Hey everybody! Back to a chance meeting between Kami and the handsome English boy. As always, please comment and vote! You can vote once for every chapter and make unlimited comments. Thanks so much for reading.

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The boy slid into the seat next to her. She was very aware of him. He was even taller than she realized, now that he sat next to her. He smelled good too, a clean masculine scent. There was an awkward silence between them for a few moments until he broke it.

“Sorry to whisk away your seat mates, but one of them didn’t seem to appreciate not having his own seat.”

Kami laughed, relaxing as she glanced back at the little boy. He was standing in the window seat jumping up and down. His mother had an arm up supporting his back and looked much more at peace.

“He seems much happier now that he’s not constrained,” Kami said.

“Aren’t we all?”

“That was kind of you to offer her your seat.”

He shrugged.

“What do I need two seats for?”

“I don’t know. Kick your feet up. Catch a nap.”

“At the expense of that woman and her baby? No thanks.”

“Still, not everyone would have done it.”

“Maybe. My name is Liam, by the way,” he said. “Liam Mitchell.”

“I’m Kamilah Hassri.” She was glad her voice didn’t sound as shaky as she felt.

“So do you go by Kamilah, or do you have a nickname?”

“My friends call me Kami.”

“And do I qualify as a friend?”

“I don’t know yet,” Kami said. She liked the way his mouth always seemed to be on the verge of smiling, and she marveled at how easy he was to talk to.

“Ah, the lady throws out a challenge. So what does it take to earn your friendship?”

“Nothing much—be willing to walk on hot coals, slay dragons, prove absolute loyalty by tasting any suspicious libations to make sure they’re not poisonous. The usual stuff.” Liam laughed as she ticked off her list.

“You are so random,” he said.

“You have no idea. So it’s my turn to ask you a question. What’s up with the winking?” She regretted saying it almost the moment it escaped her lips. It wasn’t like her to be so bold.

“I was bored. And intrigued,” Liam said, smiling a bit sheepishly. “I was curious how you would react.”

“And?”

“You reacted just as I expected. You were embarrassed.”

“Actually, I was thinking ‘Who’s the perv who has the audacity to hit on a complete stranger?’” she said.

“Or that could have been it,” Liam laughed, flashing his strong white teeth with a lopsided grin that made her smile. “I was curious because you weren’t covered.”

“Not covered?” Kami’s voice rose as she looked herself over. Nothing was exposed. What was he talking about?

“No, not that,” he shook his head. “Your hair.”

“Oh, you mean I’m not wearing one of those scarves.”

“A hijab, right.”

The drink cart rolled up to their seats and a stern stewardess in a navy blue dress took their orders—a bottled water for Liam and a cranberry juice for Kami. She set the drinks on their fold down tables and moved on. He reached over and pulled back the tab of her juice, which Kami thought was strange. Maybe he was trying to be a gentleman?

Then he gulped a big swig of her juice!

“What are you doing?” she sputtered, outraged.

“Just testing your suspicious libation,” he said with a fake look of innocence. “I don’t think it’s poisonous, but maybe I’d better make sure.”

“Give me that,” she said grabbing his arm. How could she have mistaken him for a gentleman? “Since when is cranberry juice suspicious?”

“You never know. You usually get happy, chatty stewardesses, but that one? I don’t know. Kind of dodgy. She has assassin written all over her.”

“You’re so full of it. If you wanted a cranberry juice you should have asked for one instead of taking mine.”

“I didn’t. I just wanted a drink of yours. So are we friends now?”

“That little stunt definitely did not help you.”

“Blast. I guess I’ll have to keep trying. I don’t suppose there are any hot coals onboard, are there? Do you think I should call the stewardess over and ask?”

She shook her head, biting her cheek to keep from laughing. The boy was incorrigible.

He beckoned to the stewardess who didn’t look too thrilled to come. Kami was half-expecting a request for hot coals, but instead he asked for another cranberry juice. The stewardess rolled her eyes but handed him another drink.

“There you are,” Liam said, handing her the juice. “Now am I back in your good graces?”

She opened the tab and nursed a long sip.

“Thinking about it,” she grinned.

“Are you always this happy?” Liam asked.

His question hung in the air, suspended, like a fine mist threatening to dissolve any minute. For the past few hours it was as if she was a different Kami, not the girl who’d spent countless nights worrying about her mother, praying she wouldn’t choke on her own vomit or drink herself into an early grave. Not the girl who stressed out over every test because she knew if she didn’t pull a 4.0 and bring in scholarships, she wouldn’t have a future. Not the girl who lived in a dingy trailer and wasn’t sure how much longer they could afford that.

She was just a regular girl having fun with a boy. Is this what it felt like to be normal?

Liam must have sensed the pensive change that washed over her because he changed the subject. She felt grateful.

“Is this your first time to Egypt?”

“Yes. I’m meeting my grandparents for the first time.”

His eyebrow arched.

“Wow. Which side?”

“My father’s. My mother is an American.”

“Why didn’t he come with you?”

“Um, he couldn’t. He died of cancer when I was six.”

“I’m sorry,” Liam said. His eyes shone with compassion.

“Yeah, well, it is what it is,” she answered as lightly as she could around the lump in her throat.

“Are you nervous?”

“A little,” Kami admitted. “They basically disowned my parents, so it’s strange they want to meet me after all these years.”

“They probably regret never getting to know you. The older you get, the more you realize how precious relationships are.”

“How wise you are all of a sudden.”

He flushed and grinned.

“That’s what they say anyway. And yes, I am very wise. I was born wise.”

“Sure,” Kami teased.

“Seriously. Don’t worry about it. They’re going to love you. Who wouldn’t?”

“You barely know me.”

“But I’ve got good instincts.”

“Well, thanks for believing in me anyway.”

Kami reached down to her black duffle, unzipped a side pocket and drew out a raspberry almond granola bar drizzled in chocolate.

“Want one?” she asked, while he simultaneously said, “You have one too!”

“What? A granola bar?” she asked, confused.

“No. A scarab necklace.”

She looked down. It must have fallen out when she had leaned over to grab her snack.

“Do you know what it stands for?” he asked.

“No.”

“It’s a good luck symbol. Lots of people wear them in Egypt. See?”

He pulled out a little scarab that clung to a chain around his neck.

“Yours is much cooler though. It looks like an actual antique. I picked mine up for 14 Egyptian pounds at a flea market. That would be, let me think, approximately 2 US dollars. May I?”

Kami handed it to him. He set it in his palm and looked it over carefully. She felt very conscious of how close she had to lean in so he could study it.

“Did you know the beetle was a symbol of the sun god Ra?”

She shook her head.

“In ancient days, the Egyptians working the fields noticed magic—beetles that would burst from the ground, appearing to emerge out of nowhere. What they didn’t know was the beetles would roll little balls of dung and lay their eggs in the balls, leaving them to  develop until they were ready to hatch. Some say that the metamorphosis from egg, to larva, to beetle represents mankind’s ability to form ourselves and control our destinies.”

“And here I thought it was just a scarab necklace,” she smiled.

“Oh no, the symbolism is deep. It represents rebirth, creation, and regeneration. It means life returns. It means no matter what rubbish life throws at you, you have the ability to form of it what you will. Life returns.”

Kami liked the idea, and she looked down at this link she shared with her father. Was that the spirit that led him to marry her mother? To forge his own destiny despite the pressures of his father to conform to his desires?

“In ancient times, scarabs were placed on the heart or chest of the dead, like this.” He set the beetle against his chest.

“These heart scarabs were to be weighed against the feather of truth on judgment day. Sometimes they were inscribed with a spell from the Book of the Dead.”

“What did the spell say?”

“Something like ‘Do not stand as a witness against me.’”

She shivered. What did it mean to have your heart witness against you?

“The idea of judging hearts is deep-rooted in most cultures.”

“It’s kinda creepy.”

“Creepy? Are you kidding? Scarabs are cool. Some people believe necklaces like these hold magical powers. I wonder …”

He flipped it over and scanned the surface.

Any guesses as to what he sees on the necklace? Click on the star if you liked it!

This dedication goes to a fabulous writer here on Wattpad, the inimitable Dr. J (who like Liam, happens to be a Brit :). She gave me a warm welcome early on which was a great relief to this rather bewildered author stumbling her way around this website. Her critiques and encouragement have been valuable and I appreciate them very much. If you get a moment, check out her Slavedays. I think it's brilliant.