The Princess

         Egypt? What can I say?  Beautiful desert lands with some vegetation.  Light brown sand as if being on the sandy beach.  We weren’t far from the Nile river which was filled with green vegetation and beautiful trees which shielded the wild life.  It was beautiful especially after the rainy season although during the rainy season we would have to prepare for the horrible floods that would take place.  The deep blue water would wash away our crops, farms, and even our people if we weren’t prepared; killing quite a hand full.

          I remember visiting the beautiful Nile, wishing I could just dive in and swim. The cool water washing off the sweat from the desert heat.  It would have been so refreshing but for me it was nothing a dream and dreams never lasted.  I had better things to do.

 

          I woke up on my long, wide white bed as the sun shone in.  I sat up and looked out of the white canopy around my bed.  The canopy was clear and see through.  I raised my lip in anger.  I hated mornings.  I looked down at my long white with a hem of gold around the collar and the bottom of my night dress.  I crawled out of bed and looked into my wide and long mirror on the white and gold vanity.  My hair was fallen out of the bun I had fixed the night before.  I growled at my horrible reminder of an reflection in the mirror.  I didn’t look like a princess, I looked like a pathetic salve girl with no morals.  I look worse than a slave, I thought as my dark brown eyes followed the outline of my reflection.  I removed the black hair tie from my hair and picked up my golden brush.

          The brush had light brown bristles which were soft and didn’t do much to get the tangles out of my long dark brown, almost black, kind of wavy hair.  My hair was kind of damp from the bath I had taken the night before so it was softer and a lot easier to brush.  I continued to brush until the hair become even more easier to deal with.  When I was done, I placed the brush on the table and fixed my hair back into a bun with the black hair tie.     

          I sat down in my golden chair which sat in front of the vanity set.  I sighed as I took a little black box and placed it in front of me.  Oh goody, make up time, I thought, sarcastically as I begin to fix the golden eye shadow around my eyes followed by the black oily mascara on my eyelashes to give them the bird-like look.  I fixed the rest of my make up on my flawless white tanned cheek. The worse part of my day.

          Once I had finished my hair and make-up, I noticed that I still had my stupid night gown on.  “Are you kidding me?” I mumbled to myself in anger.  I stood up and rushed behind my little dressing post as I grabbed a long white dress.  “Why did I leave this on?” I asked myself, ticked off, as I threw the night gown over the dressing post.  “I never do that.  This is starting off to be a horrible, stupid, freaking day.  I’m going to wind up having to redo that stupid make-up and my hair all over again.  I hate mornings.”  I had quickly slid on my new, clean dress for the day.  I walked back over to the vanity and looked into the mirror.  To my relief, my make-up and bun where still perfect.  Good.  I grabbed my black, short wig which was sitting on a mannequin’s head.  I placed the wig on top of my head, making sure it was perfect and that it didn’t do anything to my bun.  I smiled at the sight.  Just a few more things to do then I’m good to go.

 

           I walked into the hallway passing slaves and others who I didn’t care for as well.  A bald man who was about in his mid-thirties made his way toward me.  I had a distaste for the man as did he for me.  I wish he would wear more than that stupid white skirt and those dumb gold sandals.  He also wore two golden wrist bands, one on each wrist, but like the other men in Egypt he was shirtless.  His chest looked shiny in the light, even his bald head reflected the light.  Surprisingly, he was an attractive man to other women, but to me, he was just another person who wanted to control me.  “Princess Nala,” he spoke with tolerance in his voice, “your father is waiting for you in the dining hall along with your brothers.”

          I could tell by his voice that someone had angered him earlier and I would usually take that time to make a comment just to tick him off even more but I wasn’t in the mood.  I just sighed.  “Thank you, Imhotep.”  I began to walk toward the way which the man had come from.

          “Oh and you might want to watch your behavior today, your royal highness.”

          I stopped in my steps and clenched my fist for his comment.  I knew he worked for my father and I knew that I had no choice but to ignore his cold words.  Sadly, that was no fun for me.  I spun around and eyed him.  “I don’t care who you are but you shouldn’t disrespect me, especially in my home.”

          “I wasn’t disrespecting you.”  I heard evil laughter in his words as he spoke.  “But come on, Nala, you have destroyed more than half this city within two full days…. What kind of princess does that?”

          I eyed him, growing angrier and angrier.

          “You know they believe that you’re just a demon.”

          “Oh what do you know?” I hissed.

          He raised an slim, gray eyebrow at me.  “You’re a wolf in sheep clothing…. Or should I say, 'Girl?'”  An evil smile grew on his face.  “You know it’s true and nothing that you can do about it.”

          “What I do to the humans who don’t obey me is up to me…. Not you.”

          “Yes, threatening them is worth wild, isn’t it?”

          I growled as I watched the man walk away.

 

         I walked into an extravagant dining room filled with tables filled with food for a feast.  The food ranged from roasted wild birds to green grape vines.  I walked over to the dining table as my mouth began to water from the smells.  I sat down next to my brother, Niki.  Niki was my twin brother and a few minutes older.  He wore a golden head band around his head and was pretty much dressed the same way as Imhotep had been earlier along with my other brother, Simba, who was our older brother by a few years.

          My father, Ramos as the people of our land had known him as, sat at the end of the table.  His outfit had consisted of the same as the other men expect you could tell the difference.  His head band was wore like a crown to show that he was the pharaoh.  He wore a gold and large ring around his neck although it wasn’t a ring.  I wasn’t sure of what the name was but I didn’t really care. 

All I knew was that as the pharaoh’s one and only daughter I was able to get away with anything, especially murder.  Imhotep was right about me being evil but I knew he was no better, and his comment hadn’t sounded right, coming from his mouth.

          “It’s nice of you to join us, Nala,” my father spoke in an equally good mood.  It was a surprising tone for him and this hadn’t seem right to me.

          “Good morning, father,” I had replied.

          Niki yawned, kind of bored.

          “Now that the three of you are here,” my father continued, “I have some news.”

          The three of us looked at our father.  I could tell by both of my brothers’ expressions that they were just as surprised by his tone as I was.

          “I have met this beautiful young woman a few years older than Simba and we are in love….”

          I kind of felt my mouth drop a little and my left eyebrow raised up as I stared in shock at my father.

          “I have decided to remarry.”

          I looked at the table in confusion.  It didn’t make since to me.  My father had the chance to remarry after my mother had died, while Niki and I were still babies but he didn’t and now he was telling us that he wanted to marry again.  I figured he had given up on love and besides he was supposed to find a man who would take me…. Not find a woman for himself…. At least a woman for one of my two eligible brothers.  Now, I will admit that no man would ever want to marry me for three reasons: I was evil, I was very picky when it came to the right guy, and three I would most likely have killed him if he didn’t listen to me.

          “I would like for the three of you to meet my lovely bride to be.”  My father left without another word, leaving me and my two brothers alone and shocked.

          “I think it’s great,” Simba spoke as he slowly snapped to.

          “I don’t,” Niki mumbled under his breath.

          “Father’s been under a lot of stress since mother died, I think that it’s great he has finally found someone.”

          “Mother’s death?” I asked as if I didn’t know the story.  “He could have just married after he had her killed.”

          Simba looked at me.  He wore a shocked expression on his face.  “Nala, how can you say that?”

          “She tried to kill me and Niki and I think that would have been a great time for him to meet someone to swoon over.”

          Simba shook his head.  “You can’t just be happy for father can you?”

          I began to growl at my brother as I began to speak.  “He shouldn’t expect us to just be happy for him.”

          “That’s because he shouldn’t have too.  We should already be happy because he’s our father.”

          I would have attacked Simba if it hadn’t been for the fact that we were blood.  I eyed him and let my anger die down.  “Fine.”  I left the room.  I didn’t want to hear anything else about our father and his wedding.  

Royal Pain

          I removed the wig which fell down over my cheeks and placed it back on the head of the mannequin I had removed it from.  I opened the glimmering gold doors of my bedroom which led out to a large, round balcony.  The balcony over looked the Egyptian city.  I could hear the humans from a distance as they worked and chatted amongst themselves.  I could hear everything as if they were right in ear shot.

          “I think it’s time that someone should kill the princess before things get worse,” a man’s voice said.

          “She’s going to kill us all if we’re not careful,” another spoke.

          I began to growl as the inhuman senses took over.

          “She’s a demon.  Demons are evil and need to be murdered before it’s too late,” a woman’s voice replied.

          I knew they hated me but really?  How stupid were they?  Obviously they had no idea that as a wolf creature I could hear them as they spoke against me.  They had no idea how evil I could be.  I walked back into my room as a servant girl walked in.  She placed a large bowl of water on my vanity and looked at me.  Fear had controlled her as I continued to growl.  I grabbed her neck and broke through her warm, human skin with my long wolf-like nails and let her red, warm blood drip down her frail human skin. 

“It’s not your lucky day, human,” I growled.

“Please don’t hurt me,” the girl’s voice was innocent and soft, but I didn’t care.  Tears filled her golden brown eyes.

          “I’m going to show them.”  I teleported the girl and I to where I had heard the voices.  I stood holding the servant in my right hand, keep my nails in her skin, in the middle of the sourcing desert heat.

          The Egyptian guards and the Hebrew slaves stopped what they were doing and turned their attention to us.  I could sense fear coming from the individuals as they gathered around.  I searched for the three I had heard.  I listened to the voices of all the humans until I found the three I was looking for and I eyed them.

          Imhotep was standing at a distance behind them, eyeing me.

          “So you think I’m a demon?” I asked the woman.  “And you two think I’m going to destroy us all?” I asked the two men.  All three where in shock when I locked eyes with each of them.  An evil smile grew on my face.  “Well, I’m going to show you three what will happen if you keep disrespecting me.”  I looked around at the humans and then to the human servant who I held in my hand.  “It’s nothing personal,” I told the crying servant.  “I’m just showing them who they’re dealing with.”

          The servant tried to shake her head in fear, but I tighten my grip around her neck as I turned my attention back to the others.

          “This goes for all of you.”  I threw the human girl into a brick wall, breaking her fragile little bones.  I quickly teleported to the human as I reached down and placed my nails back into her skin.  With one hand, I snapped her neck, killing her instantly.  I stood up and turned to face the frighten humans.  “That goes for all who dare to play against my rules.  I don’t can who you are…. Egyptian, Hebrew…. Family, friends…. Guards, slaves….” My smile grew.  “I will do whatever it takes to show anyone of you pathetic, worthless humans that I am in charge here.”

          “I pray that you change your ways,” a Hebrew man called from my left.  “My God will change your heart if you let him.”

          I looked over at the man and raised an eyebrow.  I sighed.  “Okay, Hebrew,” I replied bored with the conversation.

          “You’ll burn in Hell if you don’t change, your highness.”

          I sighed and walked over to the man.  “You think that your God can change me?”

          The man nodded.

          “What about our gods and goddesses?  Nut?  Anubis?  Osiris?” I kind of laughed.  “None of them can change me…. Why do you think yours can?”

          “Because He’s the one and only god…. Your gods and goddesses are idols and demons.”

          “Whatever.”  I began to walk away.

          “Your life will only get worse.”

          I threw a hand up, kind of shrugging the Hebrew off.  I didn’t believe his words, how could I?

 

          I looked up into the pink-purple-blue sky and decided that it would be fun just to fly back to the palace made of beautiful golden-brown bricks when I heard someone behind me.  Not behind, but in my head.

          “You shouldn’t have shrugged that human off,” my voice spoke, except it wasn’t me exactly.

          I turned my head to see my reflection come to life.  I sighed, kind of angrily.  “What do you want?” I asked.

          “To warn you about what will happen if you keep on living life the way you do…. You’re going to get us both killed.”

          I rolled my eyes at the other girl.  She could have been my twin, but in order for that to have happened she would have been born.  I didn’t speak of her to anyone, but she was me.  My other half, my other personality nobody knew about, and I was going to keep it that way.  She didn’t belong in the world.  All she wanted was to help and keep the humans alive but I didn’t want that to happen.  “Leave me, Vanessa.”

          “You know I can’t do that.”

          “Yes, yes, well you don’t belong here.”

          “That Hebrew man was warning you.  If you come face to face with God, He’ll ask you why you deserve to be in Heaven…. If you tell Him because you belong there then He’ll send you to Hell.  It’s the truth.  You’re not a goddess…. You can die and you will not end up in a good place…. You’re not immortal.”

          “Why do you care about the Hebrews’ God?”

          “Because I listen to them, when you don’t…. Ignoring the truth won’t keep you alive…. If I have---“

          “ENOUGH!” I shouted and with that Vanessa was gone.  We were the same but different and I hated sharing a body with her.  It was prison; being in the same body with the girl who always wanted to do what she could to do right.  Whatever, I thought and continued walking when Imhotep stopped me.  “What do you want?” I asked, coming to reality.

          Imhotep tilted his head in anger.  “You keep murdering the humans, young lady.  Save it for something important.”

          I kind of laughed at his words, knowing the kind of human he was.  “If I could, I’d kill you right now.”

          “I don’t doubt that, but you have a duty and I have to make sure that you don’t get yourself killed.”

          I laughed again.  “You think I’m going to get myself killed?”  I shook my head.  “Imhotep, you and I both know that can’t happen.  Who out of the humans can kill me?  I’m a wolf-like creature, I’m inhuman.  I can transform from a human to half wolf to full wolf form and kill anyone and anything I’d like…. That includes you.”

          Imhotep eyed me, narrowing both of his eyebrows.  He knew I was right.  He, himself couldn’t stop me. 

“If you excuse me, I must---“

          “I’m supposed to babysit you.”

          I eyed him, dropping my mouth in disgust.  “Babysit me?”  I was sixteen, I didn’t need to be babysat.  I was the princess; old enough to be married and have children of my own but the one man who I hated had to keep an eye on me.  “Why?”

          “Your father wasn’t happy to hear about the servant girl who you murdered earlier.”

          “Of course.”

          “You’re to be watched like a hawk.”

          Imhotep’s words angered me.  I wanted to smack that evil grin on his slim, peach-tanned face.  I hated moments like that.  He had the advantage.  I knew I’d get him back eventually but it would be a while.  When I could catch him in a lie or one of his evil little schemes.

 

          I walked out onto my balcony again and listened.  The city was quiet, except for the crickets which had been working on tunes of sleep and night time sounds.  I looked up at the velvet dark blue sky with stars scattered all over the place and even the moon from distance.  I turned to face my lit room, filled with lit candles, hanging from the walls.  I walked inside and then moved toward my door.

          “You’re going to get us killed, Nala.”

          I looked at Vanessa who was sitting on my bed, eyeing me.

          “We’re the same but different and I’m trying to be yourself conscience….”

          “I don’t need you telling me what to do.  Why are you even awake anyways?  You’ve been sleeping for the past few years.”

          “I haven’t been sleeping, remember?  You threw me into a dark pit that left me lost for days, years.  Remember?”

          I smiled at the thought.  “I do remember…. But how did you find your way out?”

          “Easy, I teleported.”

          “Why so long?”

          “Because I wanted to work hard and try without anything super human to help me, which reminds me…. Just because you have super human abilities doesn’t mean you should use them, especially on humans…. Only if you really need too.”

          “You bore me, Vanessa.”

          “You should really try to listen more.”  With that Vanessa had vanished.

          I snapped to reality and noticed that someone was rattling the door knob on my door.  I waited to see if whoever it was would succeed with opening it or not.  Eventually, the rattling stopped and whoever was trying to get in knocked.  I rolled my eyes and opened the door, Imhotep stood there.  Of course it had to be him because no one else would do.

Pharaoh's Mistress

          I didn’t have to ask to know that I was being summoned.  I followed Imhotep down the long, golden brown wall filled with hieroglyphics.  I knew the stories which were told by the drawings from the wall.  I knew every word.  The stories where printed into my head and I could tell them how they were meant to be told.  The history behind the words were what had really interested me.

          Imhotep stopped without giving me any warning and I walked into him.  I eyed him.  I hated when he pulled that crap on me.  He turned to face me and held his hand toward the door.  “Right this way, your highness.”

I rolled my eyes.  There was always that mocking tone in his words.  I wished so badly for a chance to attack his white human flesh but I knew that some of the people would call me a cannibal if I had.  Not everyone in Egypt knew of my inhuman abilities which was surprising because almost the whole city had known.  As a wolf, I preferred raw, bloody meet, but as the human princess I had to watch out what I did in public. 

I closed my eyes to avoid the temptation and when I opened them, I walked into the open door which Imhotep had indicated.  I noticed that my father was standing in front of his beautiful, bronze throne with dark red cushions built in.  He had his hands clasped in the hands of a woman with long, black hair past her shoulders and she was wearing a long, short sleeve ivory dress which revealed her ivory sandals to match.  I didn’t have to ask who the woman was to know.

“Nala,” my father spoke as he noticed me standing near the entrance.

I faked a smile, not to cause a scene.

“Antinique, my lovely daughter, Nala.”  My father had gestured toward me.

Antinique turned her attention toward me as Imhotep had made his way into the room.  Antinique had darker skin, more like tanned skin than anyone else.  Her dark brown eyes looked almost black.  The top of her dress was cut open at the top, kind of revealing which I found to be more pathetic than any of the servants.  I could sense that there was something off about her but I figured trying to tell my father that he wouldn’t have believed me.  “So glad to finally meet you,” Antinique spoke as she walked over to me, smiling.

“Whatever,” I replied.

“Nala,” my father whispered to me.

I smiled at the new human who would make my life a million times worse.  “You look like a prostitute.”

My father’s eyes grew in anger and embarrassment at my words.

Imhotep smacked me in the back of the head and I kind of snapped at him.

I could tell by Antinique’s expression that she was ticked off by my attitude, but she surprised me by playing cool.  Her smile grew.  “It’s nice to meet you too, Princess Nala.”  The anger was visible in her words but she tried not to show it.

“I don’t care, human.”

I felt Imhotep grip onto my left arm as he started to grow angry as well as everyone else in the room.  I knew that as my “babysitter” he was going to have to drag me out of the room.  That was my plan from the start.

“Apologize,” my father hissed at me.

I ignored my father’s command and spit on Antinique’s dress.

Antinique dropped her mouth in disbelief.

“Nala,” my father said, anger in his voice.

I quickly snatched my arm away from Imhotep before he could drag me.  I stormed out of the huge, golden brown throne room filled with riches and gold.

“I am so sorry,” I heard my father’s voice from the room as he apologized to his future bride.

“She just needs to get use to me…. That’s all,” Antinique’s voice followed.

I heard Imhotep’s footsteps follow behind me as I continued to walk away in anger.  I didn’t want to be left in that room for another minute.  The humanity in the room would have driven me crazy with anger and hatred.  I hated all humans expect for my father but even he was ticking me off.

Imhotep’s breathing was starting to annoy me.  The worse human ever.  “What you did in there was very disrespectful?” his voice told me as we came to halt.

I turned to face him.  I could feel the heat from the anger growing in my thin, slender human body.  My eyes narrowed as I began to growl like a mutt at Imhotep.  I felt my nose scrunch up and my wolf form was trying to take over my body but I kept it under control.  “Disrespectful?  My father brings home a human who I have to be nice too and expects me to play the role of an innocent human girl…. I don’t know if you know this but I’m not human and I don’t care about any of you…. I don’t need a human to come and control my territory….”

“You sound like a territorial dog.”

I kind of smiled, evilly at Imhotep.  “That’s because I am and I don’t want others who don’t belong here to come and take over.  It’s my territory, not hers…. She can live outside for all I care.  This is my home.”

Imhotep went to speak but I ran off before I could hear his words.

 

I ran into my room and out onto my balcony.  I looked around at the ground which had to be a good amount of distance to the away.  If I were human and jumped I would have killed myself, but seeing that I wasn’t I could jump and land on my feet like a devious cat.  A whiff of wind hit my face and I licked my lips as the smell of a black house cat touched my human nose. I haven’t tried cat before, I thought.

I backed up into my room and got a running starting.  I jumped over the railing of the balcony and transformed into a full grown dark brown almost black wolf as I landed on my feet.  I ran on all fours, following the scent of the cat.  As I grew closer to the scent, I began to slow down and my run turned into a walk.  Soon I bowed my head and bent my front legs along with my hind legs and crouched down to the grown.  I hid behind some bricks which were used to build a gate around the city.  I looked around until I spotted the cat near some small, black and white flowers.  I smiled, my teeth slightly revealed. Bingo.

I worked my way slowly toward the unaware feline.  The cat had no clue I was even there.  Where the cat turned his attention away from where I was hiding, I jumped out and attacked.  Before the creature could defend himself, I bit into his neck and broke his spinal cord with my teeth, paralyzing the defenseless animal.  The blood of the animal mixed with my saliva.  I took the cat in my mouth and carried it back to the palace, like a mother lioness would do with her cub.

 

I dropped the dead cat onto my bedroom floor and transformed back into my human attire.  I picked the cat up, sat on my bed, and torn him apart with my fingers.  I licked my upper lip as I looked down at my kill.  I broke off the left front leg and began to tear it up with my teeth like the humans would with roasted chicken.

I heard someone knock on my door.  I could tell by the scent it was Imhotep.

“GO AWAY!” I screamed with a full mouth.

The door opened and Imhotep walked in.

I rolled my eyes.  “I said, ‘Go away.’  What if I was changing?”

“I had a good feeling you weren’t….” I could tell by Imhotep’s expression that he noticed the dead corpse I was enjoying.  “What is that?”

I licked my lips.  “Cat…. Want to try?”

Imhotep covered his mouth in discuss, balling up his fist.  “Why are you eating the sacred animal?”

I licked my lips to get rid of the blood and because I liked seeing Imhotep grossed out.  “I don’t care.”

“But if other Egyptians find out---“

“I don’t care.”  I stood up holding the leg in my hand, dropping the rest of it on the floor.  I walked over to Imhotep and held the cat’s bloody, furry leg up to him.

Imhotep pulled away, repulsed by the thing.  “Demonic.”

I shrugged.  “Oh and go get a robe on, I hate starring at your bare chest, it’s creepy…. And also kind of looks tasty…. I don’t mean in the human sexual way either…. I actually mean if I have the chance, you’ll be just like this dead cat…. Bloody, dead, half eaten.”

Imhotep looked at me with a look that meant he was worried.

“Now out.”

“Yes, your highness.”  The man left and closed the door behind him.

I smiled, evilly.  I would have done it too if they had let me.

“You better watch your back, princess,” a man’s voice said from behind me.  It was an odd voice.  I hadn’t recognized and it was an odd accept.  One I have never heard before.

I turned to see a man’s outline in a pitch black coat.  He carried a long, brown sithe with a curve sliver blade in his right hand which was hidden in a long sleeve of the coat.  His face was hiding under the black hood of the coat as well.  I sniffed the air, trying to figure out what he was.  I watched him touch the cat with the blade of the sithe.

“Poor thing,” he spoke.

“Who are you?  Why are you in my room?  How did you get in here?”

The man’s hood moved up.  “You don’t want to know who I am, my dear.”

I growled and placed all of my defenses on.  I didn’t know who he was but I wasn’t going to let him get away with breaking an entry.

“As for the other two questions…. I'm here for the cat and I walked inside from the balcony.”

I went to open my mouth but stopped myself.

“You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Whatever.”

“If you keep it up, you’ll die very soon…. I’ve seen your future….”

I kind of laughed.  “What?  Are you a fortune teller?” I asked, sarcastically.

I felt the man staring at me even though the hood kept his face in the shadows.

“Who are you?”

The man sighed.  “I am death.  The Grim Reaper.  Persephone was supposed to be here but she’s busy.”

I laughed.  Some guy was telling me that he was the Grim Reaper.  “Yea okay.”

He took his left hand and removed the hood revealing a skull with empty eye sockets and a boneless nose.  His teeth were revealed with darkness behind them.  His skinless neck revealed the boney spinal cord.

“Okay so you’re the Grim Reaper…. What are you going to kill me?”

“No, but like I’ve said before I have seen your future and if you don’t change, things won’t work out in your favor.”

“What?  Humans and human creations can’t kill me I’m unstoppable.”

Grim looked at me with his eyeless black sockets.  “Humans can’t but others can…. You’re not immune to death…. You’ll die alone and unloved…. The Hebrew man was warning you and if you temp God…. God will show you just what you are…. You’re not immortal you can die and it’ll be your fault.”  With that he vanished into thin air.

I rushed out to the balcony and looked down at the ground.  I looked back into my room and was alone.

 

I walked out of my room, disoriented.  Who does he think he is?  Telling that I’m going to die.  I looked up at the giant statue of Anubis.  He eyed me as if he knew me.  I growled, knowing that it was just a statue.  I disagreed with the Egyptian Gods and Goddess but something was telling me that the Hebrews’ God was waiting to doom me for my sins.  I don’t care.  It’s not true.  They all lie.

“Nala,” I heard my cousin’s voice from behind me.  I turned to face Madeline who was as afraid of me.  She was a year younger with long wavy brown hair, hiding under a long black wig.  She wore the same make up design I wore, with the gold and black theme.

“What do you want?” I growled.

“Just to…. To… Talk.”  She had always stumbled over her words, knowing that anything would tick me off.

“Go find someone who doesn’t mind talking because I hate it.”

“Nala.”

“No…. Now go.”  I stormed off.

Cousins

          I sat on top of the round, brass palace roof top.  I sat there, deep in thought.  I felt fear creep in…. Fear…. No fear didn’t exist to me…. I was the one to put fear into my people…. No one ever made me feel it.  It was an unfamiliar word to my thoughts but somehow it was there haunting me.  I closed my eyes to make the fear raising up disappear.

          “Nala,” a male’s soft kind voice pulled me out from my thoughts.  I rolled my eyes at the sight of my cousin, Tommus.  He dark black hair and dark brown eyes.  He was skinny but muscular and showed kindness to anyone.  Pathetic.

          “What do you want?” I asked, standing up on the rounded roof.

          “To talk to you, Nala.  I heard about what you did yesterday to that poor servant girl and I don’t think she deserved that.  No one deserves what---“

          “Yea, yea…. Whatever…. I don’t care.”

          “You should…. If you want people to---“

          “Get out of my sight, Tommus…. I can do whatever I want.”

          “Treating your people like farm animals isn’t worth it…. They shouldn’t be slaughtered like defenseless cows…. You need---“

          I jumped down and left Tommus alone…. What he had said was sickening.  I didn’t want to be stuck around him for another minute.  I would have killed him like that little servant girl but he could have fought back.  He was like me, he could change into a wild animal if he wanted to.  He could fly and do what he wanted to but instead he chose to act like the humans and only show his abilities if he really needed to.  I couldn’t stand it.  He was an insult to others like us.  Our family was mixed with humans and well non humans such as us.  He was one of the ones whom always seemed to be kind hearted.  Ugh, I hate his stupid morals, I thought in anger.  He thinks we should use our abilities for good.  Yea well I disagree.  Whatever, no way am I going to let him win.  I should kill him, but how?

 

          When I landed on my feet, I looked around and noticed that the place was empty.  I found it to be kind of odd.  I raised an eyebrow in confusion.  Then there was this high pitch sound from the distance, I flinched.  It was a high pitch scream in my ears and as a wolf the sound hurt my eardrums; it was so far away but sounded so close.  I covered my ears with the palms of my warm human skin.

          I felt an icy cold hand touch my left shoulder.  I turned to see the Grim Reaper as he had told me before, dropping my hands down from my ears.  “You beware.”

          “Of what?” I asked, annoyed.

          His eyeless stare bothered me in an odd away.  “Life.”

          “What?”

          He vanished without answering my question.

          “Get back here,” I said, moving my head from side to side constantly.

          “You murdered me,” a girl’s voice spoke eerily to me.  I noticed the ghost of the servant who I had murdered earlier.  “You’re a sole less demon and need to die.”

          “I’m not sole less…. I’m alive.”

          The servant girl’s ghostly hand reached up for me.  “You are marked with the dead.”

          I raised an eyebrow, confused.  “What?”

          “You are death.”

          I kind of laughed.  “Yea right.”

          “You have been warned.”  The ghost vanished.

          “Warned?  Death? HA! Yea right…. I bet it’s all a dream, that’s what humans fear not me.”  I shook my head and walked away.

 

          I walked past a little hut where I heard voices.  I turned my head and looked into the window, ducking down so no one could see me.  Inside, I saw Tommus, Madeline, my cousin, Death (an odd choice for a name), and my Uncle Maxumous.  What are they talking about? I wondered.

          “Nala, Ramos, and Niki are going to destroy Egypt if we don’t do something about it,” Tommus told the others.

          “How are we going to stop them?  Me and Madeline are humans; we can’t do anything,” Death replied.

          Tommus slid a hand through his silky dark hair.  “We’ll figure something out.”

          “My brother wasn’t like this before he became pharaoh,” my uncle spoke up.

          “What, Uncle Maxumous?” Madeline asked.

          “Dad?” Tommus also asked, somewhat confused.  “What do you mean Uncle Ramos wasn’t like this?”

          “He was a deceit young man before he came into power.”  Uncle Maxumous paused.  His eyes filled with tears.  “He cared for everyone and everything at one time.  I was glad when he took over our father’s place as pharaoh…. Me and your dad both agreed that he was the right choice for the job…. But we were wrong.”  He looked around the room.  “The power overtook him and he became a monster when he married Eva, a nice young woman…. He abused her, mistreated her…. Simba was born…. He wasn’t happy; something about the child disappointed him…. About a few years later, Niki and Nala were born and he knew that he could taint them….”

          I listened, growing angry at my uncles words against my father.

          “Eva was another saiyan, were as Simba was born human like the three of my brothers; our older brother was killed in a war after his children were born so we don’t speak much of him…. All of you were too young to remember him,” Uncle Maxumous went off topic for a moment about their other brother.  He sighed.  “Ramos knew that Niki and Nala were like their mother and I…. Saiyans…. A nonhuman race…. He knew he could raise them to be like his minions…. Little evil demons as the humans call them now…. Eva knew this…. She could tell that Niki and Nala were going to grow up and be just like their father….” He shook his head disappointed.  “Even though she loved the two newborns, she knew she couldn’t let them grow up that way…. So one night, she tried to drown Niki…. Ramos stopped her and smacked her, taken Niki away…. He told her to never try that again…. The next night, Eva snuck away with Nala to drown her…. This time she had been followed by the guards…. The guards dragged her back to Ramos with baby Nala…. The guards told Ramos what she was planning to do and Ramos asked her about it and she admitted to it…. To make sure that Eva wouldn’t try anything like that again…. He had her murdered.”  He looked down in shame.  “The man who I call brother is lost now and only evil remains…. Nala is a thousand times worse than Ramos and Niki…. We need to figure out how to kill her.”

          I growled to myself and left.  Those words were spoken against me and my father and brother.  I had to do something to keep them from doing whatever they were planning.  I heard that high pitch scream again.  I covered my ears in pain.  I needed to find out where that scream was coming from because it was a deadly noise I couldn’t stand as a human or a wolf.

 

          I fell on my bedroom floor and curled up into a ball, covering my ears.  For some reason the scream was still ringing in the streets and into my ears.  I felt the door open and looked up to see Antinique walk in.  I slowly stood up, removing my hands from my ears and I looked around, noticing that the screaming had stopped.  “What do you want?” I growled.

          Antinique smiled to try to throw me off guard, but I knew she was up to something.  “To talk…. I would love to get to know my future step daughter better.”

          I spit a laugh out.  “Yea right.  What do you really want?”  The woman didn’t look to be much older than Simba and yet she was marrying my father.  Obviously something was up.

          “To get to know you better.”

          “Whatever…. I could snap your neck easily and you want to get to know me?  I want to kill you, and believe me, I mean what I say.”

          Antinique lost her smile.  “Listen here you little brat…. I will not put up with you…. I will have you thrown in prison.”

          I laughed.  “Me?  I don’t think so…. I’m daddy’s little girl, and once he finds out that you said that to me, he’ll dump you just like that.”  I snapped my slim little fingers together.  “You’re on my land, in my home, and I will do anything to get you thrown out of here…. Even if I have to kill you.”

          “Princess Nala,” Imhotep’s voice had said in anger.  He stood in the door way and I hadn’t even noticed he was even there.

          “What do you want?”

          “Respect your future step mother.”

          “Why?  You’re not my boss…. You’re just food that I will eat when I get the chance.”  I growled.

          Antinique looked at me then to Imhotep, she could tell that she wasn’t the only one who I had threatened.

          “Both of you out of my room.”

          Antinique looked at me.  “You should have more respect for your elders.”

          I smiled at her comment.  “Okay then.”  I licked my upper lip and pounced.  I grabbed Antinique’s right arm, slamming her against the hard cement floor.  I held up her arm and opened my mouth, revealing my wolf fangs as I went to bite down on her human flesh when Imhotep knocked my back toward the balcony.  I stood up and had transformed into half human half wolf and eyed the man, growling.

          “That’s enough,” he hissed in anger.

          I kept growling at the bald human man.

          He helped Antinique up and had her leave the room.  “Wait ‘til your father hears about this, young lady.”  He left the room, closing the door behind him.  I heard him lock it from the outside so I couldn’t leave.

          I transformed back into a human and raised an eyebrow.  The idiot forgot that I could just teleport so locking me in the room was pointless, but as long as him and that gold digging woman were gone, I let it go.  Moron, I thought. 

The Ball

          I walked into a room filled with weapons.  All kinds of swords and knives aligned the golden brown walls.  The room I stood in was where the fighting would take place for entertainment.  I shook my head and body preparing myself.  I walked over to a wall and picked up two very slim daggers.  I turned toward the open space and started swinging.  I played around with the two daggers as if I were fighting against an opponent.  I practiced dodging and attacking.

          “Your highness,” Imhotep’s voice spoke, “what are you doing?”

          “Training,” I replied, still working on my reflexes.

          “Why?  You don’t need swords---“

          “So, it’s nice to have a backup plan just in case.  Are you going to just stand there?  Or are you going to help me train?”

          I could hear Imhotep sigh.  “I’ll help you train.”

          I stopped as I waited for my enemy to pick his weapon.  He picked out two more daggers and walked over to me.  “Play fair, your highness.”

          I raised an eyebrow.

          “No transforming into a creature…. No flying…. No teleporting…. Nothing that I as a human can’t do…. It’s not fair.”

          “Just fight.”  I spun the two daggers in my hand as I waited for Imhotep to prepare.  He took for what felt like ever.  I yawned out of boredom.

          “Ready?” he asked as he looked at me.

          “Of course, moron.”

          That ticked him.  He swung on dagger toward me as I blocked the attack.  I took the other and went to cut his side but he stopped me with his second dagger.  “Oh and no killing me,” he replied.

          I growled as I swung the other dagger and he blocked again.  I took the dagger in my left hand and went to knock the dagger out of his hand when he quickly knocked mine to the floor.  I snatched the one out of his hand and we knocked all of the daggers to the ground.  I had my human claws in his neck.

          He held up both of his hands as if he was surrendering.

          Someone started clapping from behind me.  “Bravo, bravo,” Niki said as he entered the room.  “So that jerk who’s boss, sis.”

          I smiled evilly at Imhotep.

          “This is cheating, Nala,” Imhotep spoke with a bit of an edge in his voice.

          “But I’m being human, Imhotep,” I replied.

          “A girl your age choking a man my age isn’t normal.”

          “It is if the girl is stronger than the man.”  I threw Imhotep to the ground.  “Pity…. Tell your friends you’ve lost to a girl…. That’ll get you a good laugh.”

          “Not if I tell them that it was you…. Everyone knows about your inhuman abilities.”  Imhotep left the room as Niki walked over to me.

          “We have a ball to prepare for,” Niki told me.

          “I hate balls…. All they do is show me that I’ll never find a man worth the time to keep.”

          “Well, father wants all three of us there,” Niki replied as he helped me pick up the four daggers.  “It’s for his engagement.”

          “Of course…. Why does he decide that now’s the time for a wedding?”

          Niki shrugged.

 

          I went into my closet and searched for a dress.  I figured that my father would want his kids to look nice for the ball, which I could care less for although I would find some way to ruin the perfect night.  I pulled out a dress made of gold material.  The collar of the dress was made out of beads which would cover my shoulders kind of like sleeves.  It had a small but noticeable split off to the bottom left side.  It was long, but when I wore it, the dress fell down to my ankles revealing my feet.  It was a beautiful dress and was perfect for the not so perfect night. I hurried behind my dressing post and quickly changed.  When I walked out from behind the dressing post, I noticed that the Grim Reaper stood near my door.  “You sick freak…. I was changing.”

          “I saw nothing,” he replied.

          I raised an eyebrow.  I didn’t believe him.  “Whatever.”

          “I’m serious…. Besides that changing area you have hid everything so if I wanted to see everything then I would have just stood there the whole time…. Believe me…. I’m the angel of death…. I’m not entertained by young women changing.”

          “Yea right,” I muttered.  “What do you want anyways?” I asked as I walked over to my vanity and sat down.

          “Checking up on you…. You should watch your back, your highness.”  He vanished without another word.

          Yea, yea, I thought.  I began fixing my makeup.  The one thing I hated about being the princess was all of the time I had to spend dressing up and placing makeup on so I could look good for the humans.  It wasn’t something I was particularly fond of.

 

          The night of the ball, I walked into the ball room and noticed that my father stood by his throne, laughing and talking to his future bride again.  This time the room was filled with others.  Simba stood at the left far in of the room, chatting with a group of humans.  Servants were serving the guest as they should have.  Even my cousins, who I wanted to kill off one by one.  Other family members who I could care less about.  The other guest were people who lived in Egypt…. Other Egyptians…. My night was going to be very painful.  I just about everyone on the guest list.  The music played in the back ground, although I could barely hear it over all of the humans talking.  I snarled my lip, trying to stay calm.  It kind of hurt seeing all of the human women with the men…. It wasn’t fair that they could be so happy were as I was so miserable alone.

          “Sis, you might want to join the party,” Niki said as he walked next to me, surveying the place.

          I shook my head.  “No…. This to me is wrong.  I can’t enjoy this.”

          “I know,” Niki sighed, “but it’s for our father.”

          I shook my head again.

          A girl with long, dark brown hair who looked to be a servant or peasant walked over to us and grabbed Niki’s arm.  “Dance with me, Prince Niki.”

          I raised an eyebrow.  He was as bad as I was and yet the women still wanted him but none of the men wanted to mess with me.  I was confused.  It was like I was some kind of plague or something.

          Niki had been caught off guard and before he could actually reply the girl dragged him down into the ball room.

          Imhotep took his place.  He smiled evilly as if he knew my thoughts.

          “I don’t get this how come none of the men want me but the girls line up for him when he’s no better than I am?”

          Imhotep looked at me and raised an eyebrow.  “Maybe if you wouldn’t threaten to eat them, they might be willing to dance or purpose to you.”

          I pretended to laugh at Imhotep’s remark.  “Not funny.”

          “It’s true…. Here,” Imhotep said, holding out his hand.  “I’ll dance with you, your royal highness.”

          “Dance with you?  I rather take my chances with a king cobra.”

          Imhotep dropped his head.  “It’s only a dance, but you can’t eat me.”

          “That’s the fun part…. Everyone’s too busy to notice the cannibal.”

          Imhotep bit his lip.  “I’m trying to be nice…. You can try to do the same unless you’re too conceited for that?”

          I rolled my eyes.  “Fine,” I said, taking his hand, which I had to resist the wolf urge to attack out of hunger for the human flesh.  I had to fight with my inhuman.  It wasn’t like with the cat where I could attack as a wolf without the humans realizing it was me.  I actually had to behave as a human.  Imhotep placed his free hand around my waist as I placed my free hand on his shoulder.

          “Remember we’re dancing, not feasting.”

          I pretended to laugh at his mocking words.  He led as I followed.  I hated every moment.  I looked around the room as I noticed everyone else was dancing to.  I hate this, I thought.

          Vanessa wore my dress and was dancing with no one.  She looked as if she were my mirror image, while I was dancing with Imhotep, she was dancing a vampire’s invisible reflection.  It was kind of awkward to watch.  “One, two, three…. One, two, three…. One, two, three….” She whispered as she counted.

          I rolled my eyes.  “Would you knock it off?”

          “I dancing,” she replied.

          “You look like an idiot.”

          “I’m enjoying myself, which you should be doing.”

          I rolled my eyes again.

          “Imhotep is a good dancer.”

          I stuck my tongue.

          “Admit it…. This will be one of the few times you’re not threatening to kill the man.”

          “It’s embarrassing…. I have to dance with a man who I hate….”

          “Well, if you weren’t so horrible, you’d be married now…. To a good man…. And you would have children…. Children…. God’s gift to us….”

          I narrowed my eyes.  “Why are you so weird?”

          “I’m you…. Remember?  Everything I do reflects back on you and everything you do reflects back on me.  The whole split personality thing.”

          I shook my head.  “Would you go now?  I like to have a miserable thing without all of these extra troubling problems.”

          Vanessa sighed.  “Fine.”  She vanished.

          I looked at Imhotep who was giving me a strange look like I was crazy or something.  “What?” I asked.

          “Are you feeling okay, princess?  You seem to be lost in some sort of daze…. Realizing that I’m attractive,” Imhotep laughed, jokingly.

          “And you call me conceited.”

          “I was joking.”

          “Still…. The thought is sickening…. Besides, I look at you like food and I would still eat you if I could.”

          Imhotep shook his head, knowing that our hatred was just getting worse.

A Man's Worse Nightmare

          I continued to follow Imhotep in the dance when I heard that high pitch scream.  I let go of Imhotep and fell to the ground, blocking my ears from the sound.  I felt the eyes of the humans watching me.  I looked up at Imhotep and he stared at me with his eyes narrowed and arms folded.  I could tell by his expression that he thought I was up to some evil trick.  I began to growl.  I slowly felt myself transforming into a wolf like creature.  My hands fell to my sides as the screaming had stopped.

          The humans stared at me with fear in their eyes.  I knew what they were thinking.  They couldn’t speak because of the fear.  I looked around and noticed Anubis, the Egyptian God who protects the dead or leads the dead to the afterlife…. Something like that…. Honestly, I could have cared less about our beliefs…. He was a demon and apparently he was after me as well.  He walked over to me and looked me up and down.

          I watched as the humans, except for Imhotep, fall to the ground, bowing to the pagan god.  And they call me a demon, I thought.

          Anubis stopped in front of me and looked me up and down.  There was evil in his in human eyes.  “Death,” he said as he locked his black, dog like eyes with mine.  He reached out to me and touched my face with his human like hand which felt warm.  “Princess.”  He started to bow, which confused me.  “Inhuman like us…. But you mock our ways.”  He moved his hand from my face.  “Unloved…. Alone…. Time will come for you…. Join us…. My bride.”  He looked around at the human population then turned back at me.  “You’re time is near.”  He leaned closer to me touching his black jackal like wet snout to my nose.  He revealed his teeth.  “Evil.”  The demonic god vanished without another word and I looked around, angrily toward the humans.

          I started growling.

          “Be careful, princess,” Imhotep’s voice said.

          I ignored him and jumped a human man who stood at a good distance away.  I started tearing him from limb to limb.  I ripped off his left arm and I tore through his bare chest with my inhuman claws, ripping out his heart.  I didn’t care who was watching.  I didn’t want one human to believe that I was weak for one moment.

          “NALA!” my father’s voice echoed through the ball room.

          I ignored his voice though.  I didn’t care what I was doing.  I kept digging further into the human’s torso.  Anubis had given the humans reason to believe that I was as weak and pathetic as they were and I wasn’t about to fall into his trap.  I kept tearing the man up and I didn’t care that he wasn’t breathing anymore.

          “Princess Nala,” Imhotep’s voice tried to get through to me.

          I ignored him as well as my father.  Eventually, I felt someone pulled me back.  I tried to fight against the strength of whoever it was but they wore.

          “I’m ashamed of you, Nala,” Tommus’s voice spoke.

          I looked up at him, growling.  He had transformed into a half man half tiger.  “Let go of me….”

          “No…. You need to calm down.”

          I went to bite his hand but he was too fast.  I held me up against the wall.  His right hand was wrapped around my neck.

          Tommus had tears fill his eyes as he stared at me.  “You’re highness…. My cousin…. You can’t do this…. The humans have a fear of you…. Why did you turn out so demonic?” he asked, hiding the hurt in his voice.

          “Let me go,” I growled at him.

          He shook his head.  “I can’t do that…. These people need to feel safe and protected but you make them feel fearful…. Terrified…. They’re your people, not animals that you can just butcher.”  Tommus kept holding onto my neck as he turned toward the people.  “I am sorry for my cousin’s behavior.  She shouldn’t do this to any of you.  You deserve to be treated like people, not animals.  I am sorry.”

          “Let my daughter go, Tommus.”  My father had worked his way over to us and he was angry.  I didn’t know if he was angry at me or at Tommus but he was ticked off.  “I’m not happy about what she had just done but if she feels that she wants to murder for the fun of it then let her.”

          I smiled, evilly.  I knew somehow this would turn around on my cousin.

          Tommus didn’t release me from his grip but he looked at my father with a confused and worrisome look.  “But she just killed an innocent man.”

          “I don’t care.  She is just like a goddess and apparently a chosen bride for one of our dear gods.  I am proud of her.”

          Tommus didn’t know how to respond to that.  He was in complete shock.

          I began to laugh evilly as I moved Tommus’s tiger like claw away from my small human skin.  “I win…. I will always win.”  I looked around at the fearful humans.  “I may be considered a demon to most of you but you can’t do anything to me…. I am unstoppable.”

          I could hear soft spoken prayers from the Hebrew servants to their God.  I could hear them praying for me.  I couldn’t tell if it was for my death or if I should change but I know felt fear thinking about it.  I looked up to the high ceiling as if someone was speaking.  In the corner of my eye I noticed the Grim Reaper as standing there in the shadows.  He shook his head for a moment.  I didn’t know if anyone else could see him or not but I left it alone.  I noticed that Madeline and my uncle Maxumous stood at a distance.  Madeline had a horrified look and my uncle had his arm wrapped around her to let her know that it was going to be okay.

          “Well, the princess has spoken,” Imhotep said as he walked over to me.  He was playing the nice card which he always pulled around the humans and even my father.  He knew if he said anything against me in front of my father it would be his last time.  “Next time keep your dirty work out of the public eye,” he whispered to me.

          “You’re next on my list,” I replied, “and I still plan on having you for dinner.”

          “You can’t kill me,” he said, an evil smile grew on his face.  “Your father won’t allow it.  I’m an important part of his conceal.”

          “Believe me,” I responded, “I’ll find a reason and I’ll use it against you although I might just let you suffer in pain by the human guards…. Then I might have a taste…. If I like it then you’ll be a good meal, if not then you’ll be a mummy with a bite mark.”

          “Evil little brat.”

          “Annoying piece of meat.”

          I could tell by Imhotep’s expression that he wanted to hit me so bad but he knew he couldn’t.  He knew the coincidence of what would happen if he hit a girl and not just any girl but the princess.

          “By the way, I see the way that you look at my future step-mother…. Beware…. If you even consider touching her, I will know and I will have you both murdered…. Have respect for my father.”  I left the room.  I didn’t want to be stuck with the humans for another minute.

          Vanessa walked with me to the room.  “How could you do that?”

          I looked at her for a brief moment but didn’t bother to answer.

          “Killing an innocent man for no reason…. You have no morals.”

          I shrugged as I opened the door to my room. 

“Anubis is an evil spirit…. A demon…. He was sent to threaten you…. Us…. He came straight from Hell…. That’s where you’re going…. What he said about you being his bride was only away to let you know that when you die he’s going to make sure you suffer…. You are not immortal…. You will die….”

          “Why do you keep saying that?” I asked, angrily.

          “Because I’m warning you…. The Grim Reaper is trying to warn you as well…. God will punish you…. If you don’t get what’s coming to you in this world, then God will punish you…. The Hebrews know what they’re doing when the talk about Him…. They know the wrath that you don’t seem to understand…. Just because you aren’t fully human doesn’t mean that you will live through everything…. You don’t know what you’re doing and who you’re dealing with…. Nala, you might as well say good bye to this world.”  Vanessa was gone without another word.

          I closed my door and walked over to my bed and sat down.  That fear came back and it hurt.  I felt as if I was in pain.  I screamed as I fell off of my bed and onto my knees.  There was this horrible pain in the pit of my stomach.  I opened my mouth in pain and that horrible painful high pitch scream started again but this time I was in too much pain to try and cover my ears.

          I heard someone in my room.  A pair of skeletal feet stood before me but they were mostly covered by the pitch black cloak which fell to the grown.  “I’m warning you, princess,” the Grim Reaper told me.  “I’m working for God and I am here to warn you.”

          “God?” I asked, looking up at him.

          He nodded, there was pity in his voice.

          I slowly stood up, holding my stomach.  “Aren’t Angels suppose to look human and alive with bright lights or something?”

          “I asked Him to transform me…. It was when some of our own fell to Earth because they were cast out of Heaven…. I am the angel of death and I felt that as my new job I should look the part, unlike the others with my job.... People shouldn’t fear me but they do…. Whether or not I look alive…. I want to help you to choose the right path but I can see it’s going to be hard…. I have talked to Persephone and we have a plan for your future to teach you a lesson but as of right you…. You are to live…. Please at least try to attempt to change or suffer for your sins.”

          I went to speak but he vanished before the words could come out of my mouth. 

Children & the Princess

Niki and I were in the throne room, talking.  We were having a conversation dealing with our father and his wife to be.  “Sixteen years ago, dad could have married then after he killed mom,” Niki spoke with harsh words.

“Yes, but I think dad wants us to be mad…. If you think about it, she is just as evil as we are…. So, it’s all good.”  I was trying to convince myself more than I was trying to convince my brother.  Deep down inside I wanted to kill Antinique as much as anyone else.  I knew Niki would have agreed but I preferred to keep my thoughts to myself.

“Nala, my dear sister, I think you have a point."

I smiled.  “I do have a good point…. Don’t I?”  The smile I wore on my face hid my evil plan.  I was going to find out what it was that I hated most about Antinique to prove that she didn’t deserve to be a part of our family and I was going to kill her.

          Imhotep walked into the room and my look changed to an expression which told the man that I hated him and wanted him dead.  “What are you two talking about?” he asked.  We could tell by his voice that he was being sarcastic and really could care less.

          “About our father getting remarried….” Niki trailed off.

          “Is that right, Prince Niki?”

          Niki looked at Imhotep with a look that told him, “I don’t trust you.”  “That is true, Imhotep.”

          “Oh.”  He moved face to face with me.  “How do you feel about that, Princess Nala?”

          Niki and I looked at each other then back to Imhotep.

          “My sister doesn’t want to talk right now,” Niki answered for me.

          “I can respect that,” Imhotep replied, getting ready to leave the room.

          I waited ‘til Imhotep was at the door.  “IMHOTEP!”

          Imhotep stopped at the door and turned around.  “Oh.  Now she talks.  Yes, Princess Nala?”

          “I want you to stay away from my stepmother,” I told him.  I knew he thought back to what I had told him at the ball about him looking at her.  He wanted her and I could sense it as well.  I thought a warning would be good for him even if he didn’t think I would actually do anything which he knew to be a lie.

          He smiled.  “Okay.  Is that all?”

I was almost mad by his evil smile.  “Yes.”

Imhotep left the room.

 

Later on during that same day, I was in my room, when someone knocked on my bedroom door.  I climbed off of my bed.  “COME IN!”

A servant girl walked into the room, carrying a baby.  She had long, brown hair and looked as if she worked in the dirt.  Her dress was torn and the baby she carried was covered in blankets.

I felt jealousy fill my heart.  She was married and had children.  Why couldn’t I have her life?  Married…. Children…. It was the one thing that broke me…. I was alone.  How could this dirty servant have a man, when I was the princess and I didn’t have a man in my life?  It kind of hurt but I hid my feelings of jealousy.

          “I’m Alisha,” she said.  She walked over to me.  “This is my baby boy….”

          “A baby?” I asked as if I had no clue.  “Can I hold it…. I mean him?”

          She careful past the baby to me.  “Yea.  Just be careful with him.”

          “I will,” I said as I took the baby, smiling, “don’t worry.”  I looked at the future servant of my palace.  He was so small and fragile.  “I’ll be careful alright,” I told myself, making sure that Alisha couldn’t hear me.  I looked at Alisha, keeping my smile.  “Can I sing to your child?” I asked, in an evil, pleasant tone.

          “Yea,” Alisha said, smiling.  “There’s nothing wrong with a song.  It can’t physically harm a child.”

          I kept my evil smile.  “Okay.”  I walked over to the window as I began to sing:

 

                                        "Rock a bye Baby

                                        On the tree top

                                        When the wind blows"

 

          I opened the window as I keep singing.  It was a bright and peaceful day in Egypt.  I was about cut into the peacefulness of the day like a knife.  The lyrics of the song filled the air:

 

                                        "The cradle will rock

                                        When the vale brakes

                                        The cradle will fall"

 

          I dropped the baby out of the window as I finished the evil little lullaby:

 

                                        "And down will go baby

                                        Cradle and all"

 

          I laughed.  “Bye-bye,” I told the baby as I waved to him.

          Alisha ran to the window, crying.  “NO!!!  MY BABY!!!”

          I walked away from the window.  “Never trust me with your child.”  I couldn’t have cared less.

          Alisha ran out of my room, crying.  I knew it was going to be too late for her to do anything about it when I looked out of the window and noticed that Tommus had saved the infant from death.  I growled in anger.  How could he do that?  I was going to get onto him for that.  It was about time for him to die.

Hatred

          I stepped into a wide, round room in the palace.  It was empty and dull.  I walked around, trying to figure out what to do.  Honestly, the room was very pointless to me and seen no reason why it was there in the first place.  Tommus walked into the building and over to me.  “How could you be so cold?” he asked me.

          “How could I be so cold?” I replied.  “You should have let that child drop to the ground.”

          “So you could win?  You’re evil.”  The look he gave me told me that he was disgusted.

          Like I really cared?  I couldn’t believe that he would call me evil after he saved the child I wanted dead.  And I was the cold one?  I liked death.  It was amazing and fun watching others suffer.  How come he couldn’t see that?

          “Killing innocent people…. Babies…. Anyone to proof a point,” Tommus continued.  “I was hoping that maybe you could change but….”  He shook his head.  “You’re never going to change.”  He looked down at the ground in shame.  “I’m sorry I don’t agree with your ways but I can’t let you get away with that,” he spoke as he locked eyes with me.  “I hope someone puts you in your place soon because this is wrong.”  He left without another word.

          I shook my head, eyeing the door as it closed behind him.  Who does he think he is? I thought.

 

          I walked into the throne room and noticed my father talking to Imhotep.  My father’s face brightened when he seen me.  I narrowed my eyes, confused.  Something had just happened but I didn’t know what?  My father motioned for me to walk over toward them.  Imhotep had an evil smile on his face and he bowed in my honor.  Something was up because Imhotep would have never bothered to bow to me before.  I keep my eyes on him, knowing that he was up to something.

          His dark brown, deceiving eyes locked with mine.  The evil smile still sat his face.  What was this man planning?  I continued to give him the stare down.

          “Nala,” my father spoke delightfully, “Imhotep wants to ask you something.”

          “What?” I asked Imhotep, knowing that whatever he had to ask was going to deal with trouble.

          “Would you….” Imhotep thought for a moment before continuing the question.  He was trying to figure out how to word whatever he wanted to ask me.  “Have the honor of becoming my bride?”

          My eyebrows narrowed as I eyed him.  I knew that it was a trick.  I could tell by his stare and smile that he was trying to fool my father and myself.  Although, my father fell into the trap, I wasn’t convinced.  We hated each other.  Then the thought popped into my mind that he wanted my father’s future bride and to get to her he needed to use me.  I decided that I would go along with his little act.  That way I could keep an eye on the man.  “I accept,” I replied.

          Imhotep’s smile changed.  He was shocked that I had agreed to the fake role.  That’s what let me know that my suspicions were true.

          My father clapped his hands, holding them together out of excitement.  “Two weddings to plan for,” he said, smiling.

          I gave Imhotep a half smile which let him know that I didn’t mind playing his little game.

          My father left the room to go let everyone know about the engagement.

          “Why did you accept?” Imhotep asked me, growing angry.

          I laughed evilly.  “Oh my…. You didn’t think I would catch on…. Did you?”

          Imhotep eyed me.

          I turned to the side, glancing at him with the part of my right eye.  “You see I’m not stupid.  I really hate that you humans underestimate me.  I know that you’re just using me as a way to get to her,” I explained.  “And this way I can catch you in the act…. And when I do….” I pretended to cry.  “I could let out the tears and make my father believe that I was so in love with you were as he was in love with her and…. And I could convince him that I need to see you before you die so I could cry to you.”

          I looked over to see that Imhotep’s mouth was hanging down in hatred.

          “That way when no one else in the family is around…. I could watch you die and believe me,” I spoke with a smile, “I will enjoy it.  Besides, if I get hungry, I could always sneak off to see my man to eat….” I turned to face Imhotep and locked eyes with him.  “You really should have thought this through…. But then again you are humans and none of you humans are that smart.”

          Imhotep didn’t reply.  He just kept staring at me in shock.  The next thing I knew his right hand was wrapped around my neck.  I raised an eyebrow at him as he tried to strangle me.  “You evil little brat.”

          “That’s no way to speak to your bride to be,” I replied.  “You really shouldn’t be strangling me either, moron.”  I took my left hand and wrapped my fingers around Imhotep’s arm, removing it from my neck.  “Seriously?  How stupid are you?”

          “No wonder no man wants to marry you…. You’re an evil demon brat.”

          I laughed at his words, mockingly.  “Actually, you want to marry me…. Remember?”

          I could tell by his death stare that he was giving me that he wanted me out of his life.  Imhotep was a very easy read, especially for a wolf like myself and I was only giving him what he wanted.  Although, I was using it against him.  I knew I had ticked him off and there was really nothing for him to do about it.  I shrugged and left the room.

 

          I walked down the hall and looked up at the statue of Anubis.  He looked down at me with large evil eyes, angrily.  Something was off.  It was a statue, not the real Anubis…. Not the Anubis who said that I was his bride.  I started thinking back to that night.  It hit me that Anubis was trying to tell me something.  I think it had to deal with Imhotep which was strange but giving the current situation they seemed to be kind of alike.  I shook my head, growling.  Vanessa had told me something about Anubis not meaning what he had said and it was kind of like what Imhotep and I were doing to each other out of hatred.  Oddly, Anubis was predicting this situation.

          Niki walked out of a room and spotted me.  He walked over to me.  His expression was one of confusion.  “I need to talk to you.”

          I looked at my brother and nodded.  I followed him into a small room used for storing food.

          “Dad said that you were engaged to Imhotep?” he asked, confused.

          I nodded.

          “Why?  You two hate each other…. At least I thought that you hated each other…. Are you two actually---“

          I dropped my mouth, disgusted at the thought that Niki was trying to bring up.  Imhotep and I?  That was the worst thing that could have ever happen.  I shook my head.  “No…. No…. Ewe…. How could you say that?  Yes I hate Imhotep…. That hasn’t changed.”

          “Then why are you--- Do you feel lonely because I could try to find someone who….”

          “It’s not that either.”

          “Then what is it?”

          I sighed.  I knew that I couldn’t keep anything a secret from my brother.  We talked to each other about everything.  “I have a feeling that he’s trying to use me to get to Antinique and I’m going to let him so I can catch him in act…. And when I do I can act as if I was so in love with him that I would go to see him before he died…. That way I could watch him suffer and enjoy it without anyone else really knowing…. I know father won’t believe me if I caught Imhotep in the act so I figured this way I could use this as an excuse to give the guy no choice…. See hatred is like love, except you actually want the person to die.”  I smiled, evilly.

          “I see.”  Niki nodded then locked eyes with me.  “Good luck on this engagement.”

 

          Later on, Antinique walked into my room and walked over to my vanity.  I watched her from my bed eyeing her.  “Your father told me about your engagement to Imhotep.”  She turned to look at me with a smile.

          I faked a smile.  “I love him so much,” I lied.

          “Love is amazing, isn’t it?” she asked.

          “Yes it is.  It’s wonderful.”

          Antinique nodded.  “I can’t wait to see you two together.”

          The thought made me want to cringe but I kept my composure.  “I can’t wait for that moment either.”  I felt the nausea in the pit of my stomach as I spoke the words.  I kind of started regretting the idea of agreeing the fake engagement but it was too late and I wasn’t one to just back down.

          Antinique walked over to me and sat on my bed.

          I eyed her.  I didn’t want the woman anywhere near me but I had to play nice. 

“Your father’s planning another ball for you and Imhotep.”

Great, just what I need, I thought.  “That’s great.  I can’t wait.”  Then I realized the tone in her voice when she had mentioned Imhotep’s name.  I could sense the jealousy there.  I was kind of repulsed by the idea that any woman would find Imhotep attractive.  I was only lying so I could have my way but she apparently was feeling the same way that the man had for her.  I played it off though.  “We’re together forever,” I told her.  That was another lie I regretted but I had to act cool about it.

“That’s good.  Now maybe you can leave your father and me alone.”

I narrowed my eyes.  She was as bad as Imhotep.  How long would it take for them both to screw up?  “Well, now you can back off of my man.”  That was too far.  I didn’t like the last two words coming out of my mouth.  The nausea grew in my stomach and I shook my head.

Antinique dropped her mouth.  “I am in love with your father,” she told me.  “How could you think that I would want that man?  I will admit that he’s attractive but how can you just say that?”

I knew she was trying to throw me off guard with her words but I decided to just go with it.  “I’m sorry,” I replied.  “I’m just the jealous type and I’m not used to hear other woman talk about him.  I’m too jealous but I’m trying to work on it.”

Antinique gave me a look that meant she wasn’t really convinced but just went with it.  “I see,” she said.

I had wished she would just leave so I could hurry off and rinse out my mouth from talking about Imhotep in such a horrifying way.

“I’m glad that you two are together.”

I’m not, I thought.  “Me too.”

“Well, I was thinking that maybe we could get married the on the same day.”

I began choking on the thought.  “NO!” I exclaimed.  “I mean no.  We just got engaged and want to have time to plan for the wedding and…. I don’t want to ruin your wedding day to my father…. I mean that’s going to be your day, not mine.”  I scrunched up nose.  I couldn’t believe the words that were spilling out of my mouth.  I was really regretting agreeing to the engage now.  I hoped that I wasn’t going to have to really marry Imhotep and that him and Antinique would screw up soon because I would kill them both in order not to go on with the fake wedding.

Antinique nodded.

“Now could you please go?” I asked.  “I’d like some time to myself.”

“Okay.”  Antinique stood up and left the room.

I sighed.

“Going to marry a man whom you want to kill?” a voice asked.

I looked over into the dark corner and noticed the Grim Reaper had appeared again.  Man, this guy was really started to bug me.  “What do you want?”

He sighed.  “I’m counting down to the days…. What you’re doing with that guy is very horrible.”

“I know,” I agreed.  “Anyway you can kill him soon?”

Grim shook his head.  “That’s not what I meant.  You two are both evil and playing this horrible game against each other.  You both are going to end up in a very horrible place.”

I shrugged.  “I wouldn’t be engaged to him if I wasn’t waiting for him to screw up….”

Grim sighed again.  “You two are going to kill each other…. The game you’re playing is very deadly….”

“I can’t die….”

“Yes you can….  You think that you’re fine but really you’re not…. Just because you’re not fully human.”  With that he vanished.

I just stared at the dark corner, eyeing it.

The Engagement of Torcher

          I sat on my father’s throne.  He had gone out for some kind of meeting and I was bored.  I slouched down in the tall, comfortable small throne.  My back was hanging over the right arm of the chair while I had my legs hanging from the left arm of the chair.  I wore a small tiara around my head.  The tiara was made of gold and it went with my long black wig which fell down my back. 

My dress was long and had a few layers which opened until the last layer.  The top of my lovely gold dress was the lining of the gold crest and the sleeves touched my shoulders slightly.

“How’s my lovely little bride?” Imhotep’s sarcastic voice asked.

I rolled my eyes.  Since we weren’t around people, I figured that the act didn’t have to go on but for some reason the idiot found it to be fun and torturous.  “We’re alone so the act can stop.”

I felt Imhotep eyeing me at a distance, even though I didn’t bother to look at him.  “Don’t have to be so rude, princess.”

I flicked my right hand back at him to let him know that I didn’t care.  If anything, Imhotep was the last person I really didn’t to see.  “Something going on between you and my father’s bride?”

“What?  No.”  There was something in his tone that was telling me he was lying but I still couldn’t proof it even if I wanted to.  I needed proof myself to let everyone see the kind of man Imhotep really was.  “The only woman I want is you remember?” he replied again with that sarcastic tone in his voice.

“Whatever.”  I sat up and locked eyes with Imhotep.  “If you’re lying about you and my father’s prostitute bride, I will find out about it and I will let everyone know.  I will have you both murdered.”

Imhotep sighed.  “Well, princess, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Again we’re not really engaged and right now if you say one my sarcastic remark about the engagement I swear I will attack you right here and right now.”

Imhotep held up his hands as if he were breaking up an argument.  “Whatever you say, your highness.”

His mocking words were pushing my buttons.  I was growing so angry with them when my father and Antinique walked into the room.  Great, I thought.

“Aw the happy couple,” my father spoke with a smile.

I stood up from the throne and stepped down onto the ground.  Imhotep walked over to me and wrapped his left human arm around my body.  I looked at him, growling silently.  “You better remove that arm,” I whispered to him.

He looked down at me with fire in his dark brown human eyes.  “Just play along.”  We just eyed each other.

His human sent hit my nose and I had to resist the erg to attack.  I looked at his arm and snapped.  I swerved to the left and pushing Imhotep out of my way and turned toward his right arm.  I placed my hands on the lower half of his arm and bit into his human flesh.  The blood splattered all over the place and my dress was covered in blood.  The taste was so good I couldn’t stop myself.

“Let go of me,” Imhotep spoke as he continued to hit me off of his arm.

My grip grew tighter around his arm and my wolf fangs torn into his skin.  I couldn’t stop myself.  It was an enjoyable tasteful moment that nothing could ruin it.

“Stop, Nala,” Vanessa’s voice trailed behind me.

I kept feasting.  I felt a blast from behind me.  The pain hurt so bad.  I turned to face my attack, releasing Imhotep’s arm from my grip.

Vanessa stood eyeing me.

“What do you want?”

“This game that you two are playing has a horrible ending…. Not just for him but for you too.”

“I was enjoying a meal.”

Vanessa shook her head.  “That’s what you believe.  That’s what you think.”

I raised an eyebrow at Vanessa in confusion.  I had no idea what she was talking about.  I looked at Imhotep and realized that everything was in my head.  I hated moments like that.  Man, Vanessa was worse than I thought.  I had to get rid of her as soon as possible and I knew that killing her would be a bad idea because I would have had to kill myself in order to kill and I wasn’t one for suicide.  I had to figure out another way to eliminate her someway, somehow.  She was the only person I knew I couldn’t kill off.

My father and Antinique walked over to me and my unwanted groom.  That was when I noticed Imhotep and Antinique staring at each other with want in their eyes.  My father was too busy, even for a pharaoh, to notice what was going on, and also as a human, he wasn’t aware of the truth.  I could see it in their eyes.  Although, Imhotep knew that I was waiting for him to screw up, Antinique had no clue that I was onto her as well.  “Honey, can you go and get me a water lily?” Antinique asked my father.

“Of course,” he replied.  My father kissed Antinique’s cheek and then left the room.

I knew that was her way of getting rid of my father so I decided that I would play her little game before her and Imhotep could try to get rid of me as well.  “I would like some flowers too, sweetie,” I told Imhotep, wearing a fake smile on my face as I looked up at him.  The nausea began to fill my stomach again at the words.  I had wish that I hadn’t made that agreement.

“What kind of flowers would you like?” Imhotep asked.

“Papyrus,” I spoke quickly.

Imhotep and Antinique looked over at me confused.

I then remembered that papyrus dealt with fertility and something about life.  I couldn’t believe I had said that but I couldn’t back down.  “What?” I asked, rudely.

Imhotep sighed.  “Fine.”  He went to go kiss my cheek but I quickly pulled away from him, disgusted.

“Not until the wedding,” I replied, not helping the nausea feeling one bit.

Imhotep smiled a little.  Then left the room.

“You two make such a cute couple,” Antinique said, jealousy slightly hiding in her words.

I looked at her raising an eyebrow.  I could really care less.

My father walked in with a handful of beautiful bright yellow and blue flowers in his hand.  He walked over to Antinique and handed them to her.  “Here you go, my love.”

Antinique looked at the flowers and smiled.  “Thank you.”

Imhotep walked back into the room with green stemmed planets and walked over to me.  I looked at them.  “For you.”

“I don’t want those,” I replied.

Imhotep eyed me.

“I want water lilies.”

I could see Imhotep’s light colored skin become red with anger.  “Okay then,” he hissed.  He stormed out of the room and throw the papyrus to the ground as he left.

I couldn’t help but laugh.  This is kind of fun, I thought.

Imhotep walked back into the room not too long later with some beautiful water lilies and handed them to me.

I just stared at them.  I sighed and looked at Imhotep.  “I changed my mind…. I don’t want flowers anymore.”

Imhotep shot me the dirtiest look ever.  It looked as if he wanted to kill me.

I just shrugged it off.

My father and Antinique left the room while Imhotep kept eyeing me.  “You evil little---”

“Save it.”  That’s when that scream struck my ears again and I fell to the floor in pain.  I covered my ears to block out the noise.  I looked up at Imhotep who was just staring at me.  “Do something, you idiot….” I hissed at him.

“I don’t think so,” he mumbled under his breath.

Even with my ears buried under my hands I could still hear him.  The pain, the screaming…. I needed to know where that noise was coming from.  I knew that I was about one of the few who could possibly hear it.  It was so far away, but because of my supersonic wolf hearing, it sounded as if it were right next to me.

The Screaming

I was curled up, blocking my ears with my hands.  The blood curdling scream hadn’t stopped and I felt like an idiot, curled up in the fetal position.  The scream…. I yelled out in pain as if my insides were on fire.

Imhotep just stared at me like I was a moron.  Of course, he was human how could he understand my pain.  He couldn’t hear the screaming.

The odd thing about the screaming was that it didn’t even just sound like screaming.  It sounded like the Gods or Goddesses were torching the humans in some odd ritual that no human would ever understand.  The screaming…. I slowly rolled over on my knees, still covering my ears.  My body was bent over the ground as if I was caught up spit or blood.  It was painful.

Imhotep walked over to me and kicked my stomach.  I eyed him and the next thing I know the screaming had stopped as if he kicked the trigger or something to stop it from continuing.  “Get up, princess.”  He voice was odd to me.  It sounded strong, but not mocking like usual.

“I can’t….” I couldn’t move.  For some odd reason, I couldn’t feel my legs and I didn’t have the energy to stand.

Imhotep looked at me with a serious look but one that wasn’t mocking me.  Something strange was going on.  He grabbed my left arm and pulled me up to my feet.  He was helping me.  That was really strange.  There had to be something…. Something alarming going on.

A woman with a head of a lioness walked over to me.  Her face was made of brown fur and her human skin tone was dark brown.  She wore a long white dress which touched the ground.  The shoulders of the dress were attached by beads the filled the collar of the shirt.  She was the Goddess Sekhmet, another Egyptian Demon idol the humans worshipped.  She dealt with vengeance or something of the sort.  Like I said about Anubis, I could really care less.

I kind of started laughing.  I never cared about our culture and beliefs.  I felt that there was something wrong about them anyways.  “What do you want?”

Sekhmet stared at me with her black lion like eyes.  “You mock us, princess.  I bring you warning.”

I raised an eyebrow and sighed.  I was inhuman.  I couldn’t die.  At least, not as easily as my human victims.

Imhotep eyed me.

“I promise I’ll be a good little Egyptian,” I mocked the goddess as she eyed me.

“You will die, your highness.”

I smiled.  I could care less.  “Yea whatever.”

Sekhmet looked at Imhotep.  “You will join us soon.”

I looked over at Imhotep and I could see the fear in his eyes at her words.  I didn’t think that I had even seen Imhotep fear anything but that was the first time.  I looked back at the goddess but she was gone.  I laughed.  “You’ve been marked by death.”  I remembered what that dead servant girl had told me, “You are marked with death.” I shook my head to get those words out.

“Can you show a little more respect?”

“For those damn demons that you humans worship?  No.”

“They’re Gods and Goddess.”

I shook my head.  “They’re not…. They’re demons…. I have fear for the Hebrews’ God…. I mean He can destroy me more than they can….”

Imhotep looked at me, oddly.  He was confused.  “You believe in the Hebrews’ God?”

I thought about what I had said which confused me even more than it confused Imhotep.  That was when I realized that I wasn’t the only one in control of my body anymore.  “Get out of there Vanessa.”

Imhotep looked at me, even more confused than before.  He looked around the room, wondering who I was talking to.

“You can’t do this….”

“Who are you talking to, Nala?”

I looked at Imhotep and growled.  Thanks to Vanessa, now Imhotep knew my deepest darkest secret that not even Niki knew.  “No one,” I replied, covering for myself.  Now I really had to do something about her before she took over completely.  I closed my eyes.  When I opened them, Vanessa was standing in front of me.  “You need to stop messing everything up.”

“I’m doing what I can to keep us from getting murdered,” Vanessa replied.

“Murdered?” I asked.  “Only humans can get murdered…. We’re practically immortal.”

“No.”  Vanessa shook her head.  “We’re not…. We can die just like everyone else…. Human or not…. We’re not going to live forever…. We will die…. And honestly, I think that would be the best choice, because you’re killing off people and animals who don’t deserve it.”  She eyed me.  “You don’t realize it yet, but you’re a demon and a monster.”

I couldn’t believe the words that came out of Vanessa’s mouth.  That pushed me over the edge.  I grabbed Vanessa’s arm and dragged her to a room where she would have no way out…. Not even teleportation would help her this time.  “Hope you enjoy the darkness, Vanessa.”  I laughed evilly as I threw her into the room and closed the door, locking the key.  She was locked in the darkest part of my mind where she would stay forever.  I snapped back to reality and looked at Imhotep.  He was still giving me that strange, confused look.  “What?”

He shrugged as if he hadn’t noticed anything odd.

“Leave me alone, honey,” I spoke in a mocking tone then left the room.

 

          Later on that day, Niki and I stood in a large round room filled with statues of our “Gods and Goddesses” when Antinique walked in.  She was wearing a long gold dress which like before was kind of revealing.  I rolled my eyes at her.  “Prostitute,” I mumbled.

          Niki kind of laughed at what I had said.  I assumed that he was thinking the same thing.

          “Children,” Antinique told us.

          “We’re not children,” Niki replied, kind of growling at her words.

          “I’m sorry then…. Old man and…. Old maid.”

          “I’m not an old maid remember?  I’m going to be….” I could bring myself to say it again.  The nausea had worked its way into my throat and the thought was too sickening.

          “She’s going to be marrying Imhotep,” Niki replied, finishing for me.  Of course, he knew my plan and I knew that he wasn’t going to blow my cover.  “Whereas you’re going to be marrying our father.”

          Antinique bit her lip.  She couldn’t figure out what she wanted to say.  I took that as a good sign.

          “Antinique….” I began.

          “I would like it better if you call me mom…. Or something like that,” Antinique replied, faking a smile.

          “Well, you’re not our mother and so….” Niki started.

          “We’re going to call you….” I continued.

          “What we want to call….” Niki picked up where I ended.

          “You,” we both finished.

          “Okay, Antinique?” I asked.

          We could tell by Antinique’s expression that she was trying to keep that fake smile, even though the anger was building up inside of her.  “Okay.”

          “Kids one….” Niki told me, smiling.

          “Step-mother zero,” I replied, also smiling.

          Our father and Imhotep had walked into the room.  Something was up because Imhotep was keeping his distance from me unlike before.  My father walked over to Antinique and hugged her.  “Well, how are my children and my wife doing?” he asked.  Him and Antinique still weren’t married yet but he was just preparing us for when they were to be married.

          “We’re doing good, dad,” I lied, acting like an angel.

          Niki smiled.  “We’re getting to know each other.”

          My father looked at Antinique.  “Is that true?”

          Antinique faked another smile.  “Yea.”  I noticed that she moved her attention toward Imhotep and I could tell that they were planning something.  “Um…. I want to look around the palace…. You know to get use to everything.”

          “Okay.  Will you want someone to go with you?”

          “Yea.”

          “I’ll go with her, sir,” Imhotep replied and that was when I knew for certain that those two were up to no good.

          “Okay.  Imhotep will go with you.”

          Antinique smiled.  I noticed that her smile was fake like before and that her thoughts were pointing toward one thing: Imhotep.  “Okay.”

          Imhotep and Antinique left the room.  I watched them as they walked out the door.  I knew something was going on and I had a good feeling that I knew what it was.  “I’m getting tired,” I told my father and Niki as I pretended to be tired.  I headed for the door.  “I’m going to go to sleep.”

          “Okay.  Good night, Nala,” my father told me.

          “Good night, father.  Good night, Niki,” I told them.

          “Good night, Nala,” Niki replied.

          I left the room and followed Imhotep and Antinique’s scent.  I stayed hidden in the shadows, along the walls so that they wouldn’t see me.

          Imhotep smiled.  “I’m glad that you thought of this, Antinique.”

          Antinique shared the smile.  “Anything to be alone with you, Imhotep.  I hate them, especially the princess.”

          “I knew it,” I whispered to myself, while I stayed hidden from them.

          “I know,” Imhotep replied.  “I hate her as well…. And there’s no way she’s Egyptian, because she hates cats…. One time, I watched her eat a cat….”

          “THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH HATING CATS!!!” I exclaimed, loud enough to where Imhotep and Antinique could hear me.

          They looked up and around.

          I covered my mouth as fast as I could so that they wouldn’t realize that I was ease-dropping on them.

          Imhotep continued looking around although he didn’t move from his spot.  “Did you hear that?”

          Antinique also looked around, but she stayed close to Imhotep.  “Yea.”  She moved her attention back to the man.  “But who cares…. We should kill her.”

          “The ones who should die are the ones coming to lie,” I whispered to myself again.

 

          A couple of days had passed and I was in the throne room, talking to Simba.  Apparently, he didn’t know anything about my engagement to Imhotep and I planned on keeping that way.  He didn’t need to know anything anyways.  He was an idiot and he was more for helping others rather than killing them so I could care less about him.  “What do you have against Imhotep and Antinique, Nala?” he asked.

          “Antinique is having an affair with Imhotep,” I replied.  I was still trying to figure out how to let my father know and how to make a big deal about it as if I was in love with Imhotep and the thought of him with another woman was so heart breaking that even though he commented the crime I would still want to be there to say goodbye and to see him for one last time.... That way I could laugh and watch them suffer and enjoy the moment of their deaths, but I still had to figure out how?

          Simba shook his head.  “No, she’s not.”

          “Yes, she is.”

          “If they were, it would show.”

          I couldn’t believe how naïve my brother was.  “You’re blind…. You don’t see it, because you’re not a saiyan…. And you’re not evil….”

          “That’s not true, Na---“

          “You know what, Simba, the next time you say something against me…. I’ll have you locked up.”

          “You won’t do that to me…. Because I’m your older brother.”

          I eyed Simba.  “Try me.”

          Imhotep walked into the room.

          I faked a smile so he wouldn’t know that I know.  “Oh, Imhotep.  We were just talking about you.”

          Imhotep smiled.  “You were?”

          “Yes, sir.”

          “Oh.  Good to know.”

          I started drooling as Imhotep walked away.  His flesh was calling to me.  The human meat which I wanted to taste so bad was temping me.  I couldn’t stop the urge.   I had to at least try.  “He looks good enough to eat,” I told Simba.  “A wolf can get foul on one of his arms…. I’ll be right back.”  My inhuman mind wanted to taste one bit of the man’s arm.  I started to follow Imhotep.

          I felt Simba’s eyes staring at me like I was crazy.

          Imhotep stopped and turned to look at me.  “Oh, Princess Nala.  What do you want?”

          “Your arm to eat….” I told myself.  “Nothing,” I replied to Imhotep.

          “Oh.”  He turned back around and I bit into his lower left, muscular arm.  Before I could really stick my wolf fangs into his skin he smacked my nose.

          I released his arm and covered my nose.  I couldn’t believe that jerk wouldn’t let me feast.  I was hungry and I wanted to try some human meat.  I walked back over to Simba, ticked off.  I moved my hand away from my nose, the anger grew inside of me.  “He smacked me.”

          “You bit him,” Simba replied, pretending to laugh.

          “GUARDS, LOCK MY BROTHER UP!” I exclaimed, pointing to my brother who wouldn’t take my side for nothing.

          Simba was surprised by my action.  I didn’t know why though.  “I can’t believe that you’re going to have me locked up.”

          I looked at my nails.  “I told you, but you didn’t believe me.”

          The guards arrived and carried Simba out of the room.  I sighed and looked over at Imhotep who was leaving the room, angry. 

The Dream

          I lay on my bed for a while, staring at the top of the canopy around my bed.  I was tired and tried to fall asleep but for some reason sleep wasn’t happening.  I kept thinking about what I would do to fool the humans, including my father, making them believe that it hurt me so bad knowing that Imhotep was with another woman and not just any woman but my future step-mother.  I was good at deceit but for some reason I could think of any good ideas that would help my lies.  Finally, I felt my eyes drifting off and darkness slowly fell upon me.

 

          I stood looking at Antinique and Imhotep.  Their human scent was taunting me to attack and feast upon their human flesh.  I wanted to devour my enemies as my inhuman mind took over and I would attack to eat both, but instead I stood at the throne and smiled at them evilly.  “You two are food and I will finally destroy both of you by feasting on your human flesh and bones.”

          “You’re a demon,” Imhotep told me, giving me a look of hatred.

          I smiled at his words.  “And you are an adulterer…. Fair is fair.”

          “I hope you suffer,” Antinique spat.

          I raised an eyebrow.  “For what? I have done nothing wrong.”

          The couple eyed me.  They both were wishing death to me but I knew I couldn’t die.

          I worked my way down the steps which lead to the throne and slowly walked over toward them.  I stood in front of Imhotep.  I gave him an evil, flirtatious smile.  “Now I can play my part of the fiancée who had just found out that the man who I was so madly in love with lied to me.”

          Imhotep’s face changed to red with rage.  He was angry with me.  “I hope you burn in---”

          “Not nice words to say to the woman who you were going to vow to spend the rest of your life with,” I mocked with an evil smile.  I turned my attention toward Antinique.  “And you…. Oh the other woman…. Tragic…. The two lovers die together….” My snout began to growl, revealing my fangs and I jumped at Antinique when Imhotep knocked me to the ground.  His arms held me down as he sat on top of me.

          “How dare you?” he asked.  His rage was tempting me to fight back but I was letting him have the upper hand for the moment.

          I smiled, evilly looking up into his human brown eyes.  “You started this game first…. I’m just playing along….”

          His eyes burnt into mine and I laughed.

          “Saiyans…. Don’t you wish you could be one just like me?”

          He pinned my arms to the ground to keep me from fighting back.

          My evil laughter continued.  “Jealousy…. Jealousy…. Oh what fun is jealousy?” I lost my laugh as I began to growl.  “You can’t keep me down forever, human…. I’m a million times stronger than you and you know it.”  I pushed my arms up, shoving Imhotep back.  I flew over to him and held him up in midair.  “Look it here…. I have the upper hand.”  I threw him into a wall.

          “AAAAAAHHHHHH!!! IMHOTEP!!!” Antinique’s fearful voice called from behind.

          I teleported over to the broken man and picked him up again.  I hadn’t broken any bones, sadly but he was badly injured.  I threw him into the wall again.

          “IMHOTEP!!!” Antinique screamed again.

          I smiled as I watched him slowly push himself up from the ground and work his way to up on his knees.  It wasn’t hard to tell that he was in pain.  “I know my father told me to never play with my food before I eat it but this is just too much fun.”  I laughed, evilly.  I flew as quickly as I could to Imhotep and landed in front of him.  He looked up at me with eyes begging for mercy.  I raised an eyebrow.

          “Please let me live,” he begged.  Tears were filling his eyes which kind of confused me, knowing the kind of heartless man he was.

          “I don’t think so.”  I let my wolf fangs grow into my mouth, keeping my human from on the outside as I leaned against the man, holding down his arm.  Drool filled my mouth as I looked at his juicy human flesh.  I brought the top half of his arm to my mouth but as soon as I brought his bicep to my mouth someone pulled me back by the collar of my dress.

          “Leave the humans alone,” Tommus’s voice came from behind me.  “They don’t need to be treated like this.”

          “But---”

          “Thank you, Tommus,” Imhotep replied.

          “Imhotep get Antinique out of here,” Tommus told him.  “I have to deal with my cousin.”

          Imhotep bowed his head.  The scene went pitch black although I could still feel Tommus’s presence among me.  I turned to face him.  The next thing I knew we were standing in some kind of arena.  It was empty and desert.  No one was around for miles and there was no telling where we were at all.  Tommus held a sword in his hand.  It was a long, slim sword with a sharp sliver blade.  “Nala,” he spoke calmly in that tone which was one that I hated from him or anyone else with a kind heart, “please stop doing this.”

          “Doing what?”

          “Murdering, harming humans…. What else is there?” He looked sad and lost.  He closed his eyes and sighed.  “That’s not a path you want to go down.”

          “Whatever.”  I pulled out a sword right from out of nowhere as I looked at Tommus.  The sword didn’t look any different from the one Tommus held in his hand.  “Fight me.”

          “I’m not going to fight---”

          “Okay fine but I will kill you for letting my food escape.”  I swung my sword and Tommus blocked the attack.  I could tell by his eyes that he didn’t want to fight but he had no choice.  I swung again and again he blocked.  Then again and again.  Finally, I had the upper hand.

          My cousin lay on the ground.  He stared up at me as I went to swing the sword…. It went black and when the light appeared I was looking at my lifeless body lying on the ground.  Tommus’s stared with tears in his eyes as he looked down at me....

 

 

          I shot up on my bed and looked around.  The sunlight shone into the room.  It was morning.  I sighed, closing my eyes.  I kind of laughed.  It was just a dream…. Of course it was just a dream…. I’m not human, I can’t die.  I climbed out of the bed and walked over to my vanity.  I sat on the chair and looked into the mirror.  I stared at myself in the mirror when I see a dark figure in the corner.  I figured who it was.  “What do you want?” I asked, rudely.

          “Times ticking, your highness,” Grim replied.

          I kind of laughed.  “Yea whatever.”

          “Be careful…. You do not want to temp God.”  He vanished.

          I felt fear growing inside of me at what he had said about the Hebrew’s God.  Something really started to bug me or scare me about the name.  Not the name…. I didn’t even know much about the Hebrew’s God and their beliefs to feel threatened.  I decided to shrug it off and prepare for the day.

 

                                                            ******

          I walked down the hall and knocked onto the door which lead to Niki’s chambers.  Niki opened it and looked at me.  “Good morning, sis.”

          “Good morning.”

          “Why are you up this early?  You usually don’t walk up until the noon.”

          I sighed.  “I had kind of an odd nightmare….”

          Niki raised an eyebrow, confused.  “Nightmare?  What has you so spooked?  You’re fearless.”

          I looked at Niki and something from my eyes told him that it was bad…. Beyond bad.

          “Tell me about it.”

          “Well,” I began to tell him about how I stood in front of Imhotep and Antinique and confronted them about the affair then I went into the detail about me attacking Antinique and then Imhotep.  “That was when Tommus arrived,” I continued, telling him everything that had happened in the dream.  “I had the upper hand in the fight when everything went black and when the light came in....” I couldn’t bring myself to say it.  “I saw my body lying lifelessly on the ground and Tommus was looking down at me…. Then I woke up.”

          Niki laughed.  “Don’t worry, sis, we can’t die…. We’re almost immortals to the humans…. We’re practically like the Gods and Goddesses to them.”

          I smiled at his words but then I noticed Grim was standing in Niki’s room, shaking his head slowly.  I closed my eyes for a brief moment and when I opened them Grim had disappeared.  He was good at that.  “Niki,” I said, changing the subject, “I need help…. I caught Antinique and Imhotep in the act of having an affair and plotting to murder me…. I want to make my act look good for when I tell father and before I tell him…. I’m going to have a little chat with my ‘fiancé.’”

          I watched Niki make a face which told me that he was thinking.  His eyes darted around the room for a little while as he thought.  He then sighed and turned his attention toward me.  “I’m sorry, sis, but I don’t know what to tell you.”

          I kind of bit my lip.  “Thanks anyways.”

          “No problem.”

 

 

          I sat in a room which alligators walking around when a small, dark green, scaly one walked over to me.  I rolled my eyes when I seen her.  She was the worst creature in the palace.  “Princess Nala,” she spoke.

          It didn’t surprise me any.  The animals around Egypt could communicate with anyone.  That was if they choose to which most of them went one living like normal animals.  “Not a good time, Ally.”

          “So I heard about your engagement to Lord Imhotep.”

          “He’s not a Lord,” I spat out, angrily.

          “Wow did you two get into a fight or something?”

          I narrowed my eyes at the dumb gator.  “No…. Not only that but this….” I decided not to tell her about the engagement being a lie because she was a loud mouth gator who couldn’t keep secrets and she would have ruined my plan.  “I’m just not in a good mood.”

          “You’re never in a good mood…. Which reminds me…. I think that you need to stop murdering the humans…. They do nothing to you.”

          “Oh what do you know?  You’re just a damn animal.”

          Ally dropped her mouth in disgust.  “I can’t believe that you---”

          “Get out of my face or I’ll kill you too.”

          Ally stared at me with shock for a few minutes then turned around and walked away.

          “Dumb gator,” I mumbled to myself.  I stood up and left the room.

 

 

          I stood in the throne room, waiting for Imhotep.  I was growing impatient with waiting for him to arrive.  I had scent for him about an hour before and time was ticking.  “Where is he?” I asked myself, ticked off.  “He should be in here right now.  I should have had him killed then and….”

          Imhotep walked into the room, smiling.  “Princess Nala, you wanted to see me?”

          “Yes I did,” I answered as I sat down on my father’s throne.

          “What did you want to tell me?”

          “Actually…. I wanted to talk about you and my step-mother.”

          Imhotep lost his smile.  He was looking at me with an inquisitive look which had a suspicious quality as well.  “Why not anyone else in Egypt?”

          “Because you two want me dead.”

          “Who doesn’t, your highness?” Imhotep joked.

          I pretended to laugh.  “That’s funny.  I know you two plan on killing me and not only that, but your helping my step-mother cheat on my father…. Don’t play dumb, Imhotep.  You know it’s true.”

          “Fine.  I’ll tell the truth.  Yes I am helping your step-mother cheat on your father.”  He began begging me, pleadingly.  “Please, don’t tell him.”

          I dropped my mouth as if I hadn’t known.  “I knew it.”  I stood up.  “I can’t believe you want me to lie to my father.”

          “We’ll get along better,” Imhotep tried to convince me.

“You’ll still want me dead.”

“Lying on roses as your bed,” Imhotep replied off in some strange and evil day dream.

          “Stay away from me if you want to live.  I’ll eat you,” I warned him.

          “Why are you so mean to people, princess?  You threaten everyone you meet and you bit me.  You attack as if you have rabies and you kill babies.”

          I turned to face Imhotep, ticked off.  He had gone too far.

          Imhotep picked up a small dagger and threw it at me.

          I moved out of the way and grabbed the handle as it went flying past me.  “You were just going to kill me….” I broke the dagger.  “Shame on you.”

          Imhotep left.

          A servant girl with light brown hair and blue-green eyes ran into the room and over to me.  Imhotep had followed her back into the throne room.  “Prince Niki….” She tried to breathe.

I looked at her, confused.

“He’s….”

“Spit it out, human,” I growled.

“He’s dead.”

I felt my heart drop.  I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.  He was like me, inhuman.  How could he be dead so easily?

Imhotep looked at the girl and kind of bowed.

“What do you mean?  Dead?” I asked.

“He just dropped dead…. His heart stopped and he’s not breathing…. There was nothing else anyone could do to save him.”  The girl began crying, tears fell down her face as she spoke.  “I am so sorry about your brother, your highness.”

“Leave me and the princess,” Imhotep told the girl as he walked over to me and hugged me.

I couldn’t fight.  I just stood there in pure shock.  It wasn’t possible.  Niki couldn’t be dead.  He just couldn’t.

The human girl left the room and Imhotep’s evil laughter filled the air as he leaned closer to me.  His breath was breathing in my ear.  “It looks like you’re not as immortal as you thought,” he whispered.  “You better hope that you kill me first, your highness.”  He left the room.

I fell back into the throne as the thoughts played in my mind.  It wasn’t possible.  Niki wasn’t dead.  I wasn’t willing to accept that.

“I told you, your highness,” Grim replied, revealing himself in the corner.  His voice matched his dull, depressing cloak.  “You can’t tempt God.  Playing with your life isn’t something you really want to do and if you don’t stop you will end up with your brother.”

The Heart Broken Princess

          I slammed Grim into the wall, holding onto the collar of his black cloak.  Rage had taken over.  “You killed my brother?”

          Grim didn’t reply he just looked at me with sad eyes of darkness.

          Imhotep walked into the room and found my fist keeping Grim pinned to the wall.  He raised an eyebrow in confusion.  “What are you doing, your highness?  And who is this?”

          I turned my head to look at Imhotep.  I knew he could see the anger in my eyes.  “This is the Grim Reaper…. The one who killed my brother.”

          Grim sighed with sadness.

          “Well, in that case,” Imhotep replied with a smile, “I am a new fan of yours, Mr. Reaper.”

          I rolled my eyes.  I should have known that he was going to say something like that.  I looked back up at Grim who looked at Imhotep with a grim expression.  I went to go speak but Grim had cut me off.

          Grim sighed.  “You are next,” he told Imhotep.

          I felt Imhotep loose the evil smile he wore on his face and now his expression was something dealing with worry and fear.

          Grim vanished out of my hands and I turned my attention toward Imhotep and smiled slightly.  “That means you’re going to die next and we all knew that was coming…. I mean once word gets out to my father that you and his wife to be are betraying him…. Well, let’s face it you won’t be here much longer…. At least, not alive.”  I laughed evilly.

          I could see flames in Imhotep’s eyes as he grew angry at my words.

 

 

          I stood leaning against a wall, waiting to preform my scene as Niki walked over to me.  I shook my head doing a double take.  My death brother was in front of me.  “Niki?” I asked him, more shocked than anything.

          Niki tilted his head in confusion as he looked at me.  He raised an eyebrow to show his confusion.  “Yes?”

          “You’re not---- Never mind.”  I kind of laughed.

          “Not what?” he asked.

          “Just forget it.”

          “Princess Nala, Prince---” Imhotep spoke as he began to walk into the other room.  His eyes revealed the same shock I had felt when I had seen Niki as well.  “Niki?”

          “What, Imhotep?”

          “You’re---- I thought…. You were…. They said…..”

          “Whatever.”  Niki walked off.

          “You’re going down,” I told Imhotep.

          “Whatever.”  Imhotep walked into the room, leaving me alone.

          I gave myself a minute and took a deep breath.  Here I gelf a minute and took a deep breath.o, I thought.

 

 

          I hurried into the throne room, tears falling from my eyes as I looked up at my father.  My time had come to reveal the evils off my two most hated enemies and I was going to make it look good.

          “What’s wrong, Nala?” my father asked.  I could hear the concern growing in his voice it was strange coming from him.  He never had to worry about me because of the fact I was inhuman and powerful but this to him was something to be worried about.  No one, not even my father, had ever seen in tears before.

          I looked over at Antinique who wore a confused expression on her face.  She had no idea what was going on and the smell of fear grew stronger in her human scent.  I quickly moved my gaze to Imhotep who stood to the left of my father’s throne and I could see fear in his eyes as well as smell it radiating from his body heat.  I moved my gaze back to my father who stood in the middle of both of them.  “These two,” I cried, my voice growing high with more forced tears falling from my eyes.  “They both lied to us, father…. They’re having an affair.”

          I could see Antinique’s mouth drop from shock.  She had no idea that I had known.

          Imhotep, on the other hand, was turning steaming red hot from anger, making the fear growing inside of him even worse.

          My father stared at me in pure shock.  He didn’t know how to react to the news.

          “I watched them with my own eyes…. They’re even plotting to kill me.”

          My father said nothing.  The room grew quiet.  I could hear the beating hearts from each individual person as I stood there, waiting for someone to speak.  Antinique and Imhotep’s hearts were pounding faster and faster as the fear from both of them raised higher in their human bodies.  My father’s heart stopped, it sounded as if it dropped from its place inside of him and hit the bottom of his foot.

          I watched with the part of my right eye as Imhotep gained his posture and turned toward my father.  “It’s not true,” he lied.  “She’s lying, pharaoh.”

          I looked over at Imhotep and slightly shook my head as I locked eyes with the human man.

          “She tried to attack Antinique,” Imhotep replied.

          “Is that true?” my father’s voice had dropped along with his heart.  I didn’t know if he was talking to me or to the two standing next to him.

          “Only because I knew what was going on, father,” I replied, making my lie sound more convincing than before.

          My father stared at me with heartbroken eyes.

          “That was before---” Imhotep stopped himself before he revealed the truth to my father.

          My father turned to Imhotep, confused and hurt.  “Before what, Imhotep?” he asked.  His voice sound so far away even though he was in the same room.

          “Nothing, pharaoh.”

          “You see,” I replied, “he lies.  The man I’m so madly in love with lies.”

          I could feel Imhotep’s eyes burn into my skin as I stared at my father.  The man knew this was part of my plan and he couldn’t believe how well I was pulling off the act of such a heartbroken princess.

          “I love you too much to go behind your back, Ramos,” Antinique finally spoke, tears in her eyes.

          My father looked into her eyes and I could tell that he wasn’t falling for it.  My plan was working.  “You’re lying.”

          I kind of smiled to myself but quickly went back to my depressed stage of sadness.  “I’m so sorry you had to find out this way, father.”

          My father looked at me and I could tell that he was buying into my cold hearted lies.  He took a deep breath and exhaled.  “GUARDS!” he called, his voice echoed through the almost empty room.

          About four sets of guards entered the room from a side entrance.  They stopped and stood in front of my father.

          “Arrest Antinique and Imhotep for betraying me and my daughter and place them on death row for threatening the life of my daughter as well.”

          Two sets of guards walked up the steps.  One set walked over to Antinique whereas the other set walked over to Imhotep.

          “Father,” I spoke almost in a barely audible whisper, “even though Imhotep has broken my heart I want to see him when they are to be murdered….” I locked eyes with Imhotep, letting him see the victory in my eyes.  “I want to say good bye to him anyways.”

          My father stood still, considering my quest.  He nodded.  “Very well, but I will not be there…. I have better things to worry about.”

          The guards walked past me dragging Antinique past me then Imhotep.  I blew Imhotep a kiss out of victory.  I had won and he had lost.  It was a brilliant way to send him a mocking message that he had messed with the wrong girl.  “Bye, Imhotep.”

 

 

          I had followed Imhotep and Antinique as the guards dragged them to the cells and placed them together in one of the empty cells.  I watched as the guards walked away.  I began to laugh.  “Don’t you just love this?” I asked.

          Imhotep eyed me with anger and hatred.  Antinique began crying.

          “What are you talking about?  We’re going to die because of you.” Imhotep’s tone was filled to the top with anger still bottled up.

          “That’s because I won…. But at least you still have each other right?”

          “You evil little brat,” Antinique spat out.

          “Oh that reminds me…. How did you two like my little act?  Did I pull it off or what?”

          Imhotep jumped up and rushed over to the opening of the bars to the cell door.  He tried to reach for me but I quickly took a step back.

          I kind of laughed.  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

          “I hate you,” Imhotep spoke.

          “The feeling’s mutual…. Now don’t disturb the other prisoners with any of that…. You know…. Just because you’re left alone with a prostitute doesn’t mean that you two can actually do that…. Kind of stuff…. As a princess, I don’t like to speak of it because it’s not proper language for me…. But you two know what I mean…. Besides as an evil princess I could care less because all I really want is death and murder to those like the two of you.”

          Imhotep shook his head.  “You’re evil….” I watched his gaze move away from mine.  I turned to my right and there out of nowhere like always was the Grim Reaper.  I really, really hated that guy.  “Don’t kill me yet….”

          “You still have a few days left, Imhotep.  Besides, I’m here to talk to her highness,” Grim spoke with death chilling words.

          “Who are you two looking at?” Antinique asked, confused.

          Neither I nor Imhotep answered her question we just kept our attention on the only walking skeleton that brought death to anyone or anything.

Grim’s eyeless sockets stared at Imhotep then moved over to me.  “Come, princess.  We have much to discuss.”

I glanced over at the couple in the cell then back to Grim.  I would rather not be around any of them for any longer but I had a feeling that Grim wouldn’t leave me alone.  I took a deep breath and sighed.  “Fine.”

 

 

I walked alongside Grim down the long, drooling hallway.  It was lit with candles.  We walked in silence for a while.  Go figure…. He wanted to talk to me but had nothing to say.  I shook my head and sighed.

“Anubis is threatening to drag you to Hell…. He wants to teach you a lesson…. Like the others…. He’s a demon…. He works for the devil himself….”

I laughed.  “Whatever…. He said himself that I was his bride….”

“He didn’t mean it.”  Grim looked at the walls.  “He wants you dead….”

“How do you know this if you work for the Hebrews’ God?”

“I know these things…. I’m the Angel of Death…. I can predict the future and read the minds of others…. I don’t always let my abilities take the best of me, unlike some people,” he spoke, his tone was pointing fingers at me.  “But when there’s trouble I need to know….  Sadly, whether Anubis does drag you to Hell when you die…. That’s where you’ll end up anyways.”

I kind of laughed.  “Yea right.”

“You are an adult physically but still like a child.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, anger grow in my voice.

“Your arrogance will be your downfall, child.”

“Whatever…. You don’t know anything your just a dumb angel who likes to ruin peoples’ lives….”

“I don’t enjoy killing…. I hate knowing when I have to take someone’s life…. It’s my job though…. I’m happy for those when I know that one day they’ll get to live in Heaven with the Living God…. While others such as yourself will burn in Hell…. I hate to be that frank but that’s what’s going to happen whether you believe it or not….”

I rolled my eyes.  He was starting to really bug me with his nonsense.

“You, on the other hand, use murdering as a game…. You just don’t care…. I’m trying to warn you but you could careless…. Imhotep and Antinique don’t deserve to die because of their affair…. No one deserves to die for their sins…. Everyone deserves the chance for forgiveness but you haven’t figured that out yet….” Grim’s voice dropped.  “I pity you.”

“I could care less.”

“Okay…. It’s your life…. But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”  With that he vanished into midair.

I shook my head.  I didn’t care about what he had to say.

Declare War

I sat in a chair which was small and round.  The back of the chair curled inward.  It was made of a shiny brass material.  There were no arms on either side.  I sighed and closed my eyes.

“Nala,” I heard my Uncle Maxumous speak as if he were standing right next to me but when I opened my eyes he was a few feet heading toward me.  “I need to speak with your father.”

“Why?  So you can convince him to have me killed?” I asked, eyeing the man.

He narrowed his eyebrows with worry.  “No, why would---”

“I heard you talking to Tommus, Death, and Madeline…. You’re planning on killing me.”  I jumped out of my chair and stared my uncle down.

He sighed.  “It’s not you we want to kill….”

I raised an eyebrow in confusion.  He wasn’t lying but I knew what I heard the day I had listened to their conversation.

“There’s good inside of you…. I just know it but you’re controlled by some kind of demon or creature of an evil spirit…. Nala, we want to kill whatever is inside of you but we don’t really want to kill you…. It’s kind of twisted.”

I kind of laughed, shaking my head.  “Whatever…. I’m fine and there’s nothing inside of me…. I do what I want when I---”

Grim stood behind my uncle a long side Niki which had me more confused then my conversation with my uncle.  Grim had placed his long, bony white right pointer finger over his mouth telling me to be silent.

I stared at him in confusion.

“Nala?” my uncle had asked but I ignored him the same way Imhotep and I had ignored Antinique.

“Whatever…. Go talk to my father…. I don’t care…. But I will kill you all before you guys get the chance to kill me.”  I walked away as I followed Grim and Niki to an odd place in the palace.  It was dark and chili which was odd.  It was an empty room which no one ever entered.  It was a room I had never even been in myself.  “Where are we?”

Grim sighed.  “This is where the dead come.”

“But I’m not dead and Niki’s not---”

“This guy thinks he knows everything,” Niki interrupted.  “He told me that I’m dead.  HA!  If I’m dead then why am I here now?”

Grim shook his head.  “The both of you are arrogant.  Niki, you can believe whatever you want but believe me you are no longer---”

“Blah blah blah…. Whatever.”

Grim covered his eyes with his long, white, bony left hand.  “You see you don’t listen and you, Nala…. You are having fun now but wait till you find out what happens on life’s terms…. Believe me you will not like it…. You will come to see me and I will have to drag you to a place you do not want to go…. I’m letting your brother walk around here so that you two can go together and suffer…. You know that scream you keep hearing?”

I nodded, kind of shocked that he knew about it. 

“It’s demons toying with the dead humans…. The same demons who are coming to talk to you, your highness…. They’re waiting for you…. And what they want to do is something that no human or saiyan has ever even heard of…. It’s torcher worse than anything that you could do to the living humans on this planet and what’s worse is most of those humans are humans who you have taken their lives away from…. Only God can create life and only He can destroy it….” Grim shook his head again.  “You are not a goddess…. You are not immortal…. You are just as fragile as those humans are…. You just don’t see it yet…. Your highness, if you were to ever understand what’s going on then you wouldn’t be doing half the crap that you’ve been doing.”

I just kept my eyes locked on Grim as he spoke.  I couldn’t believe have the stuff that he was saying but I was filling fear in my heart from the sound of his words.  I felt my heart beat faster and faster.  The pounding started to feel as if at some point and time my heart was going to burst through my chest.

“This is a serious matter, your highness.  If you don’t---”

“Stop…. Just stop talking,” I retorted.  I locked eyes with the skeleton and it felt like his eyeless sockets were staring into my sole.

“Feeling fearful?” he asked.

“No,” I denied, keeping myself as calm physically as I could.

“The devil fears God, child…. You do know that right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Grim kept quiet for a moment then he sighed.  “I think you do.”

“No…. It’s nothing…. Look I need to get to my father…. Coming, Niki?”

“No, I’m going to stay here for a bit and check out this room.”

I nodded.  “Okay.”

 

I walked into the throne room and noticed that my uncle was there alongside Tommus.  They both stood in front of my father.  “Ramos,” my uncle spoke, “please we need to do something about this.”

My father shook his head.  “No.  I will not let anything happen to Nala.  I already lost my son; I’m not going to lose my daughter because you two believe that she’s a demon.”

“But hear me out, brother….”

“No.”

My uncle shook his head.  “Then what’s going to happen when Egypt is completely destroyed?”

“Good question but I refuse to let you two get away with trying to murder my daughter.”

“You must do something to stop this madness.”

“I will do something…. I’m declaring war against you, Maxumous, and Tommus.”

“What?” Tommus asked in sheer shock.

“I will fight alongside you, father, to keep these two from doing whatever it is that they’re plotting against me,” I spoke up, letting them know that I was in the room.

“Ah,” my father replied as he smiled at me, “my daughter.”

“No, Nala,” Tommus whispered as he turned to face me.  I saw the worry in his eyes.

“Yes, I will fight along with Niki.”

My father, my uncle, and Tommus all stared at me in confusion but I didn’t know why.  I looked over to my left and Niki had been standing beside me.

“What are you talking about?” my uncle asked.

“Fighting in the war….”

“Not that…. Niki?”

Niki nodded and I turned my attention back toward the others.  “Of course,” I replied.

“Nala, Niki’s…. Never mind,” my father had cut himself off.

“You declared war against your own brother?” Ally’s voice asked, echoing through the room.  “How can you do that?”

“Stupid gator,” I muttered under my breath.

My uncle and Tommus turned their attentions toward her, both feeling the same way she had.  My uncle walked over to her and kneeled down, placing a hand on the left side of her snout.  “It’s unbelievable to me too,” he told her as if he were talking to a child.

Ally shook her head as she looked at my father.  “Pharaoh…. You’re making a big mistake.”

“Mistake?” my father asked, spitting out a laugh.

Ally nodded then her gaze moved over to me.  “And you…. If you fight in this war, princess, then the one thing of value to you will be lost.”

I raised an eyebrow in confusion to her words.

“I know you don’t understand but bad things happen in wars…. People die…. Just because you choose to fight doesn’t mean that you’ll win…. I don’t know the outcome but you must think of the consequence to your action…. If I must choose a side, then I choose to fight with Maxumous,” she told my father as her gazed moved back toward him.  “I’m sorry, pharaoh, but I will not fight with someone who has evil thoughts…. Plotting to murder others for the fun of it…. And I hope that this war is a lesson to you…. I hope that the one thing that you and your daughter don’t plan on happen happens…. Life will take control and no matter what you two believe invincibility isn’t going to be a part of it.”

I kind of smirked.  I didn’t believe a word coming out of the gators mouth and I didn’t believe that she should be able to talk for such a dumb animal which was basically blind anyways.  “You have no idea what you’re saying…. You’re just a fool for believing any different, Ally.”

“I’m a fool?  Your highness, you have no room to talk for such an evil princess who is just going to wind up in tomb…. I’m trying to warn you what will happen…. You’re foolish and naïve…. I hope you die…. Not for evil but for good…. I hope that the humans can go on living a normal life without fear of such an evil creature such as yourself…. You’re demon in human form…. You do the will of evil and could care less about anyone else…. I’m sorry you’ll have to learn the hard way.”

“GUARDS?!” I called, waiting for someone to come but no of them appeared which ticked me off even more.  “GUARDS?!”

“Ally’s right, Nala,” Tommus replied.

I shook my head at his words.  “She’s wrong and your wrong….” I smiled evilly as I locked eyes with my cousin.  “I want you to be the first one I fight in the war…. I have a good feeling about fighting you, cousin…. And I will enjoy watching you suffer at my hand.”  I laughed evilly then teleported myself out of the room.

 

          I stood on my balcony and looked around the quiet empty streets of my beautiful city.  I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to kill Tommus in the war.  He was going to be my first victim and the thought was enjoyable.  I hated him for his love and compassion which he would show to anyone he met.  It sickened me.

          “Your father declared war against your own uncle,” I heard Grim say behind me.  “You have no idea what you’re in for.”

          “Yes I do,” I replied as a smile grew on my face.  “I’m going to kill my cousin and I believe he’d be an easy target because of the fact that he’s so soft hearted and caring…. Pfft.  I’ll destroy the moment we’re face to face.”

          “You really think it’s going to be that simple?”

          “I don’t think I know.”  I turned to face the Grim Reaper with an evil smirk on my face.

          “Don’t underestimate your enemy.  I have seen the future, I know what’s coming and the end result isn’t what you’d expect.”

          I kind of laughed and rolled my eyes as he talked.

          “Take it as a joke…. But you don’t know what you’re dealing with…. Remember your cousin is just like you…. He’s inhuman too…. He will fight but unlike you he chooses when he needs to use his inhuman abilities…. Your time is coming…. You will not like the result.”  With that Grim was gone.

          I kind of laughed again as I shook my head.  I didn’t have to listen to that.  He was just trying to convince that I was wrong and of course I knew I wasn’t.  I always got my way and I wasn’t about to let some stupid skeleton in a dress tell me otherwise.

 

          A few had past and I walked into the dungeons, followed by four guards.  I stopped in front of Imhotep and Antinique’s sell as I smiled and crossed my arms.  “Guess what day it is?” I asked, laughing evilly.

          Imhotep and Antinique each glared at me with an evil look which meant that they wanted to kill me but for them it was too late.

          “You two get to spend the last few moments of your lives together as we walk into the mummification room which by the way I’m going to have these four guards kill you both…. Doesn’t that sound like fun?” I laughed devilishly.

          “You evil little brat,” Imhotep spat out.

          “Evil?” I continued laughing.  “Well I guess you can say that but if it wasn’t for your slip up the two of you wouldn’t be here now…. Would you?” I snapped my fingers at the guards to unlock the sell and place shackles around their wrists.

Justiciable Evil

          I led the guards toward the mummification room as Niki made his way toward us.  I stopped walking, making the guards slow down as the stopped moving as well.  “My dear brother, what are you doing on this fine delightful day?” I asked with an evil smile growing my face.

          “Heading toward the war room.  Imhotep and Antinique are finally going to get what they deserve?” he asked.

          “YOU TWO ARE EVIL!” Imhotep shouted, ticked off.

          My smile grew devilishly as I turned my attention toward the couple.  “I told you my father was going to find out.  And thank you.  I know we’re evil.  Niki, do you want to watch Imhotep and Antinique die?”

          “I would love to but I promised our father that I’d be there when he prepares for war against Uncle Maxumous.”

          “Oh…. Right…. I had forgotten about that.”

          “I better go.”

          “Okay.”  I turned toward the guards as they all just stared at me as if I had been talking to myself.  “Take them away.  I think we waited long enough.”

          The guards moved ahead of me as they dragged Imhotep and Antinique into the mummification room as I followed.

          “This will be fun.”  I hadn’t lost my smile from the conversation with my brother.

          “When I come back to life, I will kill you, Princess Nala,” Imhotep threatened as the guards threw him next to my throne as I sat down.

          “When will that be?  Tell me so I can be ready.”  I toward my attention toward the guards.  “You may start.  I’m going to watch.”

          The guards dragged Antinique over toward a stone bed and laid her down, locking chains around her arms and legs as she screamed for help.  I made Imhotep watch in horror as one guard took a metal ax and flung it into her waist, cutting her open.

          “Isn’t this fun, Imhotep?” I asked, laughing as we watched.  “You’re next.”

          “You’re an evil child.”

          “Thank you.  And you’re an evil man.”

          “I can’t believe this.”

          “Now, you know how my father must feel.”

          “I will come back and kill you.”

          “I know…. You already told me.”

          “I mean it.”

          As we turned our attention back toward the guards Antinique was dead and had already been mummified.

          “It’s your turn, Imhotep,” I told the man.  I laughed as the guards pulled Imhotep to his knees and one take the ax and fling it into Imhotep’s human skin.  The smell of his human blood hit my nose and as a wolf I wanted a taste but decided against because I wanted the chance to fight him again when he came back for revenge so he had told me a couple of times.

 

          I worked my way into my room and out to my balcony with an evil smile on my face as I looked around.  Two down, I thought to myself.  Now I can go after my family whose all planning to kill me as well.  Can’t wait for that war.

          “That was easy,” Grim’s voice spoke from behind me.  His tone told me that he was kind of angry.

          I turned to face him.  “How do you not enjoy this?  It’s so fun watching as others preferably humans die in such a cold hearted way.”

          “Death isn’t fun…. I hate having this as my job.  Imhotep and Antinique are suffering for their sins but soon you will join them.”

          I kind of laughed and shook my head.  “You don’t get it…. To the humans I am almost immortal…. Death means nothing to me….”

          “You are not immortal,” Grim replied kind of rudely I might add.  “You could drop dead right here and now…. I could do that to you right now if I chose to.”

          I raised an eyebrow at the skeleton.  He wasn’t scaring me with his threat.  I knew he wouldn’t have done anything to me.

          “You take your life for granted…. You take your inhuman form for granted…. One day, you’ll see that you’re just as weak as the humans.”

          “Yea yea…. Whatever.”

          “One day, your highness, you will regret everything you have ever done.”  He vanished into midair.  I shook my head.

 

          A few days had past and I was preparing for war when I noticed that my beautiful dessert city was starting to turn into an ice town.  What’s going on down there? I thought and teleported.  I roamed the streets until I came across an ice princess who was freezing my people.  I didn’t care to as why a princess with the ability of ice was even in the dessert in the first place as I walked over to her.  I could hear her mumbling to herself.

          “Please, don’t get caught,” the other princess whispered to herself.

          “Who do you think you are?” I asked, ticked off.

          “I’m Terra, the ice princess,” the girl answered.  She looked to be about eleven or twelve with long blond curly hair and was dressed for winter.

          “What are you doing to my people, Terra?”

          “I’m protecting them from…. You.”

          “If I wanted my people protected then…. I WOULDN’T BE KILLING THEM!”

          “YOU SHOULDN’T BE KILLING THEM!”

          “OH…. SHUT UP!” I hated being told what to do, especially by someone who was younger and didn’t have much experience in life.

          “I hope that you die in that war today.”

          “Just leave.”

          “Okay…. I will.”  Terra, the young ice princess, left.  I kept an eye on her, making sure she didn’t try to go another way around my city.

          Once I knew she was gone, I began heading back toward my palace to finish preparing for battle when a dark shadow stopped me.  I looked over and noticed that Imhotep was standing in front of me.  He didn’t even have a mark where the ax had been.  He looked alive and normal.  “Come back to kill me already?” I asked.

          “No,” he replied.  He wore an evil and deadly look on his face.  “When I come back to kill you, I will be much more alive than I am now.”

          I tilted my head in confusion.  I had absolutely no idea what he had meant.

          “Fight to the finish, your highness, and when I do come back for revenge you’ll be the first one on my list.”  His eyes narrowed as he slowly turned into dust and headed toward me.  I blocked my face, crossing my arms each other to keep the dust from flying into my eyes.

          When I removed my arms, I was covered in what appeared to be sand instead of dust and I looked around I realized that Imhotep was gone.  What is this?  A damn ghost town or something? I thought.

 

          I walked into an old dusty part of the palace which had been falling apart when I had noticed my father standing with my uncle and Tommus.  Ally had been prepared for battle wearing armor fit for a gator in battle.  Like she had said before, she was with my uncle and my cousin in the war.  I noticed that no one else was in the room, trying to figure out why that was.

          “We fight by the humans rules,” my uncle had told me and Tommus.  “Only because my brother here is human and it is only fair.”

          “Humans rules,” I kind of laughed as I whispered to myself.  “Simple enough.”

          “We fight with human weapons…. Ally, because there are only four of us,” my uncle continued, “will you help me or Tommus if one of us needs help?”

          Ally nodded.

          Of course, they need back up, I thought as I smirked.

          My father handed me a sword with a long silver skinny blade.  The handle was pure gold and it looked amazing.

          I locked eyes with Tommus who I could tell had worry in his heart.  The four of us prepared to fight in the four player war.

          “Well…. Nala and Tommus will go against each other…. And we’ll go against each other, Ramos,” my uncle told the four of us.

          “Shut up and start fighting,” my father replied.

          My uncle and father started sword fight.

I had already begun flinging shots at Tommus.

Tommus kept blocking all of my hits.  I figured that he was afraid because he wasn’t really fighting.  We both knew that I would be the one to survive that battle and when we were done I’d be the one with the victory.  “GIVE UP!” I shouted as I flung my blade at his stomach but he blocked the move.

“No,” he replied almost breathlessly.  “You might be a girl and my cousin, but I am not going to give up.

I kept flinging hits but he kept blocking and as it was he wouldn’t bother to throw a single blow at me.  I figured that it wouldn’t have been long when he fell and I was the victor.  At some point in the middle of our battle, I knocked Tommus’s sword onto the ground.  That was it.  That was the moment when I would finally kill him.  I prepared my sword to steak him in the heart when I felt a sharp pain my stomach.  My mouth felt open and blood came gushing out.  He moved out of the way as I pulled his sword out of my stomach.  “I’m going to…. Kill you for…. This.”  Everything went black.

 

          I stood in darkness and all alone.  Something was wrong, but I didn’t know what.  I couldn’t be dead because I was standing when Grim appeared surrounded by a dim light.  “Where am I?” I demanded.

          I watched as he took his left arm and pointed into the darkness.  He hadn’t spoken a word but I knew that whatever was going on he knew and he was a part of it somehow.  I looked toward the dark direction the skeleton pointed toward and saw a lifeless body lying on the ground in the room I was just in but darkness had surrounded the rest of the place.  I noticed that Tommus was standing in front of the girl with sadness in his eyes as he looked down at her.

          “That doesn’t answer my question.”  I was kind of ticked off.

          “That’s you, your highness,” Grim spoke in a soft but that didn’t stop an echo from repeating his words.

          I shook my head.  “That can’t be me.  She’s dead.  I’m not dead.”

          Grim sighed.  “Look closely, your highness.”

          “No…. Because that is not me,” I replied, angrily.

          Grim slid over to me, grabbing my arm with his right ice cold skeleton hand and dragged me over to the body as Tommus was picking up the body.  “Look at the body, your highness.”

          I looked and starred at my mirror reflection, hoping that it was all a nightmare.  I shook my head.  I didn’t want to believe it.  “That’s one of the servants disguised as me so just in---”

          “That’s you…. That’s your corpse…. You’re an idiot to believe any different…. This is God’s way of showing you that you can die and guess what you were murdered by a human’s creation…. A human weapon.”  Grim sounded angry.  He was more ticked off than I was.  “I tried to warn you…. I knew this would happen…. I tried to warn you not to fight because I knew that would be your end but you ignored me.  Child, you are nothing more than a dead princess…. Your rain on earth is done and over with…. At least it was for the best…. Now the humans can live happy good lives without you…. You’re suffering is only going to get worse.  This is your fault.”

          “I’m going to kill Tommus for this….”

          “Your cousin feels guilty already.  Unlike you, he doesn’t agree with murder and believe me he would rather have been the one to die.  But you had to underestimate him…. You did this to yourself.  It’s not his fault.  It’s yours.  I don’t feel bad for you because you did this to yourself, your highness…. I do feel bad for Vanessa though, knowing that she was stuck in the same body as you were…. She should have been the one to roam around freely in what used to be your living body but you kept her hidden because you didn’t want anyone to know she existed…. She was your conscience and you ignored her…. This is what became of your foolishness, your highness…. Your death.”

The Egyptian Gods & Goddesses

          I sat in silence as I watched Grim.  I hated him with a burning passion especially for letting me suffer.  He took my life away along with my cousin who was alive and well.  I plotted on what I would do for revenge toward Tommus.  I knew that I couldn’t do anything to Grim so I left him alone.  “Anyway out of this damn---”

          “Language please, your highness,” Grim hissed with a tone that told me to shut up.  “And no…. I will not let you leave knowing that you’re only going to cause havoc on the living.”

          “My cousin killed me.”

          “And I don’t blame him one bit…. There are going to be human men in the future who are going to come into power and try what they will to do evil…. They will not prevail just like you have…. They too will come here…. This is what happens to everyone…. Good or evil…. The place where they go depends on their hearts and if they choose to follow the one true God or suffer for their sins…. You have no one to blame but yourself.”

          “Whatever….” I stood up and left Grim in the dim light.  I didn’t know where I was heading or where I would even wind up.  All I knew was that I had to get away from the death dealer who took my life and for nothing.  I lost everything that free will had given to me and I wasn’t about to listen to his lies that it was all my fault.

 

          I walked down a dark path with no light to lead the way when I heard someone move.  I stopped in my tracks and looked around.  All I could see was a dark abyss of nothing.  No light, no trees, no people…. Nothing.  It felt like emptiness when I turned back toward the way I was heading he stood in front of me.  Him the god I had spoken to at the ball.  Anubis…. He stood in front of with a wide smile on his evil jackal face.  I took a step back as I stared at the creature.  “Hello, your highness,” he mocked.

          “Anubis….”

          “Princess, I’ve waited for you.”

          His words hit me like a wave of sand during an extremely bad sandstorm.  I had a feeling that his words were meant to mock instead of reassure.

          He looked me up and down.  I watched as he tilted his inhuman head to look me in the eyes and he lost his smile.  “You mocked us long enough.”  He lifted his right arm and backed handed my face, kind of knocking me back a little.  He was more powerful than I was and that wasn’t something that pleased me.  “We’ve all been waiting to see you.”

          He kneed me in my stomach and even though I was dead I could feel the pain in my stomach as I fell to my knees.

          “Look how pitiful you are…. You’re not so big and bad now are you.”  He kicked me in the jaw with his right foot.  Once he had his fun, he clapped and his inhuman guards appeared and placed shackles around my wrist.  “Just pitiful.”

          The guards stood me up on my feet.  Anubis lifted my chin up to face him as his smile appeared again.  “All I’ve wanted to do is to throw you in with mutts.  That thing I had said about you being my bride was clearly a simple lie…. I’ve been waiting to see your little inhuman face and features here.  I just wanted some fun that’s all.  You know the feeling I believe.  Toying with the humans…. Playing with their lives so you could show them that you’re more powerful than they could ever be…. Why?  When I heard news of your death, I thought well I finally get my chance to teach this mutt what suffering is all about.”

          “You’re supposed to be the god that leads the Egyptians to the under wear or something like that…. You don’t fight or attack---”

          “Child, I’m evil just like the others…. We’re demons, not gods…. Only to do the biding of the devil and guess what?  You’re just as bad as we are.”  He turned his attention the guards.  “Come…. We have feast and ceremony to get to.”

 

          Anubis led the guards down a dim but lit hallway filled with cells.  The candles were eerie to light the room but they did.  I looked around and noticed Imhotep sat alone in a cell.  In another a few feet away Antinique.  The dragged me to an empty cell and one guard released me from his grip to unlock and open the barred door.  Once the door was opened they tossed me in it after unlocking the shackles from around my wrist.  “Hope you enjoy your stay, your highness,” the evil god mocked with his evil little grin as one of the guards closed and locked the door.  I watched as they left the room, laughing.

          “They found you too, your highness?” Imhotep spoke.

          “Shut up.”

          “Shut up?  I wouldn’t be here if it was for you.”

          “Me?  You and your cheating girlfriend deserve to be here…. I, on the other hand don’t deserve this….”

          “You deserve this just as much as we do....”

          “No I---”

          “Both of you shut up,” Antinique interrupted.  “We’re all in the same boat…. We all need to get out of here somehow…. There’s no telling what those creatures want to do to any of us….”

          I kind of laughed.  “Creatures?  I thought that you human Egyptians worshiped them.”

          “There not like what we were brought up to believe,” Imhotep replied with rudeness in his voice.

          I rolled my eyes.  I hated listening to either of them speak but I was stuck with them.  “What did Anubis do to you two anyways?  Did he beat you?  Because that’s what I had to go through…. He back handed me…. Kneed me in my stomach and when I was down he kicked my jaw….”

          “We’re being paid back for the evils we did on Earth,” a familiar voice had spoken but it wasn’t Antinique or Imhotep who had said anything.  “We’re suffering for our sins.”  In the cell across from me sat…. Niki…. I couldn’t believe it was him.  His chest had cuts and bruises.  His face was decoying and he was almost unrecognizable.  My brother the one I….

          “You’re not dead, Niki…. You’re supposed to be with father fighting our uncle and cousin,” the words spilled from my mouth as soon as I opened it.

          Niki looked up at me confused.  He clearly had been trapped down in the cell for more than a couple of days.  “What are you talking about?”

          “I saw you…. I talked to you…. Imhotep saw you too….”  I remembered back to the other humans like our father and Antinique who had stared at me with confusion when Niki had appeared.

          “It’s true, Prince Niki,” Imhotep replied.

          “I don’t know what you two are talking about,” Niki replied.  His lost and confused gaze turned toward me.  “The day I told you that we were practically immortal I had met this boney man who looked to be dead and had no skin on his bones.  He wore a black cloak and had eyeless sockets.  He carried a sithe in his hand.  He walked over to me and without saying a word he tapped my shoulder and the next thing I knew the world went black.  I wondered into the dark abyss until I was found by Anubis and his guards.  Since then they’ve placed me in battles for their own fun.  I’ve been cut, beaten, stabbed, and whatever else you could think of all for their fun.  Whoever you two saw wasn’t me…. At least, wasn’t really me.”

          Grim took my brother’s life to prove a point, I thought as anger grew inside of me.

          We heard the metal doors open and heard footsteps walking along the stone floor.  I didn’t bother to look to see who had entered.  I figured it was one of the Gods or Goddesses to have their fun and sure enough my cell door opened.  A couple of guards walked in and placed shackles on my wrist again.

          Anubis walked up to me and stuck his long slim black snout in my face.  “Princess Nala, we have so much in store for you.”  He used his human hand to remove my wig and let my wavy almost black hair fall past my shoulders.  He laughed under his breath evil as he revealed a small golden tiara on top of my head.  “A princess must never go without her crown.”  His words were mocking.  He grabbed my face with his hand and played with my cheeks.  “It’s time to show you that you can’t mess with us, your highness.”  He motioned for the guards to follow him as he started to leave the cell.

 

          I was trapped, walking with the guards as we followed Anubis out into a large round stadium.  I looked around the room and the place was filled with the Egyptian Gods and Goddesses from Nut to Osiris.  The place was packed with them from left to right.  The guards followed Anubis into the middle of the stadium, dragging me along with them.

          “Ladies and gentlemen,” Anubis began, “I am pleased to tell you that I have brought with me today her highness from Egypt…. She is finally in our territory once and for all.  I proudly present Princess Nala.”  He motioned toward me and the crowd went wild.  They had been waiting for my arrival but I hadn’t known for how long.  It was clear that they were pleased to see me in their mist but I couldn’t understand why.  I was popular for some reason then I thought back to Niki and how damaged he looked and wondered if that was going to be me.  “Our pawn has finally arrived.”

          Pawn?  Pawn?  I’m just a toy to them?  They can’t do that to me…. I’m practically one of them those evil demons.  How could they treat me like no more than a mere mortal?  I’m not like Imhotep and Antinique…. I’m much more powerful than they are.

          “Now, let’s see how her highness does in our territory.”  Anubis nodded for the guards to release me from the shackles they had placed around my wrist.  Once they had released me, Anubis and the guards left me standing alone while the passage ways closed with walls that I knew wouldn’t let me leave even if I had tried to teleport.  The Gods and Goddesses of Egypt had prepared for me, and unlike the humans who were weak and defenseless against me, they clearly were much more powerful than I was.

          I stood and looked around until my eyes locked with the one God I knew was in charge over all of the others: Amun-Ra.  He had dark colored human skin and the head of a falcon.  He wore a round plate? Or something like that on his head with a head of a king cobra coming out of it.  Of course it wasn’t a real cobra but that’s what it looked like.  I knew from the images of him engraved on the walls of the palace who he was.  “Amun-Ra…. Why do I have the honor of standing in front of you and your crowd of Gods and Goddesses?” I asked, kind of mockingly.

          “Your highness, we have been waiting for you,” the God replied as he stood to his feet and looked down at me.  “When we got news of your death, we knew that we must find you and as always Anubis was the one we sent after you.”

          I shook my head at his words.

          “Now enough talking.”  He stood with pride as his bird like eyes locked with mine.  “It is time for our fun to begin, ladies and gentlemen.”

          The crowd began cheering with excitement as I heard a loud unusual noise coming from the wall which sat in front of me.  I tilted my head in confusion, trying to figure out what was making that strange and oddly loud noise.

          “Release the creature,” Amun-Ra demanded from above.

          I heard a noise which kind of shook the ground.  I looked over at the wall in front of me and watched it as it opened upward, revealing a secret passageway which was blocked by some kind of strange looking creature.  The creature was monstrous.  It had two giant curved horns on top of its head and a smaller horn on its nose.  There was some kind of round protective plate on its head.  I was tiny compared to the creature.  It stood on all fours and its feet didn’t look like hoofs or claws or even paws.  It was round and fat with a long tail that could do some damage to a town.  What is that thing? I thought to myself.  It was something that I wasn’t used to seeing or even heard about.  It was something that might have been around long before I was born and died before anyone had the chance to figure out what it could have been.  I kind of smiled at the sight of the monster.  I’m supposed to fight this thing?  Hahaha…. I’m not afraid, I thought as I looked the creature up and down.

          I watched as the creature opened its small but large beak? And let out what sounded like a loud scream.  It wasn’t just any scream though it was the one that bothered my ears.

          I fell to the ground, blocking my human like ears while it screamed.  It was a thousand times worse than it had been when I first heard it.  I figured that was probably because the scream was coming from the creature which I hadn’t recognized and was now only a few feet away.

          I hear the Gods laughing at me as they enjoyed my pain and agony.  Once I had figured that the creature was done screaming, I removed my hands and noticed that the creature was heading straight toward me.  I teleported into the air and looked down at the creature.  I searched for a weak stop on the giant monster and had the feeling that the back was what I needed to destroy.  I flew down when one of the horns pierced my stomach.  They said that after death you don’t suffer or feel any more pain but that wasn’t true.  I felt the pain as I fought with the creature to get myself free.  “AAAAHHHHH!” I screamed in pain.

          The Gods and Goddesses kept laughing at my suffering.

          Once I was free of the creature’s horn, I threw myself against the wall and watched as the thing charged for me.  I quickly jumped into the air and kept myself from landing on one of those three sharp horns.

          The creature rammed into a wall and screamed again.  I blocked my ears, trying to keep myself in the air as long as possible.

Grim & Vanessa to the Rescue

          I slowly pushed myself up toward the ceiling when I felt a sharp shimmer of electricity bolt through me.  “Get down there, you worthless cheating wench,” a woman’s voice spoke from behind me.

          I felt on of the Gods or Goddesses place a hand on my back and push me downward toward the creature.  BOOM! I fell into the ground making a large round crater around me.  I looked up and the creature had fallen into the hole with me.  I slowly backed up as the thing charged and just as soon as I went to jump out of the way of the monster I felt the horn on its nose go through my left foot.  “AAAAHHHHH!” I screamed in pain.

          “Not so big and bad are you now, you’re highness,” Amun-Ra laughed as he spoke with mocking words.

          The creature shook its head violently and I felt as my foot was removed from the horn.  BAM! I went crashing into the wall.  I fell onto the ground face first and slowly started to stand up.  I was sore and in a mess of pain I never knew was possible.  I had to push myself up with my hands and feet as I tried to stand.  I lifted my head and watched as the creature took charge for me again but before it was close enough to me a dark but dim light blocked me from the attack.

          Grim and Vanessa stood in the middle of the room.  It was strange seeming them together but there they were.  Vanessa blocked the attack from the creature where as Grim made his way over to me.  “Look at what you have gotten yourself into now,” his voice sounded angry as he spoke.  He pulled me up to my feet.  “Luckily for you as the dead you’ll heal but it’ll be about a few days.”  He then turned his attention toward the creature and took his sithe and rammed the creature using his sithe to destroy it then he looked up and around at the Gods and Goddesses of Egypt.

          “If it isn’t one of the death dealers,” Amun-Ra spoke as he stood from his seat and looked down into the arena.  “What are you doing here?”

          “I’m here to retrieve the child for Persephone,” Grim replied.  “She wondered here because she still hasn’t learnt her lesson and after this…. I don’t think she’ll ever learn.”

          Amun-Ra laughed at Grim.  “Persephone one of the angels of death such as yourself, Grim.  You don’t need to be here.  This is his territory.”

          “I know but I have a job to do…. I can’t believe that after you all fell you chose to let the dead fight as if Hell wasn’t bad enough for the living make them fight as well?” Grim shook his head as he looked around.  “Demons who chose to fall Satan…. Come to destroy the world.  I am taking your pawn because she doesn’t belong here…. And introducing her sister….”

          Sister?  I don’t have a sister, I thought, confused.  I figured that he must have had me confused with someone else.

          “Ah of course,” Amun-Ra replied.  “Vanessa, the conscience of Nala.”

          What?  They had me so confused on what was going on.  I knew Vanessa was my conscience but sister?  She would have had to have been born in order for her to have been my sister.

          “I am taking Princess Nala with me and Vanessa.”  Grim grabbed my arm and the next thing I knew he had teleported us off to some dark dimly lit place.

Sisters

          I sat on the ground noticed that Grim had started some kind of fire.  I felt that he wasn’t going to let me out of his sight after what had happened.  I would have figured out how to destroy that creature and then I would have managed to fight off those stupid Gods and Goddesses for making me fight that thing.  “What was that creature?” I asked.  “I’ve never heard of or seen one of those things in my life.”

          Grim sighed.  “It was called a dinosaur…. A triceratops to be exact and of course you haven’t heard about one of them or any dinosaur in particular because they drowned in the flood a long time ago.  It was way before your time, your highness.”

          I kind of raised an eyebrow.  “What were you talking about when you told Amun-Ra that Vanessa was my sister?  She’s my conscience…. The personality that was I kept hidden from the world, not my sister.”

          Grim sighed again and looked at me.  “I know that but it makes more since for you to call her your sister…. She may not have been born but she was in your mind…. Your other half…. The part of you that would have actually done some good but you didn’t want that…. I call her your sister so if you were to ever tell a human or the living about her then to them it would make more since.”

          “Why is she even here anyways?  I locked her up in the part of our mind that she couldn’t escape from.”

          “Simple,” Vanessa replied as she worked her way over to Grim from the opposite side, “when the body died, I was released as well as you were…. That’s why I’m here now…. And you know what?  I’m not even mad that Tommus killed us because if he hadn’t then you’d still be out there destroying Egypt anyways.”  She sat next to Grim and looked at him.  She looked angry for some reason.  “Why didn’t we let her learn her lesson?  Why couldn’t we just leave her there?” I heard her words as she whispered to Grim.

          Grim held up his right hand to let her know to calm down.  “I know how much trouble she is, Vanessa, but she has to learn.”

          I raised an eyebrow wondering what the heck they were talking about.  Everything they were saying about me wasn’t hurtful, just confusing.  Why did death have to be the most confusing thing I had to ever deal with?

          Grim looked back at me and kind of smiled.  “I know and Persephone knows that one day you will learn that evil isn’t the right path but the right is something that we both agreed will take a while for you to find and figure out.”  He grabbed my right hand and looked at it.  “You look alive but you’re more of a spirit.  This is the place of cross over so they say…. Really it’s where all spirits are placed until judgment day well the spirits that are closer toward Hell which is where you were almost there…. Well, right now all kinds of spirits will be here for a little while but eventually it’ll become a place for cruel souls…. Anyways, you weren’t in Hell but you were close enough to it.  The so called Gods and Goddesses of Egypt are demons…. They came from fallen angels…. Sad day…. I didn’t want to go there at all, but once Vanessa got a sharp pain in her stomach, I knew that you had gotten yourself into trouble and I kind of had the feeling you were caught by the demons of Egypt seeing that you’re considered the demon who actually roamed Egypt.”  He looked at the flame which had begun to grow.  “Death can be kind or death could be cruel…. It’s up to the person who chooses the path.  You were weeping what you had sown on earth today and well that services you right the way you treated those people…. Those humans just because you wanted to have fun.”

          I shook my head.  I didn’t agree with Grim at all.  I was a princess with inhuman powers.  I should have been able to do what I wanted even after death so of course I never believed Grim.

Returning to the Living World

          I sat eyeing Grim and Vanessa.  I could hear them whispering about me.  I couldn’t hear everything they were saying I knew that they were trying to plan something against me.  “Why don’t you just say it to my face rather than whisper among each other?” I asked, ticked off.

          Vanessa looked at me.  I could see the world of the living in her eyes as her gaze locked with mine.  “You have no idea how much trouble your in.”

          “Then tell me instead of whispering to the walking skeleton over here.”

          Vanessa rolled her eyes and shook her head.  “You have no clue about anything.  You truly are a demon.”

          “A demon?  I’m a saiyan…. Not a demon.”

          “A saiyan who would still be destroying Egypt if you were still alive,” her words were spoken with venom and anger.  “In other words…. You are a demon.”

          “Vanessa,” Grim’s voice replied as he gently pushed her back down to her seat, “she still has to learn.  Now it’s time for the funeral.”

          “What?” I asked as I looked at him.

          “Why did you have to say that?” Vanessa asked.  “Now she’s….”

          Funeral?  Hm…. Now’s my chance to get revenge.  “I’ll be a good girl,” I replied.  “I want to go and make amends…. Or whatever it is that humans and people with hearts do to apologize for their behavior.”

          “Really?” Grim asked.  He was skeptical but he seem to believe me.

          “No,” Vanessa replied.  “She’s just going---”

          “Vanessa, let her have a chance.  She might be really starting to change.”

          “But---”

          “Please, princess…. Give her a chance…. You may be surprised.”

          “Yes, Vanessa,” I replied with a smile.  “Give me a chance…. A chance to redeem myself.”

          “Fine,” Vanessa sighed but I knew she didn’t believe me.

          “Bye,” I replied as I teleported.

 

          I looked around my old room in the palace and knew that I had to start looking for the others.  It was my chance to do what I should have done in the war.  The chance for revenge was mine and I had tricked Grim and Vanessa into letting me go.  Tommus, it’s your turn to suffer for killing me, I thought as I laughed evilly.

 

          I wondered through the palace till I found my way to the throne room where I had found Death, looking for something.  I hurried over and picked up my sword which I would use when I wanted while I was alive.

Revenge

          I snuck up behind Death, holding the sword tightly in my ghostly grip.  I could feel the fear radiate from him as he felt my cold icy presents.

          “Is anyone there?” he asked with fear in his human voice.

          I held up the sword.  “Look behind you, Death.”

          “Nala….” The fear inside of him was growing and I could sense it as he turned toward me.  “Is that you?”  I knew he could see me even though I was dead and I was going to enjoy the moment.  “That’s impossible,” he said as he began to freak out.  “You’re supposed to be dead.”

          I smiled evilly.  “I am dead.”  I grabbed his neck and shoved him against the wall as I placed the sword to his throat.  “Tell me where Tommus is or I’ll slice your throat,” I threatened.

          “I don’t know where Tommus is.”

          “You’re lying to me….” I was angry.  I figured he was too afraid to give me the whereabouts to where our cousin was.  “Tell me where….”

          “He’s not the one you want….” A voice had come from behind me.  “I’m the one you want.”

          I turned to face Tommus.  It turned out that I didn’t have to look for him anymore which pleased me.

          “If you want to kill someone…. Let it be me.”

          It sounded too good to be true but I didn’t care.  I had my chance and I wasn’t going to let anyone stop me.  It was time.  I went to kill Tommus by sending the blade into his stomach the same way he had done to me but Vanessa appeared in my way and before I could stop myself the blade went into her stomach….

Vanessa

          I sat at the table with Mattie sitting across from me and my father standing in the opening of the kitchen.  I had a small slim white pen in my hand and a small notebook which was lying in front of me.  We were trying to think of lyrics for a new song when I started bobbing my head in tune to what I was thinking.  “I have the first few lines that I think would be amazing,” I told them.

          “Okay,” my father said as he nodded.

          “Let’s here ‘m,” Mattie agreed.

          I took a deep breath and started singing:

 

                                        “I was the princess, daddy’s little girl

                                        Thought that I could rule the world”

 

          I watched as my father and Mattie exchanged worried glances.  “What is it?” I asked.

          “It’s nothing, Vanessa,” my father replied but I had a feeling there was something that they were hiding from me.

          “Only two more years, Uncle Ray,” I heard Mattie whisper which confused but I just shrugged it off.

          Then I watched my father nod.  I had a feeling that whatever they were thinking it had to deal with me someway somehow.

 

                                                            The End

Impressum

Texte: Amber Riel
Bildmaterialien: Amber Riel
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 30.07.2013

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