Chapter Eight: Reveal Party:

“Uh… What was all of this for?” T.J. asked. The old man smiled.

“I just wanted to make things more interesting,” he said. T.J., Noiz, and Emerald stared at him, still confused.

“You just wanted another party, right?” Noiz asked.

“Uh-huh,” Pat said. He looked up at the sky. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” The trio looked up with him. They had to admit. This was treasure was pretty cool.

“How long before the others come here?” Emerald asked. Noiz was about to speak when they heard the footsteps getting closer. Everyone looked up to see Sarah running out of the bushes.

“Hey,” Noiz said, waving. Two more footsteps ran after her. Diamond and Iris managed to catch up. The Italian girl knelt down, panting.

“I thought I was going to die!” she complained.

“Hi, Diamond,” Noiz said in a flat tone. Sarah looked up at the sky.

“So that’s it!” she said.

“Uh-huh,” Pat said. Iris and Diamond just had to look. The Italian girl wrinkled her nose.

“What? I don’t see it,” she said. Everyone just ignored her. How long before the others come and see?

----------

-6:00 p.m.-

Everyone gather at the north side of the island to see the wonder in the sky. Some were amazed. A few were disappointed.

“We were sent hunting around for this?” Jun asked. Somehow, she didn’t sound so annoyed with it. Pat stood by grinning the whole time.

“You still think this is great?” he asked. “Follow it back to the house. I have another surprise for you.” The old man turned and disappeared into the lush bamboo woods behind him. His words floated through their ears.

One by one, the staff followed the lights in the sky. The crickets in the grass became its own music. The splashing in the ponds joined in. First, Noiz made it back to the house. Pat stood on the porch waiting for her.

“Welcome back,” he said. The kitty just bowed her head and went inside. It didn’t take long for the rest of the staff to join. Pat led them down a narrow hallway to a small door in the wall. He tapped on the door. A hollow sound echoed back. He pulled out a key and put in the lock. A cool breeze hit them in the face. Colored lights danced all over Noiz’s face. The staff’s mouths dropped. Pounding music flowed out from the room. Just like the rest of the house, this room looked like an underground nightclub. The equipment looked like it pricey. A lightly colored mist was sprayed into the air. Pat held out his arms and smiled.

“This is my gift to you,” he said. “Here is the real Butter Flower.” The staff hurried inside as if under a trance. It didn’t take long for to dance and get into the late night party. Glitter rained down from the ceiling. Another spray of mist filled the air. Jun threw up her fist in the air and shouted. The music pounded through the air as the beat grew faster. Pat stood back and smiled near the DJ booth.

“My work here is done,” he said to himself. The party would go on into about two in the morning. The staff would have one more day to party before heading back to the mainland. For now, the teams all reaped the reward of their goofy and near pointless quest.