A Cold Kiss

Once inside, I let my eyes wander around the moonlit room. It was far smaller than my own, but so exquisitely furnished, nonetheless. I looked at Thea as she fumbled around her closet, trying to find any article of clothing that would hide my identity.

"I can not believe you're doing this." I heard her say.

"Shh, keep quiet." It was too late for anyone to be out of their rooms, but I feared that the guards may have followed me. A couple of minutes seemed to pass by, and I gently tapped the floor, waiting for her to get it over with. It was not long before she emerged, a wide smile plastered on her face and a beige cloak in her hand.

"Found it." Her smile lit up brightly against the shadows of her room.

"Finally!" I head towards and grab the beige fabric. It looked old and worn out, exactly how I wanted it. I threw it around my shoulders and glanced down, it was way too big for me, completely concealing my body. Perfect.

"Are you sure about this, Ray? You know you can not go that far without them getting you." She said, worry dripping with each word she uttered.

"Would you rather I stay here and get offered to the Nile in some absurd, stupid ritual? Because that is what's waiting for me here." I had to stop before I found myself crying again. I had to be brave. I had to be strong.

"I know, and I am truly sorry, Raymun. You are my dearest friend, and I will not stand there and watch you get hurt." She said,

"I would not get hurt, I would be thrown into the river." I murmured, mostly to myself. "Anyways, thank you so much, Thea. I knew I could count on you." I closed the distance between us and hugged her. I did not know if I would ever see her again, I hoped I did, alive. She threw both her arms around me, hugging me tighter. "There is an inn on the outskirts of the city, it's not very far from the Palace, you can stay there." She whispered in my ear.

The sound of footsteps was what made me break away from Thea's hold. "I think someone might have followed me here." I whisper. We waited for a brief moment before the footsteps got fainter and fainter. I glanced at my friend, her brows pushed together tightly.

"I have to go." She nodded.

I began removing my heavy earrings, the gold bracelets around both my wrists and the scarab amulet around my neck. I put them into a small pouch— one that I also borrowed from Thea and then push the little bag right between... my breasts. She eyed me, raising a brow. "Shut up." I scoffed and began taking off the jewellery around my head. Some stones got stuck to my hair so she ended up helping me, and then placed them carefully in her hands. "Here," I place the jewelled hair band in her hands, "keep it."

She hugged it to her chest and nodded, her eyes gleaming with tears that threatened to slip down her tawny skin. I knew I could trust her, she has been there for me my whole life. She was my friend, my only friend, and our paths never crossed. I would like her to have something that reminded her of me.

I placed my ear against the wooden door, carefully listening for any footsteps, when I found none I slowly pushed the heavy door and glanced left and right. With no one to be found, I waved at Thea and began heading towards the gardens. I knew for a fact that I could never leave the Palace through the front gate. It was flooded with guards and knights, so I made up my mind that I was going to leave through the garden's hidden gate. No one besides Thea, Seth, and I knew about that entrance.

I slip between the giant marble walls until I finally reach the garden. The night's cold breeze and the smell of jasmine gently caressed my skin. Thanks to locating the Palace next to the Nile's soil, we had the commodity of growing plants in this garden. It was one of the very few gardens we had in Egypt. I walk across the different plants until I reach two giant trees. Kneeling, I removed a bunch of dead leaves and vines before I could clearly see outside.

"Is someone out there?" I heard a guard call and I froze in place. Carefully I placed the hood over my head, completely hiding my hair along with the upper part of my face. My breath caught in my chest. I looked at the small hole in the stone wall. It was now or never, I kept telling myself.

"Whoever's out there, show yourself!" The guard shouted again, his voice gruff and clearly annoyed. I began second-guessing myself. Was this a good idea? I looked outside again, the city's torches shone as brightly as the stars against the dark horizon.

There was no turning back. I had to go, I had to survive, I had to live. I quickly slipped through the small opening and run as fast as I could.

I don't know how much time passed, but I kept running. My chest burned and my legs were ready to give out at any moment. Still, I ran and ran until I eventually collapsed. All I could feel was the cold sand and the crisp air rushing against my flushed skin, drying the layer of sweat that covered my whole body. My chest heaved, trying to take in as much air as possible. I stayed there for a while, lying in the cool sand and staring at the black sky above me. I never felt so happy, so free. Tears fell down from my eyes and I found myself laughing as loud as I could. I was free. I was alive. Not dead at the bottom of the Nile, I was ALIVE.

Moments later, I got up to my feet, my body ached and screamed with every little movement I made. I pushed through the pain and walked to the city. It was long before I found myself in the middle of the city, with small houses and stores surrounding me.