Yes, I'm alive, for those of you who thought I was dead! Haha! Nope, I've been busy with winterguard (First place, Scholastic AA White Division) and captain tryouts, and before everyone starts asking me about it, no, I didn't make it. I thought I was going to Washington D.C. for about a month, then my grandparents flaked out, so my month of bliss died. I'm going into my senior year and my third year of writing on ff. So, here's to another year of awesome stories! Cheers!

Chapter 4:

The Legend of the Treasure of Jean Laffite

"So, I guess this means we're going to Galveston." Riley said. "At least it's tropical."

"Yeah, and you know what that means. Summer tourism." Alexis said. "It's a nightmare!"

"How convenient." Riley muttered. "Wasn't this the reason we left D.C.?"

No one paid any attention to his complaints.

Alexis already knew about the legend, but because there had never been any hard evidence of the treasure's existence, she had always dismissed it as just that, another children's story about pirates and buried treasure. "Are you sure about this? I mean, it's not like we have a trail of clues to follow this time."

"She's right," Riley agreed. "We have no idea where to start this time."

"I thought we'd begin with the Galveston Historical Society. There's also a branch of the National Archives there we can use." Abigail said.

Riley still refused to accept that his vacation had ended before it had even begun. "Is there any chance of changing your mind?"

Ben rolled his eyes. "No, Riley."

Abigail had just finished re-packing her belongings when Ben opened the door to her room. "Are you ready to go?"

"Almost." Abigail replied.

Ben turned to leave, but Abigail's voice stopped him.

"Ben, did you have to up and leave so fast? Alexis's parents have been waiting to meet us for months."

"Well, now they've met us." Ben said. His mind was already in treasure hunt mode.

"And it's hurricane season." Abigail said questioningly. "Are you sure it's safe to be on the coast? After Katrina…"

"Katrina is over." Ben said reassuringly. "She was a once in a lifetime storm. We'll be safe."

Abigail wished she could believe him, but some womanly instinct told her otherwise.

Riley hurriedly packed his stuff, careful not to let Alexis see that he wasn't folding them, but just throwing them in the suitcase. Once he finished that, he turned to get his laptop off of the desk in his room. He was surprised to see it missing. He frantically searched his room, but could find no sign of it. He stuck his head out the door. "Hey, Alexis, have you seen my laptop?"

Alexis, who was carrying her suitcase down the hall, stopped and turned. "No, I haven't."

"Thanks anyway." Riley said, then headed for Ben's room.

He opened the door to see Ben reaching for the doorknob holding his laptop.

"There it is!" Riley exclaimed.

"I was just about to bring it back to you." Ben said.

"Oh, thanks. I was worried it had been stolen!"

As Riley turned, Ben smiled. He knew about the E-mail flirtations of Riley and Alexis. "But what he doesn't know won't hurt him." He thought.

Charlie and Jessica were sad to see them leave so soon, but they also understood that the allure of adventure was hard for them to resist. They waved as Alexis drove away.

Inside the car, Riley waved, then turned to Alexis. "Nice people. A little on the overprotective side, though."

Alexis smiled. "That's my parents for you."

Riley directed his next comment to Ben. "So, what's this whole 'treasure of Jean Laffite' thing about?"

Ben leaned forward in his seat. "Well, according to a deathbed confession from one of Laffite's crewmen, claimed that Laffite had collected the loot from his raids and stashed them in a safe place. Some believe that ship sank somewhere around the island, though it has never been found."

Abigail noticed that they weren't headed for the airport. "We're not flying?" She asked.

"Nope." Alexis answered. "We're driving through the heart of Texas!"

"But that's an eight hour drive!" Riley exclaimed. "We won't get there until after midnight! Can you drive that long?"

"No, probably not." Alexis said. "That's why you're going to help me."

"What!"

"Should we be worried?" Abigail quietly asked Ben.

"You're going to make sure I don't fall asleep!" Alexis laughed.

"Happy to help." Riley said sarcastically as the car sped south.