."
Once I got to the parking garage of my brother's apartment building, the first thing I did was call Aurora.
As expected, Aurora was infuriated. She screamed at me through the phone telling me how worried she was when Dom came running in with a bloody nose.
I explained to her that I was fine and that I would call her in the morning.
And I knew once I called her in the morning, I would get another round of disciplining.
The next thing I did was call Blake, like my uncle had told me to.
Despite all that was going on, my heart still managed to flutter as I dialed his number.
I paced back and forth, waiting for him to pick up, and when I looked back into the car I saw the man just staring at me furiously.
I looked away.
"May?" Blake's lovely voice answered.
I really wished with all my heart and soul that I could just talk to him. Even this morning when he called me to wish me a happy birthday, I was too embarrassed to keep the conversation going past "yeah, I think today will be a great day!"
Blake was my brother's best friend. He was twenty-three and currently working as a police officer. He was also extremely gorgeous with lovely green eyes and dark brown hair that always sat perfectly on top of his head.
He always smiled pleasantly when he said my name and that smile was enough to make my day.
Yeah, I had a crush on Blake.
So as always, I got all tongue-tied and blurted out something stupid: "There's this crazy drunk guy dressed as an Egyptian Pharaoh I need help with."
I imagined him raising an eyebrow, "do I even need to ask?"
That made me chuckle. "he appeared out of nowhere and looked totally disoriented."
"Wait, you're serious?" Blake sounded worried now.
"Yeah... I swear I thought he was going to kill me with that sword of his–"
"Sword?"
"Yeah."
"Like, real metal sword?"
"Yeah! I managed to get him to give it to me." I said, somewhat proudly. "It's in the trunk of my car. And he's sitting in my brother's car waiting."
"Why is he in Marv's car?"
"I was going to leave him... but I felt bad... he's totally out of it. He says he wants to go home but when I ask him where home is, he says Egypt."
"May, are you drunk?"
"No, no! Of course not!" I said quickly, "my uncle agreed to me taking him to Marv's apartment–"
"What?"
Oh god. He probably thinks I'm crazy. I had to come up with something quick. "I think Uncle Ethan knows the guy."
Okay. That was a good lie.
"Is he dangerous?" Blake asked.
Yes. Obviously. But I couldn't say that to him, "no. I don't think so."
"Does he have any other weapons on him?"
"I don't know where he'd hide a weapon in that outfit." I said as I looked over at him. "Unless it's clenched between his butt cheeks under that skirt."
Blake let out a laugh. "God, that guy must be wasted."
"But anyways, Blake, my Uncle asked if you could come over and... I dunno, check him out or something?"
Blake sighed. "I wish I could, May... But it's a Friday night."
Oh yeah. Blake always tells her about those Friday nights. Friday nights were the nights that people went partying. The streets were filled with extremely drunk people that were ready to cause trouble.
Blake was always busy on Friday nights.
"The station is literally filled. I'm surprised the guys let me out to talk to you."
I nodded, understandingly. "Then what should I do with him?"
"I suggest you take him to the hospital." Blake said, looking back at the guy. "Whether he's drunk, or out of it, they'll deal with him."
"You want me to just leave him there?"
"May, he's not your responsibility."
"But... I doubt he's just going to sit there and wait for a doctor to call him in. The guy literally thinks he's an Egyptian King of what not." I said, "plus, uncle Ethan might know him"
"So what do you suggest?"
"Nothing..." I said. "I just don't think I can leave him at a hospital."
Blake let out a breath, trying to think of something to do.
"I'll just leave him here... at Marv's place?" I said.
"Don't be silly, May. That's dangerous."
"I could just lock him up in a room until he sobers up. That way he'd have a bed to sleep in. He'd have to sit in a chair all night waiting for a doctor to call him in at the hospital. And with the way he's acting, I don't think he'll do that."
"May, he could be dangerous."
"Or he could be a guy who got a little too drunk and lost his way."
Blake was going to speak but I cut him off, "and Uncle Ethan may know him!" I added, to keep that part of the lie going.
Blake sighed. "You're too nice." He said. "But I don't really think this is a good idea."
"I'll let the neighbors know. If they hear me scream I'll tell them to call the police."
"May..."
But right then, I heard another deep voice, "Fields. I need you back in here. Now."
I figured it was Blake's boss.
According to Blake, the chief was a very nice guy... but when he's stressed out, he was always able to transform himself into a total jerk. So I knew I couldn't keep him for too long.
"Don't worry, Blake. I'll be fine."
Blake sighed and nodded. "My shift ends at six in the morning. I'll drop by after that to check on him." He said. "If he's sobered up in the morning, we'll send him off, if not, we'll bring him to the department and figure things out."
"Alright, thanks Blake. You're the best."
"Please don't get too close to him, May. You don't know what this guy is capable of."
"Got it."
I walked back to the car with a slight frown on my face after hanging up. When I opened his door and told him to come out, he glared. "Will I be going home soon?"
I nodded. "But you have to wait... my uncle will be able to help you but he'll only be here in a day or so."
The man scoffed. "Are you crazy? I do not have time to waste."
"You have no other choice." I said. "It's either you wait for my friend or my uncle to come and help you get home, or you go off on your own."
The man kept frowning.
When I finally got him to get out of the car, I made him follow me through the garage and into the elevator.
When the doors opened and closed automatically, he looked startled, "how did you do that?" He hissed.
"Magic." I said, getting tired.
When we made it to my brother's apartment, I opened the door and let him in. I decided not to lock the door, in case I needed to run out.
Though my brother lived in another city right now, he had his own apartment that he used when he was in University. My parents rented it out for a while after he left but recently it's been empty. They decided not to sell it simply because I was going to the same university he went to and so I could use it for myself since it was super close to that university.
And gosh was I excited for that.
"How long must I stay here?" The man asked me as he looked around my brother's nicely decorated home.
"Until my uncle gets here."
His head snapped towards me and his angry glare grew angrier.
"I've got a nice comfy bed you can sleep in for the night. He will be here before you know it."
"I'll slit your throat if the man is not here within two days."
"Right." I said as I walked around and turned on all the lights. With what? The sword that I locked up in the trunk of my brother's car?
He followed me.
It was only then that I noticed that he didn't seem to have any problems walking. So at that moment, I started to wonder if he was actually drunk or not.
I started to worry a little bit. But it was too late now.
"Welcome to my humble home." Well, it wasn't my home. Not yet at least. But I felt like saying that.
"It's hideous." He said.
Okay, now that was insulting.
I was very proud of the décor since I was the one who arranged everything. Thus it was my pride and joy.
But before I started fuming, I reminded myself that he was either drunk or crazy. "Well deal with it." I said. "And please, take off your shoes."
The man glared. "How dare you. Your home is not worthy of that."
I crossed my arms and looked at him. "This is my apartment. And the rules are that you have to take off your shoes at the door, whether you like it or not."
"Do not give me commands. I am the Pharaoh."
"Not in this land you aren't." I said, deciding to play his silly game. "I'll have you know that I'm the princess of Oakville and if you don't follow the rules, I'll call the guards to come and take you." Guards meaning Blake. Of course
His glare grew more aggressive. "Don't make me laugh."
"Well, just a reminder, you don't have your sword anymore." As I said that, from the corner of my eye, I saw my vacuum cleaner sitting in the living room. I walked over to it and picked up the hose. "And this thing here sucks up anything I want it to." I held it like a sword and then turned it on.
The crazy King jumped and held his fists near his face defensively.
When I turned it back off, I smiled, holding back my laugh. "So take off your shoes. And let me show you to your room."
It worked.
When I got him into the room, I brought him a couple water bottles and some snacks to eat. I even demonstrated how to use them.
However, he refused to touch any of it, thinking it was poisoned.
I told him that I would be back bright and early in the morning but he didn't seem to care.
He just reminded me that if he didn't get what he wanted as soon as possible, my throat would be slit.
Before I left, I locked the door and wedged a chair under the doorknob to be extra safe.
And then I just had to hope that this wasn't an elaborate trick created by a robber or a serial killer to get into his next victims house.
But the more and more I thought about it that evening... the more and more I realized that this was a horrible idea. A bad decision. Totally stupid.
Seriously, what was I thinking?
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