Chapter 6: Nightmares

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Cleopatra walked out of the bathroom in a pair of loose jeans and a white shirt, her hair looking a deep glossy black because of the water. She dabbed under her neck with a small towel and looked over to where Kris lay in the middle of the room on the floor, directly under the chandelier.
"Kris, what are you doing?"
"Watching the chandelier swing back and forth and waiting for you to get your butt out here so I can stop being bored." He replied and sat up. His hands supporting him from the back.
"Okay." She walked over and stood towering over him then thrusted another towel to him. "After you have your shower, we can talk."
He grabbed the towel and stood up, this time it was he who towered over Cleopatra, slightly, because she also had a tall figure. He mouthed thanks and circled around her and towards the bathroom.
"Those are your clothes I've laid on the bench!" She shouted and he acknowledged her statement before closing the bathroom door behind him.

Wrapping the towel up and placing it under her arm, Cleopatra marched out and pushed open the balcony doors. Someone had just turned the light hovering over the swimming pool off, across in Samuel's place. She walked over and sat down in a chair, watching Samuel's house unconsciously. Her phone buzzed uncontrollably, she frowned and rummaged through her jean pockets. She pulled it out and the screen came to life under her touch. There was a text message, from Ramses. Cleopatra smiled.
Ramses: Can I call?
No. Oh no, she smiled, you're not calling. I am. Cleopatra hit the call button and waited patiently with her phone attached to her ear. This is the first time we've spoken since I moved here, she thought.
"Hello?" The familiar voice answered.
"Ramses!" She almost squealed, on the edge of her seat, and let the towel drop onto the floor.
"Cleopatra? Hey, I was just thinking about calling to wish you happy birthday. Since you called, then Happy Birthday!" He paused, hearing her laughter rise. "How are you?"
"Aw, thanks Rami. I'm fine."
"America doing a lot of good for you?"
"Yeah, I just started school today. And I've already got two best friends."
"Girls?" Ramses asked and she rolled her eyes, thankful he couldn't see.
"Boys. Kris and Samuel."
"I knew it! You really were the odd one out of the girls back here... Having boy friends instead of girl friends. I must say I'm trying to not be angry."
"Hey!" Cleopatra argued. "They are great. Really, they make me feel welcome."
"Right then. How's Aunt Rina?" He asked.
"She's fine. Awesome actually! She held a funeral dinner for mother and tonight she held a birthday part for me. Also my welcome party. And...guess what I got for my birthday present?"
"You spoilt girl. Was is the titanic?" He joked.
"No. I'm actually the proud owner of one of Queen Cleopatra's most favoured
jewelry. A silver and emerald necklace."
"I see... Replica, is it?" He laughed.
Cleopatra rolled her eyes again, "no. The actual thing."
There was an immediate silence.
"That's amazing, baby! I'm so happy for you. I remember when I got Ramses I's armlet, i was so excited even though during then, they couldn't fit perfectly around my arms. Now they do."
"That's power siblings, right there." Cleopatra laughed, then after a while quieted down, "Ramses?"
"Yes, baby?" He responded.
"I miss you, so much. When are you coming?"
"Baby, I miss you more. Okay? And I might be coming over soon, so don't miss
me. You might have a heart attack. We've lost everything, I don't want to lose you."
"Alright Rami." Cleopatra started and paused as she heard the bathroom door swing open and Kris humming loudly. "Oh shoot, Rami, I gotta go."
"Huh? You just called few minutes ago."
"I promise we'll talk longer another time. But I gotta go see the maid about a dog."
"Dog?"
"I love you, Ramses. Good night."
"Alright, I love you too. By the way, it's afternoon here. You go have a great night. Goodbye."
"Bye," Cleopatra trailed as the call ended. She picked up the towel on the floor and headed back inside to see Kris.

Kris stood by the dresser and peered into the mirror. His towel hung on his square shoulders and his blonde wet locks stood up in a spiky mess. Cleopatra walked up and stood behind his, flicking a golden strand of hair back into its place. Kris turned and stared at her, smiling with a brush in his hands. "So, Cleopatra," he smiled and walked over to the bed whilst running the brush through his hair. "Tell me something... Do you have a boyfriend?"
Cleopatra chuckled and shook her head, confident she answered right.
"Oh come on, who was that on the phone?" Kris persisted.
Sitting by Kris on the bed, Cleopatra just wanted to laugh her head off but instead shook her head still. "That was not my boyfriend, that was my b-".
A knock ascended on the door and she moved to answer it. Lila the maid stood with the case in her hand, she placed it into Cleopatra's palms and wished her happy birthday before disappearing down the hallway with a plastered smile on her face.
"What did she give you?" Asked Kris standing up from the bed and walked towards Cleopatra. He peeked over her shoulder and inhaled loudly. "Your present."
"Would you help me put it on, Kris?" Cleopatra told him.
He took the case and pulled out the necklace before stopping his actions to look at her, "you're going to bed. Why would you want to wear this and go to bed?"
"I honestly don't know but I feel that I should."
"Well I'm not going to steal from you, if that's what you're saying." Said Kris feeling annoyed as he slipped it around her neck and clipped it into place. "You have a beautiful neck." He mumbled staring at her neck and she turned around shaking her head.
"Sometimes I wonder if you and Samuel ever talked or came this close to girls before."
"I had thousands crawling up my arm way before Samuel did."
She laughed and playfully pushed his arm. The necklace brushed against her skin softly.

          

Kris jumped into bed and stared up into the ceiling. Beside him Cleopatra sat and read her book quietly. She made little quiet mumbles and flipped a page. Kris took out his phone and looked at the time. "It's twelve, Cleopatra. I'm gone. Goodnight." He turned to face her on the pillow and closed his eyes. She looked down at him then closed her book with a yawn, "goodnight, Kris."
She shifted down to his level and placed her head on the pillow before pulling a sleeping mask over her eyes. Kris's eyes darted open and looked around the room, the light was still on. He sat up and pushed back the covers with his long masculine arms, careful not to disturb Cleopatra while he rose from the bed. He walked over to the closest switch and flicked them down, plunging the entire room into darkness.
Kris moved slowly and cautiously in the dark, towards what direction he believed the bed was. The dim light in the room came from outside, where the moon swung high in the sky, casting flecks of light to travel into the bedroom.
As he finally found the bed and rolled in, he closed his eyes and was about to drift off to sleep when he noticed something uncanny.
There across, a few centimetres from where he lay, something was glowing. However this wasn't a pretty glow anyone would be happy about. This glow was eerie and sinister...
Kris pushed up from his elbows and leaned towards it. He reached out and tried to touch it but missed his mark. Instead he lightly plunged his fingers into curly waves of hair. He's eyes widen when he realizes that his fingers rested in Cleopatra's hair.
"Huh? Then... That's her necklace." He squinted in the dark and pulled his hand out of her hair. Hesitantly he reached down to her chest where the necklace dangled into the covers. As he moved in closer, his hands froze, unable to move further to the necklace.
"What the..." Kris muttered quietly. He pressured his hand forward but it was repelled by a strong force. The only thing he could do was pull his hand back and sigh. This is damn weird, he thought.
Kris rolled out of bed and walked out into the balcony. He looked across to Samuel's house and sat on a plastic glass chair, then he glanced back into the room, at the glowing necklace. "That's gonna keep me up, all night."

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Where am I, blinked Cleopatra looking around the beige-coloured void in which she stood. Huh? She glanced down and saw the necklace glowing brightly. Her hand immediately went around her head to the clasp but it was nowhere to be found. She panicked and grasp the emerald gem in front of her necklace. What if it was
glowing? That's normal, that's pretty. "Get off," said Cleopatra before she tugged on the jewelry. But she froze, unable to complete her action, because something was happening. And fast.
A swirling mist of darkness emerged from the emerald gemstone and begin circling and snaking itself up her hands, then her entire body. She coughed, though there was no scent attached to the black mist. Her eyes rolled back as mist entered them and her mouth trembled but slightly parted as a long thread of mist disappeared into her mouth. The remaining mist absorbed into her skin, infiltrating her system.
As Cleopatra's eyes came back into focus, the beige void was spotting with patches of black. On instinct Cleopatra started to run forward, never knowing where she was head, but doing everything to get away from the black patches. She ran, the mist still clung onto her body.
The patches of darkness got bigger and she screamed as she was swallowed into the empty abyss.
Well, now it wasn't so empty and abyss anymore. She was standing by Ramses...
She blinked and grabbed his arm, "Rami? Rami! Rami where am I? Please, talk to me Ramses."
He turned slowly to look at her before jerking his arm away from her hold. "Where are you? You'll see very soon. You don't belong here anymore, Cleopatra. Not in the world of the living."
"Stop it!" She shouted, "stop talking to me like I'm dead!"
"Oh, but you are, Cleopatra. It's what you're now destined for..." He disappeared with a sad smile and she felt a shiver run through her. No... I can't be dead, she reassured herself.
She turned to look behind her and saw darkness creeping up to her silently, reaching out to embrace her. She ran.
For the first time, she realized it. She was acting weird here, as if being played by another actor, one who knew the plot of the entire story... But she-she didn't know anything.
"Egypt. Where is she?" Shouted Cleopatra down the palace halls and walked casually into a large room. "Queen Cleopatra?" She frowned looking at a girl about her age dressed in heavy gold attire with a serpent coiled on her head. The beautiful Queen Cleopatra looked at her and shouted at the top of her lungs, "guards! Seize her! She carries the Rithirr!"
The guards dug spears out of their sides and advanced on her. She looked around the room and saw something confusing. Queen Cleopatra who shouted angrily a few second ago was now looking at her with sad dark eyes, her hands reached up to pat her neck and shook her head.
Cleopatra nodded and ran, the guards followed behind her with their swords and spears aimed. She ran out then into a large building and froze... From all sides she was surrounded by Cleopatra's army of heavily armed guards. The place looked like a bathing spot for the Queen and her followers. But Cleopatra couldn't be so sure. She had stopped before a flight of steps, steps that led down into a
green-looking river. The river was long and it led out into the open desert surroundings of Egypt.
She could not move backwards because the river running smoothly below the concrete steps, she suspected it to be part of the Nile. And the Nile... It had crocodiles!
Out of nowhere, a guard grabbed on her wrist and she jerked back. "Let go!" She shouted and suddenly the guard was struck by lightning. Everyone including Cleopatra looked into the skies through the open roof above. Dark clouds gathered and lightning flashed angrily.
She backed away, slowly down the steps. A spear was hurled and she ducked. The spear sailed over her head and into the water. She turned to look at the guard who threw the spear, he was now advancing on her with a large sword. Cleopatra looked up into his face, the guard was no older than she was.
She reached out slowly to him, "please stay away from me. Just stay away."
The boy seemed under a trance as he let go and the sword clattered onto the marble floors. He instead reached out to Cleopatra, taking her hands.
"Akij! What are you doing? Kill her!" Screamed someone.
Akij the guard and Cleopatra both snapped up to look at whoever screamed. Shock rippled through Cleopatra as she turned to look.
The onlookers and guards gasped as there was another flash from the sky. Cleopatra looked back to Akij but he was no longer standing, instead he lay sprawled in front of Cleopatra on the floor.
"Take the necklace... OFF!" Shouted someone to her. Cleopatra looked down to the necklace, it was glowing stronger than ever and the green of the emerald was turning a dark greyish colour.
The guards were by now, furious. One charged towards her and was struck yet again by lightning, this gave the signal for everyone to charge. Cleopatra was frightened. Lightning bolts fell from the dark skies and struck the guards except her, but she couldn't bear the chaos anymore...
Splash!
Cleopatra's eyes opened in the dark water and she swam, not knowing where she was headed. Suddenly the wideness of the river changed...
She was still in the water, but it changed, she could see it changed. This time, she felt that her surroundings were very, very familiar...
I'm home! I'm back home in Egypt! This is the pond behind the house! Excitement rose as Cleopatra discovered where she was.
As if responding to her excitement, the water started to slowly drain down. Her body emerged completely dry after the water disappeared. She touched her hair. Dry.
However she was not standing in their courtyard. She was in a ancient building... A temple.
Listening to the urge and pull, she walked forward on the concrete floor. The walls held torches that flickered, silently.
She came to a giant hall and froze in place. She couldn't believe her eyes...
Rina, Kris, Samuel, Ramses, people she cared about... They stood around something, or someone.
"I'm so sorry," Rina whispered as Cleopatra slowly pushed through the crowd to the front. Her breath caught.
Queen Cleopatra was there again, standing over a girl's body. A dead body. The girl, Cleopatra noticed as she moved closer, was dressed in pale blue and white. Body covered in armlets and Egyptian royal jewelry. The ancient Queen Cleopatra muttered something in a whisper. She looked up and saw Cleopatra staring in confusion. Cleopatra drew beside the body and looked down into the young girl's face.
A scream inaudibly resonated from her, for she was staring down on her own dead figure.
Her eyes scanned down her own twin body and noticed the necklace still fastened in place. She just stared with a horrified look plastered onto her face. Someone came up behind her and buried their face into her hair whispering softly, "days are going too fast...Don't leave me Cleopatra."
Though she had no idea who that was, she responded, "I won't."
He pulled back and darkness swallowed her, once and for all...

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