This is one of my new favorite fanfiction ideas I've had in a while. Enjoy.

Chapter One ~

Bailey

March 20th, 2019

Ninety-three years ago, in 1926, an ancient Egyptian High Priest known as Imhotep was brought back to life by an Egyptologist known as Evelyn Carnahan, who was reading from the Book of the Dead. He suffered the curse of the Hom Dai, a terrible curse placed on those who had done the worst of deeds. With the Hom Dai and his resurrection, Imhotep brought biblical plagues. Evelyn, with the help of Rick O'Connell and her brother Jonathan, was able to seal Imhotep away, hopefully never to be found again.

About eleven years later, for some reason, when Evelyn and Rick went to make sure Imhotep was still sealed away under the rubble of the collapsed Hamunaptra, they found Hamunaptra to be like it had never collapsed at all. And worse, Imhotep was nowhere to be found.

"I wish they all could be California Girls!" Gina, a girl with wild dark curls, who was at the wheel, was rocking out as we drove down the steep hill. Sierra, a redhead who was in the backseat had the best voice out of us, a strong vibrato. She was a dancer and did musical theatre, always getting a lead role. Keeley was athletic with shiny blonde hair; she had a large smile on her face, and was singing despite her lack of vocal talent. This was what happened when sixteen and seventeen year-old girls went on a car ride out to the desert without any parents- complete and utter chaos. When the song was over, we all took a breather. Sierra lead a meditation session to calm us down, before we finally reached the hill's bottom.

The Anza-Borrego desert was beautiful. At this time of year, everything was green. Ocotillos bloomed, their bright red flowers extremely photogenic. Cactuses were decked with beautiful blossoms. But as we drove through the town, the dynamic quickly changed. You could tell that there was only a small population. We made the turn onto the road where our condo we were headed to (Sierra's parents were letting us have a girl's week) was. I looked down at my phone. But suddenly, out of nowhere, Gina swerved. I looked up, surprised to see a man where we had been just driving.

"Holy s**t!" Sierra shrieked.

"Damn it, if I'd crashed my parents would've killed me!" Gina frowned, "that man came out of nowhere!" Gina drove forward, however I could tell that she was a bit more cautious. I looked behind us. The man was gone. Damn.

We arrived at the condo, and the other three girls took a seat at the table inside. Gina looked confused while Keeley looked concerned. Sierra looked terrified. But so was I.

"Hey Bailey, what the hell do you think that was?" Keeley looked up at me. I shrugged.

"No clue."

Sierra slumped down in her chair, practically hiding behind her phone. Keeley, out of worry for her friend, began talking to her. But Gina still looked confused, clearly thinking things through in her head. I have to admit, I was afraid too. It's nothing, I told myself. So I decided to go to the car to grab my bags, in hopes that I could distract myself.

I walked outside. It was chilly, a breeze making it extra cold. The smell of a light rain was in the air, creosote evident. The sky was beginning to dim, the sun soon to fall behind the rocky mountains. Cars drove on the roads, their lights turned on. But strangely, one by one on the hill, they went out. I'm seeing things. Seriously. So I shook my head, and grabbed my bags from the jeep.

I went into the bedroom where I'd be sleeping and put my bag down next to one of the twin beds. A book was sticking out, suggested to me by my English teacher; Egyptian Tombs, written by an Evelyn O'Connell. She'd told me to not judge it by the description, that it was much less of a textbook or biography, but more of an adventure novel with facts written within. I hadn't began to read it, but was planning on it. So why not right now?

I twisted my brown hair up in a bun, changing into my pajamas soon after. I laid down on the bed, opening the book up to page one. And then I began to read.

Many have told me that Egyptian tombs aren't to be cracked open and researched. They say that disturbing mummies and their treasures is unethical and that they deserve to rest in peace. But as an Egyptologist, I strongly disagree. Exploring an ancient burial chamber is one of the most educational experiences one can have. I will not bore you with this introduction any longer, for I know those with younger minds do not care for a long introduction. I'll begin my story in Cairo, where I found a map to the Egyptian City of the Dead, Hamunaptra.

I was an average height, pretty girl. I always had a necklace tied around my neck, an old amulet. My long hair was brown, and I wore it down whenever I explored a tomb, unless the situation came where I'd have it tied back in a braid or bun. I had it twisted in a bun the day when my brother approached me with the ruined map in the library. From then on, my heart was set on finding the lost city.

All it took was one paragraph to reel me in, and I read all night long. The way that Imhotep released the plagues and almost caused an apocalypse was so strange to me. How could an ancient Egyptian curse do that?

I was convinced it was fiction, despite what my teacher had said. Curses and such seemed far from the truth. But something about the way that Evelyn wrote told me otherwise. Often times I'd have to remind myself it was fictional.

"Lights out in five," Sierra, who was going to be my roommate, called from the bathroom. I rolled my eyes. With only a few chapters remaining, I might go out onto the couch in the other room and finish it. So I did, my eyes scanning every word on each page. I was so focused that I lost track of time. Apparently a few chapters had been half of the book. It was easily an hour later when I finally read the last word of the last chapter. That was the most entrancing five-hundred word book I'd ever read. And I knew so much more now about what we were going to learn after the break in Social Studies.

I walked into the bathroom, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I took my hair out of it's bun. Brown curls fell in waves, contrasting greatly with my light skin, as I brushed it out. My hazel eyes were outlined in black eyeliner- I took a cotton swab, wiping it and the rest of the makeup I wore off. Here I was, back to my natural state. I took a deep breath, walking into the bedroom, before crashing on my pillow.