Treasure Protectors

Prologue

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.