CHAPTER 26

Our waiter brought us steaming plates of seafood pasta, so Beck and I decided to let off a little steam.

We put a new spin on our Twin Tirades. Instead of taking each other on, we turned on Mom and Dad, who, by the way, decided to label this kind of outburst, if it ever happened again, a Twin Tantrum.

“This is so unfair,” said Beck.

“It is egregiously unfair!” I added.

“You guys aren’t the boss of us!” said Beck.

“Well, technically, you are until we turn eighteen,” I said. “Unless we’re in Denmark, then it would be sixteen. Same in Liechtenstein.”

“But that’s not the point!” said Beck.

“No,” I said, “the point is, you weren’t with us when Nathan Collier was doing all that nefarious, despicable, and malicious stuff while we were busy trying to rescue you guys!”

“He was also evil,” added Beck.

“That’s what all those words I just used mean,” I told her.

“Then why didn’t you just say evil?”

“Because I’m a writer!”

“No, you’re a wronger.”

Yep. Our Twin Tantrum had morphed back into a Twin Tirade (number 1,104, if you’re keeping score at home).

“Wronger isn’t even a word,” I shouted at Beck. “You’d have to say more wrong.”

“Fine. Bick, you’re a more wrong.”

“Oooh. That doesn’t sound nice.”

“You’re right. Sorry.”

“No worries.”

“It’ll never happen again.”

“Great.”

“So we’re cool?”

“Totally.”

Chet Collier was gawking at us. Understandable. He’d never witnessed the fast-moving fury of a Twin Tirade or a Twin Tantrum. Storm and Tommy, however, were rolling their eyes at us. They’d seen too many of our eruptions. Like, 1,103 too many.

Mom and Dad shook their heads and laughed.

“How about us?” asked Dad. “Are we cool, too?”

Beck and I both gave him a look like we were willing to think about it.

“You guys,” said Mom, “having Mr. Collier and his camera recording whatever we discover will help us achieve our ultimate goals: Doing what is best for the people of Peru. And helping to save the planet.”

“Turning me into an international superstar,” added Tommy.

Beck and I sighed simultaneously.

“Fine,” I said. “Mr. Collier can come with us.”

“Awesome!” said Chet. “Where to first?”

Dad turned to Storm.

“We have a ways to go until we reach the Andes Mountains and then the rain forest,” she said, prying open her laptop. She tapped a couple keys and called up her map app.

Chet tried to peek at it.

Storm slammed the lid shut.

“You don’t need to see the map,” she told Collier. “You just need to follow us with your camera.”

“Riiiight,” said Chet.

“We need to go to Cuzco,” Storm announced. “The historic capital of the ancient Incan Empire.”

“Cool,” said Chet. “Was Cuzco on the map?”

“No,” said Storm. “This is a treasure map. It doesn’t spell things out for you, Mr. Collier, it makes you use your brain. Otherwise, anybody could find the treasure. Including your father!”

“Remind me, Storm,” said Dad. “What were the graphics that helped you decipher Cuzco?”

“An owl perched on a rock.”

“Well done!” said Dad, pulling out his high-tech satellite phone. “I’ll contact Jorge. Ask him to prep the Platypus. We need to fly to Cuzco!”