Mystery At Mound Key

MYSTERY AT MOUND KEY Prologue The boy watched his sister placed the wooden tablet with symbols he hadn’t yet learned to read in the crude metal box. She motioned for him to help her dig. He heard the screaming of the victims of the rampage that was taking place just a hundred yards from where they stood. She brushed back her long black hair, and her brother saw the tears streaming down her face as she placed the box into the ground. He thought burying the box was a bad idea because it would end up washing away as the tide came in and rolled back out, but he didn’t say anything. It had been two days since their father had gathered them close to him, handing his sister the items she now rushed to hide from the invaders. He had warned them to run and hide together if the ship’s men approached their land. “We are Calusa,” he said to his children, “proud warriors. Our ancestors fought the ancient gods of the sky and won their power.”

He bent down, lit a small fire and blew the smoke upward from his cupped hands, chanting quietly. “These powers are now passed to you.” He looked at each of his children - his daughter, beautiful with a quiet strength, and his son, still playful and inquisitive of everything around him. “Do not be afraid to die for them,” he had whispered. But the boy was afraid to die. By nightfall, he and his sister had run as their father had instructed; but not before they watched their mother killed and their father brought to the center of a group of the soldiers. There the men tore the old shaman’s beads from around his neck and tied him to a wooden pole within a circle of rocks. “We take this land as our own,” one of the men said. “Mystical powers won’t save you now old man.” With that, several of the men lit the timber surrounding the rocks. The father’s eyes quickly found the place where his children hid. He looked directly at them for a moment and then closed his eyes.

Watching the fire start to burn, the girl placed one arm around her brother’s chest and her other hand gently over his mouth to hold him quiet. When most of the men left the fire and started going from hut to hut, looking for anyone they may have missed, the children ran off toward the trails. The same trails they had spent many happy years chasing rabbits and other small game, but now with a sense of urgency. They stopped at the other side of the island – the opposite end from where the ship had landed. They survived there for two days, and now they held hands after burying the box. “Are you sure we shouldn’t keep these?” the boy asked. She held him close and whispered, “These powers will not be ours to use brother, but that does not mean their powers are not true. And I pray on the souls of our loving mother and wise father that they will find their way to someone who has the need.” As the children turned to find a place to sleep for the night, they came face to face with three soldiers carrying rifles.

The last thing the girl noticed was how crisp and white the men’s shirts were. How could they look so clean, she wondered, with all that blood on their hands? She hurried to think of something else, and remembered a day not long ago when she had made a necklace for her mother out of small soft stones she had found on the beach. Her mother had hugged her tightly in thanks. The girl squeezed her brother’s hand. As the bullet entered her chest, she hoped he was also able to find a memory that would carry him over until they reunited with their parents in the next life. Chapter 1 “You should wear this one,” Vanessa said as she snatched the teal cotton sundress out of her best friend’s closet. Lauren smiled. Vanessa remembered every detail. It was mind-boggling. It had been almost six months ago that Alex had commented how pretty she looked in the dress, and obviously, Vanessa remembered. “Vanessa,” Lauren said quietly. “Alex and I are not going to get back together because he sees me in this dress tonight.”

Vanessa made a face at her best friend. “I didn’t say you would. It’s just a nice dress, jeez. Believe me, I am not trying to get you back together with him. As far as I’m concerned Alex Tucker is an idiot and I don’t want to talk about him anymore.” Lauren laughed. “Okay,” she said. “Calm down. And don’t call Alex an idiot. We’re still friends. Alex and I just grew apart. It happens you know. I’m fine.” However, Vanessa knew better. Everyone was going to be at the party tonight, including Alex and Charlotte Geary, who he had recently started spending a lot of time with, and Vanessa was going to make sure he saw Lauren having a great time. “I’m going downstairs to bug your mom – you get ready, okay?” Vanessa said. “Yep, give me 10 minutes,” Lauren replied, “and don’t forget, I told her I was going to eat dinner and watch movies at your house.” Lauren never lied to her mom about going anywhere but she was not going to miss this party, she deserved to go and if her mom wasn’t going to lighten up a bit, well then, she would have to go to extreme measures. “You rock that dress,” Vanessa said, hugging her friend. Lauren laughed and pushed the other girl out of the room.

# Lauren’s long strawberry red hair contrasted against the bright blue-green fabric as she slid the dress over her small frame. She sat on the edge of her bed, strapping on a pair of sandals. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt a wave of sadness come over her. Hard as she tried to convince everyone, including herself, she was still upset at how things had turned out with Alex. Although she was good at hiding it from almost everyone, Vanessa seemed to see through the pretense. The two girls had been best friends since elementary school; they had all been best friends - Lauren, Vanessa, Mike and Alex – since fourth grade. The girls chased the two boys around the playground until they were exhausted. On days when the boys played basketball with other friends, the girls hung out near the court, watching the game. At lunch, Lauren and Vanessa sat by each other at one table, while Alex and Mike sat behind them, their chair backs up against the girls. The boys made jokes, trying to make the girls laugh, and the girls loved the attention. It was so easy then, Lauren thought now, wistfully.

At some point over the next few years, however, the relationships began to change. Early on, it was obvious that Mike adored Vanessa, Lauren thought. He was always by her side and they went from being elementary school friends to each other’s first crush. Alex and Lauren also found themselves spending more time together throughout the summers and school years. They often had advanced classes together and worked on school projects at each other’s houses. There had been a definite shift in the relationships, although nothing serious, especially in Lauren’s case. Her mom was very protective of her and didn’t allow her to go out on dates even now. Since her parents’ divorce, her mom had changed. Lauren was not allowed to do many things her other friends were able to. Her mom had also started going to church several times a week, insisting that Lauren and her younger sister, Karen, attend every Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The real break in her and her mom’s relationship had happened about a year ago. Vanessa’s mom had driven the four kids to see a movie. She was going to do some shopping in the same center as the theater

and meet them back in the lobby after the show. As the kids got in line with their drinks and popcorn, Lauren’s mom appeared out of nowhere, with her little sister in tow. Lauren cringed, embarrassed in front of her friends, especially in front of Alex. Later, at home, a screaming match ensued between the daughter and mother. “How could you embarrass me like that?” Lauren cried. “Don’t be ridiculous. Your sister wanted to see the movie too. You’re not allowed to date Lauren, and if I knew Vanessa’s mom was not going into the theater I wouldn’t have allowed you to go in the first place.” “You sat right next to us, just two people down, on the same row. I was mortified,” Lauren yelled. Once she started, she couldn’t stop herself. “If Vanessa’s mom had wanted to see the movie, she would have sat apart from us. She would have given us our privacy and,” Her mother cut her off. “Privacy?” her mom said. “You don’t need privacy. You’re in middle school. And I saw Mike Hart trying to put his arm around Vanessa.”

Lauren broke. “So what?” she yelled. “She didn’t let him. The trouble is you don’t trust me. You don’t trust any of us. The other parents trust us. You’re just ridiculous.” “And you’re grounded young lady,” her mom said. “You don’t speak to me like that. You are my daughter and I make the rules for you.” The house was silent in the week that followed, each of them tiptoeing around each other. Then a few months later, at the end of the school year, Alex came to see Lauren one Saturday at her house. Leaning over her mother’s vegetable garden in the backyard, feigning interest in the different kinds of tomatoes, he was obviously uncomfortable. “What’s wrong Alex?” she asked. Alex looked at her intently. “Nothing’s wrong.” He quickly added, “You know Mike’s parents are letting him have a pool party the last weekend of school. His dad is going to take us out on their boat. It’s going to be a blast. You’re coming, right?” Lauren looked away. She wanted to say yes, but she knew her mom would not allow it.

Even though Mike’s party would be chaperoned by his parents, Lauren knew there was no way her mom was going to let her get in a boat with people that she still considered strangers, even though the kids had been friends for years. So when Alex asked her if she was going to Mike’s party, she had to tell him the truth. “I don’t think so,” she said. “Why not, did she say why you couldn’t go? Mike’s parents are going to be there.” Lauren looked at him – her eyes begging him to understand. “I didn’t ask,” she said quietly. “How do you know what she’s going to say if you don’t ask?” he snapped. “It wouldn’t matter, she said. “You know how she is.” Alex looked down sheepishly. “I don’t know Lauren. It seems like everything is so complicated. You know we’ve been friends forever and you’re awesome but,” he broke off. Tears gathered in her eyes. “I’m sorry Alex. I just can’t argue with her. I hate it, but it is what it is. I know it will get better when I’m a little older,” she said, silently pleading with him to wait a bit longer.

But he wouldn’t, and he finally said what she knew he had come to say. “I just think it’s best if we go back to being friends. I’m always there for you, you know that,” he said, feeling like a jerk; the words not coming out the way he had wanted them to. Lauren didn’t say a word. She simply turned and walked into the house. Alex stayed in the yard for a few minutes, and then walked out the back gate. Lauren didn’t answer the phone when Vanessa called, and she pretended to be ill the next Monday so she wouldn’t have to go to school. By Monday afternoon, the word was out that the popular foursome had suffered a casualty. That had been three months ago, and Lauren had spent all summer trying to get over the breakup. She wasn’t looking forward to tonight at all. Lying to her mom about where she was going was bad enough, having to see Alex was just pouring salt in the wound. She scooped up her cat, and the animal purred softly.

“I hope I don’t regret letting Vanessa talk me into going tonight, Melon.” She gave the cat a quick kiss on the nose, grabbed her purse and left the room. # Downstairs, Vanessa Ballinger sat on the stool at the kitchen counter, chatting easily with Lauren’s mom, Dina. “So Lauren said you ended up with quite a few ribbons this summer,” Dina said. “She had such a good time going to watch you compete.” Vanessa had been swimming competitively since she was seven and every summer she looked forward to the daily practices and weekly swim tournaments. “I did okay,” she replied. “Some of the girls are so much faster than me though. I really love it but I don’t know if I’ll ever be the best. I guess I’ll find out next year if I go to Northeast. Their swim team is tough to make but I guess that will give me some idea of whether I should keep at it or not.” “I can’t believe you girls are going to be off to high school next year,” Lauren’s mom sighed.

“I know,” Vanessa agreed. “I can’t believe school starts in just a week. Can I have one of these?” Vanessa pointed towards a bowl of green apples. “Sure,” Dina said, glancing up as her daughter entered the room. “Mom, I cannot stand that room much longer. Karen’s stuff is everywhere. When can we start converting the garage?” Lauren complained. “I’m sick of all the stuffed animals and dolls everywhere. And the pink…I am going to die if I'm surrounded by pink walls for much longer. You said we could convert the garage, like Vanessa’s.” Dina looked from Vanessa to her daughter. “We will, I promise. Remember, Vanessa’s room was already converted when they moved in. Ours will be a real construction project and that takes time and money.” Dina noticed for the first time the dress her daughter was wearing. “You’re pretty dressed up to go eat pizza at Vanessa’s,” Lauren’s mom said.

The girls looked at each other and Vanessa gave a nervous laugh. “Really Lauren, she’s right. If you get sauce on that dress you’ll be mad – why don’t you change into shorts or something?” “Really Vanessa? Mom, I think I’m old enough to choose what I want to wear, or is that something I can’t do either?” Lauren said sarcastically. Dina sighed. “Don’t start with me Lauren. If you want to stay home, we won’t even have to finish this conversation.” “Fine. I’m sorry. But I don’t want to wear shorts. I like this dress and I hardly ever have a chance to wear it.” Vanessa was afraid that if she didn’t step in, the night’s plan would fall apart. She laughed again, trying to lighten the mood. “I feel so at home here,” she said. “You guys sound just like me and my mom. My mom says she hopes I have a daughter one day, something about payback.” Vanessa walked over to Lauren. “Now kiss your mom goodnight Lauren, and let’s go. My mom will kill us if we’re late for her dinner!” Lauren looked at her mom and smiled.

”Sorry mom, I think I’m just in a foul mood because summer is almost over.” Dina conceded, hoping for a truce. “It’s okay sweetie. Remember it’s hard for me too – seeing my little girl grow up. I just want the best for you.” “Let’s go,” Lauren said to Vanessa. She needed to hurry and get out the house, before the guilt of lying and her mother’s kind words made her change her mind about what she was about to do. Chapter 2 “That was close,” Vanessa said to her friend, as the two girls started down the street. “Rule one; don’t start an argument when you’re trying to leave the house. What would you have done if your mom made you stay home? What was up with starting a fight about your room right then?” Vanessa asked. Lauren shrugged, but didn’t answer. Vanessa wouldn’t understand, she thought. Her mom was cool and she didn’t have a little sister that was always hanging around. The two girls walked for another half a block in silence.

Vanessa tried again. “Are you okay? I mean, I know you feel guilty about lying to your mom. But you do want to go tonight, right?” Lauren stopped walking and looked at Vanessa. “Yes, I want to go. I’m just freaked out about lying, and about seeing Alex. And about everyone seeing me and Alex, but us not together. It’s all just weird and I’m not sure it was such a good idea,” she said all in one quick breath. Vanessa felt bad. She knew Lauren was only going, and only lying to her mom because she had pushed her into it. But she quickly shifted the blame to Alex. If he hadn’t broken up with Lauren, this wouldn’t be such a big deal. Yes, the lying was bad; neither girl made a habit of that, but it was seeing Alex that was making Lauren sick right now, Vanessa was sure of it. “Look,” Vanessa said. “If you don’t want to go, we don’t have to. We can go to my house and watch movies just like you told your mom. I can call Mike right now.” She took out her cell and hit #2 on her speed dial.

“No, I want to go. You’re right, everyone is going to be there. It’s the last party of the summer. It will be fine. I’m good, I swear. Hang up.” But the call had already connected. “Hey. It’s me,” Vanessa said into the phone. “Are you already there?” She held up her finger to Lauren, who was still talking. “Yea, we’re on our way. Just calling to see who all was there,” Vanessa said. “We just left Lauren’s so we should be there in about ten minutes. See ya in a few.” Vanessa hit End and put the phone back in her purse. She decided to change the subject. “I hope we get some classes together. This is it you know, our last year at Shoreline.” “I know,” Lauren said, linking her arm into Vanessa. “Next year we’ll be freshmen. Can you imagine, it’s like starting all over again. Low men on the totem pole.” “That’s why we should only think about this year,” Vanessa said. “We’re top dogs now, we get to be in charge of the paper, get to plan all the dances. It’s going to be a great year Lauren – I know it is.”

The girls walked the next several blocks arm in arm, talking about what they would wear the first day of school, and the classes and teachers they hoped to get. # The beach was only a mile or so from the neighborhood where both girls lived. Lakeshore was a small community in Ft. Myers, Florida, about an hour south of Tampa Bay. At the north end of the community was CityStreets – a popular shopping and dining area next to the baseball stadium. Ft Myers Beach often ranked as one of the top ten beaches in the country, and nearby Estero Bay and Mound Key were regular field trip destinations for area elementary school children who were studying Florida history. Like Fort Matanzas in St. Augustine, Mound Key had played an important role in the early history of the state. Some of the most violent battles had taken place on the land when the European settlers had begun populating the area. The kids in town often held parties on the island during the weekend when the weather was nice, and tonight was the traditional end of summer bonfire. The event was usually uneventful; parents knew about it and the local police would

keep a distant eye out just to make sure there was no underage drinking going on. Tonight’s weather seemed to be holding out in the teens’ favor. Although there was the chance of storms later that evening, not surprising for a summer night in Florida, the air was currently dry and the winds were calm. The girls heard the music and voices coming from the party, as they walked thru the dunes and into the clearing. Both girls took off their sandals as soon as they hit the soft, white sand. “Okay, not to sound desperate or anything,” Lauren started, “but stick close to me tonight okay?” Vanessa was touched. Lauren was quiet and reserved, the complete opposite of herself – which Vanessa always thought was one reason they were so good together. They each saw in the other what was lacking in themselves. In Vanessa’s case, she knew she was outspoken. She couldn’t help it. She was like her mom. She tried to be fair in her opinions, but she had a hard time editing them. On a positive note, she fit in with any group and she made friends easily. Lauren, on the other hand, was shy around large groups of people, like this party. Vanessa knew it was hard for her friend to admit she needed support.

Vanessa hugged Lauren. “You got it chica. Consider me your shadow for the night.” # It was dusk and Vanessa was surprised at the activity going on already. She saw Mike, Alex and a few other boys starting to build the bonfire. Sophia Larson, Leah McAlister and Trang Nguyen were taking hot dogs, buns and soft drinks from coolers, setting up tables next to the grill. A short distance from them, a lively game of volleyball was in process. “Vanessa!” yelled Kevin Taylor, a boy Vanessa had known since kindergarten. “C’mon, join us. We could use your killer serve.” Just that moment, someone on the other team noticed Kevin’s distraction and slammed the ball at him, narrowly missing his head and scoring a point for their team. Vanessa and Lauren both broke out laughing. Kevin’s face turned red, but laughed good-naturedly. “Next game, okay?” Vanessa said, looking around to see if Mike had noticed her arrival.

Sure enough, Vanessa saw Mike say something to Alex and start walking towards the two girls. Alex headed over towards some kids sitting down by the water. A minute later, she noticed one of the girls get up and walk toward the dunes with him. It was Charlotte Geary. Vanessa felt irritated as she watched the two of them start playing Frisbee. Her first loyalty was to Lauren, and she was resentful that Alex seemed to think Charlotte could just be welcomed into their group with no question. She looked around to see if Lauren had noticed Alex and Charlotte, and saw that her friend had walked over to where the bonfire was now going strong. Lauren stood a bit off to the side, but Vanessa noticed Daniel Lott, one of the best-looking guys in school, walk over to her and start talking. Daniel and his twin brother David were both popular, although they ran in different groups. Daniel was an amazing guitar player and could usually be found with the drama club group or kids from choir and band, while David was on the baseball team and a member of the student council. Vanessa felt an arm go around her waist and turned to smile at Mike. She never got used to how blue his eyes were and her mood always improved when he was around her.

“Hey there gorgeous,” he said playfully. “Hey yourself. That’s quite a bonfire you built there,” Vanessa said. Mike grinned. “I had some help.” He was glad she didn’t pull away from him. He would be glad when school started and they could see each other every day again. During the summer, they had both gone on short family trips, and with her swimming schedule and his various part-time jobs, they sometimes didn’t see each other for a week at a time. “Let’s go up to the Mound,” he suggested. Vanessa looked around. The sunset was only minutes away, and she really did want to spend some time alone with Mike. She glanced over and saw Lauren looking like she was having fun, and talking surprisingly enthusiastically with Daniel. “Okay,” she agreed, pulling a couple of sodas from a nearby cooler, while Mike grabbed one of the tiki torches to keep away the mosquitoes. # It was one of those nights where the sun and moon seemed to pass each other on their respective trips home, Vanessa thought.

By the time the couple had reached their destination, the sun was dripping like a candle into the Gulf of Mexico. Vanessa watched as the reds of the fading sun met the blue water, creating a perfect amethyst horizon. The moon was already visible in the sky. She dropped down on the sand and opened one of the cans of soda, watching Mike as he looked for a place to sink the torch into the sand. “You know, legend has it that Ponce de Leon was murdered here,” Vanessa said as she opened the second soda for Mike. Mike stopped what he was doing and looked at her. “Right, remember the field trip in fourth grade? All I could think about for weeks was the teacher telling us about the Indians who were over seven feet tall. I kept having nightmares about these giants killing the guy,” Mike said. They both laughed. Mike turned back to push the torch down into the sand. “Did you bring matches?” Vanessa asked. Mike didn’t answer. When Vanessa looked over to him, he looked troubled. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I don’t know. It won’t go down.” Vanessa jumped up and walked over to where Mike was standing. She watched him try again. They both heard the bottom of the torch hit something. Mike pulled the torch up, moved over a foot or so and tried again, this time easily sinking the pole into the sand. “There,” he said, reaching into his pocket for the matches. He lit the torch and turned to Vanessa who seemed to be looking around for something. “What are you doing?” he asked. “I want to see what’s down there. Hand me that shell, will you?” “Here Sherlock, but it was probably just a big lump of sand. C’mon, are you really going to spend our time digging in the sand?” Vanessa tossed the small shell to the side. “No, the big one behind you Mike.” “Jeez, I guess you are, here you go,” he said as he passed her a larger shell. Mike sat down and watched Vanessa start to dig. She was strong-willed, he thought, sometimes to a fault. Like with Alex

and Lauren. She refused to let things just be. She was holding a grudge against Alex and it was starting to cause strain in their relationship. But as he watched her now, it wasn’t her stubbornness he focused on. She was beautiful. Her hair was dark brown and matched her eyes. She was strong and he appreciated that as he watched her dig in the sand. Even though she was a girly girl, she was athletic and not afraid to play hard. He had watched her compete in most of her swim matches and he was sometimes surprised at how seriously she took it. “Mike, what are you staring at? Help me, there’s something down here!” Vanessa was saying. Mike went over to where she was and bent down. “Here, give me the shell,” he said. The two of them dug out a circle about two feet in both diameter and depth. Mike reached his hand down to feel what the conch shell had stopped at. Vanessa used her smaller fingers around the edges to make some more room, like someone using a knife around a cake pan. After a moment, both of their hands felt the same thing. Mike brushed some sand from the top of what their hands had stopped on and saw metal.

“Aha!” Vanessa yelled and she punched Mike in the arm. “Ow! Chill would you? Probably just some kid’s toy that got left here,” Mike said. “Pull it out,” she said. He laid the box between the two of them. It was rudimentary in design, and, they both noticed at the same time, locked. # “Let’s see if there’s a key somewhere,” Vanessa said, looking around for the shell to help her dig. “Nah, what would be the chances of finding a key too,” Mike said. “If there was a key, there’s no way both things would have washed up in this exact place.” “You’re right,” Vanessa agreed. She reached up and unfastened the barrette from her hair. “Try this,” she said. Mike took the tortoise shell clasp and tried it, but it bent easily when he tried twisting it into the grooves of the lock. He jumped up.

“What are you doing,” Vanessa asked. “I’m going to go back and get Alex, see if he has any ideas, or maybe he or someone else brought a pocketknife with them.” “Wait,” she said, pulling herself up by grabbing his arm. “We don’t need to run back and tell everyone we found this,” she said. “Let’s keep it to ourselves.” “Well, okay. We don’t have to tell everyone, but I’m going to go get Alex and tell him,” Mike said. “Then I’m going to go back and tell Lauren too,” Vanessa said. Mike scowled at her. “Fine,” he said. “Let’s go back and get them both. We won’t tell anyone else. But Vanessa, you shouldn’t keep trying to throw Alex and Lauren together.” “I’m not!” she defended herself. “Sure you’re not,” Mike said. They walked the short path pack to the dunes and the party. Mike pointed to where Alex was, which was down by the shore, and Vanessa was annoyed to see he was still with Charlotte. “I’ll go get him,” Mike said. “You stay here. Oh look, Lauren’s over there with Daniel Lott. You sure you want to

interrupt them?” Mike asked, in a way Vanessa found irritatingly sarcastic. She fought back, adding with a smile, “They do look good together, don’t they? Lauren needs someone who is more mature, smart, you know, someone who she can relate to.” Mike picked up some sand and threw it at her lightly. “Whatever,” he said. “Meet us back in here in a couple of minutes.” “Will do,” she replied, hesitating for only a moment before adding, “And don’t bring you know who.” Vanessa watched as Mike headed off toward his friend and the girl. It wasn’t that she had anything personally against Charlotte. She didn’t even really know the girl. All she did know was what Alex had told her, and he did it in a way to garner Vanessa’s sympathy, which infuriated Vanessa even more. She knew the girl didn’t have a perfect home life, but then, who did, she thought to herself, as she walked toward Lauren. She waved, as Lauren saw her coming towards them. “Hey Lauren,” she said. “Hey Daniel, you guys having fun?” she asked.

Lauren looked down sheepishly, but Daniel answered her. “Sure,” he said. “We’re up next at volleyball,” he added. “Cool,” Vanessa said, wondering how she was going to get Lauren to leave. “Hey Lauren,” she said. “Before the next game, you wanna grab something to eat real quick? I’m starving.” She hoped Lauren caught her meaning and she stared intently and raised her eyebrows at her friend. Lauren looked from Daniel to Vanessa. “Well um, sure,” she said. “Daniel, is it okay if I catch up with you in a bit?” Lauren asked. The boy looked a little surprised, but smiled at Lauren. “Sure, I’ll look for you before we start the next game,” he said. The two girls walked away, but not in the direction of the tables or grill. Lauren grabbed her friend’s arm. “Where are we going?” she asked. “You’ll see,” Vanessa said.

She turned down towards the shore where Mike and Alex were heading toward them. She also noticed, a bit further in the distance, Charlotte, looking after all of them. She felt a stab of guilt, but turned to face Lauren. “Don’t be mad, okay?” she said. “We, Mike and me, just found something and he wanted to show Alex and I wanted to show you, so I’m sorry but,” she broke off. “What do you mean, you found something,” Lauren said, not even indicating she had heard the part about Alex. “What did you find?” Before Vanessa could answer, the boys had caught up to them. They all looked at each other. “Hey Alex,” Lauren said. “Hi,” he said. “What exactly are we going to look at?” he asked, looking at Mike, but Mike had already started down the path and the others quickly follow. # A few minutes later the four teenagers were pondering over the box, passing it to each other. Alex turned it over a couple of times and passed it to Lauren.

Lauren held it in both hands. She looked around, walked a few steps away and set the box down on the ground. She turned away from her friends and when they saw turn back again, her arms were raised over her head. In a split second, they watched, as she brought down a large rock on top of the box. Mike and Alex looked at each other, shaking their heads in surprise. Alex was the first to speak. “Jeez, Lauren,” he said. “Take no prisoners!” Mike laughed. Vanessa ran over to her friend, and the two girls inspected the damage. The rock had severely dented the box in the exact spot where the lock met the hinge, but the lock was still intact. Lauren took the box over to a large tree and began smashing it against the tall oak. She bent over to pick the box up again. Alex ran over to her, grabbing the box out of her hands. “Stop,” Lauren said. “What are you doing?” “Lauren, hang on. You’re going to hurt yourself. Let me or Mike do it.”

Vanessa watched as Alex silently took the box out of her friend’s hands. The boys resumed the exact efforts Lauren had started, and within a few moments, the lock fell to the ground. The four teens simultaneously dove to the ground for the box. They shuffled in the sand, each wanting to be the victor and present the box’s contents to the others. Rightfully, Lauren came up with the reward. For the next hour, they took turns holding the object that had been in the metal box. They turned it over, examining the details, brushing away dirt to uncover a dark red clay bar. Staring at first what seemed to be scratches, Vanessa blew into the crevices, and then used the broken barrette she had in her pocket to reveal what were really etchings – not just scratches. She handed the bar to Lauren. “Look,” she said. “They’re pictures of something; tiny drawings or something.” Lauren took it but noticed it was so dark she couldn’t make out the markings anymore. “We should get going,” she said. She glanced at her watch, digital numbers glowing in the dark. “We’ve been gone for over an hour.”

“Crap,” Alex said. “Are you serious? I have to get back. Charlotte promised her mom she would be home not too long after dark, and I’m supposed to walk her home.” The spell was broken. Vanessa gave Alex a dirty look. “Go ahead and go back if you need to,” Vanessa said mockingly. “We should all be getting back,” said Lauren. “I agree,” said Mike. “I’m hungry and if we don’t hurry, all that food is going to be gone.” “How can you think of food at a time like this!” Vanessa said. But knowing she was out-numbered, she also rose to leave. # The activity at the party had slowed down. The volleyball game had ended, and most people were sitting around in groups, eating. Daniel and another boy were playing guitars. Daniel looked up as Lauren returned, suddenly dropping the chord he was playing. Those listening looked at Daniel, and following his gaze watched as the foursome walked toward them. Alex was the first to walk away from the other three. He had noticed both Daniel and Charlotte watch them return and he felt guilty for taking off, especially with Lauren.

“Hey,” he said to Charlotte. He reached down his hand to her and was glad she let him pull her up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be gone for so long,” he said. She smiled at him. “It’s okay,” she said. “Are you hungry? There’s still a bunch of food.” “Nah,” he said. “We should take off, don’t you think? I don't want you to get in trouble for being out too late.” “I guess so,” Charlotte said. “I wish I could stay longer, though. I had fun.” “Good,” Alex said. “You should hang out more often. Everyone is pretty cool, right?” “Yea, they really are,” she said. “Everyone was really nice.” She glanced over at Mike, Vanessa and Lauren, who were still standing together. “Do you want to go say goodbye?” she asked. “No. I already told them we were going to go,” he said. “Okay,” she said. As they said goodbye to Daniel and the others in that group, Alex was glad he brought Charlotte to the party. She had fun, and his friends had a chance to see that she was cool. And, he thought to himself, he was grateful she wasn’t mad at him for

taking off with Mike, Vanessa and Lauren. She was low maintenance, he thought. When he looked over at her, she was watching him. They both smiled. Any thoughts Alex had left of the earlier part of the night, and the object he and his friends had found, vanished as he walked Charlotte the rest of the way home. Chapter 4 The next day was Sunday, and as soon as Lauren returned home from church, she called Vanessa to come over. Vanessa knocked on the kitchen door of her friend’s home. Lauren opened the door and the girls quickly grabbed a couple of juice drinks and a plate of cheese and crackers before heading to Lauren’s room. “Beat it Karen,” Lauren said to her younger sister as the two older girls entered the bedroom. Karen was nine, and was the spitting image of her older sister. She secretly idolized her sister’s best friend and begged her sister to let her hang out with them. “Please Lauren. It’s my room too. I won’t even pay attention to you guys. I’m just going to read my magazine,” Karen pleaded.

“No way,” Lauren said. Noticing the hurt look on her sister’s face, she tried to soften the blow. “It’s just too small in here for all three of us and all this stuff,” she said, glancing around the room. It was true. Between the two girls, the room was crowded with everything from posters to stuffed animals to clothes and shoes everywhere. “Tell ya what,” Lauren said. “If you go hang out in the living room and let us have some time, we’ll come out later and have a video sing off, you choose the songs.” Karen looked from her sister to Vanessa. Vanessa nodded in agreement. “Promise?” she said directly to Vanessa. “We promise,” Vanessa replied. She liked Karen, and she didn’t mind the adoration the younger girl obviously had for her. She rather enjoyed the attention. With the promise secured, Karen left the girls alone, heading off to the living room to set up the video console. # “Well, thanks. She clearly trusts your promise more than mine,” Lauren joked.

“She’s not so bad,” Vanessa said. “Of course, I don’t live with her,” she rushed to add, knowing the subject of a tag-along little sister was a touchy one at best with her friend. Vanessa sat on the floor with her back against Lauren’s bed, while Lauren put the tray of food on a table and walked over to her closet. Vanessa watched as her friend reached up on the top shelf and pulled down a shoebox. Lauren grinned as she sat down in one of the two matching wicker chairs in the room. She opened the lid of the shoebox and pulled out the metal box. She reached into the tin container and removed the clay bar, holding it out in both hands and offering it to Vanessa. “I tried cleaning it a bit more,” she said. “I thought if I could make out the symbols, I could try and Google them,” she added. Vanessa looked closely at the object and the symbols. “So, what do you think?” she asked. “It’s still hard to tell,” she said. “I only used a cloth to wipe it. I was afraid to use any cleaning stuff because I don’t want to ruin it.”

Vanessa dug at the drawings with her fingernail. “We need something small and sharp so we can like trace around the scratches, dig out all the crud that’s covering up the details,” she said. “Hang on, I have an idea,” Lauren said, jumping up and leaving the room. When she returned, she had a small box with her. “Ta da!” she cried. Lauren opened the kit and Vanessa realized it was an eyeglass repair kit. Her mom had one. One of the tools was a very tiny screwdriver. “Genius,” Vanessa said. For the next few minutes, Vanessa dug carefully around the indentions on the bar. Lauren leaned over a few times, blowing the residue away. Vanessa held the bar up to the light coming through the bedroom window and both girls studied it closely.