Page 52 of Pandora: Alien Games

I focused on Nephthys in the hope she could hear me calling to her.

“Hey, are we going to be okay during the bath? I mean, it’s water and I don’t want to damage the armor.”

“Water can’t hurt me. I’m going to make myself scarce, but don’t worry. I’ll always be with you.”

“Good.”

I should be afraid.

I should be breathless with anxiety.

I should be frozen with fear.

I should feel all these things but, damn, I didn’t. I was excited about entering the Games.

What would I find there?

Who would I meet?

Will I have to fight many creatures?

I zoned out, allowing May to take over whatever was happening. For hours they bathed, oiled, massaged, and did Gods know what else to me. I was ready. May presented me with a mirror. The image I saw was so foreign. I appeared beautiful wrapped in gold and silver fabric, so thin and light they showed off every contour of my body. Even my breasts looked full and round, showcased to perfection by large chains and necklaces in all colors that hung from my neck and shoulders, connecting with others that hung around my waist. A pair of delicate shoes made of strings of gold and silver, and decorated with filigree beauty, adorned my feet. The sandals had high soles, a bit like the boots we wore in space but, compared to the delicate delight of the upper portion, the sole seemed unbalanced.

My face struck me the most. I wore makeup like the ladies in the movies we used to watch in secret on the space station. My lips, painted in a light gold, seemed surreal. My face was powdered pale, impossibly pale, to highlight my blue eyes. The servants had painted the lids with black, gold, and silver as well as straightened my hair. It all looked perfect.

Four servants arrived and put me on a throne. It had a sideways motion that made me feel like being on the space station when the gravitational regulator did not work. That meant I would have to run over and fix the shit. By fixing, I mean using my hook to pull dead space rats out of the filter and clean it of rat organs and shit.

My memories connected to the space station reminded me of Van. An orphan like me, he had no standing in the community. I’d be dead if it weren’t for Van. As the years passed, I realized there was more between us besides me feeling grateful for his help and protection. In some way, I still refused to deal with the possibility that Van was gone. A tear ran down my face.

“You don’t know for sure,” Nephthys whispered.

“Huh?”

“Sorry, Pandora, I didn’t mean to intrude into your private thoughts, but they are so loud. We don’t know your friend Van is dead.”

I took a deep breath. “You’re right.”

The servants walked me out of the palace and loaded the throne onto a huge chariot. It made me think about that movie with the brunette with deep red lips who played Cleopatra. A huge crowd surrounded me, holding small, glowing torches that floated above them. There was something in the air, a scent that slipped inside my nostrils and made me giggly and happy.

The chariot moved on its own with no animal pulling it. It was magic in a way I couldn’t understand. Oh well, there were so many things I didn’t understood, more wouldn’t make a difference.

A loud noise sounded ahead of me. I turned my head in that direction and the image that awaited me took my breath away.

The Pyramids.

Seven large pyramids I had not seen during my flight sat on the edge of the city. They appeared as if made of glass. The Pyramids looked gorgeous, but there was something unusual about them, a feeling of power. It was the same as with the armor and Nephthys. It was not good or bad. It just felt so incredibly powerful that it blew my mind.

“Wow,” I whispered under my breath.

“I forgot how beautiful they are,” Nephthys whispered.

We both stared at the Pyramids, inhaling the sweet, scented air around us.

My heart skipped a beat when I considered that, even with Nephthys’ powers, I’ll have to fight for my life inside that space.

Hassym

It was impossible to get to Pandora once the preparations started. Instead of moping around the castle, I decided to see my brothers. The vial with the antidote to the potion that made me a Bastet hung hanging around my neck. But I decided not to change back now. I looked forward to scaring my brothers.

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