I expected to have this chapter up sooner, but work got in the way. Anyway, things have settled down now and I'm hoping not to wait so long to have the next chapter up. Hope this chapter is worth the wait!


Ringing brought Michaela out of her peaceful slumber. Groaning, she searched for her phone. She soon found it and answered it without looking to see who was calling.

"Hello?" She answered, still half asleep.

"Michaela, you have been in New York for a while now and haven't even called to tell me how it's going."

Michaela sat up. "Sorry, mom. A lot has been going on."

"So much you can't call for just five minutes?"

Michaela glanced around in confusion. This wasn't her dorm. Larry walked into the room and Michaela remembered she had come to his place after work. Michaela rubbed her eyes, trying to get the sleep out.

"Well, with school and things. Um, I got a job."

"So soon? That's wonderful. Where are you working?"

Michaela hesitated. Her last job at a museum didn't end well and her mom would probably point that out.

Larry raised an eyebrow at her silence.

"Michaela, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. I, uh, I got a job at a museum."

Larry chuckled as he began making coffee.

"So, a museum hired you after your last job fired you because you destroyed it?" Her mom asked.

"Well, actually I-"

"Did you tell your new job what happened?"

"Yes, and-"

"And they still hired you?"

"Yes."

"Please just promise me I will not get a call saying you destroyed this museum."

"It actually wasn't my fault, but I promise not to destroy this museum."

Michaela could just sense her mom shaking her head.

"Don't wait so long to call, ok?"

"Ok. I promise to call more often."

"Your sister would be happy if you did. I love you."

"Love you too."

As soon as Michaela hung up with her mom Larry asked, "So, what does your mom think of your new job?"

Michaela gave him a look. "She's perfectly fine with me working at a museum as long as I don't destroy it."

"I'll make sure you don't destroy the museum."

"You know," Michaela said as she stood up. "you destroyed more museums than I have. Are you really the right person to make sure I don't destroy it?"

"Point taken."

Michaela smirked. "So, did you find anything about this captain Marcus?"

"I actually did find something. There is no information on Marcus burying any treasure. Historians believe that the only treasure he had was recovered when he was killed. There was one thing that was constant throughout everything I found."

"Which was?"

Larry opened his laptop, which was still open with a few tabs he had been searching.

"Look through the pages and tell me what you see."

Michaela looked through the different open tabs, trying to see what was the same. She clicked through them a few times before she realized what it was.

"The necklace." Michaela said, looking up at Larry.

"Right. That's the only thing that all these pictures have in common."

"So, what's so special about a necklace?"

"It was the last thing given to him by his wife."

"What happened to his wife?"

"She was killed."

"No wonder he wants it back so much. Though I'm surprised anyone would want to marry him since he didn't discriminate against who he killed."

"I guess we'll never know how they fell in love."

"Unless she was just as ruthless as he was."

Michaela looked back at the laptop, glancing through some of the information. She stopped when she found a larger picture of the necklace. She knew she saw it somewhere before, but where?

"Michaela, you ok?"

"Yeah." Michaela stared at the necklace for a few seconds before looking up at Larry. "Yeah, I'm fine,"

"Coffee?" Larry asked as he held out a cup for Michaela.

"Yes, thank you." Michaela took a sip, and then made a face. "It needs more sugar."

Larry handed Michaela the sugar. He watched as she put four scoops in. "Isn't that a little too much sugar?"

"You can never have too much sugar."

Larry raised an eyebrow. "It's a good way to get cavities."

Michaela went to get another scoop of sugar, but Larry grabbed the sugar before she could. Michaela looked at him with a pout.

"That's not going to work on me. I'm a dad. I know how to say no."

Michaela stuck out her tongue; Larry just shook his head.

"So, what are we going to do about the pirates?" Michaela asked. "We don't have the necklace. For all we know it's buried with the real Captain Marcus."

"We could try to make a fake one." Larry suggested.

"Do you think he would know the difference?"

"Maybe, but I think that's our only option at the moment."

"Do you think if we told Marcus we know what he is looking for and that we will help him, he and the rest of the pirates will not want to kill us?"

Larry shrugged. "We could try it."

"I hope we can get along. I really don't want to keep locking them up every night. That's going to get trying after a while."

Larry nodded.

They had a plan for that night. They would lock the pirates up and then try to make a deal with them. Michaela hoped that if Marcus just agreed with their help then they would calm down and not try to kill them. It was a long shot, but it was all they had. Michaela hated the idea of having to lock them up every night.

Michaela soon left Larry's place and headed back to her dorm. She had some homework she had to work on. Also, she could really use a nap even though she had just woken up not that long ago.

As Michaela was making her way back she couldn't stop thinking about that necklace. She knew she had seen it somewhere, but where? It would probably come to her when she wasn't thinking about it so hard.

Thinking about the pirates and the necklace made Michaela think back on how interesting it was how her life was going. It was just by chance that she got the job at the Smithsonian museum. If it hadn't been for that one day she would be living a completely different life now.

Michaela was tired of the job she currently had. It was a small pizza joint. It wasn't a bad job, but she couldn't stand most of her co-workers. They liked to gossip. If you did something even as small as a sneeze they would talk about it.

Michaela was sitting outside her work with Cody, her boyfriend at the time. They were arguing about something. She couldn't even remember what they were fighting about. Cody left, saying that he would talk to her when she calmed down. When Michaela went inside and went to put her stuff in her locker, she heard a few of her co-workers talking about the fight she just had. That was when she decided to look for another job.

On her next day off, Michaela went in search of another job. One of her friends told her the museum was hiring, but Michaela didn't want to work there. She didn't know much about history and it really didn't sound that exciting to her.

After putting in a few applications and going to a few places, Michaela was ready to call it quits for the day. She met up with her friend and they were supposed to go get ice cream, but instead her friend drove her to the museum and told her to just apply. Knowing her friend wouldn't take no for an answer, Michaela decided to just apply. She was surprised when that was the first job to call her for an interview.

Michaela wasn't sure if she was going to take the job if offered. It was for a security position and she really didn't have experience as a guard. When she went into work one day and a co-worker brought up the fight she had with her boyfriend she decided to accept the job if she was offered the position. She needed out of here before she punched someone.

If she had never had that fight with her boyfriend outside her work. If she had never caught her co-workers talking about it. If her friend didn't make her apply for the Smithsonian who knows where she would be now.

It amazed her how things happen in life and how each decision affects something bigger. In the end, she was glad of how things happened. If none of that happened then she wouldn't have met Larry, and she wouldn't know about the wonders of Ahkmenrah's tablet. Things definitely had a way of working out for the best.

Michaela made it back to college and was about to head to her dorm when someone called her name. Turning, she saw Candance coming toward her.

"Where were you last night?" Candace asked.

"I stayed at a friend's house."

"Is this friend a guy?"

"Yes. And before you get any ideas, we are just friends. He's older than me too."

"Nothing wrong with older men."

Michaela shook her head.

"Anyway, club signs ups are going on. Are you going to join one?"

"I don't know. I don't think I have much talent for any clubs."

"I'm sure you're good at something. Come on."

Before Michaela could object, Candace grabbed her arm and dragged her to where the clubs sign ups were being held.

"So, anything catching your eye?"

Michaela glanced around at the different club stands. "Nope." She turned to go to her dorm, but Candace grabbed her arm.

"You didn't even look."

"Yes, I did. There's debate club, a singing club, artist club. None of which I can do."

Michaela tried to turn away again; Candace would not let go.

"That's only a few of them. Come on."

Michaela groaned as Candace dragged her. "This is part of what college is all about. You got to get out there, make new friends."

"What if I like the friends I already have?"

Candace gave her a look.

"Ok, fine. I'll look around."

Candace smiled. "Good. I for one already know what I'm going to sign up for."

"What's that?"

"Photography club."

"You like photography?"

"Yeah. My grandpa gave me my first camera when I was seven. That's when I found I loved taking pictures of nature. I should show you some of my pictures some time. I think they are amazing if I do say so myself."

"I would love to see them." Michaela glanced around. So far, nothing was catching her interest. She didn't want to debate with people, she couldn't sing, and she definitely had no artistic talent. Michaela started to wonder if there was anything that would keep her interest.

After walking by a few stands, Michaela stopped when she saw the perfect club to join.

"I just found the club I'm going to sign up for."

Candace followed her gaze. She looked back at Michaela. "No way. I didn't picture you a nerd."

Michaela looked over at Candace. "What's a nerd supposed to look like?"

Candace shrugged. "I don't know. Glasses that are duct tape together, suspenders, pocket protector."

"That is a very bad stereotype. You should see all the nerdy posters and things I have. I brought a few I haven't unpacked yet."

"So, we have to make a plan for you to show me your nerdy things and for me to show you my photos."

"Sounds good." Michaela then walked over to the sci-fi and fantasy stand and signed up.

The two of them wandered around, seeing what else was there. It wasn't long before they set their eyes on something they couldn't resist; snow cones. Michaela couldn't make up her mind which flavor she wanted so she got three different flavors.

"I haven't had a snow cone in years." Michaela said. "I remember when I was younger I would chase the ice cream man and I would always pick a snow cone."

"You know it's quite easy to make your own snow cone. It's just crushed ice with flavoring."

"True."

The two of them soon made their way back to their dorm.

"Well, that was fun." Candace said once they arrived back in their dorm.

"Yeah, it was. I'm actually excited about joining a club."

"And now you can nerd out with a bunch of new friends. Anyway, I told my mom I would help her paint the living room."

"Miss Money Bags paints her own living room?" Michaela teased.

"Hey, just because my parents have some money doesn't mean we hire people to do things for us. Life wouldn't be any fun that way. See ya." Candace then left.

Michaela decided she would take a nap before going to the museum. She probably should work on her homework, but she didn't feel like it. It had been a long night and a long day. She knew tonight would be just as long.

As she was about to lie down, she passed Candace's nightstand. She stopped when something caught her attention. Picking up the picture of Candace and, who she assumed were her friends, hanging around Candace's neck was the necklace that looked exactly like the one Larry had found belonging to Captain Marcus. That's why Michaela thought she had seen the necklace before. She did, in this picture. The question now was how was she going to explain to Candace that she needed that necklace?