HAT’S THIS ALL about?”

Videoconference. Hi sat at his desk, dressed in his favorite Puma tracksuit. “I’m grounded for life, you know. My mother almost confiscated my modem.”

Shelton nodded. “If we weren’t moving to Cali, I’d be in permanent lockdown. Good thing my parents feel responsible somehow. They think I was acting out misplaced aggression, or some such psychobabble. Works for me.”

Ben’s face filled a third box on my screen. He was at his usual place on the couch in his father’s den, absently spinning a gold coin on the coffee table. “My guess. She wants to talk about the doubloons.”

Before turning in Short and the Bates brothers, Hi and Shelton hid the pouch and pages in a locker on Sewee. Secrecy seemed prudent. There are few rules regarding buried treasure, and we’d decided to take no chances.

“Actually, that’s not it.”

I was a bundle of nerves. My news was colossal.

Knowing me as they did, the boys sensed something was up.

“Brincefield ambushed me by the Dumpster this morning.”

All three talked at once.

“Relax,” I said. “We were wrong about him. Brincefield was just obsessed with finding his brother. He wanted to thank us.”

“Not buying it,” Shelton was shaking his head. “That man turns up everywhere. I think he’s a few beers short of a six pack.”

I chose my next words carefully. “Brincefield had some interesting things to say about the pages we found.”

“How did he know about them?” Ben asked in surprise.

I relayed our conversation.

“That’s great!” Hi was pumped. “Between the document and the gold coins, we might still rack up a decent payday. Maybe I could bribe my parents to release me.”

I tried to keep my own excitement in check. “This afternoon, I went back to the manuscript library.”

“What?” Shelton said. “Why?”

“They have another document guy, Dr. Andrews. I wanted an expert opinion.”

Hi nodded. “Smart idea. Could he say what the pages are worth?”

“How’d you get downtown?” Ben frowned. “Did you tell Kit about our find?”

“No way. I took the ferry, then a bus. Kit had a staff meeting at LIRI, so he was out on Loggerhead.” I shrugged. “What’s one more secret trip at this point?”

“What did the guy say?” Hi asked impatiently.

A smile spread my face. “The pages appear to be a lost section of the Irish Book of Kells.”

“That rings a faint bell,” Shelton said.

“Dear Lord.” Hi’s jaw went slack. He knew.

“What?” Ben sounded a bit defensive.

“The Book of Kells is an illustrated version of the Christian Gospels.” I tried not to rush my explanation. “It dates to the ninth century.”

“Where was it made?” Shelton asked.

“Scholars think the book was created at an abbey on Iona, a small island off the Scottish coast.”

“By whom?” Ben asked.

“Followers of Saint Columba.” I glanced at my notes. “Later the abbey was attacked and the monks fled to Kells on the Irish mainland, taking the book with them. Then Vikings stole it in 1007. The manuscript was later recovered, but no one knew for sure if any pages were missing.”

Ben scratched his chin. “What’s so special about it?”

Shelton was totally transfixed. Hi appeared to be hyperventilating.

“According to experts, the Book of Kells contains every design found in Celtic art. It’s considered the most striking manuscript ever produced in the Anglo-Saxon world. One of the great masterpieces of early Christian art.”

“Andrews really believes those pages are from the Book of Kells?” Hi croaked. “No kidding?”

I nodded. “He nearly had a heart attack.”

The boys gaped from their squares.

“I’m not kidding,” I laughed. “After examining the manuscript for ten minutes, he stood up and grabbed his chest. I thought he was going to pass out.”

“So it’s valuable?” Shelton was leaning forward, hands on his desk, nose inches from his webcam. “Really valuable?”

“The Book of Kells is the national treasure of Ireland, Shelton. They keep it on display at Trinity College in Dublin. Thousands pay to see it every week.”

“What are you saying?” Ben demanded.

“I’m saying we found a lost portion of one of the most famous books in history!” I shouted. “It’s like finding the Mona Lisa, or the statue of David!”

“We’ve got ten pages!” Hi ran a hand across his face. “What’s that worth, Tory? What did he say?”

“A lost folio from the Book of Kells would be among the rarest documents in the world. Andrews wouldn’t even guess, said the value was incalculable. Priceless.”

For a moment there was absolute silence.

Then bedlam.

Ben raised his arms above his head. Shelton, Hi, and I started jumping up and down, screaming incoherently.

Then, without warning, Hi disappeared. Seconds later I saw him streak across the lawn outside, shrieking like a madman.

I needed no invitation. In moments Coop and I were running beside him.

Ben appeared next, then Shelton. We formed a ragged circle and spun around like five-year-olds playing a mad version of Ring-Around-the-Rosie.

This embarrassment went on for a full minute.

I was the first to collapse on the grass, breathless and sweaty. The others dropped, one by one. We sprawled in a line, giddy, unable to believe our good fortune.

“I’m going be like that Facebook guy,” Hi said. “Or maybe Justin Timberlake. How much does a G6 cost?”

“Hold on!” I had to nip such talk in the bud. “Let’s not forget why we did this. We now have the money to save Loggerhead Island.”

“But we could be rich!” Hi whined. “Super rich! Buy-Ferraris-just-to-wreck-them rich! We could own a freaking NBA team!”

“We didn’t do this to get rich.” Ben. The voice of reason.

“That’s true,” Shelton said. “But you have to admit, millions of dollars is pretty tempting. It’s like the dream where you win the lottery. I don’t want to wake up.”

“If we sold the manuscript and divided the money, our pack would be split.” I sat up. “Our parents would move us hundreds of miles from each other. Sure, we’d have tons of cash. But that wouldn’t change who we are. What we are.”

“Virals,” Ben said, rising beside me. “Freaks.”

“And it’s not just us,” I reminded them. “What about Whisper and her family? What about the monkey colony, or the sea turtles that nest on the Loggerhead beaches? If we don’t come to the rescue, they’re all in danger.”

“We’ve found something worth millions, and you want to just give it up?” Hi still lay on his back. “I hate those endings! We could buy Loggerhead Island with that kind of money!”

“You’re not thinking straight.” I gently poked Hi’s shoulder. “It’s too dangerous to be a Viral alone. Who knows what could happen in the future? With our bodies. Our powers. Anything. All we can really count on is each other.”

“We need to stay low profile,” Ben said. “And together.”

“They’re right.” Shelton breathed the world’s deepest sigh. “I hate it, but it’s true. Our families would scatter. We wouldn’t be neighbors, classmates, maybe not even friends. That money is poison.”

“We have to be smart.” Ben reached across me and tapped Hi’s chest. “Guard our secrets.”

“But I wanna be a big baller!” Hi threw out his arms. “Make it rain up in the club!”

“You’d choose money over the pack?” I asked. “Fine. We can arrange that. Part of the treasure belongs to you, so it’s your choice. No one can force you.”

“Gaaaaaaah!” Hi pistoned his arms and legs in the air. “This blows!”

Ten more pumps, then he sat up. “Fine. Crush my dreams. What’s the plan?”

“We shock the world,” I said, slapping him on the back.

Circling up, we hashed out a plan.

“And Hi, let’s be clear,” I said when we’d finished. “Our priorities are preserving LIRI and protecting the pack.”

Hi started to speak, but I cut him off.

“But that doesn’t mean we have to come out empty-handed.”