Sisters of Isis: Volume 1

by Lynne Ewing

  Meri wasn’t sure if it was hunger or nerves that was making her feel so faint.

  The crowd inched toward her. The people within it seemed suddenly forged together at the shoulders, their camera lenses like third eyes all focused on her.

  Meri spun around and darted past the shoppers behind her. Her soaked tennis shoes made a wet, sucking sound each time one of her feet came down. She was starting to panic, not sure where to go, when Sudi stepped through the door near the bakery and shook out her umbrella.

  Meri slammed into her. “Let’s get out of here,” she said in a breathless voice that didn’t even sound like her own.

  Sudi looked up. “Why’s everyone staring at you?”

  “I stole a grape.” Meri pressed her fingers over her eyes, trying to get rid of the weird, spinning sensation. “Can I borrow some money? I need to eat.”

  “Sure,” Sudi said and held the door open for Meri. Then she looked back over her shoulder. “You must have done something more than steal a grape.”

  Meri dashed out into the rain and waited for Sudi to open the umbrella. They linked arms and hurried toward the corner. The rhythmic squish-squash of Meri’s shoes made Sudi laugh.

  “What happened to your oxfords?” Sudi asked. “I thought that was the only kind of shoe you were allowed to wear at that snooty school of yours.”

  “I lost them, along with my books and homework,” Meri said. “The day has been a wipeout.”

  A vendor in a kiosk held out a spoon with a sample of candied pecan. Meri gratefully took it and bit down, enjoying the sugar seeping over her tongue.

  “Did you talk to Scott?” Sudi asked.

  “Not yet,” Meri lied. She wasn’t going to tell Sudi what Scott had said, not until she was able to coax a better answer out of him, anyway.

  “Why not?” Sudi sounded disappointed. “Didn’t you see him at school today?”

  But before Meri could think up another lie, lightning forked across the clouds, curling and scattering into a hundred jagged veins.

  Sudi squealed, and within seconds, thunder crackled, shattering the air. Meri clutched Sudi’s arm.

  “Am I the only one who thinks this weather is creepy?” Sudi asked. “My dad said that meteorologists have called a special meeting to try to figure out what’s going on. I hate it. It feels so—” She stopped.

  “So directed at us?” Meri asked.

  Sudi nodded. “You don’t think that’s weird?”

  “I think that’s why Abdel wants to see us,” Meri said, and at the same time she prayed that she was wrong.

  “Life was easier when all I had to worry about was finding a party,” Sudi said with a sulky frown. “I remember when not being able to buy a new push-up bra was a major problem.”

  Sudi had a key pass to all the trendy teen clubs, and she knew how to sneak into any D.C. party, even the swanky embassy affairs. Her parents were both lawyers at a prestigious law firm and worked twelve-hour days, seven days a week, so Sudi had the freedom she needed to live the party life she loved.

  Meri looked across the street.

  Dalila waved and ran across the intersection without looking both ways or even checking the traffic signal. The wind lifted her umbrella high over her head, and she didn’t notice the car that swerved around her, or the one that stopped just in time. She had lived a sheltered life. Her parents had been killed in a cave-in while excavating a tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Since that time, Dalila had been homeschooled by an overprotective uncle. She didn’t know how to do simple things that Meri took for granted, and apparently crossing the street was one of them.

  “Let’s hurry inside,” Dalila said, already opening the door.

  The smells of coffee, chocolate, and freshly baked cakes drifted out into the cold air.

  “I feel as if the weather is a bad omen for us,” Dalila said and whipped a red scarf from her head.

  When Meri had first met Dalila, she shaved her head to flaunt her royal birthmark, the wedjat eye, which was identical to the ones that Meri and Sudi had. But since learning that the cult wanted to destroy the bloodline of Horus, Dalila had let her hair grow back, and now glossy black strands covered her scalp in a tight pixie. She had known about her royal heritage, but she had been stunned to discover the real meaning of the birthmark. She had thought she was being groomed to marry a Middle Eastern prince.

  They followed the hostess to a table near the plate-glass window. Meri sat with her back to the room and ordered German pancakes and cappuccino without looking at the menu.

  “Abdel was standing in my backyard last night,” Meri said, and then she leaned forward and told Sudi and Dalila everything that had happened the night before, leaving out any mention of her crush on Abdel.

  “Why would Abdel need to see your mother?” Dalila wondered. “You have to ask him.”

  “I will,” Meri said, and then she described her morning encounter with Stanley and how she had discovered that he had stolen her wand. “He gives me the creeps, the way he stares at me.”

  “Do you think he knew what the wand was?” Sudi asked.

  “Maybe he just needed it for support,” Dalila suggested. “You said he was a huge man. My uncle uses a cane sometimes, because his weight makes his knees hurt.”

  Meri shrugged. “I suppose, but I’m certain the wand was hidden in my closet. Why would he go snooping around in there?”

  “I’ll bet he’s a pervert looking for underwear,” Sudi put in.

  “Yuck!” Meri squealed.

  “But even if he did take the wand because he needed a crutch,” Dalila added thoughtfully, “we’ll still have to figure out a way to get it back.”

  Meri started to tell them that The Jackal had opened but before she could, Abdel joined them.

  “Good morning,” he said and sat down in the chair to Meri’s left.

  Meri’s heart fluttered, and her cheeks grew warm. Seeing him in person was so different, and so much better, than daydreaming about him. He was always more handsome than she remembered. She loved his dark eyes and hair.

  “What’s wrong?” Sudi asked and shook Meri’s shoulder.

  “Nothing.” Meri shrugged Sudi’s hand away.

  “You’re blushing,” Dalila said, reaching across the table. She placed her hand on Meri’s forehead. “Are you feverish?”

  Meri pulled back. “I told you I’m fine.” She tried to sound lighthearted, and laughed to show them that her blush meant nothing, but the giggle came out as a honking snort. Before she could calm herself, Sudi spoke.

  “Ask Abdel why he was standing in your backyard,” Sudi urged.

  Meri couldn’t believe Sudi had just blurted that out.

  The waitress set a plate filled with thin folded pancakes in front of Meri. She gazed down at her food, ashamed and bashful. Her hair swung forward, and a strand fell into the syrupy fruit. She grabbed it and licked off the syrup without thinking, then rolled her eyes in embarrassment. Why did she always act so ridiculous when Abdel was around?

  “Go ahead and eat,” Abdel said in a gentlemanly manner, as if he thought she was waiting until he had his meal before she started chowing down.

  Even though Meri felt faint with hunger, she was suddenly too nervous to eat. Her stomach had curled into a tight ball, and she knew if she took a bite she’d vomit.

  “Abdel, why did you go over to Meri’s house last night?” Sudi asked when Meri didn’t.

  “I sensed that Meri was in terrible danger.” He touched Meri’s hand.

  Meri’s fingers twitched, and she wondered if he could sense how much she liked him.

  “But why did you talk to my mom?” Meri asked. She looked into his brown eyes and wished she hadn’t. Her strength left her, and she had to place her elbows on the table to keep from keeling over.

  Too late, she realized that she had jerked her hand away from Abdel. Had he noticed? Would he think she had done that on purpose because she didn’t want him to touch her? When really, she wished she could p
ush her pancakes aside and kiss him.

  “I didn’t talk to your mother,” he said after a long pause.

  His lie snapped her out of her swoon. Her mother had lied to her about their meeting, and now Abdel had, too. What were they keeping from her?

  “Someone knocked on the back door,” she said, more frustrated than angry. “My mother invited the person inside. If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

  “I saw your mother look out at the storm, but I never saw anyone standing on your back porch.” He held up his palms, as if that would convince her that he was telling the truth. She had never noticed the scar on the pad of his thumb before. “Maybe a friend of your mother’s came over before I arrived.”

  Meri thought of Stanley. Her mother would never have let an ugly old troll like Stanley spend the night. So who had she let in?

  “An animal was loose in her house,” Dalila added.

  Abdel studied Meri with such an intense look that her swoon came back.

  “Did you see what it was?” Abdel asked.

  “I only saw its tail,” Meri answered.

  “Is it possible that what you saw was a snake?” Abdel leaned closer to her.

  Meri had convinced herself that the dark form had only been the tail of a squirrel, or a stray cat, but she supposed the shadow wiggling up and down and side to side could have been a snake.

  “Maybe,” she answered, not liking the concerned look in his eyes.

  “I think the creature was Apep,” Abdel said, sitting up straight again in his chair.

  Dalila dropped her fork. “The soul-hunter is here?” She pushed her plate away. “How could Apep escape from the Netherworld?”

  “I believe the cult summoned him,” Abdel answered.

  “But when we saw Apep last, the snake was so large,” Sudi argued, “he would have stretched from here to Capitol Hill, so how could he fit inside Meri’s room?”

  Meri shuddered, remembering the fine film she had found on her carpet that morning. In the Netherworld, the giant serpent had slithered toward them, leaving a frothy trail of green scum on either side of his body. An angry god had sent them to Apep, and Meri had hoped never to encounter the snake again.

  Tears filled Meri’s eyes as she realized the danger she had unknowingly brought into her home.

  “Apep brings violent storms.” Dalila crossed her arms over her chest, as if feeling a sudden chill. “And the weather forecasters have no explanation for the thunderstorms.”

  Dalila’s uncle and guardian was the famous Egyptologist Anwar Serenptah. He had immersed Dalila in ancient Egyptian culture, magic, and religion, so she knew things that Meri and Sudi hadn’t learned yet.

  “But I don’t understand how Apep was small enough to fit into Meri’s room,” Sudi said, voicing her concern again. “You could be mistaken, couldn’t you? Maybe it was just a raccoon or a possum.”

  “It’s not easy for something from the Netherworld to come here,” Abdel explained. “The creature is weak and small at first, until it adjusts to our world.”

  “Then what?” Sudi asked.

  “The three of you need to stop Apep before the demon becomes too strong,” Abdel said and broke eye contact.

  “But there’s something you’re not telling us,” Dalila said.

  “In the past, only the god Seth has been able to resist the serpent’s stare,” Abdel said.

  “But we escaped Apep once already,” Meri put in.

  “Yes, you escaped the soul-hunter,” Abdel answered. “You weren’t fighting Apep, or trying to defeat and vanquish the demon.”

  “He’s right,” Dalila agreed. “We only had to run from him.”

  “I’ll study the Book of Thoth,” Abdel said, standing abruptly. He looked down at Meri. “And until I find a protective spell, you must be cautious.”

  “You always have us search for the information ourselves,” Dalila said. “Why is this time different?”

  “We can’t make a mistake this time, because…” Abdel seemed to be debating within himself whether or not he should tell them the truth.

  “Tell us,” Sudi pleaded. “It’s always better to know.”

  “I’m certain Apep has been summoned to destroy the three of you,” he said. “I think the creature stole into Meri’s house, hoping to kill her in her sleep.”

  “Why didn’t he?” Meri asked as a shiver crept up her spine. “Apep was under my bed.”

  “Perhaps the spells I cast stopped him,” Abdel said, “or maybe Miwsher scared him away.”

  “That’s why you were in my backyard?” Meri asked, feeling a burst of warm emotion. “To protect me?”

  “Yes, divine one,” he answered. “That is my duty.”

  Meri smiled, and he looked away from her.

  “All three of you must give me your solemn promise that you won’t do anything until we meet again,” he said. “What I need to do may take some time, and I don’t want you venturing out on your own, the way you did with the mummy.”

  “I promise,” Meri said. So did Sudi and Dalila.

  The girls had tried to deal with a mummy that had been summoned to destroy Sudi, but instead of getting rid of the creature with a simple spell, Sudi had placed a love spell on it and turned an uncomplicated problem into an impossible one.

  Apparently satisfied, Abdel turned and left.

  Meri watched him. She couldn’t just let him leave. She jumped up.

  “Where are you going?” Sudi asked.

  “I forgot to tell Abdel that The Jackal had opened,” she lied.

  “I’m sure he knows,” Dalila said. “You haven’t eaten your pancakes.”

  “I’m not hungry,” Meri answered over her shoulder.

  She ran outside. Rain hit her in a solid sheet, soaking through her clothes. She splashed through the puddles, chasing after Abdel. She wanted to invite him to Michelle’s party.

  “Abdel!” She yelled and waved.

  He turned and held out his umbrella, inviting her under its protection. She stepped next to him and he placed an arm around her.

  “You’re shivering,” he said, pulling her close to him. “Your teeth are chattering. Didn’t you bring a coat?”

  “It’s a long story,” she said, cuddling against him.

  Now that she stood close to him, pressed against his warm chest and looking up into his eyes, she felt too shy to ask him to go to the party with her. She hadn’t thought this through.

  “What did you want?” he asked when she didn’t speak. “Is something wrong? Did something more happen last night?”

  She shook her head. He leaned down, studying her eyes, his breath mingling with hers. She wondered if he could hear her galloping heartbeat over the rain.

  “Meri,” he said gently, “if nothing is wrong, I need to go home and study.”

  “I was wondering if you—” Her stomach growled noisily, and she pressed her hands against her waist, trying to stop the sound.

  “Why didn’t you eat?” He took her elbow and led her back to the café. “You need to finish your pancakes.”

  “No!” she said loudly.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  He looked like any sixteen-year-old guy, but if he was an Hour priest, then he had probably lived for a few thousand years. She wondered how many girlfriends he had had in that time. Probably none that looked like a wet surf rat, like Meri. She wished she could be glamorous like Dalila, or have Sudi’s confidence. He’d probably never go out with a foolish, simple tomboy.

  “Never mind,” she said and started to walk away.

  He kept pace with her, holding the umbrella over her head. “If something happened, you have to tell me,” he said.

  “Just go back to all your Cleopatras,” Meri said glumly. “I imagine you’ll be happier with them.”

  He chuckled. “How did we get from Apep to Cleopatra?” He stepped in front of Meri and made her stop. Then, with his free hand, he lifted her chin until she was forced to look into his eyes. “Tell me.�
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  “I just wanted—” she stammered and stopped. She should never have followed him outside. She wasn’t good at flirting.

  Abdel frowned.

  “Why do you always act like I’m a nuisance?” she asked. “I can’t control the way I feel.”

  Understanding softened his eyes. “You don’t need to feel afraid,” he said. “I promise, I’ll protect you. I’ll find a way for you to stop Apep.”

  “That’s not it.” She looked down at a puddle, suddenly realizing that he wasn’t going to leave until he knew what was bothering her. She took a deep breath and lifted her head.

  “Michelle is—” she started again and stopped abruptly when he glanced at his watch. “Can’t you see I’m trying to ask you out?” she asked, completely flustered.

  He didn’t say a word, and she couldn’t read his expression. Then he smiled. Was he laughing at her?

  “You’re the most irritating person I’ve ever met in my life!” she yelled.

  A sudden burst of light blinded her, and at first she thought it was lightning. But then another flash and another quickly followed the first. Thimble and his companion had jumped from an SUV parked at the curb and were taking photos of what they probably thought was a lovers’ spat.

  Meri turned and stomped away, her shoes making that terrible sucking sound. She couldn’t even ask a guy for a date, let alone have a first kiss. Between the paparazzi, the Secret Service, and her own inability to deal with guys, she probably wasn’t going to lose her virginity until she was forty-one, if then.

  It felt like the worst day of her life.

  The photographers kept walking with her, jumping in front of her and taunting her, trying to trigger a reaction, but she was too sad to react. After the initial burst of anger, she had been left with a funny, hollow feeling inside. She was glad the rain was pelting her face so they couldn’t see the tears welling up in her eyes.

  When she didn’t make faces at the camera, or try to run, the photographers became bored with her and left.

  As their SUV drove away, she let the tears fall. Why had she moved here? She imagined her friends back in L.A., down at the beach. At least there, she had been able to lose herself in the waves.