Chapter 1: I've Found You

Blue's POV

My parents never could stay in one place for too long, and neither could I. As a child, I grew up hopping from country to country, continent to continent. My parents home-schooled me in science, math, English and art, also teaching me to speak multiple different languages, which I learned quickly. They taught me Spanish, German and French, both of which I've used, whether it be in the country of origin or not. I never really needed to be schooled in history or in social studies because of all the traveling we did. Later in my life, I began to learn more languages rather quickly as we traveled to different countries.

When my parents sent me to high school, I was bored beyond belief—I never fit in with all the other kids, so I focused on my school work, but all of it was so easy. And when I wasn't doing that, I was reading or writing.

It was my freshman year that I met my best friend. Neither of my parents could pick me up because their flight home from Italy had been delayed due to the storm, and my baby-sitter hadn't planned on having to pick me up and was already on another job, so I was forced to walk home through a bad storm with no umbrella and no raincoat. I had just reached the bottom of the front stairs of the school when somebody's backpack flung around from behind and hit me in the back of the head. I fell flat on my face, my own backpack flying through the air and landing a few feet in front of me. I stood up, scrambling to get my bag before it was soaked through, but a hand reached out and grabbed the back of my nice shirt and yanked me backwards.

I looked up and found myself face to face with the meanest guy in our school, Sam Morris. He grinned down at me, putting a hand on my back and drawing me closer. His breath stank like he hadn't brushed his teeth in days. He kept pulling me closer, even though I was leaning back as far as I could. The rain splashed in my eyes and filled them with cold water, which soon became hot and salty with tears. They trickled down my face, and in my despair I did the only thing I could think of.

"YOU GOD-DAMNED JERK!" I yelled, bringing up my leg up as hard as I could, kneeing him in the crotch.

He doubled over in pain, clutching his abdomen. I took my chance to escape and yanked myself away, backing up towards my school bag. I grabbed the handle and was about to turn to run away when I saw him running at me, screaming. He stopped and skidded a bit in front of me, throwing his hand up and hitting me over my eye and nose with his enormous fist.

I sank to the ground, hands covering my face. I felt a large sneaker come in contact with my stomach, knocking the wind out of me, causing me to gasp and curl up even harder on the concrete. I gingerly touched my nose with one hand and held my aching stomach with the other, only to pull one away from my face and see blood, along with Sam racing away, backpack over his head, laughing merrily.

"I hit the bitch! I hit the bitch!" He sang out to the skies.

I felt more tears come, washing slowly over my face, but I made no sound. I pulled myself into a ball of pain on the ground, letting the rain wash over me, soaking me through.

I didn't know how long I lay there on the hard ground, but I knew that sooner or later the rain stopped pouring down and the sun came out from behind a cloud. I flinched when I felt someone brush my cheek. I opened my eyes and tried in vain to push myself away, fearful that Sam had come back to hit me again.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm not gonna hurt you," a gentle voice whispered.

I looked up and saw a boy that was in the senior class, but I had never really talked to. He was like me, always getting picked on by other classmates, but I didn't really know him. Ben, I think his name was.

"Do you want some help?" he asked, already picking up my backpack and pulling it onto his shoulder.

I just nodded in pain, still holding a hand to my face now that the ache in my stomach had mostly gone away, but I suspected there would be a bruise. Ben looked a little unsure of what to do at first, but then clearly made up his mind.

He slipped an arm around my waist on the opposite side from my hurt eye, and I put my free arm around his shoulders. He crouched and helped to pull me to my feet, supporting most of my weight. After a while of just standing there, he spoke again.

"Can you walk?"

I didn't say anything, but slowly took my arm from around him and put more weight on my own two feet. I found that I could balance, despite the pain. I nodded to him, but didn't meet his gaze. I was ashamed, though I didn't know why. I had done nothing wrong…

"You want me to walk you home?"

I gave him a small smile. "Yes, please."

We had almost made it to my house, walking in silence when he spoke again.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I remember your name…"

"Margot," I responded. Then, after a little pause, "But you can call me Blue."

He smiled. "Middle name?"

"Yeah. You're Ben, right?"

"Mm-hmm."

We reached my house, and I took a key from around my neck, unlocking the door. I gestured inside. "You can come in if you want. My parents won't be back until tomorrow morning."

"Oh, where are they?"

"Italy," I sighed, remembering my last trip to the amazing country.

"Wow. Without you?" he chuckled.

"Yeah, this time. I went when I was seven. I loved it there!"

We walked inside, and I told him he could watch TV or something while I went upstairs to change. For the rest of the night, we sat in my living room and talked, and he brought me a bag of ice from the freezer and I put it on my eye. In return for all his help, I made him dinner, and we ate in front of the TV, still talking and laughing about the cartoons. I learned that ever since he was a kid, he had been fascinated with history, and I told him all sorts of stories from different countries. He told me his family's story of the Templar Treasure, and we talked about that for hours. I quickly developed a passion for it, and we discussed the clue, wondering what it could mean. He left later that night, maybe even in the wee hours of the next morning, saying that he had to get home before his dad did from a business trip in Florida.

And from that day on, Ben Gates and I were best friends.

888

We still talked when he was in college, but after I went away to Germany, I never saw him again. We emailed some, and I followed him on Facebook, but we never actually saw each other face-to-face. That is, until today.

For some reason, I had ended up back in the States for the second anniversary of my parents' death. It was a car accident in England—some drunken American idiot driving on the wrong side of the road.

I had taken a short trip to the cemetery to tell them I loved them, which I hoped they knew when they died. I said it almost every day, wondering if maybe, just maybe, they could hear and understand me. Well, doesn't everybody do that? Talk to the dead?

I was back in D.C., wandering around aimlessly, thinking about how good life had been to me. I had stopped back at my favorite place in the city—the Lincoln Memorial. Big old Abe sat there in his large, white chair, forever doomed to stay in the same exact place, staring through unseeing eyes out into the hustle and bustle of the world.

God, I would die if I had to be like that. I went to one of the great, white columns holding up his fortress, leaning against it, looking out at the Washington Monument, the Capitol building and the Reflecting Pool. That was when I heard it.

"The fact is, the only way to protect the Declaration is to steal it. It's upside-down."

It was like music that I hadn't heard for the longest time, the sound of that voice chorusing through my ears and echoing in my brain, tugging my eyes over in the direction of the people having the conversation. I smiled when I saw him, standing over another man, on knee bent up on the marble step, one hand in his pants pocket and the other giving small, subtle gestures. And I knew it was him—he hadn't changed a bit. Ben Gates. My best friend in the whole, wide world that I hadn't seen in nine years.

The other man stood up just after Ben sat down, and I slowly ambled towards them, listening in on their conversation while everyone else just waltzed on by.

"Ben, for God's sake. It's like… stealing a national monument. It's like stealing him," he exclaimed, gesturing to Honest Abe in his marble throne. "It can't be done! Never mind that it shouldn't be done, but it can't be done."

I chose just that moment to cut in.

"Ah, well that's where you are utterly and completely wrong, monsieur," I chuckled, walking down a few of the steps between me and them. "As far as I'm concerned, the only things that 'can't be done' are traveling through time and reading Remembrance of Things Past in twenty-four hours. But even those—well, Einstein worked on the first, and I'll continue to try for the second." I smiled at them as Ben turned around, his mouth agape. "Ben, close your mouth. You'll catch flies."

The other man looked confused, glancing between Ben and myself, before settling for eyeing me up and down. Realizing that neither Ben nor I were going to say anything, he spoke up.

"So… do I get an introduction?" he asked.

I smiled, and as I was about to introduce myself, Ben finally stood and managed a few words. "Margot? What… what are you doing here?"

He began to walk over to me, but I met him running, gripping him in a bone-crushing hug, which he returned a little more tenderly. "I came to see Mom and Dad, and thought I would come and take a self-tour of D.C. again." I paused, smirking. "You know I hate being called that," I whispered in his ear.

He laughed heartily. "Yup, you haven't changed a bit, Blue!"

I pulled back when the other man cleared his throat. "One again, do I get introductions?"

Stepping away from the hug and opening my mouth to respond, I was cut off by Ben for a second time. I glared at him. "Riley, this is Margot. Margot, this is Riley. Riley, Margot… Margot, Riley."

I reached out and shook Riley's hand. "Call me Blue. It's my middle name," I added after seeing his confused look. I could tell by his handshake that he had an office job at some point.

"And… dare I ask how you two know each other?"

Ben and I looked at one another. "We were best friends in high school. Then Blue here raced off to Germany for college and I stayed in D.C. at Georgetown, then went to MIT, then went to Panama City for the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center."

"Wow, you really got around, Ben. Look at you, all smart and grown up… and trying to steal something without me! How could you?" I asked in mock anger, then burst out laughing.

"Before I get to that… how are your Mom and Dad? You said you went to see them…" I looked away, tearing up a little. I would never get over it, and I didn't really want to talk about it. Not yet. "Blue, what's wrong?"

I sniffed and turned my back to him slightly, not wanting to look at him or him at me. "Car crash in London. They were buried in Silver Spring." I could tell from a sharp inhale that he had stiffened. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Riley looking confused. Then a look of realization spread across his face, and finally one of sympathy.

"Oh, Blue. I'm so sorry. I should have been there—"I cut Ben off, not wanting to get into the details.

"So, what's this about stealing something?" I turned back around. "I've been told I'm the master street criminal." Riley took a step back and I laughed. "Don't worry, Riley, I never actually was a street criminal. I've just been told that I'm good at stealing stuff. For instance…" I opened up my clenched palm and tossed him something, which he caught and looked at. "Riley, there's your watch back. Ben, here is your wallet." I handed him the brown leather pouch.

Both of them took back the items with astonishment. "But… how did you…" Riley stammered.

"I ask again, what are we going to steal?"

"'What do you mean 'we', kemosabe?'" Ben smirked, quoting The Lone Ranger while putting his wallet back in his pocket.

"By 'we', I mean the two of you are thinking of stealing something, and I want in. No buts."

Both men sucked in a breath, and I looked at them, particularly Ben. "Ah, my friend, you always were quite easy to read." I stepped towards him, and whispered softly in his ear, making sure Riley couldn't hear what I was saying. I knew I could pry it out of at least one of them, and the easiest would be the one I knew the best. "It's something big, isn't it? Something that if you do steal, you would go to prison for the rest of your life for. But it's important, isn't it? Because you are both good men, and I know you in particular very, very well. You're only stealing it to protect whatever it is, am I right?"

Ben sighed, giving in "You always were good at that, weren't you?"

Shrugging, I responded, "It's a gift," trying to hide my smile.

Ben looked me in the eyes, searching for hesitation, even a tiny glint. When he found none, he answered hesitantly.

"The Declaration of Independence."

Well, there you have it, folks! First chapter up! I would appreciate reviews-I tend to be hard on myself, so constructive criticism and/or kid words are also welcome! Thank you all! If I'm in a good mood, I'll post the next chapter up tomorrow, and if not tomorrow then on Monday.

Eek! Going to see Now You See Me again tomorrow! Oh my God I love that movie! I strongly suggest you go see it, too! Let's try and make this movie the most popular of they year, people! If we succeed, I will never ever stop thanking you!

xxIrisxx