Treasure Hunting 101

Chapter II

Avery

Music: Space Junk Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy

I've gotta say, this Brea girl... she's not like anybody else I've met. It's not everyday that I run into somebody who not only recognizes us for our past accomplishments, but also wants to get in on the action themselves. I'm not sure I want to do this yet, but we're about to find out.

After dance lets out, I quickly change back into the attire I wore to school today and head outside my studio. A white pickup truck is in the parking lot, which Skylar told me would be the kind of vehicle to look for. Sure enough, Skylar is sitting in the backseat, and a boy who looks like he's in junior or senior year of high school is in the driver's seat. I climb in next to Skylar and text Brielle, my older sister, to tell her I'll be home about half an hour to forty-five minutes later than usual, and that I'm with Skylar.

Skylar gave her older brother the address before they left, so after a twenty minute drive, we have arrived. The plan is for Brea's parents to drop both Skylar and I off after we're finished. I thank Skylar's brother for the ride as she and I hop out and walk towards the house.

Brea is sitting on her front porch, awaiting us. Her house actually looks somewhat nice. The front porch is brown and wooden, with a light green swing off to the side and some vases with plants sitting in front of a window. The house itself is various shades of brown, and while not quite mansion-sized, is definitely bigger than your average neighborhood house.

"Glad you guys could come!" Brea calls out to us when we walk onto the front porch.

"I'm hoping this is worth my time," Skylar mutters. It's the kind of muttering you use when you're trying to sound like you're joking when you're really not. Brea takes it as such and starts laughing. The three of us walk inside.

A woman who's either in her late thirties or early forties is at the sink in the kitchen, washing dishes. When she spots us, she smiles and says, "Why, hello there! Are these your new friends, Brea?"

"Yep. This is Skylar, and this is Avery," Brea replies, gesturing to each of us. We give polite waves and grins to Brea's mother.

"Alright, well, we need to get back to making some last minute touches before getting started on the project," Brea says, starting to walk upstairs to where I assume the bedrooms are. I'm guessing this is part of a lie she made up for her parents. I simply told my parents we were using this as a time to get to know each other, and while they didn't seem like that was a decent enough excuse for them to arrive home later than usual, it passed for them. Both Skylar and I know better to act confused about what Brea's saying in front of her mother, so we pretend we know what she's talking about and go upstairs with Brea.

Brea's room is pretty typical, to say the least. The walls are a light grey/blue shade, and her bed has two large, pink pillows and a large, white blanket. A small flatscreen TV rests on top of a dresser drawer directly across from the bed. Off in one corner is a brown desk with a lamp and a cup full of writing utensils, and in another corner is a pink makeup table.

"My mom thinks I'm working on a filming project for a 'get-to-know-you' activity in my homeroom, and you two are helping me with it," Brea tells us when we walk inside.

"Really? That's the best lie you could come up with?" Skylar sighs. Brea doesn't respond.

Brea hops onto her bed, and Skylar and I sit on either side of her. Brea opens up her school chromebook (they just started giving every student in the district their personal chromebook for use during school), opens up Google, and begins typing 'kaori's treasure' into the search bar. She clicks on the second result that pops up, which is an online news article for a website called, "Ancient Secrets Uncovered".