4 years later...

/

"Hey! John! Wake up!"

I turned over a little, putting my face in the cold ground. I finally agreed to wake up to the new day in the Arctic Circle. Everyone knew me as John Hart. But my name is really Esther Livingston. My family holds strong ties to the American Revolution and a little to Knights Templar.

I got up and went to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror. I still had the wig on from the other day and wore make-up. I was really "under cover" since someone in the group wanted me for their personal gain. Or dead. It didn't matter. I fixed up my wig and brushed my teeth. I walked out to grab my bag. I was alone in the room so I loaded myself with 2 swords (easily concealed), a sheathed knife at my ankle, a basic miniature survival kit, a flare, a notebook, rope, hair pins, and matches. Someone knocked on my door.

"Come in!" I answered with my deeper voice.

A blonde man in a white parka entered with 2 others. I put on my best smile. I really didn't want to see him, but I had to if I was to keep my mission from being compromised.

"John! You're awake! How was it?"

"The sleep was okay. Could do without the alarm knocking on the door, Ian."

"Oh come now. Shaw's just being considerate."

"I understand that."

"Good! Let's get going! We're in a hurry to find that treasure."

"You got it."

Now you're wondering why I wasn't too fond of seeing Ian. You see, he and I have a history. One that goes back to my earlier days at Knights Templar. He came up to me one day and asked for my assistance. He would pay me a VERY large sum of money for my help. So, I stole things for him. Most of it was documents. I didn't question papers being stolen. But when he asked me to rob a museum, I had it. I left, but he found me in my home, asleep and my mom answering the door. My family and I were relocated ASAP. Since then, I hadn't seen Alex. Or at least, since 2 years ago.

"Hey, John. You okay?"

"What? Yeah! I'm fine, Ben. Just fine."

Ben Gates was a popular subject starting 2 years ago. His family was given a crucial part of finding the Knights Templar treasure in 1832. Everyone in the Society knows the story of how Charles Carroll gave Thomas Gates the clue to finding the treasure. And the secret had been passed down in the family since. KTS kept a close eye on the family for the past century and a half and guess who got assigned to keep a closer eye? I stayed as attached as I could to him, like unnoticed glue. And I already made up my mind as soon as Teacher told me my assignment. I only wanted Ben to find the treasure. Ian didn't deserve even a penny of it.

"You're looking a little distant. You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Ben. 100% sure I'm fine. Let's find Charlotte."

The Charlotte was a ship in the 1700s that was lost at sea. It turned up in the Arctic Circle and was preserved in ice. I knew all of this because I was there. I know almost every historical detail about American history. I even corrected my history teachers in class.

"We getting closer?" Ian asked.

"Assuming Ben's theory is correct and my tracking model's accurate, we should be getting very close. Don't go by me: I broke a shoelace this morning."

We turned our heads to Riley and held an awkward silence.

"It-it's a bad omen."

"Should we turn around and go home?"

"Or we could pull over and just throw him out."

I had to laugh at Ben's idea. The good news was that I still sounded like a teenage boy. The bad news was that we were getting closer. I could tell that we weren't too far from the sound of the beeping from Riley's computer. It took a while to find the ship after we stopped and walked around with metal detectors. That is, until Ben found the bell that said:

Boston Massacre

Charlotte

I was flipping out on the inside. We walked into the ship's lodging where the frozen bodies of the crew were lying in the hammocks. Riley pulled one of the blankets up and freaked out at the sight of the corpse. I was only somber at the fact that these men never came home. Ben opened the door to the cargo hold. One of the barrels of gunpowder had the clue they needed to find the next one. Ben wandered to where the captain was and I knew he found the clue.

"I found something!"

We gathered by him. He unwrapped the cloth from the box and opened it to find the pipe depicting a piece of my history, the Society's history.

"Do you guys know what this is?"

"Is it a billion dollar pipe?"

"It's a Meerschaum pipe."

And those kinds of pipes are not cheap, especially those dating back to pre-Revolutionary days. Teacher had me return a few to a museum after some idiot intercepted a delivery truck. The guy didn't know what was coming, which is how we KTS members like it.

I remember being told the story of the treasure when I joined the Society. It's based off of the original Knights Templar, unlike the Freemasons. But I had power over both, considering my title. When you graduate the school (end of 5th grade), you receive a title that tells of who you are and your importance and so on. Mine is Bellator Eget Christi, or Christ's Warrior. Basically, I'm so good that even Jesus would trust me to be his bodyguard. It's a joke and the highest honor in the Society. Once in a hundred years someone is given that title. And now I'm the most wanted person on the planet, by fans and enemies.

"We're one step closer to the treasure, gentlemen."

"Ben, I thought you said the treasure would be on the Charlotte."

Uh, no. The Founding Fathers weren't that stupid.

"No, the secret lies with Charlotte. I said it could be here."

Ben pressed the tip of his knife into his thumb and rubbed the blood onto the handle. He rolled the tube in a journal. He noted that there were Templar symbols, but there was another riddle to be solved to find the next clue:

The legend writ

The stain affected

The key in Silence undetected

Fifty-five in iron pen

Mr. Matlack can't offend

I knew the answer to it. It was one of those things you learned in Knights Templar, symbols and mixing history together. Ben went off to think he talked out his thoughts of what the riddle could mean. He started talking about an invisible map and how it was hidden. And then where the map could be. Shaw commented on prison. No, the map would never be put into a prison where con artists could get it and use for themselves.

"Why say iron pen?"

Iron was firm, adamant, and resolved. Ben reached out into American history, acknowledging who Mr. Matlack was, and that lead to the Declaration of Independence. I knew Ian was going to use unconventional methods of getting the document the moment Ben figured it out. You couldn't just walk in and say, "Hi! I'm on a treasure hunt and the map just so happens to be on the back of the Declaration of Independence; can I have a look at it?"

Guess my cover's blown the moment Ian says he's going to steal it.

"We could borrow it."

The treasure seemed more important than our nation's history. No way would I let Ian get the document and destroy it in the process.

"I've arranged some operations of some… questionable legality."

"I happen to know a few of those, Ian," I mentioned.

"Excuse me, but how could you know, John?"

"Ben, don't listen to Ian."

"I'd take his word for it," Shaw joined in.

I was getting worried.

Alex, what do I do?

"Stay strong, Essie. I'm right here."

"Alright. From this point on, you're going to be a hindrance."

Shaw pulled out his gun and pointed it at Ben. I didn't draw my sword. There was a long silence before Ben spoke up.

"What? You going to shoot me, Shaw? Well you can't shoot me."

Great! Now you're leaking out information!

"He's bluffing."

Yeah, um, Ben can't bluff. I, however, can lie since I've been lying to Ian for 2 years now.

"Tell me what I need to know, Ben. Or I'll shoot your friend."

Shaw moved the gun to Riley. Instinct kicked in and I dashed to Riley, pulling out my sword. Ian looked at me with disbelief.

"You're not getting away with it, Ian. I made sure of it before and I can do it again."

"Oh really?"

"Come on, Ian. Don't you recognize me? We've worked together for so long before I dropped you like a piece of garbage."

Ian stared at me for a while. He wasn't starting to put the pieces together. I pulled back the wig and tossed it to the side, letting my curly hair fall down. I gave him that cold stare the last time I saw him as Esther Livingston. Ben took this chance to set a flare. The gunpowder on the floor. They opened all of the barrels and left a trail of the black powder to the still full barrels. It was suicide but worth a shot.

"What you need to know-" he started. "-is if Shaw can catch."

He threw the flare to Shaw, but Ian caught it. One little detail: Ian had gunpowder on his hands. The flame flicked to his hands and he dropped the flare. He ran with Shaw and the others, leaving Ben and Riley with me. I forgot where the trapdoor was. Ben found it and told Riley and I to get over to him.

"What is it?"

"Smuggler's hole. Get in!" Ben looked at me.

"Go!" I told him.

I was the last one down and past the stronghold door. Once the explosion subsided, I looked around at the debris. It was a beautiful ship that was part of my history. I was pretty mad.

Alex! Are you still there?

"Yes, Esther. I'm still here."

Ben reached out his hand to me and pulled me up. He looked at me carefully, like I was fragile or going to flip out. I would've, but I held my composure. We agreed to go the nearest village and hurry to DC before Ian and get the document.

"John, is there something you haven't told us?" Ben asked.

"Well, I guess you can't call me John now," I sighed. "It's just that I have a really long story."

"Why don't you start off with telling us you're real name?"

I paused, wondering whether or not to trust them.

"Just tell them, Essie."

Okay, Alex.

"It's Esther Livingston."