𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐎𝐇'𝐒 𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐁 ── AHKMENRAH

𝐈. 𝐀𝐊𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

I tapped my grey-led pencil furiously against my desk, what was Mrs Jones babbling on about again? Could we actually learn something for once! It was driving me insane, as much as I loved history and all, could we get onto the interesting stuff? It was the last period of the day, I was tired and I just wanted to go home. I found it difficult to focus on anything.

"You have two weeks to complete this assessment task, and would also like to inform you all that we as a class, will be taking a few trips for your research task to the Museum Of Natural History. I will be handing out a slip of paper and you shall receive a person throughout history and research them for your assignment. Then at the end of those two weeks, you shall have an oral presentation on that person in history, to the class."

I took numerous notes, anything to help me with this. I better be given a good topic, if I was going to give a speech... I was begging for something different, cool at least, we had been to the Museum many times in my childhood, my Mum often taking us but I had a few happy moments of when Dad, Mum, Nick and I were still a family. Although kids these days really (didn't) love statues and exhibits made of wax.

Mrs Jones wobbled around the classroom, placing long cut up strips of lined paper on our graffitied desks. I flipped mine over anxiously to find her neat handwriting spelling out, Ahkmenrah fourth king of the four kings and ruler of the land of  Merenkahre, (His father, Egypt)

I loved mummies, when I was ten I was addicted to the 1999 movie of 'The Mummy,' I loved the concept, I loved the thrill, that it was a little scary for me at the time, I loved the romance and adventure.

I wanted to go on many adventures, I wanted to travel the world and I was dying to go to Egypt when I was old enough. I wanted to become a historian and do something along the lines of the Archaeology. Then the theme song of Indiana Jones danced in my mind and I imagined finding lost tombs and whatever of Ancient Egypt and priceless artefacts. But after years and years of other findings, what was left for me?

I let out a soft sigh, then I felt a sharp stinging pain in my head, Mrs Jones had slapped a book onto the back of my head. I jumped in my seat, my pencil went flying and my papers flooded onto the floor. I felt my cheeks begin to flush a bright red. "Miss. Daley," Mrs Jones declared almost shameful of me. "I think it is time for you to leave, seeing it is the end of the school day."

I looked around the classroom the last of the students were exiting the room. "S-Sorry, Thank you for class Miss."

Mrs Jones gave me a soft smile and handed me a sheet of paper I had missed picking up, "I've known since you were a baby and you're still as clumsy as ever." I let out a small chuckle and shook my head, "I must have inherited it from my Dad." Mrs Jones laughed.

Then as I added the last on to my pile, I waltzed out the room, rushing towards my locker through an endless sea of desperate teenagers and most of all, excited to see my Dad.

•   •   •   •

The walk home was longer than usual, I lived around three blocks away from school. Nicky was lucky enough to have Mum pick him up from earlier from school, seeing that it was parent career day and it was only half a day for him.

I sat tirelessly on the kitchen stool, "Mum, how am I supposed to find any information for a little 2,000 letter report and then do an oral presentation on a Teenaged-Ancient-Egyptian-Pharaoh who barely lived till he was assumed eighteen or nineteen? He was predicted to rule for only a year or so AND this is the good part he was alive around 3,000 or 4,000 years ago!"

"Sweetie, maybe Angie (Mrs. Jones, who was somehow my Mother's closest friend in high school and somehow works my history teacher) gave it to you, to push you as she knows you excel very much above average in history." Mum gave the bowl of potato chips a push and they sailed towards me across her marble bench. I stuffed a handful into my mouth.

"Mum—" The chime of the doorbell rang in my ears, I knew who exactly was here. Dad. I raced off the stool towards the door.

"Hey, Dad!" I exclaimed happily with a mouth full of potato chips as I opened the door to Mum and Don's apartment.

"Hey, kiddo! How are ya?!" Dad gave me a massive bear hug that knocked the air out of my lungs.

"Yeah I'm alright, today I-"

"Hey Fey, do you know why Nicky didn't tell me about parent career day?" A hurt look washed over Dad's face and a flask of guilt flashed over my own. Nick had broken his promise to me.

"Oh that, right... Sorry, Dad." I shrugged. "Nick told me that he was going to tell you, that's what he told Mum and me."

"Oh, I guess he forgot..." Dad shrugged a little, I patted his back apologetically. Nick has been struggling a lot lately, with Dad moving houses and jobs every few months. Even I had trouble as nothing flowed a routine anymore. But I tried not to dabble too much on the past anymore. I spent Wednesdays and weekends with Dad and the rest with my time Mum. I loved Mum but sometimes she tried a little too hard to make Nick and I happy.

Mum smiled as she walked over to Dad from the kitchen and politely kissed him on the cheek. I let my eyes wander over to my murky, muddy Vans. I was surprised that Mum didn't tell me off for wearing my shoes inside.

With my luck, we were standing outside the study and Don had one of those very very extremely rare days were he worked in the office only half a day and it was lucky as Nick asked Don to be his parent, for Parent Career Day! He just happened to open the study door.

"Oh no, there he is! Hi, how are you, Larry?"

Dad shuffled his feet a little, I looked at the wall. "Good how you doin' Don?" The tension just a hella lot worse.

Don's reply was muffled by his sip of coffee I managed to make out 'Good.'

"Can you believe this weather?" Don asked trying to enlighten us with a simple yet terrible conversation starter, that only led to awkwardness. Both Dad and Mum nodded their heads in agreement, i bit my lip from laughing. "Pfft chilly right? chilly chilly chilly willy the penguin." Don responded singing an  odd tune and, man he really was one crazy weird dude.

Thenthe majority of the phones strapped to his belt went of sending a chorus of his ring tone.
Thank god! I could of barely stand another moment with him.

"Ugh my phone, they can never leave me alone...." Don muttered. Then he gave me that smile my Mother seemed to love so much. "Hey, why don't Freya and I go tell the little corncob that you're here?!" What the hell was he thinking FREYA AND I, there none of that, in my eyes anyway.

Although Don had some really odd traits, odd didn't exactly cover it, but I could see that he cared for my mother a lot. I think Mum and Dad were going to have one of those conversations about Dad's schemes or moving again.

"Great great that's great, thanks." Mum said to Don a little rushed for my taste. It was like she wanted me out of the room. I hated when she acted like this, all 'Adults-only or I'll-tell-you-about-it-when-your-older-Fey.'

I knocked on Nick's bedroom door, "Hey bro, it's time for your game." Don had already disappeared to his office to take his phone call. Wow.

"Okay, sis. I'm almost done, I'll meet you in the kitchen."  My brother had this rule where I wasn't allowed in his room, so I had to impatiently wait for him to finish packing his Hockey gear, in the kitchen with Mum and Dad  being awkward all the time.

"Ready to carve it up?" Dad said a little to enthusiastically to Nick who had just walked into the kitchen, i bit my lip. I strolled over to my stool at the kitchen bench, pulled my Parker off lazily and waited for nick to say, "Cool."

EDITED: 24th of December 2019