CHAPTER 1

"Having an encounter with a three thousand year old walking, talking corpse does tend to convert one!"

-The Mummy

The rain pricked my back like stingers on the slippery sidewalk. It was raining, again. For the past few weeks, all we ever got here in London was rain. Kind of typical for the middle of April, I think. My name is Michelle, and I live here, in boring old London, and I'm 14 years old. I live with my parents, who are always buried in their work, my little sister Kathy, and, of course, my best friend Elizabeth. We do and always have done everything together. She's like a sister to me. I sometimes wish my life could be adventurous, with action at every turn. Instead, I'm stuck running in the cold rain, having been sent to retrieve my sister from dance lessons. I couldn't wait to get back home, where I could finally get some peace and quiet. I promised Elizabeth I would meet her at her house at approximately 5:30, where we would watch our all time favorite movie, the Mummy Returns. We've been watching it since out first came out, almost ten years ago. We absolutely love that movie, the action, the humor, the romance, everything. Sometimes we wish we could live their lives, their perfect, adventurous lives. Anything beats my bland lifestyle. I was running so fast, almost forgot about everything. My history test, cleaning my room, washing the dishes….

"Hey Mrs. Wilding, I'm just here for Kathy." I gasped, letting out the last of my heavy breathing. She opened the door, letting the warm air touch my face. "Come on in Michelle, we're almost through with the lesson."

I walked in slowly, taking off my drenched jacket. Kathy was in her colorful jazz skirt, swishing it around playfully. For a ten year old girl, she could dance great. Most of the others her age were just learning the simple jumps; she was leaping across the sky, as gracefully as a swan. I never told anyone this, but I admired Kathy's ability to meet new people. She and I are like complete opposites; I like the Mummy, she thinks it's too scary. I listen to country, she loves rock. She can dance, and I couldn't if it killed me. It was these differences, though, that brought us together.

I watched her, and began to loose track of time. She came, bounding over to me about twenty minutes later, panting heavily like a dog, even though she was still smiling. "Can we go now?" I asked, trying to hide my impatience. "I guess, is it still raining?" she sighed.

"Yes, that's the fun of it!" I laughed.

"I don't want to get wet!" she snapped.

"Too bad." I muttered, swinging open the door. I just wanted to get home before the movie started. Kathy reluctantly pulled her jacket over her outfit. I grabbed her hand, and took off down the middle of the street.