Chapter 1:

Riley and Alexis

Riley Poole cruised along the freeway in his red Ferrari. The top was down and the wind rushed in, wildly ruffling Riley's dark brown hair. His blue eyes sparkled with the delight freedom brings. This was one of his favorite pastimes. The D.C. landscape flashed by in a blur of green trees and white monuments. It was late May, and Riley was trying to get in a lot of extra driving thrill before the summer tourists hit the roads. As he was thinking about how he could get away from D.C. for a while, his cell phone rang.

He reached into his pocket and drew out a madly vibrating razor phone. "He, Riley here." He said.

"Riley, where are you?" Came a slightly annoyed voice from the other end of the line.

"I'm on my way to Bean Me," Riley answered.

"Your not speeding, are you?"

"Ben, c'mon! Can't someone who helped someone else steal the Declaration be a law abiding citizen? What makes you think I'd be speeding?" The 23-year-old said, glancing nervously at his speedometer, which read 75.

"Maybe the fact that you scared the living daylights out of Abigail when you drove her to work last week." Ben said.

Riley rolled his eyes. "No wonder. She drives 30 on the highway. Hey, gotta go, see ya later."

Ben heard the click that indicated Riley had hung up. He sighed. "I don't think that college freshman mindset will ever leave him."

Riley took the exit near the D.C. mall and drove until he came to Bean Me, a small, hole-in-the-wall Internet coffeehouse.

After putting up the top on his convertible, Riley grabbed the tan satchel that he carried his laptop in and walked inside.

The lights were dim and jazz music played softly in the background. Riley made his way to his normal both along the side wall, only to find a surprise. A blond-haired, 22-year-old woman was sitting there, surfing the net on her own laptop. "Do you mind if I sit here?" He asked, motioning to the seat across the table from her.

The woman shook her head, but didn't look up. Riley sat down and pulled out his laptop. Within minutes, they were both engrossed in their tasks.

The woman stopped a few minutes later and leaned back, admiring her work. Then, she noticed Riley. He had put on his reading glasses and was focusing solely on what he was doing. One of the employees brought a steaming cup to her. Riley looked up to see what was going on and saw the woman watching him curiously. "Are you new here?" He asked.

She nodded. She was wearing a black, form fitting T-shirt and jeans. She had blue eyes, just like Riley. "I'm Alexis Lowell, webmaster of expression was one of amusement. "Really? I've been there a few times." He said, remembering the website he had used for information during he and Ben's escapade. "Great stuff." His eyes traveled to the old, tarnished key at her neck. "What's that?"

"This?" She said, untying the ribbon the key was on. " It's a key that's been passed down through my family since 1831."

"Cool," Riley said.

"That's not all," Alexis continued. "Legend has it that this key is the key to an immense treasure."

Riley's interest was sparked by this piece of information. "Did anyone ever find it?"

"No. No one in my family believes it exists." She replied.

"Do you believe?" Riley asked.

"I-I don't know. I mean, I'd like to, but it sounds so farfetched."

"That's what everyone else thought before Ben Gates found the treasure of the Knights Templar."

"But I don't have time to go treasure hunting, as great as it sounds. I'm in my final year of college."

"And you're studying like crazy for finals, right? I know how that feels. I graduated last year. What college are you going to?" Riley asked.

"George Washington University." Alexis answered. "Hey, I gotta run. My break's almost over."

"Where do you work?" Riley asked as Alexis put away her laptop.

"At the National Archives." She answered. "Do you come here often?"

"Yeah, all the time."

"See you tomorrow then?" She said and winked.

Riley watched as Alexis took her black laptop case and walked out. His mind flew back to the key. "Ben should know." He thought. Just then, he saw a confused, angry, upset Alexis walk back in. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Someone stole my car!" She exclaimed. "And my cell phone's battery is dead! Do you have one I could use?"

Riley gave her a sympathetic look and handed her his cell phone.

After curiously listening to her conversation with the police, he asked, "Do you want a ride?"

"I have to stay and talk to the police, but yes, afterwards, that would be nice." There was a hint of panic in her voice.

Within minutes, an officer had arrived on the scene. After giving him a short description of her car, a black Chrysler Crossfire, she was allowed to leave.

Riley took her laptop case, along with his, and slung them over his shoulder. "Come on, we better hurry."

"Thank you Mr.- Mr.?"

"Poole, Riley Poole." He said jokingly.

Alexis was too surprised to notice the corny movie reference. "You're Riley Poole! I never dreamed I would meet you."

Riley smiled, as did Alexis.

"The car?" Alexis finally said.

"Oh, right." He said.

"Nice ride." Alexis said when she saw Riley's Ferrari.

"Thanks." Riley said, opening the door for her. "You know, you're the first person I've met in a while who hasn't freaked out over meeting me."

"Mr. Poole, it's D.C. I meet senators in the park."

"And please, call me Riley. You're making me feel like an old guy!" Riley said, getting into the driver's seat. He started the car and put down the top.

They reached the highway. When she realized they were headed back to the campus, Alexis asked, "Why are you taking me to my dorm? I need to go back to the Archives. Dr. Chase is expecting me back."

"Don't worry. I'm going to call Abigail and clear everything up with her. You need to go home and relax." Riley said.

"Wow. It's so nice of you to do all this for me. I mean, I'm a complete stranger." Alexis said.

Riley was about to say something when he heard his cell phone ring again. "Hold on, I have to take this." He picked up the phone. "Pizza Hut." He said, winking at Alexis.

Alexis listened to the brief conversation. It was so short that Riley never even mentioned the name of the other person.

"Hey, something really important came up. Do you mind if we stop at my place?" Riley asked.

Alexis, though having just had her car stolen, read the importance of the mater in Riley's face and agreed.

"Don't worry," Riley said, "I'll make sure you get home."