Pharaoh-mones - Kendra Moreno Page 0,1

and broken English, I shook my head. I wasn’t foolish enough to pay the rates they would try to charge a foreigner and I certainly wouldn’t be getting into a car I wasn’t expected in. I already knew the dangers of a war-torn country, so instead, I bypassed them, smiling kindly to let them know I wouldn’t be needing their services, and approached the man holding up a sign. My name, Delilah Jackson, was scrawled across it in barely legible writing, but it was just recognizable enough to know he was there for me.

“Dr. Jackson?” he asked, his voice less accented than the customs agent, a kind smile on his face. I liked him instantly. “My name is Muhammad. I’ve been instructed to take you directly to your quarters.”

“That would be great.” I sighed, following him to a beat-up green car parked on the curb. The windows were all rolled down and I realized there probably wouldn’t be any AC inside. I shoved the stray hairs from my face, wiping the sweat already forming on my forehead, and grimaced. I could have really used some AC, but nothing could take away from the sight of Cairo spread before me, not even the heat.

“Where are the quarters exactly?” I asked as he loaded my few bags into the trunk of the car. He had to slam the lid a few times for it to stick. I hoped it wouldn’t come unlatched as we drove. I really needed my clothes. “The paperwork I have never said the exact address, just that I would be assigned a room with one of my students.”

“There is a hotel called the Anubis Hotel close to the dig site, Dr. Jackson. That is where you will be staying.”

“Please, tell me it’s air-conditioned,” I begged, climbing into the front seat of the car instead of the back. He glanced at me, startled, when I did so, but otherwise remained professional. I wasn’t sitting in the back like he was my servant. If it was just the two of us, there was no reason I couldn’t sit in the front and talk to him.

“Of course. The Prime Minister made sure you would be comfortable during your stay in Egypt.”

Small blessings, I thought, as Muhammad started the car with a strained rumble and pulled away from the curb. The belt squealed a little before fading into silence. I’d been right, there was no AC, but I was so focused on the buildings outside my window, I didn’t pay too much mind to the growing sweat. Even the heat that slapped at my face from the windows was a dry heat, unhelpful. It was like being in an oven set to broil.

The roads didn’t seem to have any conformity to them, cars going in all directions, and there were so many near misses, I was gripping the “Jesus Handle” before we’d barely left the airport. I wasn’t sure where Muhammad learned to drive, but driving in Cairo was nothing like driving in New York and that was saying something. At least we stayed on our side of the road. Muhammad drove back and forth, up over the curb, as if we were in an action movie and Jason Statham was instructing us how to get away.

“How long until we arrive?” I watched the bustling city moving around us, the architecture so beautiful, I was tempted to pull out my camera and start snapping pictures. There would be plenty of time for that later, though, so I restrained myself. Today was all about settling in, acclimating, and getting over my jet lag after flying around the world. I wasn’t even expected at the dig site for a few more days. I had to get cleared through all the checks and balances first.

“About an hour and a half, Dr. Jackson.”

I nodded my head, absorbing the outside views like a sponge.

When I’d gotten the call from Dr. Crenshaw telling me I’d been selected for the dig of a lifetime, I’d nearly fainted. I might have blacked out. Dr. Crenshaw said I didn’t speak for a few minutes after he shared the news. He’d jokingly said he thought he’d killed me and would have to find someone else. But no, I’d only been in shock. I’d watched on the news as they talked about the discovery of a new pyramid, long since covered by the sands of Egypt. It was massive, a giant mystery surrounding how it had remained hidden for so long, how it