Chapter 1:
Taylor Hanson stared tiredly out the car window at the passing landmarks. It had once been exciting to see famous and historical buildings, but it was fast becoming old hat to the young teen. He smiled sadly at his reflection in the glass of the window. Maybe if he wasn't so tired, he would be more excited. The plane that had brought Taylor and his two brothers to London had been forced to circle Heathrow Airport for what seemed an eternity due to heavy fog. Then, when they had finally managed to disembark, they had been mobbed by excited fans, eager for a glimpse of the famous brothers. Taylor had signed autographs until his hand hurt. He didn't really mind, after all, it was fans like those that had helped skyrocket his new-found career. It was just that the teen was beyond exhausted. His body insisted to his brain that it was the middle of the night, though his eyes sent a conflicting message that it was mid-morning. He leaned back in the car seat with a deep sigh. He would never get used to the time differences when traveling.
"Hey, Tay! Wake up!"
Taylor opened his eyes and shot his younger brother a glare. Where did Zac find his energy? The kid was practically bouncing in his enthusiasm. They had the same genes, the same lifestyles, the same DNA...so why hadn't Tay inherited some extra energy?
"You're missing all the cool stuff," Zac declared, pointing out the window.
"Seen it before," Tay said, closing his eyes again. "I don't think these buildings have changed much since we were here last."
Zac laughed and grabbed another handful of pretzels from the bag on the seat between the brothers. Taylor opened one eye and watched Zac inhale the salty snacks. Pretzels for breakfast! Taylor's stomach churned at the thought. His glance strayed beyond the bouncing kid to his older brother. Isaac was leaning against the opposite side of the car, apparently fast asleep. At least one of them was getting some rest. Taylor settled back as best he could on the hard cushions of the seat and let his mind turn to thoughts of the big, soft bed that he knew awaited him at the hotel.
He had just dozed off to the happy thoughts when Zac's squeal of delight woke him. "All right!! Would you check that out!"
Taylor sat up until he could see out the front windshield. What he saw brought a groan from his mouth. The car was pulling up to the front entrance of the hotel. Blocking the huge doors to the building, however, were what looked like hundreds of fans, mostly young girls. Any other time, Taylor would have been impressed by the reception. Today, he was too exhausted to work up the enthusiasm.
As the car pulled closer and the fans could see into the windows, they began to get louder. Taylor had to force himself not to sink down into the seat.
"Come on, Tay," Isaac said, suppressing a yawn and rubbing his eyes. "These are our fans." He emphasized the last word with a huge grin. "They made us what we are, man. We owe them. So, put on a smile and be polite. We'll sign a few autographs and still be in bed by lunch time."
Isaac was right; Taylor knew that. They did owe their fans, and an autograph or picture was a small price to pay for the fame these guys had bestowed upon them. As the bell-man opened the door, Taylor found he didn't have to force the smile after all.
At first the noise was deafening. The crowd was chanting the name Hanson and pushing forward to get a glimpse of the boys. Hotel employees had formed a human chain to hold back the screaming fans and allow the brothers to get safely to the hotel lobby. But, rather than seek that safety, the boys moved closer to the crowd and began greeting their fans. They shook hands with some and took the offered paper and pens to scribble their names for others.
Taylor found himself forgetting his exhaustion. There was something exhilaration about meeting the fans like this. It set his adrenaline flowing. It was almost as big a rush as being on stage performing. He signed his name to everything that was shoved his way - autograph books, CD covers, posters, t-shirts, even torn scraps of paper. Soon the crowd settled down and began to thin out somewhat. The items to sign were shoved forward less frequently, and Taylor found he actually had time to make eye contact with each fan as he reached for the item.
Taylor smile at one particularly attractive girl, around his own age, as she pushed forward with a scrap of paper. She returned the smile and handed him the paper. Taylor accepted it and the pen she offered and bent to scribble his name. When he looked back up to return the autograph, the girl was no where to be seen. He scanned the thinning crowd, but saw no sign of her. Confused, he shoved the paper into his jacket pocket and pushed aside the thoughts of the mysterious girl as another CD was shoved forward for him to sign.
* * * * * Even Zac was dragging when the Hanson brothers finally stepped from the elevator onto their floor. It was only mid-day, but the three boys had identical thoughts of a dark room, a soft bed, and several hours of uninterrupted sleep. They followed Mr. Hodges, their London coordinator, and the bell men carrying their luggage down the hall to their suite of rooms.
Inside the rooms, Mr. Hodges took charge of the distribution of the luggage and tipping of the employees. Once everything was handled to his satisfaction, he said, "Okay, boys, ready for lunch?" He was greeted by silence. A short search revealed that the brothers had each staked out a bed and fallen across it and were now fast asleep. With a smile, Mr. Hodges left a note for the brothers on the memo pad beside the phone and stole quietly from the room, locking the doors behind himself.
* * * * * "Tay, come on, I'm starving!"
If Zac knew how close he was to losing the hand that was shaking his shoulder, Taylor thought, he would back off. The young man rolled over, trying to ignore the persistence of his brother.
"Isaac," Zac yelled, almost in Taylor's ear, "see what you can do with him. If I don't eat soon, I'll be too weak to even make it down to the dining room. You guys are going to have to carry me."
Taylor smiled into his pillow at Zac's overly-dramatic plea.
"Come on, sleepy-head," Isaac's deeper voice called from the outer room. "I'm getting a little hungry myself."
Taylor was comfortable and had no intentions of moving, but an embarrassing growl from his own stomach convinced him otherwise. He heard Zac giggling as he rolled over and threw his feet to the floor. "All right! I'm moving! Give me a few minutes to change."
It took less time than that for Taylor to splash some cold water on his face and change into something less rumpled. Grabbing his jacket from the back of a chair by the door, he raced into the hall behind his brothers. It wasn't until they were in the elevator that Taylor stuck his hand into the pocket of his jacket and found the paper he had signed for the mystery girl earlier. He pulled it out, intending to drop it into the closest trash can, but was stopped when he caught sight of the writing on the back. He carefully smoothed out the crumpled paper and began reading.
Follow the directions carefully. You know the consequences if you fail.
Below the words was a hastily drawn pencil sketch that looked for all the world like a map. Several places on the map had been marked out and one had been circled. Taylor's eyes widened as he took in the cryptic words and sketch. He turned the paper around, studying the handmade map from different angles, but still didn't recognize any of the landmarks. Not surprising, really, considering he hadn't spent that much time in London. He was so intent on his study of the map, he didn't notice that the elevator had stopped and his brothers had exited.
"Would you like us to have your meal served in here?" Isaac asked with a grin.
Taylor looked up, then stepped from the elevator into the crowded lobby. He moved a few steps away from the open elevator door to avoid the older couple that was getting on. "Guys, check this out!" He excitedly waved the paper in Isaac's direction.
"Hold it still," Isaac said, trying to see what Taylor found so interesting.
Taylor handed the paper to his older brother and waited patiently while Isaac looked it over. Zac stood on tip-toe in an attempt to read the note. Finally, Isaac looked up. "What is it?"
"I dunno," Taylor admitted. "It was on the back of something someone gave me to sign out front earlier. She handed it to me, but when I signed it and went to hand it back, she was gone. Poof, just vanished."
"Like magic?" Zac asked skeptically.
"More like she disappeared into the crowd," Isaac reasoned. "Right, Tay?"
Taylor liked his description much better. It sounded more exciting. But he was forced to agree with Isaac. "Yeah, well, probably, but you have to admit, it is mysterious."
Isaac looked back down at the paper. Taylor could see he was thinking about it. That was one thing he admired about his older brother: Isaac always considered things very carefully before he offered an opinion. Like Taylor had in the elevator, Isaac turned the paper around in his hands.
"I guess it is mysterious, but that doesn't mean it's any of our business," the older Hanson concluded.
"She wanted us to find that map," Taylor argued. "That's why she disappeared like that."
"That doesn't make sense." Isaac wasn't convinced. "What would be the point?"
"Maybe she wants us to follow the map," Zac suggested.
Isaac laughed. "You've read too many Hardy Boys mysteries. I suppose you think there's a treasure at the end of the map?"
"Hey, it could happen," Zac protested.
"Right," Isaac said, "and cows can fly."
"Come on, you guys," Taylor interrupted. "I'm trying to be serious here. If she didn't want me to get that map, then why did she split?" He paused, then changed tactics. "Aren't you the least bit curious to know what it's all about?"
Isaac frowned and looked down at the map again. "Maybe a little bit," he admitted at last. "But it could just be a game or something."
"You mean, like a scavenger hunt?" Even Zac was curious now.
"Well, then, what could be the harm in tracking it down?" Taylor suggested with a smile.
"We don't even know if this map is of London," Isaac protested. He paused and thought a minute. "But I suppose it would be easy enough to find out."
"Mr. Hodges won't be back until late this afternoon," Taylor pointed out. "That gives us plenty of time to check this out."
"Well, could we at least eat something first," Zac asked. "I'm wasting away here."
* * * * * to be continued...