Luke tossed his baseball in the air and daintily caught it with his glove. The night was extremely long and cold. For the past half-hour, Luke had been walking up and down the hallway, tossing his ball in the air and catching it. At times he would pause and gaze at the designs on the barrel vault hallways. Luke found the pointed arches above the doorways and the ribbed barrel vaulting fascinating. Never before had he seen such architecture.

Suddenly a figure flew out of the darkness and pounced on Luke's back. Remembering the lions' glowing eyes, Luke gave a yell and tried to release the creature that was on his back.

"You scare so easily!" laughed a voice.

Vixie, Luke recognized, figures. He gave a sigh of relief. He should of known that Vixie was the culprit. It was amazing, Luke thought, that a girl his age would act so immature. Why was she determined to scare the wits out of him? What had he done to her? Luke tried to get her to release from his back but failed.

"Why do you insist on scaring me?" Luke demanded in a semi-gruff voice.

"'Cause it's fun!" Vixie replied. She knew it was only half the truth. But Vixie couldn't tell Luke about Dr. Marrow's "fear" experiment or about her role in the experiment. If she did tell him, the experiment would be ruined and she would be sent home.

Vixie realized that Luke had ceased trying to get her to get off his back. She smiled to herself, remembering part of her past.

"Hey," Luke said, returning back to his pleasant self. "You're pretty good with Egyptian architecture aren't you?"

"You're looking at a person who has lived in Egypt for a good deal of her life," Vixie replied.

"Well, in my room the entire place seems to be covered with Egyptian stuff, mostly hieroglyphics. Would you care to come and see them? Maybe tell me about them?"

"Sure," Vixie agreed. She asked, "Would you like me to get off your back now?"

"No," Luke replied. "You're good there and I don't mind anymore."

At that, Luke carried Vixie towards his room, occasionally asking about the architecture and the designs along the way. When they got to his room, Luke paused at the door.

Pointing at the two people surrounding a falcon, Luke asked, "This is Egyptian right?"

"Yes," Vixie smiled. She hopped off of Luke's back and said, "The one on the right is Osiris, god of the After Life. The one on the left is his sister-wife, Isis."

"Sister-wife?" Luke questioned.

"Yes, Isis was also Osiris's sister but he married her and had a son and a daughter. Horus, the falcon in the center, was their son. Hathor was their daughter and she's not on here."

"Why isn't she on there?" Luke asked. "I thought all of the family would be up on there. Did she do something horrible?"

"No, not at all," Vixie replied. She glanced at the bottom of the door and remarked, "Well, they have Seth up there, so maybe this door also serves as a warning to those who enter."

Luke looked at the bottom of the door and saw a grotesque looking pharaoh surrounded by a raging storm. He asked, "Why? What did ol' Seth do?"

"Seth was jealous of his brother, Osiris's popularity amongst the people and he hated him for it. Isis suspected Seth's hatred and repeatedly warned Osiris about Seth. Well, one day Seth lured Osiris into a bet to see who could fit into a trunk. When Osiris climbed in Seth locked him in the trunk and threw it in the Nile.

"When Isis heard about this she ran to her son, Horus and told him what Seth had done. In anger, Seth tried to avenge his father's death by challenging Seth to a duel. In the end, Seth tore Horus's left eye out. To save his sister from Seth, Horus helped Hathor flee Memphis to Thebes, a city in Upper Egypt.

"Then Horus went back to his mother and discovered that she had recovered the trunk with Osiris in it but Seth then stole Osiris's body and cut him into six pieces, scattering them all over Lower Egypt.

"Isis then summoned Anubis, the gatekeeper between the Underworld and the After Life, and together the three of them found all of Osiris's body parts and put him back together."

Luke smirked, "Kind of like a 'Humpty-dumpty meets Ancient Egypt' thing huh?"

Vixie gave Luke a soft glare. She continued, "Then Osiris found Seth and killed him. For my mother's, father's, and brother's part in the ordeal Anubis gave them each a role to play in being gods. Osiris was to become the god of the After Life while Isis was to become the protector of all living and dead things. Horus become god of the night, offering light to the Egyptians so that they would be comforted when Amen-re, the sun god, wasn't present."

"Wow," Luke breathed, "Interesting story there Vixie."

Vixie gave a slight nod. She hoped Luke wouldn't make her tell a story for every single thing in his room. Taking a deep breath she entered Luke's room. A golden hue immediately fell around her as she stepped into the room.

The walls were decorated in gold plates with hundreds of hieroglyphics on them. Statues of Anubis, Osiris, Isis, and Seth were present. On the ceiling mosaics depicting Ancient Egyptian battles were seen as well as the god of life, Amen-re.

Vixie couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement run through her veins as she passed the hieroglyphics.

Luke fell on his bed and watched Vixie excitedly explore his room. He knew Vixie would enjoy looking at the Egyptian art but he secretly hoped Vixie wouldn't tell him a story for every piece of art she saw. He wasn't really that impressed with Ancient Egypt, although he was willing to give Egypt credit for Vixie's beauty.

Vixie turned to Luke and saw on his bed posts a familiar feminine goddess and smiled, "I think I know what kind of business went on in here."

"Oh, tell me," Luke smiled, watching Vixie come forward.

Vixie pointed to the goddess and said, "That's Qadesh, the goddess of sexual pleasure. She originated from the Middle East but all the men in Egypt loved her. They still do."

Luke gave Vixie a smirk, remarking, "Sounds kind of kinky."

Vixie laughed. Although at times Luke's sense of humor was more of an annoyance rather than amusing, Vixie generally appreciated Luke's presence and loved every minute that she spent with him. Being with Luke reminded Vixie of a time where she was once this happy, but it was a time far too long ago but not easily forgotten.

Wandering around the room, Vixie smiled as she recognized different pieces of Egyptian art. As she perused the various artifacts in the room Vixie would tell Luke a brief bit about each piece.

Coming to a mosaic, Vixie told Luke, "Here's another Egyptian goddess highly favored by men and women alike."

"Who is it?"

"It is Sekhmet," Vixie replied, "She was worshipped by people who hopped that fertility would come to them if they worshipped to her. She's also an embodiment of pleasure and sexual attraction."

Luke laughed, "This Kaine guy most of really loved the ancient world."

Vixie paused as she recognized a set of hieroglyphics depicting a family gathering of Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Hathor. Vixie saw adjacent to the family portrait a large mosaic of Anathor, an evil ancient pharaoh. Vixie muttered to herself, "Or was apart of them."

Not catching what Vixie had said, Luke asked, "What about those mosaics over there? Who are they?"

Vixie saw the familiar mosaics next to Luke's bed and went for a closer look. She replied upon seeing the gods and goddesses, "This is Neith, the one wearing the red crown and carrying a shield and crossed arrows. She came from Lower Egypt. Neith was the patroness of war. The one next to her is the god Sobek. He protected the dead and the canopic jars."

"What is a canopic jar?" Luke curiously inquired.

"That's a special jar where they put your organs after you've been mummified," Vixie replied. She smiled as Luke recoiled slightly from the mosaic. She continued, "Preserving your organs and your body was important in traveling to the After Life."

Vixie went on to the next god hovering over the sarcophagus and pointed to the weird looking creature, stating.

"This is Ammut. He devours the unworthy dead. He has the head of a crocodile, a lion's upper torso, and a hippopotamus rear. He's someone I wish who would have devoured Anathor."

"Who's that?" Luke inquired, glancing from the god to Vixie.

Vixie replied in a hushed voice, "Someone far too horrible to mention."

Clearing her throat Vixie continued, "The scorpion-headed goddess next to Ammut is Selket. She is the guardian of the sarcophagus."

"Okay," Luke replied with a smile, "Is there anyone less ominous here?"

"Well," Vixie replied, glancing on the large statue of a patron embedded in a pyramid. "There's Ptah. He was a patron of the great architectural monuments in the Old Kingdom."

Luke nodded. He enjoyed listening to Vixie tell him about the hieroglyphics and the mosaics.

Vixie stated, "I think it's about eleven thirty. Don't you ever sleep?"

Luke shook his head, "No, I've been having trouble sleeping lately. At about three in the morning I'm wide-awake getting hypnotized by the infomercials that come on TV."

Vixie sat next to Luke and said, "Turn around."

"Wait, why?" Luke demanded, not sure if Vixie was tricking him.

"Just do it," Vixie ordered with a touch of humor.

Luke obeyed her at once. He felt Vixie's hands gently rest on his neck and shoulders. He felt her slightly pressing down on various parts on the basin of his neck and his shoulders. A strange calmness fell over him.

Vixie said, "Well no wonder why you cannot relax! You're all tight and stiff! You have a lot of knots in your neck and upper back! Hasn't anyone given you a massage before?"

"No," Luke replied honestly. He wondered if Vixie would give him one.

Vixie gently slid her hands over Luke's hair and traveled behind his ears to the lower edge of his skull. She felt the tightened neck muscles that met the cranium and began to stroke the muscles smoothly.

"Just relax and let your mind free," Vixie whispered into Luke's ears.

Luke closed his eyes as the gentle touch of Vixie began to massage its way into his tired, aching muscles. He sighed contentedly as pain that had occurred momentarily before went away. Luke began to drift slowly off to sleep with each gentle stroke Vixie delivered to his neck.

Then he felt Vixie stop. Opening his eyes, Luke turned to Vixie and asked, "Why did you stop? That felt good!"

"I'm glad," Vixie whispered in his ear, "Now I want you to lie down on your back. I've only loosened up your neck muscles. Now I need to massage your shoulders."

Luke laid on his back, resting his head in Vixie's lap. He gazed sleepily into Vixie's brown eyes.

Vixie put her hands underneath his shoulders and began to lift up slightly. Then she began to move her hands gently up and over his shoulders, letting Luke's weight massage the muscles. Vixie continued this for a while. Not long after she had started, Luke was sound asleep.

Giving a small smile, Vixie leaned down and gave Luke a kiss on the forehead. Luke smiled a bit, continuing to sleep. Vixie gently laid Luke's head on the pillow and got off the bed.

A half hour later Vixie's hand slid down the gold-embroiled hieroglyphics, her hand fell by her side in a fluid motion. Vixie heard a soft sigh coming from Luke's direction and glanced towards the bed. A frown of concern spread across her lips as she observed Luke half awake on the shimmering comforters. Luke, although tired, seemed deep in thought as he stared into the Egyptian heavens above him. An odd trance Luke seemed to be in; a trance that was not befitting for a skeptic.

"Are you okay?" Vixie curiously inquired in a hushed voice.

Luke glanced over at Vixie. He noticed that her eyes were full of concern and her voice was genuine. Shifting uncomfortably under the red comforter, Luke's gaze rested in Vixie's worried eyes.

"I'm cold."

Vixie gave him a warm smile, picking up a blanket on the red sofa. She walked over to the bed and gently tucked him in with the soft blanket. All the while Luke gazed continuously at the ceiling, observing the hieroglyphics. A couple strands of blonde hair fell over his eyes.

Luke curiously inquired, "What hieroglyphics were you touching over there?"

Vixie smiled. Even though Luke preferred to believe in science over folk-lore and mythology, he did have an thirst for knowledge. Vixie couldn't help wanting to tell him about the hieroglyphics she had been touching. Except, to tell him the whole story meant that she would have to reveal her involvement with the "insomnia research" and then Luke would hate her as well as not believe her.

Finally Vixie said, coming to an appropriate decision. She sat on the bed next to Luke. She gently brushed Luke's strands of hair out of his eyes and began stroking his soft hair. Vixie said, "The hieroglyphics were of Horus in his half-human, half-falcon form, Hathor, and Anathor. Now, as the scrolls say, shortly after Horus and Isis joined Osiris in the After Life an evil pharaoh took over all of Upper Egypt.

"The pharaoh was greedy and exceedingly cruel. The only thing that made him happy was the sight and sound of children. Anathor had several concubines who produced him a great number of children, but it wasn't enough. He felt that none of his concubines were pretty enough to be his queen and he thought that he deserved a beautiful queen to be by his side.

"Hardly any Egyptian female suited him. The ones he checked out and rejected were horribly mistreated. With some he had the their faces burned so that no other man would be able to see their beauty."

Luke gasped, "That's horrible!"

"Yes, but more horrifying than that was what he did to the others," Vixie stated. Her voice had taken an eerie tone, dark and melancholy. Vixie continued, "With some of the exceptionally beautiful he had them killed altogether. It was as if he was condemning the women for being seductive and beautiful. He had just about given up when he came across Hathor, who had fled to Thebes after the murder of her father Osiris.

"Anathor had heard about Hathor and her beauty. He knew that she would retain the pleasing looks he so desperately desired. With an army he sent out to Thebes and easily located her. With a pair of lions as his modern day police dog posse, they ransacked her home. They pulled Hathor out and presented her to Anathor.

"He was very pleased with Hathor's beauty. But he was not pleased to see that she already had been married to Marcus Comdassius, a Roman soldier, and had had three kids of their own. Anathor decided to keep the children but kill Marcus Comdassius.

"Hathor pleaded with Anathor not to harm her husband or her children. For love's sake Hathor was willing to go with Anathor. Anathor agreed and decided to spare Marcus's life."

Luke watched Vixie's eyes moisten with tears as she continued, "But his words were false. As soon as he got Hathor and the children into his awaiting carriage he had his men release the lions on Marcus."

Vixie's voice choked as she continued, "To this day I don't know what killed him, the lions or if it was the column that the lions knocked over on him."

At that she began crying. Luke wasn't sure why she was crying. Ancient Egypt wasn't supposed to make a person that emotional. After all, wasn't what Vixie was telling him just a story? Even if it was true why did it matter that much to her? Still, Luke felt sympathy towards Vixie and straightened up in the bed. He guided Vixie to lean on him and rest her head on his chest.

Knowing that if Vixie continued she might be able to calm down, Luke told her softly, "Continue. Tell me, what became of Hathor?"

Sniffling, Vixie spoke, "She had no choice then but to move back to Memphis and live with Anathor for fear of her children. Her life was considerably miserable and her love for Marcus never strayed. Hathor never once loved Anathor nor even liked him. It made Anathor angry that his beautiful wife hardly even looked at him and spent all her time playing with their twenty-two.

"One day in early twenty A.C. some men got together and assassinated Anathor and fled the city. Anathor's dying request was that the children, his wife, and his concubines were to be locked into his pyramid and not granted to leave. He wanted them in the After Life.

"Of course his wishes were granted," Vixie said, almost laughing. She continued, "Hathor, the twenty-two children, and the seven concubines were locked into the pyramid and there they stayed until each of them perished, one by one."

Vixie fell silent, letting her words sink in. She calmly listened to the quick heartbeat of Luke. It was obvious that her story had touched him in a way. If it hadn't, his heart rate wouldn't be up and he wouldn't be so quiet.

"Creepy," Luke whispered. He looked down at Vixie and gave her a short, comforting laugh, "You're real good with bedtime stories aren't you?"

Chuckling a bit, more to release her nervousness, Vixie replied, "Yeah, kids just love my stories."

Just then they heard Theo's voice screaming, "Luke! Luke! Help me Luke!"

"Theo?" both Luke and Vixie exclaimed, jumping off the bed.

Luke glanced at Vixie as if to confirm what he had heard. Vixie gave a frightened nod to validate what Luke had heard. Vixie had also heard a strange, echoing roar sounding through the house. Luke didn't seem to notice as he bolted out into the hallway, racing towards Theo.

As they ran down the hall towards Nell's room (where they heard Theo frantically calling for Luke) Vixie noticed the kitchen door open. Stopping, Vixie let Luke continue as she curiously investigated the kitchen.

Peering into the kitchen, Vixie saw Dr. Marrow turning the faucets off on the sink. The horrendous roar that she had heard in the hallway echoed louder in the kitchen. When Dr. Marrow stopped turning the handles the noise died. Vixie knew that the roar was not from Kaine's ghost, as Dr. Marrow had said, but water running through the rusting pipes.

Vixie entered the kitchen and spoke softly to Dr. Marrow, "So that's where the noise was coming from!"

Dr. Marrow gave a yell and jumped back from the sink. Seeing that it was only Vixie, Dr. Marrow gave a nervous chuckle. He hadn't thought about Vixie quietly sneaking in on him.

Dr. Marrow chided, "You're supposed to be scaring Luke, Nell, and Theo, Vixie! Not me!"

"I'm sorry," Vixie gave the professor a satisfied smirk. She came forward, asking, "Were you doing that for your experiment on group fear or were you just doing the evening dishes?"

Dr. Marrow gave another nervous laugh. Sometimes he wondered if Vixie was on his side or his subjects' side. He replied, "I was doing it for the sake of my experiment. I need to further their suspicion of this house and let their imagination carry it away."

He paused, staring at Vixie. He then asked, "Oh, I need you to do something for me tomorrow."

"Sure, what is it?" Vixie inquired.

Dr. Marrow handed her a piece of paper. Vixie looked inquisitively from the paper to Dr. Marrow, "What's this?"

"Read it later and do what it says," Dr. Marrow told her. He saw Vixie gaze out the door. He said, "We'll go out and meet our frightened subjects. If anyone asks where you were, tell them that you stopped to find me because you thought I would be of some assistance to the dilemma, okay?"

"Sure," Vixie replied with a half smile, pocketing the letter. She led Dr. Marrow to Nell's room.

A couple minutes later, Dr. Marrow had everyone gathered at the table in the kitchen. Nell and Theo explained what had happened. Nell was drifting off to sleep when suddenly the room got cold all of a sudden and she felt a dark presence lurking near. She heard Theo call for her and ran into her room. Then the two heard what sounded like lions roaring and then the doors started shaking as if someone, or something was crashing up against it, trying to knock it down. Then they felt the room get very cold and the roaring continued. But it went away as soon as they heard Luke calling for them. Then they were met by Luke, who had not heard the roaring.

Theo told them that she had never screamed for Luke. When she announced that to the group she gave Luke a look of distaste, as if to say, "Why would I call for you anyways? The person I wanted was already with me!"

Vixie nervously fidgeted in the wooden chair, quietly sipping peppermint tea. Ever so often Vixie would glance up at Luke and carefully she observed his expressions as he listened to the women's account of what had happened. She noticed that he seemed to take interest and even slight fear in what they were telling him. Even Vixie found the shaking on the doors strange.

Dr. Marrow inquired curiously, "Who felt the chill first?"

"I guess I did," Theo replied miserably. She suddenly felt ashamed for getting terrified of the noise. After all, Luke had discovered that by turning the handle on the sink it would create the roar that she and Nell had heard. Maybe, just maybe, it was all their imagination.

Nell demanded, "What difference does it make who felt it first?"

"I think you guys should get some sleep," Dr. Marrow said quietly and with some obvious attempt of true concern.

Theo nodded in agreement, saying, "It was probably just a breeze."

Nell stared bewilderedly at Dr. Marrow and Theo. She was disappointed that Dr. Marrow didn't believe her. The voices, the strange coolness that had swept into the room, and the creature or being that tried to get into their rooms.

Theo gently pulled Nell into a standing position, draping her arm around her. Theo said sweetly, "Here, I'll tuck you in. All we need is some sleep."

Nell nodded reluctantly. She wasn't feeling very tired since the disturbance in the house. Her mind still dwelled heavily on what she had seen and heard. Maybe there was some truth to the story of Kaine locking the children in the house since he wasn't allowed to have children of his own. Maybe Kaine's spirit still lived in the house!

Still, she wasn't ready to admit that she totally believed the story. She followed Theo towards the bedroom, not caring that Theo was hitting heavily on her.

Luke glanced at Dr. Marrow, stating, "Well, looks like my job her is done."

He glanced over at Vixie and saw her with her head in her arms on the table, apparently asleep. Quietly Luke made his way around the table towards her. He thought that if he treated Vixie with kindness that she would stop trying to scare him.

Dr. Marrow watched Luke reach out to gently wake Vixie. He wondered if Luke was beginning to feel any romantic ideas about Vixie. If so, Dr. Marrow knew that he could use Vixie as bait to lure Luke into more fright. Vixie would provide the perfect bait since she had such a captivating face and used her body language to further convey her points. Vixie would be perfect for enticing Luke, but would he bite?

As Luke reached out to wake Vixie, she suddenly leapt up at him, giving a loud roar. Luke stumbled backwards giving a startled yell. Dr. Marrow gave a soft chuckle. Luke would take the bait.

Vixie giggled at Luke, flashing him her devious smile. Luke forced an unsure laugh. He hated how Vixie would seem sweet and innocent one second but then scare him the next. When she wasn't provoking fear out of him, Luke thought, she actually was a pleasant companion and a sweet heart. Luke actually felt himself falling in love with her, even if she had just scared him.

"Next time I'll be the one scaring you," Luke stated, giving Vixie a smile.

"Oh really?" Vixie teased, raising an eyebrow. She stood up and leisurely strolled to Luke. She whispered, "I'd love to see you try."

"Well, you can count on it," Luke smiled. He stared into Vixie's brown eyes. He said, "I'm going to head to my room now, would you like me to escort you?"

"I'd love it if you would," Vixie replied, snuggling against his chest. She turned to Dr. Marrow and said, "Goodnight Dr. Marrow."

"Goodnight Vixie," Dr. Marrow smiled. "Do try to get some sleep you two. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day."

Vixie and Luke nodded. Draping his arm around her, Luke guided Vixie out of the kitchen and towards her room. When they approached Vixie's room, Vixie peered into the coldness of her gothic room. Turning to Luke, Vixie said, "My room is always cold and dark. I find it creepy to be alone in it. But I don't feel alone or even uncomfortable in your room with you though. Could I spend the night in your room?"

"Would Dr. Marrow mind?" Luke asked.

"He doesn't have to know," Vixie said, "Sides, didn't he say that he wants us to try and get some sleep? How can I if the room in which I have to sleep in is creepy?"

Luke nodded, "You do have a pretty good point there. Sounds good to me."

"I knew you'd understand," Vixie replied.




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