Chapter 5: Queen of it All

The television was playing some show she didn’t recognize. Despite it being the most uninteresting thing she ever laid eyes upon, she could not pull her eyes away. Her mind was a million miles away, but the hypnotic effect of the lights flashing coupled with the constant flipping from one scene to the next distracted her in a way she liked.

The events of the previous day haunted her in a way she could not explain. Her brain kept wanting to examine them, but she did not want to. It was frustrating, she thought, fending off her own brain like this. She decided she might want some food and decided to go to the kitchen to grab something.

There was a note on the fridge she did not notice before. She pulled it off and looked it over. It was from her father and it said: “I’ll be at the University’s historical society if you need me. Love you. Dad.”

She sighed. Her dad was probably having more fun with those nerds then she was with her soap opera. She thought a little more about what her dad was doing here: digging up old things so people could look at it. She thought about what she saw below the city. Did her dad even know about that? Of course, he must know about it! That guy she saw down there, he must be an archaeologist too. And, if he was, he is probably sharing his findings with her dad.

But, did her dad know about the crown she had which so closely resembled that beautiful lady’s? What did that guy say her name was? Isis? She thought it over for a moment. The name sounded kind of familiar and she wasn’t really sure. And the other names. Nephthys and Osiris. Those all seemed so familiar too, in a way she could not explain. She knew for a fact she never knew anyone named that! And, she never really tried to read things other than for her schoolwork. So, she probably hadn’t read it.

She ate her peanut butter and jelly sandwich absentmindedly as she sat back on the couch. She switched off the TV. She took out her phone and googled “Isis”. As usual, billions of results came through, but the ones she was most interested in were the images. There she was, the lady she saw yesterday. She was standing beside a man with green skin. The subtext read, “the goddess Isis beside her brother-husband, Osisris. Isis was the great mother goddess, symbolizing birth and rebirth. Osiris, after being killed by his brother Set, governs the realm of the dead, and represents safe passage to the Sea of the Reeds.”

Wow, Cassandra thought, poor lady. Not only was she married to her brother, but she was married to a dead brother! That must’ve been a little difficult, she laughed to herself. She knew that marrying a relative would not be an option, but she also felt sure if that relative was also dead that would be an absolute deal breaker!

Her thoughts began to quiet themselves when her eyes fell upon the little gadget Isis was holding in her hand. It looked a little like a cross, like from a Catholic Church, but it had a wrap around top. It intrigued her and made her wonder why the lady held it. She then searched “why does the goddess Isis hold a little crucifix?”

The results were once again a billion. But the first thing she found said the symbol was called an “Ankh” and was symbolic of life. Isis holding this sign meant she had power over life and death through her magic. This lady was getting more and more interesting, she thought.

Maybe her dad knew some more about this? Or, better yet, maybe that guy in the skirt yesterday knew something about it! Despite being really odd, she found him kind of cute. Besides, she didn’t know anyone else in the city. How could she find him, though?

If he was a history guy, her dad must know him. She decided to give her dad a call and see if he knew the guy named Lakis. She went to her phone contacts, found “dad” and selected to call. The phone rang several times before her father answered, “hi honey.”

“Oh, hey dad,” she said, “I was just wondering, do you work with a guy named Lakis?”

“Lakis?” he repeated back, but continued before she could say anything, “can’t say I’ve heard the name. It sounds Greek, maybe? Anyway, why do you ask?”

She hesitated before answering. Her dad was a bit protective, so if she told him she met this guy and he did not know him, he might start prying into her personal life. She thought of a good excuse.

“Well, yesterday this shop owner told me he knows you, and that his name is Lakis. I guess he was mistaken.” she added a laugh at the end to make it sound unimportant.

He chuckled a little too and answered, “yeah sometimes I stop at cafes and the owners find my work interesting so they start talking to me. They probably do know me, but you know me, bad with names that aren’t thousands of years old!”

She laughed and said, “yeah for sure. Well, thanks dad. See you tonight.”

“Yes, see you tonight. Love you.” he said.

“Love you.” she answered and hung up. Her dad always said “love you” before saying goodbye. She wasn’t sure why, and it could get annoying. But, she knew it would hurt him if she did not say it back, so she did.

She decided to go find Lakis and see if he’d join her in touring the city a little and maybe shed some more light on this Isis lady.