1

Anubis followed me with his eyes, not missing a single move, not blinking when I tore off a piece of ivory that decorated the door I was working on. I glanced at my other colleagues, but everyone was absorbed in their task, everyone except the one who mattered, my boss, the director of the most important museum in New York, who gave me a look of resignation. I hurried back to my restoration.

Soon, the museum will exhibit an unprecedented collection of treasures from the Roman era, loaned by Italy as part of the cultural exchanges set up between the United States and the sons of the Roman Empire. All the staff were mobilized for the event, and that's all the better, because I have all the space and calm I needed to devote myself to the practical part of my thesis, although I doubt that the person in charge of my internship would see with a good eye that I was degrading the work I was supposed to restore, and who let me know it by passing by my work table and tapping it gently. A subtle and discreet call to order, two qualifiers that seem to perfectly describe Mr Derren Karlyl. During the past month, the director regularly visited the restoration laboratory, admittedly to follow up on some restaurations to the collection to come, but it was an opportunity for him to monitor the progress of our work, us trainees and sent from the university.

I looked up briefly at the statue of Anubis with his restoration turban that one of my comrades was working on, his haughty bearing taunting me while his eyes continued to stare at me, I stuck my tongue out at him then went back to work. No sooner had I started grooming a piece of wood than another piece of wood unhooked to land on the bench. I let out a resigned sigh, definitely, I wasn't going to finish anytime soon. Suddenly, the alarm went off, and for a moment everyone looked at each other in confusion before the Headmaster's voice spoke.

- Let's move!

As one man, the workers headed for the exit, the only exit, forming a squirming, screaming human cork. I stood petrified in my place, my heart pounding, the little groomer still turning in my hand. My brain knew it had to move, but my head refused to obey. A louder howl arose from the human cork, a howl so similar to the one my best friend Mira sometimes used to utter in her sleep, to what she had told me about her life, she went through hell. That sream braught me back to reality. I looked around me, the mattresses were all empty, the art pieces left at the mercy of the flames.

Why did I systemtically think of flames? A look at the door told me that there was no smoke, the ground for its part was still dry, there was no flooding, even for this rainy day of December. What was the problem then? A terrorist attack? I looked at the Director Karlyl, he stood back with his arms at his sides and watched the others try to get out as one man. I got up, and decided that the best I could do was stay away for now, there wasn't immediate danger, if it was a terrorist attack, I'd have a better chance of dying with the first runaways, if I didn't get trampled by all those long legs.

I bustled over my artifact and wrapped the fraction of the door I was working on in its paper and secured it before sliding it in its stirrups to the lever we used to move the artifacts, praying that the door wouldn't swing and shed me, then put it away in the huge secure box, gasping at the effort of pulling it, I didn't bother to put it back in its usual place, but I shoved it anywhere how in the middle of the huge room and rushed out and slammed the door.

I then walked over to the wall phone and called the reception desk, no one answered, as I hung up and joined the manager, I had to raise my head to approach him.

- Mr Karlyl!

The screams were shrill, drowning out all other sound, then there was the alarm screaming, I couldn't even hear myself speak, but the headmaster looked into mine with his brown eyes and raised his eyebrows.

- What's going on ? I asked him, standing on my tiptoes.

Which was still not enough. Derren Karlyl was huge, but any normally constituted person would be huge in front of my five feet, I never had a complex with my height, but at this precise moment, I really regret being Lilliputian.

- An evacuation drill, he told me softly.

My stress suddenly vanished, and a huge relief washed over me, and stupid as that, tears came to my eyes.

- And it seems that no one present thought to apply the security grips and evacuation protocol, continued Mr Karlyl without caring about my state of mind

He looked back at my face, and his features softened. For a moment I lost myself in the warmth of his gaze. He was young for his position, barely thirty, but his reputation was worldwide, a brilliant archaeologist, an accomplished researcher, and an uncompromising teacher, who was given the charge of one of the most famous museums in the world. More than that, he embodied the adventurous par excellence, with his brown hair curling slightly on the back of his neck, his calm gaze, his athletic body, it goes without saying that he occupied the thoughts of every woman and even some men working or visiting the museum, his silence certainly playing a major role in the charismatic image that has been stuck on him.

- It's only an exercise Miss Christopher, he said leaning on me, in any case, you are the only one who thought about your work, however you forgot to unplug your devices.

A quick look at my bench told me that my groomer was still furiously grooming the counter, knocking a few objects to the floor.

- Hard to think rationally when your life is in danger, I mumbled

- Of course, he responded calmly

Several seconds passed without speaking, watching the others push their way through the narrow entrance, a few of them crouched on the floor rocking back and forth. A laugh rose in my throat, and I let it out looking at the comic painting. Mr. Karlyl looked at me then smiled in turn.

- Why not raise the alert? I asked him

- It's very funny, don't you think? he asked me.

He reached over my head and pulled down a red lever, and suddenly the alarm went silent. The human tide stopped moving, and turned as one when Mr. Karlyl clapped his hands.

- I must say that I am quite disappointed by this performance.

We were far from the mark, but we spent the next few hours being lectured by the director, by the security manager, and by a firefighter, who was far too cute for his own good. All in a room crowded with works of art, under the watchful eyes of Anubis, and an Ottoman soldier.

I frowned and focused on the soldier in the red tunic, he stood in front of the safety room, and followed the fireman's instructions with interest, from time to time he looked around the room without really seeing it, then reported his attention on the firefighter. At some point, the soldier walked to the door of the safe, and passed it. Just like that, one moment he was in front of an armored door of at least 10 centimeters of steel, and the next moment he walked through as if it were open. I let out a shrill scream, and let out yet another louder as the soldier stuck his head in the door, staring at me with his dark eyes, his full mustache quivering as he spoke, a puzzled look on his face.

I did not take my eyes off this man, when he crossed the door, and came towards me with an uncertain gaze, I remained petrified, vaguely conscious of the people who were talking to me, shaking me, when he crossed my straw mattress to come plant in front of me, focused on his confused gaze.

- Do you see me ? he asked with an accent to break with a knife

- Miss Christopher, someone called me, Kat!

The soldier came closer, almost touched me,

that's when the overflow of the day broke, everything went black, and the last thing I heard was someone's victory cry before I sank completely.