Daughters of Egypt

Destiny’s Choice: Chapter One

The sun was beating down upon his head, the hot sands were blowing into his eyes with the occasional stifling breeze, but Jeffery Bones did not care in the slightest. He was getting close to something, something that was vitally important, and something that would change the course of his life. He knew that in his bones. And so he continued to dig. He continued to brush away the sand and dirt that was covering the altar of the long forgotten temple in the lower portions of the Nile Delta. And soon enough, his patience and instincts were rewarded for he began to see the outlines of a figure. “Dad!” he called out excitedly as more of the figure was revealed by his careful ministrations. “Dad come here!”

“What is it son?” asked Dr. Henry Bones, Jeffery’s father and the Egyptologist in charge of the archaeological dig. “What have you found? Is it the altar?”

Jeffery nodded. “I think so,” he began as he continued revealed the entire figure. “But I’ve never seen this figure before. It’s a woman, so this temple was to a goddess and not a god as we thought, but-”

“Who is she?” asked Henry as he knelt down beside his son to examine the fragmented figure on the sandstone block. It was almost worn smooth but the barest of features could still be seen. She looked to be a beautiful woman in traditional Egyptian profile, with a strong nose and long hair that was braided. Upon her head she wore a crown with a symbol on it. What the symbol was, Henry could not be sure for it had been chipped away or had broken off sometime in the last four and a half thousand years or so. The better portion of her dress was also broken off, leaving Henry quite disappointed. “Who do you think she is son? Hathor? Or Isis maybe… perhaps Baset?”

Jeffery shook her head. “I don’t think that she’s any of those goddesses,” he stated quietly as he traced the profile of the woman with his hand, a sense of déjà vu washing over him like a wave. “I don’t think that we’ve ever seen a goddess like her before.”

Now, it was Henry’s turn to shake his head. “Nonsense my boy,” he stated confidently. “We know the name and purpose of the entire Egyptian pantheon. There must be a name to go along with this goddess.”

“I don’t think so,” Jeffery insisted as he revealed a portion of the cartouche which once encircled the name of the goddess. “I think that her name was Na…or at least a part of it.”

“There was no worship of any goddess that held the name Na,” his father contradicted. “So your interpretation must be mistaken.”

“I really don’t think so Dad,”

“Come now,” Henry ordered as he hauled his twenty-four year old son to his feet. “Enough of this, let one of the students catalogue this. Whoever this temple belongs to, I doubt that we’ll find much more than this…it’s a shame that we’ll never know who she was.”

“Yeah,” Jeffery agreed as he stared at the face of the goddess, getting chills as he did so despite the hot Egyptian sun. “It is a shame…”

Jeffery let his sentence trail off for while he had no idea what the name of the mystery goddess was, he did feel as though he knew the figure. Though it was fragmented and the name did not survive the fact that her face and bust had unnerved Jeffery. He felt as though he had seen that face before, even though he knew that that was impossible. ‘Where could I have seen this face?’ he asked himself silently as his father led him away, prattling about the inconsistencies of the students in his care. ‘I’ve never been to Egypt before, and this site has never been excavated. Where could I have seen her before…”

That night, when camp was quiet and the moon was full—Jeffery snuck back onto the dig site. He was determined to figure out who the goddess was. Throughout the entire day, even though he had been cataloguing other little bits of pottery that had been found, Jeffery found that he could not keep his mind of the face of the unknown goddess. She was drawing him back to her and Jeffery was determined to find out who she was, and how he knew her.

Once at the site of the altar he knelt down beside it and tenderly touched the face. It was an unconscious action and it was done in the same manner as a lover who was besotted with a woman that he had lost. ‘Who are you?’ he thought to himself as he sat back on his heels, staring at the image. ‘How do I know you?’

“I knew you’d be here,” came a voice behind him. Jeffery whirled around to find the most gorgeous looking woman that he had ever seen standing before him. She looked to be about five-two and she had the most intense green eyes that he had ever seen, despite the fact that there were locks of raven-black hair falling in front of them. “I knew it,” she stated again a smile gracing her perfect features. “I just knew it.”

“Excuse me,” began Jeffery as he stood up to face the woman. “But who are you?” Jeffery watched at the woman before him smiled sadly, as though his answer had broken her heart. He took a brief moment to study her appearance; she was wearing a simple white cotton dress that caught the moonlight, making her look like an angel. And even though Jeffery had no idea who she was, he was connected to her. “Well?” he asked again finally, finding his voice. “Who are you?”

“I am your destiny,” she stated calmly, extending her hand in the process. And Jeffery, as though he had no will of his own, took her hand.

--

A storm was brewing. Thunder rolled overhead while lightning flashing in the sky. The small television set in the family room warned that the chances of tornadoes were high, but Izzie a mother of two could hardly pay attention to that at the moment. She was too busy arguing with her husband about the nature of their situation and the reason why there were two tickets to Cairo pinned to the fridge. “You can’t do this,” her husband stated avidly. “You just can’t.”

“I have to do this Cyrus,” she argued back. “You know that I can.”

Cyrus sighed in defeat. “Fine then,” he said with blazing eyes. “You can do this, but you don’t have to.”

Isi shook her head, her black hair falling from its messy bun in the process. “I do,” she stated as tears brimmed into her eyes. “I have to go. I have to take Horace with me,” she paused as her husband took her into his arms. “You know that your brother will never stop. He will come here looking for our son and I have to take him back….”

Cyrus held onto his wife tight. “Taking him back is suicide Izzie. So far my brother knows nothing about him or me. If you take him back…”

‘It is the only way.”

“No,” he stated firmly. “It isn’t. We could wait a few more years until our daughter is older. When she understands our history, she will be able to help us do what needs to be done and-”

“What needs to be done has already been done,” Izzie interrupted. “You know what our destiny is. Being here proved that to us. I have to go back now and make sure that things stay the same.”

“But Nat-”

“Natalie must stay here as long as possible,” she continued. “Your brother may have learned of Horace’s birth, but certainly not of hers. She will be safe here, and so long as she is safe our future will be safe as well.”

“But what about you Izzie?” asked Cyrus. “Will you and Horace be safe?”

Izzie nodded. “Yes,” she assured. “My sister will take care of us.”

“I don’t trust her,” he muttered as he sat down on their small couch.

“You don’t have to trust her,” Izzie pointed out as she sat beside her husband. “You just have to rust me. I know her and I know that she will keep us safe. After all, she did help us get here.”

“No,” Cyrus contradicted “-- got us here. Your sister did nothing except keep her mouth shut.”

“And for Nessa, that is a big deal,” Izzie countered. “With her on our side, we shall be fine and-” she paused suddenly as a vase in the hallway outside the living room fell to the floor. Isi leaned forward slightly and peered into the hallway. There she saw her three year old daughter peering around a now vase-less table. Seeing her daughter’s short black hair and wide green eyes, Izzie could not help but feel a wave of despair knowing that she was going to leave her little girl.

“Natalie,” began Cyrus as he caught his daughter’s eye. “Come here darling…”

“Papa?” asked little Natalie as she toddled into the room, making a beeline straight for her father who lifted her small frame up into his arms. “Papa why you sad? Is it ‘cause I broke flowers?”

“Oh no little one,” Cyrus assured as he hugged his little girl. “Don’t worry about the flowers. I’m not sad because you broke them.”

“Then why sad?” asked Natalie again.

“I’m sad because your mother and brother are leaving.”

“Leaving?” asked Natalie once more, not knowing what her father meant. “On trip? Mama and ‘Orace go on trip?”

“Yes my little darling,” Izzie confirmed as she took her little angel into her arms, even as tears were brimming in her eyes. “Your brother and I are going on a long voyage and you won’t see us for a long time.”

“No sad Mama,” stated Natalie as she kissed a tear that had fallen down her mother’s cheek away. “You come back.”

Izzie shook her head. “No darling, I won’t be coming back.”

“No back?” asked Natalie as she looked into her mother’s eyes—eyes that were the same shade as her own. “You come back,” she continued finally. “I knows it.”

Cyrus paused and looked curiously at his daughter and then caught his wife’s eyes with his own. In that moment an unspoken agreement passed between them and Cyrus then took his daughter’s hand. “Tell me Natalie,” he began. “Will we be going to see Mama soon?”

Natalie’s face scrunched up in concentration and shook his head. “No soon. Papa see Mama ‘fore me. I see Mama when I’m big….” she paused then and looked sharply at her mother. “I ‘get you Mama,” Natalie stated sadly. “I ‘get you. You gone long.”

Isi shook her head. “No my little darling, you won’t forget me.”

“I will,” she stated again, her eyes brimming with tear. “I ‘get you Mama. I no want ‘get you.”

“I know that you don’t want to forget me my little angel,” Izzie said as she hugged her crying daughter. “And you won’t. I promise.”

“How promise?” asked Natalie as she was sat in between her mother and father.

Isi said nothing but smiled at her daughter. It was then that she reached behind her neck and unclasped the simple silver ankh that had been hanging there. Gently, she then put it around her daughters neck and watched as her little Natalie held the ankh as though it was a sacred object. “That is how you won’t forget me Natalie,” Izzie explained. “Always keep that on and know that I gave it to you.”

“I no ‘get with this on,” Natalie agreed with a wide smile on her face. “I no ‘get.”

“That’s right,” Izzie assured. “You won’t forget me when you have this on, but you have to promise me Natalie that you won’t ever take the necklace off okay? Don’t take it off.”

Natalie nodded enthusiastically. “No off Mama,” she stated with a smile. “I pomise.”

“Good,” Izzie cooed as she gave her daughter a kiss on the head. “Good girl.”

“Izzie?” asked Cyrus once more hoping to change his wife’s mind. “Are you sure that you want to do this? Are you absolutely-”

“Yes,” she interrupted, knowing what he was about to say. “Yes I’m sure. I have to do this. You know it, Horace knows it. Even our little Natalie knows it…” she paused and smiled sadly as she watched her little angel fall asleep. “…you heard what she said. We’ll see her again…I will miss the both of you.”

“Miss you Mama,” Natalie mumbled sleepily. “Miss you.”

--

A clap of thunder woke Natalie with a start. She sat straight up in the darkness and realised that nothing had changed for her. She was still the same twenty-one year old girl who had gone to bed the night before and not the three year old that had said goodbye to her mother and brother. Laying back down, Natalie tried to get back to sleep though her mind kept travelling back to her past. Looking back on it, Natalie couldn’t really remember her mother and brother’s departure. Though she was almost sure that she had been woken up moments after having fallen asleep to wish them on their way; she also vaguely remembered giving her older brother a sleepy hug before finally falling asleep. It’s been so long since I’ve thought about Mom, she thought as she stared up at the dark ceiling. And Horace, the brother that I never really got to know… with that thought, Natalie was thrown back into her memories and the moment when she had to say goodbye to her mother and brother forever.

--

Five year old Natalie Chione held her father’s big hand tight as they stood before the empty graves of her mother and brother. She wore a plain black dress while her father wore a simple all black suit. It was two years to the day since they left to go back to Egypt and it had taken them two years to realise that the small charter plane that they had rented to take them from Cairo to her aunt’s house had crashed into the sands. The Egyptian authorities had finally found the wreckage however the bodies of Izzie and Horace Chione had not been among them.

Because of that, the graves were empty and Natalie knew that something was wrong with that. With tears in her eyes she looked up at her father while the minister droned on about the will of the almighty God and she was slightly shocked to see that her father had no tears in his eyes. It was almost as he knew something that Natalie didn’t, and even though she was five she was resolved to find out what that something was.

--

I never did learn why Papa wasn’t upset, Natalie thought to herself with a sigh as she rolled over and thought about those intervening years that she and her father spent together. Despite losing them, we were happy until that bitch came into our lives…

--

“What do you mean you’re marrying her?!” asked a ten year old Natalie who did not want anyone else in her life. “Papa, it’s just been you and me for like-”

“For five years darling,” Cyrus interrupted as he took his daughter’s hand and forced her to sit down beside him on their couch. “It’s been five long years and you need a mother.”

“I don’t need a mother!” she cried standing up again. “I have a mother.”

“You had a mother,” Cyrus corrected.

Natalie shook her head. “No I have a mother.”

“Natalie,” Cyrus began trying to calm his daughter down, though it wasn’t working. “We’ve been over this. The report says-”

“I don’t care what some report says,” Natalie interrupted. “No body, no death. Mom and Horace are out there somewhere…” she paused and sat down beside her father. “And besides Papa, I have you. I don’t need anyone else.”

“You think that now,” Cyrus began again. “But one day you will need a mother figure in your life. You’re almost a young woman and there will be things that you won’t be able to come to me for.”

Natalie shook her head. “I can come to you for anything Papa,”

“Now maybe, but when you’re a teenager-”

“Papa do you love her?” she asked out of the blue, startling her father completely.

“What?” asked Cyrus in shock as he regarded his daughter. “What did you-”

“Do you love her?” Natalie repeated. “Do you?”

“Of course I love her,” Cyrus replied quietly.

Natalie shook her head. “You’re lying,” she accused. “You don’t love her.”

“Don’t you dare accuse me of lying Natalie Chione,” he began with a sharp tone in his voice. “I do love Sarah and-”

“And nothing Papa,” she interrupted. “You don’t love her. You couldn’t love her. You told me that after Mom d- after Mom disappeared that you would never love another woman again.”

“I love you,’ Cyrus pointed out. “And you’re a woman.”

“I’m your daughter Papa,” Natalie countered. “Of course you love me.”

“I do love Sarah,” Cyrus assured. “And I am going to marry her. You and me along with Sarah and her daughter Elizabeth will be one big happy family.”

“Papa we can’t be a family,” Natalie stated dejectedly. “They aren’t our family.”

“They will be.”

“Papa-”

Cyrus shook his head. “This is the way things have to be.”

“No,” Natalie countered angrily. “I understand that I might only be ten years old and I understand that I might just be your daughter but even I can tell that you aren’t meant to marry Sarah Cornwall.”

--

Natalie awoke with a sudden start. She blinked a couple of times in confusion before she realized that she had merely fallen asleep again. She could sense that she had been dreaming, and she quickly shut her eyes to try and recapture the memory. Once it was recovered, Natalie wished that she hadn’t tried so hard. Stupid Sarah, she thought to herself as she opened her drapes to welcome in the morning light. I hate her…

“Natalie!” barked Sarah from the bottom of the stairs. “If you’re going to get Helaine to school on time then you’re going to have to get up now.”

“I know!” Natalie called back harsher than she meant to. When Sarah didn’t reply Natalie took a moment to herself and with a sigh she leaned against her mahogany headboard. God, she thought to herself as she imagined Sarah complaining to her eldest daughter Elizabeth how ‘lazy’ Natalie was. She’s never been my mother and yet she expects me to take care of her child…I don’t care what Papa asked of me. I will never be able to think of that bitch as my mother- especially after the last time she talked to Papa. With another sigh, Natalie thought back to how Sarah Cornwall the blonde-haired, blue-eyed bitch had treated her father when she didn’t get her own way.

--

It was a snowy early November day and Natalie was leaning against the doorway of her father’s study. She was fifteen and had blossomed into quite the young woman. Her black hair fell like a water fall to her waist and her green eyes sparkled with annoyance. On the unusually warm day she was wearing a simple white t-shirt with matching leggings while her eyes were staring at her father. “Papa,” she began with a mix of amusement and disappointment in her voice.

“Not now Nat,” Cyrus muttered as he brushed his daughter’s comment off while he packed the relevant books that he needed. “I have important work to do.”

“Packing is not important work,” Natalie countered, her voice holding a more parental tone to it. “Now Papa…”

“Papa….” Natalie reprimanded, her voice light with amusement

“No,” Cyrus stated again. “Not now.”

“Yes now,” Natalie countered. “Papa what am I going to do about Sarah?” she continued as she closed the study door behind her. “Tell me, what am I going to do?”

“You will be the perfect little angel that I know you will be,” Cyrus replied.

“And when Sarah goes off the wall?”

“Your mother knows that I am going to Egypt,” Cyrus explained as he packed.

Natalie shook her head. “Firstly, Sarah is not my mother and never will be no matter what you say,” she replied. Her tone catching her father off guard which caused him to look at her with open eyes, “And second of all Papa, she doesn’t know that you’re going to be gone for three months, over Christmas to boot.”

“No,” Cyrus admitted. “She doesn’t know that.”

“Then don’t you think that you should tell her?” asked Natalie with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, I would tell her if I were you.”

“Yes,” Cyrus agreed. “But you’re not me.”

“For which I am forever thankful,” she replied with a teasing tone. “Honestly Papa,” Natalie continued as she hoisted herself to sit on the edge of her father’s large desk. “I don’t know how you can go to Egypt and not tell Sarah how long you’re going to be there. You do realise that she’s going to take it out on me.”

“She won’t.” Cyrus assured as he drew his daughter into a hug.

“She will,” Natalie insisted. “Both she and Elizabeth will go off the deep end.”

“And Helaine?” asked Cyrus. “How will she be?”

Natalie smiled at the thought of her five-year old step sister. “She is your daughter Papa,” Natalie replied. “Whether by the grace of god or not she’s more like you than she is Sarah. She’ll be on my side throughout the entire ordeal.”

Cyrus sighed and nodded. “Alright then, I’ll tell her-” he conceded as drew away from his eldest daughter and zipped up his suitcase. “Are you going to come to the airport to see me off or not?”

“Of course I am Papa,” Natalie replied with a huge smile as she took her father’s hand. “And I’m not only going to see you off like I always do because it’s tradition but I want to be there when you tell Sarah.”

--

“Natalie Chione!” Sarah called again up the stairs, her voice harsher and more disapproving then normal. “Helaine is going to be late unless you get your lazy ass out of bed right this instant.”

“I’m coming Sarah!” Natalie called out her voice laced with hatred. “Just give me twenty minutes.”

“Oh, what is it Nattie?” Elizabeth asked poking her head in the door, her blond hair curled to perfection and her blue eyes burning with hatred. “Are you going to be late for your bus for work?”

“Not work Elizabeth.” Natalie said grinding her teeth. “School. And not my school, but our sister’s school…”

“Oh that’s right,” Elizabeth replied with an air of superiority. “Mother is making you take the little half-breed brat to the delinquent elementary school this morning, like usual.”

“Take that back bitch,” Natalie stated angrily as she stood up and stalked towards her step-sister. “Helaine is not a half-breed. My father was not some animal.”

“Oh I don’t know,” Elizabeth replied with an evil glint in her eye. “He did abandon you, you know.”

“My father did not abandon me Elizabeth,” Natalie stated in a deadly calm voice, trying her best not to burst out in tears. “And you know it.”

With that, Natalie pushed past her bitch of a sister and headed into the bathroom which was across the hall from her room. Slamming the door behind her, Natalie let out a frustrated scream which resonated off the white-tiled walls and floor. “I hate her,” she whispered vehemently to herself as she gripped the sink counter. “I hate her. I hate her. I hate her…” Natalie whispered her mantra over and over again until it had dissipated all of her hate. Unfortunately it was at that moment

Natalie whispered it over and over again until it became a mantra that sucked out all her hate that is until Sarah knocked on the door. “Natalie Chione?” Sarah’s fake voice asked through the wooden door. “Beth says you cursed at her and slammed this door in her face. Is that true?”

“Yes Sarah, it’s true.” Natalie admitted leaning against the door. “I called Elizabeth a bitch because she insinuated that my father was some sort of animal and that Helaine was a half-breed who had to go to a delinquent elementary school.”

“Natalie Chione,” Sarah began angrily. “You know that that is unacceptable behaviour in my house.”

“Is it acceptable to be harassed by the person who is supposed to be your step-sister every day of my life?” Natalie asked opening to door to stare Sarah down. “Is it acceptable to have to hear your father’s good name degraded? Is it acceptable to be treated like some sort of monster? Is it acceptable to practically be a slave in my own house?”

“If you feel that way you can leave.” Sarah spat out turning to leave.

“I will not leave.” Natalie countered angrily as she slammed the door behind her. “Half of what you married into is mine, my father’s possessions, my inheritance, they are all mine I am not going to give them up to you, you blonde witch.”

“What did you call me?” Sarah asked turning on Natalie once more after not hearing the last two words that Natalie muttered out. “What did you call me?”

“I called you a blond witch Sarah,” Natalie stated coldly as she stared Sarah down. “-because that is what you are; you are a blonde, uncaring witch who doesn’t deserve any happiness at all.”

“How dare you…” Sarah whispered; her voice barely audible. “How dare you speak to me that way in my own home….”

“I can speak to you anyway that I wish, because it is my home too.” Natalie countered her resolve strong. And for her strength, she got a slap across the face.

“You are the witch girl.” Sarah whispered, her voice controlled though her face was contorted in absolute anger, hatred and disgust. “And your father would be ashamed at the disgrace that you have turned into, despite my best efforts.”

“My father would be ashamed of you!” Natalie cried out as Sarah walked away, her voice breaking and tears falling down her face. “He would be ashamed of who he married, who he let take care of his daughter. It’s a good thing he’s not here to see how his ‘wife’ turned out.”

Sarah paused at the top of the stairs for a moment, and for a moment Natalie was afraid that she was going to be slapped again, or worse. Sarah however just stayed silent and descended down the stairs. With a choked sob, Natalie opened the door to the bathroom and then promptly closed it again. She then against it and slid to the floor crying. Papa… she thought despairingly through her tears. Papa why did you leave me with such a witch? Why…?