[Chapter 2] Destination: Colorado

Baylee, Levi, and I gathered our things and set them by the front door. All 3 of us were really excited. Not only did we get to go to Liz’s grandparents’ house in Colorado, but we got to see Logan and Zach again! We waited in the front room for about 15 minutes, then Logan drove up in his big, blue Suburban.

"How're y'all doin'?" Zach asked, getting out of the passenger side.

"Great!" we replied in unison, grabbing our bags and running to greet them.

"Zach already called front, but the other seats are free. Go fight for 'em!" Logan told us. He took our luggage and put it in the trunk, but we kept our backpacks and grabbed seats. I ended up with the back 3 seats all to myself, while Baylee and Levi each got a captain seat in the middle.

We spent 2 days on the road. It was a very uneventful trip, but the sights were great, especially once we got to the mountains. You see, Liz's grandparents have a huge cabin in the Rocky Mountains, near Pike's Peak. It did get cooler the farther up we got, but we packed for it. Even spring weather in Colorado can be unpredictable. At least, that's what Liz told me.

We saw the cabin at 7:42 p.m. exactly (I was watching the clock). Liz, Niki, and Jake's faces were glued to the front window. As soon as they recognized our car, the faces disappeared. By the time we pulled up in the driveway, Liz, Niki, Jake, and Liz’s grandpa were all running (well, not so much for Grandpa Moore) to help us bring our bags in.

"Liz, Niki, Jake!" I yelled, running to them. We exchanged hugs and walked back to the car to help with the luggage.

Once we were all back inside with the bags, Niki and Liz showed us our rooms.

"Levi, you'll be in here with Jake. Baylee, you're sharing with Kimmie. Logan, Zach, you two get this room. And the three of us get to share this one!"

All of the rooms were great, but I think that we got the best one. It was painted a very light shade of lavender. The carpet was a butter yellow (also a very light shade) with lavender rugs by the door and closet. The bed was a huge four-poster with a bedspread and pillowcases matching the walls and sheets matching the floor. Plus, there was a vanity, chest of drawers, night stands, and a gigantic closet made of a matching-colored, very light wood. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"Like it, Kris?" Liz asked.

"Wow!" I replied. It really was beautiful. It was also very big. "I'm not so sure we'll all fit, though," I remarked sarcastically.

"Well, I'm sure Liz's grandma has a sleeping bag you could use…" Niki grinned at me and giggled.

"Nah, I'll just shove her in the closet!" teased back Liz.

The three of us all sat down on the bed and began catching up with each other. Liz had kept me pretty up-to-date in her letters, but Niki and I hadn't been writing as often, so I soaked up all she said.

She and Jake were helping their mom open an animal shelter down in North Carolina, where they had moved last summer. So far, they had 5 cats, 3 dogs, and one hamster.

"It's really sad how many people are willing to give up these sweet animals!" Niki told us. "We got all of them within a month."

We exchanged more stories until Liz's grandpa called us down for dinner. He met everyone at the foot of the stairs and welcomed us all officially to the cabin.

We all found our seats and sat down to wait for Liz's grandma to bring out the food. Soon, she came around the corner carrying a huge silver pot.

"Beef stew: the cabin specialty! Rolls are on the way," she set down the pot in front of Liz's grandpa. He took its lid off and a huge cloud of steam rose out.

The entire meal was delicious; probably the best I'd had in a long time. After the stew and rolls, Grandma Moore (with a little help from her husband) brought out a platter of cheesecake, along with toppings: strawberry, chocolate, caramel, and cherry were just a few.

Everyone was completely stuffed by the time we were all finished. Mr. Moore summed up accurately what we were all feeling:

"Well, Sarah, you've made us all fat and happy. I hope we remember to thank you when we wake up."

We all laughed, then said our "good-nights" to the adults. Once all of us “kids” were in our pajamas and ready for bed, we met up in the cabin’s loft (except Kimmie, who we had already put to bed).

“Soooo…” Liz began, “What d’ya think?”

We just grinned back at her. You could tell we all loved it here, even though it was only our first night.

“You know it’s great, Lizzie! But what’s this about a treasure?” Levi definitely had a way of getting to the point.

“I didn’t say ‘treasure’! I said ‘mystery’, Jo!” I grabbed a magazine and aimed a shot at his head, but he ducked just in time.

“Hang on! What’s this about a mystery?” Jake interrupted, playfully glaring at us three girls.

“Seems someone,” this time he focused on his sister, “forgot to mention something to me!”

We laughed, but Zach and Logan began a chorus of “yeahs” behind him.

“Well,” Liz began, once the guys had calmed back down. “I don’t know for sure… it’s really a legend about this house and its property. My grandma was telling me about it. It says that centuries ago, a dreaded pirate named Drake raided this house, because the people who used to live here were really rich. They were well-known for their huge gems and property from royal families passed down or given to them through the years. Anyway, Drake and his crew heard about this family and their treasure, so they took the trek all the way to the middle of Colorado.”

“No way,” Jake interrupted. “They were pirates, right? Well pirates do their dirty work on the sea, or at least near water. The middle of Colorado doesn’t exactly fit that description.”

“Well, that’s true, but even the police records said that it was pirates who stole the treasure. Whether or not that’s true isn’t important anyway,” Liz told him. When it looked like he wasn’t done arguing, Niki added:

“Maybe they were land pirates or something. Just let her be, Jake.”

He could obviously tell when he was beat, so he laid his head back into his hands and faked a bored sigh. Without giving him another look, Liz continued her story.

“The night they finally got here, they came into the house, took all of the valuables and locked every person in the basement.”

“This cabin has a basement?” Levi looked surprised, as though he didn’t believe this house could have anymore room. I almost agreed with him.

“Yes,” Liz said, brushing him off, and attempting to finish the tale. “They hadn’t wanted anyone getting the police, so they locked them away in the cellar, like I said. Then, the pirates disappeared, with all of the treasure. It continues to say that soon after, the law caught up with Drake and his crew, and they returned as many valuables as were left to this house. Years later, though, it all vanished again. No one has seen any sign of the treasures since.”

“Okaa-ay….” Zach continued, looking at Liz, as though he expected more to the story.

“Is that it? What kind of a mystery is that?” Logan was more blunt about it. As the guys were offering their criticism, Liz stood up and walked to a small door at the far end of the loft. I hadn’t seen it there at first, and I guess the others hadn’t either, because they all glanced that way curiously after her as she disappeared through it.

“Um, Liz? Where’d ya go?” Jake stood up, about to head after her, when Liz emerged again. She had both her hands cupped around something, but was being careful not to let whatever it was show.

She sat daintily back onto the couch between Niki and I, then looked across the coffee table to the other couch, where the guys sat.

“A couple of weeks ago, when Kimmie and I first got here, my grandma told me that story about the treasure. I figured it might be possible that those treasures could still be around, since the previous owners supposedly left a ton of boxes here, but my grandparents had never found them. I was looking around up here when I found that hidden room over there.” She nodded her head toward the door she had just come out of. “It’s basically an extra attic. Behind a box in there I found this…” Liz opened her hands and showed us……

“A baseball?” I asked, surprised at the proud look on her face.

"But why doesn't it have stripes?" Baylee added.

Liz just shook her head. "It's a pearl."

Everyone gasped and stared wide-eyed at the white ball in her hand. It was the right size to be a baseball, but was completely white and smooth. The longer I looked at it, the more obvious it became that it must be a pearl, but it was HUGE!

"No way. No way!" Zach exclaimed, getting up to look more closely. Logan and Levi joined him, and even Baylee moved onto the arm of our couch. "The March family, who had been living here when Drake attacked, were famous for a giant pearl , the size of a baseball." Liz told us. "And I'm pretty sure this is it. Not too many pearls this size are wandering around, you know. But that means the other treasures could still be in that room too! My grandparents almost never come up here, and they don't even know about the hidden room.”

“So you want us to help you hunt for a legendary treasure that you aren’t even sure is real in a cramped old attic?” Logan asked her.

“Well, only if you want to,” Liz replied, glancing at each one of us.

Niki spoke up first. “I’ll help,” she told Liz. “I’m here to spend time with you, so if you’re treasure hunting, so am I.” Liz grinned at her, then turned to me.

“Kris?”

“Sure, why not?” I said with a smile.

“I just don’t want to be stuck babysitting Kimmie.” This was from Baylee, who was the unofficial “babysitter” for the little darling.

“Whatever. I guess I’ll help. What else is there to do anyway?” Jake decided aloud.

“Well if Jake’s gonna help, so am I. I’m not just hanging out with Logan and Levi!”

“Hey, well I’m helping too! You’re not getting away that easily!” Logan told his brother, punching him playfully on the arm.

“Me too!” Levi yelled, not wanting to be left out. Everyone shushed him, then laughed quietly.

By eleven o’ clock, the six of us had come up with a game plan. In the mornings, we were going to just hang out and sled outside. Then, after lunch, we’d all meet up in the attic room and start searching. We planned to start the next day.