Nex stepped off the pentagram, laughing like he totally won the battle. Behind him, a swirling vortex appeared on the wall glowing brightly blue.

He turned around, widening his white eyes in shock.

From the portal, a black barefoot stepped out and two black hands with claws gripped the wall. Then a tall muscular man with a jackal head pulled himself out from the portal in a Nemes hat and a golden half-pleated kilt. His glowing white eyes glanced around until he set his sight on Nex.

The mummy werejackal barked in fright. He tried to sprint, but the Egyptian god of the dead stretched his left arm out and grabbed the mummy's back.

Nex struggled to reach the stairway. The god, Anubis, embraced the mummy werejackal with his large arms around him.

Nex kept struggling, but the god was stronger than him. The undead beast already met his fate.

While holding Nex, Anubis stepped backward into the portal. Nex held out his hands, trying to reach me, begging them to help him.

My friends and I did nothing. Like, why should we help him after what he tried to do?

Even if he tried to help, I totally don't believe Anubis will allow it. Once you get damned, you're totally damned.

Nex dropped his arms when he glanced at the glowing golden dagger in Salina's right hand.

"Nathifa….." Those were his last words before Anubis pulled him into the vortex. And then the portal to the Afterlife vanished.

I gruffed with my friends' sigh.

"That was close….." Kevin said.

I glanced at the dagger. It was shaking!

Salina noticed it too and dropped it. The blade hit the floor and projected a shining golden radiance.

In the light, a ghostly figure appeared before our eyes. Wow! She looked like a human me with a beautiful Egyptian white dress on. She must be Princess Nathifa. No wonder Nex thought I was her!

The princess opened her eyes and smiled at us. "Thank you for stopping him. Now we can be together in the Afterlife."

I was a little surprised by the princess’s response. Did she know what was going on the whole time?

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She probably knew her boyfriend was going to commit murder for the sake of returning her to life. Although she refused, she couldn’t do anything about it. But my friends and I stopped him from doing the unthinkable.

Princess Nathifa held out her arms with her eyes closed. Then she vanished as the light faded away.

*****

After I returned to my human form, I followed my friends up the stairway. My cheerleader uniform has torn fabic, but I could always buy a new uniform.

"How are you feeling, Jessica?" Kevin asked.

I blew my breath out. "Exhausted….. I'm totally taking a break from dating dudes."

Kevin frowned, but he grinned a little. "I guess that is for the best."

We reached the second underground level inside the crypt. It has more tomb walls and stone coffins between pillars, covered in cobwebs.

The town built the mausoleum for noble families to bury their members apart from the other graves. Like typical rich people, they want their dead to feel special in fancy expensive tombs. Just like how the kings and queens get special treatment after death. Jessica and her friends sat on a stone bench, resting for a bit.

"So Tyler was the mummy after all," said Kevin, "I knew it felt strange when a new kid arrived since the mummy escaped."

"None of us could tell, nerd boy," said Salina. "Magic was keeping him sealed from attention. Even I wouldn't tell if I met him."

I licked my lips. "No wonder I totally couldn't smell his scent from his human form. And I fell for him like a total idiot…. "

Kevin rubbed my back. "It's not your fault. But it a good thing Salina can track him."

The witch held up two fingers as she grinned. "Your welcome."

I nodded with a little smile. "Yeah, I'm still glad I totally have you guys on my back. I might be a powerful creature now, but the mummy proved I can't track everything."

"Everything has their limits," said Kevin, "you shouldn't feel ashame about that."

"Yeah….. Remember Princess Nathifa's ghost? She totally looked like me."

"She is your ancestor, Barbie girl," said Salina.

"But I thought I was her reincarnation. How could she be in the Afterlife while I am here?"

Salina shrugged. "You could be wrong. Ancestry has nothing to do with reincarnation. You only have her bloodline."

Excitement boiled inside me. I am totally a princess! "I totally need to check out my ancestry tree records. I want the whole world to know about my royal blood!"

Salina laughed. "Nobody will care. Your kingdom is gone and buried under the sands. You are the princess of nothing."

"We'll see!" Jessica yawned. "I better get home before I pass out."

"Me too." Kevin got up and strolled up the next stairway.

The first floor has the exit past a corridor, lined with rows of tomb drawers. To my surprise, orange light glimmered from the open doorway. I must been unconscious all night before the mummy tried to sacrifice me, or I could transform in dark places.

Whatever!

The morning air breezed through my face outside with my friends. Tall gravestones stood everywhere among the tall grass and beneath skeleton trees. If the sky was still dark, the cemetery would be spooky. Not a good place for teenagers to make out. Hehehe!

I smiled at the beautiful sun, rising over the forest mountains. “Another peaceful day, until another monster comes.”