She's Pregnant

"At least one of my children has a brain and doesn't obsess with that nonsense treasure," my father groaned, as he settled down into his chair, turning on the evening news. "At least I have one child who knows that life doesn't run on myths and legends, and it runs on money and good work ethic."

"Yeah, whatever you say," I yawned, as I closed my Art History textbook and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands.

This is why I hated that I didn't have my own place. But I needed to save money, and my father let me stay here for free, he even gave me food too. He always said that if my older brother would have followed in my footsteps that he would have been more than willing to give him a place to stay too.

But Ben had a dream. A dream of a great treasure.

I sighed and looked over at my father. He had been nothing but depressed and argumentative since my mother left him. And my mother was obsessed in work and thought of nothing more and nothing less.

But then again she had always been more controlling than my father, which is why my name is so messed up.

See most of the men in my father's family have names that go along with someone in the American Revolution, which is also true to with women too. For example my brother is names Benjamin Franklin Gates. My Father is Patrick Henry Gates. And my grandfather was John Adams Gates.

And originally my name was going to by Deborah Sampson Gates. But my mother was appalled when she heard this and compromised with my father to call me Andrea Deborah-Sampson Gates.

Trying having to learn how to spell that name in the first grade. I tell you my whole life has been hell because of that name.

"Have you talked to Ben lately?" I inquired, trying to see if he had kept to his promise and talk to my brother at least once a month.

My father stubbornly looked forward at the television screen, making me groan.

I swear, if my father dropped dead, my brother wouldn't come just because he still held a grudge against my father for not talking to him.

Ben can be just as stubborn as my mother.

Sometimes I think I am the only normal one in this family.

My father then looked over at me and questioned, obviously trying to change the topic," How has your work been treating you?"

"Good, but then again I'm nothing but a tour guide" I sighed, as I picked up my book and got up off the lounge chair. "But I have an early day tomorrow, so I'm going to bed."

"Good work ethic," My father smiled happily, wagging his finger at me.

I sauntered over to my father, before smiling and giving him my traditional goodnight kiss upon the top of his balding head.

"You sleep tight, hun," he smiled, as he stood up slightly to kiss my cheek.

"You too, dad," I smiled back, and began walking over to the stairs that led up to my room I had been in all my life.

I gave one last fleeing glance at the cold pizza upon the table. It was so delicious yet so fattening. And I didn't need my father to start picking on me for eating too much.

But as I glanced out the window, I spotted an old maroon van stalled in front of my childhood home.

Curiously I leaned closer to the window to try and see who was in the car, if it was my neighbors or not, but all I saw was the back of the head of some man, who was talking in the car seat next to him.

I sighed, thinking it was nothing, probably someone's lost family members.

With that I made my way back up stairs, not caring or bothering to warn my father about the odd sight.

When I arrived in my bedroom, I instantly placed my book upon my bed, and began setting out my clothes for tomorrow and picking out my pajamas.

Until I heard our classic, and old, door bell ring.

Quickly I rushed down the stairs, only to see my father unlock the door and open it, without bothering to look through the peep hole.

My father looked shocked, as his eyes darted across the area in front of him.

Quietly I slinked forward closer to the door, still unable to see outside, because of the angle I was at.

"Dad."

I froze. That was defiantly Ben's voice.

My father fiend a fake smile, as he kept looking at who I assumed to be my brother. "Where's the party?"

"Uh, well, uh..." my brother fumbled," I'm in a little trouble."

With that I gawked at my father, who I knew could see me out of the corner of his eyes.

He then glanced over at me, and then looked away from me," Is she pregnant?"

I gawked again, and instantly stepped up to my father's side in curiosity.

"Hey Dra." My brother weakly smiled at me, standing in a tuxedo, with a young man standing next to him in jeans, a shirt, sweater, and jacket, with cute black rimmed glasses around his bright blue eyes. Behind both of them was a rather pretty woman, who was dressed in a ball gown of sorts, but shaking, with a jacket wrapped around her.

I then noticed my brother hiding something behind him, making me scowl.

"Abigail. Riley. This is my little sister, Andrea."

The woman, Abigail, gave me a weak smile, while the other guy, Riley, gave me a cute, yet oddly geeky, smile. "Hey."

"Is she pregnant?" my father questioned again, sounding rather stern.

Abigail looked at both Riley and Ben in shock, and held her jacket closer to her body.

"I'm Riley Poole," Riley stuck out his hand for me to shake, still looking at me, like his bright blue orbs were glued to me. Obviously ignoring Abigail.

I couldn't help but smile at his odd mannerism. "I'm Dra." I reached out and shook his hand, only hearing a groan come from both my father and brother at the same time and same way.

I shot both of them glares, as I retracted my hand from Riley's surprisingly gentle grasp.

Ben then answered, in a teasing manor," Well, if she is, are you gonna leave the woman carrying your grandchild standing out in the cold?"

Riley then looked down at the ground and brought his hand up to his face, as if to stifle a laugh, but tried to pass it off as a serious and in thought expression.

"I look pregnant?" Abigail looked over at Riley, and questioned.

Riley, unconvincingly shook his head no, making Abigail sourly scrunch up her noise before looking over at me.

Quickly I looked away from her and Riley, up at my brother. I noticed how he was still starring at my father, as if he was begging him to let him in.

I glanced up at my dad, before taking his forearm. He, of course, looked over at me, in question, but I just encouragingly smiled up at him, hoping he would understand my hint of letting my brother and his friends in.

My father groaned in defeat, and looked up at Ben and his friends again, before lifting up his hand and motioning for them to come in.

I smiled at him in return, before letting go of his arm, allowing my father to go back inside.

I then looked over at my brother and happily smiled, before lunging over and hugging him.

"How come you didn't call, I could have prepared him?" I teased, as my brother gave me a one armed hug.

"We'll talk about it later, Dra," he sighed, patting the back of my head, before letting me out of his grasp.

I then stepped back into the house, allowing my brother the follow behind me, with Riley and Abigail lining up behind him.

I then poked my brother in the chest, stopping him from coming any further into the house. I then quietly warned him," This better not be about that dumb treasure, or else dad will go ballistic."

But Ben just gently shrugged off my hand, and continued into the living room, with Riley and Abigail following behind him.

We each exchanged a nod of the head to one another, before I shut the front door and locked it.

"Well, have a seat." My father sighed in the living room, which Ben had just walked in with his friends. "Make yourselves comfortable. There's some pizza. It's still warm…I think."

I rolled my eyes, I had ordered that pizza at least four hours ago and had been nibbling on it COLD for the whole night.

I sauntered into the living room, only to feel the oddly familiar feeling of being the shortest person in the room. But then again I had always been short, and I was only 5'3", which made it physically impossible for anyone, except children to be shorter then me.

"Dad…" Ben had marched over to one side of the room with my father, in hand, while Riley had found his spot next to the pizza, stuffing his face with it, while Abigail just stood behind him, admiring my father's inheritance of antiquities.

I quietly, sat down in the chair across from Riley and watched as he began upon his second slice of pizza.

Man, he eats fast.

"I need the Silence Dogood letters." My brother admitted, making me look at him curiously.

Hadn't dad told him he got ride of the letters?

But obviously he hadn't for he had rocked back onto his heels, in a dumbfounded manor.

"Yeah, it's about the treasure," my brother continued to admit, making me groan loudly, and throw my head back against the chair.

"I knew! I knew it!" My father declared loudly, before looking over at Riley and Abigail. "And he dragged you two into this nonsense?"

"Literally!" Abigail nodded vivaciously in agreement, while Riley dumbly smiled and answered," I volunteered."

I gawked at both of them, especially at Riley for believing in my brother's and grandfather's nonsense.

"Well, un-volunteer, before you ruin your life!" My father shouted at Riley, while my brother looked over at me in desperation, in a way to calm down our father or at least defend him-like I usually did.

"Knock it off, Dad," My brother warned, as he approached my father, with what looked to be a container for a map or poster hanging off of his back.

"Sure, sure, I know," My father shouted again, throwing his hands up in the air," your sister and I are the family kooks!"

Riley began stuffing another slice of pizza in his mouth, making me look at him again. Ben must have been depriving him of food!

"We have a job, a house, health insurance," my father rambled on, while I kept watching Riley ravenously eat all of the slice of pizza. "At least I had your mother, for however brief a time. At least I had you and your sister. What do you have?"

It was then Riley had noticed my starring, and just pushed back his glasses with his pinky, which wasn't covered in grease, and smiled at me.

I smiled back at him, before quietly teasing, making sure we didn't interrupt the argument between my father and brother," Good pizza, huh?"

He nodded in agreement, as he began to lick his fingers clean.

"Him?"

Riley and I both looked at each other curiously for a second, before I saw my father pointing over at Riley, with a mocking face.

Riley just nervously smiled, before he began eating the last slice of pizza.

Ben groaned and pleaded," Look, if you just give us the letters, we're gone."

My father, as if to hide the fact he didn't have the letters, began walking away, grumbling," You disappoint me, Ben."

I sighed to myself, and looked over at Ben, who seemed to be boiling up with rage.

"Well, maybe that's the real Gates-family legacy. Sons who disappoint their fathers!"

At this point my father turned around and starred Ben right in the eyes, while Ben walked back next to him.

My father than inhaled, and I could tell he was debating between apologizing or kicking my brother out. But his stubbornness prevailed.

"Get out. Take your troubles with you."

"Dad!" I whined in protest. "It's Ben! Your son!" I got up off the chair and marched up to my tall father and brother. I then placed my hands upon my hips in agitation," If you two would stop being so stubborn and headstrong then maybe this family wouldn't be as messed up as it is."

Ben and my father both lowered their heads in defeat, mirroring each other exactly, making me deviously smile.

"I found the Charlotte," Ben whispered.

Instantly father and I looked up at him in shock. The Charlotte was real?

"The Charlotte?" My father repeated to make sure his hearing hadn't gone. "You mean she was a ship?"

"Yeah," Ben smiled happily," she was beautiful. It was amazing, Dad.-"he then looked down at me"-You would have loved her, Dra."

"And the treasure?" I pressed, grabbing onto his forearm, just like I had with my father.

Ben the opened his mouth and closed it before opening it again.

Instantly I scowled and pulled myself off of his arm. There was no treasure. I knew it!

"No, no," Ben stammered," But we found another clue that led us here."

My father shook his head again, while I made my way back over to the chair, in defeat.

Then my father cut off Ben and sneered," Yeah, and that'll lead you to another clue. And that's all you'll ever find, is another clue. Don't you get it, Ben?"

Sadly I looked down at my crossed arms, for I knew where my father was going with this argument. He was going down the same road that he had done the other night, when I had tried to stand up for Ben and his dream.

My father then began stepping away from Ben, and over to the fire place, and in an animated manor began explaining his theory. "I finally figured it out! The legend says that the treasure was buried to keep it from the British. But what really happened was the legend was invented, to keep the British occupied searching for buried treasure."

I looked over at Ben, who was uncomfortably starring at our father, trying to restrain himself from chocking him.

"The treasure is a myth."

Ben then bluntly retorted," I refuse to believe that."

My brother and father just starred at each other for awhile.

"Well," I took a deep breath, and nonchalantly continued," you can believe what you want. You're a grown person, Ben. I personally believe that's there is such a thing as the President's Book, but you don't see me going out to find it. This is what dad is trying to say."

"The President's book?" Riley questioned looking at me in interest.

"I'll explain it to you later," Ben groaned to Riley, before I could even explain to Riley, before I heard Abigail snort," There is no such thing as the President's Book."

I shot her a glare, before Riley intervened, obviously taking up my old job of trying to keep the peace," Ladies! Ladies! Practice what you preach."

I rolled my eyes at him, before my father resumed his ranting," Do what you want, Ben. Do what you want."

With that my father began walking over into his office, huffing, as he did so.

We all silently looked over at each other, before Abigail sourly murmured," He's probably right. You don't even know if there is another clue."

My brother then looked over at me and smirked, like he would when we were children and he needed my help with something.

"Well, I can think of a way where we could find out. And we can find out right now."