A redheaded woman sat rocking on her front porch in South Carolina. It was near midnight on a starless night. Everyone else on her street had retired to their beds, not thinking about the two police officers that had come to her door this evening. The neighbors hardly notice; they had their own lives to worry about. The news they brought her, however, was the reason Cynthia Wilkinson could not sleep.
A dark sedan pulled into the driveway. She stood up from her rocking chair, and began down the front steps as a young man in his twenties stepped out. He was dressed in a smart suit, she in a nightgown. Within two strides he met her, wrapping her into a strong embrace. The woman's eyes began to wet with tears.
"Mom, what happened? I took the first flight out of Baltimore." The woman sobbed into her son's shoulders.
"Your father…is…he's…oh…"
"Mom? What happened to Dad?" A serious look came over the young man.
"He's dead. That stupid treasure…" The woman wailed on as Clint Wilkinson felt his heart drop. He helped her inside the house, gently pressing for more information. "Well…you know how he was trying to make a name for the family…that stupid treasure hunt that his great-great-grandfather or whomever tried to find…"
"Yea…Dad had worked hard to find it," said Clint bitterly. His heart ached for his father, whom he half expected to walk through the door any minute now. His father had dedicated his entire life to history and an ancient treasure.
"The police came here…they told me he was trapped in some God-forsaken temple. They found his body this morning while they were excavating it…" Her voice shook as she went on. "The worst of it is that there were other people in the temple when he died. They left him to die…"
"Who was it?" asked Clint in a low voice, anger boiling up inside of him. His father had brought friends on this adventure with him. Had they left him to die?
"The treasure hunter- Ben Gates."
Cynthia stared into her son's eyes. Both of them seemed to be thinking the same thing. Mitch Wilkinson's death would not go unnoticed. Clint hardly slept that night. He tossed and turned, trying to imagine his father's last moments. All he had cared about was making a name for the family- making them proud.
Clint had always looked up to his father- in fact he was taking classes at the University of Maryland in Native American History. Mitch had always been more into the Civil War, but the lost empires of the Mayan and Aztecs were more Clint's style. He awoke early the next morning picking up the paper. The headline read:
Lost City of Cibola Discovered
The article went on about the City of Gold and its discoverers: Ben Gates, Riley Poole, Abigail Chase, Patrick Gates, Emily Appleton, and Mitch Wilkinson. A whole column had been dedicated to Thomas Gates and his heroic action in the Civil War, but this wasn't what caught Clint's eye. The last two names on the list of discoverers surprised him. He did not think his father would be included if he was left to die (not that they mentioned anywhere that he was dead). The other name, Dr. Appleton, was his Ancient Civilizations Professor.
"Mom. Check this out." He handed his grieving mother the paper.
"At least they included him," muttered Cynthia. "You don't see them showing up on our door apologizing for Mitch's death."
"She is one of my Professors."
"Who?" asked Cynthia, confused.
"Dr. Appleton. I have her class tomorrow morning." It was a class he was struggling in. The woman had more knowledge than anyone in the class put together, and she was a decent teacher, but her class was simply hard. Most people did not like her because of her hard attitude, but no one could deny they learned a lot in her class.
"How inconsiderate. Her own student's father. What the hell was she thinking?" raved Cynthia. "I don't want you going back to her class. I'll write to the school board. Maybe we can get her fired. See how she likes loosing the most important thing to her. No good, filthy, murdering-" During his mother's rambling, Clint continued to read.
"She's Ben Gates' mother," he said, stopping his mother mid-sentence. Her eyes got wide with ideas. "Mom, this is the perfect way to get to Gates."
"You're absolutely right. Let's see how she likes being left for dead."
"We're not killing anyone!"
"Of course not, dear. Let's just shake her up a bit. The Gates family won't know what hit them."
NATIONAL TREASURE
Dr. Emily Appleton walked into her classroom just as the students were settling down. From the eagerness in their eyes, she knew they had read the papers and were hoping to get in on the unearthing of Cibola. Emily thought for sure someone would bring up Cibola as soon as she entered the classroom. However, the room seemed uneasily quiet.
Finally, a young woman in the back raised a hand. She seemed to have been voted to bring up the new discovery. Not that Emily was surprised. Jacqueline Forks was not one to be timid or shy. Not that she played favorites, but if she did Jacqueline would be one of Emily's.
"Miss Forks?"
"How was your vacation?" asked Jacqueline casually. Emily smiled and addressed the class.
"It wasn't bad really. Besides being held against my will, getting trapped in a cavern, almost drowning, and discovering Cibola, I would say it was pretty normal." The room burst out with excitement and questions. It took her several minutes to calm down the shouting class. "One moment, let me explain some things before you start asking questions. I have spoken to the Dean and he has excused you from all classes for the next week. Tomorrow you will leave for Mount Rushmore."
"You are going to let us explore Cibola?"
"Yes. Let's consider this your final exam." After a quick overview of the myth of the City of Gold, Emily dismissed her class early so they could begin packing. Her students were ecstatic about Cibola and to be honest, so was she. She could still see the ancient writing and sculptures that covered the City in her mind.
"Emily?" A soft knock on her office door brought her out of her thoughts. Patrick Gates was standing in the doorway. She greeted him with a sly smile.
"I thought you were still in South Dakota."
"I had to pick up some clothes from the house and I thought I'd drop by." He shrugged. Emily could not help by roll her eyes. "Plus, Ben wanted to make sure you were going to be able to make dinner tomorrow night after you get in. Apparently Riley has found the best food in the state."
"Is that the only reason you came?" Emily asked curtly.
She turned away from him, stacking the already neat papers on her desk. Knowing she had just confused him, she waited for what he would do next. She wanted him to come up behind her and tell her he loved her. However, he would probably walk away, like he used to before the divorce.
There was complete silence before she heard his footsteps drawing nearer. Gently Patrick wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. Emily could not help to smile as he squeezed her back to his chest. She cocked her head so she could see his laughing eyes.
"Naturally Ben's wishes for me to deliver that message are important. However, you are much more important than any dinner." He kissed her softly on the neck, making her squirm around to face him. Patrick captured her lips in a small kiss and Emily was lost in his arms.
A/N: This will not completely center around Emily and the Wilkinsons, but also Ben, Abigail, Riley, and Patrick. I always saw Mitch with a family somewhere and I think he would have raised his children well. Clint is not going to be an all around horrible person, but Cynthia is kind of a psycho. We'll be in Cibola next. And maybe an abandoned house or two. With guns. And a crazy revenge seeking wife. But I won't let on too much.
Also the title is likely to change. I just haven't decided to what yet, so if you have any suggestions, let me know!
