Theodosia

c h a p t e r e i g h t e e n

A M E L I A  E A R H A R T

Finding Larry was turning out to be a more arduous task than Theodosia and Ahkmenrah were hoping it would be. They wandered through the labyrinth of shelves aimlessly, following the sound of commotion in the hopes it would lead them to Larry. Mostly, they followed the shouts from Kahmunrah's guards.

The assumption was that wherever the guards were, Larry probably wasn't far behind. Theodosia would give him the Rubik's cube diversion, but she wasn't confidant in his ability to outrun armed men twice his size.

Finally, as they got closer to Kahmunrah's guards, they heard the rumble of a motorcycle. They stopped, listening to the unfamiliar sound as it weaved through the shelves, away from the protesting guards. Theodosia looked up at Ahkmenrah, a relieved smile overtaking her face.

"I think we found Larry."

They followed the mechanical sound of the motorcycle until it stopped completely, a few feet away from where they were. They listened, straining to catch the familiar sound of Larry's voice. Theodosia suspected it was him, but that's all it was – a suspicion. The museum was coming to life, it could have been anyone. As they moved closer to hear better, Theodosia caught the sound of a woman's voice. Her heart dropped, assuming they'd been wrong, until finally she heard the sardonic tone of their favourite museum nightguard, Larry Daley.

Still holding each other's hands tightly, the pair slipped back into the maze, following the muttering of voices until they rounded the final corner and walking ahead of them was Larry, the shiny golden tablet safely in his arms. They were so relieved to find him, they barely noticed the leather-clad redhead following behind Larry jubilantly.

"—And I'm kind of in a dangerous situation right now, so you might not want to be anywhere near me." Larry was crouched behind a yellow crate as the woman slid next to him, a grin on her face. He looked at her, startled. "Wow, you're fast."

"What's your name, flyboy?"

"Larry!" Theodosia called, her relief flooding her voice. Larry's companion was momentarily forgotten as he stood to meet his friends, as relieved as they were to see them. "There you are! We couldn't find you anywhere. You're remarkably fast for someone with such short legs."

Larry grimaced; his relief was gone. He shot Theodosia a pointed glare. "First of all, my legs aren't short. Second, me? Where did you guys go?"

"We ran into trouble," Ahkmenrah quickly covered. "Apologies, Larry."

Larry waved him off, ducking behind the crate again to check if the coast was clear. The woman, who had her delicate hands firmly on her hips as though they had been glued there, stepped closer to the couple, fascinated. She titled her head, smiling oddly.

"What a strange pair you two make," she mused.

Theodosia smiled awkwardly, unsure of how to answer. The woman finally looked down to their adjoined hands and her smile widened.

"Oh, well aren't you two cute as a bug's ear!" she cried, clapping her hands. "Oh, I just love young love, don't you?"

Larry looked up at the sound of her voice, suddenly remembering she was there. "Oh, um, Theodosia, Ahkmenrah, this is Amelia Earhart, the first female pilot—"

"To fly over the Atlantic," Amelia interrupted, finishing for Larry.

He nodded. "Uh, yeah."

The pair nodded, Theodosia still not grasping who this woman could be. Ahkmenrah, on the other hand, vaguely remembered the important name. She knew what a pilot was, and a plane for that matter, but not who Amelia Earhart was. Nicky hadn't ever brought her up, and there was no mention of her back home. She was starting to resent the amount of information she didn't know.

She scrutinized the woman, questioning her presence. "Larry's right, you know. We aren't exactly safe to be around."

"Well," Amelia's smile widened, oblivious or not bothered by Theodosia's obvious scrutiny, "I'm not one to shy away from danger."

As if to prove her point, Amelia stepped out from behind the yellow crate, hands on her hips as they had been before, a power to her pose. Her enthusiasm softened Theodosia just a little, until the first spear impaled the crate behind her, and any curiosity about Amelia Earhart was replaced with panic. The first spear was promptly followed by a brigade of spears that outlined Amelia's figure perfectly.

She didn't even flinch.

"Mm-hm," Larry hummed. "How about spears? You one to shy away from spears?"

Exasperated, Larry moved past her, leaving behind the crate shielding him. He motioned for Theodosia and Ahkmenrah to follow as the shouts of the guards got louder. As they passed Amelia, Theodosia let a smile slip on to her face. As weird as she was, she was Theodosia's kind of woman – she was a total badass.

"Well, if it's danger you're looking for, then I guess I'd say stick close," Theodosia joked, matching Amelia's enthusiastic smile.

"Will do."

They trio followed Larry to the exit door, escaping to the mysterious museum above them.