K, sick today, stayed home from school. Posted story. That's my life today.

Chapter 3:

Change of Plans

Ben was the first person up the next morning. He slipped quietly into Riley's room and borrowed his laptop. Once back in his own room, he logged onto the Internet and typed "Jean Laffite" into the search que.

Thousands of sites ranging from historical societies in Galveston to small pages run by students were retrieved. He began with the bigger sites and slowly sifted out the information he was looking for.

Alexis yawned and rolled over. The digital clock on her nightstand read 7:05. She moaned and rubbed her hand over her face. The time change was messing with her mind. "It's too early to wake up." She thought. She tried to go back to sleep, but she couldn't seem to fall back into that land of dreams. Instead, she got up, chose an outfit for the day, and decided to be the first person in the shower

The cold water helped wake her up and sharpen her senses. She couldn't wait to show Riley around downtown. "I'll show him the Convention Center, and the Bass Hall, and the Stockyards!" She mused to herself. She dried herself off and put on her outfit of choice; a pink, sequin-trimmed cami and a brown peasant skirt that fell to her knees. She decided to leave her hair down for the day. Then, she went downstairs to greet her parents.

Riley didn't appear for another hour. He had the look of someone who hadn't slept in days. Alexis met him on the stairs. "Jet lag?" She asked.

Riley nodded, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

"Why don't you go back to sleep?" Alexis suggested, concern written on her face.

"I tried that." Riley said. "But, once I'm up, I'm up."

Alexis slipped her arms around his neck. "Then a cold shower ought to help. Trust me, you'll definitely be awake after that!"

He pressed his forehead to hers and smiled. "Let's hope so."

At that same instant, Ben left his room and halted at the top of the stairs. He cleared his throat.

Riley and Alexis jumped apart, startled by their sudden onlooker. Ben was watching them with arms crossed, a lopsided smile, and a raised eyebrow.

Riley sighed in resignation. He gave his friend a smile and a friendly shove as he passed him at the top of the stairs.

Two hours later, Riley and Alexis were on their way to downtown.

Riley could see the Texas flare everywhere, from the lone stars to longhorns that decorated the buildings and even some cars. He marveled at the two tallest buildings, the Star-Telegram building and the old Bank One building.

Naturally, Riley asked questions about the city with child-like curiosity. For him, the most interesting building was the Bank One building (now called "The Tower") because of its survival of a tornado.

They found a parking lot on the square and parked the car, then paid the lot attendant.

Riley was fascinated by the western art that filled the galleries and shops. Of course, they visited the Barns and Noble bookstore/Starbucks on the square. The noise of the city was drowned out by the soft music playing in the background of the coffee shop.

Alexis sipped at a chocolate mocha while Riley blew on a steaming cup of coffee. Neither could forget that they had met in a coffee shop in D.C.

"So, what do you think?" Alexis asked.

"Huh? About what?" Riley said, turning his eyes from the window and the unique cityscape.

"About Ft. Worth!" Alexis said.

"Oh. There's lot's of cows."

Alexis smiled. "That's Texas for you. There's a reason this city is known as 'Cowtown'."

"I've noticed." Riley said with a smile. He stopped as his cell phone began to ring. He pulled the tiny razor phone out of his pocket, the phone still vibrating madly. "It's Ben." He said and answered.

"What's up?"

"Hey, Riley, where are you two?" Ben asked.

"Starbucks." Riley replied casually.

"There's been a change of plans." Ben explained. "I'll fill you in when you get back. Hurry."

"Okay." Riley said in a confused tone and hung up.

"What did he want?" Alexis asked with concern.

"He said there's been a change in plans, but he didn't say what. He wants us back ASAP, though." Riley explained.

"Well, we should get going then." Alexis said, slightly disappointed that her day with Riley had been cut short.

Riley saw that disappointment. He put his arm around her waist as they walked out. "Don't look so upset. I'm sure Ben had a good reason for calling. Tell you what, I'll make it up to you. We'll do something together soon. I promise."

Alexis smiled affectionately. "Thanks, Ri." Her face darkened. "But because of prior experience, I can't help but feel that this has something to do with our safety."

The two were back at the Lowell house within fifteen minutes of receiving Ben's call.

Both Riley and Alexis were puzzled by the nonchalant look on Ben's face.

"What's going on?" Riley asked.

Ben smiled and held up the book on Texas legends and lore. "This," He said, pointing to a page titled 'Jean Laffite's Lost Treasure', "is what."

Riley stared at Ben in shock. "We came all the way to Texas for a vacation and now you want to go chasing after pirates' gold!" He met Ben's eyes and saw that familiar flame of determination burning in them. He sighed. There would be no changing his friend's mind. "Where do we even start?" He asked in a calmer tone.

"Galveston." Ben and Abigail chorused.

"The city Laffite founded." Alexis finished.