"Are you excited for the shipment today?"

Thea Amaris looked up from her desk where she was doing some paperwork. She pushed away frizzy brown hair from her bespectacled tawny eyes. Blinking, she tucked a tuft of hair behind her ear, though it didn't do much; it was curly and unruly, clipped about her chin, and refused to stay in one place for very long.

Thea smiled at one of her only friends, Rose Thorton. Rose stood in a pair of khaki pants tucked into black riding boots. A button down white blouse covered her top half, decorative frills around the neck. In her hand was a coffee holder that held two coffees. Thea smiled; Rose was always good for a cup of coffee.

"I'm very excited," Thea admitted as Rose walked over, placing down the large cup of coffee in front of her.

Rose raised her naturally blonde eyebrows, looking impressed. "Wow--'very excited'. I haven't heard such strong words come out of that cute mouth of yours for a really long time."

Thea blushed and hid a smile behind the steaming cup, taking a sip. Rose was a shameless flirt; it was all harmless. She knew Thea was only interested in men, but she also knew Thea found it flattering. Furthermore, Rose--along with everyone else in the known world--knew that Thea didn't have time for such relationships.

"Well it's not every day I get first cracks at uncovering the mysteries of a brand new Pharaoh!"

"What do you think you'll find?" Rose asked, tossing the coffee holder into the trash can beneath Rose's desk before sitting on the desk itself. Rose was the only one who was allowed such informal gestures. "Do you think he will have been a kind or ruthless leader?"

Thea grinned. "Who says it's a 'he'?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Thea--come on. I read the papers."

Thea let out a heavy sigh, shutting her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she met Rose with a glare. "You really need to stop doing that, Rose."

"And yet I never do," Rose replied lightly with a laugh. Thea pursed her lips as Rose grabbed the paper that was sitting in front of her. "Ankhenaten Abasi Badru." Rose looked impressed at Thea, who continued to glower. "Wow, we lucked out--a full name."

"Yes," Thea replied, snatching the paper back, "I lucked out."

"I can't believe after all this time we've managed to unearth an intact tomb of an unknown Pharaoh!" Rose's red stained lips broke into a huge grin, and she sighed dramatically. "Romantic, isn't it?"

"I guess," Thea commented dully, shuffling through the papers to make sure she would have everything she needed. "Although my task isn't quite so romantic."

"Oh?"

"I'm in charge of putting together three badly damaged vases," Thea said with a curt nod. "The shipment we are receiving today consists of the fragments, along with one intact canopic jar."

"Bless you."

Thea rolled her eyes and got to her feet, scooping up the papers. She taped them out neatly and whisked them away into a manila file folder. "This is why you're only a tour guide, Rose."

Rose playfully stuck out her tongue.

Thea came around the desk and Rose eagerly followed her. Thea paused only briefly to shut off her office light and lock the door behind them before heading down the long corridor that led into the main museum.

"A canopic jar is what the ancient Egyptians used during the embalming process to store the important organs for the afterlife."

Rose scrunched her face. "Ew."

Thea rolled her eyes, continuing. "There are always four jars, and each of its contents were said to be protected by one of the four sons of Horus. Hapy stores the lungs, Imsety stores the liver, Duamutef holds the stomach, and finally, Qebehsenuef holds the intestines."

"Mmmm, I love talking about entrails before breakfast."

"You asked."

"So--which conopic--"

"Canopic."

"Whatever. Which jar do you have?"

"I don't know!" Thea exclaimed happily. Grinning and holding her folder to her chest, she turned around, walking backwards to face Rose. "That's the fun of it! I'm the one who gets to figure that out!"

"Oh boy," Rose replied with a roll of her eyes. "The suspense is killing me Thea. Text me immediately whether you got the heart or the liver!"

Winking, Thea turned back around and hurried off. "Lungs, dear, lungs, not the heart. The heart always stayed intact--it was vital for the afterlife. They needed it."

"Whatever," Rose replied with a laugh, veering right towards the main entrance while Thea took a left.

Thea loved her job. For as long as she could remember, she was always digging. Her first vivid memory was of being in her backyard, no more than a toddler, stick in hand, digging through the soft dirt.

Her passion never waned. She became top of her class, always passionate for science. In college she pursued an education in anthropology, earning her doctorate. Her minor was held in archaeology with a focus of Egyptology. These paths led her to where she was now, Head Curator of the city's National Art and Science Museum.

Even though she had worked here for three years now, Thea still loved the walk to the science labs. Grinning up at the huge T-Rex skeleton, she told it hello like she did every day. Then was a stroll past the woolly mammoth. After that led her through the medieval gallery, stuffed to the brim with weapons and armor of all kinds.

Past this was the beginning of the arts section, a grand staircase leading to two separate sections of the museum. To the left was natural history where she needed to go. Right was which led to artifacts and paintings.

The science labs were tucked away behind a door that you needed a key-card to gain access to. Only authorized personnel were allowed. However, since Thea was the curator, she had a say of who was allowed, and Rose was a special exception.

The lab itself was rather dull, but it excited her nonetheless. Rows upon rows of equipment flanked either side of the main tiled walkway. They were one of the more advanced facilities, several computer stations set up and ready for use. Microscopes of differing strengths were a must, as were Petri dishes, litmus test strips, and other such things to determine the age of artifacts. The back room held two separate x-ray stations; a small one for small artifacts, like the canopic jar that would be arriving, and a large one for instances of scanning a sarcophagus and the like.

Once the dim lights were on and the computers were fired up, Thea allowed herself a small squeal. It was waiting for her already. It, of course, was the large wooden crate filled with the vase pieces and intact canopic jar. Setting down the file folder and her coffee, Thea grabbed her small pry bar and went to the box immediately.

It was stamped accordingly, and she ran her hands along the international shipping stamps which showed it's path of flight. On top was a large shipment sticker, and she grinned at her name listed as the "Attn.:" in big bold, black letters.

After a moment of reverence, she popped open the top deftly. Eagerly she moved aside the packaging that ensured the internal items weren't further damaged. One of the things Thea loved most about unboxing new items was the smell. Each shipment had its own smell, and all the ones from Egypt always brought to her mind memories of home.

Not that she was Egyptian; she was born and raised in Arkansas. However she had studied abroad and had been lucky enough to land a job in Egypt, an understudy for a prominent archaeologist. It had been the best year of her life, and she often dreamed of returning.

"One day," she muttered to herself, grabbing a pair of gloves before removing the first item.

It was the canopic jar she grabbed first. She studied it first with her eyes; it was in the shape of a cat, made out of limestone. On the front was a hieroglyph, which she easily read after all her years of study.

"Ah, the entrails," Thea further muttered, gently setting the jar down. Smirking, she would have to text Rose the gross discovery.

Thea reached into the box blind, the tip of her tongue sticking out at the corner of her mouth.

"Excuse me."

Thea jumped. Twirling around at the unexpected voice, she nearly yelped in surprise but suppressed it. As she clutched her wrist to her chest, she narrowed her eyes at the unwelcome guest.

A man in a suit stood before her. He was tall, handsome, with striking features. A beak-like nose, skinny and hooked, sat on a chiseled face. His dark brown eyes were deep set, his skin the color of rich dark caramel. His cheekbones were prominent, standing sharply against his hollowed cheeks. Long black hair was slicked back into a ponytail, and his eyebrows were thin and equally black.

"I am sorry," the man spoke in a thick accent which Thea recognized immediately as one from Cairo. "It was not my intention to startle you."

"What are you doing here?" Thea demanded. "Who are you?"

But instead of answering her, the man's intense, sultry eyes fell to her hand clutched at her chest. "You are injured."

"Yes--when you startled me I cut my hand on one of the pieces of--" Thea shook her head. "Who are you?"

"My apologizes; my name is Ahmed Hassan. I was told I would find you here."

"By whom?"

"Well, the museum director." Ahmed looked slightly bemused. "Were you not instructed of my arrival?"

"No," Thea admitted, briefly looking at the back of her hand that held a bleeding scratch.

"Ah--well, I must be the one to inform you then that you and I will be working together."

Well, that was highly irregular. "What do you mean?"

"Your current assignment; the artifacts that were found in Gaza. The three smashed vases and the intact jar?"

Thea further narrowed her eyes.

"Here are my credentials," Ahmed said, taking a step forward and holding out his laminated I.D. Thea took the card and examined it. Well, it was museum issued. It held his picture and name, and beneath it said Guest Curator.

Thea handed the card back and frowned. She wanted this project all to herself. Someone was going to get an earful at this unexpected change in plans. Ahmed either ignored or didn't notice her perturb, instead focusing his eyes on her injured hand.

"You should put antiseptic on your hand. Who knows what sorts of things are crawling all over the artifacts."

Thea made a face at his choice of words regarding germs, but silently agreed. Thea moved to a cabinet and took care of the scratch. She then put on a fresh pair of gloves, snapping them in annoyance. Coming back around, Thea stood in front of Ahmed, who was peering down eagerly into the crate.

"Guest curator, hm? Where do you work?"

"The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, but of course."

Of course, Thea thought to herself, suppressing an eyeroll. "In Cairo?"

"Yes." He smirked, his voice taking on a condescending bite. "There is no other, Ms. Amaris."

Thea was doubting if both their egos would fit in the labs for the duration of the study. She opened her mouth to reply, but, undoubtedly sensing her hurt pride, Ahmed plunged forward with a charming smile.

"Your name is beautiful, by the way. Thea meaning healer, and Amaris, Promised By God. You are the healer promised by God."

Thea smirked. Perhaps this wouldn't be too bad after all.