Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 10

Kami could feel the panic spreading through her body. The last thing she wanted to do was fall apart here. She stood up abruptly.

"I'm going to look for them," she said.

She dodged suitcases and travelers, walking the length of the corridor, checking lounges, bathrooms, every corner, every nook. Nothing. 

She saw a couple from the back that might be, no, wait. The man turned and his face was clearly too young.

She breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. It wasn't working. Her heart sped up. Fear spread through her body. 

It seemed as if everywhere she looked, people were staring at her. It was as if their eyes were boring holes through her. She was drawing too much attention with her frantic searching. She felt painfully self-conscious.

Kami jumped as the fluorescent lights flickered off and on above her, then settled into an eerie strobe effect with a faint hum. Dark corners seemed to stir, threatening to send out a host of frightening creatures to consume her. She tried to rein back her feverish imagination, but it was galloping at a pace too rapid to control. 

Her thoughts kept turning back to her grandparents. She wondered where they were, why they hadn't come. Wasn't she important to them? She thought of her mother as she last saw her, pale and weak and drunk, with hair plastered to her face. She wondered why she had come to Egypt anyway. She should have just stayed home. Maybe she should just go home, but the thought of getting back onto a plane after the "ride of terror" wasn't in the least appealing. That would be quite an experience to tell her friends when school started back up.

Kami felt a hand on her shoulder. She pushed it away as she whirled around and backed up. She saw Liam's face and relaxed, putting a hand to her racing heart.

"It's so late. You guys really ought to go," Kami said.

"Do you have anyone you can call? Your mum or someone?"

She thought for a moment. She could call her mom, but what then? Her mother had been so dead set against her coming in the first place. She wasn't really in the mood for an "I told you so" lecture. Maybe she could still avoid it. Maybe her grandparents were stuck in traffic in a place with low cell reception. There was no way her grandmother wasn't coming, not if she could help it. She shook her head and bit her lip. 

"They'll come," she said with a confidence she didn't feel. 

"What do we do now?" Liam asked.

"I'm going to just wait it out, I guess."

"Do you mind if I hang around? It would make me feel better. You never know what might happen if you're alone," Liam said. 

"If you want," she shrugged. 

"Why don't you just sit down and take a breather," Liam said. "I'll go talk to the information desk and see if we can page your grandparents. Don't worry, we'll figure this out."

Kami sank into a chair feeling utterly exhausted. 

"Thanks," she said belatedly, but Liam was already striding purposefully away and didn't hear her. Haji sat down a few seats away and pulled out a battered Physics book. She looked over at him.

"School?" she asked. 

"Pleasure," he replied, flashing her a quick grin and returned his gaze to the book. She studied him for a moment. He had been warm and friendly earlier. Now that Liam was gone, he seemed a little more shy around her.

After a few minutes, Liam returned.

"They said they will let us know if your grandparents come looking for you."