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Fool's Advice "Ah, this is living." "Uh-huh." Brian stretched his body out in the hot, bubbly water and sighed. He could almost fall asleep in here. "And think, tomorrow we get to do it all over again." Brian had to splash AJ for ruining his blissful peace. He didn't want to think about doing another concert right now, it was too tiring. "Lazy," AJ teased gently, drifting towards sleep himself. He sighed as his muscles relaxed and he slipped deeper into the spa. "Hey guys, you'll never guess what I found!!!" The door burst open, the light flipped on, and both boys jumped a mile. "What?" Brian exclaimed. "Oh, were you guys resting?" Nick asked innocently. AJ snorted. "Anyway, I just found a treasure map!" "Go back to bed Frack." Brian knew his best friend too well and he knew Nick could be too naive sometimes. "No, it's real!" Nick stressed. "Sure it is." Brian rolled over in the spa and waiting for AJ to yell at Nick to get out. "Let me look at that," AJ asked instead. "Not you too!" B-Rok threw his hands up in defeat. Nick hurried over, bringing AJ a towel as he came. AJ quickly patter dry his muscular arms and draped the towel around his neck. He then took Nick's "treasure map" and examined it. "Where'd you get this?" He finally asked. "He bought it for the cheap, low price of one hundred dollars," Brian announced sarcastically. Nick swatted at Brian and B-Rok ducked his sandy head under the foamy water to escape. "No, it was the weirdest thing…" AJ shoved Brian under the water before he could interrupt with another comment. "Thank you. Well, I told Kev I was bored and he had someone go out and get me a book to read. It was this really neat book about pirates and lost treasure. And the end said it was a true story and that the treasure had never been found!" Nick exclaimed excitedly. "And the map came from where?" AJ prodded patiently. "Well," Nick glanced over and saw he'd captured Brian's attention as well. "Well, I went back to the library and checked the computers. I found this really old atlas that sailors used. And inside it was this loose piece of paper and when I opened it, it was the treasure map to the same treasure I'd been reading about!" "Wow, where is it supposed to be?" Brian grabbed the map then stopped. "Not that I believe this nonsense or anything." But both AJ and Nick knew he was hooked. AJ stepped out of the steamy water and toweled himself off. "Guess that means there's only one thing left to do." "What's that?" Nick asked. "Get Train and D out of bed and get down to that island!"Despite initial arguments, both Kevin and Howie agreed to come on the treasure hunt, for a little "R & R." Brian stepped off the boat and was instantly glad he'd opted for cut-off jeans and a white muscle shirt. The air was hot and heavy and he was already starting to sweat. Bri pushed his damp bangs from his brow and pulled on his borrowed pair of sunglasses. "Where do we start?" He asked. "We start by half setting up camp and half scouting the island." Despite his dominance, everyone had to admit Kevin had a good idea. "You're so smart cous." Brian gave Kevin a quick hug. "I'll lead the survey team!" "I'll stay here." Nick looked like the long boat ride had not agreed with him. "I'll stay with Nicky," Howie volunteered. AJ and Kevin exchanged a look and both went with Brian. The scouting team found they were on a relatively small island, with jungle terrain and definitely some animal life. They found what looked like small, dormant volcanoes and some coconut trees. Kevin found a fresh water stream, which they all gladly drank from. Then, based on the quickly setting sun, the group decided to head back. They found Nick and Howie had chose a flat, grassy spot near several trees and had set up the tent. They had also created a sturdy fence with wire and wood, encircling their camp. "Great job guys!" AJ gushed. "And what is that wonderful smell?" "It's hotdogs. But we have to be careful, or we could attract animals." The guys got settled and Howie passed out supper as Brian gave their report on the island. "And so I think we'll be all set to start following the map tomorrow morning," Brian finished. He poured the remainder of his water onto the fire and headed for the tent. "We should sleep now, it'll be an early morning." With that, the rest of the group filed in after Brian.Howie sat straight up in his sleeping bag. Not only had he been having an awful nightmare, he heard noises. Slowly, he got up, aware he was clad only in his pair of silk boxers. He grabbed a flashlight and slipped out of the tent. When he flipped the light on, Howie found himself faced with… a pig? However, after noticing the thick tusks and large, muscular body, Howie came to the conclusion he was facing a boar. A startled, hungry boar, who'd been rooting through their food. "Some fence," he couldn't help but mutter. The boar let out a snort and Howie realized he'd better do something or he'd have a rampaging animal on the loose. "Well they always say music calms the savage beast," he thought. So Howie started softly singing All I Have to Give. He wasn't sure of the effect, but after a minute another voice joined his. Howie smiled gratefully as his best friend immerged from the tent. Their harmonizing seemed to convince the boar and it slowly stalked away. "It worked! We calmed it down by singing to it!" Howie whispered. "That, or it realized it was outnumbered," AJ put in softly. Howie chuckled. "Come on, you've got to be freezing." AJ put an arm around Howie's bare shoulders and led him back into the tent. "What are we doing? We could get hurt here!" Howie realized. "Shhh," AJ draped a blanket around Howie's shoulders and sat down next to him. "I think everybody just needed a little rest, a diversion. Think of it as a vacation, Backstreet style." "It's a foolhardy adventure that could land us in real trouble!" "And that's what makes it interesting? Am I right D?" Howie couldn't help but slowly smile at AJ's infectious grin. "I guess so." "Well I know so, so get some rest. Like Rok said, it's gonna be an early morning.""Wow, what a refreshing sleep." "And what a refreshing way to start the day." Nick and Brian conversed as they bathed in the fresh water stream. They had simply intended to carry water back for breakfast, but the steam rising off the crystal appearance of the water had proven too great a temptation. "We should go." Brian gave Nick one last huge splash and climbed out of the water. Nick quickly followed. "Boy, its rue took you two a long time to get a little water," Kevin teased when they both reappeared, water dripping off them in the sunlight. "We're sorry," Nick assured, plunking down a bucket of water. "Very," B-Rok agreed. "What's for breakfast?" Kevin laughed at his cousin's hearty appetite and allowed him to steal a sausage. "I think from now on we have to keep our food off the ground." All eyes turned to Howie, as he and AJ entered. "I caught an animal in it last night." "Good idea," Kev agreed. "I feel like Swiss Family Robinson!" Brain remarked gleefully. AJ cuffed Brian over the head playfully. Then he got serious. "Howie could've gotten hurt last night, it was a boar. We need to be more careful." "No we don't! All we need to do is find the treasure today and then go home. Easy as that," Nick argued. No one said anything, wanting to stay out of the middle of a fight. "That's so like you," AJ narrowed his eyes. "What is?" Nick demanded. "You're irresponsible!" "Hey!" Kevin jumped in the middle before the fight could go any further. "Let's eat breakfast, then go follow the map. Remember, this is supposed to be a vacation." "Yeah come on guys, please don't fight." Brian put on his most sincere puppy-dog face and succeeded in making both boys look away and smile. "Good, let's go."A short while later, all five boys were hot and sweaty, as they trudged through a jungle-like forest. "According to the map, the jungle ends right up here - but I can't tell what it becomes." Nick showed Brian the map, who frowned at the odd lines on it. "Well, let's find out. Can't be worse than this jungle." With this said, Kevin strode ahead confidently. He disappeared from view and suddenly the boys heard a loud gasp, followed by some crashing noises. They all hurried forward, but Howie managed to stop them before they repeated Kevin's mistake. Where the forest ended was a steep, slick down-slope of a hill, which Kevin had fallen down. He lay at the bottom, unmoving. "Kevin!" Brian shouted and charged down the slope. He ended up sliding down the end, but got to the bottom unharmed. The othersquickly followed suit. "Kevin talk to me," Brian pleaded. Kevin's resulting moan calmed everyone somewhat. "Let me see. Kevin, what hurts?" Howie carefully rolled Kevin over. Kevin gasped at the movement and groaned. The angle of his arm assured that it was broken, but that was the only obvious injury. "Is your arm the only thing that hurts?" Howie asked, forcing himself to stay calm. "Breath… chest…" Kevin wheezed out. "He probably broke some ribs. It'll be okay, we just need splints and bandages." AJ quickly took charge. "Nick, I want you to find the two straightest branches you can. Howie, I want you to rip my shirt and yours into strips for bandages." With this, AJ pulled off his t-shirt."And Brian," AJ turned Brian's tear-streaked face to look directly into his. "I need you to calm down. Talk to Kevy, keep him calm, and don't let him talk or move. Okay?" At Brian's feeble nod, AJ gave him a huge hug. Then he turned his attention to Kevin. A short time later, Kevin's arm was splinted and his ribs bandaged. Howie was feeding him lots of water. "Now what?" A much calmer Brian addressed the other two. "We head back." AJ stated flatly. "No! We couldn't get back up there anyway, so we might as well follow the map!" Nick argued. The two glared at each other. "The boat is supposed to pick us up on the far side of the island anyway, so we might as well finish what we've started." Kevin's calm, collected voice broke into the argument. "Are you feeling better?" Brian was instantly at his cousin's side. "I'm okay. And I say we do it." Kevin sounded determined. "Just more carefully," Howie added. AJ threw his hands up. "Let's go."It was a long, hot, tiring day with each of the boys taking turns helping Kevin walk. Progress was slow and the obstacles, many. "Okay, according to the map we should be able to see the cave by now. It's," Nick studied the horizon. "That way." Everyone looked but it was Brian who saw it first. "Over there!" He broke off at a run towards the large, looming cave. "Slow down!" AJ called as he helped Kevin. Once everyone was inside the cave, they took time to sit down and cool off. Brian and Nick both pulled off their shirts and squirted water down their chests. Howie guzzled water and AJ just made sure Kevin was all right. "Well, everybody ready?" Brian shivered with anticipation. Nick flipped his flashlight on. "Follow me!" With that, he led the group into darkness."Eww! Spiders!" B-Rok yanked his hand away from the wall. "Don't touch anything!" Nick chastised. "Sorry." Brian grumped. "We have to be getting close now." "I hope so - it smells nasty down here." Howie exclaimed, getting giggles from the others. "So we turn here?" Brian peered over Nick's shoulder to examine the map. "I think so…" "!Dios mio!" Howie interrupted. Everyone quickly clumped around him and shown their lights on…. bones. "I think they're human." Howie knelt down and picked one up, much to everyone's disapproval. "Howie, it could have diseases or something," AJ protested. "Calm down. I think it's an arm bone." Howie looked at the others, fear in his eyes. "Frack, is there something you didn't tell us?" Brian accused. "No!" "Like a curse or something?" Bri prodded. "Well… I thought it was silly," Nick shrugged. "Oh great! What is it?" AJ demanded, trying not to throttle Nick. "Just that the pirate's ghost guards the treasure." Kevin grabbed AJ's arm before he wailed on Nick. "Guys, it's just superstition. We have nothing to worry about." "Nothing to worry about? You already have broken bones and we found a skeleton and now there's a vengeful ghost on the loose and we have nothing to worry about?" Howie tended to be very superstitious. "Look, panic will get us nowhere. We have a treasure to find, and then we can go home. Okay?" Kevin's voice managed to calm everyone and bring them to agreement. "It's not too much further anyway," Brian added. "So let's do it."Finally, the five stumbled into a cavern that was filled with sharp, pointy rocks and spooky shadows. "The Bat Cave!" Brian exclaimed, getting grins. "I think it's the treasure!" All five rushed towards the center of the cavern and the chests piled there. Suddenly, a tremendous screeching noise filled the cavern and projectiles began hitting the boys. "I think it's bats!" They realized Brian's guess was true as the thousands of bats that lived in the cave swooped and attacked the intruders. "Run!!!" All five boys sprinted towards the tunnel they'd followed in. The demon bats chased them. Finally, one-by-one the boys emerged from the cave, screaming and out of breath. The bats took to the sky and disappeared as a single black storm cloud. "Everyone okay?" AJ gasped. Shaky nods followed his question. "Good, let's get out of here." "But the treasure!" Nick exclaimed. "Nickolas! Look what has happened since we got to this island. Howie was almost attacked by a boar, Kevin broke an arm and some ribs, we found a skeleton, and we were chased by demonic bats that bit me! We are going home!" Nick broke down at AJ's angry torrent. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry guys! I just wanted to have some fun! I didn't want anyone to get hurt." He started crying. Brian wrapped his arms around his best friends. "Let's just go home. Please. To what we know, and what we're good at."Brian looked around the group with large, pleading eyes. "Let's go home." Kevin grabbed Nick's arm and helped pull him up. As a group, they headed towards the shore, and home. |