Alex Gates had always enjoyed the short visits to her grandparent's house. Usually the trip would take the whole day, and it happened only once a month. Her father would pile his children then drive the 45 minute ride to the large house and they would spend the day pretended to get along for the sake of Alex and Ben.
Her grandparent's house always made her feel like she was in some magical realm with the opportunity to escape her life. Various artifacts lay dormant, collecting dust in the glass fixtures. Alex remembered how she would press her face to the glass and look at the various monocles and diaries her family had collected over the years. Her grandparent's home was so similar to a museum that the top two levels included chairs and podiums, with the intention of sharing their knowledge with others. Ben was just as fascinated, but more curious about what was in the journals than the pocket watches that Alex loved so much.
"Don't break anything." They heard their father's warning as they ran past their grandfather into the house.
"Grandpa!" Alex turned back, jumping into her grandfather's waiting arms, holding up a new doll she had been given, a gift from their mother before she left to translate for a museum.
"What a lovely toy." He smiled as he gave Ben a warm, one-sided hug.
Putting down his youngest grandchild, John Adams pointed to the room next door. "Why don't you two look in the cabinet."
Alex gasped and followed her brother into the room, piling candy into her small hands. She quickly turned back to her grandfather and pressed a few toffees into his hands.
An hour later, as Ben played with small civil war figurines and Alex pretended her doll was a ballerina, they heard their father's raise his voice. Making eye contact the two siblings quickly jumped up to run up the stairs.
Ben almost lost his sister as she ran back to collect her toy but he was soon met by her loud breaths and heavy shoes.
"Ben," She whined as she ran after him, struggling to climb up the steep ladder. "slow down."
Her brother responded with a roll of his eyes as he held out a hand for her to grab. "You were the one who had to get the doll." He emphasized the word "doll" as she pouted at him for making her feel even more like a child.
"They were fighting again. I hate the fighting." She said lowly as she played with her doll's brown hair, identical to her own. Her brother rolled her eyes at her childishness but didn't reprimand her since he was too busy walking around the attic. Ben had told Alex that he planned to look at a book, a book that their grandfather had never let anyone else even glance at.
As her brother started searching the attic, looking in places too high for his younger sister to reach she found interest in the old clothing and artifacts her grandpa had collected. She held up an old jacket to her small frame, smiling enthusiastically until her interest fell on a single ring. She dropped her jacket and doll as she followed the shine of the small piece of jewelry. When their grandmother died she never had anything of value to give to her grandchildren. She had dotted on Alex and promised her her favorite ring but when she had died so suddenly all they received was the photographs their grandmother had collected. Every visit to their grandparent's house was Alex's hunt for their grandmother's favorite ring.
"Ben, look!" She held up the ring, a small gold band with a bright red gemstone in it, only to be interrupted by her older brother.
"Grandpa!" Alex heard her brother yell as she almost dropped the ring, quickly stuffing it into her pocket.
"Grandpa!" She yelled more enthusiastically, running towards his open arms.
" You're not supposed to be up here, looking at that." He pointed at her brother.
" I just wanted to know."
"Well, you're old enough, I suppose. You should know the story." Alex situated herself on his lap as Ben sat on the ladder he had been using.
"Ok, here we go. It was 1832 . On a night much like this. Charles Carroll was the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence. He was also a member of a secret society known as the Masons. And he knew he was dying. He woke up his stable boy in the middle of the night and ordered him to take him to the White House to see Andrew Jackson, because it was urgent that he speak to the president."
" Did he talk to him?" Ben interrupted. Alex looked curiously at her grandfather who chuckled.
"No. He never got the chance. The president wasn't there that night. But Charles Carroll had a secret. So he took into his confidence the one person he could, my grandfather's grandfather, Thomas Gates."
" What was the secret?"
"A treasure."
The Gates siblings grinned at each other as the story unfolded, anytime they had asked their father he had brushed them aside, grumbling as he did so. Little did Alex know that her brother had already started hatching a plan that would require an almost infinite knowledge of history, a subject Alex would always find difficult.
"A treasure beyond all imagining. A treasure that had been fought over for centuries by tyrants, pharaohs, emperors, warlords. And every time it changed hands it grew larger. And then suddenly... it vanished. It didn't reappear for more than a thousand years, when knights from the First Crusade discovered secret vaults beneath the Temple of Solomon. You see, the knights who found the vaults believed that the treasure was too great for any one man - not even a king. They brought the treasure back to Europe and took the name "the Knights Templar". Over the next century they smuggled it out of Europe and they formed a new brotherhood called the Freemasons, in honour of the builders of the great temple. War followed. By the time of the American Revolution the treasure had been hidden again. By then the Masons included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere. They knew they had to make sure the treasure would never fall into the hands of the British. So they devised a series of clues and maps to its location. Over time the clues were lost or forgotten, until only one remained - and that was the secret that Charles Carroll entrusted to young Thomas Gates. Charlotte. "The secret lies with Charlotte.""
"Who's Charlotte?" Ben questioned, looking at his sister whose eyes had slowly closed. She had rested her head on their grandfather's shoulder.
"Oh, not even Mr Carroll knew that. Now look here, Ben. The Freemasons among our Founding Fathers left us clues. Like these." he fished out a dollar from his pocket, showing Ben the eye on top of the pyramid.
"The unfinished pyramid. The all-seeing eye. Symbols of the Knights Templar, guardians of the treasure. - They're speaking to us through these. - "
"You mean laughing at us." Alex's head shot up as she heard the sound of her father's voice. She looked warily at Ben, only he was focused on their father. "
You know what that dollar represents? The entire Gates family fortune. Six generations of fools... chasing after fool's gold."
"It's not about the money, Patrick. It's never been about the money." Alex threw a look at her brother. "Told you" she mouthed as he shook his head, annoyed.
"Come on, Ben, Alex. Time to go. You can... say your goodbyes." Their father left the attic muttering curses about the treasure.
"Grandpa? Are we knights?" Ben asked, shaking his grandfather out of his trance. Alex had slid off his lap, electing to stand near her brother.
" Do you want to be?" Ben slowly nodded but Alex was absolutely thrilled. Her head bobbed up and down in enthusiasm.
"I want to be a knight!" Alex cheered as she imagined what it would be like protecting a castle.
"You can't be a knight."
Alex looked up at her brother as tears started forming in her eyes. "Why not?"
"Because you're a girl." He argued.
Her frown only grew as she complained. "I have a sword." She bit back.
"A foam one." Ben retaliated. She scowled, resting her hand on her hips.
"All right." Their grandpa announced. Both stopped bickering in response but kept their glares on each other. "Ben, Alex can be a knight if she'd like." Ben started to protest as Alex stuck out her tongue.
"I'll be the first girl knight." She proclaimed proudly, standing taller as she held her look alike.
" Um... kneel. Benjamin Franklin Gates, Alexandria Elizabeth Gates, do you take upon yourself the duty of the Templars, the Freemasons and the family Gates. Do you so swear?"
" I so swear. " The siblings replied in unison, grinning the entire time.
Their grandfather stood by the door as the siblings and their father piled into the small car. Patrick remained stoic as he pulled away from house but his two children were waving enthusiastically at their grandfather, who smiled at them.
Two months later John Adams Gates died, leaving behind the only clue he owned and his never ending collection of artifacts. Most had been donated but a select few, mainly the ones Ben cared for, were on displayed in their house.
Patrick thought that the loss of his father would diminish the flame of finding the treasure. Though it seemed that his father's last act was to make his son's life even more unbearable. Ben had been almost every bit of historical evidence of the treasure. His small room quickly became filled with dozens of old books, including some documents which Ben kept locked in his desk. With their grandfather's death the young Gates siblings made a vow of finding the treasure. No matter how long it took.