by Lynne Ewing
“Go back to the party,” she insisted.
“Not without you,” he said.
She stopped abruptly and turned her head, sensing something. A creature maybe, or another god that had been sent to harm her. She could feel whatever it was fix its attention on her. Her heart loped crazily in her chest. Evil vibrated in the breeze. But Scott didn’t seem to feel the strange shiver in the night.
Her mind spun, trying to figure a way to get Scott to stop playing hero and go away.
“I’m meeting Brian,” she lied, her heart sinking. But she had no choice. She had to get Scott to leave the woods, and quickly.
Scott let go of her hand. “He bragged that you would never get over him, but I thought he was just being Brian.”
“He told the truth,” Sudi said, hating the lie.
“I didn’t believe the things Brian said about you,” Scott answered.
Sudi wanted to hear what Brian had said and argue in her own defense, but she knew she had to hurry. She whirled around, leaving Scott alone, and ran deeper into the woods, forcing back her tears, wanting more than anything to lure the beast away from Scott and the party.
Her hands trembled, and she fumbled with her sleeve, trying to roll it up so she could read the incantation she had written on her arm. But fear had muddled her thinking. Which spell was the right one? A pungent smell was wafting around her. She didn’t know if evil had a scent, but maybe the creature coming after her did. She held up her arm and blinked back the tears distorting her vision. She had forgotten to consider how dark the night might be. Even with the milky moonlight, she could barely read the incantation.
Whatever was coming had quickened its pace.
She began to speak the spell and stopped. What if it wasn’t a creature heading toward her? She couldn’t just turn anyone into a dog—
She stopped in her tracks, then crept behind a vine and waited.
A mummy stepped from the foliage and paused, as if it sensed her. Its rib cage protruded where its wrapping had fallen away. Black streaks covered its dried and shrunken orange-brown skin. The eyes had fallen back into their sockets, and the lids appeared closed. Slowly, the mummy’s head turned, and through slits, its gaze fell on her.
Sudi held up her arm and read the spell.
“Goddess of magic, I entreat you, send a burning ring of your love fire around the one who beholds me. Set fire to his heart, that…” She stopped. She was reading the wrong incantation.
If she were going to survive, she had no choice. “…That he might love me,” she said, finishing the incantation.
The mummy lunged toward her. Her spell had done nothing.
Sudi jerked back and slammed into the tree behind her. Pain spun up her spine. The mummy’s skeletal hands grabbed her, the bony fingers pressing into her waist. Its head bent toward her with an unpleasant crack of bones, and with its closeness came a strong rancid odor.
She groaned with disgust as the mummy’s face pressed against her forehead. Then, without warning, its swollen black teeth clicked against hers, and the stale taste of mold and embalming resin settled on her tongue. She pushed the mummy away. Her hands came back covered with bits of dry mummy-wrapping.
“What are you doing?” she asked, not sure the mummy understood. But she felt certain she knew: her spell had worked, after all. The mummy was trying to kiss her.
It tottered toward her again, struggling to keep its body balanced atop its stiff legs.
Sudi felt something in her mouth like a piece of broken tooth. She picked a black nugget off her tongue, then glanced at the mummy. The tip of its nose was missing. She squealed in disgust and spat.
Bile rose to the back of her throat, and she took long, slow breaths to settle her nausea.
The mummy tried to hold her in its brittle arms. Was it trying to comfort her? She ducked out of its embrace, then spat again, wishing the moldy taste would go away.
“I need to get some help,” she said, rolling down her sleeves. “Stay here.”
She looked into the creature’s hollow eyes and wondered if it understood. She stepped away, and when she thought the mummy was going to remain where it stood, she turned and ran wildly back to Michelle’s house.
Leaves slapped her face, momentarily blinding her, but she continued on. Her heels wobbled in the mud, and her ankles twisted painfully back and forth in her unsteady shoes, but that didn’t slow her pace.
When she reached the path, she paused, deciding which way to go.
Behind her, footsteps squished in the spongy soil, and then the mummy plodded between two trees, reaching out for her. Its thumbs got tangled in vines as it stumbled toward her. Its chin hit the top of her head with a terrible crack.
She choked back a scream, terrified its jaw had snapped free.
The mummy stared back at her, face intact except for the missing piece of nose. Carefully, she touched its arm. Her fingers encircled the bone. Something dry flaked off in her right palm. She prayed it was only mummy-wrapping.
“You can’t come with me,” she explained. “I’m just going to get help. I promise I won’t leave you out here alone.”
Sudi dropped her hand and took one tentative step away.
The mummy grinned and took a wobbling step forward.
Either it was terrified of the new world in which it found itself and didn’t want to be alone, or it was so in love with Sudi that it couldn’t bear to be away from her. But she had to find Dalila and Meri, and she couldn’t risk having the mummy trail after her.
“Okay,” she said. “You can come with me, but if we hear anyone, we have to hide.”
She walked with the mummy until they reached the edge of the woods, and then she peered out from behind a tree. Three girls leaned against the buffet table, dipping strawberries in chocolate, but most of the partygoers stood near the stage, snickering and mocking Michelle’s performance. Sienna looked ready to run.
Maybe, Sudi thought, she could risk stepping across the lawn with the mummy; but then she saw Scott, sitting alone on the porch steps. Her chest tightened with regret. Her night of magic had deteriorated into a nightmare, and she knew intuitively that her bad dream was just beginning.
“Sudi!” Meri and Dalila called from behind her.
She turned back, surprised to see them hiking through the grass.
“We’ve been going up and down this path, searching for you,” Meri said and displayed the scratches on her hand as proof. “Scott told us you wanted to be alone out here.”
“So we knew something bad…” Dalila’s words trailed off, and her mouth fell open as the mummy moved from the shadows and stood in the moonlight.
Meri gasped and clutched Dalila’s arm. Both stood still, staring at the mummy.
“I guess you were right,” Sudi admitted. “And so was Abdel. It wasn’t safe for us to be out at night yet.”
“But you stopped it,” Dalila said, stepping closer and touching the mummy’s shoulder. She flinched when its head turned.
“Gross,” Meri said and took a step back. “He reeks.”
“No,” Dalila corrected. “Most mummies only have a musty odor. What you smell is the magic the cult used to bring his spirit back to the living world.”
“Whatever,” Meri said. “He still smells horrible.”
“How do you know it’s a he?” Sudi asked.
Both Meri and Dalila pointed in reply.
“Oh,” Sudi said softly and quickly looked away.
“What spell did you use?” Dalila asked.
“That’s the thing,” Sudi said, hesitating. “I accidentally put a love spell on him.”
She told them about the two spells and how she had used the wrong one. When she finished, Meri couldn’t stop laughing, but Dalila looked worried.
“You’ve made a terrible mistake,” Dalila said. “There’s a division between the dead and the living, and those who live are not supposed to meddle with those in the underworld. The cult broke that rule, and now you have, too.
”
“I didn’t resurrect it,” Sudi argued. “The cult did.”
“But what kind of love spell did you use?” Dalila asked. “Did you bind your soul to his for all eternity? Will your spirit go with him if we find a way to send him back to his world?”
Sudi shrugged; as usual, she hadn’t thought it through.
“Let’s take him back to my house,” Sudi said. “We’ll hide him there until we can ask Abdel what to do.”
“Are you sure?” Meri said. “Your parents are going to smell him.”
“What else can I do?” Sudi asked. “I can’t just leave him here. He probably wouldn’t stay anyway. He follows me like he can’t bear to be away from me.”
Dalila shook her head. “The mummy’s spirit was brought back, but he can’t be one of the blessed dead. He must have done something evil when he was alive, or his soul would have found its way into eternal life. Do you want to take something like that into your house?”
“Especially when he’s in love with you,” Meri said, and playfully poked Sudi.
“Stop acting like this is a joke,” Sudi said and gave Meri an angry look. “We’re dealing with a demon.”
“Not a demon,” a dry voice corrected. “I’m a damned soul.”
Sudi, Meri, and Dalila turned and stared at the mummy.
“He understands us,” Sudi whispered.
“We can’t just stay here,” Meri said, studying the shadows. “Other mummies could be coming.”
Sudi hadn’t considered the possibility that a troop of corpses might be searching for her. “How are we going to get him out of here?”
“Magic,” Dalila answered mysteriously. “Wait here while Meri and I get him something to wear.”
Sudi watched them leave, but she didn’t think their plan to conceal him in clothing was going to work. The mummy leaned against her, his sharp elbow pressing into her, but she didn’t push him away. Minutes passed, and when Dalila and Meri didn’t return, Sudi began thinking about Scott again. She wiped at the corners of her eyes.
“I guess you’re my date for the night,” she said cynically, and gazed up at the stars. “I wish it could have been different,” she started. “Why did I ever go out with Brian in the first place?”
She turned and looked at the mummy, and before she could stop, she found herself revealing her most inner thoughts and fears. She told him about Brian and Scott, telling him things she hadn’t even told Sara.
He nodded sympathetically as if he understood.
Dalila and Meri returned before Sudi had even started on Michelle.
“This is the best we could do,” Meri said and unfurled a black trench coat.
“We stole it off the bed where everyone had thrown their coats,” Dalila explained. “But we’ll return it.”
Sudi was certain the coat belonged to Carter, and she wondered if Dalila was using it as an excuse to see him again.
“People will still see the mummy’s head,” Meri said.
“Not if my magic works,” Dalila replied. She closed her eyes and lifted her arms, with her palms up in supplication. “Queen of magic, Goddess of many names, we bow before your ruling, dear Isis, but if it pleases you, send a burning fire around this one here, and give him the flesh of his youth.”
The mummy looked at them with glazed eyes, but nothing happened.
“I guess we’ll have to risk walking with him after all,” Meri said.
“Let’s try again, together,” Sudi said, and raised her palms. Meri stood next to her doing the same. They closed their eyes and repeated the incantation with Dalila.
When Sudi opened her eyes, a single red spark floated into the darkness. Other embers joined it, and soon fiery specks swirled around the mummy. Then the cinders fell to the ground, hissing, and the faint scent of charred grass wafted into the air.
Sudi blinked, adjusting her eyes to the sudden gloom. A young man, no more than eighteen, stood in the moonlight completely naked.
“Whoa,” Meri said. “What happened to his mummy-wrappings?”
“They’re still there,” Dalila said. “This is just a disguise that will wear off quickly.”
They helped the mummy into the trench coat, then guided him across the lawn.
The girls at the chocolate fountain stopped eating and stared.
“Woo-hoo!” one shouted, wiping at the chocolate on her lips. “Who’s the hottie?”
“Introduce us to your friend,” Lydia screamed.
“They must be high on chocolate,” Sudi said. “Normally Lydia is guy shy.”
“Maybe it’s the mummy,” Meri said, opening her cell phone. “He’s really good-looking.”
“Evil is always seductive,” Dalila added matter-of-factly. “I’m sure that’s what they’re sensing.”
“Great,” Sudi said. “Just what all parents want their daughter to bring home.”
Meri called her driver, and he was waiting at the curb by the time they stepped into the front yard. He stared at the mummy’s bare feet and ankles but said nothing.
Sudi squeezed into the back between Dalila and the mummy. Meri climbed into the front. They rode in silence, except for the mummy’s frightened gasps. He winced at oncoming traffic, and twice shielded his eyes.
Finally, the sedan parked in front of Sudi’s house. Dalila and Meri got out with Sudi and the mummy. They huddled near the curb.
“Maybe he should go home with me,” Dalila said. “After all, my uncle is an Egyptologist and he’d probably love talking to him.”
“The mummy would never stay with you,” Meri said. “He’d try to find Sudi, and then he’d be lost and wandering around D.C.”
“I’ll get him inside,” Sudi said, with a confidence she didn’t feel.
They said good night, and Sudi started up the walk. She unlocked the front door as the sedan drove away and led the mummy inside.
At the base of the stairs she paused, listening. The refrigerator hummed, but that was the only sound. She gripped the banister and guided the mummy up the steps. Her heart felt ready to explode. What if her mother caught her taking this half-naked guy to her room? She’d never be able to explain this one.
She crept down the hallway past her parents’ open bedroom door, feeling totally exposed. When at last she had the mummy in her room, she closed the door and slid to the floor. She didn’t stand up again until her legs stopped shaking.
The mummy walked around her room, running his fingers over her dresser, and then he sprawled out on her bed.
Sudi hadn’t considered how exhausted he must have felt. She unfolded the comforter and tucked it around him. “I promise I’ll find a way to get you through all the gates and into eternal life.”
“The beautiful west,” he whispered, as if he longed for a peaceful death.
She wondered what his life had been like. In another time she might have loved him. Then a shudder ran through her. What had he done to become a damned soul?
She took a sleeping bag from the shelf in her closet, unrolled it, crawled inside, and quickly fell asleep.
She awoke with a start. Her mother was pounding on her door. “Sudi, you’re going to be late,” her mother yelled. “And don’t you dare cut school again. I don’t want another note from your vice principal.”
The mummy leaned over the edge of her bed, gazed down at her, and started to speak. Sudi struggled from her sleeping bag and placed a hand over his mouth. He kissed her palm.
“Don’t say a word,” she whispered. She felt his tongue on her neck. He rolled over, pulling her on top of him.
She slid off the bed and went to gather some clean underwear from her dresser.
“I have to go to school,” she explained, before shutting herself in the closet and taking off her clothes. She rubbed jasmine lotion over her body, hoping it would cover the mummy’s stench if it still clung to her. Then she dressed and stepped back out into the room.
The mummy stood by her window, staring out at the backyard.
“You’ll have to lock the door when I leave,” she said and showed him how to turn the button on the doorknob. “It’s really important that no one finds you here.”
He nodded and leaned over to embrace her. His lips grazed her cheek as she slipped into the hallway and closed the door behind her. She waited until the lock clicked into place, and then she ran downstairs and burst into the kitchen.
The morning news played on the TV, and the smell of burned toast filled the air. Sudi’s mother stood at the sink, scraping black crumbs off her toast with a knife.
“Did you buy birdseed?” she asked when she saw Sudi.
“Yes,” Sudi said, and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl.
“Nicole and Carrie told me that they found a bird trapped in the house,” her mother said. “I hope you’re not trying to keep a wild bird as a pet.”
“Her room smells like the inside of a chicken coop,” Carrie said, and Nicole giggled.
“Very funny,” Sudi said with a snide grin, but she wondered if Carrie had smelled the mummy.
“I don’t want any birds close to the house,” her mother continued and bit into the toast. “You’ve seen the mess pigeons make.”
“You wouldn’t poison it, would you?” Sudi asked, suddenly panicked, remembering how, as a bird, she had been unable to control the impulse to eat a beetle. “It’s not like the bird did anything wrong.”
“Are you all right?” her mother asked, her eyes filling with concern.
Sudi wanted to fall into her mom’s arms and tell her everything.
“I’m fine,” Sudi lied, and started for the door.
Forty-five minutes later, Sudi took her assigned seat in the back of her English class. She pulled out her cell phone, flipped it open, and read a text message from Meri: Abdel is not home.
Sudi groaned. She couldn’t keep the mummy hidden through a second night. Where had Abdel gone? Surely, he hadn’t returned to Egypt. At least, she hoped he hadn’t.
An odd awareness made her glance up. Her classmates were staring at her. A few held their hands over their mouths to hide their snickering.
