"Will, you coming to practice tonight?" Jason was yelling from the bus window as I started my route home from Washington Junior High School.

"I'm thinking about it…" The breeze whipped my long bangs from in front of my eyes. He just nodded and waved after that, he did live on the other side of D.C. so the bus went one way, I went the other. The president's daughter was pulling out in her Secret service transport. They slowed when they got to me. Her back window rolled down, revealing her sandy blonde hair; green eyes and perfect smile. Unlike most of her surrounding friends; Claire, daughter of head of the CIA; Hannah, offspring to the FBI's head and of course Julie, the vice president's daughter; she was more natural. We had been lab partners a few times…course who knows where that could take anybody.

"Hi Will."

"Hey Stephanie, don't you think you might be slowing down America by slowing down to talk to me?" She giggled a bit, she saw where I was coming from; she told the boys to pull over and she got out. The fall breeze caught her hair a bit; I could see Mike, current football captain watching from his window.

"I wanted to ask in science but didn't get the chance; by any chance would your mom and dad be willing to attend the President's Ball? I mean of course you can come if you want." She wanted me to come…her eyes pleaded as she said it.

"I'll ask them. I'll see you later." She brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Yea, see you later Will." I pushed open the gate and headed down the driveway. Dad's Escape and Mom's Beamer were there. Riley's Ferrari was pulled around more to the side. He protected the thing with his life.

"I'm home!" I dropped my bag at the door and headed into the kitchen, which dropped off into the living room; where Riley was in the leather chair in the corner, surfing his laptop and Dad was standing at the kitchen table looking from his laptop screen to a parchment paper under a sheet of glass. Mom was warming something in the microwave no more then probably 15 feet away from Dad.

"Hey Will, how was school?" No matter how busy they all were doing something, Mom always asked the same question.

"Fine, World history Mr. Collins assigned an essay…asking us to explain how treasure is for pirates not the American colonist. Got a double period detention for telling him how illogical it was for him to jump to the conclusion that treasure in American history didn't exist. He threatened to call you…I then told him you would agree with me. Mrs. Washington; gave us a week off Early European Works, Ms. Jackson told us that Lincoln's address was successful; and we met Mr. Howe today." Dad stopped. Mom froze in her place and Riley looked up. I raised an eyebrow. "What? He's just an older guy, blonde hair, British accent…he seemed fascinated with my last name," I headed over to the stainless steel fridge and pulled out the last can of Mountain Dew. "He seemed oddly familiar too." Dad shook his head a few times and stood to his full height.

"Will, can you tell us what he talked about…"

"He went on and on about how the British treasure hunters were always beat out by Americans; then talked a lot about the President's Book of Secrets. For some reason he thought there were two copies, saying one wasn't in presidential possession." Mom still hadn't moved. Riley finally spoke up.

"Ben, you think he's?" Course, Riley jumped straight into code with Dad.

"He knows…" he looked at Mom, concerned, quickly they all looked to me.

"Who's in your class, it's important to know."

"Well, me, Jason, Hannah, Claire, Julie, Zane, Zeke, Olivia, West, Mike, Frank, Nelly, Zoe who loves Danny, and Stephanie." I glanced to Riley, and then across to Dad, who now seemed overly concerned. "Stephanie is the President's daughter…if that impacts anything." Mom braced herself against the island in the center of the kitchen.

"Abigail…get in contact with the First Lady…it's time we talk a bit."

"Dad, there's a presidential ball tonight; Steph invited us, just talk there." He glared at me this time.

"Will…there is something I should have told you awhile ago." He ran his fingers through the little hair he had. "Mr. Howe; or Ian…" As if on cue, a gun shot rang out from the front of the house. I turned around.

"William Gates…how did I know you were related to him? You do have your mother's looks." He turned his gun, on a now distressed, helpless Mom.

"BEN!" Dad now stood next to me as Riley was being dragged up next to Mom. "Ben…please, take Will and run!" Mr. Howe jabbed the gun hard into Mom's side.

"Shush Abby…I have no intentions in hurting the boy at this time…course that can change if he doesn't listen. Mr. Collins was telling me of his defiance, proudly inherited from his father." He looked slyly down at me. "Come here Will…" I reluctantly moved toward him, anger showing on my face so it could overpower the fear I had for my family. "Get me…your father's copy of the Presidential Book…"

"I don't know where that is, let alone he had one." Ian didn't like it when I smarted off.

"Find it then…or your mother and father will die." I turned to look at once confident Dad…whose eyes had filled with worry, fear and hatred. A gun cocked at an angle so if the trigger was pulled, the bullet would bury itself in his head kept him from moving.

"Top drawer, 1747, Booth Diary." I knew what it meant, my dad riddling me off the code to his office, which in English meant: book is in the top drawer of his desk; 1747, meaning Ian wanted page 47 and whatever was on it; and Booth Diary meaning the page was pulled from the actually book like the missing pages of John's diary so we honestly didn't have it. Dad wanted me to give him the book though…or he would have mentioned Boston Tea Party…which would have been dump the book and let us die. I came down from his office…which was an interesting place in itself and handed him the book. He signaled his men to let Mom, Dad and Riley go but pulled my wrist and held a gun to the side of my head.

"Ian! Let the boy go…he's done nothing to you." Dad was right…so far I had a clean slate with this man.

"I need a bargaining chip Ben; if you don't have what I need or do what I say…you will never see your son again…" I pulled against him only to get the barrel pressed hard into my skull. "I'll see you in the near future Gates." He roughly dragged me out of the house and forced me to stand up against his get away van.

"Your father wouldn't want to lose you, Will. You're too damn precious to him for him not to listen." The butt of the gun was quickly slammed into the side of my head and I collapsed. The last thing I heard was my mother's scream and sob as I lay limp in the man's arms.

Ben POV

They tossed Will into the back of the truck, Abby cried into Riley's shoulder as I stormed towards Ian, spinning him to face me.

"Let my son go…" The growl was intense but Ian quickly countered.

"No…the boy is my ticket into your power Ben." I lashed out at him, catching his upper lip. He slammed the gun into me like he did Will, I shook it off.

"Your son clearly hasn't learned from you." Ian hit me again; knocking me out this time…I found a faded picture of my son, angry and scared looking back at me. His shaggy blonde hair in his eyes, his icy blue eyes, his Hollister polos and his American Eagle jeans…not to mention the same Abercrombie sweatshirt he always wore. The spark in his heart and the trait all his teachers couldn't stand; his defiance they called it…not defiance…it was purely the passion he had inherited from me.

Will POV

Ian sat in the back of his SUV watching me. We were far from D.C. by now. I wasn't going to see Stephanie and I wasn't going to take Mr. Collin's world history exam the next day. I groaned in antagonizing pain to the head, my hair drenched in my own fearful sweat, my muscles restricted to move with the rope holding my wrists together; keeping me from using my CIA self-defense Jason had taught me. Ian's eyes sneered into my as I opened them.

"Your mother's eyes too…" He tossed my hair a little and I pulled away. "You barely resemble Ben…the eyes and the strength maybe…" Ian had on thing I didn't know about…and that was a daughter.

"Daddy?" She was a brat no older then me…she looked like her father too.

"Yes Abigail?" The smirk on his face grew; She looked nothing like my mother.

"Do I get time with…him…?" He simply nodded and the boys pulled into a rest stop/diner. They all got out, leaving me and so called Abigail alone. She watched me, eyeing my Fox hoodie and stained soccer t-shirt.

"What do you want…?" I growled as she leaned a little closer to me. My eyes were intense in darker settings…just like Dad's…and the stormy weather and the night falling made them almost twice as dangerous.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Yes." I did consider Stephanie my girlfriend…as she considered me her boyfriend…you could say we were dating…I guess. Abigail pulled a familiar bag from under the seat. It was mine. She pulled item after item out.

"Hmmm…pocket knife…at school?" I glared up at her.

"Soccer practice." She still looked confused.

"Sounds more like troubled teen to me-"

"It's my father's…he gave it to me if I ever got into a problem." She sneered.

"Looks like you're in one. Look at this beauty!" My notebook was pulled out. My friends had signed it of course…Stephanie took plenty of time graffti-ing it science class…our favorite picture lay under the protective cover. We were at the Washington Monument lying in the grass in front of the magnificent lake. Dad had been only a couple feet away with Riley…walking to Library of Congress. We were both smiling ear to ear. Abigail's eyes danced between my tied, beat up form and to the picture.

"The President's daughter? You? A Treasure hunter's son?" She laughed and punched me. I moaned afterward, considered she had just hit the same spot the gun had made contact.

"You're…a treasure hunter's daughter…" I received another nasty blow.

"Yes…but never taught the art…simply told to learn how to ruin a good American government…and to always hate the Gates family." I strained lightly on the rope holding my wrist. If I was to escape…it would be as she's putting my things back into my bag; like she was now. My fingertips almost had the knot…when the rope fell silently against the seat I made my move. I elbowed Abigail in the side of the head…she screamed as her head made contact with the window. I pitched a gun at the back window and dove through the broken glass. I hit the pavement hard as I rolled a few times before getting up; my backpack on my back as I sprint towards to woods along the interstate. Her scream had brought Ian out of the diner and blazing in anger. He had his gun drawn and firing at my run. He chased of course, making it interesting. Eventually I dove under a large log and buried myself with leaves like any good hunter did when trying to shot a deer. Only this time…I was being the smart deer trying not to be hunted. His breath was short and ragged at times. He walked all around me, expecting some movement. His foot finally found the right place and pressed hard into my hand…I had to clench my teeth and purse my lips to keep from screaming.

"He can't be far…" A beep came from my pocket. Damn…thought I shut that thing off. "Look harder and kick some leaves around…he's here somewhere." They brushed about and kicked twigs in places. The engine of Riley's Spyder pulling up was a sign of relief. Ian was inches away from my body but kicked anyway…I grunted and groaned, rolling over violently. "Ah…prize in won." Dad ran toward me, weaponless but the anger on his face scared even me. Ian roughly pulled me up against him, hand grasped firmly in my hair exposing my throat…the pistol pressing hard into it.