Forbidden Power

Ignoring the Obvious

Teddy emerged from the back of the taxi. I had tried acting like everything was okay, but I couldn't help but nervously watch his interaction with the driver. I saw him laugh and pat the driver on the shoulder before exiting. Would he act like that if the driver had ratted me out? I don't know why I don't want Teddy to know the truth about my marriage. Maybe because he's one of the first men to completely respect me. I don't want to lose that.

Yeah. That's what it is. I don't want him to see how weak and vulnerable I really am. I want him to continue seeing me as the strong, brilliant woman that he constantly reminds me that I am. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without him in my life. When my husband was beating me, I tuned it out and thought of discovering amazing treasures with Teddy. I thought of both of our names together on the front of a new display at the Cairo Museum. That helped me get through the torture my husband put me through.

Teddy jogged over to me and flashed me a smile. I've noticed that he doesn't smile at many people.

"I paid your fare for you. Nice guy, that driver. I'm glad he was the one to pick you up. He seriously wasn't going to charge you anything for the ride," he said with a nod of appreciation at the disappearing taxi.

"He was really nice. I'm kind of surprised he let you pay him," I said, trying to push down the suspicion that maybe Teddy somehow got the guy to tell him something in exchange for money instead of actually paying the fare.

"Oh, well. I kind of told him my family is very rich and that I wanted to thank him for making sure you were safe," Teddy said, looking away and rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

What did he just say? His family is wealthy? No way! The guy only wears second-hand clothes and barely eats! There's no way he comes from money!

"It's not nice to lie to people," I told him with a frown before instantly feeling the hypocrisy of that statement. I'm right. It's not nice to lie. I should tell Teddy the truth about my marriage. Just not now.

"I, um, I didn't lie," Teddy told me, meeting my eyes again. "My family is very rich. We just prefer not to flaunt it, you know? And technically I'm not the one who's rich. My dad is. I barely make enough to scrape by."

My eyes widened. His family is wealthy?! Wow. What a humble man! The more I'm around him, the more I like him. As a friend, of course. Maybe even, in the very back of my mind, as a protector. I feel like if anything bad happened to me, Teddy would have my back. If I disappeared, he'd be the one who came looking for me. He wouldn't let me be one of the many vanishing women who never get found. That realization is oddly comforting. At least I would get a proper burial if my husband kills me. Teddy would see to that.

I shook away my dark thoughts and smiled at the waiting Teddy.

"So I suppose you are an heir of some sort?" I asked, feeling more curious about him.

He laughed, which I felt was a strange reaction. It's a straight-forward question. Why is it funny?

"I guess you could say that if my dad, mom, or older sister die before me, but that's not likely to happen. In fact, I definitely would be the first to die of my family," he grinned like he was hiding some funny secret. I didn't push him. Our job is hazardous. It would be more likely for him to die out here of a cave-in, scorpion sting, or other unfortunate accident like catching a thousand-year-old parasite that his parents safely living in a mansion in America.

"Do you live in a mansion when you're home?" I asked as we started walking toward our inverted pyramid dig which so far is only a town square with no signs of being an inverted pyramid with an actual entrance.

"Not by American standards. We live in a beautiful colonial American home, but it is not like a celebrity mansion if that's what you're thinking of. I don't even live there any more. I live in a one-bedroom, one bathroom tiny house in the backyard since I come and go so much," he shrugged nonchalantly, but I was fascinated. I've never been to America and have never been interested in it, but Teddy's life seems so idyllic that I want to know all about it.

"That sounds fantastico!" Marco suddenly exclaimed, clapping his hands in his enthusiasm. I hadn't even noticed him walking on the other side of Teddy. "I wish to return to America with you!"

"You can't return somewhere you've never been, Marco. That's not proper English, but you're welcome to come with me when I go home next time. I have a feeling my mom will love you," he responded with a chuckle.

We reached the town square and stood at the edge of it. It looked barren and unimportant. I'm starting to doubt that the carving I thought I saw on the eve of that house was even legitimate. Perhaps it was carved there by the builder, and he was depicting the view of the Giza pyramids and accidentally installed the stone upside down? I could be completely wrong about what I thought I saw.

"Should we even bother to continue excavating this area? I think I was wrong about it now that I look at it. How could an inverted pyramid possibly be hidden here? The point of a pyramid is to protect something, and an entrance would be too obvious in the middle of a bustling square," I reasoned. Teddy gave me a weird sideways glance.

"You're not yourself today, Layla. Are you okay? You're giving up pretty soon for it to be, well, you. We haven't exhausted all the possibilities here," Teddy said, turning and folding his arms across his chest while giving me a suspicious look.

"Um, I guess the van thing has me feeling a little deflated today. Sorry, guys," I said quickly. Teddy c*cked his head and gave me his famous half smile that I've gotten used to over the years. The smile that said he wasn't actually amused by the situation.

"I see. If you'd like to go home and rest for the day..." he started.

"No!" I practically yelled. Marco looked shocked. Teddy just raised his eyebrow.

"I mean, I just went through hell to get her, y'know? I want to make my troubles today worth it. Where do you suggest we look next, Teddy?" I quickly amended. He looked over my head back toward where we came from.

"Well, the house with the inscription is in a direct line with the square. Maybe the inscription intended for us to start inside the house, not on the street..." Teddy began. My brain began clicking pieces into place quickly. Of course! OF COURSE! Why did I not think of that?! I slapped my forehead with my palm.

"That makes complete sense! Of course the inverted pyramid entrance would need to be hidden. I bet the entrance to it is UNDER the visible street right below the feet of unsuspecting townspeople! I've wasted so much of our time. That should have been the first thing I thought of," I chided myself, shaking my head at my own stupidity. Ancient Egyptians were so clever with their mazes and traps and tunnels. Why had I not considered that there would be a hidden entrance?

"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it. None of us thought of that," Teddy said, placing his big hand on my shoulder comfortingly.

"Yes, but I'm the one with the most experience out here. I should have had my brain engaged instead of acting like an emotional child," I argued. Teddy just chuckled and patted me before removing his hand and turning to Marco. He said something to him in Spanish. Marco looked at me with a suddenly panicked expression before realizing I couldn't understand what Teddy said and relaxing. He answered in Spanish and walked back toward the ruins of the house with the inscription.

"What is Marco going to do?" I asked. Somehow I feel like they know something important that I don't know.

"He has a sixth sense for the spiritual. Let's just say he's heading there to scope out the house and see if any of the spirits of the past can help us. Being a monk, he has a knack for these kinds of things," Teddy answered. I gaped at him to see if he was joking, but he looked entirely serious. I've never heard of such a thing, but there are many mysteries in the world that I'm certain I do not understand. It couldn't hurt to try. If it succeeds then we won't have to waste any more time, and I'm not sure how much time I have left. I can't go home or my husband will surely kill me. It's not unheard of. I might as well enjoy this bit of adventure that I have left.