Author's Note: ..ALL!! :goes bonkers with laughter: MWAHAHA!!! MINE!! ALL MINE!!!

Chapter 1

Fire, It was everywhere, its tongue of death licking at people's stone houses and burning everything in sight. The mortals screamed in terror as all objects that they loved were gone in seconds.

Angel watched the horror as the fire crept farther and farther; its bright flames seeking the destruction it so loved to cause. She had to help, somehow.

"Mommy! Where are you mommy?" A little girl in front a burning building cried through her tears. Her clothes were covered in ashes, like the rest of her; numerous cuts and what would soon be bruises enveloped her. She was bleeding, severely.

Angel dashed towards her, running as if her feet sprouted wings. The ledge above her was about to drop on top of the small child! Angel was almost there when three black cloaked and hooded figures blocked her path.

"You must get out now." The commanding voice came from the middle figure. She could tell from his voice that he must be a man. It was deep, and held an accent she could not place. It .

"NO!" Angel shrieked. Her back hit something hard and she suddenly realized that they had backed her up against a brick wall. Now she was in trouble. "I can't just run away while others that I can help are suffering!" Angel snapped. The fourteen-year-old teenager said this to them a whole lot braver than she intended.

The middle figure obviously became very infuriated by that comment because he drew his hand out and grabbed her throat!

Angel closed her eyes in pain. The hand was uncomfortably cold, and then when she opened her eyes again, it was not a normal arm. It was reddish yellow, thick veins protruding down his limb were a darker red. He was not human.

Angel screamed in repulsion, she couldn't help it, it was just so, so sick! The hooded things laughed at her. The one that had her neck's eyes glazed yellow gold. And then, the world went black.

'So warm and soft, this bed...' Angel thought groggily. She wanted more that anything to stay in this bed for only a few more hours! But she knew she couldn't do that unless she wished to get busted. Still half asleep, she opened her Nile blue eyes. Two golden ones stared back at her. Her dream!

"AAHHGG!" she screamed.

Nomi Hoato hissed at her and jumped off her chest. The dark three-legged tabby retreated to the far side of the bed. Nomi Hoato had only three legs because an idiot, probably drunk or had a sick mind, tried to shoot her legs off with a gun! He had succeeded in this and only a few days later, Angel had found her wandering around the Summer's current residence in the back yard.

Her parents, to her surprise said that she could keep the cat. When the tabby was taken to the 'animal hospital', the veterinarian said that Nomi Hoato would be just fine. And boy, did he turn out to be right! Nomi could go faster than any cat in the neighborhood, no matter where they went. Angel had decided to name her Nomi Hoato because, according to her neighbor back in Florida, it meant 'I love her' in some Indian language. That was two years ago.

"Oh, Nomi! I'm so sorry!" she said softly and lovingly.

"Meowff" 'Said' Nomi Hoato. Slowly, the tabby came up to her owner and sat back on her lap.

"Aww, does this mean that you forgive me?" Angel asked while stroking her pet's long, silky-soft fur.

Nomi Hoato purred and looked at her. "Of course I do." She seemed to say. The teenager laughed and got up to take her shower.

*************

Today was scorching in the hot sun. That was how in basically how the temperature was in Egypt though. Her dad said that when it was hot out, it was best to take a hot shower than a cold one because you body will get so used to the heat, that when you come out, you're cool. So Angel followed his advice and when she got out of her shower, she was grateful.

She chose to wear a gray-blue tank top and blue shorts that, as the fabric neared toward the knee, got lighter until it was white. She also put her honey colored hair up into a ponytail.

"Okay Nomi Hoato," Angel said cheerfully. "It's time to make some breakfast, so I hope that you're hungry."

Angel sighed as she walked down the steps and into the kitchen. As it usually was in the morning, the house was deserted. Angel's mother and father were archeologists. That was why they were here; Angel's parents came here to work on the pyramids and the mysteries they held. So, they traveled frequently to different places, a rare artifact here, a priceless heirloom there, and, of course, valuable manuscripts almost everywhere. When she had been small, Mrs. Summers took time off to take care of her daughter while Angel's dad continued working.

As she got older, Angel's mom got her job back and Angel ended up spending the mornings alone a lot. It didn't bother her anymore though, since she was so used to it. As Angel got out her favorite cereal, Frosted Flakes, she saw a note on the counter. Obviously, it from her mother, she always left little notes and reminders around. It read:

'Sweetheart, I hope your morning is going smoothly! This morning your parents we woken up so early by Bakt this morning that I almost believed that it was still night! It was a dire emergency, Eric and Hilda found another hidden tunnel in one of the tombs! They were working late as usual, and the wall of the tomb was noticeably fragile, so it was easy to take apart. I hope you'll drop by later, and remember, I love you!

Love,

Mom'

Angel smiled at the note.

Eric Brookfield was a tall and muscular guy with brown hair and eyes. He was pretty cool, in Angel's opinion, and funny. Oh, he was always playing jokes, little ones; he wasn't the type who participated in jokes that could hurt someone.

Hilda Mayfield was a woman of medium height and long, jet black hair and piercing blue eyes. You shouldn't let her cold eyes fool you; Hilda always enjoys anything fun. Sports, crafts, you name it, she does it. Eric and Hilda were the best of friends, the 'inseparatable two' as Angel's mother put it. 'More like the "terrible too"!' Her father said in reply once.

Nomi Hoato rubbed against her legs, begging to be fed. "You little beggar!" She laughed, and set off to make some French toast, for her of course, and some milk for Nomi Hoto.

************

"It's a good thing we're wearing sun block today or we'd be frying like the bacon Eric cooked for breakfast." Hilda said as she put the key in ignition in her forest green jeep. Hilda had come to drive Angel to the pyramid Angel's mom and dad were at.

"I didn't know Eric could cook." Angel said, confused.

"He doesn't," Hilda smirked and shook her head. "I thought that the fire department would have to come in order to put out the flames!" The two laughed.

'Eric will never be a supreme chef anytime soon in the future. Angel thought as she put on her oval shaped black sunglasses. Here in Egypt, if you didn't have something to protect you from the sun, serious sunburn would track you down and hit you so you'd be hurting for weeks, even if you had sun burn aloe. She was very grateful though, that her family was staying near the Nile where the temperature was cooler. She watched out the window as the jeep pulled into the site.

Bill Waterson waved as he let them through. He was called: Bill, Emperor of the Dark since he always did the night watch. Was it really that early? Angel checked her watch, 8:45 a.m. She was used to getting up prematurely; it came with the little things that was labeled 'time zones' and 'travel' that went under her parents profession.

"Mom says this was really big." Angel said slowly as she saw the other workers hacking away at what was some priceless piece, trapped by veiling sand.

"We're talking about the mother-load honey!" Hilda exclaimed, smirking. "Your dad was right on the dot for this one! From the way it was so carefully hidden, it might range from a slave chamber, a treasure room, or even the Pharaoh's tomb himself!"

The Pharaoh Hilda referred to was King Imohept, 'God of Chaos'. He was a merciless, power-hungry man who used his position to his advantage. Thought some historians thought him wise as he had expanded Egypt's lands, the other side pointed out how many deaths that should have been avoided was done by his hand. According to the ancient writings, he had a dark past, in childhood and adult. Abuse, neglect, the list of possibilities were so myriad examiners threw up their hands in frustration. The ancients had no idea how much their ways confused those of the future. Their glorious kingdom was now only a whisper in time, a fading whisper at that.

Anyway, what puzzled everyone most was that according to the hieroglyphics, Imohept died, but his body was never buried nor found. Of course, the symbol for death meant so many, such as sickness, murdered, or even disappeared. The very latter aroused such interest of them all. Sickness could be understood, murder even better, but to simply vanish? Why would a great ruler who enjoyed to watch people grovel for mercy simply leave without a trace, abandon his much beloved title? He had even killed his sons to ensure he was always Pharaoh. He abused his wives, maybe even raped them. It was a mystery that maybe this find would clear up. Angel smiled at the thought of seeing, standing, breathing, in a Pharaoh's temple, much less Imohept.

"Ola mi amigos!" The two turned at the sound of the voice so rich in its baritone. Rushing up to them, covered in ancient dirt, came Eric, grinning like the moron so many thought him to be.

"Ola yourself, hot shot." Hilda snapped back, not missing a beat.

"Do not hate me because I am beautiful." Eric teased. "Just cause I'm more appealing than you is no need to get jealous!"

Hilda's eye twitched. "You're so vain!" She exclaimed loudly.

Angel started to back away. People were stopping to stare!

"I only speak the truth!" Eric said, staring at his nails and blowing on them in a very mock-feminine way.

"ANYONE WHO DOESN'T KNOW YOU WOULD THINK YOU WERE GAY!"

Ack, this was getting embarrassing. Workers were leaning on their tools to stare at the two that were so oblivious to the spectacle they were causing.

"And everyone who does knows different." Eric said coolly. "Why should I care what the other species thinks?"

Angel had to laugh at that. Eric was so crazy for an adult. He categorized himself as his own species! "The wonderful thing about Whisps is I'M the only one!" He truly believed he was this 'Whisp', though no one really knew what it was, even after he explained it!

"Because it's normal!" Hilda shrieked.

"I am anything but normal my dear," He said huskily. "Now could you stop busting all our eardrums? You're giving me and my Shadows a headache."

Hilda twitched. 'Shadows' were what Eric called his split personalities. "Grow up!"

"NEVER!" He declared, puffing out his chest.

"Arg! You're impossible!"

"I learned from the best!"

Angel bit her lip. She wanted to see the tomb. NOW. "Um, guys?" She tried weakly.

"Butt out!" Hilda snapped; and the two were off again in their banter.

"Come on Miss Summer, this'll be a while." A voice behind her said.

"Oh, hello Uncle Casta!" Casta Chavez wasn't her real uncle, Angel didn't have any of those; just Grandma and Grandpa Summer who resided in the big house in Colorado her parents 'gave' them. But Casta was her parent's best friends, and Angel felt comfortable around him. His eyes, dark and brooding chocolate, was always kind. His worn, dirty face also held the stubble he always had no matter what. His black hair with traces of old age was messed up from the morning's progress. The Mexican-Jew smiled at her softly, his eyes crinkling as he was most likely remembering when he was young.

"Yes, a very good morning indeed." He said after a moment, thoughtful. Then he frowned. "Are they going for another record?"

Angel stared at him in confusion, then, realized Hilda and Eric were still bickering. She shrugged. "I don't know and don't want to know." She said. "I just want to go to that hidden room!"

"Then allow me to escort you miho." He said benignly as he offered her his arm. She smiled and took it. Together they strode closer to the pyramids, looming over them like the giants they were in their ancient yet still unmatched glory.

**************************************************************************** **************************************************************************** ************

End Notes: Well? Good? Bad? TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!!!! Then, I'll get my lazy butt working on the next chapter. That is, if you want it.:laughs manically: Also, 'miho' means 'my daughter' in Spanish. However it can be used as 'grand-daughter' or to a small girl too, according to my grandpa and father. 'Ola mi amigo' is Spanish for 'hello my friend.'