Buried Secrets at Louisbourg by Jo Ann Yhard

managed to croak. “You can’t.”
    Grace laughed. “You’re freaking out. Chill, Freddo. I won’t tell.”
    He managed to suck in a breath at that. Life might not be ending after all.
    â€œYou really think that’s full of jewels?” Grace said, pointing toward the box.
    Fred blinked. Man, it was hard to figure out girls. Their heads zigzagged all over the place. In a split second, she switched from threatening to tell the biggest secret of his life, to the thing that was going to save his life: his treasure.
    â€œWell?”
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œGuess you won’t have to worry about, you know…food…anymore, huh?”
    WHAM!
A punch to the gut. He’d forgotten all about the food bank disaster. “Guess not…”
    â€œWhat about your dad’s dive shop?” Grace said. “I mean, none of us are rich. Well, except maybe Mai. But you always had…stuff.”
    â€œDad lost the shop. It closed a couple of weeks ago.”
    â€œOh.”
    Fred closed his eyes. “And then Mom couldn’t go back to the bakery. They hired someone else. Not that it mattered. She couldn’t have climbed up and down those stairs all day anymore, so…” He drifted off. It had happened overnight almost. Lots of food and an allowance…then suddenly bare cupboards. No chocolate milk. No favourite cereal. No choco stash.
    â€œWhat happened to your mom?”
    â€œLong story.”
    â€œSorry,” Grace mumbled. “Why didn’t you call us? We could have—”
    â€œIt doesn’t matter now,” he butted in. “I’m going to fix everything. We’ll even get a new house, maybe—a big one. A big, flat one with no stairs.”
    Grace stared at him for a second, then grinned. “Yeah, you better get that choco stash back, too. I can’t take Mai’s disgusting granola crap much longer.”
    Fred laughed. “I know, it’s
gross.”
    â€œWhat’s gross?” Mai asked.
    Grace looked over at Fred and they both laughed even harder.
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œNothing,” Grace said. “Inside joke.”
    * * *
    Fred tossed and turned in his sleeping bag. He had safely hidden the box. He looked over at his dad’s empty sleeping bag for the hundredth time. It was after midnight and he’d been gone since supper. Where was he?
    He could hear a low rumble. It sounded like snoring. Was it Mai? No way, he decided immediately. Mai didn’t snore. It had to be Grace.
    CRRUNCH!
    Someone was outside the tent!
    Fred held his breath. Maybe it was Grace or Mai, going to the bathroom or something.
    He heard the sound of a match being struck. A faint smell of cigarette smoke drifted in through the tent opening. Rolling over, he peered through the sliver of the tent entrance. His father was standing perfectly still, facing the water. The moon was perched round as a beach ball over his head.
    â€œBetter get it tomorrow,” his father said softly.
    Fred pulled his sleeping bag up past his chin and closed his eyes just as his dad entered the tent. He tried to breathe slowly, as if he was asleep. Cold droplets hit his face from above. He concentrated on not moving. Pretending. He didn’t know why. He could feel his father standing over him.
    Fred still didn’t budge. Eventually, his father continued to the other side of the tent. Fred dared open one eye and saw him getting changed.
    SQUELCH!
    The clothes sounded heavy as they hit the floor.
    He remained perfectly still until he heard his father’s breathing eventually slow. He was finally asleep. Fred licked his lips. The dripped liquid was…salty. Sea water? He quietly reached his hand over, feeling for the pile of clothes. They were soaking wet.
    Fred lay there, wide awake as the fortress slept. What was his father doing out in the ocean in the middle of the night?

Chapter 10

    â€œNo way am I wearing this.”
    â€œYou