Free Trapped by S. A. Bodeen

really wanted to ask that question; he was afraid of what the answer would be. “We’ll have to trick him, somehow.” He glanced at his mom, who was still sleeping. “I guess we sit here and figure it out.”
    Sarah pointed. “What’s that?”
    Marco swiveled in the direction she was pointing. The book he’d carried up from the beach lay in the sand. “Oh, I pulled it off the Moonflight . Cash had it.”
    Sarah retrieved the book, then plopped back down and started to page through it. Ahab pushed his nose into it, and she gently shoved him aside. “Have you read it?” Then she rolled her eyes. “Oh, right. Dumb question. You don’t read.”
    â€œI read.” Marco frowned. “I read your Harry Potter on the plane.”
    She raised her eyebrows. “You did?”
    He nodded.
    She frowned a little. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
    â€œI didn’t want you to be right.” Marco shrugged. “Or I guess I didn’t want to give you the satisfaction of being right.”
    She grinned. “So you liked it?”
    â€œYeah. But I didn’t want you to know that…” He stopped, unsure he trusted her enough to tell her.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI’ve never been a big reader, but not because I don’t like the stories. Reading has always been hard for me.” He swallowed. “It’s better than it used to be. It helps if the book is really interesting.”
    Sarah sucked on her lower lip for a moment. “I’m sorry that I made such a big deal about you not reading Harry Potter before.”
    â€œDoesn’t matter.” Marco smiled. “I plan on borrowing the rest when we get back home. But then you have to watch the movies with me.”
    â€œIt’s a deal.” Sarah dropped her head back down to read. “So this is actually kind of cool. All these treasures that are supposed to exist, but the people who lost them are the only ones who seem to have ever seen them.”
    â€œLike what kind of treasures?” asked Marco.
    Sarah set a finger on a page. “Well, like the Ark of the Covenant from the Bible for one.”
    â€œLike in that old Indiana Jones movie?” asked Marco.
    Sarah nodded. “But it’s supposed to be real. And it’s in Ethiopia.”
    Marco had had enough of having to believe things that seemed impossible. He was done for the day. He dropped to his side and rested his head on his arm. He yawned and shut his eyes as he heard another page turn.
    Sarah said, “Here’s another one. Some samurai sword that is supposed to be magic.”
    Another page flipped.
    Marco was so tired he began to doze off.
    Sarah kept talking. “Here’s a tribe that claims they were visited by aliens. The aliens gave them a gift, but treasure hunters stole it and it’s never been seen again.…”
    Silence. No more pages.
    â€œMarco.”
    He sighed. “What?”
    â€œGet this. The tribe says the aliens were mermaids—and mermen.”
    Marco’s eyes snapped open. “Did you say mermaids?”
    Sarah pointed. “Does that look familiar to you?”
    Marco sat up and grabbed the book from Sarah. A black-and-white drawing filled the two-page spread. A wooden box, with intricate drawings and ancient lettering. Lettering he had seen before.
    His eyes locked with Sarah’s. She quickly jumped up and ran over to the chest from the Moonflight . She yanked the towel off just as Marco got there, Ahab panting at his side.
    His heart began to pound. “Oh, wow .”
    The two stood there, gazes shifting between the drawing and the chest.
    They were the same.
    Marco hesitated. Or did he only wish they were the same? He asked Sarah, “It’s the same, right?”
    â€œIt’s definitely the same.” Sarah had a funny look on her face. “I think Cash saw it before. I think this is what the bad guy on her boat