Chapter 4

"What the Hell?!"

When he, Evy, and Jonathon checked in at the hotel in Fort Brydon, he had been impressed when they told him that his suite was already prepared and waiting for him. After fleeing Hamanuptra as it fell down around him, life was finally going his way. If things kept going like this, he and Evy would be tying the knot very soon – if she says yes when he proposed. And if he had his way, he'd carry Evy upstairs, leaving Jonathon to find a separate room, and show her exactly what she meant to him. As tempting as that was, Evy wasn't some cheap-priced prostitute bought for one short night. No, Evy was a beautiful, wonderful, intelligent, strong, sophisticated woman who he wanted by his side all of his days… as well as nights. He didn't want to take a chance losing her and would do almost anything to avoid such, including being a bit more tolerant towards her brother.

He did have to give the guy some slack. For being a conniving, materialistic, whining drunk, Jonathon could really pull through for his family and friends. Sure, the guy lied, stole from him, gotten him drunk, and framed him when the police raided the place. But if he hadn't, he wouldn't have met Evy. Hey, Jonathon even forgave him and offered a hand of partnership after he had punched his lights out. Any guy who could do that was a good guy in his book.

Dismissing the bellhop, they entered the suite to only stop short at the sight before them.

A young girl, perhaps fourteen or fifteen of age, had bolted from the armchair, which faced the window, and quickly covered her face with a thick veil. One would have mistaken her attire and manner for a desert girl, if not for her bright blue eyes. The girl fidgeted, obviously frightened, but made not so much as a squeak.

"What the Hell?!" Rick shouted.

The girl jumped at his bellow.

"Who the Hell are you?"

Tears began to form within her eyes and silently slid down her cheeks.

'Please, don't. Please. Please don't look at me. Don't hurt me.'

Her voice was soft and soothing, even if it was choked with tears. It had a musical quality to it that could lull a person to sleep. Curiously enough, it sounded as if her voice was coming from him, as it rang clearly between his ears. It reminded him of Kitty's voice when she would talk to him. But again, Kitty was mute and only he could hear what her mind projected.

"It's alright," Evy soothed, giving Rick a scolding glare. "We just want to know who you are."

Rick snapped his mouth shut before he could say anything that would earn another glare and silent scold. He loved Evy and wasn't about to jeopardize any future they might have. And this desert girl – something wasn't right. If she was a desert girl, it would be considered taboo to speak to a strange man. Another thing was though it was true that many Arab cultures required that a woman's face be covered, it wasn't something to become hysteric about. Even stranger was how she begged for her concealment before her physical well-being.

'Please, I just want to go home. I just want to find my brother. I want Ricky.'

Rick's lips moved… or rather, sputtered, as he gaped at the girl before him. Now that he had a better look at her, he could see red eyebrows… Kitty always had a head full of wavy red curls. And her eyes had the same bright blue shade with flecks of teal and green. The same as his.

"O'Connell, are you alright?" Evy asked. "What is it?"

"Kitty?" he asked attentively, as if still uncertain.

The girl's eyes quickly changed from frightened to hopeful. 'Ricky? Is it… It can't… but it… it's really… Ricky?'

Rick's former apprehension slipped away as he plastered a huge grin on his face. "Kitty!" he shouted as he closed the distance in a few long strides and gathered her in his arms, twirling her around. Now his eyes were filled with tears. It was almost too good to be true. First he met the love of his life then met and allied himself with what had to be a soul brother. He was rich from the treasures of Hammanaptra. And now he had found Kitty! His baby sister. Alive.

"O'Connell," Evy let out a warning.

Rick unwrapped one arm as the other remained firmly around Kitty's shoulders. He turned as so one pair of siblings faced the other pair. Try as he might, he could not remove the silly grin on his face.

"Kitty I want you to met Evelyn Carnahan and her brother Jonathon," he said.

Kitty nodded in greeting as she knew neither would be able to hear her. When she glanced back at her brother, she noticed how intent his gaze was upon Evelyn. And Evelyn did sound jealous a moment ago when Rick had twirled her around. She might not have been omnipotent, but she could put two and two together.

'You love each other.'

Rick nodded. Though the veil obstructed a view of her face, he could tell that she was smiling.

'Then I will be honored to call her sister'.

If it were possible, Rick's smile only became larger. "Evelyn, Jonathon, I want you to meet Katherine O'Connell. My dear, sweet, baby sister, Kitty."

"Sister?" said Jonathon. The Englishman looked from the two smiling siblings to his sister, finding it near impossible to correlate the gung-ho ex-legionnaire with this grinning fool.

Rick brought her in for another hug. Pulling away, he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Where the Hell have you been?! I've been looking for you for ten years!"

"Back up there, old chap," said Jonathon. "Ten years?"

"How do you even know this is your sister? You haven't even seen her face, yet. She hasn't said a word," said Evy. "Besides, ten years is a long time. She would have been a babe."

Rick shrugged and looked back to his sister, his eyes asking what he would not speak.

'Do you trust them?'

Rick nodded. "With my life," he said. Turning back to the Carnahans, Rick knew his next course of action. "She can't. Kitty's mute."

"Did I just miss something?" said Jonathon. "She hasn't said anything and you behave like she's just conversing to you."

Rick shrugged again, and Evy was beginning to think it was a nervous gesture. "You might say she and I have a sorta bond. Even though she can't speak, I can hear what she thinks, what she projects, almost like to compensate for being mute. She's been talking to me for quite some time. That's how I know she's my sister."

"Oh no… no more fairytales and hokum," Evy moaned.

"One bizarre adventure was enough," agreed Jonathon.

Rick felt Kitty instantly stiffen as she fit the pieces together. She was able to put two and two together. Their remarks and the structural destruction of the fort were enough. Her wide eyes found his. 'Please don't tell me you raised the creature!'

It was Rick's turn to stiffen. The only other person he knew who referred to their old buddy Imhotep as 'the creature' and was still alive was Ardeth! Her last statement answered his last question. She was with the Medjai for the past ten years.

"I didn't," Rick answered, and then promptly jerked his thumb towards Evy. "She did."