After sneaking out of the house to avoid my dad, I go to the garage to grab my bike to head to the park and meet Reece. I pedal away and admire the sunset over the horizon, nightfall soon approaching. My legs were sore from working earlier, but that wouldn't stop me from showing Auriferous to Reece. The temperature cools down whenever the sun disappears, making the journey much easier. The park wasn't too far away, so I'll make it there before Reece will. I bike down the street and take a right at the first intersection, nearing my destination. My hair blows in the wind as I arrive at the entranceway, getting off of my bike and walking over to the table area. There's a figure sitting in the middle, unknowing of who it could be. After getting a closer look I notice it's Reece, waiting for me while using his phone. He looks up at me with a smile.

Reece says, "Let's see it, I've been anticipating this since your phone call."

I grab my back and turn it around, unzipping it and taking out the book. I place it down on the table and sit, opening up the cover and admiring the faded words. I look over to Reece and give him a happy look.

"You realize what this could mean right? We can become rich and be set for life."

Reece stares intensely, turning the pages before me. He licks the tip of his finger and flips each corner. I ponder over his statement, and he was right. My family and I could certainly use the money, but I wouldn't get my hopes up yet.

I sit with a fist below my chin.

"We can't be certain that we've stumbled across a real buried treasure. For all we know, it could be a total sham. Besides Reece, how would we be able to find it? It could be anywhere in the world."

I began to worry as the thought had finally entered my head. After all, it was found inside of a chimney at a random house. My face turns pale and panic fills my body, questioning if Auriferous could be real.

Reece sees my visible frustration and begins to comfort me.

"We have a lot more of this to read Vince, don't worry yet. Each page says a new feature and destination we have to go to. All we gotta do is start at page 1 and see where the story takes us."

I let out a sigh of relief, happy for his reassurance. I turn to the side and take a look at the book, attempting to read the words. It was difficult trying to understand but it almost looks like a puzzle to be solved. The closer I look, the more I begin to understand the text in front of me. The letters weren't faded, the darker ones were spelling out the city name.

I look up at Reece with my eyes wide open saying, "It says 'Haldorv'. That's where we have to go to find out our next destination. This entire book is sending us on a wild goose chase."

After I finish, Reece stands up and throws his hands up in the air with pure excitement. His smile was larger than the Pacific Ocean.

"We need to figure out what exactly it's trying to say. There has to be more information we can't see." Reece sits back down and brainstorms ideas of what the next move should be. He says, "It'll be difficult, and we just need to keep working on cracking the book's code. We'll figure this out together, one way or another. Besides, how sweet would it be to become millionaires as teenagers? Not many people can say the same."

I laugh and nod my head in agreement, excited that Reece was fully onboard. I look at him and say, "Alright, it's time to get going. I have to get back home before my parents realize I've left. Let's catch up more tomorrow."

I grab Auriferous and throw it into my bag, zipping it back up and slinging it over my shoulder. I walk over to my bike and pick it up, standing it up straight and sitting on the seat. Reece brought his skateboard, but he always rode it without a helmet. I strap my on and begin to pedal, about to leave the park.

I turn my head to Reece and say, "Be here tomorrow, right after school. I'll meet you here."

Reece nods in reassurance and waves me goodbye, then he goes on his way.

I exit the park and turn left onto the street, and I begin traveling back to my house. The wind blew in my face, the breeze feeling much better than the scorching heat. I knew it was almost dinner time, and my dad will notice I left the house soon. My thighs grew sore as I pedal onward, thinking about Auriferous and its meaning.

Could this seriously be buried treasure? The chances of a random book I stumbled upon being accurate doesn't make much sense.

I turn down my street as I pass by the houses, the breeze hitting me on my face. My tires screech as I pedal faster to my house, seeing the blue color on the outside. I make it to the driveway and into the garage, throwing my bike and helmet down as I arrive and sprint inside quickly. When I enter, I can hear my parents in the kitchen. Shutting the door behind me, I turn the corner to the kitchen and make eye contact with my dad.

He turns to me and says, "Dinner is done, made us some spaghetti."

"Alright dad," I say while catching my breath. "I'm going up to put my bag down, then I'll be back down."

He nods and I walk back, going up the stairs and up into my room. Closing my door behind me, I take my bag off and throw it down at my closet. I bend down and take Auriferous out, admiring it and thinking what it could truly entail. I stand up straight, and my bedroom door opens up wide. To my surprise, my sister Andrea walks in.

She says, "Dinner is done, dad wanted me to tell you but I forgot." She stares at me like I have three heads, confused about the book I'm holding. I quickly turn in front of her and hold the book behind my back.

"I talked to dad downstairs, I'll be down in a minute."

Andrea looks at me and shrugs her shoulders, heading downstairs to the kitchen. I let out a loud sigh, happy my secret wasn't exposed. I turn to my desk and place the book in my drawer, covering it with a notebook. Standing back, I walk to my door and exit. The stairs creak as I walk down each step, reaching the kitchen at the bottom. I walk in and over towards the dinner table, sitting down in my chair and waiting for my dad to bring the food. I grab a napkin and place it on my lap, ready to eat dinner with my family.

My mother looks at me and says, "So, how was your first time working with your dad today?"

I twirl my spaghetti on the plate in front of me, hand on my chin as I look up at my mother. "It was fun, I definitely went into it too lightly at first, but I got the hang of it. What do you think dad?"

My dad chuckles as he grabs a fork and plates his food, sitting down and diving into it. He looks so hungry you'd think he hasn't eaten in weeks. He says, "It was good son, tomorrow you'll be the one doing the nailing. I'll teach you some tips to get better, it's easy once you get the hang of it."

I would rather stay home and read more of Auriferous, but I wouldn't turn my father away. He needs my help and I swore I'd be his assistant this summer. Every day that passes by is another day lost from the treasure, so I didn't want to take too much time. I ate my dinner as the time passes by, and my parents talk about their days. I finish eating and stand up, grabbing my utensils and plate and bringing them over to the sink to be washed.

My father looks over at me and puts her hand up.

"You can leave that in the sink son, I'll do the dishes tonight." It was rare for him to say those words, so he must've been in a good mood.

"Alright," I say. "I appreciate that, thanks for cooking dinner." I leave my parents and sister at the table with a smile and walk out of the kitchen and up the stairs, right into my room. I close my door and gather my belongings to bring into the bathroom to freshen up before sleeping. I knew dad and I have to be awake by six, so it would be smarter to get some shut-eye early. I leave my room and enter my bathroom, closing the door behind me. Turning the knobs to the perfect temperature, I take off my clothes and hop into the tub. The water felt like a warm stream of a waterfall falling onto my body. After cleaning myself off I get out, grab my towel, tie it around my waist, and walk over to the sink to brush my teeth. I grab my toothbrush and toothpaste, prep my brush, and place it in my mouth. I scrub until the white falls off of my teeth, spitting and cleaning up before exiting the bathroom. Entering my room I grab clean pajamas and put them on, about to go to sleep. I turn off the light of my ceiling fan, jumping into my bed where I rest my head and close my eyes. I fall asleep quickly, ready for my shift in the morning.