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#JJ Maybank x Elizabeth Miller
r0s3mm · 8 months
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SWEET || JJ Maybank OBX rewrite season 3
Here lies the masterlist for my JJ Maybank x Outer Banks rewrite
Let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist, so I can do it ASAP.
I really hope y’all are gonna like this !
Bold means smut
Masterlist
First, read season one here & Second, read season two here
Sweeter masterlist
JJ & Beth’s playlist
The Pogues
my gif
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3x01 - Poguelandia 3x02 - Harsh descent to reality 3x03 - The Bells 3x04 - Fathers & Sons 3x05 - Fight or Flight - encore (partie deux) 3x06 - The Diary 3x07 - Heists 3x08 - The Dark Forest 3x09 - Happy Anniversary 3x10 -Tapping the Rudder 3x11 - Welcome to Kitty Hawk 3x12 - The Secret of the Gnomon 3X12.5 - Full Kook
Taglist: @jjxobx- @moonylantsovs - @k-k0129 - @jaxxandcomet - @taaniesha- @sunflowerbecca - @obx-direction-sos - @directioner-kaa - @mslaughter03 - @khacker24 - @itssoweirdyoureher - @scenesofobx - @just-chilling-stuff
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roseelise · 4 years
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It’s Casual // JJ Maybank
Reposting all my writings from @r0s3mm, my main blog, it is not stolen or plagiarized. All my works on my masterlist are main unless stated otherwise.
Hello! Welcome to 2-h, the back up account of @r0s3mm, I’ll be posting my works on here too until (hopefully) my blog gets restored and if not this will become my main blog.
Pairing: AU! Elisabeth Routledge x JJ Maybank (this really made me want Ellie to really be John B’s sister omggg
Word Count: 903
Author’s note/warnings: light smut, first smut 
Requested: “Maybe some rougher jj smut where the reader is john's sister and a kook just flirted with her so jj gets jealous and possessive”
Please pardon the fact that I’m going slow with them, slowly building up in the intensity, it wasn’t all that rough :) Thank you for requesting! Send feedback, comments 🌊
Masterlist
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JJ watched as the brunette leaned into the touch of the tanned teenager, she looked up at him through her lashes as she moved to sit on his lap.
“John B, what the fuck is your sister doing?” The blonde asked looking at Elisabeth.
“What?” He turned around confused, seeing his sister on some kook’s lap, his hand gripping her tigh. John B turned to his best friend, seeing him take a sip of his beer, his jaw tensed. “Why do you care?”
“I just don’t want her to get hurt, y’know.” He mumbled.
Elisabeth caught JJ’s sight, moving her legs on either side of the boy’s body, straddling him, her arms wrapped around his neck. The kook thought he had a chance, placing his large hands on her tanned thighs.
“I’m gonna kill her.” JJ said giving John B his beer.
The blonde stomped towards the pair, without stopping he crouched down, picking up the girl off of the kook’s lap and throwing her over his shoulder, his hand holding her thighs. She yelped as her body went through the air, landing on his shoulder.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” The kook asked, receiving a finger from the blonde that kept walking with the girl.
“JJ! PUT ME DOWN!” She yelled and John B laughed as he saw his sister slap the blonde’s back.
“USE PROTECTION AND STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM MY ROOM!” He yelled at his friend and sister, he groaned seeing his best friend’s smug grin as people looked at them walking towards the house. “I MEAN IT JJ!”
“JJ MAYBANK PUT ME DOWN!” She yelled as they walked through the front door.
“No, can do angel.” He said through gritted teeth.
They walked to the spare bedroom, JJ kicked it shut and locked it, his hand releasing a hard slap to the girl’s behind, making her let out a mix between a whimper and a yelp. He made her go down his body, stopping her as they were face to face, her legs wrapped around his waist.
“What did you do, angel?” He asked, the girl looking into his darkened lustfilled, blue eyes.
“I don’t know you tell me.” She mumbled, looking between his eyes and his mouth.
JJ groaned and threw her on the bed, in one swift tug he pulled her shorts down her legs, spreading them open in front of him.
“Look at you, all bruised and” his thumb went over her covered nerve making her whimper. “so responsive.” He watched her hickey littered inner thighs. “Baby, who did that?” he asked.
“You.” She whimpered as he put pressure at the apex of her center. “You did that.”
“That’s right,” he started pulling off her underwear, adding other small bruises. “I’m gonna ask again, what did you do?” her asked, his mouth closer to where she wanted him.
“I was with, mmmhhh” She whimpered when she felt his tongue against her heat. “I was with that kook.”
“Yes, you were, I didn’t like it.” His lips closing in on the bundle of nerves, a loud moan erupting. “That’s right baby.” He said hovering her, licking his lips, he moved to her neck where he sucked a large, dark red mark, adding a few other ones once he had gotten rid of her shirt.
“Now get on your knees for me.” He said as his belt buckle hit the floor.
******************** Elisabeth walked out of the house first, a fucked out look on her face as JJ followed closely after her, he watched the visible hickeys that covered her body, knowing a few others were hidden under his hoodie that she was wearing. She walked to Kie and Sarah who greeted her with surprised look, seeing their friend’s state, they looked in the direction she just came from, multiple times, seeing JJ with even more disheveled hair, him too sporting a few marks on his shoulders and chest and pelvis area, deciding to go back out shirtless,
“Please tell me you used protection?” John B asked his best friend, watching his sister next to his girlfriend, JJ simply nodded unconvincingly. 
“Ew, JJ, seriously?” Kie asked as her friend rested her head on her shoulder.
“Fuck, Kie you got no idea.” She smiled looking back at the blonde, her thigs squeezing as she felt sticky and warm liquid drip out of her and into her shorts.
John B and Pope watched while JJ picked up another beer, noticing the dark splotches on his upper body.
“Those are not the only ones.” He mumbles, knowing John B’s probably watching him, his lips wrapping around the bottle.
“Dude! My sister!”
“So are you guys a thing or..?” Pope asked. JJ smirked, noticing the kook from earlier watch the light brunette laugh out loud with her friends, JJ knew that her body was littered in his marks, the ones he sucked after he made her have orgasms after orgasms in under thirty minutes.
“Nah, it’s casual.” He smiled at the brunette, their eyes meeting.
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r0s3mm · 1 month
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Poguelandia // Outer Banks series
Welcome!
Don’t hesitate to reblog, like, leave constructive comments, send feedback on what you just read or what you’d like to read next.
Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist and let me know if you are on the taglist but didn’t receive the notification.
My requests are open! Ask away people !
Read me here!
General Masterlist
Series’ masterlist
Sweeter masterlist
Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
happy valentine's day, lovers !
A/N: here we are! we are back for a third season!!! sorry it took so long! as always hope you enjoy, let me know your thoughts, reactions, comments whatever and yeah!
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“Now, tell me which one of them is your girlfriend, huh?” the man asked, and JJ scoffed.
“I don’t—” he groaned when his head started to throb.
Eberhimi grabbed the top of JJ’s head, tightened his hold on the mop of blonde hair and he started to swing in the girls’ directions. A very shallow cut was made on Kiara’s arm when she took a step forward, her hand balled up in a fist.
“Kie!” JJ shouted once he saw the curly hair girl bend forward.
He twisted his body and yanked the knife out of the man’s grab before he held it to his throat. Eberhimi leaned his head forward before swinging it back and hitting JJ with it, he made the blonde lose his hold on the knife and it clattered to the ground, loudly. In an effort to help him, Beth aimed at the knee of the man who was attacking her friends and she pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the gun and lodged itself in the man’s thigh. He swung at her but missed once she dodged the hit, twisted her wrist, and pulled her to him, his hand wrapped around her throat.
“JJ...” Elizabeth realized when she heard the splash of the water.
“JJ!” Kiara shouted, running to the edge.
“Tut, tut, tut.” He shook his head. “Her or him?” he asked, and her eyes went over Beth’s face; her eyes were rolling in the back of her head, and she seemed to be gasping for air.
“JJ, K... Get him.” She struggled to say as she scratched the man’s hand around her airway. “Pl... lease. Take ca—" She begged, and Kiara sobbed before she jumped over the edge.
The man threw her down against the side of the edge of the boat and she felt her body crack, a pained moan was released. She laid on her side, body racked with sobs and about three feet away from the man, she saw her gun. She crawled to it as best as she could though her body yelled at her to stop but she pushed through, determined to make it back to her friends. Elizabeth could very faintly hear their voices, almost like a quiet echo in the back of her mind. She crawled under his stare, and he laughed, almost like a snort and he put his booted foot on her hand, stepping on it while he reached down for the gun.
“Please, JJ. Take care of JJ.” She cried as he aimed the gun towards her.
John B had been able to retrieve Sarah, Pope and Cleo and was now looking for the last three, his three oldest friends.
“Where’s J, Kie and Ellie?” he asked.
“I thought they were with you.” John B nodded.
“I sent Ellie off to find JJ and Kie.” He said. “We gotta find them, all right?”
“Last time I saw them was on the other side of the ship.” Cleo said. “Your sister wasn’t with them, though.” John B breathed harshly and nodded, driving around the boat.
“JJ, please, stay with me!” Kiara begged the blonde who was slowly but surely drowning her. “Stay with me.” She panted. “John B’s coming. John B’s coming, okay? John B! Help!”
“That’s Kie.” Sarah said.
“Where are they?”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” The dark-skinned girl cried as the burn in her muscles became too much.
“There they are!”
“JJ!” they all shouted. John B’s heart started to beat faster once he saw the state his best friend was in.
“Oh my god!” Pope gasped and he crawled to the front, ready to pull the blonde up.
“JJ!”
“No! No! No! No! No!” John B shouted and his voice cracked.
The two of them were quickly pulled into the lifeboat, while Kiara gasped for air and coughed out the water she had breathed in, JJ laid his head on top of her chest, barely breathing. He knew they had to leave fast, and nobody really thought about her until the sound of a firearm shot echoed through the atmosphere and John B slowed down, his face showed clear panic when he cast a look over JJ.
“Where’s Ellie?” he snapped his head towards Kiara who held back tears.
“She, she told me to get JJ. She told me she’d be right there but—” she cried, and Pope grabbed her hand.
“We gotta go back.”
“John B! John B!” Cleo shouted. “We have to leave, man. I’m sorry.”
“No, no, no!” Sarah stared at something that was back on the ship and she frowned.
“We have to go, John B. Rafe!” she pointed towards the man who held the gun in his hands.
“Fuck!” John B shouted, Pope moved him aside and took control over the driving of the boat.
“I’m sorry, man.” John B whispered to the blonde.
“JJ, please wake up!” Kiara begged. “J! Please! Get up! Please!”
“Dude, you gotta wake up!”
His blue eyes shot open, and he started to cough up the leftover water that was in his lungs.
“There you go. Yeah, yeah. Cough it out. Cough it out, baby.”
“Hey, buddy, there you go.” All the eyes were on his as he laid back against the inflated side of the lifeboat.
“Welcome to the land of the living, dude.”
“No CPR needed, huh?” JJ stared at all of them, feeling hands on his neck and chest and he smiled before he turned his head around and his eyes fell on Kiara.
“What?” he stuttered; the smile fast gone from his face. “Where’s—”
“She got caught.” Kiara told him and he moved out of her grasp.
“What?” he asked louder and coughed.
“She asked me to go after you and I just—”
“There was a gunshot, JJ.” John B told him, and he frowned, his eyes never left his best friend’s face as he blinked away tears.
“Who?”
“We don’t know. We were getting you when it happened, and we couldn’t get back.”
“You left her?” he shouted as best as he could. Sarah leaned forward to press a wet torn up piece of clothing to his head.
“What the hell happened?” he asked seeing the blood on his fingers.
“The blunt end of a machete.” Cleo answered.
“Machete, huh?”
“The blunt end. Next time duck.”
“I’ll try to remember that next time.” He sat up, keeping the wet cloth on his forehead. “So, we gonna make a plan to get her back or what?”
“The cross or Ellie?” Pope asked.
“Both.” JJ replied.
“This shit ain’t over.”
“No, it ain’t.”
- “You know what?” John B stood up. “Guys this is it. This is the Pogue Life. We are in the Caribbean. It’s our own little slice of paradise. With my best friends, with my family.”
“Minus one.” JJ added and John B sent him a sorry smile.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t wanna do it with anyone else. Look, and while you guys were complaining about every little thing... JJ?” the blonde stabbed the tree with his knife.
“Hmm?”
“I was looking at those burly lefts.”
“There’s some slabs out there.”
“Just a few.” John B snickered. “Kie, see that? I know you wanna get out.”
“No boards.” She rolled her eyes.
“Well, we can bodysurf till we make some boards.”
“Lame.”
“Pope? Come on, man.”
“They do look pretty tasty.”
“Oh, yes, they do.”
“There’s nobody around. We could squat here for a bit. Kind of belongs to us now, huh?”
“You got a point.”
“Six-way split?” Pope said as him and John B did their handshake.
“Poguelandia.” JJ said in a posh accent.
“Oh boy.”
“I claim thee Poguelandia.” He said in the same accent before clearing his throat and returning to his usual voice. “I like the ring of it. I’m gonna make a flag. It’s gonna have a chicken on it. With a coconut bra, smoking a J...” he said watching the girls laugh. “in crocs.”
“I could use a J.”
“Can we vote on that?”
“Shall we get to work?”
“We should get to work.”
“Let’s start working on provisions.” John B told Pope and they fist bumped before going their separate ways. “Set up shop.”
“To going full Pogue?” John B asked Sarah and she nodded.
“Going full Pogue.” Kie repeated while JJ helped her to her feet.
“What is a Pogue, anyway?” Cleo asked.
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“From the very beginning, it was always kooks and pogues. Some people with everything. And some with nothing. That’s the way it’s always been. And that’s how they wanna keep it. Some people make the best of it. And some people fight against it. The merchant gold was a part of that. For my father and me, the treasure was our way out. How we evened the scales. How the Pogues win. But at some point… you kinda have to wonder… …was the treasure an escape? Or was it a trap?” 
-Week 1-
Six pairs of eyes looked up to the stars that first night.
The fire kept them warm throughout the night while they talked, shared stories and looked back on their last forty eight hours. Once they grew hungry, the three teenage boys were tasked with searching for any source of food. 
The Pogues ate many coconuts that night… 
“Enjoy the night guys, because tomorrow we’re going into survival mode.” John B said, the reality of their new lives slowly sinking in. 
Their makeshift beds put together with leafs and patted down sand surrounded the fire, offering them a false sense of security and of normalcy.
Their first night was short lived, after a weak four hours of sleep, they woke up, one after the other as the sun shone brightly in their faces. When JJ’s eyes opened he noticed John B and Kiara staring at him with concern.
“What?” He croaked out, throat dry and mouth pasty. “You spent most of the night shouting Ellie’s name in your sleep.” Pope commented, his voice coming from behind JJ. 
JJ licked his lips, grimaced when sand made it on his tongue and he spat it out. His feet started to take him to where the dry sand was mixed with the wet sand and where he could feel the ocean wash over his feet. 
“We gotta find a way off the island, man. We gotta go get her.” JJ said to his best friend who had followed him. “We will, JJ.” 
Quickly enough, John B took the reins, distributing tasks because “they would not be able to get off the island if they were dead and dried up.”
“Sarah and I will set up shop here. Get anything to build huh, little huts of some kind. JJ, do what you do best and go fish, get us some meat and take Kie with you and Pope and Cleo, explore the island? Any other foods you guys find, feel free to bring it back-” “That means coconuts, guys!” Sarah shouted from a few feet away. 
Sarah spent most of the week tying and pulling together leaves, John B busied himself by chopping tree branches and planks as best he could trying to create a roof of some kind near the entrance of the cave they would be squatting for an undetermined amount of time. When the couple decided to stop for the day, their hands were almost raw from all the pulling and tying of the rough materials. 
JJ and Kiara made makeshift spears from rocks tied with solid tree branches. When he was not scaring away the fishes since he and Kiara had not yet mastered the subtlety of spearfishing, JJ was tucked away in a corner of their beach. 
Unlike their friends, Pope and Cleo were successful in providing for their family. Each day of their first week, they came back with arms full of coconuts and safe-to-eat berries and plants, easy smiles on their faces from discovering the island and its wildlife. 
-Week 2-
Most mornings, JJ woke up with his heart beating out of his ribcage and a new pain coming from his chest. Most mornings, someone, mostly Kiara ran to his side, makeshift cup in hand to give him water and calm his pulse, reassuring him that though they were stranded, they were safe, that they were home… Together. 
He would do his part, try and catch fish with Kiara before the sun became too much and they had to retreat under the shade but as soon as they were done, he’d disappear and come back later with his hands stained dark and scratches on his skin. 
John B too, felt the loss of his home, his friend, the somewhat messy routine since the loss of his father. 
Kiara felt a liberation from being stranded away from home. Sure, she missed her parents but she was with her family, her real family, the family who knew the real her. She felt free. 
Pope, after a few times where he spiraled into a spluttering mess, made the best of the situation, learning from Cleo all that he could about the forest and their surroundings. 
“What are you doing?” John B once called out when JJ came back from god only knew where. “Nothing. Just letting out steam.” The blonde had mumbled after grabbing the neck of his shirt and throwing it over his head. “I’m going for a swim.” 
He jogged to the ocean before disappearing in the waves, usually emerging from another spot hours later with his blue eyes a bright red. 
“Knowing my brother and knowing he possibly has her-” “Or Eberhimi and his men.” “Whoever has Elizabeth she’s not safe.” Pope whispered, not knowing that his blonde friend was making his way back to them. “Who’s not safe?” He sniffled. “No one.” “Fuck guys, I’m not stupid I know you’re talking about Beth.” “We’re thinking Rafe and Ward might have her or Eberhimi.” “I swear to god Sarah, family or not, if they touched one hair on her head I’ll kill them.” “Come on, JJ sit down.” Kiara whispered, grabbing his hand and rubbing the back of it. “I’m fine.” He said getting his hands out of her hold. “We saw the raft, JJ.” John B looked at his friend. “What do you think you’re doing?” “I’m getting off. I’ll go get us help, I’ll get Beth and we’ll be home.” “Come on, JJ, that thing isn’t gonna last five minutes.” John B sighed. 
-Week 3- 
When the third week rolled in, it took a toll on the group of friends. 
Maybe… they thought. Maybe we’ll be here forever.
Maybe I’ll never see my parents again. 
Maybe I’ll never get to travel the world.
Maybe I’ll never get to go home again. 
Maybe this is it for me.
Maybe I’ll never get to sleep in a real bed. 
Maybe I’ll never have a peaceful sleep again.
John B woke up one day and noticed something floating up in the sky and his tired eyes thought it was a plane for a split second before a laugh erupted from his throat. 
The chicken, with a coconut bra, smoking a J in crocs. 
“That’s great, JJ!” he shouted at the blonde perched high in the three. “You did it, Jayj! Poguelandia!” Kiara screamed at the top of her lungs. “It’s perfect.” 
Their minds were in high gear, looking for ways to entertain themselves, they carved a checkers board and played for hours as soon as Pope taught them. They put together wind chimes with hollowed logs of wood, set up a drying station for the fish that JJ had finally been able to grab, and a homemade clothing line to dry their clothes after a much needed wash. They had found ways to make cups, bowls to gather the food they would harvest. 
The Pogues were finally settling in their new lives, coming to terms with what happened. 
-Weeks 4 & 5-
It was late in the morning when JJ’s laugh resonated in the cave and a smile pulled at his friends’ lips except Kiara who limped back to their home. 
“A crab just pinched me!” She whimpered. “Stop laughing, JJ!” “I’m sorry.” he said, trying to keep a straight face though the corners of his mouth pulled up each time his eyes fell on her. “Do you need assistance, ma’am?” “It’d be much appreciated, young man.” “Young man?” he scoffed. JJ wrapped an arm around her shoulders, helping her on the edge of a rock where she could sit down. 
In silence, he made water drip on her leg before grabbing a couple of the leaves Pope and Cleo gathered saying that it was a good medicinal plant. 
“Shit!” She swore when her butt slipped off and she was caught by the blonde who raised his eyebrows. “What just happened?” “I slipped.” “Mmh.” He nodded unconvinced. He cracked a smile and shook his head. “Thanks.” She whispered. “For what?” “Catching me.” Kiara leaned forward, tightening the wrapper around her shin. “My leg.” “I was told, multiple times, that you saved me from an early death. I’m just repaying the favor.” He said and the girl smiled, just as a shadow appeared near them. “Am I interrupting something?” Sarah asked and the pair shook their heads. - Kiara pulled on the cord, tightening the sharp rock at the end of the long stick while JJ sharpened his spear as much as possible, a light breeze making their hair move around.
“Sarah talked about seeing a rescue boat yesterday morning.” “Rescue? From what? From… from paradise?” JJ chuckled as he gestured to the view around them. “I’m not going back, ever. I mean, look around. We got everything we need.” “What about Ellie?” “I’d only go back to get her and come back here… You guys keep saying that she’s probably dead…” he muttered and Kiara frowned at the coldness behind his words. “How’s yours looking? You ready to keep providing for the family?” “Yep.” “Let’s go kill something.” “You don’t have to say it like that.” “Yeah, but it’s exactly what we’re gonna do.” “It sounds so barbaric, like…” “Well, that’s the circle of life, Kie. Unless you wanna eat the same fish and coconut forever.” “After the past few weeks, I think I’m good on coconuts for the rest of my life.” 
Pope and Cleo were deep in the woods, walking around, harvesting the leaves and the fruits that they’d been eating. 
“So you’re telling me you had your own house, your own room, and they was gonna give you money to read books?” Cleo asked, shocked, staring up at the birds chirping in the trees. “Well, it was a scholarship.” Pope panted, trying to catch up with the girl. “And I don’t know if I’d have gotten it. It’s whatever now.” “So you just throw it away to chase treasure with your dropout friends?” “They’re not all drop-outs and it wasn’t just about the treasure. That cross belongs to my family. It’s important to me. And I still haven’t lost it.” “Better off keeping what you got than searching for something you ain’t gonna find. Did daddy ever teach you nothing?” She chuckled. “Sunken treasure. You had the real treasure in your hand, and you just let it go.” “Okay, well, what about you, huh? You had a job on a boat,” he started, watching while Cleo picked fruits. “a life, I’m sure, before all of this. You gave it all up to scrounge for berries in the jungle. Just saying.” “Well, what I had wasn’t better than this. You can’t say the same now, can you?” 
JJ rid himself of his shirt, armed himself of his spear and walked to their fishing spot. 
“You ready?” “Yeah.” “All right. Today’s the day. All right, remember, watch your shadow. They see that, they’re gone.” He pointed out to Kiara who nodded nervously. “All right.” “Here we go. Just like we practiced, okay?” JJ positioned himself, aware of Kiara’s eyes on him. 
He called out her name quietly, seeing a much larger target than intended. 
“It’s a skate, all right! You see him?” “All right. It’s all me!” “He sees me! He’s coming over by you.” JJ narrated calmly. “He’s coming towards you.” “Yeah, it’s me.” The girl said, hyping herself up. “This is it. This is the time.” “I can’t. I really can’t.” she grimaced. 
JJ noticed her hesitation and surged forward, stabbing the sand. 
“Shit, I missed it. Where is it, where is it?” Seeing how determined he was, Kiara followed the animal with her eyes before moving her upper body and stabbing through the thin body of the animal. “Oh my god.” she breathed out. “You did it!” JJ cheered her on, bringing her body to his. “We’re having skate tonight!” “Oh shit!” “Full pogue!” The blonde screamed, taking the spear out of the water. “That’s food in your bellies, right there.” 
-Week 6- 
Sarah walked to the entrance of the cave, picking up a branch that had fallen off during the day because of the wind. She glanced to the horizon, eyes unfocused and blinded by the harsh sun but she was sure that she had seen something. 
“John B?” “Yeah? What’s up?” “Do you see that?” the blonde asked, pointing to a spot far away. “See what?” “That boat.” “Boat, where?” “Right there! Eleven o’clock. Just under the horizon.” She looked back at her boyfriend, recognizing the expression on his face. “I think it’s just the whitecaps on the reef.” “You don’t know that. It’s right there. I see it.” “Sarah, Sarah, hey, hey.” “What if it’s…” “No, it’s… it’s not your dad. It’s not your brother. Okay? I promise.” He said calmly, hating to see her like that every time she felt like they were being rescued. “No, I’m sure.” “Trust me. It’s okay.” John B kissed the back of her head. 
It’s a little later that they gathered around the fireplace to play a game of truth or dare. 
“Okay, John B, your turn. Truth or dare?” “All right, all right. Truth.” He stood just as he was thrown a hat. “If you could do it all again… What would you do different?” “Uh, get the gold out before Ward did.” JJ said with a pout. “Maybe hide the cross a little better.” “Not yell “murderer” at Ward, maybe.” “Uh, steal a couple bottle of rum before we jumped off the boat?” John B offered. “Yeah, why didn’t you do that, actually?” JJ said, glancing to Kiara who giggled. “I don’t know, maybe ‘cause I was in a fight to the death?” “I would look both ways before crossing the street.” Cleo said with a raised eyebrow, which led to the others laughing. “Your turn chief.” “All right, Kie, truth or dare?” John B asked, plopping the hat onto her head. “Truth.” “All right,” John B smacked his lips together in thought. “Um, if you could go home to your parents’ house on Figure Eight this instant… Would you?” JJ’s eyes were on Kiara as she pondered, eyes holding a little something his friends hadn’t seen in a little while. “Mmh, no chance.” “Seconded!” “No chance!” “Hear! Hear! To no chance!” “The shower’s tempting though.” “Ooh, I could use a fat shower right now.” John B nodded. “JJ, truth or dare?” “I mean, do you even need to ask?” he scoffed, putting the hat on his sun bleached hair. The girl grabbed the skewer she held and pointed to the cliff up high. “Big jump. Nobody’s done it yet. Dare.” 
JJ sighed heavily, as if she had tasked him with the most impossible dare ever before he snickered and ran away, throwing his shirt back. 
“There he is.” “There he goes.” Pope added, seeing the head of blonde hair moving around near the edge of the cliff.
Their cheers were carried by the wind. Mixing with the cries of the birds and the waves crashing against the rocks. 
“He’s not gonna do it.” Cleo shook her head. “Oh, I won’t, huh?” JJ shouted. “No way.” “He’s gonna do it. It’s highly dangerous and uh, zero reward? Yeah, he’s doing it.” Pope assured them. “Ellie would’ve jumped with him.” He added looking at John B over Sarah’s head. “Would she, though?” Sarah asked with raised eyebrows. “After bitching about safety and recklessness…” John B spoke up thoughtfully. He glanced at his friends before his eyes looked up at the blonde on the edge of the cliff and a smile appeared on his lips. “Yeah, she would have totally followed after him.” He chuckled and Pope nodded. “To recklessness!” Sarah shouted and JJ raised his arms in the air. 
The blonde breathed in deeply, looked up at the sky, thought a quick prayer and stretched. He threw one last glance at his friends before backing away from the edge and giving himself more momentum. His feet pushed off the ground and he was gone, body colliding with the waves below. 
He was quickly met by his friends, his head broke the surface and he gasped but rapidly felt multiple pairs of arms around him as they cheered. 
“I actually thought I was gonna die for a moment!” he shouted out of breath. “You looked like you were gonna die.” Pope joked.  
That night, they feasted; the harvest was good, Kiara and JJ had been more than successful in their hunt… A sense of finality loomed over them but no one dared to speak of it. So, they went to bed, happy, with bellies full and warm, the fire still crackling when Kiara and JJ went to sleep last. 
In the morning, Pope thought he was dreaming, but his eyes opened and his ears adjusted and what he hoped for was confirmed. 
A plane was flying overhead. 
“Plane.” he breathed out. “Guys. Guys, guys, wake up. There’s a plane.” he panted, waking up his friends. 
He grabbed his shoes, grabbed the flare and ran because his life depended on it. 
Cleo woke up with a frown, unhappy to have been woken up but when she came to the same realization as Pope, she gasped and woke everybody. 
What was unexpected was that for some, the plane wasn’t the good news they wanted… Making them frown and doubt as they looked up to the sky. 
Pope ran, climbed and finally reached the bonfire they made for this very occasion. The lighter wouldn’t work, his hands were trembling and the wind wasn’t his friend. Cleo arrived by his side, cupped his hands and isolated the flame of the lighter, letting Pope fire up the dried pieces of wood. 
“Hey! Hey! We’re here!” they shouted, raising their arms in the sky. “Hey, we’re down here! Help us!” “Look. He’s turning around.” “He sees us. Guys he sees us!” “He’s gonna go to the pond. Come on, come on. Come on!” 
Sarah and John B started running, hearts in their throats, trying to reach Cleo and Pope while it took Kiara and JJ a few more seconds. The pilot quickly landed in a shallow body of water before opening the door to greet the survivors. 
“We did it!” Cleo shouted once they were faced with the man. “Hello, hello.” “Hey there.” “We’re finally getting out of here.” Pope celebrated, while Sarah stared at the man warily. “Well, well, well.. Who do we got here?” “You know, just some castaways.” “Well, I’ll cross that off the grocery list.” The pilot joked. “Uh, hang on. I got just the thing for y’all. Just one second.” “Hey, no. Look at this guy! You think he works for you dad?” “Two things you need on a deserted island.” The man said as he grabbed a bottle and first aid kit out of his plane. “It’s okay.” John B tried to reassure Sarah. “First aid and rum! Incoming!” he said before throwing the bottle towards Sarah and Kie who simply stared at it as it fell in the water. The first aid kit fell into Pope's hands. “So, what’s the story? You guys sank a boat?” “Uh, jumped off one.” John B said hesitantly. “Her dad’s.” He added, receiving a glare from Sarah who just recovered the bottle of rum from the water. “In-laws, man. They’re tough. Well, have no fear. Jimmy’s here. I got you.” The pilot said with a smile. “Well, all hail Jimmy, guys! Let’s go!” Cleo slapped John B’s shoulders. “Welcome aboard the flying fish y’all! I’m Jimmy Portis. I’ll be your captain today.” Jimmy said as he helped them up. “Is this all. Six of you?” He asked counting the last two that seemed reluctant in jumping on. “Uh, yeah. That too heavy?” “Nah. Uh, technically maybe but i think old Fish here’ll probably be okay. We could always throw somebody overboard, right?” He said and Kiara scoffed. “That’s a lot of probably’s, reassuring.” “See you, island!” Cleo shouted before leaving it behind. JJ crouched forward, throwing one last look behind him before he walked ahead of Kiara, gesturing for her to follow him. “Come on, it’s okay.” Jimmy encouraged them. “I got it.” 
Kiara stalled for a few seconds. Feeling her heartbeat against her ribcage. 
“Bye island paradise.” She said before getting on the plane and sitting down. 
************************
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r0s3mm · 18 hours
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Heists // Outer Banks series
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Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
A/N:  hello this is quite long with over 14K of words. also this is not edited i'll do it friday. A/N2: angst... big john being a bad father, language, rafe & barry, police chase, jj risking his freaking life
please, do comment and reblog i wanna hear your thoughts and all of that ;)
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When Sarah arrived at the Chateau, back from talking to Pope about the cross, she recognized JJ’s bike on the lawn and could hear Kiara’s voice all the way by the workshop. She stopped her bike next to a familiar one and she grew hopeful. 
“Guys?” She called out and Kiara and JJ’s heads popped out before they waved her over. 
“Is that Sarah?” Elizabeth asked as she jumped off the table and walked between JJ and Kiara. 
“Ellie?” 
As soon as they were within reaching distance, Sarah Cameron and Elizabeth Miller wrapped their arms around each other with relieved sighs.  
-
Rafe stood near the door with a room temperature glass of liquor in his hand when the news reached his ears. 
“Five Kildare teens who went missing nearly eight weeks ago are now reported alive, safe, and back on Kildare Island.” the young man coughed as the liquid slipped down the wrong way. 
“Now a live update from the sheriff’s department.” 
“Yeah, after a little over eight weeks, the five teens that had been missing from Kildare county have returned, been reunited with their families.” Rafe walked closer to the screen and he could feel the eyes on the back of his head. “We’re still waiting for details about their journey, but I’m sure they have quite a tale to tell.” 
On the road, the Routledge’s had been listening to music when the news started. 
“We also got word that the father of one of the teens, John B Routledge, who’s been presumed dead for a year now, has also returned alive and well. Wonders never cease.” Big John smiled at his son victoriously.
The Carrera’s were also watching the TV when the news broke and pictures of the teenagers appeared next to the sheriff’s head.
“Right now, we’re just trying to get those kids settled back into school, with their families. They’ve been through a lot.��� Anna gasped when after her daughter’s picture came her goddaughter’s and she turned to her husband with her hand over her mouth. 
Topper Thornton was waxing his board when his ex-girlfriend’s name was mentioned. 
“The teens were down in the Caribbean with another Kildare teen, Sarah Cameron,” Another reporter added and Topper’s movements faltered. “the daughter or disgraced real estate magnate, Ward Cameron, who confessed to the murder of Sheriff Peterkin two months ago.” The Kook grabbed the remote close to him and turned up the volume. “All the teens back, safe and sound on Kildare Island, and John Routledge back from the dead. That’s about as good a result as we could hope for.” 
-
Elizabeth turned down the radio’s volume and leaned back against the table’s edge as the Pogues’ attention was brought back to Sarah. 
“When I went back to Tannyhill, Rafe was on the phone with Ward, and he just kept saying, “My thing, this is my thing.”” Sarah told them. 
“He had to be talking about the Cross.” Pope added.. 
“Yeah, I can confirm.” Elizabeth spoke up almost shyly as four pairs of eyes shifted to her. She pushed off the table. “He and Rose argued about Rafe’s role and him taking over things… Rafe was often on the phone with buyers or something about it.” Sarah nodded in acknowledgement. 
“And he’s coming int0 Wilmington tonight at eight o’clock.” Elizabeth could see a plan brewing behind JJ’s eyes as he shared a look with Pope. “It’s being shipped by train to Raleigh from there but this is our chance to get it back.”
“You get any other information?” Pope asked. 
“Uh, Sarah got the cargo number.” Kiara reached forward to the piece of paper on the table.
“Okay, well, that’s a start.”
“They’re definitely fencing that shit off as we speak. So we should probably get a move on.” JJ stated and they all nodded. 
“Sarah, you hear from John B?” 
“No, I mean, he’s probably off somewhere with his dad.” Elizabeth’s head snapped up when Sarah spoke and Sarah sucked in a breath. “We didn’t tell you.” She added and the brunette frowned. 
“I knew, actually.” Her lips twitched nervously when they frowned in confusion. “I should’ve told you earlier, i know,” she added and JJ knew the words were meant for him. “My return home just wasn’t what I thought it would be and it slipped my mind.” 
“Did you see them?”
“No, but huh, Big John and I were together in Barbados.” She said and Sarah remembered the voicemails her and John B had listened to.
“What?” They all, except Sarah, let out whats’ and questions and Elizabeth leaned back in surprise. 
“Guys! Guys! Back off.” The blonde teenage girl spoke up. “The real problem right now is that they took the Twinkie which is our-”
“Transportation.” Pope finished and Sarah nodded. “I could ask Heyward for the truck.” 
“Uh, what?” JJ dramatically let his head fall forward before it snapped to Pope. “Yeah, that’s gonna go well.” 
“I know but we literally have no other option.” Pope argued.
-
Heyward dropped the orange bucket on the ground with a grunt before he pushed off his thighs. The father stared at his son with consternation. 
“Absolutely not!” 
“This might be our last opportunity to go get that cross.” 
“Is that so?” The father said mockingly. 
“If I could just get to the mainland–” Pope followed his father while the man walked across the shop. 
“Oh boy!” 
“Pop, please! Come on!” Pope begged while his mother and newest friend watched from the counter. “This is about our heritage, our family.” He justified. “This is our thing.” Pope’s father scoffed with a shake of his head while he stared at his son. 
“You wanna know what our thing is? Doing what we say we’re gonna do.” Pope’s arms fell to his sides. “Keeping our promises. Exceeding expectations. You used to understand that!” 
“And I still do! I still understand!” Pope took off after his father as the man walked away. “But, Pop, please, this is the last opportunity, and I won’t ask you for anything else, and I promise you, I’m done, I swear. Please, please let me do this.” He begged before turning on his heels. “Mama.”
“Uh-uh.” The woman shook her head as she raised her hands up. “Don’t bring me into this.”
“You on board with this?” Heyward asked Cleo.
“Gotta strike while the iron’s hot, sir.” She replied while playing with her knife. 
“Get off my counter.” He shouted and she grimaced. 
“Pop, I know appearances are against me right now, but please, I will do anything I have to. I’ll work triple shifts.” Heyward took a big breath in as he walked a few feet away from his rambling son. “I’ll never leave the house again. Just please let me go to Wilmington with your truck.” 
For a few seconds, while Heyward shared glances with his son and Cleo the only sound they could hear was the seagulls crying out. The father closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. 
“Get out of here.” He spoke calmly. “Before your mama talk some sense into me, but you can’t take my truck.” As he spoke, he watched his son’s face light up and that alone was worth it.
“Pop, we’re going to need transportation.” 
“That is not my problem. Talk to Elizabeth. She'll hook you up but I got deliveries. Somebody’s got to keep the lights on. You know? Just in case you don’t make it big.” Pope and Cleo stared at each other, trying to tone down the grins that wanted to split their faces in half. 
“All right. Thank you so much.” Pope nodded, taking a few steps back. “I promise I won’t let you down. Appreciate you, Pop.” 
“Don’t break any laws.” His father warned. “Try to keep him out of trouble!” Heyward shouted.
“I’ll try!” Cleo shouted back before the two teenagers started to run. 
-
John B and John had finally made it to Charleston. The Twinkie’s tires were rolling down the streets of Charleston, hot to the touch after a journey of many hours. The father parked the rattling, old van near the curb while his son stared at him with disinterest. 
“Here we are. Gunning for the big prize. See, the idol, it has directions to El Dorado on it.”
“But we don’t have the idol.” John B pointed out and his father sighed. 
“We’ll get it. The diary should lead us to the other half, which is why Singh wants it so badly. But we got the jump on him this time.” John B raised his eyebrows as he remembered “the jump” his father had on Singh’s men. “If we put the whole thing together,” Big John continued. “both halves, and decipher it, mountain of gold here we come. Let’s go find this church.” 
“Mountain of gold, huh?” John B sighed quietly while the two jumped out of the van. 
“So we’re looking for seventeen Society Street.” Big John said, phone in hand with the map application pulled up. “Uh, it should be an old church with a graveyard.” The pair looked around at the old buildings and the street signs.
“Uh, seventeen, you say?” John B asked. 
“Seventeen Society Street. That’s it.”
“Seventeen.” The teenager repeated, gesturing to the thai restaurant. 
“This can’t be right.”
“Right, right.” John B sighed, exasperated and a little bit frustrated. “Because we’ve been right so many times. Why would we be wrong now, dad?” The boy walked ahead and closer to the business. “A quick internet search would’ve saved us a few hours.” John B added under his breath. 
“Don’t get smart with me. I don’t neet that right now, boy.” 
What about what I need…? John B thought. 
“This doesn’t make any sense. This should be a church and a graveyard, not a damn Thai restaurant.” 
John B’s head fell to the side when his eyes saw a stone plaque. 
“Maybe it’s numbered wrong. It can’t be.” John B ignored his father’s words as he quickly scanned the plaque and walked towards it. 
“Hey,” he whistled. “great explorer?” He clicked his tongue to the roof of his mouth and his father turned around, ready to scold his son. “Check it out.” The father adjusted his glasses and frowned in concentration.
“Stood until the Great Earthquake of eighteen eighty-six.” Big John read off the plaque. 
“Charleston Museum?” 
“Well, I’ll be damned. You are good for something, son.” John B’s head snapped to the side as he stared at his father’s profile with furrowed eyebrows and a clenched jaw. Ignorant to his son’s facial expressions, he put his hands on both of John B’s shoulders and slightly shook the teen. “Charleston Museum, eh? Plan B.” 
While his father was leading the way back towards the van, John B had to stop himself from shrugging his father’s hold off his shoulders.
-
Kiara had led JJ to her house as emotional support with her parents and while Kiara was greeted with warmth and worry from her parents, the blonde was barely spoken to as her parents blamed a lot on the teenager. 
“Honey, I am listening to you. I’m just having a hard time.” Her mother rambled with her hands raised. “So I need you to walk me through it one more time.” 
“The Cross of Santo Domingo that we found.” Kiara started calmly. 
“Right.” 
“We thought it was gone forever. We just found out it’s… it’s gonna be in Wilmington tonight.”
“Okay. And the cross is Pope’s family–”
“Pope’s family heirloom.” 
“Okay.” Anna nodded while her husband paced back and forth in the living room. 
“Priceless historical artifact.”
“Priceless, which you’re telling me that you found?”
“We found it, and then Rafe and Ward stole it from us.” 
“Wait, wait, do you know how insane you sound?” Her father, Mike, said. 
“Baby.” Anna scolded.
“Ward is dead!” 
“He’s not dead.” Kiara said louder. “We’ve been over this part a million times!” 
“You understand that this is hard to follow, right? I mean, we had a funeral for the man.” 
“I get how it sounds, but he’s alive. I wish he wasn’t, but he is.” She said and her mother sent her a warning glare. “Why would I lie? He’s alive!” Kiara scoffed before she turned around to JJ playing with something on the kitchen counter. “JJ?” 
“Yeah?” 
“A little help?” The blonde sucked in a breath and stuck out fingers as he enumerated the facts. 
“Ward’s alive in the Caribbean.” 
“Yes.”
“He’s living off the loot that he stole from us, his son kidnapped Beth for a month and uh, yeah, he’s flying across to Wilmington.” 
“What?” Anna’s eyes opened wide as she stared at the teenage boy and he froze. 
“What do you mean what?” 
“Elizabeth was with Ward for a month?” 
“You hadn’t told them?” JJ whisper-yelled at Kiara and the girl shrugged. 
“And where is she now?” Anna stared at her daughter with her eyebrows raised. 
“Home.” Kiara stated. “With Sarah, but she’s supposed to be here any second now.” 
“And you believe that?” Mike asked his wife and the woman frowned. 
“I believe my god daughter.” 
“I saw what Rafe did to her with my own two eyes.” JJ added and Mike glared at the teenager. 
“I’m skeptical, okay? You could be making this up just to get my wife and I to agree to letting our daughter run wild with you.” 
“Dad.” Kiara snapped.
“I am skeptical, JJ, as in “I think it’s all bullshit”. I think that the girls have been led astray, Lizzie and Kiara … And you, JJ–” 
“Mike.” 
“No, no, no.” Mike shook his hand in his wife’s face as a way of shutting her down. “Let’s get this out in the open.” 
“Can we take it down a little?” 
“Let me tell you something.” Mike started when he approached JJ. “You need to understand that I do get it.” JJ slapped his hands together and cracked his fingers as a way of keeping Mike at a safe distance. 
“Sure, you do. Yeah. Sure. Sure do.” He rambled nervously. 
“Do you hear me? I do. I like you, JJ, and I bet your fricking fun to hang with, ditch school with, go down to the breath, because I was once just like you, bro.” Mike said as he looked down at the teenager. “I didn’t think that anything mattered. Thought I could make up any bullshit story and these stupid Kooks would believe it.”
“Mom.” Kiara stared at her mother, silently asking her to pull her dad away. JJ quietly slapped both hands on the countertop before leaning on it.
“But then I learned about hard work.” Mike added and JJ scoffed insulted. “and about what really mattered. All I care about, all that I care about is my daughter and god-daughter.” JJ bit the inside of his cheek as he remembered the last talk he had with his own father. 
“Shut up! Yes, she’s the everything that you can’t ruin, dad! Not her.”
“And all that I know is that they were a lot better off before they got mixed up with you and your friends.” 
Kiara knew JJ, and she knew that at that moment he was holding himself back, for her sake and for Elizabeth’s sake… She also knew that her father had crossed a line when he mentioned the brunette to JJ. 
“Dad!” Kiara jumped up from the couch. “I was never better off!” 
“Yes, you were.” 
“I was miserable and don’t forget that it’s Ellie who introduced me to them, years ago.” 
“Miserable? No, no.”
“Take it down a notch. Listen.” Anna ran up to her husband and daughter and positioned herself between the two. 
“No, no, no!” Mike shouted. “No, these Pogues ruined our daughter’s and Elizabeth’s lives!” 
Anna’s eyes snapped to the stairs outside and they filled up with water when she recognized the person that stood there, though the girl seemed like the shell of who she was a month before. Anna felt her heart drop at the expression behind her green eyes as the girl stared at her god-father. 
“Mike-” 
“Mike!” The man grimace disappeared when after following his wife’s gaze he saw Elizabeth on the porch. Angry and disappointed stare directed at him and JJ and Kiara shared a look at the sight of the girl. 
“Didn’t mean any disrespect, Mr. Carrera.” JJ sniffled before he pushed his way out of the kitchen. 
“What are you doing?” Kiara hissed. 
“What am I doing? Protecting my daughters.” 
“Can we please–” Anne raised her eyebrows when for a second time her husband’s hand appeared in front of her face. She didn’t miss the teenager on the balcony speed walking around to meet up with the blonde. 
“Everybody says it, that he’s a liar and a thief. He’s just like his father.” 
“Please don’t bring him into this.” 
“He’s nothing like his dad.” Kiara defended. “Nothing like his dad. You don’t know him.”
“I don’t know him?” Anne certainly didn’t miss the sound of the door opening and hushed whispers. 
“Hey,” Elizabeth greeted, leaning against the door frame as JJ’s hand rushed out of his back pocket. “You good?” She asked quietly and JJ nodded though he did not meet her gaze. 
“Where are you going?” Mike shouted at his daughter and Elizabeth and Kiara stared at each other for a few seconds before the latter nodded and Beth brought JJ out. “Where are you going?” 
“Y’all were supposed to listen to me.”
“Please just wait. Please wait. Just wait one second, please.” Anne ran after her daughter and Elizabeth snuck a peek through the small door opening. “I promised myself that if you came back and if I had another chance, I’d try and be different and I’m trying to be different.”
“Okay, I got to go.” Kiara whispered when she saw that JJ and Beth were down on the driveway. 
“I want you to take this.” Anne said, pulling a phone out of her pocket. “There’s a credit card on the back. If you get into trouble, if you need help, you call me.” 
“I will.” Kiara said as her mother teared up. “I will, mom.” The girl nodded before she hugged her mother tightly. “I love you. I gotta go. I’ll be back.” 
Elizabeth and JJ had made it onto the driveway, beside the boy’s motorcycle and Elizabeth stood in front of him as the blonde rehashed the words in his mind. 
“So, I got us a truck to get to Wilmington on the ferry.” 
“That’s good.” He spoke quietly and she nodded. 
“Jayj! Jayj!” Kiara called as soon as she was close enough. “I’m sorry. Jayj, wait.” The two girls watched as the blonde’s leg moved to climb on the motorcycle. “My dad’s literally the worst.” 
“It’s whatever.” He replied, sparing a glance at the brunette in front of him. “I already know what they think of me.” 
“They think the same about me.” Kiara said hoping it would comfort the blonde but he and Elizabeth shared a glance as they suppressed chuckles. 
“Yeah, sure.” They said at the same time. 
“We ready?” 
“We’ll meet you guys over there, I gotta stop home before.” Elizabeth said before she joined Sarah who was sitting on the sidewalk waiting for them. 
“Everything okay?” He asked and she nodded before sending them off on the blonde’s motorcycle. 
-
John and John B walked into the museum and the youngest of the two looked around before his eyes settled on his father. 
“All right.” Big John nodded politely to the pair leaving the museum as they entered. “Just follow my lead. Okay, kid?” John B nodded. “Hey, sharpen up.” The father softly slapped his son’s chest where the few buttons of his shirt were undone then he tucked his own dirty shirt in his pants. 
Taking them two at a time, John B and his father jogged up the stairs and walked the short distance to the front desk behind which a well-dressed man stood. 
“Hello, sir.” Big John exhaled, slightly out of breath. “I wonder if I could have a word with your chief of collections.” 
“Dr. Pierce is out doing fieldwork till June.” The man replied with a posh sounding accent. He eyed Big John and his son before he blinked a couple of times and refocused his attention on the eldest. “Can I help you with something?”
“Well, hopefully.” The teenager rolled his eyes at his father’s scoff and watched as he readjusted his glasses. “I’m Dr. Marion from up at USC. Paleogenetics mostly. Anyway, I’m interested in seeing some items you have in your collection.” John B raised his eyebrows at his father’s lies. “Specifically pieces retrieved from the excavation at Trinity Church back in the 1880’s.”
“You could submit a written request to get access to the archives.” Big John sighed with a disappointed shake of his head. 
“I was really hoping to poke around there today. I got one of my students with me.”
“They don’t let folks down there after that Egyptologist weaseled in and proved a bunch of the Pharaoh collection were fakes.” 
“I remember that.” The two adults chuckled. 
“You’ll have to go through the protocols.” 
“Well, where… where are the archives? Are they… are they here on-site?” 
“No, downtown museum storage, end of Broad Street, uh, near the Battery.” John B shook his head as the man walked right into his father’s trap. “I’d take you, but they won’t give me one of them key cards. Above my pay grade. You got to be a director like Ms. Flannery here.” He gestured to a stressed out looking woman walking by. “Hello, Ms. Flannery.” The three waved.
“Good afternoon.” The woman said snappily with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. 
“Key card, huh?” Ms. Flannery walked to a room with a plaque that read director and she swiped the key card over the reader before she entered the room. “Understood. All right.” Big John shook the man’s hand and smiled. “Well, thank you for the information. You’ve been most helpful. Have a good day.” 
Big John glanced at his son and with a final nod to the man and a glance to the door, the pair went down the stairs and out of the door. 
-
Pope, Cleo, JJ, Sarah, Kiara and Elizabeth had all made it on the ferry and settled down on a small table in the middle of the deck. 
“Honestly, the hardest part is gonna be security, all right?” JJ spoke up. “So most of the guys are gonna be at the rail yard.” 
“Okay, so, we’ll need to find some place and guard it, maybe a little further down the line, like a whistle-stop.” 
“Yeah…” Kiara nodded. 
“You guys are getting ahead of yourselves per usual.” Cleo said and Elizabeth smiled at her, agreeing as she picked at the skin on her hands. “We don’t have a way to transport the cross. What you think? On JJ’s motorcycle?” JJ took off his cap and ran his hand through his hair as he grunted. 
“That’s not my fault. Oh, everyone. All right, all me.” Elizabeth glanced from JJ to Sarah who seemed to be focused on something behind her and she turned only to see Topper. 
“Oh my god.” Sarah suddenly leaned forward. 
“Oh my god, what?” 
“Topper.” Ellie replied as she gestured to Topper behind her. 
“Why… is he everywhere?” 
“Perfect.” 
“Hey, JJ.”
“What?” The blonde turned to Pope. 
“I bet you Topper has a way to transport the cross.” JJ stared at Sarah with his eyebrows raised and the teenage girl shook her head, silently pleading. 
“Actually, Pope’s right. He does have a rig.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No. Absolutely not. Can you-?” Sarah asked Elizabeth as she gestured to JJ. 
“Yes, come on.”
“I’m not getting into this.” The brunette gestured to the two blondes. 
"Didn’t you say earlier that you could get a truck?” Kiara asked and the brunette nodded. 
“Yeah, I did but it fell through. So,” Ellie sighed and rubbed Sarah’s shoulder. “I guess Topper’s our way to go.” 
“You just said you weren’t getting into this.” 
“It is a necessity, Sarah.” 
“Is it really?” She asked the group and they all nodded. 
“Sarah, you already got him whipped anyway, all right? So why don’t you just take one for the team, huh?” JJ added. 
“What would John B say?” 
“I think John B will completely understand.” Pope said calmly and Ellie snorted a laugh. “Think about the circumstances. It’s about treasure.”
“We can handle John B… We’ll hand him off to Ellie or something.”  Kiara said before she eyed her friend who shook her head. 
“I mean, I hate it but they’re right. Just talk to him.” 
-
 Big John drove around the museum and towards the back entrance and parking lot reserved for employees. Both father and son waited in silence after Big John shared his idea with his son. 
“So this is your master plan, huh? Rob an old lady.”
“Not… rob.” The adult shook his head though he himself seemed unconvinced. “Appropriate, all right? Temporarily acquire an object that has no value for her and is essential for us.” 
They noticed movements by the gates and turned their attention towards it. Ms. Flannery walked with a colleague while both of them made their way to their respective cars. 
“Hey, there she is. It’s game time, kid.” Big John slapped his son’s knee before he reached in the glove compartment and pulled out a firearm he loaded. 
“No.” John B sat up and twisted towards his father. “What are you doing?” 
“Do you know where we are? We are on the hot damn Hillary step, okay, boy?”  John B sighed as his father once again justified himself. “One step away from the mountaintop. We can’t let a little thing like federal armed robbery get in the way.” 
“A little t-”
“I taught you how to shoplift, right.” Big John stated. 
“Are you seriously bringing that up right now?” 
“But that came in handy when I was gone, didn’t it?” 
“Oh Jesus. Come on, man. What really helped was working jobs and Ellie and Robin helping out.” John glared at his son. 
“So here’s another little lesson. A little baby step.” Big John’s eyes were trained on the two women chatting in the parking lot. “J-bird, hey, you gotta let that thing go out there at sea, kid. Lighten up a little.” John B scoffed. “It was us or them. What did you want me to do? And right now, we got another thing that needs doing.” The father took a beat before he stared at the wheel. “I think it’s better if you do it.” 
John B stared at his father with his mouth opened in shock. For sure he’d gone insane or crazy during that year, right? 
“Oh, me. You want me to go, your son? You want me to go hold up that old lady?” 
“That’s right. I assure you, once we get to Orinoco, it will get harder.” The magazine was pulled out and John B glanced down at it. “Hey, see? It’s empty.”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it. I get it.” 
“You trust me now?” No. “Now I need to know that I can trust you.” He grabbed the firearm and wrapped his son’s hand around the handle. “Okay? And don’t ask for her key card specifically. All right?” John instructed as they eyed the victim. “Get her whole wallet. We don’t want anybody to know what we’re after. She’s leaving now.” The father said after the woman unlocked her car. “This is our only chance. Go on. It’s game time, son. Go! Get that bag, boy.” Big John pushed his reluctant son out of the van and watched as John B creeped up behind the woman. “That’s it.” 
John B scratched the back of his head with a sweaty hand before he looked back to his dad. 
“Ma’am.” The teenager cleared his throat and the woman yelped. 
“Ooh, goodness.” She eyed the teenager. “You snuck up on me.” 
“Yeah, sorry about that.” 
“Can I help you with something?” 
“Look, I was just wondering, uh–” John B sputtered. 
“Wondering what, son?” The woman asked softly before her eyes moved to the empty gun in John B’s hand. “What are you doing?” She asked. The woman’s tone made John B stop for half a second as it reminded him of the tone Robin used to use whenever she would catch him or Ellie doing something bad. 
“I just need your bag, please.” He asked. 
“You’re not getting my bag, son.”
“I will bring it back with everything inside of it. Can I please just have your bag?” 
“Oh, shit.” Big John sighed and swore as he witnessed the interaction. 
“You’re about the most pitiful excuse for a thief I’ve ever seen in my life.” The woman stared at the boy’s shaky hands and nervous demeanor. “What’s the matter with you? Does your mama know where you are?” She opened her car door wider and set a foot inside. “You need to be ashamed of yourself.” She said before closing the door and leaving John B standing next to the car, defeated. 
Big John slammed the wheel with a groan and John B almost waved to the woman as she drove away. With his hands on his hips, John joined his son and stood next to him. 
“Aint exactly Jesse James, are you, kid? Come on.” He slapped his hand on his son’s back and led him back to the van. “We’ll just get into the archives the old-fashioned way.”
-
The pogues stared at Sarah up on the higher deck while they all stood behind near the short flight of stairs. Elizabeth leaned back against the railing, glancing back and forth between Topper and Sarah and the horizon behind Kiara and JJ’s heads. 
“I just can’t believe you’re here. I saw the news. I … I texted you.” Topper couldn’t tear his eyes off his ex-girlfriend. “I didn’t even know if you were alive, Sarah.” The blonde’s eyes snapped up to the teenage boy. “How are you? You okay?” 
“You know, Top, um, things are a little tough right now.” Sarah gazed out at the sunset.
“Yeah?” She nodded. “Tough how?” 
Sarah took a second and glanced at the Pogues behind Topper and Elizabeth squinted as JJ and Pope gestured for her to lay it on thick. 
“We’ve been after this… family heirloom of Pope’s, which is why we were gone. And we ended up losing it, and unbelievably there might be a chance that, um, we could get it back tonight. In Wilmington.” Topper listened intently to the girl. 
“Okay.” he nodded slightly confused. 
“It’s crazy.” 
“Okay. How… how can I help?” He asked and she shook her head. 
“No, I can’t ask you to do that.” She turned away. 
“No, seriously.”
“Topper, I feel like if I ask you, just, like, the person that you are …” She repeated the words Ellie had told her. 
“What do you mean, “the person that I am”?” 
“No, I didn’t mean it like that.” She shook her head. “I guess I mean you’re such a giver, Topper. You’re such a helper, and I feel like if I ask you–”
“Sarah, that’s just who I am.” He replied with a smile. “That’s just the way I was raised.” He sucked in a breath and Sarah took half a step closer and Pope had to slap his hand over JJ’s mouth as the blonde let out a mocking laugh. “And anyway, remember when I said I would do literally anything for you? Remember that?” He asked as he stared right in her eyes. 
“Yeah.” 
“I meant it.” 
“Oh, vomit.” Elizabeth groaned as she glanced away from the sunset and to Topper and Sarah. “Poor guy.” 
“Oh my god, she’s touching his shoulder.” Kiara leaned closer to Elizabeth and made a gagging noise. 
The brunette tore her eyes away from the pair as Topper talked with his hands a lot and she sighed. 
“I’m sorry about everything.” She slowly let her hand fall down to her sides before she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I totally understand. You have no reason to help us. Actually, you have all the reasons not to help us.” 
“She got him.” JJ stated and Ellie turned around and stared as Sarah smiled victoriously at her ex-boyfriend who simply shook his head. “She got him good.” He added when she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. 
Teasingly, the Pogues sent her thumbs up and she flipped them off. 
“I’ve never seen a guy be so whipped.” JJ mumbled with a shake of his head and Pope raised his eyebrows as he subtly looked between JJ and Beth. 
-
Big John parked the van outside the building holding the museum storage and he looked at the entrance over the rim of his glasses. 
“Figured out a way to get in without using a key card?” 
“No plan yet. Just got to wait for the night to settle. Less people around, the better.” John B nodded. “We’ll wait till the witching hour and then get down to some serious cat burgling.” The man grabbed something out of his bag and his son turned at the movement. “Grit?” He asked with the rolled up joint in his hand. 
“I’m good.” 
“Ah, attaboy.” The father winked before he brought the lighter up to his lips. “You know what is true though?” He took a drag and held the smoke in for a few seconds before releasing it out the window. “All faults aside, it is nice to be back together with you.” 
“Yeah, it is.” John B agreed quietly. 
“It sure is.” The back door to the building was opened and a yellow-ish light illuminated the body of a security guard coming out. “Oh, three o’clock, eh?” 
The security guard rushed past the van and right next to a couple. 
“You know, I’m on the board of directors.” The man informed the giggly woman and John raised his eyebrows. “Being on the board has its privileges. I could show you to the archives.” 
“This is it. This is our chance.” Big John undid his seat belt and grabbed the door handle. “Let’s go.” He hurried as the drunk and touchy pair climbed up the stairs that lead to the archives’ back door. 
“My God, are we allowed to go in here?” The woman slurred. 
John B and his father followed them as they chatted and walked on the balcony. The man grabbed the key card out of his jacket pocket and swiped it over the reader. 
“Let’s go.” Big John whispered and he ran as quietly as he could up the stairs. 
The man started to feel a nervous shiver climb up his spine when the door came dangerously close to shutting in their faces. John B tore off a branch from a nearby plant and lodged in into the opening as his father caught up to him. 
“Nice catch!” Big John smiled brightly at his son before he opened the door. 
The door creaked when they opened it wide enough for the two of them to pass through and John B winced while they peaked inside. 
-
Elizabeth finished climbing up the ladder to reach the top of the wagon and she groaned when her shoulder started to throb. 
“You okay?” JJ asked when he noticed she stopped moving. 
“Yep, yep. Just a little pain.” He nodded, walked a few steps towards the edge and held out his hand. 
“C’mon.” he shook it and she grabbed his left hand with her right one and he helped her up. “Good?” She nodded with a small smile before they joined the others in the middle. 
Ellie stood next to Sarah who stood with her hands on her hips as she looked out at the train yard.
“Well, there’s like a thousand trains here.” 
“We know it’s car 750X on the track to Raleigh.” 
“Yeah, so now we just gotta find it.” 
“Well, new flash. We’re not getting out of here unnoticed with a giant cross.” 
“No shit.” Elizabeth said very quietly that only Sarah heard her. 
“We won’t have to. We can nab it somewhere further in the country.” Pope said. “Just gotta figure out how to stop the train.” 
“Right.” Kiara nodded though she was unconvinced. 
“Leave that to me.” JJ spoke and a few pairs of eyes with raised eyebrows stared at him. 
“Mmh?” Elizabeth blinked. 
“I got an uncle up in New Bern, right? When he got tipsy, he’d just throw an old chain across the tracks, just for shits and giggles. And that old little chain would stop all the train traffic in coastal Carolina.” 
“How much family does JJ really have?” Sarah questioned Elizabeth and the girl shook her head in a dismissive way. 
“A chain?” 
“He’s actually right. There’s a low-voltage current that runs across all rail tracks. Throw a chain on it, you close that circuit. It would read as another train. Crossing lights come down. Science is actually pretty sound.” Pope explained. 
“Science. I knew my science.” JJ wiggled his eyebrows at the four girls and they rolled their eyes. 
“Well, we don’t have a chain.” 
“I do.” Elizabeth raised her hand and Pope eyed her. “Just in case we needed to tie or attach something… Like the cross.” She shrugged. 
“Where is it?” 
“Yo what’s going on?” The teens turned around to see Topper on the ground, looking up at them. “Are we doing this or what?” 
“In the truck.” Elizabeth replied and Cleo nodded. 
“All right, you all wait here. Me and Pope will go look for it and send a signal once we find it.”
“Do we actually have a plan right now?” 
“Think we do.” 
“That’s impressive.” Sarah scoffed. 
“Let’s not jinx it. Come on.” 
One after the other, the Pogues all went down the ladder and back on the ground. 
-
John and John B snuck in the building and the only sounds they could hear were the giggles of the woman and the quiet whispering of the man as they grew closer. The two men walked through the storage space, looking at every poster that seemed to give directions. 
“Psst.” Big John moved to the staircase and pointed to a plaque on the wall. “Upstairs.” The father gestured with his head and followed by his son, they made their way up the creaky metal staircase. “Look at this place.” John B looked around while his father scoffed in amazement. “It’s a gold mine.” 
There were a lot of artifacts, some protected in glass cases, others in wooden boxes, some were simply on a shelf. 
“Check everything, just check everything. Look for anything Trinity Church.” Big John turned to face the shelves and rummaged through boxes. “Anything late eighteen hundreds. Habitats, biodiversity. Antiques. Pretty cool stuff… But not what we’re looking for. Tiles, grass dividers, come on.” The father sighed disappointed.
John B opened a drawer and frowned at the spiked metal handcuffs in close to perfect condition. 
“Underground Railroads, rocks. What we got? Uniforms, coats, buttons?” John B swallowed thickly and closed the drawer. “Swords, scabbards.” Big John bent over with a quiet grunt, his finger glided along the identified containers. “Some porcelain, silver plates. Pottery.” 
It was silent for a few minutes, both of them on opposite sides of the storage room looking through dusty boxes. 
“Religious.” Big John muttered. 
“Huh?” 
“John B, hey.” He called out. “The Trinity Church.” His son slowly made his way closer. “This is it, buddy.” 
“No way.” 
“Okay.” The two grabbed the large plastic bin and brought it up on the table. “Look at this. Look at this, boy. The mother lode.” With a knife from his pocket, Big John sliced through the seal. “This could be it, Bird. Five hundred years in the making.” John B stared at his father with a large smile. “Here we are.” He said as he slipped his fingers in the packing hay.
-
Cleo and Pope stepped over the rails, walking past trains with flashlights in their hands, looking for the right track. 
“It’s this track here.” Pope said, illuminating the second track to his right. “Remember, it’s car 750X.” Cleo nodded, before glancing at the paper in the teenager’s hand. 
“All right, 2-0-4-5.” They walked past a few cars. “2-0-1-7.” Cleo looked back nervously thinking she’d heard footsteps but she shook off the thought. 
Still on top of the train with the truck parked behind them; Kiara, JJ, Elizabeth and Sarah sat, staring at where their friends disappeared to. 
“What’s taking so long?” Elizabeth nervously tapped her fingers on her knees and she turned when she heard Topper whisper. 
“You okay, Top?” She asked quietly and the attention was turned to him and he nodded. 
Pope jumped a little bit as they neared the car they were looking for. Their flashlights shone on every car they walked past as Cleo read them out loud. 
“7-2-6.” 
“Hold on.” Pope searched the number on the dark wagon before he sucked in a breath. “750X, baby. This is our car. He started climbing the ladder. “Run and tell the other Pogues.” 
“Careful up there.” 
Kiara and Elizabeth had started their third game of Tic-Tac-Toe on the dusty train roof when Sarah called out their names. 
“Hey, hey.” Elizabeth stared at where Sarah was looking and smiled when Pope appeared and flashed his light towards them. 
“Well done, guys.” The brunette muttered. 
“That’s it. We’re green.” Kiara announced before wiping her hands off. 
A look of worry appeared on their faces when they heard a horn blaring. 
“What’s happening?” 
“You hear that?” 
Something hissed in Pope’s ear and suddenly he was thrusted forward against the train as it started to move. 
“Train’s moving. Train’s moving.” JJ said. 
“Shit. Shit.” 
While Ellie, Kiara, Sarah and JJ were getting off the train, Pope urged Cleo to jump on with him. 
“Yo, B! Where’s the cable?” 
“In my bag! I’ll grab it.” She spoke before jogging to the truck and shoving the backseat door open. 
She ruffled through her back, feeling a presence behind her as her hand wrapped around the statue she’d snatched. She glanced back at JJ, who was close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off him and sent him a tight lipped smile before she found the tied cable and jumper cables she had grabbed from John B’s place. She got them out and gently shoved them against his chest before she had to walk away. 
“... I’m not even close to being okay with this.” Elizabeth heard Topper say as she walked past him and Sarah, though Sarah did not miss the deep breath the brunette took and the way she could see her red cheeks in the dark night. 
“What is he not okay with?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. 
“Illegal activities.” Ellie nodded and Topper noticed JJ carrying the large chain and jumper cables.
“What are we doing with this, now?” 
“Do you really wanna know, Top?” The Kook didn’t reply and Ellie let out a small amused chuckle while JJ and Kie moved closer to the blonde’s motorcycle.
“Hey, I just wanna make sure everyone here is okay with ending up in federal prison.” Topper asked. 
“If you don’t wanna be involved we can take the truck, drop you off somewhere…” Elizabeth trailed off. “We won’t even mention you, at all.” 
“What she said.” JJ added. “But uh, if it gets to that, yeah, we’ll do it for Pope.” 
“Top, give Ellie the keys, she’ll drive. If we get caught we’ll just say we kidnapped you, yeah?” Sarah offered while the brunette walked to the driver’s side under Topper’s gaze. 
“She an okay driver?” Topper asked Sarah and Sarah looked at Elizabeth who nodded with a nonchalant shrug. 
Topper sighed defeated and tossed Elizabeth the keys while he climbed in the backseat. JJ and Kiara were walking to his motorcycle when they saw the brunette climbing aboard the high raised truck. 
“Beth, you can’t drive.” JJ called out as Kiara climbed behind him. 
Elizabeth closed her eyes for a second as the image was burned in her mind. She closed the door and turned on the engine before opening the window. 
“What do you mean she can’t drive?” Elizabeth rolled her eyes and shared a glance with Sarah before she looked back at JJ. 
“I can drive just fine, I’m self taught.” She raised her eyebrows. “I’m kidding.” She told Topper who grew worried. “Buckle in, Cameron.” Elizabeth muttered to the teenage girl and she could hear Topper do the same. 
“You okay?” Sarah asked. 
“Peachy.” The brunette sighed before JJ saw her arm go out the window and gesture for him to ride ahead. 
Pope and Cleo were hanging on for dear life as the train gained speed and the air was knocked out of their lungs  and JJ tried his best to follow the train.
-
The first box wasn’t the right one, neither were the next five… Big John stood to his full height and kicked one of the boxes. 
“It’s over!” 
“No, stop.” John B stood and put both of his hands on his father’s shoulders. “Hey, hey,hey. It’s okay. Relax. Shh!” 
“That’s the last of it.” 
“No, it’s okay, Dad. Calm down.” The father shrugged off his son’s comforting hold. 
“What’s the point? That’s the last of the Trinity boxes.”
“Shh. Shh.”
“It’s over.” Big John exhaled. “It’s over. It was a long shot anyway.” Big John cried silently. 
Something shiny grabbed John B’s attention and he frowned when the box his father kicked was turned over and objects had fallen out of it. 
“Goddamn it.” The man swore. 
Next to the silver cup was an old cloth, thin and worn but it looked like something was wrapped in it. And so, John B took a few steps towards it before he crouched down and reached for it. 
“There’s so much disappointment, you know?” His father added between sobs. “Near misses.” 
The teenager stopped himself as he was about to call out for his father. He glanced at the man a few feet behind and frowned. His shaky hands unwrapped the statue and he sucked in a breath. 
“Shit.” he whispered under his breath. 
Elizabeth took the first half of the idol from his father and apparently she had split from him too. So, would it be a good thing for him to tell his father or should he bring it home and share with the Pogues? Maybe he should just leave it there… Maybe his father would give the whole thing up and be just his dad… The teenager shut his eyes tightly and inhaled. 
“Hey, Dad, we missed one.” His hands held onto the handles and he lifted the box up, the objects inside clattered as he walked up to his father. “Uh, Dad, we actually missed a box.” Big John’s sobs quieted. “What is this?” He questioned the man after quickly and badly rewrapping the idol. 
“What?” His father turned, heart in his throat as he set his sights on the object. 
“Some sort of rock?” The teenager said even though he knew the answer. 
His father started breathing heavily; like he had stopped breathing for a handfuls of minutes. The man frowned and reached for the object in his son’s hands. 
“Look.” 
“What’s it labeled?” 
“Trinity Church, miscellaneous.” John B read off the label before his eyes snapped to his father almost cradling the statue. “Um… Dad?” 
“This… this…” his father stuttered, bringing the statue near the window so he could see properly. “This is Kalinago. A vanished Indigenous people.” The man plucked the picture of the piece Elizabeth had out of his backpack and put it next to the statue he had. “Look, look. The stones, they’re the same color.” John B stared at his crazed father with moderate to heavy worry but he couldn’t deny that the pieces seemed to fit. 
“Holy shit.” The teenager whispered excitedly.
“We gotta get that first half back from Lizzie, no matter what.” Big John said and John B’s excitement subsided. 
“What do you mean no matter what?” 
“C’mon, John B, I won’t hurt the girl…” Big John moved the piece around as he inspected it. “Look at this,” He traced his finger over the picture and the stone. “This is the cat serpent.” Big John’s finger traced over the picture, over the upper half of the statue. “This here, I think, this is a skylight. We’ll have to see when we get our hands on the other half. Oh birdy boy. You did it. You found it, boy.” 
-
The train’s horn blared loudly in the night and Cleo and Pope’s arms were starting to feel tired after holding on for so long. 
“Hey!” Pope shouted over the loud noises surrounding them. 
“What?” 
“Just so you know, I’m not normally this crazy. It’s just getting this cross back. It means a lot to me. I have to do this.” He finished in a louder shout and Cleo smiled. “It’s worth it.”
“It better be after all this shit, man.” 
Kiara and JJ jumped off the motorcycle, the chain and cables  in the blonde’s hands as they started to run towards the crossing light. A snort left Kiara’s mouth when, as they ran JJ tripped over air and fell face first on the gravel. 
“You good?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He said. “All right?” The train blaring reached their ears as it got closer. “Oh God, you can hear it coming.” JJ threw the chain across both tracks and waited for the lights to change color. “Let’s fry this sucker.” 
“It’s not working.” Kiara said. 
“I can see that, Kie!” The blonde said loudly before he glanced at the jumper cables close to the lights. 
Quickly, he got on his knees and connected the cables to the pins at the base of the light post before running back to the tracks.
“Don’t get electrocuted, please.”
“Yeah, no promises with that. Three, two, one.” He said before connecting the cables to the tracks.
“Moment of truth.” They waited a few seconds but the lights stayed green. 
“Come on, man. Come on. Come on.” JJ stood up and readjusted his cap nervously. “Okay. That’s what he would do. That’s literally what my-” 
He stopped pacing  when Kiara moved to the tracks and unclipped one of the cables only to clip it on the other side of the track. 
“Uh, hey. Train touches both sides of the track…” They stood in the middle of the line and silently prayed for the lights to switch to red. “Come on. Come on. Please we don’t have a plan B.” She said just before the light turned red. “Yes. Yes. Yes!” “That’s what I’m talking about!” JJ jumped a couple of times before he faced Kiara. He held his hands out and she high fived him hard with a grin on her face. “You’re a genius. I was gonna do that.” 
“Science!” She said as her finger touched her temple. “But no, it’s all you.” 
“And now we wait.” The blonde panted as the horn rang again. 
They had been waiting a couple of minutes, crouched down in the trees near the tracks but they were growing impatients. 
“It’s gonna work. It’s gonna work.” 
Pope held on, his arms burned and sweat accumulated on his hairline when he was once again shoved around along with Cleo. 
“The train’s stopping. It’s stopping. They did it.” 
“Shit.” 
“Come on.” 
The train was coming to a full stop right next to where Kiara and JJ were waiting and Cleo and Pope jumped off, their legs and arms feeling like jelly. 
“She’s slowing down.” 
“We got brakes, dude.” Kiara smiled proudly. 
The driver reported the red lights to the dispatch, requesting for them to follow up on what he thought was unusual. 
-
John B and his father walked out of the building and down the flight of stone stairs. 
“This is it, my boy. There is blood on the tracks.” Big John cheered. “We are hot on the trail.” 
“Yeah, feels great.” The teenager said with much less enthusiasm. 
“Ha, you’re right about that, boy. It feels great!” 
“Wait, wait, wait.” John B slowed them down when he noticed the empty parking spot on the street. “Where’s the car? Dad? Where’s the car?” “It’s–” The father turned on his heels. “Somebody must have stole it.” 
“Why would somebody steal the Twinkie?” Big John frowned when he noticed an out of place piece of paper on the parking meter. “That’s all I’ve got. That’s all I’ve got, Dad.” John B stopped when in his hand, his father held a perfectly square piece of paper. “What?” 
“Oh boy. Looks like Carla found us.” 
Been looking all over for you.
Carla Limbrey
“Great.” The two of them sighed, defeated. “Limbrey stole the Twinkie.” 
“Come on, I know where she lives.” Big John stated before he started to lead his son down the street.
-
Cleo and Pope groaned and stretched as their limbs ached. 
“I almost broke my arm.” The boy said, shaking off the ache in his limb. “Can you pick the lock?” 
“Sure.” Cleo nodded confidently. 
She grabbed her knife and a thin wire and started working on the industrial lock. 
Kiara and JJ heard a car pull up and the blonde leaned forward. 
“Is that Beth?” He asked just as orange flashing lights illuminated his face for a second before he was pulled back by Kiara. “Nope, not Beth.” They saw the rail security truck pull up next to the lights. “Shit.”
“No, no, no. That’s not part of the plan.” 
Cleo was almost done picking the lock when a flashlight was shone on them and the teenage girl started swearing. 
“Hey! Hey!” 
“Shit.” 
“Stay right there.” 
“Oh shit.” Cleo threw her knife and wire on the ground before the two faced the officer. 
“Hey, what are you doing here?” 
“Sir, I’m so sorry. It is not what it looks like.” Pope stepped forward with his hands up. “I know it looks like we’re criminals, but that’s not our intention. I promise, sir.” 
The two officers walked around before they reunited at the tracks, under Kiara and JJ’s nervous gazes. One of them moved their flashlight over the jumper cables that had turned a hot shade of red. 
“What is going on, here?” 
“Hell if I know.” “What is this bullshit?” The train’s driver shook his head. 
Cleo and Pope squinted at the bright light in their eyes. 
“What are you doing here? It’s very dangerous.” 
“We’re just trying to get to the next town over. We’re running away from home. That’s it.” Cleo spared a glance at her friend. 
“You know what? I’m not buying it. I’m sorry, I'm calling for backup.” Pope had a chill run down his back and he sucked in a long breath. 
“Sir, please, I see you’re married.” He stated when the light hit the silver band. “Sir, please. We’re in love.” He let out and Cleo struggled to hold back her surprised face. “That’s all we’re trying to do. We’re just trying to get married and we can’t do that here.” His voice broke and he shared a look with Cleo who nodded. 
“Please, this is my fiancée. Please.” He added and Cleo grabbed his hand and interlaced their fingers. 
“Our parents won’t let us be together but…” 
“Sir, we can’t get married in this town, but I love her so much.” Pope calmed down, less defensive as Cleo wrapped her arms around his. “And if you’d just let us get to the next town, we’re gonna find a priest who’ll marry us. And we just wanna start a life together. Please.” 
Kiara and JJ had hidden a little bit deeper in the trees. 
“Unhook that for me, please.” One of the workers asked his colleague. “What is going on?” He asked himself as the cables were taken away from the tracks and the light post. 
“Throw that in the back for me.” The man asked his colleague and she nodded while he waited for the lights to change color.
The rail worker stood in front of Cleo and Pope with a fond expression at the young love. 
“You guys hopping the rails, it’s illegal, okay?” They nodded. “But…” He glanced back to make sure they were alone. “I can’t stop what I don’t see. So listen, just… go.” The teenagers breathed out relieved. 
“Thank you. Sir, what’s your name?” 
“It’s Jimmy.” 
“That’s gonna be our first child’s name, Jimmy.” Pope nodded as Cleo tried to hold back her laughter. “Because of what you’ve done today. Thank you so much.” 
“All right. Go.” 
The worker sighed when the light finally turned from red to green. 
“You’re all set over here.” The worker told the conductor through the radio. “Some asshole put jumper cables on the tracks.” 
“There you go.” 
“They’ve had enough time, right?” Kiara questioned JJ who had his head between his knees. 
As soon as the man was far away, Cleo picked her tools back up and continued picking the lock. 
“Got it.”
“You did it! All right.” He tore the lock away and the metal creaked loudly as he turned the handle and they slid open the doors. “It’s gonna be in here somewhere.” Pope turned on his flashlight and pulled himself in the train wagon. “Start looking.” He instructed before he helped her up. 
Elizabeth had started looking for her friends the second she knew the train had stopped and so, the teenage girl slowly drove next to the train, with the hope that she would find her friends soon because Topper was seriously getting on her nerves. 
“Who the hell are we right now, Sarah?” He asked, poking his head between the two front seats. “This is ridiculous.” 
“There they are.” Elizabeth said snappishly before breaking quick. 
Sarah was out of the truck before it was completely stopped and Topper let her name slip past her lips worriedly. 
“How’s it looking?” 
“Still searching.” Cleo replied, eyeing Elizabeth and Topper in the truck. 
Pope pulled Sarah up while Elizabeth drove forward to align the cargo bed with the wagon’s door. 
“Hey.” Sarah turned to Cleo who stood next to a container. 
“What?” “This one says Cameron. It might be this one.” Sarah and Pope hurried and Sarah sighed in relief at the logo from her father’s company. 
“Cameron Development. This is it. This is the cross. This is it!” Slapped on the box and hearing the noise from the truck, Elizabeth walked out. 
“What’s going on? Y’all go it?” 
“Think we do, yeah.” 
“What are we doing now?” Topper asked after also stepping out of the truck. 
“We’ll put this in your truck bed.” 
“No, no, no.” The Kook shook his head and Elizabeth sighed annoyed. “That’s gonna scratch the paint.” 
“Topper, we genuinely do not care.” Elizabeth told him. “I’ll pay the fucking job paint after all’s done, I promise.” 
“That? You wanna get that?” He pointed to the wooden box. “In here?” 
“Just help us spot it, okay?” Sarah asked and the young man opened the truck bed’s door. 
Elizabeth moved aside so that Topper would take her place near the door as they argued over how to handle the box. The teenagers froze for half a second when the train horn blared once again but this time signaling it was ready to leave. 
“That can’t be good.”
“Ellie get back in the truck.” Sarah shouted and the brunette was already at the door. 
“Quick!” 
“Hurry up, let’s go.” They all grunted, pushing the heavy box and Elizabeth turned on the ignition, ready to leave at a moment’s notice. 
The box was more than halfway in the truck and Pope and Topper were bickering, while the truck bed wasn’t long enough to hold all of the cross. 
“Ellie, where's the cable you had earlier?” Sarah shouted at the girl through the open window in the back. 
“JJ!” The girl shouted back, hand on the transmission stick. 
“It’s stuck!” 
The horn blaring made Kie and JJ jump.
“All right, all good to go.” the conductor said before the engine hissed. 
“The train’s starting.” 
“We gotta go get them.” Kiara nodded. 
“There goes the plan. We gotta go help them.” 
On his way to his motorcycle, JJ lost his cap which he retreated back to grab and when he reached his vehicle he rummaged through his pocket for his key which came out along with Kiara’s father's money clip. 
“Hey, you dropped your-” The teenage girl recognized the initials sewn on the brown leather and she picked it up just as JJ turned around, curious as to why she had suddenly gone silent. “Why do you have this?” JJ swallowed thickly before scrunching up his nose.
“If I’m gonna be accused of being a thief, might as well get something out of it.” he mumbled. 
“You’re just giving them ammunition.” 
“Ammunition for what, Kie? They’re already against me. So who cares?” 
“They didn’t have a reason.” She raised the clip to his eye level. “You’re giving them a reason.”
“Who cares, Kie? Know what? We don’t have time for this. Get on.” He demanded. 
Elizabeth was nervously looking back in the rearview mirror when a man with a white hard hat and a yellow and orange safety jacket walked out from between train cars. 
“Shit. Shit. Guys!” She shouted when the man seemed to speak into his walkie talkie. 
“Hey, stop!” 
“We gotta go!” The brunette shouted as they secured the box as best as they could. 
“The cops are coming. Let’s go!” Topper shouted before getting in the backseat while Pope and Cleo stayed in the truck bed. Sarah nodded to Elizabeth and she put the car in park while Cleo and Pope held onto the box. 
“Sarah!” Topper shouted when he was thrown back against his seat when Elizabeth floored the gas pedal. “How the hell can you live like this? You come from a good family.” 
“Don’t be a backseat driver, Thornton.” Elizabeth put both of her hands on the wheel and lowered the window. “Get out of the way!” She shouted to the man in front of her while Sarah reached sideways and honked. “Is he okay?” The brunette asked calmly and Sarah nodded. 
“They took something off the train. The cops are in pursuit.” The man spoke on the radio. 
“Police’s here.” Pope shouted from the truck bed. 
“It’s fine.” the brunette tightened her hold on the wheel. 
She glanced to her left mirror and nodded to herself before pressing the pedal more. Elizabeth made it to the front of the train and she barely glanced to her left before gesturing to Kiara and JJ to go with a roll of her wrist. 
“Shit, that’s Beth.” JJ said worriedly and Kiara frowned. “And that’s the cross. Get on!” Kiara obliged though she pouted the whole time. 
JJ took off after the truck and both were followed by the local Sheriff’s department. The tires screeched and dirt flew off when she made it from the dirt road to the asphalt. 
“Somebody’s following.” Topper as he could hear another engine. 
“That’s JJ and Kie, Top.” Sarah told him.
“J!” Kiara called out, scared and the boy revved the engine. 
“I know. I know.” 
JJ got to the left of the truck, eyes glued to the side window where he recognized Elizabeth's collected but focused expression. 
“What the fuck is he doing?” Topper shouted and Elizabeth grimaced, pushing down the reflex to open his door and let his body flop down on the road. 
Her green irises glanced to the mirror and she sucked in a breath when JJ’s eyes were already on her. The boy quickly glanced and gestured to the truck with his head before his right hand left the handles and he quickly cut the air in a straight line. Elizabeth sniffled a little and frowned, licked her lips nervously before she looked back at him and nodded and he mirrored her. 
“He’s trying to get Kie on board.” She told them while JJ started to move closer to the truck. “Top, tell them to get her, okay?” The Kook nodded and turned in his seat. 
“Get ready to jump.” JJ told Kiara and she gasped. 
“What?” 
“It’s okay. Beth’s gonna hold while you get on board. Pope and Cleo are waiting for you.” 
“How? What?” JJ looked up as Elizabeth looked back at him through the mirror and she nodded. Kiara noticed the interaction and frowned. “Have you lost your mind?” 
“Probably.” He shouted back and saw Elizabeth hold out her splayed out hand, five fingers out. “Get ready to jump!” JJ kept his eyes on the brunette’s hand as it counted down and she got closer. 
3, 2, 1. 
“Now!” JJ and Beth shouted at the same time. Pope held Kiara’s hand as she stood on the seat slowly and was pulled on board by Pope and Cleo. 
“Oh shit!” Topper swore before he glanced between JJ and Beth. 
“She good?” The teenage girl asked calmly. 
“Yeah, she is.” Sarah confirmed but Elizabeth still checked in her rearview mirror and she let out a breath. 
She frowned when she couldn’t see the blue-ish headlight from JJ’s motorcycle anymore and she realized he had fallen behind. 
“He stopped.” Kiara shouted and Elizabeth sat up straighter. 
“He what?” She asked. 
“What’s he gonna do?” Cleo shouted. 
“I don’t know. I don’t think he knows either.” Elizabeth glanced quickly and saw that the blonde had turned around on his moto and was now facing the police.
“He’s tryna get killed.” Kiara said and Elizabeth slowed down. 
“Okay, maybe he’s just trying to get rid of the cops.” Topper added while JJ picked up a large rock.
“Eyes on the road, Ellie.” Sarah reminded the girl and Beth simply tightened her hold on the wheel though her hands were starting to get slippery from the nerves. 
“Let’s dance.” The blonde teenager nodded before his ringed hand revved up the engine. 
He sped up, as quick as he could and when the time came to cross them he threw the rock in the windshield. 
“He did it.” Pope shouted for everyone to hear. “They’re chasing him.” Elizabeth’s eyes snapped to Pope’s in the rearview mirror. 
“What? I’m turning around, hold on.” She warned them. 
“No you’re not. I'm not going to jail as accessory because of you guys.” Topper said.
“Topper you don’t have a choice, I'm driving. I’ll pay for whatever repairs you need, okay just-” She breathed out as she accelerated. “I’m not leaving JJ.” The brunette could feel Sarah’s eyes on her but she simply focused on the road ahead. 
Elizabeth arrived at a crossroads the one JJ had just left and turned left to get back on the service road they were on. She could see him, on their right as he tried to outrun the police. Her mouth went dry and she started to sweat, the teenage girl shook her head, trying to get the feeling to go away. 
He was too far away from where they were, a few patches of green separating her from getting to him. 
“Turn right!” Pope shouted and she did so without warning, her body on autopilot. She breathed out sharply. 
Her eyes followed his silhouette when she found him again. The blonde made his way off the service road and up to the overpass,
“No way, he’s way up on the overpass.” Sarah told them and Elizabeth nodded.
“What are you doing, JJ?” She whispered to herself when she noticed him going for a face to face with another car. The boy grew bigger and bigger until he was right in front of them on the overpass. 
And then, the motorcycle crashed through the stone lining the overpass and JJ’s body fell over it.
She barely registered her friend’s pained groaned as her foot hit the brake and her hand slammed the car into park, the destroyed motorcycle near the truck’s tires. She felt a burning sensation on her throat, not knowing that the seat belt had cut through her skin. Her hands shook as they struggled to unclip the seatbelt but her hand was steady when she opened the door and her jellified legs hit the ground. 
“Pope! Go!” Kiara shouted before she jumped off. 
“JJ.” Elizabeth called quietly, blinking away the tears. Kiara started to walk towards the crash site and she frowned when her arm was held back. 
“Let her go.” Pope told her as softly as he could, Kiara stared at him, confused but he simply pointed to the brunette who was walking to where she had seen JJ’s body fall, because she truly never let him go from her sight. “Let her, go.” Kiara nodded as she watched her best friend from afar. 
Elizabeth could faintly hear Kiara’s cries but her eyes were glued to the tuft of blonde hair that stuck out from the dark green grass. 
“JJ?” The girl’s voice broke when she noticed he didn’t move. She wiped her cheeks and looked back to her friends, silently begging them to join her. “Please.” She cried and kneeled next to him as she started to feel hot all over. She could barely see his chest rise and fall and she whimpered. 
The brunette reached for his hand and barely smiled when she found it sweaty and warm. 
“JJ, please.” She begged quietly and his hand twitched in hers.
“That was the gnarliest powerslide I’ve ever done.” He croaked out and she chuckled wetly.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
He tightened his hold around her hand. 
“He’s okay!” She shouted to her friends behind them and she smiled when they all sighed in relief. “Sit up, sit up.” She muttered quietly and he did so as she looked him over.
 They stared at each other for a few seconds and the feeling of guilt started to take over JJ’s body. He stared at her red eyes and the way their friends seemed to try and sneak a peek. 
“Did you hit your head?” He blinked and shook his head. “Okay that’s good.” 
“Help me up?” He asked and she nodded before standing up and helping him to his feet. 
For a couple of seconds they stood in front of each other and she sniffled a few times before he tutted and brought her in his arms. Kiara watched them from a few feet away and sighed, crushed. The pair shared a few words as they walked back to the group. 
“You’re alive!” Pope shouted before wrapping his friend in a bear hug, knocking the wind out of him. “Dude!” “I know, I’m surprised too!” 
“Shit, that was gnarly.” 
“That was trucking, dude.” The boy laughed before Sarah shoved him and Elizabeth flinched, worried he was injured. “Oh Jesus. Oh God.” He muttered when Sarah stood before him with a scowl before she wrapped her arms around him tightly. 
“We really thought you did it this time, JJ.” She said muffled and he pulled back just in time to see Elizabeth wipe her eyes. 
“The pleasantries are nice, but we should really get out of here.” 
“Yeah, let’s roll.” Elizabeth threw a look at Kiara who eyed JJ with worry. She smiled at her friend and made her way to the truck. 
“Don’t ever do that again.” Kiara scolded and JJ’s mouth twitched in guilt.
“Hey! Hey, you kids, don’t move.”
“Go! Come on!” Elizabeth shouted. 
“You okay to drive?” Sarah asked and Ellie nodded. 
“Yeah, of course.” She made sure all of her people were safely in the truck or the bed of it and she took off even though the officers shouted at them not to move. 
-
They had been walking for almost an hour during which Big John reminded his son of Carla Limbrey’s involvement. 
“So,yeah, in return for helping me find you, I told Limbrey I’d get her shroud.” 
“Right, you’re talking about the healing garment, the one that cures all maladies, supposedly in the cross. Is that what you’re referring to?” 
“That’s the one. It wasn’t in the cross. She checked. That’s how I was able to convince her I had a bead on it.”
“And do you have a bead on this magic healing garment, dad?” John B asked as they neared the house. 
“Currently, I have zero beads. I don’t have a single magic garment that can heal all maladies.” 
They arrived in front of a gated house and Big John pushed his way through. 
“Oh, and by the way, that shroud she’s after, it’s a known hoax.”
“Yeah,” John B scoffed. “I could’ve guessed that. Do you have a plan?” 
“Sure, always have a plan.” His left hand moved to his son’s right shoulder and he gently squeezed it. “We are gonna prevaricate our way out of a pickle, son.” 
“I don’t know what that means.” The teenager shook his head while his father walked up to the front door. 
“You’ll figure it out. Play along if you feel like it.” 
“Yeah. I’d play along if I knew what the word meant.” John B said as he waited by the van. 
With his left hand, Big John grabbed the door knocker and slammed it four times on the wooden door before he waited. Big John snuck a peek through the window right next to the door and just as he did so, Carla appeared in front of him. The woman glared before she opened the door. 
“Hi.”
“Hi.” 
“Uh, you got my ride, right?” 
“Yeah, I was tracking you, first on your boat, then on your phone.” Carla stated. “I needed to get your attention.” 
“Just checking. I came down here to see you, of course.” The woman nodded slowly, unconvinced. 
“Oh.” she chuckled. “Is that so?” 
“That is so… so.” He looked at her over the rim of his glasses. “But first, lookee there.” He pointed to his son. 
“Oh, hey, Ms. Limbrey. What’s up?” The teenager waved, bored.” Carla stared at the boy and she smiled genuinely happy that the father had found his son. 
“You found your son.” She glanced from Big John to John B. “And you found your father… and your sister too.” She smiled and John B joined them. “How fortunate. That bond, so precious, so… fleeting.” 
John B’s eyes flitted between his father and the woman, sensing a double sense to her words. 
“Come in.” she invited. 
“Here, let me help you.” John pushed the creaking door open. “You heard her, come on.” 
“Can’t do this on the front porch?” John B asked his father who’d already entered the house. 
“Just come on. Be cool, be cool.”
“Be cool?” 
“It’s okay.” 
John B had one foot on either side of the threshold, staring at the front porch he let his head fall against the door before he closed it and followed his father to the balcony in the backyard. 
“So, as the Spaniards were coming downriver out of the headwaters, they were attacked. The Kalinago warriors began to loot the ship. And the priest was…” Big John spared a look to his son who nodded in acknowledgement. “was terrified that the shroud would be taken if the natives got the cross, so he… he took it out of the cross. See?” Carla’s eyebrows twitched. “That’s why it wasn’t there when you looked. Yeah? And then that priest kept the shroud. And he fled. He took cover. Eventually–”
“So what my dad is trying to say is that the priest ended up on the Royal Merchant cause he was the sole survivor of the San Jose fire.” John B interrupted and leaned back on the pillar. 
“That’s right.”
“Oh.”
“And we know all this because of Denmark’s diary, which my son here found.” The father said proudly as he moved to stand beside his son. 
“With a little help.” John B sighed. 
The boy just wanted to go home… 
“Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, you know? Then later, the priest, see, he got dysentery, and he died.” Big John leaned forward and sat on a low chair on the balcony, facing the woman. “He was… he was buried here in Charleston.”
“But if he had the shroud, why didn’t he just touch it and heal himself?”
“That,” John B pointed to the woman a couple of times before he sighed and ruffled his hair. “very valid question. You know, I was thinking the same time but–”
“That’s part of the story.”
“Yeah, continue please.” 
“Because he was so devout, he was so looking forward to being reunited with his Heavenly Father.” The chirping of insects grew louder in the handful of seconds it took for Limbrey to process the information and nod. “We dug up his effects at the Charleston Museum.” Big John announced and the woman’s face lit up with hope when Big John looked at her with a victorious smile. “And yes, we have it.” John B looked at his father with uncertainty. “We have the shroud.” 
Carla Limbrey took a few seconds to stare at Big John’s son and the teenager simply nodded while his father dug through his old backpack. 
“We were just on our way to bring it to you when you left your… invitation.” Big John finished, bringing out a tied up piece of cloth in which the counterfeit shroud was wrapped. The woman sucked in an audible breath and her eyes fell on the man’s hands. “I wrapped it up the best I could with… with what we had on the way.” Limbrey nodded. “That is…” he chuckled. “the shroud right in there.” 
The teenager sat to his father’s left, breathed in and held it for a few seconds and the cloth was passed over. 
“Thousands of years to finally be in your hands.” 
Carla’s fingers lightly grazed the wrapper while they shook in anticipation and Big John started to feel relief since the woman seemed to believe them but John B was racked with guilt as he and his father lied to the woman who had been suffering for years. 
“There she is.” Big John spoke slowly while the woman started to unwrap her once in a lifetime gift. “Behold a thing of magic.” The man let out a sharp and noisy breath as he rubbed his arm. “You feel that?” He asked his son who seemed to hesitate in playing along. “I just got chills. Look at that.” He added when Carla spared a glance his way. 
“Yes, wow.” John B said in a tone that lacked excitement. 
Carla Limbrey closed her eyes and lifted up her head when the tip of her fingers grazed the aged fabric. She tightened the hold she had on the soft material and brought it up to her face only to press it against her skin. 
“Do you feel the power of that?” Big John stared at his son who had covered his mouth in surprise and he raised his eyebrows. 
The woman lowered the cloth against her chest and her eyes snapped open. She cleared her throat and grabbed ahold of her crutches that she’d left on the side. She made a few steps with them before her left hand released the handle and the aid clattered on the deck at John B’s feet.
“I’ll grab it.” John B offered but his father shook his head. 
“You can just-”
“I’ll just leave it, yeah.” He sat back in his seat with his lips pressed tightly together. 
“I don’t need your help.” She told John B as she kept taking small steps. 
John B saw his father stand up from the corner of his eye and he could hear the woman’s sharp breathing. He balled up his fist and let his mouth lean on it while the woman walked away. It’s when the second crutch hit the ground loudly that the teenager flinched. He waited for a few seconds for the sound of her body hitting the floor or for her to ask for help but it never came.
“Oh.” She said and the teenager looked over his shoulder. 
Big John stayed alert, close to the woman ready to catch her if she were to fall but she didn’t. He smiled happily to his son who nodded, though both of them were baffled. A smile split her face in two and a few tears ran down her cheeks but she looked up at Big John and she laughed. 
“I’m healed.” She spoke softly. 
“Hallelujah. Look at you, darling. How about that?” Big John clapped his hands together which made his son flinch once again as he held his head in his hand, unable to look up at the woman. 
After Limbrey thanked them repeatedly, the father and son bid their host adieu and walked out of the house and got their van back. 
“She walked. It worked.” Big John said as he stuffed his belongings in the van. 
“What the hell was going on there?” John B asked, joining his father in the front. 
“Hey, you have to believe in miracles if you want them to happen.”
“It’d be a miracle if this thing starts up.” John B pointed out as the engine struggled. 
“Gotta believe, boy. I believed it.” He said before pulling out into the street. “El Dorado, here we come.” 
-
Elizabeth’s eyes were on the road ahead of her but she could feel the stress of her back seat passenger and she rolled her eyes. 
“Top? Calm down.” 
“Shit,” the teenage boy panted as he kept looking back. “they definitely called it in.” 
“Yo, B, turn here.” JJ spoke from behind Sarah. “Beth? Turn here.” He repeated but she kept going and he scoffed before he leaned forward and Sarah slapped his hand away as he tried to grab the wheel.
“Don’t backseat drive, JJ. Either we switch places or you stay there.” She said and he sat back in his seat squeezed between the door and Pope. 
“Okay, but just go faster.” He leaned forward.
“JJ…” she warned. 
“No, but really if they do catch up just-” The blonde’s hand grazed her shoulder as he rested his hand against the back of the seat.
“JJ! Enough!” She stepped on the break and a chorus of swears echoed through the car. The brunette undid her seat belt and turned around in her seat coming almost face to face with the blonde. “You gotta make a decision right now.” He nodded as he pressed his lips together to suppress an amused smile. “Either we switch or you stay there and shut your hole.” She waited, eyebrows raised as he muttered something under his breath and went back in his seat. “Thank you.” She said. “Everyone okay?” She asked and they all nodded after checking up on Pope and Cleo who were still in the bed of the truck. “Okay, good.” She put the car back in drive as she buckled up and pressed down the gas pedal as much as possible throwing the passengers back against their seats. 
“Are they always arguing like that?” Topper asked quietly and Kiara threw him a look without answering. 
So the brunette sped up and drove over an speed bump that’d lost the painting over it. Everyone in the car went flying out of theirs seats and it took Elizabeth a few mili-seconds to noticed the box had jumped out. 
“Shit!” She swore and stopped the car once again. 
“Are you serious, right now?” JJ shouted and she ignored him as she got out and ran to the back of the truck. 
“Are you guys okay?” She asked Pope and Cleo who had gotten out of the bed. 
“Yeah, kinda hurts a little.” The boy said as he rubbed his ribcage. 
“Shit, I’m sorry, Pope.” She eyed the cross on the ground. “It wasn’t painted over and there was no warn-”
“I don’t care about that, Ellie.” He waved her off as he walked closer to the cross where their friends had already walked to. 
The boy took the last few steps to the box before he pushed off the cover that’d gotten damage in the fall and he frowned. 
“What the hell?” Kiara asked when their eyes fell on the tires filled with cement. 
“Shit.” 
“It’s fake.” Pope breathed out, defeated. He crouched down under his friends’ stares. “It’s all freaking fake.”
“Of course, we did.” JJ stepped forward. “Of course, we stole a fake.” he chuckled breathlessly. 
“Pope, I’m so sorry.” Sarah apologized and Elizabeth shook her head. 
They watched as JJ took off his cap and walked to his friends to put a hand over his shoulder in support. All of them sighed in that moment when the sirens reached their ears. 
“Y’all hear that? Okay, I can’t be here. My grandfather’s a judge.” Topper started as he backed up towards the truck. 
“Dog, would you relax? They’re not gonna think some dude in flip-flops is part of a robbery.” JJ snapped. 
“Oh yeah, with the crate sitting right next to my truck.” 
“Pope, we gotta go.” Kiara called. 
“Y’all coming?” 
“I’m sorry, P.” Elizabeth said as she wrapped a hand around his arm. “We gotta go, bud.” Elizabeth eyed Cleo who stared at Pope with defeat and she cracked a small smile and gestured for the girl to come. 
“We gonna find it. We gonna find it later.” Cleo whispered in the boy’s ear with her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Pope nodded reluctantly and followed Cleo. 
“Yo, Maybank!” Elizabeth shouted and JJ’s head appeared on the other side of the truck’s bed. 
“What?” 
“You drive.” She said before throwing the keys and he nodded as soon as the words slipped her lips a grin appeared on his face and Sarah jumped out of the front passenger’s seat, leaving it open for her. 
Cleo sat on Pope’s lap, while Sarah sat on Kiara’s lap and Topper found himself pressed up against the door. 
“This doesn’t seem safe.” He muttered and Elizabeth simply reached back and slapped his knee. 
“Shut up.” 
Pope tried as best as possible to look back at the crate left in the middle of the road for as long as possible before JJ turned a corner and he lost sight of it. 
-
Rafe had arrived to Barry’s place almost half an hour earlier and the latter was still gushing about the valuable object he was able to get his hands on. 
“This shit is straight out of the Pope’s vault, bro.” Barry scoffed while Rafe took a sip of the liquor. “You don’t think we can get more for it as it is? I mean, this straight out of church, bruh.” Rafe didn’t say a word at that, only pushed the half empty bottle against Barry’s chest. 
Rafe grabbed a piece of sheet metal and brought it over the large fireplace they had constructed.
“This is how we turn the cross into untraceable money.”
“Untraceble, huh?” Barry questioned as he helped Rafe cover the cross. 
Rafe frowned and bent over the brick edge of their pit and reach in the middle of the cross for the unlocked trap there. He reached in and pulled out a small key with a red ribbon tied to it. 
“You know, I heard some crazy shit that happened last night.” 
“Is that right?” 
“You know that fake cross we put in there?” 
“Yeah.” Barry nodded.
“It was stolen.” Rafe said as the shadow of an amused smile reached his lips. 
“Does sould like them Pogues, don’t it?” “Oh, no doubt.” Rafe agreed, putting on the last piece of metal. “I mean, I’d pay half the value of this just to see the look on their faces when they opened the box.” The Kook wrapped his hand around the neck of the bottle Rafe had handed him back. 
“I bet you would.” The two crouched down in front of the hole. “You what the melting point of gold is, Country Club?” Rafe didn’t answer, just kept staring at the cross like a starved man. “1,948 degrees. Hot enough to melt me and you.” Rafe scratched under his nose as he waited for the man to set the fire. “I got to be honest with you, dog. I don’t know if I got this in me, bro.”
“I do.” 
“Yeah,” Barry chuckled. “i knew you did. It’s all yours, Country Club.” 
Rafe lit the match and stared intensely at it as it flew from his hand to the underside of the cross. He and Barry stood up but Rafe grabbed a heavy piece of metal and closed the small opening, concentrating the heat of the fire in the small, enclosed space.
“There it is.” Rafe spoke quietly as he stared at the slowly melting cross with a pleased smile.
“We’re going to hell, that’s for sure.”
************************
TAGLIST: - @jjxobx - @moonylantsovs - @k-k0129 - @jaxxandcomet - @taaniesha - @sunflowerbecca - @obx-direction-sos - @itssoweirdyoureher - @scenesofobx - @just-chilling-stuff - @nikfigueiredo - @mirellef2001
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r0s3mm · 12 days
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Fight or Flight (encore) // Outer Banks series
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Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
A/N:  last part of beth's journey alone, somewhat emotional reunions, angst, mentions of injuries, death, language, fluff??????,
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The sun was beaming down on her hair and she was tired. She had sold the truck to a couple of men for a measly hundred bucks on Sunday and so the night from Sunday to monday was spent on a bench at the exact location of the departure. 
“Ticket?” The man asked. “I don’t have it. I won a contest.” “Do you have a confirmation number?” “Huh, yeah. Fifty six, forty six.” She said and the man’s face lit up. “Oh! Our special guest.” He nodded. “We have your suite all set up and ready for you.”
Suite? Damn John…
“Your arrival with us was very last minute but we are more than happy to have you with us.” He smiled and Elizabeth could hear the other passengers become impatient behind her. “Give your name to the woman right inside and she’ll help you get settled in.” Elizabeth nodded, a little bit stunned before she walked forward. “Hi!” “Hello, the guy over there told me to come and see you. I’m Elizabeth Miller.” “Yes! Lizzie, John’s girl.” She nodded and she had to swallow the tears that threatened to fall out. “Yeah, exactly.” John’s girl“Follow me sweetheart.” 
She didn’t know what to expect, would he be on the ship? Would the lady lead her to a room where he would be waiting for her? Was this all a trap and John had called at gunpoint? 
The woman unlocked a door and Elizabeth held her breath when she stepped in.
“Our next stop is Barbados, rest up.” 
Before she could say anything, the door was closed behind her and the lock was engaged. She stood in the middle of the room, staring at the door utterly confused. 
“What the fuck?” She was tired of freaking out, tired of stressing out about shit she couldn’t control so she took advantage of the situation. 
The ensuite bathroom had a fluffy robe with slippers, expensive shower gel, hair and skin products so she took an hour long shower. Cleaned herself up from her to toe as her skin and hair had suffered from the cheap hospital soap. She opened the television but couldn’t find anything interesting to watch until she switched to a news channel where her picture stared back at her. She had been seen in Guadeloupe, the woman hadn’t said anything to her, for sure Elizabeth would’ve stayed there if it meant that she would be home now. Food was delivered halfway through the trip and her worries lessened when the waiter brought her favorite food on a silver platter, quite literally. -
She was dropped off at the terminal and a shuttle picked her up only to drop her off downtown. 
“What am I supposed to do, now?” She whispered to herself. She held her bag against her and looked around, trying to see if John was picking her up. 
She walked around for hours, not knowing that she was being watched, that two pairs of eyes were on her from a safe distance. The teenager stopped for a few minutes, watching children run through a water hose that was spraying water in the air. An easy smile fell on her lips and she let her guards down just enough for another body to join her. 
“Isn’t that a nice picture, huh?” She froze, unsure if she should be annoyed or scared. “What are you doing here?” Elizabeth turned around and as soon as she saw his face, the annoyance took over. “Escaping, clearly.” She said matter of factly, she took three steps before she felt the now familiar feeling of a gun nozzle against her ribs and she heard the click that told her the gun was now loaded. “What was that?” He muttered in her ear before she could feel him right behind her. 
She had a few options: scream, try and run, hit him… It had somewhat been therapeutic the last time… But her chance came when a kid took off running and fell flat on his face right in front of them. The mother was close behind and Elizabeth used the distraction to blend into the crowd. For a while she walked through small streets, street vendors' carts. She put as much distance between her and Rafe but at all times, she made sure she knew in which direction he was. She watched a woman who stood a few feet away. The teenager’s green eyes followed the woman’s hand movement and the way she slipped her phone in her jacket’s pocket microphone first, vertically. The woman’s whole cellphone fit in the pocket which told the teenager that the pocket was deep and seemed to be able to hold a lot of stuff.  
She took a breath and took off running before almost shoving the woman with her left shoulder which caused her real pain, enough pain to make tears appear in her waterline. 
“I’m so sorry!” She cried out as she raised her hands in front of her. “Can’t you just watc- Oh honey are you alright?” the woman asked, concerned for the distraught looking teenager in front of her. Just as she expected, the woman took a step closer to Elizabeth, staying to her left. “Do you need help?” Elizabeth nodded, wiped her eyes and held her right hand in front of her mouth while her left snatched the cellphone out of the woman’s pocket. “There’s a man!” She pointed to where she had just come from. “He stole my bag, I had all my stuff inside. All my documents! Oh god my mom’s gonna kill me! It was my last chance before she sent me off!” She kept rambling while the woman stared at her hysterical outburst. “And I hit you! I’m so sorry! I just tried to run after him but he’s already gotten away.” She cried. 
The woman tried to reassure her, led her away from the crowd and suggested she helped her find her fictional stolen bag. While the woman went to a vending machine to get the brunette a water bottle, Elizabeth wiped her tears, rubbed her arm and checked her surroundings for Rafe one last time before she once again got lost in the crowd and walked a few streets away, pocketing the cell phone properly but not before she saw the phone case contained a few bills of money. 
-
She hooked the bag strap higher on her shoulder as she tucked her newly short hair in the hood of her sweater. She made her way in the nearest shop as she was able to hear Rafe’s shouts of her name getting closer knowing he was a street over. Her green eyes wearily covered the store, scanning the employees’ faces and how it was made. With a determined step, she made her way to the back; grabbing a pair of shorts, a man’s button up shirt that was a few sizes too large, a lacy bralette, a branded T-Shirt, a couple pairs of sweatpants, two randomly picked bras and a pair of shoes. With a nod to the teenager that stood at the fitting rooms’ entrance, she slipped behind the curtain of the cabin.
“How many pieces?” the girl asked on the other side of the hung drape.
“Oh my god,” she gasped obnoxiously. “I totally forgot, I’m so sorry. I don’t know where my head is! Let me count.” she moved the hangers around with a roll of her green eyes before she pulled the sweatshirt she was wearing over her head. “I have five.” she replied and before she knew it she could hear the plastic number being hung on the hook right outside the cabin. 
Elizabeth stared at her half-naked upper body, fingers tracing the necklace that hung around her neck and she sniffled. She eyed the gray sweatshirt she had just taken off before she bent down and took off the matching sweatpants. 
“Yeah, hello?” she said out loud, picking up the white bralette. “Sorry, mom. I can’t hear you well. I guess the service isn’t as good here as in the villa.” she groaned quietly, her fingers working quickly to secure the top to her body. “Huh, I’m in the store near the café we tried yesterday… The one with the lit up neon signs?” She tore the tag from the lacy garment and the shorts, stuffing them under the cushion of the seat in the cabin. “Oh, okay.” she mumbled. She pulled the black shorts up her legs and buttoned them. “Can you order me the chicken sandwich I had yesterday? And ask Mike if he wants to share a plate of nachos, please.” She also tore the tag off the men’s black button up shirt, her fingers turning a deep red color as she struggled. She added some muttering of acknowledgment to her monologue as she tied the ends of the button up together, leaving her middle part bare. “Oh, mom!” she said loudly and she opened the bag’s zipper. “Guess who I talked to earlier! Uh, I’ll get a lemonade I guess.” she slipped the pair of shoes in the bag tearing off the tags and the sticker under it. “Hey, I gotta go. I'm trying on some clothes for tonight’s dinner. How formal do I have to be?” Elizabeth grabbed her gray top and pants and put them back on. “Okay, I’ll be there in like ten minutes. Alright, love you!” 
She stayed another two minutes in the cabin, shuffling around, taking things off the hangers before letting them fall on the floor. 
“Is everything okay, miss?” a voice said on the other side and she stopped breathing. 
“Huh, yeah. Thanks.” 
“Alright, let me know if something’s wrong.” The voice said and she guessed it had to be an older employee by the maturity of the voice. 
“Actually, I seemed to have grabbed the wrong bra size.”
“Want me to get you another one?” 
“That’d be so nice.” She pulled the sleeve of the sweatshirt up to her elbow, grabbed the bright green bra and slipped the garment out of the cabin, only letting the woman see to her naked mid forearm. “Maybe a 34C if you have them for that model?”
“I’ll go check.” 
“Thank you, you’re so nice!” she gushed with an emotionless face. 
She heard the clicks of the heels get quieter and she opened the curtain just enough for her face to slip through. 
“Hi?” she whispered but no one answered.
She went back in the cabin and breathed out before shaking off the sensation of tingling she had in her fingers. 
God she loved the rush.
“Okay.” she sighed and grabbed her bag. She took the phone from the side pocket of the black bag and put it against her ear. “Fuck, mom! Are you okay? Where are you guys?” She jogged out of the cabin and into the store. “Okay, okay. I’ll be there soon, I’ll get an uber or something. I don’t know if they do Uber here! I’ll just find a taxi!” she shouted. “Yeah just,--” she turned to the employees who stared at her with wide eyes and she covered the microphone of the device. “Hey, I gotta leave, family emergency. I’ll try and come back tomorrow or something, but I just wanted to thank you so much! And I wanted to apologize for leaving the cabin in this mess I just-”
“It’s completely fine, honey. Go with your family. We’ll see you tomorrow?” the woman asked with the right bra size in her hand.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “hopefully. I know that bra would have driven my boyfriend crazy.” she said timidly. “What mom? Yeah, I'm on my way!” she spoke on the phone before waving to the employees and walking out of the store. 
The warm air hit her face and a loud gasp left her lungs. 
Caffé, seafood restaurant, surf shop, restaurant, restaurant… 
“Shit.” 
“Elizabeth!” she heard and whipped around only to see the now too familiar buzzed hair that belonged to one Rafe Cameron. 
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” She, once again, pulled the hood over her head and cowarded between two buildings. 
Her palms started to sweat when she saw the man right in front of her, staring at the street she had just come from. He had his phone to his ear, though she couldn’t hear what he said she could easily guess he was speaking to someone else who was looking for her. Without really thinking, she lowered her head and started to walk in his direction and once she was close enough to swing a fist in his face, she turned right and walked in the direction she came from half an hour earlier. There, she sighed in relief after finally seeing two public restrooms and she jogged the remaining distance before locking the rusted door behind her. In a way that seemed almost excessive, she tore the heavy and warm garments away from her body, stuffing them underneath the plastic bag in the trash can. She arranged the knot she had made earlier with the ends of the black button up. She switched the shoes, leaving the one size too big shoes Rose bought her with the joggers and hoodie, instead putting on the red vans she picked up at the clothing store. 
“Are you almost done?” A chill ran down her spine when Rafe’s voice came from the other side of the door and she scrambled to put the other things in the bag. Grateful Wheezie had let her leave with her sunglasses she slipped them on the bridge of her nose before she fluffed her hair and parted them in the middle. “Hello? I saw you come in here. Are you done?” he said loudly, pressed against the door. 
“Un instant!” she stalled, the french words slipped off her tongue with ease and she could hear him groan on the other side of the door. 
When she remembered the bag she used to escape out of the mansion she groaned. Throwing it on the floor, she opened the black backpack and emptied its contents out on the tiled and gross floor. She sighed in relief when she realized that the inside of the bag was colored before she flipped it inside out. Filling it back up, she left a small opening for the handle on the top so she could hold it like a handbag. She put a smile on her face and unlocked the door before opening it harshly smacking him in the face.
“Oh! Merde! Je suis désolée!” she apologized when the blonde groaned in pain. She waved to him, her eyes never really meeting his as she kept her head lowered. “Passez une belle journée!” She smiled, turning the corner and hiding herself in the crowd. 
The top of her head felt hot after the first five minutes of her walk, she looked for shadow anywhere and her eyes fell on a burger stand that had seats and some umbrellas. She reached into her bra, pulling out two ten dollar bills . Her mouth watered at the sight of the meat patties, fries and the water that seemed ice cold. With large steps, she walked to the stand and smiled at the man. 
“Hi, how much for a double cheeseburger with everything you got, a side of fries and two gla- no three glasses of ice cold water?” 
“Huh, nine.” 
“Is American money good?” She showed him the valuable piece of paper and he smiled. 
“Yes, of course.” 
“Okay, great.” The teenager breathed out as she fell on the stool, her bag fell at her feet and she, as best as possible, secured it between her two legs. 
“Your water, ma’am.” he said as three cups filled to the brim with ice cubes and water appeared in front of her. 
“Thank you, so much!” she dipped her head forward before she tipped one of the cups over her hair. The cold water cooled her scalp quickly and she almost got teary eyed when the drops continued down her back and breasts. “Fuck.” she almost moaned quietly. “Sorry.” she chuckled when she noticed the man eyeing her. 
“It’s quite alright, sweetheart. It’s a hotter than usual day for the Island so I don’t blame you. You’re maybe the twelfth person I've seen do this in the past hour.” she chuckled, relieved. And she didn’t care if the man’s words were false, the water brought much needed relief to her overheated and nervous body. 
She sipped the first glass, enjoying the way it cooled down her esophagus slowly. She twisted around, watching as people came and left, she could hear little girls’ laughter, she could hear the waves from where she was placed and she smiled, the sound brought comfort to her heart and soul. 
“Hey, do you know if they rent boards?” she gestured to a large sign that said “Beach.”. 
“They used to, haven’t been there in a while myself but there’s no harm in checking it out, right?” she nodded and her eyes and stomach grew three sizes when the plate of greasy food came into her line of sight. “Double cheeseburger with everything and a side of fries. Need sauces?” 
“I’m all good, thank you!” Her stomach growled as she ate the first couple of freshly made fries. 
Her ears stayed attentive as she ate, worried that her name would be shouted once more. She bit into the burger and an appreciative groan slipped out of her otherwise full mouth. She raised her thumb towards the cook and wiggled excitedly in her seat which made the two men laugh. 
“So good!” she said gratefully and the man that was frying up what looked like some kind of ground meat blew her kisses. “Literally so, so good!” 
“We are glad you like it!” the cook said in broken english. 
After the fourth bite, she quickly rinsed her mouth with water before she dipped her clean hand in the glass and rubbed her cold fingers against her neck. She was about to dig into her fries when someone sat beside her and she tensed up, turning her face away from the new guest. 
“You do not need to hide from me, Ms Miller.” The voice sounded familiar but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. “John Routledge sent me.” At the mention of his name she turned, the stool’s seat squeaking with the movement.
“Limbrey?” The name slipped past her lips as a question. “Yes.” The woman confirmed. “Wha-” Elizabeth hid a burp and she sighed. “How?” “I have been working with John Routledge.” The girl’s head moved to the side and she stared at the woman askance. “Huh…” Elizabeth straightened up and searched her surroundings while her fingernails tapped a nervous rhythm on the counter. “Why wouldn’t you say that before? Instead of manipulating and using my friends?” “I had my orders. John and I had a deal, part of it was to clear his son’s name, which I did.” The brunette scoffed. “How can I get you to trust me on this?” “You can’t. The amount of people I trust has been decreasing almost weekly for a few months now.” “He wants to see you.” The woman stated and Elizabeth licked her lips. 
Carla Limbrey waited for an answer, impatiently staring at the teenager who was biting and licking her lips raw. Elizabeth jumped when a small group of children ran past them and she clutched her bag. 
“Poor girl. Look at you, a shell of the girl I saw a month ago. Not so brave without your guy there to protect you, huh?” Elizabeth’s mind snapped back to the thin blonde sat next to her and she sucked in a breath. 
“What?” 
Elizabeth walked out of the Chateau with a large red cooler, pearls of sweat already forming near her hairline. 
“Hey, princess! Wait up!” JJ called from inside the house and she turned to him with a smile. “Hi.” he greeted once he jumped down from the balcony. “What is it, JJ? Heyward’s waiting for me.” “What’s in this?” He asked, taking a step towards her. The only thing that could fit between them was the cooler and even then, the teenage boy leaned in. “Take a break, B, it’s summer.” He said softly pulling at her fingers so she would release the handles. He took them out of her hands and held it in front of her. “You deserve a break.” “I am fine, JJ.”“Yes, you are.” He flirted, letting his eyes wander and she shook her head though a grin wanted to break through. 
“You giving me a ride, Maybank?” She raised her eyebrows, gesturing to the van they were approaching
“Of course.” He nodded before sliding the Twinkie’s door open with one hand and dropping the cooler in with the other. “And for you, my lady.” He curtsied before opening the passenger door. “My, my, what a gentleman.” “Lizzie!” John shouted from the fishing shack and the brunette looked out the window. 
“Yeah?” “What are you and your guy up to? Huh?” He shouted teasingly as he approached the car and Elizabeth threw JJ a glance as he walked around the van to reach the driver’s side. “John, c’mon!” The teenager groaned while the blonde chuckled knowingly. “Okay but seriously, I need you and your guy back in an hour, got a job for you youngins, John B’s gonna be back by then.” “Stop calling him my guy.” She whispered and he winked. 
“Nerver, your mom’s catching on.” He bent forward a little bit. “Bring her back safely, JJ.” John pointed at the teenager as a warning. “Always, Big John.” JJ nodded as he turned on the engine. “Sweetcheeks, I'm counting on you to actually come back. Don’t y’all go get lost in the woods like last week.”“We weren’t lost John. It’s a birthday tradition.” Elizabeth chuckled as JJ drove off on her signal. 
Elizabeth blinked before she grabbed her bag and stood on her feet. 
“Okay, yeah, let’s go.” 
Limbrey, surprised, took a few seconds before she nodded and led the girl to a car in which she was blindfolded while they drove. They made two left turns, seven minutes between each, then drove straight for almost half an hour. She felt a right turn and then a slight climb as they drove up what she imagined was a hill. The driver made a sharp turn to the left, drove again for a short five minutes before the truck slowed to a full stop. Limbrey spoke quietly to someone before Elizabeth heard the door open and the warm air of Barbados hit her cooled skin. 
“We’re here. Let me take this off for you.” Limbrey said before the blindfold was pulled off the teenager’s eyes. 
The brunette squinted as her eyes adjusted to the harsh sun and she analyzed her surroundings. An old and rusty green metal fence stood in front of her and behind it barely stood a small house. Vines came from the ground and wrapped itself around the outside walls, cracks had appeared through the years in the foundation, the windows were clouded over with grime. The front door was held by its last hinges and the doorknob seemed to be trying to leave it behind as it hung off the hole. 
“Where are we?” Elizabeth asked, she walked ahead with Limbrey close behind and she pulled the fence’s lock up and walked through. The grass felt scratchy against her pantless legs and she pulled at the knotted shirt letting it fall to her mid-thigh. “Some kind of brothel?” She glanced at Limbrey and the woman shook her head. 
She turned around, fully facing Carla Limbrey and the two goons by her sides, neither of them she recognized. She cast a look at her surroundings, old houses and busted windows, some had flowers on their balconies and kids’ toys. 
“Makes me think of home a little bit. Quiet place to hide out in.” Big John spoke from behind her and she swallowed thickly and sucked in a breath. With trembling hands by her sides, her feet moved of their own accord and she was faced with the image of a ghost. “Hiya Sweetcheeks.” He said before she started to laugh, tears streaming down her overheated cheeks. 
“Oh my god.” She bent forward, holding onto her knee with one hand while the other stayed on her chest in an attempt to catch her heart if it tried to jump out. “J- Wha- Da-” She spluttered as she ran in his arms, her head hidden in his neck. “Hi Lizzie.” He put her down, leaned back and let his large thumbs wipe away the tears on her face. “Look at you.” He said before looking at her with pride. “How are you doing, my girl?” He asked and she nodded enthusiastically. 
“How am I? How are you? Why are you?” She asked, squeezing his arms and confirming he was actually real. “I’m good, much better now.” “Oh my god.” She cried out quietly before going back into his arms. 
“I got your messages, Sweetcheeks.” He mumbled as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. 
Part of her family was back… 
That same day, he helped her settle in, he told her about RJ, he told her about El Dorado and the ultimate treasure it held. Told her about the time he spent deserted, surviving on what his environment provided before he was found by Singh, a name she wasn’t familiar with. She stared in amazement as he animatedly told her about the short man, him and his ridiculously large estate that would put the Kook’s houses to shame. 
The father-like figure would move around the house’s main room, acting out the events just like he used to do when she and John B were little. 
“So what did Singh want?” Elizabeth asked after a few minutes, the few minutes it took for her to prepare the evening meal. 
“Everything.” He replied mysteriously and she arched an eyebrow as she sipped on the liquor she was given. “He wanted to know everything there was to know about it, about the treasure and its history.” “Mmh… Get in line” She spoke with her mouth full of beans. “And in exchange for the information he would keep me alive.” He said. “Yeah, right.” She snorted. “Bullshit.” Big John looked up and smiled at the girl who was a mirror of her own mother at that age but had the smarts he taught her. 
“And your old man isn’t stupid, Lizzie.” Elizabeth shook her head in agreement. “I figured it out. Blood was spilled on my way to freedom but I was able to grab onto what Singh seemed to value most.” 
“And what is that?” She asked with a cock of her head and he went through a drawer and pulled out a picture. 
“Some kind of stone piece.” He spoke as he watched her analyze the image, green eyes looking at the image bit by bit.
-
She huffed out, a strand of hair floated away from her face. 
“What do you need this time?” She asked and John handed her a list with scribbles on it. “Go and meet RJ, I heard Singh’s been visiting more and I need to know our deal’s still in place.” “What deal?” 
“He’s protecting something for me and I’ll collect when everything’s ready.” He answered. “Okay, what else?” She sighed. 
“Food. There’s a market at the docks, fish’s cheap and good, get a few things to last us the next few days, we’ve been going out too much since you’re here.” 
“We?” She sent him a look and he shook his head. 
“We send you out there because Sing and his men aren’t aware of your being here yet, he has the police on his payroll and you bet they know who we are.”
“Sure, fine. 
And so, Elizabeth started her short journey to the antiquarian’s shop where she met the man for the first time with her backpack on and a few bills John gave to her before she left. There was a high pitched noise that announced her arrival and it took a second before a man’s head appeared from the backstore. 
“Hello.” She waved and he disappeared only to come back a handful of seconds later. 
“Elizabeth Miller, what an honor.” He greeted before he extended his hand out. 
“Who are you?” 
“An old friend of John Routledge. We, huh,” He hesitated. “We worked together at some point.” 
“That’s not vague at all.” She mumbled as the tip of her finger dusted off some ancient looking statues. “How do you know my name?” “John spoke of you and his son often.” He stared at her for a second before he chuckled. “And you are the spitting image of your mother when she was your age. And I have a television.” 
“You knew my mother?” 
“I knew of her. Whether I like it or not, John and I go way back.” 
“Mmh.” The girl hummed in agreement knowing her father figure’s way of being wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. 
Elizabeth took a few steps away from the man, observing the artifacts and relics in his shops. 
“Are all of these real?”
“If you want them to be.” He joked and she slowly nodded. “So, why were you sent here?” 
“I don’t know details but-” Elizabeth noticed the way the man raised his eyebrows in a way that seemed to say that it was obvious. “John wants to know if your deal’s still in place because of a man named Singh? Apparently he’s been moving closer to y’all’s common goal.” 
“You can tell him that everything is safe and that yes, our deal still holds.” 
“Alright then, I will be on my way. Nice to meet you, sir and have a good day.” She nodded politely before making her way to the door.
“Please do come back whenever you’d like,” Elizabeth stopped with her hand on the doorknob. “if anything I was told is true, I have a few things that could interest you.” 
“I’ll think about it.” She said before letting the door close behind her. 
She then followed the signs to the marina where she knew she would find the market.. As soon as she approached the area she could hear the loud voices; some people screamed, others laughed, she could hear children squealing. People started to spill out from the marina, arms and baskets full of fresh vegetables, fruits and wrapped meats. 
Her green orbs eyed the prices and she huffed, thinking of the small amount that laid in her pocket. A customer and seller argued or rather negotiated the price of the bag of apples, on the next stand was a crate of bruised apples at half price and she stared at them before she reached out to the ones at the edge which she shoved in her bag. 
“Pretty sure I saw someone a few stalls down sell those same bags for half the price.” She chimed in when the seller’s eyes drifted to her and just as quickly the woman leaned back to see if the girl was lying. “You can go and see, it’s the woman with the green apron, she’s super nice too!” She smiled before gesturing to the woman. 
“I’ll do just that.” 
“Hey, come on!” The seller groaned and Elizabeth simply shrugged before continuing her way. 
The brunette was able to get a bag of green beans for half the price, she was able to get a couple of oranges for what would be considered free when she showed the vendor how mushy their oranges had gotten and before the man could argue she squeezed one that was particularly old that she got off the floor and her fingers broke through the skin and flesh of the fruit… She feigned disgust and the man tried to quiet her as he gave her three fresh ones he had picked that same morning. She paid for tomatoes full price since she couldn’t find anything wrong with them and she really craved them. 
“Miss! Want to try a fresh passion fruit?” A woman called her out before she was handed half of the fruit and she grinned with a nod. 
After it was softly dropped in her hand, she brought it to her lips and she sucked out the pulp and seeds and a smile appeared on her face at its freshness. 
“Good, huh?” The girl nodded. “You take this, okay? So tiny!” The woman insisted, she put a handful of the fruit in a thin plastic bag and pushed it in the girl’s hands and Elizabeth couldn’t do anything else except nod and thank the woman. 
The brunette stopped on a bench after she had been walking around for an hour and she watched the boats arrive and leave the marina whilst eating the fruits she was gifted. Stalls sold food while others sold everyday items and others sold clothing and jewelry. She was about to make her way to the fish vendor when a flash of blue caught her interest. It was her favorite shade of blue. 
She searched through her bag hopeful and she sighed when her fingers touched the money she had left. 
“Hi, how much for the blue dress?” She questioned the man. 
When Elizabeth left the market with a bag full of fruits and veggies and more fish than she asked for, a tall woman waited for her. 
“You know that if you keep stealing, you’ll attract unwanted attention?” The teenager stopped a couple of steps in front of the woman. 
“I’m careful, always have been always will be.” 
“This isn’t the cut, anymore, Elizabeth.” She spat out with what sounded like disgust. “You get us caught and you’ll have more to worry about than me. Don’t think for a second that John will not leave you here to save his own skin.” 
“It’s an instinct, Limbrey, it’s called flight or fight.” Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, arrogance all over her tone and features. The brunette’s arm was grabbed tightly before she was almost carried to the car that was waiting for them hidden away in a small alley. 
-
It had been a couple of days and the whole time, John kept Elizabeth inside the small house. Apparently Singh’s people were getting suspicious because the teenager had taken RJ up on his offer and she had visited him a couple of times. They talked about how to tell the real from the fake artifacts and he showed her a private exhibition he kept in the back for more exclusive customers while the rest was usually seen by tourists. He served her tea while they chatted about Singh and RJ explained to her the new enemy in their lives. 
“How did Carla Limbrey come into the picture?” 
“From what he told me it was years ago. She had been hiring investigators or something to find that supposedly magical piece of cloth, she had the ressources had the means to achieve what John had been trying to do for years. They cut a deal, if he helped her with it she’d let him have the gold and she only wanted the garment.”
“What about Singh?” 
“We always knew of this wealthy man out here in Barbados, I mean, anyone who’s looking for any treasure knows of this man but they met when John was stranded.”
“He told me about that, he offered John his life in exchange to help him find the treasure and John knew he wasn’t getting out of there alive whether he helped him or not.”
“Exactly.” RJ stared at the teenager while he sipped his tea. “You remember when I told you I had some things you might be interested in?” 
“Yes.” 
“I’ll go and get something in the back, be right back.” She nodded with a small smile and watched as he disappeared in the backroom. 
The high pitched bell rang throughout the room and Elizabeth turned to face the door and leaned on the counter she stood behind. 
“Arjun?” The man called out just as two other men walked in. “Oh, morning.” The man greeted and his accent made her cock her head to the side. 
“Morning.” She smiled politely before she started putting her things away. 
“American?” 
“Yes, my family and I are here on vacation.” She lied just as the backroom’s door opened and RJ walked through but the short man in front of her stared at her with uncertainty.
“It isn’t anything I usually sell but- Mr. Singh!” RJ exclaimed loudly who at the same time glanced towards the girl. “What brings you here?” “Just looking around.” The man mumbled. “But if you’re busy…” he trailed off and Elizabeth shook her head. 
“He’s not, actually. I was just leaving, he was nice enough to show me his vast collection.” Elizabeth’s hand gestured to the shelves around them. She grabbed her bag from underneath the counter and smiled nervously with her lips pressed together in a tight line.
“Take this before you go, Mrs. Connor.” He said and Elizabeth nodded unsure as to why he lied on her name. “I heard you were interested in different cuisines. This was my mother’s, please have it.” 
“No, I can’t take this …” 
“Please, my mother would love the idea of sharing our culture’s cuisine.” He said and she flipped through the cookbook where every pages were filled with handwritten notes. 
“Thank you.” 
“Now go.” He urged before she turned out and walked out with a certain urgency in her steps. 
“I wasn’t aware you sold cookbooks, Arjun.” Was the last thing Elizabeth heard before she walked out and the door slammed shut behind her. 
-
The brunette pulled the lock of the fence and walked in the barren yard only for the small house’s front door to be opened and Elizabeth was met with a furious looking John. 
“Where were you?” He asked and Limbrey appeared at his side. 
“It’s nice to see you, John. Was everything okay this morning? You were out when I woke up.” She said and John raised an eyebrow, waiting on her to answer. “Market for breakfast and then RJ’s, why?” 
“You were spotted.” The blonde woman added before they both stepped aside and let her walk in.
A very small television box was on the dirt encrusted counter and there her picture was. 
“I don’t even know where this was taken.” 
“They’re saying you ran away.” 
“Did they see? Back home?” The girl asked hopeful.
“Maybe.” Big John replied curtly.
“The Carrera’s stopped their TV appearances two weeks ago.” 
“...authorities fished the plane, belonging to a Jimmy Portis out of the water and are asking for Mr. Portis to turn himself in.” Elizabeth would’ve ignored the news but the look Carla Limbrey and John shared she turned to the television and listened. “Many witnesses present on the scene-”
“Lizzie I was-”
“Shh.” she raised her hand and John frowned. 
“-as four to six teenagers piled out of the plane along with its pilot that was carried to shore by one of them. We have images from the witnesses, videos that were taken on mobile devices that show the rescue.” 
Though it was blurry and almost imperceivable, Elizabeth recognized her best friend and her hand covered her mouth as she gasped. 
“The incident happened this morning before the teenagers escaped and left the man to die out on the beach. Jimmy Portis was brought to a local hospital where he is receiving the best possible care.”
“Like hell he is!” John let out. 
“John!” Limbrey scolded before she set her gaze on Elizabeth. The woman could see the girl thinking, could hear the engine running before she looked at John with betrayal. 
“Is this where you guys were this morning?” She questioned. “Did you know where they were this whole time? Why didn’t you go and help them, like you did with me?” 
“We couldn’t. Too many people and Singh’s people were already there.”
“Who cares?” She shouted and the two adults stared at her; one stared at her surprised by her outburst and the other breathed out deeply as a deep frown was etched on his face. “Your son was right there! Your own boy was right there and you let him go?” She jabbed her index finger in his chest. “What kind of father are you?” She shouted as unshed tears of anger appeared in her face 
“Show some respect, young lady.” John warned with a deep voice and usually, that type of angry paternal scold used to make the girl shut up, but she was boiling from the inside and her heart felt like it was being crushed. 
She took a few seconds, breathed in hoping it would calm her down, pushed her hair out of her face and groaned in frustration. 
She didn’t calm down and so she turned on her heels and put her hands on her hips. 
“Respect?” She repeated in a fake calm. “You’ve been away doing god knows what for a year while your son, your boy was struggling to survive. He was being threatened with child services, taken away from his home, failing classes because he thought you were dead, barely eating two meals a day and apparently you’ve known this whole time but you were too focused on your childish treasure hunt to care for your son and let it go?” Two words in and the tears started to flow but her voice stayed steady. “You had a chance to help him, him and his friends, my friends.” The brunette harshly wiped the tears from her eyes, looking at the ground before she stared at him with all the hatred she could muster. “You can shove your respect up high, sir.” She stated before she kicked a cabinet door. “Fuck!” She shouted and he stood there. “my- i- we-” she stuttered before taking a breath, nervously twirling the shark tooth pendant around her fingers. “My friends and I risked our lives for you because your son wanted to make your dream a reality and he hoped that by doing that he’d find you. John.” She whimpered. “We were put in harm’s way because you couldn’t let go of a myth-”
“John b never twisted your arm to go on that quest, girl.” The father spoke with raised eyebrows. 
“No, but someone had to look out for him, someone had to give him family and some resemblance to stability and we did that, together without you.” She grabbed her bag that she had dropped and moved to leave the house before she faced him again, her face destroyed by the tears. “Speaking of family, my mom’s gone, no news in over a month, not that you cared enough to ask and-” She stopped when he avoided her eyes and he blinked slowly. 
Elizabeth frowned when she noticed the lack of surprise on his face and she sobbed. She quickly glanced at Carla who stared at her apologetically though it would never change anything. 
 “Do you know where my mom is?” she cocked her head to the side and made a sound that resembled a squeak followed by a gasp. “Oh my god! Please…” She begged. “Was she, is she-” 
“She’s not dead. We believe Singh has her.” Carla spoke up.
“What?” Her eyes flitted between the two. “I met Singh this morning at RJ’s, John, he was right there.” 
“Robin isn’t the goal, Lizzie.” He said, voice void of emotion though his eyes were filled with tears. 
“You are an asshole.” She said, the girl shoved him and grabbed a few pieces of clothing before she walked out and slammed the door behind her. 
-
Elizabeth woke up startled before she shoved the scratchy covers off her and she looked around the rented room. 
“Fuck.” She groaned, glanced at the alarm clock and saw it was barely past seven. 
She took a quick shower and looked outside at the beaming sun and cloudless sky. She put on her new dress, paid for her room and went outside in search of food. She walked to the market and smiled at a woman and her child as they ate on a little table. She reached the stall she wanted and greeted the old couple she saw almost everyday. 
“Coffee?” The woman asked and Elizabeth nodded. 
“With uh, same thing as yesterday?” 
“The fish?”
“Yes, I don’t know what it was but god it was good!” 
“Thank you!” The vendors said at the same time. 
Elizabeth moved her hand to the top of her head where the sun was hitting harshly and she wiped the sweat that accumulated at her hairline.
“Take this.” The woman grabbed a pale straw hat that was hung on a hook and handed to the girl. 
“No, I can’t…”
“Just take it. Can’t have you die from heat exhaustion in front of my stall, now can I?” The husband insisted from the grill. 
“Come on.” His wife held the hat to the girl’s chest and Elizabeth took it but left a bill in a cup next to the cash register. 
“What? It’s your tip!” She winked just as she put the hat on her head. 
She heard commotion from behind her and quickly glanced at the marina and only saw a few workers shout orders and move around equipment. 
“That’s a nice blue.” 
“Right? It’s my favorite!” She smiled before she suddenly felt like she was being watched. Her smile disappeared and she turned around seeing a man look at her from far away and she shook the thought out of her mind before she looked at the ocean. 
Just as she received her food, she heard the bells form a familiar melody.
“Thanks!” She grabbed the plate from the man’s hands along with the plastic utensils. 
She could almost hear Big John’s voice calling John B and herself in when it was getting dark out. Her gaze moved to the church where the bells resonated from and she bit the inside of her cheek.
She moved to a more secluded part of the marina, so she could eat her meal in peace and she tried to ignore the bells calling her (and possibly John B) home. She stayed put for hours, watching the crowd come and go. 
What hadn’t moved was a large white boat, a Lagoon something she thought. She stared at it, lost in thought until half a dozen trucks appeared at the marina. Elizabeth could see the boat’s passengers move around to try and when the first few bullets flew, the people started to run away but she stupidly stayed when a very familiar voice shouted over the noises but it still sounded far away and she couldn’t hear it clearly enough to confirm her suspicions. She stayed put long enough to recognize Singh’s men, some she had seen around town or at RJ’s during her visits. 
A truck’s tires screeched to a halt near the market’s entrance and she gasped as she gathered her things in her bag and hid behind a cloth covered table a few stalls away.
“Show yourself, miss Miller.” A man spoke loudly and she swore quietly when the now familiar sound of a gun being loaded reached her ears. “My boss would like a word with you.” 
Elizabeth reached to the tabletop and grabbed a glass jar, making sure the man was not seeing her before she leaned her arm back and threw it in the opposite direction. The armed man’s head snapped towards the noise when the glass broke all over the pavement and she took the opportunity to slip out of the stall towards the back. She walked quietly behind the stalls, hidden by the large plastic tarps covering them. 
As soon as she was safe and out of the market, she kept her head low while she walked out of the town’s center. Her feet led her back to John’s house and she hid behind a car when a truck drove past it very slowly. 
The torn and dusty curtains were drawn, the fence locked, all the old windows were pulled down… It looked abandoned, which it was even if John had been hiding in it. She counted another five minutes before the truck came around again and she nodded to herself before she breathed out. 
“Quick in and out.” She whispered before she stood to her full height and took a few steps towards the house. 
“Not so quick, Miss Connor or should I say Miss Miller.” A man said behind her just as the nozzle of a gun was pressed against her head. The man’s accent told her everything she needed to know about his identity. 
“Mr. Singh.” 
“It is nice to see you again.” He said and she swallowed with difficulty when he applied more pressure to her skull. 
“Wish I could say the same.” She mumbled. 
“I wouldn’t be insolent if I were you right now, I do have a firearm pointed at your head.” He spoke and she heard footsteps coming up behind them before a pair of dry hands grabbed her arms harshly and pulled them out behind her back, tying them with what felt like zip ties. 
The man’s head popped in her sight and he pouted when a few tears started to silently fall down her cheeks. 
“Aw, is the little miss crying? Is she scared? Does she want her mommy and daddy?” He mocked before switching places with his boss. 
“Miss Miller, where is John Routledge?” Singh asked and Elizabeth avoided his gaze. 
“I don’t know, thought he might be home.” She spoke lowly. 
“But he isn’t so where could he be?” 
“I don’t know!” She shouted. “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you shit.” 
“Huh.” The short man scoffed and at the same time the man behind her squeezed her left shoulder and she let out a pained cry. 
“I! Don’t! Know!” She shouted and if she’d looked up, she would’ve seen the neighbors close their door and windows or draw their curtains shut. 
“You’re telling me he left you behind?” He shook his head disapprovingly. “Tsk, tsk, tsk…”
“He never won father of the year, either.” Elizabeth commented, slightly bent over as the throbbing pain in her shoulder didn’t stop.
“No?” Singh questioned moving in a similar position. “What about your mother?” He said slowly. 
He watched as her green eyes snapped to his with a newfound anger and her lower lip started to tremble. 
“What?” 
“She’s quite pretty, you know?” 
“I see who you take after.” The man with his hand wrapped around her shoulder added and she grimaced and Singh sighed and shook his head at the man. 
“Well, miss Miller,” Singh started as he stood straight. “unless you have a trick up your sleeve I think you might be coming with us.” 
Elizabeth didn’t utter a word as they started to walk towards the black truck but she did try to shrug off the man’s hold on her injured shoulder which only made him grip the plastic ties around her wrists and hold them up, creating a sharp pain and pressure on both of her shoulders and down her biceps. 
“Enough!” Singh shouted when the teenager let out a sob. “Pain didn’t work for him, why would it work with her?” 
“Because she’s a girl.” The man stated and Elizabeth had to hold back a roll of her eyes. 
“Keep your energies and hers for later.” Singh ordered as another man jumped out the driver’s seat and held the backseat’s door open for him. In the meantime, Elizabeth was pulled around the truck and shoved into the seat next to Singh. 
Quickly enough, the driver had driven off and back towards the marina where they stopped for a few minutes while Singh and his men talked before they were all back in the vehicle. 
“Okay, let’s go.” Singh ordered once he nodded to the driver.  
The brunette shifted around on her seat, trying to change the sip ties’ pressure on her skin when the driver took a sharp left turn. 
“What are you doing?” The man sitting passenger barked while their boss leaned forward between the two seats. 
“I think we’re being followed, sir.” He whispered but Elizabeth still heard and hope bubbled in her chest. 
It took a handful of turns for the driver to confirm that they were indeed being followed and barely two stop signs before the car behind them pressed down on the accelerator and crashed into Singh’s truck. She really tried to not make up scenarios as to who the people might be but it was stronger than her. She didn’t know who to expect but she knew who she wanted it to be. Both the driver and the man sitting passenger jumped out to confront the crashers. Elizabeth flinched when gunshots echoed, when the car moved ever so slightly as if someone had been pushed against it she tried to look but couldn’t see anything. The brunette yelped while the man beside her covered his face when the window was bashed in and the door opened from the inside. A man she didn’t know gripped Singh’s collar and pulled him out. A scream left her lips when there was a knock on the window next to her head. 
Her savior definitely wasn’t who she expected it to be. 
“Come, come.” Carla Limbrey spoke through the window while the girl was frozen. “Elizabeth, we don't have time!” The brunette blinked and pulled the handle only for the door to stay closed. 
“Child lock?” She scoffed before she climbed over the console and moved to the passenger seat. The door was pulled open and Carla Limbrey helped her out. 
“We have a plane to catch.” She informed her while leading her toward her own vehicle a few feet behind. 
“Got anything to cut these?” Elizabeth showed her her wrists and Limbrey gestured to the car just as Carlos Singh pulled out a gun and shot a hole through the man’s head. 
“We gotta go!” Limbrey urged and she slapped the car so the driver would leave as soon as they were in the back. 
If they were in a cartoon, the tires would’ve smoked from how fast they left and Elizabeth’s eyes never left the recently dead man’s body as tears flowed down her cheeks. 
She turned to Limbrey once she couldn’t see him at all. “How can you leave him like that?” 
“He knew the risks, Elizabeth. He was offered a big sum if he got out alive, now it’ll go to his family.” The adult eyed the teenager before she reached in her purse on the ground. “Turn.” She demanded and Elizabeth obliged. Limbrey cut her wrists free and the teenager’s left arm fell to her sides and she winced. She rubbed her wrists that were marked with a thin line of almost raw flesh. 
“Thank you.” Elizabeth looked out the window and started to recognize the buildings and the shops. “Limbrey?” She called out and the woman arched an eyebrow in response. 
“Think we can make a pit stop?” 
-
Elizabeth brushed her hair with her fingers and fluffed it up a little before she checked herself out in the window and her reflection made her grimace. 
“Whatever.” She huffed before she walked a dozen steps and pulled the door open. The high pitched bell announcing her arrival rang loudly and she slapped a smile on her face when she saw the shop owner behind the counter. 
“Elizabeth!” She was greeted with a smile. “How nice to see you, I didn’t think I would see you again since Singh’s men’s been lurking around more often.” 
“It’s good to see you, too, RJ.” She said truthfully. “Listen, I-”
“What is that?” He questioned when the girl’s arms moved to the counter top and she leaned on it. “Is everything okay, Elizabeth?” 
“That’s what I’m here for, actually.” She let her arm fall down to her sides and Arjun didn’t miss the way she winced. 
“What can I do for you? Need a hiding place for a little while?” The brunette shook her head. 
“No, someone’s waiting for me.” She stared at him and she almost felt bad for the lie she was about to tell him. “I’m going home soon,” The man smiled at that and he sighed with relief. “and I wanted to know if you still had what we talked about ?” A smile spread across his face and he laughed. 
“Yes! Of course!” He turned and started to walk towards the back. “Come! Come!” So, she followed him to a small room in the back, a room in which she’d been a couple of times. “I knew you’d be back so I kept them safe.” He raised his eyebrows excitedly and she chuckled. 
Arjun stopped in front of a safe and he turned to her expectantly and she turned around. 
“There they are.” She faced him and he handed her a rather large drawstring pouch and she opened it and smiled at its content. “The pouch’s material is quite thick but be careful not to poke yourself with them.” She nodded. “Some of them are quite rare and are worth quite a lot, please don’t let me see them on internet in a few weeks.” He joked and she chuckled. 
“What- Wait how much are they worth? I can’t just take them!” “Yes you can and you will.” He insisted. “Okay…” He sighed. 
Elizabeth sucked in a breath, eyes flitting between the man in front of her and the safe behind him. She searched for one of the sharp and pointy ends in the bag and she pushed her finger against it before she dropped the pouch and brought her thumb between her lips with a hiss.
“Did you just…?” She nodded. 
“Jesus.” The adult sighed before he led her to the store’s front and brought out the first aid kit. 
She observed as he carefully disinfected the small wound on her thumb and placed a circular band-aid on it. 
“So, clearly you don’t follow instructions well.”
“Not really.” Arjun put the kit away and she patted her pockets before sighing. “I dropped the pouch in the backroom, I’ll be right back and I should go anyway, it’s getting dark.” She said before hurrying in the back. 
The safe was wide open and the only things in it were a relatively large and covered statue with an old rag and a small firearm. She grabbed the pouch, wrapped her hand around the object, slipped the gun in her bag and closed the safe’s door. On her way back she shoved the heavy thing in her bag and jiggled the pouch in her hand. When she looked up, RJ stared at her knowingly. 
“So, did you take it?” He asked and she stopped in her tracks. 
“What?” She frowned innocently. 
“Do not take me for a fool, Elizabeth.” He scolded and she looked at the floor. “If you had just asked for it, I would’ve given it to you, no questions asked. I much prefer you having it then me.” He admitted and she glanced at him. 
“I’m sorry.” She nodded. 
“Just go.” he sighed. “And take care of you, please.” He added and she smiled. 
“Thank you, for everything.” She backed up to the door and found the handle. “And again, i’m sorry.”
“Go home now, Elizabeth.” He smiled and she nodded excitedly before she walked out. 
She found Carla Limbrey who was waiting a few streets away for the teenager. 
“So, what did you risk your life for, this time?” Limbrey arched an eyebrow, eyeing the pouch in the girl’s hand. 
“A gift.” Limbrey scoffed before she told the driver to get them to the small airport where the seaplane was waiting for them. 
Elizabeth Miller was going home. 
Or so she thought. 
They had been on the road for almost an hour when gunshots rang through the air while the bullets broke through the windows. 
“What the fuck?!” she shouted. The driver started zigzagging in the street in an attempt to avoid the hits. Very quickly and after they were able to lose the shooters, they found a secluded little alley and turned off the car’s engine and lights. 
“We’ll hide here until they’re gone.” The driver said and Elizabeth felt her heart beat in her head. 
“I’m going to fucking die.” She whispered. 
“You won’t.” Limbrey said. 
“What do you mean I won’t?” She spat. “In the last twelve hours I have been held at gunpoint or shot at more than most people, I am going to die and my friends don’t know that I’m-” She stopped herself and cursed before she dug in her bag and retrieved the stolen cellphone. 
“What are you doing?” Carla asked. 
“Shh, shhh! It’s ringing.” Elizabeth waved her off. 
“Hi, you’ve reached the Routledges, we’re unable to speak to you right now but leave a message and we’ll get back to you.” 
“Hey, Johnny… It’s me. Look, I’m in trouble and- I don’t know if or when I’ll see you again but, your dad’s alive, okay? I’ve been staying with him the past few days and we’re in Barbados but I’m on my way home and-” Headlights lit the car up and the driver turned the engine back on. “Fuck! Shit, I gotta go. Tell J-” A gunshot cracked the windshield and she hung up. 
“Thank god for bullet proof glass.” The driver mumbled before putting the car on drive. 
-
Elizabeth stepped off the plane and onto the dock with teary eyes and a wobbly step. 
“We’ll drive you home.” Limbrey announced and Elizabeth shook her head.
“I’d rather walk if you don’t mind.” 
“At night?” 
“Yeah, I know my way from here, don’t worry.” Elizabeth reassured her. “Won’t take me twenty minutes.” She lied before she walked away with a final wave and mouthed thanks. 
She breathed in deeply once she walked off the airport grounds and as she walked to her home, tears stained her cheeks and she choked out a sob when she turned on her street and saw her house. The sun was barely starting to poke out through the horizon when she reached her house. She tried the front door but found it locked and of course she didn’t have her keys so she walked to the back. 
She shimmied the window to the side slightly and then she lifted it up. The brunette threw her bag through the opening and into her bedroom before following it. The first thing she did was grab the small statue that Big John was hiding and hiding it herself in the very back of her closet. And then, she laid on her bed for a good thirty minutes and cried, she cried until she was dry heaving over the edge of her bed before she tore the dress off her body. She grabbed a clean towel from the cabinet and a fresh washcloth and locked herself in the bathroom. When she walked out, her sun kissed skin was a light shade of red from the heat of the water and the force with which she scrubbed herself.  With the towel wrapped around her body, she walked back to her room and grabbed some clothes and underwear. When she was ready to walk out of her room, a balled-up sweatshirt was hidden in the corner where her bed met the wall. She sat on her bed and grabbed the sweater before bringing it to her nose. She inhaled and whimpered a little bit at the body wash smell and the barely perceivable car oil smell.  
“Oh, JJ.” She sighed before putting it on over her long sleeved shirt. 
With only the boy in mind, she slipped out of her bedroom window and started the short walk to the blonde’s house, hoping that by some miracle he’d be there waiting for her. When she reached the house, a wave of sudden sadness took over when she saw the eviction notice taped to the door. She walked up the few stairs and made her way to the door before opening the first one made up of framed wire mesh and banging on the second one with a closed fist. 
“Hello?” She called out. “It’s Elizabeth!” She added but there was no response just to be sure she tried the knob but found it locked. 
She did just like she did at her own home and entered through the window only this time she found herself in the kitchen. She looked around for a few minutes, glanced at the handful of pictures on the furniture or the walls and she smiled sadly. The floorboards creaked under her sneakers and she glanced to her left when she walked past Luke’s room; cigarettes and joints butts on the ground along with liquor bottles, she could remember the once beautiful comforter had turned an ashy and duller shade and the window had a layer of grime on it. 
Her face contorted into a grimace when she stepped on broken glass from a picture frame she knew Luke had thrown at a fourteen year old JJ. This place, this house hadn’t seen a moment of love for years and her heart ached at the thought of it since she knew that once upon a time the most heard sound between these walls was the giggles of a little JJ. When she reached his room she twisted the door knob and pushed the door open and she stayed in the door frame for a few minutes. His bed was always unmade, always ready for an afternoon nap… That’s what JJ had once told her when she commented on it. She shut the door behind her, leaving it a couple of inches open. Her head fell to the side as she walked and she recognized the two pictures on his dresser; Elizabeth was holding onto JJ’s neck while his hands were under her knees, making sure she wouldn’t move from his back.  The other one made her tear up a bit; Pope, John B, Kiara, Elizabeth and JJ were sitting in the HMS with wide grins on their faces. The two girls had their arms linked and the first four were staring at Elizabeth’s mother behind the camera while the blonde had snuck a glance at the brunette with a grin on his lips. The tip of her finger gently moved over his form and she found it difficult to have a smile on her lips. 
“Please, be okay, sweet boy.” She pleaded to whoever would hear. 
She glanced at the drawings on the walls back from when JJ drew everything that appeared in his mind. The maps, the pinned photos on the bulletin board. She frowned when she saw the framed fossilized butterflies on the floor and she bent over, grabbed it and hung it back on the wall. Out of nowhere she remembered JJ had a copy of her house keys somewhere in his drawers. She rummaged through them, shaking her head whenever she would come across adult magazines before moving on. When she reached the last drawer, her eyes opened wide in surprise when she found a small blue box with her name written in his handwriting on it. Her curiosity got the best of her and she wrapped her hand around it, finding not far from it the keyring with her house key along with a few articles of clothing of hers she had once brought over to stay over with JJ in case he needed her. 
She was still crouched down in front of the drawer when the door knob jiggled and she froze. Not even a minute later, heavy and quick footsteps made the old floor slightly tremble. When she heard empty beer cans falling to the ground and the same footsteps hit the floor she stopped. She opened her mouth and focused her breathing. It was silent for a couple of minutes and she sighed before closing the drawer as quietly as she could but the thing was old and creaked. Elizabeth placed the small gift box to the top of the dresser before she walked to where her bag was, on his bed. She unzipped it and pulled out the pouch and placed it right next to the box. She gave herself a few minutes and let herself fall backwards on the bed which made a framed picture fall between the wall and the bed and she sighed. The teenage girl was about to retrieve it when and she couldn’t mistake it for anything else, boots wearing heavy footsteps started to make their way towards her. 
“Shit, shit, shit!” She swore quietly as she quietly hurried to her bag and pulled out the gun, ready to shoot whoever dared squat JJ’s home. 
She stood in the middle of the room, gun out in front of her when the door creaked and was pushed open. She felt like throwing up when she let her finger fall on the trigger and a head of blonde hair appeared in front of her once the door was properly opened. 
“JJ, just, if you finish that sentence, neither one of us is getting out of this container, I won’t have it. So, just add that to the list of thoughts to hold, yeah? Until we’re safe?” God they should’ve stayed in the fucking container. 
Her arm fell to her sides as her whole body relaxed for the first time in over a month and a silent sob  left her lips. He looked up and it felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest when he stared back at her with red, tear filled and tired eyes. The only thing she could see was the exhaustion in his body. The world moved in slow motion as she noticed that he seemed thinner than before, his skin was tanned but also sunburnt, his hair was sunbleached. What struck out was how he seemed amazed that she stood in front of him. 
The air was knocked out of her lungs when he reached forward and their bodies touched. She was breathless for a few seconds before realizing that she could now breathe properly. She closed her eyes until he pulled away just enough to look at her again. 
God did she miss his eyes. 
He blinked slowly before he uttered her name in a broken tone. “Elizabeth.” He whimpered just as his legs gave out and his knees hit the ground.
************************
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r0s3mm · 9 days
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The Diary // Outer Banks series
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Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
A/N:  they're here, in the same room. nothing out of the ordinary for obx, i guess. kissing breaking up-ish, big john, firearm, language, father and son being attacked, angst
Let me know what you think 💭 and pls comment and reblog ;)
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John B held Sarah’s hand as she led him outside. 
“Okay, well, while you’re out looking for your city of gold, I’m gonna go home and steal some clothes and maybe a phone if I can find it.”
“See you later. Road to the mother lode.”
“I’ll be back.” She said softly before blowing him a kiss. 
“Six o’ clock, back here. Don’t be late.” 
“Toodles.” She grinned as she rode on her bike. 
Half a second later, Big John snuck out the front door and John B frowned when he went back inside and noticed his father’s absence. It’s when he heard a familiar revving that he jogged back outside just in time to see his father park the Twinkie in front of their house. 
“Brought an old friend to see you.” 
“Where’d you get this?” “The impound lot. Where do you think?” Big John replied, not liking his son’s tone. 
“Where do I think? Um, I don’t know. I’m trying to figure out why you didn’t say when Sarah was here.” 
Big John stayed silent as he exhaled deeply. 
“Oh, Dad, come on. Seriously?” 
“Hey. Just you and me.” 
“You and me, okay, great.” John B pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay. Well, did you at least find the diary?” 
“Yeah, I found the diary, all right. It was a big pile of mush. The window was left down. It got rained on.” Big John leaned forward as he searched for his son’s gaze. “You could have shut the window.” 
“Well, uh, there were some complications. I wasn’t planning on being gone that long.” John B raised an eyebrow, annoyed. 
“Yeah, well, that diary’s done.” He scolded and his son scoffed. “But I got another idea. Plan B. Come on.” 
“Plan B. Okay.” 
“Riches and glory. Come on.” With his hands on his hips, John B sighed. 
“This is great. This is great.” He whispered, joining his father. 
John B opened the passenger door, grabbed a piece of paper and a marker. 
“What are you doing? Let’s go.” 
“Take care of your people. You said it best.” John B bit back softly. 
Found the Twinkie. Off w/ my Pops. See u soon -JB
“Speaking of my people, dad,” John B started as he got seated next to his father. “Why didn’t you tell me you and Ellie were together?” The son didn’t miss the way his father tightened the hold he had on the wheel. “Where is she dad?” Big John shrugged and it took everything in the teenager not to get out of the van at that moment. 
After a few silent minutes on the road John B sighed. 
“Just so we’re clear. We’re not keeping anything from Sarah. Okay? She’s one of us, Dad.”
“You lost the gold, right? To her father. And the cross to her brother.”
“It was a coincidence, Dad. Okay?” The teenager said before he clenched his jaw. 
“Just a coincidence?” John B sighed. “Yes, Dad!” 
“Look, it’s… it’s better to keep intel on a … a need-to-know basis. Trust me. I learned that the hard way.” Big John saw the sighs his son released and he noticed the clear annoyance on his face. “Look, Bird, it’s just you and me. Okay, Buddy?” He slapped his son’s back in a fatherly way but John B simply stared at his dad with worry and slight annoyance. “For now.” 
“Yeah, okay. So where we going?” The son asked his father once they turned onto a dirt road. 
“We are stopping by your history teacher’s house, John B.”
“Mr. Sunn?” He looked around with curiosity. 
“Well, he had the original diary, right?” Big John threw a glance at his son. “Then vanished once word got out that he had it. I doubt it’s here, but it ain’t gonna hurt to check.” The engine was stopped, keys pulled from the ignition and the pair jumped out of the van. “Let’s go!” 
The two of them jogged to the front door and peeked in the house through the front door windows. 
“Oh, look at that nobody’s home. We should probably get outta here.” John B started to walk away when he saw the empty dining room. 
“Hey, hey, hey, John B. Come on, we’re here already.” Big John pulled his son back by his shirt’s collar. “Let’s have some fun. Take a look around. What do you say?” 
“Have some fun?” The teenager questioned. “I thought you said he was in hiding.”
“I said he was missing.” John B followed his father around the house while the adult excitedly looked through all the windows he could. “He could be in hiding or he could be…” Big John made a gun with his fingers before pointing it at his temple. “y’know, done. But seeing as how he’s not here,” Big John grunted as he shoved a pocket knife in the lock of the patio door. “I don’t think he’d mind if we looked around a little bit.” 
He went mad. Is what John B thought as he watched his dad force the lock. 
“Haha! Still got it.”
“Oh, a little B and E with my pops, right?” The teenager stared at his dad. “Just add it to the list of felonies.”
“Come on.” 
“Mr. Sunn? Is anybody home?” John B called out. 
“The original diary, what’s it look like?” 
“Leather-bound, about yea big.” John B replied as he showed the size to his dad. 
“All right, check everywhere.” Big John instructed while he started with the fireplace. “Leather-bound, leather-bound.”  
The teenager moved to the adjacent room where there was a little desk and on it was an orange, padded envelope that piqued his interest. With his lips pursed, curiosity tickled he reached the table, grabbed the envelope and pulled out a book, Poetry on the Cape Fear. The book was between his hands when someone snuck up behind him and hit him with a hammer. His body fell forward, knocking down a framed picture to the ground which alerted Big John that something was wrong. 
“Hey, John B!” He shouted before he grunted when another hammer grazed the side of his head. 
Big John was shoved against a dresser and John B was pulled back by his collar and thrown to a nearby wall close to the shower curtain which he ripped, falling face-to-face with his teacher, Mr. Sunn. 
“Mr. Sunn.” The teenager panted before he was grabbed once again and pulled to his feet. He could hear his dad’s groans in the next room while he was thrown against a wall and strangled. 
Father and son were thrown to the ground and held at gunpoint while their attackers stood above them. 
“Stay down.” Big John’s attacker warned. “Don’t even think about getting up.” John B coughed as he struggled to catch his breath. “Is this what you’re looking for?” He asked, showing the leather bound book. 
“You son of a bitch.” 
“Sorry, buddy. You’re too late.” The man mocked while he and his partner slowly backed out of the house. 
“Hey, hey!” John crawled to his son. “Hey. You all right?” John B nodded much to his father’s relief. “Come on. Come on!” The father moved quickly, joints and muscles hurting more than usual as he ran after the bad guys. “Hey! Hey!” He cursed under his breath, watched them drive away on their boat. 
Mr. Sunn’s coughing got John B’s attention and he made his way towards him and helped him get the gag off. 
“Hey, hey! You okay?” 
“Yeah, I’ve been better.”
“I got you.” The teenager assured his teacher as the latter had difficulty walking. 
“I came… came out of hiding to meet those two gentlemen.” He announced as they reached the kitchen chairs. 
“What? Those guys? They’re smugglers.” John B informed and Mr. Sunn nodded with a humorless chuckle. 
“They said they were from the historical society.” He leaned back and let his head rest on the back of a chair. “I guess my professional vanity got the best of me.”
“Was that the diary they took?” Big John came barging in loudly and Mr. Sunn winced. 
“Yeah.” 
“Shit!” John swore. “Come on! John B, let’s go!”
“Go!” 
“We’ll get it back, okay, Mr. Sunn? We’ll get it back.” The teenager assured before he followed his father out of the door, leaving his teacher on the chair. 
With the teenager behind the wheel, the father and son sped down the roads on their way to the bay in hopes of catching up to the two smugglers. John B looked around before his foot pressed down on the accelerator. 
“We gotta get to the Wando bridge!” 
Tires screeched when John B made a turn and he could almost hear his father’s voice in the back of his mind, commenting on his driving. Though not five minutes later, the teenager barely avoided a head on collision with another vehicle as he tried to pass the SUV in front of them. 
“Come on!” John glanced to the right. “That’s the boat. That’s it!” “Come on.” Begged the Twinkie. 
“Let’s go! Let’s go!” 
“Dad, I’m going!” “John B they’re getting away!” Big John’s shouts seemed louder in the small space. “They clear that jetty, we’re never getting that diary.” He added once the smugglers passed under the bridge. 
“All right, all right.” John B spluttered before he noticed the red paint near the dock. “I got an idea. Okay, hang on.” John B warned before he made a sharp left turn and they went down a small hill. 
John B jumped out along with his dad. 
“I know a guy. I got this kid a fake ID. He owes me one.” John B jumped in the shallow water and ran to the vehicle. 
“A WaveRunner? What you want to do? Stop by the Ocean Club?” 
“These things are fast as shit, old man.” John B grunted while he climbed aboard and started the engine. 
“All right, come on then.” Big John said from the grass. “Hurry it up, John B. We’re gonna lose them.” His son drove to him and made him climb aboard. 
“Get on! Let’s go.” 
Big John whooped and laughed when the engine gained speed. 
“Listen, I know these guys. They’re dangerous. What are we doing?” 
“Just keep going.” 
The Routledges were catching up on the smugglers.
“Hey!” The father shouted and the two criminals turned around. 
“That’s them!” 
“We ain’t gonna outrun them.” One warned the other. 
The two smugglers slowed down and turned their boat around to face the father and son. 
“We just wanna talk.” Big John shouted.
“Okay, okay. They’re turning around. What’s the plan?” 
“Show them your hands, John B.” Big John said with his own hands raised in the air. “Show ‘em your hands, son! You wanna get shot?” 
“Jesus…!” One of the smugglers scoffed as they stared at the pair. “What the hell are they doing? Let’s get rid of them. What do you want?” He shouted back.
“You know this guy, right?” John B nodded to his father’s words. “What’s his game?”
“He’s a smuggler. He moves cargo.”
“Highest bidder type of guy.”
“Yes, exactly.” 
“All right. Okay.” Big John nodded and if his son had turned around, he would've seen a plan forming behind his father’s eyes. “No sudden movements.” He mumbled before he stood up. “Hello! Just wanna talk to you for a moment. We’re unarmed, sirs. We bare no malice.” John started and one of the smugglers readied his gun. “We didn’t… we didn’t have a chance to converse back at Mr. Sunn’s. We just wanted to avail you of an opportunity to compound your winnings, as it were.” The father finished and the smugglers shared an unconvinced look. 
“You got thirty seconds. Talk.” 
“You have in your possession an old book? A… a diary, correct? And I presume that you procured that diary at a client’s request, and I’m assuming that client is a mister Sing from Barbados, huh?” One of the men nodded, slightly impressed. “Okay. Do you know why the great and powerful Singh would want this old book so badly? Well, it’s not because of the book’s inherent value, sir, no. It’s what the book leads to.” Big John took a breath, waiting to see if his bait worked. 
“What is that?” The father tried not to smile at his small victory when the smuggler questioned him. 
“Something worth a lot more than what he’s probably paying you, my friend.” John B shouted. 
“The boy’s right. You two are in a unique and potentially profitable position. You have in your possession a vital piece of a very valuable and old puzzle. But the thing is, I have a piece of it as well.” The man lied. “Now if we put these two pieces together, then the value is compounded. I believe we need each other.” John B glanced back at his father as he noticed the boat getting closer and closer. 
“Who are you?” “I’m Big John Routledge.” One of the smuggler’s faces fell. 
“You’re Routledge?” 
“The treasure hunter? The guy who went missing?” 
“Guilty as charged. This is my son. The one who found the Cross of Santo Domingo.” The teenager looked at them and waved. 
“Remember me?” and they nodded. 
“I’m afraid we do know a bit about the subject of treasure. Rather than threatening the two only guys that can make you filthy rich, I’d like to propose a way that we work together to our mutual benefit.” He ended with a car seller’s smile. “How does that sound? Sounds good?” 
The two partners shared a look and they shared a few words before a nod was seen. 
“Yeah. Come on, we’ll talk!” 
“All right!” Big John chuckled. “All right. We’ll talk. That’s good. This is good.” John B’s hands moved back to the handles while his father’s hands stayed in the air. “Take us on in, boy.” John B listened to his father though something told him to proceed with extreme caution. “All right. All right, here we come.” 
As they got closer, the man in the red t-shirt drew up his gun and pointed it at the father and son. 
“Hey, hey. Easy partner. It’s just a simple business proposition. That’s all. We’re gonna work together.” 
“Tie off.” They were instructed and John handed his son the rope. 
“This is gonna work out well for all of us.” 
It took a split second for the boy’s instinct to alert him. His father’s instinct was much quicker though, he noticed the lingering look to his son, the way the gun’s position shifted down ever so slightly and the smallest nod the man sent his partner. John B flinched when the gun went off beside his ear and when one of the smugglers' brains went flying everywhere and his body fell backwards. Under his son’s terrified look, Big John shot the other smuggler and jumped onto the ship. He grabbed the pistol out of the injured man’s hand with ease and pocketed the journal from the other. 
John B’s eyes were filled with tears as he watched his father approach the unarmed man from behind. He begged and begged but with a trembling hand, his father pulled the trigger and the teenager bent over and emptied the weak content of his stomach out in the water. 
“I had no choice.” Big John panted while son avoided his look. “They were gonna do it to us.” 
John B stayed put while his father asked for help with wrapping the weighted down bodies and throwing them in the water. The teenager stared at his father in disbelief, surprise and growing fear; his eyebrows furrowed when he noticed the lack of emotion or care in his father’s actions and expressions.
-
The two teenagers were in the middle of the room, stomachs twisted, hearts out on their sleeves and knees weak. Neither of them had properly breathed since their eyes met but the tension in their bodies dissipated as quick as the speed of light.
“Okay, okay.” Elizabeth’s lips and hands trembled as she cupped JJ’s face and held back her own flood of tears. “None of that.” She sniffled and pulled him up to his feet. 
Her eyes analyzed every inch of his face, committing to memory any changes that had happened in their time apart. Her two thumbs started caressing his jaw and he closed his eyes, his legs starting to feel like putty again. 
“JJ…” she spoke his name softly and her own heart skipped a beat when at the sound of her voice, his lips pulled into a soft and relieved smile. “Please look at me.” She pleaded and his eyes fluttered before they opened fully and fell on her. 
In that precise moment, that precise second, he couldn’t have found her more beautiful and he couldn’t have felt more nervous.
“Hi.” he croaked out. 
“Hi,” she cried softly and he brought her back against him with his lips pressed to her forehead. “Oh god.” she whispered, her hands slid to the back of his head and she looked up at him once again, pulling him closer. Their lips were inches apart and JJ swallowed thickly as he could feel her breath on his own. 
“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He asked quietly, trying to distract himself from his most primal instinct. “Beth?” She let out a laugh, an exhilarated laugh that seemed to come from the deepest part of her. 
“Say my name again.” She requested in a whisper and he chuckled before putting both of his hands on either side of her face.
“Beth Miller, are you okay?” She nodded with a smile as his hand slid down to her waist. 
“What about you? How’s your head?” she asked and stood on her tiptoes, looking for the small scar. 
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Couldn’t be better.” JJ breathed out, relishing in the shivers her touch brought to his body.
The blonde looked at his boots for a few seconds before the grieving he went through hit him like a truck. He sucked in a breath and took a step back under her confused look. 
“Shit.” He swore before he sat on his bed. “I thought you were dead.” He mumbled and she chuckled nervously. 
“What?”.
“We heard, we heard the gunshots and- we, we thought you were dead. We hoped you weren’t fuck, I hope you weren’t and I guess I knew you weren’t but-” Elizabeth cocked her head to the side and her heart squeezed at his distressed rambling.
“Hey, no, I’m fine. In one piece.” She reassured him. “Not as much in one piece as before but I'm okay, sweet boy.” She spoke and he paused, almost stopped breathing and stared at her. 
“But you are okay?”
“Apart from a few cuts, bruises, bullet holes, yeah, I’m fine.” He nodded and then stopped, he stared at all the skin he could see which wasn’t a lot so he frowned, heart beating a little bit faster as he searched. 
The brunette leaned back and pulled his sweatshirt she had on and her shirt over her head with a pained wince which didn’t go unnoticed by him. She sat up next to him, in her sports bra and he glanced at her left shoulder. His hand moved without much thought, the dark red patch of skin felt rough against the pad of his finger and she sighed nervously. His eyes followed along the length of her arms and ended on her wrists. 
“Here.” he muttered as his fingers touched the reddened and irritated skin. “Does it hurt?” “It’s a little sensitive, but I think it’ll be gone in a few days.” 
“What else?” He asked worriedly and her head tilted to the side in awe. She stared at him and felt a warmth in her chest at how concerned and worried he was even though she sat next to him. 
“My thigh.”  She grabbed his hand, interlaced their fingers with hers on top of his much bigger hand and she moved to the spot on her leg where a bandage was taped to her skin. “Hm,” she swallowed. “The stitches busted a few days ago actually, but it’s good now, doesn’t hurt as much.” 
“What happened?” He asked. 
“I shot one of Eberhimi’s guy, this was his response.” He bit back his lower lip in slight frustration because she had shot someone and had gotten hurt because of it. He glanced at her face quickly and noticed the way she was biting the inside of her cheek nervously.
“Two for one?” JJ tried to joke though neither of them smiled. “He only got my thigh, apparently I did this one all on my own.” She pointed to her shoulder and he stared at her as if she was deranged. “I think I kinda lost it when you went overboard.” She admitted. 
He stared at her and shook his head, as if to wake himself up from a dream. 
“I don’t know what I would’ve done-”
“I’m okay.” She reassured him with a soft kiss to his cheek. 
B, if you get hurt I’m gonna lose my goddamn mind.
With their close proximity and two of her fingers to his jaw, she moved his mouth right in front of hers and she pressed their foreheads together once more. If she were to lick her lips, she’d for sure graze his and a shiver ran up her back. She noticed the way his chest moved faster and the way his nose rubbed against hers. His hand that had fallen on the bed right next to her knee moved to envelop it with his hand before he slid it up just a little bit. The point and middle fingers from her right hand moved from the side of jaw to underneath his chin. 
The teenage boy swallowed thickly as his skin became warmer. The brunette’s head felt like it was starting to spin being so close to him after what felt like forever and her patience was wearing thin. Her hand moved to his on her knee and with a soft grip, she moved it up on her thigh and she gave it a light squeeze. 
The ball was in his camp and boy did he take it. It didn’t take a second, as soon as Elizabeth’s hand squeezed his, he lurched forward, bringing her down with him, her back against his mattress. Their lips collided and they sighed in each other’s mouths. His tongue licked its way in her mouth, she made the softest moan and JJ chuckled against her lips. She uncrossed her legs and moved them on either side of his body and it didn’t take more for the blonde to place himself there, fitting in the space like two perfectly made puzzle pieces. She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him impossibly closer to her for a few seconds. He leaned back and stared at her grinning. 
“What are you doing?” She whined, he shook his head and sat back on his heels. 
“We should, huh, slow down.” he breathed in with a quick squeeze of his nose before the smile left his lips. 
“Wha- wh…” she sputtered with her head on his pillow. “Everything okay?” 
“Yeah, great.” he nodded. “Couldn’t be better.” he sighed and his hands absentmindedly started massaging the surface of her legs he could reach near his hips. 
It was truly a sight to behold; Elizabeth Miller was laying on his bed for the first time in forever and the house was quiet, his father nowhere close to kick her out or disturb them. Her hair fanned around her head and when she looked up at him there was a wide and enamored smile pulling at her lips, his hand moved over his heart as he searched for its beat. The blonde had her in a position he had dreamed of for so long but something was keeping him from going all in. 
Elizabeth sighed and pushed herself up to his level, his hands fell to his sides and his eyes focused on the wall behind her.
“JJ,” she called quietly. “Hey, c’mon.” she poked his cheek with her finger until he looked at her. “What’s going on?” 
“Nothing.” 
“Nothing.” she mocked trying to imitate the way he spoke. She reached out slowly and brushed a few strands of his dirty hair away from his eyes. “What happened?” 
“What do you mean?” he finally looked at her and she sent him a tight lipped smile. 
“I know you, Maybank and I’m starting to figure out that mind of yours.” She whispered. “That beautiful and crazy smart but complicated and sometimes twisted mind of yours.” she spoke and he glanced at her apologetically and she sucked in a breath. “Did you, huh,” she cleared her throat as she shuffled backwards. “You met someone?” JJ’s eyes snapped to her and he felt like wrapping her in his arms forever. 
He wanted to shield her from whatever adventure awaited them and he wanted to keep her to himself. 
JJ stared at her as she waited for an answer, her eyes wouldn’t reach his anymore and she had physically distanced herself from him. She eyed her sweatshirt and shirt at the foot of his bed and he reached behind him and handed them to her, averting his gaze while she got dressed.
“I’d understand.” she said though no one on the planet would believe her. 
JJ scratched the back of his head and grimaced when his fingernails collected dried skin under them. 
“I’m gonna shower.” he mumbled. 
“Yeah.” she breathed out. 
She stared at him; he walked around his room, digging through his drawers and bringing shirts to his nose to see if they were wearable. He grabbed a towel from the back of his bedroom door, threw the girl a quick smile before he disappeared in the hallway. 
Elizabeth laid back against the mattress and shut her eyes for a few seconds…
…Which turned into two hours. 
She woke up with a frown, not fully knowing where she was until she recognized the walls and remembered her reunion with JJ. She looked at the old alarm clock on the chair he used as a nightstand and huffed when upon seeing the clock turned off remembered the electricity had been turned off. 
“JJ?” she called out. 
Elizabeth stood up and walked to the now closed bedroom door before she opened it and made her way to the front of her house. Her head turned towards the backyard when a car door was closed loudly, she kneeled on the old couch and opened the ripped curtains. She stopped in her tracks when Kiara sat on the stool in front of JJ. The window frame was broken and because of that warm air slipped in the house along with Kiara and JJ’s conversation. 
“... But I told them I had to come check on you.” Kiara said and JJ’s shoulders dropped as a deep breath left his lungs. 
“Well, it’s not me you have to worry about.” JJ replied as he put a wrench down on the old, homemade wooden table and leaned on it as if the whole world’s weight was on his shoulders.
“Jayj, what’s up?” 
“Why does everybody keep asking me that?” he asked, frustrated. 
“I-” she sputtered. “Is it something Pope said? I know he’s not all obsessed about what happened between me and him. We’re both past that, but something’s bugging you.” Kiara’s eyes followed JJ’s as he glanced at his house before they fell back on his conflicted expression. 
“It was just weird.” He said much quieter and Kiara frowned. “what almost happened on the boat with us.” Elizabeth’s head tilted to the side and she bit the inside of her cheek. “It was just weird.” He inhaled and looked back at the house once more. 
“Yeah, yeah.” Kiara played with the piercings on her ear and stood. “Yeah, I mean it was… it was weird for me too, but…” She trailed off and both Elizabeth and JJ swallowed thickly. “Not bad weird.” 
The brown haired teenage girl watched her best friend and the boy she loved step toe-to-toe and she inhaled shakily. 
“No.” he said lowly and though Elizabeth couldn’t hear him properly she noticed the way he took a small step towards Kiara. “Not bad weird.” She fell back against her heels and her mouth opened in shock. 
The brunette sped-walked to the door that led to the backyard’s balcony and opened it quietly and found herself hidden behind the pillars holding up the balcony’s roof. When she got them, it was always in slow motion that JJ and Kiara moved to stand inches apart. Her best friend looked up at the boy with newfound adoration while the blonde struggled to regulate his breathing and nothing but conflict behind his blue irises.
“What are we doing?” he asked and Elizabeth leaned on her knees. “What are we doing? We shouldn’t be doing this, nah.” JJ shook his head and took a step back. “We shouldn’t do that.” 
“Yeah.” Kiara said, using the same unconvinced tone Beth had used hours ago. 
The blonde walked a few feet behind Kiara and turned to face her. 
“We shouldn’t!” he almost shouted.
“If you say so.” 
“I mean, it would all blow up anyway! Look at you,” Kiara stared at her legs and feet. “You got your new threads on, already.” He pointed out. “Look at me. What do I got?” He panted. “This?” He shouted and pointed to his house, not seeing Elizabeth crouched down against the veranda’s wall, heads between her knees. “This piece of shit?” JJ shouted, he picked up a light metal tube and threw it right above Elizabeth’s head and she jumped. “Getting kicked out of this place in three weeks anyway. Shit, I don’t even got a family right now.” 
Elizabeth wanted to jump up and scream that he had her, that she was his family and that she would always be there but she didn’t because the pain in his voice made her sob and her salty tears fell on the green painted wood. 
“Why would you care?” JJ spoke. “Why would you care? I’m just some loser that–” 
“JJ.” Kiara interrupted when he kicked an old carburator. 
“You don’t care.”
“I do care!” She argued. 
“No, you don’t!” He snapped at her before turning around and seeing her close enough that he could smell the perfume on her skin. “No, you got parents that live in Figure Eight, you know?” He sniffled. “You know…”
“That’s not my fault.” Kiara shook her head. 
“That’s your future. You got that.”
“Look, if you need us, we’re gonna help you. I’m…” Kiara cried and Elizabeth couldn’t hear it anymore and so she stood up quickly and slammed the door behind her, body dropping back on the old couch. JJ swirled quickly, heart dropping in his stomach and when he glanced at Kiara she wiped her nose and frowned. “I’ll help…” she trailed off. 
“It’s that right there. Okay? Like–” He shouted angrily before stopping himself and breathing heavily. “It’s so easy for you to say that. You know why?” He asked her and Kiara shook her head, already  knowing what he would say. “Because you’re a kook.” he let out with light disgust. “You’re a Kook, Kiara.” he said factually and she took it with a slight nod and trembling lower lip. 
“Yeah, I’m a kook.” She stated. “I was such a Kook when I was living in a cave with you for a month.” JJ started pacing back and forth in front of her. “Soaking in the Kook life.” she added and he sighed frustrated. 
“That’s not what I’m talking about, God!” he said before tightly fisting his hand around his hat. 
“What the hell are you doing?” She called when he ran away and up the stairs to the balcony, slamming the door behind him. 
“Fucking sh-” He stopped and almost stumbled over the black backpack when he saw Elizabeth on the couch. “Beth.” he stated with shock. 
He breathed heavily and stood in front of her and when she looked up from her trembling hands, he inhaled so hard that it was almost painful. Her initially tanned face was spotted with blemishes and red patches. Her lips a deep red almost violet from all the biting, she even didn’t try to hold back the tears anymore and they silently rolled down her heated cheeks and her eyes seemed sunken in because she was truly tired, completely exhausted and drained. She used her hands to push off her thighs and stand up from the couch and he noticed the way her right hand was balled up in a shaking fist. The brunette took a few seconds to stare at him, the way his eyes were wide open as he still struggled to control his breathing and she grew worried. He tried to subtly wipe his hands on his jeans and her eyes snapped to the movement. He took half a step towards her and she took a whole step back. 
“I-” He started but she raised her left hand up to stop him. 
“Shut up.” she said harshly and he looked taken aback, “Sorry.” she mumbled right after. 
JJ gazed at her, only hoping she could see the thousand apologies in his eyes. The teenage girl tucked her short hair behind her ears and put her hands on her hips while he started to pull at the top of  his freshly washed head. 
“Don’t pull at your hair.” She scolded in a soft voice and he only changed his position. She took a few small steps towards him and grabbed his hand before pulling it away from his mop of blonde hair. 
With her hand in his and after the thought passed in her head she pushed her chest against his and pressed her wet lips against his. As soon as their lips came in contact, tears started to flow again down her cheeks and she fisted his shirt tightly with one hand. JJ held her head against his, not wanting the pressure of her lips to leave his and as the tears flew, his thumbs wiped them off. 
“I’m sorry.” he mumbled with difficulty against her lips and she only kissed him harder. 
It’s when he gently moved her head to the side and started kissing her cheek and jaw did she pull away, leaving behind a wrinkled shirt. He stared at her with adoration and his lips were, in Elizabeth’s opinion, the perfect shade of red. 
“You gotta-” she stopped when her voice broke and she swallowed thickly. “You have to know that I’ll always be there for you, whenever you need, day or night, at four in the morning or at four in the afternoon.” She took a second to inhale and think her next words through. “And it’s okay, JJ, if things change.” The brunette started touching each finger to her thumb as she silently counted them. “I- huh, if she is what you need that’s okay, I’ll let you guys be and if she’s not, that’s okay too. I just want you happy.” 
“No, no she’s not-” 
“It is okay.” she sniffled and grabbed his hand in hers but he shook his head. “I am not going anywhere, right? I am just so tired and I’m not…” The brunette cut herself off and moistened her lips. “Things are changing and if something is meant to happen, it’ll happen.” She walked back to her bag and grabbed it. “I just can’t do whatever this is anymore, the treasure thing, whatever we’ve been doing for the past years and now Kie…” Elizabeth made her way to the door and wrapped her hand around the door knob. “Give her a chance, okay? She can do so much for the people she loves.” She added before walking out of the house. 
JJ stayed silent before he let out a yell and trashed the kitchen. He started to stomp towards the backdoor but he stopped and stared at the cigarette burned living room coffee table. Most importantly the two objects on it; the thick, silver ring that’d been attached to her hand for two years and the shark tooth necklace he had gifted her over a month ago. 
The blonde started to run out of the house and towards his bike before he turned the engine on and left the house, ready to fuel his frustration, anger and overflow of emotions on something else.
He rode to a random pontoon, to the very edge of it before he stopped, turned off the engine and paced around. 
Beth. Kie. Beth. Kie. Beth. Kie. Beth. Kie.Beth. Kie. Beth. Kie.Beth. Kie. Beth. Kie. 
I am just so tired… He kicked an empty crate people used as a seat.
I was such a Kook when I was living in a cave with you for a month. He held onto a plank of old wood before smashing it against the railing. 
I am not going anywhere
I am not going anywhere
I am not going anywhere 
“Where the fuck are you?” He screamed until his throat burned and he found himself  leaning on the railing before the already very weak contents of his stomach found itself in the marsh below him. 
-
In Guadeloupe, Ward was finally back on his feet much to his wife and youngest daughter’s delight. He watched closely as two men carried the heavy, gold crusted cross to the patio where a stand was brought. 
“Thank you.” he nodded solemnly. “You can go.” He stared at it, glowing under the sunset’s light. The man closed his eyes and reached forward, feeling the stones and engraving beneath his fingertips. 
With a deep breath, Ward Cameron turned around after hearing what he thought was a young girl laugh. He blinked and there she was, his daughter, his little girl. Her blond hair flew as she whipped around trying to see if her father was close by as he chased her on the beach. The call of his name with her little voice made him break down, hot tears rolled down his cheeks as he held onto the railing and his cane. 
It’s when his wife appeared and called him in that he wiped his tears and followed her in and on the couch. 
“This is judgment, Rose.” He stated, the woman had her arm wrapped around his neck in comfort but he shook his head and stood. “I’m sorry.” he said. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
“Of course, I understand.” The blonde woman sighed and stood. “Ward. You are a good person.”
“No, I’m not. Rose.” 
“Hey!” she grabbed his head between her two hands and made him face her. “You’re a good person.” Her thumbs rubbed his cheeks. “Besides, what were we gonna do with that cross anyway? Seriously, it’s identifiable. It’s traceable. You think the Spanish government wasn’t gonna come looking for it?” 
“It does us no good.” 
“No.” 
“It doesn’t.”
“We already have the gold.” Rose reminded her husband. 
“Yeah, maybe it can help someone else.” Ward started to walk away but stopped and took a few seconds to think. “I’ll find a museum.” He hummed satisfied. “Rose. It’ll be a gift from us and the whole family.” 
“It’s a hell of a write-off.” She grinned, leaning back. “Not that it’s why we’re doing it.” 
“Of course not, yeah.” Ward chuckled. 
“Obviously.” Rose crossed her arms on her chest and stared at her husband. “Ward.” He turned around. “What about Rafe?” 
“He’s not gonna like it. He’s just gonna have to understand. It’s what I’m doing to atone for all of us.” He sniffled.
Sarah found it weird to be back in her childhood home, even if it was just to gather a few things. She grabbed the opportunity and showered, shaved, and packed a few bags with everything she needed before her head snapped up and she remembered the cell phone she’d hidden in the jewelry box. 
The front door slammed and she strained her ears to catch any more noises.
“Yeah, they said, um, two days on the transfer.” Rafe’s voice echoed to the house’s third floor. “It’s in the works though, so no worries. Yeah, yeah. Yeah I’m upstairs, why?” The teenager tried her best to see her if the path was clear. “You said you wanted to talk about something. What’s up?” Sarah tried to be as silent as possible, picking up her bag and making her way down the stairs. “Wait, wait, wait. Are you being serious?” Rafe asked and Sarah was finally able to see him sitting on his bed. “I was just with you. What changed since then?” Sarah tried her best to quiet her breathing as she went down the flights of stairs. “What are you talking about? Dad, no, no, no, Dad! This cross is mine” Sarah was able to sneak past Rafe successfully but stopped when her brother mentioned the cross. “You’re taking it from me. Listen, this is something that I got through my work, and now you’re trying to make yourself feel better by giving away my shit?” Sarah hid just on the other side of the wall while Rafe spoke with their father. “And you didn’t even tell me?” “Settle down. This is me telling you right now, son.” Rafe threw his hand in the air in exasperation. “We’ve done some things, Rafe, you and I, all right?”
“Oh my God.” 
“Things that we need to atone for, and donating this cross, it’s a good first step in the right direction. I know that in my heart. Okay?” The teenage girl leaned in even closer. “I don’t know. Maybe if Sarah finds out–” 
“Sarah!” Rafe shouted and his sister gasped, afraid she’d been seen but she breathed out, relieved when his brother continued his rant. “There it is! That’s it!” Rafe slammed his hand onto a dresser nearby. “Yep, knew it. There it is, Dad!” Rafe screamed. “Any more of my shit you wanna steal from me to impress Sarah? Who, by the way, doesn’t give a shit about you.” 
“It’s Wilmington. It’s tomorrow night. Get a pen. I’ll give you the cargo information.” Rafe sighed and cleared his throat as he sat down. His body tensed up with the frustration of being his father’s second choice, always. In one hand, he held the cellphone while the other pinched the bridge of his nose in an attempt to contain the boiling anger. 
“For the record, this is bullshit. Okay? This is my thing. But of course, you can count on me.” Rafe said defeated.
“Okay, so listen.” 
“One second.” The young adult mumbled, as he wrote down the information. “Okay, Wilmington. Tomorrow night. Car 750X. Got it.” Sarah took a step further, repeating the information in her head to memorize it when the floorboard under her feet cracked and she walked away from one door to the other just in time. “Hey, hey. Hang on. Hang on. One second.” She slipped in the room from the other just as Rafe walked out. “Hello?” He called out from the top of the staircase. 
He could hear breathing and he could hear the familiar cracking from the old floor and so he followed it, unknowingly hot on his sister’s heels before she hid in the corner of the room, safe and sound. 
“Yeah, from the wharf to the train yard.” Rafe said after picking his phone back up and jogging down the stairs. “Yes. I got it. Okay?” Rafe turned around and Sarah used those few and precious seconds to sneak past him and out of TannyHill. 
“Shit.” Sarah swore when her brother appeared in the middle of the hallway just as she was closing the door behind her. 
-
Elizabeth’s bag made her back feel too warm and sweaty as she walked down the streets of The Cut. But the second she set her eyes on the business, a teary smile appeared on her face. She tried the shop’s door but found it was locked. She even snooped through the windows but the smell of barbecue let her know where the people she wanted to see were. 
“...on a huge container ship in the middle of the ocean. And what do I hear from down below but-” Pope made his parents jump as he imitated the gunfire. Elizabeth crept up near the family with a smile on her face as Pope animatedly told them the story.
“Oh no!” His mother gasped worried. 
“Gunshots shooting right back up at me.” The teenager jumped up and down. 
“True story.” Cleo spoke after swallowing her bite. 
“Mom, gunshots.” Pope sat back down with his family. “That’s when I knew there was no way we were getting off that boat with the cross. So, dropped it in the ocean.” Elizabeth leaned on a beam with her arms crossed. 
“You did what?” Elizabeth and both of Pope’s parents said at the same time but all the attention turned to her. 
“No way!” Pope jumped up and away from the table before sweeping the girl off her feet. 
“Elizabeth?” His mother called.
“Oh my god.” 
Pope put her down, pulled away before he wrapped his arms around her again with a delighted laugh. 
“How- when-” 
“Hi, P!” 
“Where were you? How did you get away?” Elizabeth smiled, rubbed his arm and tilted her head. 
“Maybe later, yeah?” She asked and he noticed the slight redness in her eyes and how hoarse her voice was. 
“Elizabeth!” His mother called before she separated the two teenagers and greeted her with a bone crushing hug. “Beautiful, beautiful girl! Are you okay? Were you with them?” The teenager shook her head. “Are you okay? Injured?” Again, she shook her head. 
“Miller.” Pope’s father nodded. 
“Heyward.” She did the same before the man smiled and brought her in a hug with a fatherly kiss to her forehead. “Glad to see you’re back home.” She smiled, though this time she didn’t have energy to make it reach her eyes. 
“Are you hungry? Yes, you must be, I’m making you a plate!” His mother shouted from the barbecue and Elizabeth waved in thanks. 
Pope’s father led her to the table but before she could fully reach it, Pope wrapped his arms around her shoulders again and squeezed. 
“P, careful my shoulder’s hurting!” She warned softly, he apologized and stepped away, leaving Elizabeth to face Cleo. 
“Hi,” 
“Glad to see you alive, girl.” The young woman smiled before making her some space where Pope’s mother set down her plate. 
“Thank you for taking care of this one.” Elizabeth half joked as she rubbed Pope’s back. “So, what were you saying about the cross?”
“Yeah, I mean we couldn’t do anything better. And get this after we jumped off and got into the safety boat, I look back and they’re pulling it back out.” Pope said and Elizabeth’s head moved forward.
“Wait, who?” 
“Rafe.” 
“Rafe?”
“Yeah.” 
“As in the Rafe I spent a month with, Rafe?” Elizabeth frowned. “That’s why he was always on the phone…” She mumbled.
“What?” Pope’s head turned to the girl and she nodded with her fork in her mouth. 
“God, this is good food.” 
“I’m kinda glad he got it, though.” Pope said to everyone’s surprise. 
“You on air?” Cleo commented and Elizabeth pointed at her in agreement. 
“Yeah, I’m with Cleo on that.” His father added and the brunette chuckled. 
“I’m just saying, at least it’s not at the bottom of the ocean. There’s a chance, you know? Some hope that maybe we can get it back from them.” His father hum disapprovingly.
“Well, let’s hope not. I had enough of this treasure hunting.” Elizabeth scoffed with eyes wide as she raised her glass of water. 
“A-men!” She said and her and Heyward clinked their glasses together. 
“I want people to know that story, Pop. Denmark Tanny who got probably one of the most valuable objects in all the world, and he gave it to a church full of freed slaves, and it was theirs.” Pope argued calmly and his father looked as though he was convinced. “It’s a beautiful story. I think it deserves to be told.” he finished as he looked at Cleo for a few seconds too long and both his mom and Ellie shared a look. 
“Thank you so much for helping my boy.” His mother reached out and grabbed Cleo’s hand. 
“Mm. We helped each other. Right, Pope?” The boy once again glanced at his new friend with a look Elizabeth hadn’t seen often and she bit back a smile. 
“Yes.” 
While Pope showed Cleo her new room, Elizabeth stayed behind to help clean up and put away the food. 
“You don’t have to help, honey, you can go with them.” Pope’s mother cupped the side of the girl’s face. 
“No, uh, I think I’ll give them a few minutes, I like cleaning up anyway, some kind of normalcy after the last month.” she chuckled and the mother nodded. 
“Are you really okay, though? It’s okay if you’re not.” She stated and Elizabeth found herself to be taking a shaky breath. 
“I will be okay, with time. You know?” Both parents nodded and sent her comforting smiles. 
“Cleo’s settling in, now. If you’re ready to talk.” Pope appeared in the kitchen’s door frame and the girl nodded. 
“Sure. Let’s go.” 
They walked to the back of the building where the Pogues hung whenever they would be there and they sat on the picnic table there. For a few minutes they stayed silent, Elizabeth simply let her head fall on her friend’s shoulder along with the tears she’d been holding back for over an hour. 
“When did you arrive?” 
“Like, super early in the night, you?” 
“Sunrise.” She hummed in acknowledgement. 
“Where were you?” 
“At which point? I kinda moved around a lot; hospital, then the Cameron's summer house where I was surveilled twenty-four-seven. I found a way out, hiked a while, stole a car-” she glanced up at him and he sent her an impressed nod. “Right? Then, I guess Barbados.” She shrugged. “You guys?” “Deserted island. Survived off coconuts, fresh fish, berries.” 
“Survivor’s diet, huh?” “Yeah…” he trailed off. “You know you look like you’re on the verge of death, right?” 
“How I miss your bluntness at times, P…” she chuckled as she leaned back on her hands. “Well, you look good. I don’t know why, but you do, a little bit brighter.” she mumbled and he grinned. “How’s Cleo with everybody?” 
“Good, we had a good thing going, as good as being on a deserted island can be. She knew lots of things about poisonous berries or plants.” 
“Mmh, that’s nice. I’m glad you guys had her.” 
“Me too.” he said shyly and Elizabeth poke him with her elbow teasingly. “I guess you saw JJ first?” 
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Don’t think it went the way either of us had in mind…” she glanced down at her ringless thumb and bit the inside of her cheek. “I mean, it started great and when Kie showed up it-” 
“Didn’t y’all reunite or something?” 
“I couldn’t.” she spoke too quickly and he nodded in understanding. “Can I ask you something?” “Sure.” “What happened on that island?” She asked and Pope’s head turned and he faced her but he didn’t say anything and she nodded when she glanced up and saw his sad expression.. “Yeah, okay. Thanks for your honesty, I guess.” She stood from the table and hugged him. “I’m gonna go home or something. I’ll see you later, yeah?” he nodded and held out his hand and she grinned as they did the Pogues’ handshake. 
“I really missed you, Pope Heyward.” She smiled just as she walked away. 
-
The sun had begun to set when Sarah knocked on Kiara’s door and asked for them to talk and while her parents weren’t thrilled they let the girls walk down the dock for a few minutes. 
“So I went back to grab clothes and a phone and you’re not gonna believe this.” Kiara moved her head as a silent way to tell Sarah to keep going. “Rafe is back.” Kiara inhaled and stared at the horizon, disbelief written all over her features. “Yeah. I saw him at the house. I don’t think he saw me, but I think the cross is coming back to Wilmington tomorrow night.”
“What?” Kiara finally spoke. 
“Yeah.” 
“Does Pope know?” “No. I was gonna tell him at the Chateau.” Kiara grimaced and shook her head. 
“He can’t. He’s on lockdown.”
“Okay. Um… Then… I’ll hit up Pope, and then maybe you go to the Chateau and tell John B.” Sarah offered. “And JJ?” Sarah hesitated when she saw the pout on Kie’s face. 
“Yeah, I gotta talk to him anyway.”
“Yeah.” 
“Okay. My parents are gonna kill me.” Kiara added as they walked back to the house. 
-
Rafe Cameron walked into the little restaurant, adjusted the belt around his hips and made sure the firearm hidden behind his back stayed in place. He quickly glanced around the room before he found his target and made his way towards the man. 
“I’ll be damned.” Barry spoke. “Look who is it! Look at the country club walking in!” He added loudly and Rafe could feel every pair of eyes on him at that moment. “How you doing Rafe?” 
“Just coming to have a little powwow. I come in peace.” Rafe replied in a disturbingly calm tone before he walked away. 
“You come in peace.” Barry repeated unconvinced before he followed after the young adult. 
“I think I was up for murder one because of you, right?” Rafe squinted as he stared at his old dealer. 
“Yeah, that sounds right.” 
“It’s all good.” Rafe shrugged with his hands up. “I’m ready to get past it if you are.” 
“Yeah.” Barry chuckled. “So, why don’t you run it by me?” 
“My family is giving away something of mine, a historical artifact.” With a shake of his head and a mocking sparkle in his eye, Barry snorted. 
“What you think I give a shit about that for?” 
“This thing is worth a lot of money. Okay? A lot. I can’t stop them. At least not without looking like i’m going back on something, so… I want you to steal it.” Rafe told him seriously.  “From me.” he added. 
“Ah.”
“From my family.” 
“Oh… It just gets better don’t it?” Rafe’s ex drug dealer laughed and shook his head. “You must think I’m the stupidest son of a bitch under the sun.” Barry articulated. “It’s either you trying to set me up,” Rafe grinned at the words. “or you the one that’s the stupidest because then let me ask you this, Rafe. How you gonna stop me from stealing it and keeping it?” 
“Well, you know, one thing… one thing is, If you screw me like that, i’ll … i’ll come after you.” Barry nodded as he shoved a few pretzel in his mouth. 
“Mm-hmm.”
“What I’m confused about, though, is why you would fight it.” The blonde of the two interlaced his fingers and let his arms fall in front of him for him to lean on. “I’m offering you a job, it’s high-risk, it’s high-reward. This is the thing Barry, you know. When this very valuable and irreplaceable thing gets jacked, um, there’s gonna be suspicion on me. I’ll have an ironclad alibi, so they’ll be looking for who I hired. But no one’s gonna suspect you.” Rafe tilted his head and spoke condescendingly. “Right?” He tapped on the table once. “You’re the guy who turned me in.” he tapped on the table twice. “You ratted me out.” and then on the table again for a third time. “I mean, you’re the perfect guy for this job. It’s a free play.” Barry leaned back against the chair and raised an eyebrow, acting as if he was in deep thought. “You take this on, you don’t mess it up, you’re gonna come out the other end with a really big pile of dough.” Rafe’s words were like music to the poor man’s ears. 
“Mm. I do like money. Let me give you my terms.” Barry said before he himself tapped the table a couple of times. “I’m gonna get half of this bitch. Right down the middle, fifty-fifty. I ain’t taking no bullshit payout, Rafe.” Rafe’s eyebrow twitched as he nodded. “Okay?” “Okay.” 
“And if we doing this…” Barry cleared his throat. “it would behoove you not to be seen talking to me.” Barry finished, avoiding Rafe’s grimace as he left. “He got my check.” The waitress simply nodded and walked to Rafe who stayed put with a small smile on his lips. 
-
Kiara had been waiting on a lawn chair facing the marsh at the chateau when the revving of JJ’s bike reached her ears. She stood up just in time to see him stop and look around in search of someone. 
“John B!” he shouted before licking his lips and whistling loudly. He turned off and got off the bike before calling out one more time. “Yo!” 
“Hey, Jayj.” Kiara said softly from the little outdoor workshop and he jumped before he turned around. His eyes fell on her and he sighed quietly while she smiled, though it did not reach her eyes. 
“John B not here?” He asked as he stepped closer. 
“Nope.” For a few seconds the only noises that they would hear was the insects chirping and the grass underneath JJ’s boots, but then Kiara cleared her throat. 
“What up?” the teenage boy let out in greeting as he held onto the roof’s support beam from the workshop. 
“Uh, Rafe’s what’s up.” she replied, tucking her braided strands of hair behind her ear. 
“What do you mean?” 
“Rafe’s back on the island.” JJ swiveled around and let his arms fall at his side in annoyance. “Sarah saw him.” 
“Spectacular.” The teenager scoffed, walking past the girl. 
“It’s not just that.” Kiara waited for JJ to stare at her before she continued. “She overheard him saying that the cross is coming to Wilmington tomorrow night. Figure he must be trying to sell it.” 
“Great. Does Pope know?” JJ paced back and forth in front of Kie as his anxiety filled mind tried to steer clear of the early day’s event. 
“Yeah, Sarah went to tell him. He’s locked down and I guess John B and his dad went and got the Twinkie.” JJ’s blue eyes glanced at the piece of paper in Kiara’s hands and he approached before snatching and reading it for himself. “They’re off to God knows where.” 
“Yeah, of course.” He chuckled though he did not find the situation funny. “Just when we need them.” 
JJ took a few steps and his hand moved to his hair but he stopped himself before he started to anxiously pull at it. He turned on his heel within a second and held out a finger. 
“Wait,” JJ spoke just as Kiara was about to say something but she stopped herself. “hold on though. We know where the cross is gonna be. That means it’s still on the field.” The blonde nodded to himself as he started pacing again. Kiara stared at him though she did not seem to pay attention to what he said as she pulled on her fingers. “Okay, alright. So, we can come in and swoop. We’re still in this, Kie. We gotta get everybody together, then we’ll come up with a plan.” He walked past her as his mind moved too fast for his lips to catch up. “Gotta get out asses to Wilmington-”
“Hey, Jayj.” Kiara ran after him, calling out for him in a soft and quiet voice and he turned around. “Before we formulate some crazy plan, can we talk?” She stopped when he did and she pulled the sleeve of her shirt back on her shoulder. 
He stared at her for too long and Kiara could see how nervous those few words had made him. He looked away, at his bike, put his hands on his hips, breathed in deeply before he started to fidget with the shark tooth pendant on his neck and when Kiara noticed it, she frowned. 
“Yeah, yeah we can talk.” he almost croaked out as he looked around at everything but the girl in front of him. 
“Something almost happened between us on the boat.” she started and the blonde found himself making holes in the grass with the toe of his boot. “And I know that’s got to freak you out. It caught me off guard too.” She admitted and he looked up at her. “And I know, your whole life, I know you freak when people get close, and there’s only one person who had that very rare chance and I get it. I don’t blame you.” JJ kept his mouth shut, lips pressed in a thin line as his eyes moved back to the grass under his boots. “Just please don’t ever say that I don’t care about you.” He nodded. “And you called me a Kook.” she added and he scrunched up his nose. 
“Okay. Well, hold on.” he scratched his forehead. 
“Which is lame.” She pointed out with her hands raised in the air. 
“I know. That was lame.” 
“It was uncalled-for.” JJ nodded. “It’s a low blow.” 
“All right, Kie. Look, Kie.” he interrupted before he placed both of his hands on her shoulders. “You’re right.” he admitted before fidgeting with the hat on his head. “I flipped. You know how I be.” he added and Kiara nodded. “Just, uh… Just. It’s been a lot.” JJ said as he thought of the previous weeks. “So much. We should just… just call it a truce.” JJ offered and Kie nodded enthusiastically. “Just Etch A Sketch it.” JJ shook the imaginary toy in his hand and Kiara cracked a smile. “Clean slate. Truce?”
“Truce.” Kiara held out her hand first, he slapped his palm and the back of his hand against hers before the side of their fists collided as their fingers snapped. 
Their heads turned when a familiar bicycle bell echoed in the air. Elizabeth got off her bike and pulled out the kickstand before she stood in front of her two friends. All three looked at each other for about five seconds before the latest’s finger moved between the two and a fake knowing smile was plastered on her lips. 
“Did I walk in on something?” She raised her eyebrows. While Kiara seemed ecstatic to reunite with her best friend, JJ frowned, confused. 
“You’re here!” Kie stated surprised.
“So are you!” Elizabeth replied with the same energy as Kiara before she walked ahead and wrapped her arms around her. 
In all of their years of friendship this was the least comfortable and natural hug the girls shared.
“So, what were you guys saying about the cross?” Elizabeth quickly changed the subject back to their original topic before Kiara could ask her any questions which the teenager noticed.
“Rafe’s back and the cross will be too but tomorrow night.” Kiara replied. 
“Mmh, here we go again, I guess.” The brunette shrugged.  
“How we gonna jack this cross?” “I don’t know.”
-
My pops always said nothing good comes easy, and nothing worthy is given. It’s not what can be gained. But what you’re willing to risk. How far will you go for your treasure? 
“So, the diary says there was a … a survivor of the San Jose.” Big John said while his son drove the Twinkie down the road. “A… a priest. Captain Limbrey, yeah, he thought it was bad karma to kill clergy, so he stuck the priest down in the cargo hold.” John B sat behind the wheel, still feeling very uneasy because of what his father had just done. “The captain left it me to tend to the priest’s swamp fever. In his delirium, he implored me to pass on a letter and a stone object of native origin to the papacy.” The adult read off the pages. “A stone object of native origin! This is why Singh wanted the diary so bad. He’s talking about the idol here, the one we lost.” 
“You mean the one Ellie took from your partner’s?” 
“Oh my God.” Big John gasped, ignoring his son’s comment. ““The captain refused to make the delivery, and when the man of God died, he was buried with his belongings.” They were docked in Charleston. There was only one Catholic church in Charleston at the time. Ten to one that priest is buried in the church plot with his belongings. That’s gotta include the missing piece of the idol.” Big John thought out loud. “We put the two halves together and translate it…” John B stared ahead at the road while his father rambled and laughed victoriously. “Are you kidding me? This is it, John B. John B, Charleston leads to El Dorado!” His father announced and the boy shook his head before pressing down on the break. 
The Twinkie’s tires screeched on the dry dirt road and both of them were sent forward before being thrown back against the back of their seats. Big John frowned, about to scold his son but John B put the van in park and with a hand on the van’s handle looked at his father. 
“I’m done.”
“John! Wait a sec.” Big John followed after his son who’d started walking away. “Hold on now. John B.”
“No, you killed those guys, Dad.” The teenager said loudly with an accusing finger pointing. 
“Oh,” The man hesitated. “Hey, I had no choice.” 
“What?” John B scoffed. “What are you talking about? You pulled on them first!” His heels dug holes in the ground as the teenager turned to face his father. 
“They’d have taken us to Singh who would’ve done that same thing. It was us or them!” 
“Oh, come on!” 
“That guy was gonna shoot you, okay?” Big John slapped his hands on his son’s shoulders. “I couldn’t… I couldn’t let that happen. It ain’t as fun as it looks, kid, okay?” John B’s hazel irises avoided his father’s gaze as he struggled to even out his breathing. “Hey, hey.” Big John flattened his son’s hair before he wrapped his hands around the back of his neck, forcing his son to look at him. “I couldn’t lose you again. I couldn’t.” He repeated as his boy started to cry. “If you wanna hold that against me, you go right ahead. I’m guilty as charged. I’ll bear that burden for eternity.” 
“Come on.” The curly haired boy scoffed. 
“But what’s done is done. And we got work to do. And none of it means anything if you aren’t along, understand?” John B sniffled without giving his father a real answer. “So, you can head on down that road and go back home or you get on that bus and come with me to Charleston on a five hundred year old quest.” John B finally looked at his dad on his own. “What do you say?” The father took his hands off his son as the latter’s expression stayed stoic. 
“Let’s go.” John B finally spoke with a soft sniffle. 
“Attaboy.” They walked towards the van, the father’s arm wrapped around his son’s shoulders. 
That time, Big John got behind the wheel while his son stared out the window as the familiar houses and shops flew by. All of it doused in a deep shade of orange as the sun set behind them.
************************
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r0s3mm · 18 days
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Fight or Flight // Outer Banks series
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Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
A/N:  let's act like the time line makes sense and that this particular part wasn't written in 2 to 3 months pls
this part is so long so yall get two parts ✌🏼
Also, this took me so long to write and I’m still not 100% sure I’m totally happy with it but whatever!
Let me know what you think 💭 and pls comment and reblog ;)
nothing out of the ordinary,
a little bit into Beth’s journey during that month apart from the Pogues and what she went through
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“Now, tell me which one of them is your girlfriend, huh?” the man asked, and JJ scoffed.
“I don’t—” he groaned when his head started to throb.
Eberhimi grabbed the top of JJ’s head, tightened his hold on the mop of blonde hair and he started to swing in the girls’ directions. A very shallow cut was made on Kiara’s arm when she took a step forward, her hand balled up in a fist.
“Kie!” JJ shouted once he saw the curly hair girl bend forward.
He twisted his body and yanked the knife out of the man’s grab before he held it to his throat. Eberhimi leaned his head forward before swinging it back and hitting JJ with it, which made the blonde lose his hold on the knife and it clattered to the ground, loudly. In an effort to help him, Beth aimed at the knee of the man who was attacking her friends and she pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the gun and lodged itself in the man’s thigh. He swung at her but missed once she dodged the hit, twisted her wrist, and pulled her to him, his hand wrapped around her throat.
“JJ...” Elizabeth realized when she heard the splash of the water.
“JJ!” Kiara shouted, running to the edge.
“Tut, tut, tut.” He shook his head. “Her or him?” he asked, and her eyes went over Beth’s face; her eyes were rolling in the back of her head, and she seemed to be gasping for air.
“JJ, K... Get him.” She struggled to say as she scratched the man’s hand around her airway. “Pl... lease. Take ca—" She begged, and Kiara sobbed before she jumped over the edge.
The man threw her down against the side of the edge of the boat and she felt her body crack, a pained moan was released. She laid on her side, body racked with sobs and about three feet away from the man, she saw her gun. She crawled to it as best as she could though her body yelled at her to stop but she pushed through, determined to make it back to her friends. Elizabeth could very faintly hear their voices, almost like a quiet echo in the back of her mind. She crawled under his stare, and he laughed, almost like a snort and he put his booted foot on her hand, stepping on it while he reached down for the gun.
“Please, JJ. Take care of JJ.” She cried as he aimed the gun towards her.
“We have half power but will make next port in three hours.” Macias told them. “I’ll have a doctor waiting.”
“For the both of them?” Wheezie asked and Macias shot Rafe and Rose a look and Rose nodded.
“Yes.”
-
-Week Two-
The teenager was in and out of consciousness for a couple of days, never remembering the days prior. When she finally woke up, her nose itched but she couldn’t move as if something was holding her limbs down and her heartbeat started to quicken. 
“JJ?” she called out, taking in her surroundings. 
Her body hurt, the muscles in her shoulder burned, her whole head felt like it was throbbing, breathing hurt and there was a painful stiffness in her left leg. 
All in all, she felt like shit and she was scared. 
“Hello?” she shouted as she finally recognized her surroundings. “Hospital.” she muttered. “Yes, that’s right, Ms. Cameron.” “Huh?” Her head snapped up, leaving the comfort of the pillow not without an ache and she eyed a woman, in a white lab coat, leaning against the doorframe. “No.” “You’re at the hospital. It seems you were in some kind of accident.” The woman she assumed was the doctor tilted her head to the side. “Can you tell me what happened?” “Where’s JJ?” She asked. “Where is he? Is he okay? He fell overboard and-” “Hey, you’re all good.” The doctor moved closer, sitting on the blue chair next to the bed. “You’re safe, it’s okay.”
Elizabeth followed her with her eyes as she sat. At the same time, she noticed the IV bags hooked on the pole, she followed the tubing until it disappeared under the blanket draped over her.
“What is it?” “Hydration.” Elizabeth glanced at the large saline bag. “Antibiotics.” she added and Elizabeth glanced at the smaller two pouches. “Everything to keep you healthy and safe.” “Where are my friends?” “I don’t know about the tall blonde,” she sucked her teeth and Elizabeth felt a blossoming of hope in her chest. “but the little girl’s been at your side this whole time waiting for you to wake up.” “Little girl?” 
“Is she gonna be okay?” Wheezie’s voice asked. “The doctors are doing their best Wheeze.” Rose answered as Elizabeth groaned. “She’s gonna wake up whenever she’s ready.” 
When she was ready though, Wheezie left the room crying, urged by her step-mother as four nurses held the brunette down while a fifth one plunged a needle in her right shoulder. Quickly, with the medication coursing through her veins, she stopped fighting against the restraint they had to put late the night before, her wrists already a nice pink. 
“Me.” The younger teenager mumbled from the door and Elizabeth frowned. “Wheezie? What the- What’s going on?” She questioned. “What are you doing here?” She fought against the restraints feeling the need to sit up and tears gathered in her waterline when she couldn’t. “Please, can you-” she eyed the doctor, pleading. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She walked past Sarah’s younger sister and they shared a few words, only leaving when the young brunette nodded. “Hi.” “Hey,” Ellie spoke softly when she noticed Wheezie’s reluctance, the girl staying near the door. “you can come closer, Wheeze it’s okay.” She smiled. 
Slowly, Wheezie sat and saw the way Elizabeth seemed to eye the styrofoam cup on the table. 
“Water?” she offered and Ellie nodded. She brought the straw close to the teenager’s mouth and within a minute it was empty. “Thanks.” 
The doctor came back with what looked like a magnet. As soon as the restraints were off, Elizabeth stretched as best as she could and rubbed her skin. 
“I’m sorry, doctor?” “Yeah?” “What happened?” 
With a soft hand on her arm, Wheezie began explaining and she watched as the eldest’s eyes kept flitting from side to side as memories came back to her. Well, Wheezie explained what she knew and what wasn’t hidden from her from Rose and Rafe; which wasn’t a lot.
“I’ll go tell them you’re awake.” 
Elizabeth didn’t have time to process before the young teenager was out of the room and gone god knows where. Less than ten minutes later, Rafe walked in the room with a smile. An absolutely disgusting and self satisfied smile. 
“Look at you not trying to tear my head off.” He mumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed the way a friend would do. “What the fuck is going on? What did you do?” she seethed and he rubbed down his face. “Well,” he started. “After Maybank got thrown overboard, Kie close behind, you kinda lost it?” he offered and he chuckled at her confused expression. “You shot one of Eberhimi’s men, an eye for an eye so he shot you in the thigh.” He said and she grazed the bandage she had on her left thigh. “I got shot?” She chuckled humorlessly. “Mmh-mh. Twice.” A sharp shooting pain radiated from her left shoulder to the tips of her fingers when she pushed off the bed to be more comfortable and she swore. She glared at him, not understanding the pain in her shoulder. “I didn’t shoot you, though I think you would’ve deserved it.” He leaned forward and applied pressure to the bruise on her leg. “You did.” He added in a whisper. “I shot myself?” He nodded. “Yeah. Like I said, you kinda lost it.” He pushed off the bed. “Anyways, you’re getting discharged by the end of the week, we’re gonna continue treatment at home like my dad.” She nodded. “Where are we?” “That’s not important-” “Rafe!” Rose called him from the hallway and the young adult rolled his eyes. “Hurry up and heal so we can get the fuck out of this place.” He spat and she nodded with a grimace. “So sensitive.” She sighed before closing her eyes. 
She woke up to a soft knock on the door and she gave herself a few seconds to close her eyes, hoping that when she did, she’d be back home either at the Chateau, her house or in JJ’s room, safe and with the people she loved. 
“Ms. Cameron?” “Come in.” The nurse smiled politely and walked into the room with a small paper bag. “I would’ve dropped these off on your table but we have a few tests to run.” “What is it?” she questioned. “Toiletries.” The woman reached in the bag and pulled out a small toothbrush, toothpaste, a sample cup full of what Elizabeth assumed was mouthwash, a few pairs of disposable underwear and a comb. “Your brother told us that you’d been robbed of everything in the attack so,” Elizabeth faked a smile. “That’s nice, thank you.” She mumbled, reminding herself to ask Rafe what they had told the staff. “Can you tell me what day it is?” The nurse stared at her watch for a second. “September twenty-eighth.” “So, I’ve been here a week?” “Give or take, yeah.” Elizabeth watched while the nurse got her things ready. 
The nurse took her vital signs, asked the teenage girl to move certain ways, she did blood tests and she took a look at her injuries. 
“My colleague will stop by before dinner to clean and change your dressings, okay?” “Sure, m’not going anywhere.” When the nurse was halfway to the door Elizabeth cleared her throat. “Sorry huh-” “Audrey.” “Well, Audrey,” she chuckled. “Is there a phone I can have access to?” The woman nodded before retreating back to the bedside table. She opened the drawer and pulled out a landline that she plugged into the wall. “There you go. If you want the television, it costs money but there are pamphlets for the different rates and such.” “Okay, thank you.” She grabbed the phone and turned it on. “Would you mind closing the door behind you? I might take a nap afterwards.” “Sure, hon.” 
She composed the phone number she knew by heart and waited as it rang.
“Pick up, pick up, pick up.” “Hi, you’ve reached the Routledges, we’re unable to speak to you right now but leave a message and we’ll get back to you.” Elizabeth felt herself become emotional at the sound of Big John’s voice. “John B it’s me, Ellie, listen I’m at the hospital, I hope you guys made it back home safely. I think I’m still near Barbados or something, I don’t really know. Hum, yeah, if you could just -” “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” The young adult shouted as soon as he’d stepped in the room. He lunged forward and pulled on the cable harshly and he heard the pin of the cable break in the socket. “Who were you calling?” “John B.” she said plainly. “What did you tell him?” “Nothing. Just wanted to know if they were alright.” She mumbled. 
As quick as he walked in, Rafe was out the door. 
She spent the rest of the week doing absolutely nothing, being given IV’s and fed pills, bland ass food… She would sleep twelve hours at a time, hoping that the days would go by faster if she wasn’t conscious to witness them. And whenever she wasn’t asleep, she was doing physical therapy, strengthening her arms and legs, walking around with crutches or the walker when her arms were too sore.
“Glad to see you up and about, Ms. Cameron.” The nurse at the station smiled and she nodded in acknowledgement. “I was actually coming to see you, I got two questions, one is huh,” she breathed in deeply, hiding a grimace on her face. “my leg’s been throbbing so freaking bad since this morning and I wasn’t able to sleep well last night because of it. I was wondering if I could have a Tylenol or something.” “I’ll see what’s in your file and I’ll come and see you in your room.” “I’m actually going downstairs for food so whatever you can give me, leave it on my table and I’ll come let you know whenever I take it, yeah?” The nurse nodded unsure and Elizabeth turned around. “Honey, didn’t you have another question?” “Yeah,” she whipped around as best as she could. “So, uh, my brother tripped on the phone cord the other day and it kinda got ripped out …” she smiled, feigning embarrassment. “You have one I could borrow?” 
The brunette sat in the corner of the cafeteria, alone as she used her fork to dig into the large plate of spaghetti. She eyed the two hamburger bread toasted with garlic butter and she smiled before adding forkfuls of pastas between the two buns and biting into them. She eyed the people in the room; patients, visitors, staff and that one guy.. That one guy that was everywhere she went since arriving at the hospital. 
“It’s for your safety.” Rose had muttered on day two after she had woken up, the blonde carried a couple of shopping bags. “We can’t have you leaving the hospital with bloody clothes.” 
She kept her gaze on him, reached on the far corner of the table and wrapped her hand around the phone there. 
“Hi, you’ve reached the Routledges, we’re unable to speak to you right now but leave a message and we’ll get back to you.” “John B, it’s been a few days and I’m starting to get worried. I really hope y’all are home and simply don’t have electricity. I heard them saying that we’re leaving for Guadeloupe tomorrow since Ward and I are stable enough to travel. I just wanted to let you know in case any of you had an idea or something. I love you-” she trailed off with a sniffle. “Yeah, huh, love you guys.” 
The man looked up and shook his head in a disapproving way and her still being a teenager, she rolled her eyes and flipped him the bird. 
When she finally went back to her room, the cup with two little white pills and a paper glass of water waited for her on the nightstand. She chuckled, downed the glass of water and moved to the backpack that Rose had bought for her. She opened the zipper in the inside pocket, grabbed the balled-up napkin and dropped the two painkillers in it. 
“Eight pills, toothbrush, toothpaste, combs, underwears.” she enumerated all the items she had two or more of in her bag. “Elizabeth, please whenever you can before we leave, take a shower and put on the clothes I bought you.” The teenager jumped when Rose spoke and she shoved the items back in the bag. “Yeah, sure, whatever.” “We’ll leave tomorrow at nine right after the doctor leaves and you’ve gotten the latest dose of medication.”
Ellie glanced over her shoulder and nodded. 
“Great, then.” Rose sighed with her arms crossed over her chest. “Thank you for cooperating.” “Not my choice.” - The girl was all packed and ready to go, simply waiting for the doctor to stop by for last minute instructions. 
“You have enough for the next three days and after that you should be fine with some Tylenol or Advils.” The woman said. “I’ve left the bottle with your step-mother and not more than two in twenty four hours because they can be addictive.” Wheezie glanced up at the older girl and Elizabeth caught her glance. “Have a great return home and though you were quite an easy patient, we do not wish to see you anymore so take care of yourself, okay?” Elizabeth nodded before shaking the woman’s hand. “Thank you.” Rose said politely. “Okay, let’s go.” “I gotta use the toilet before, but go and I’ll meet you downstairs.” Rose sent her a look, nothing in her eyes and her posture showed she trusted the teenager. “If I’m not there in five minutes send Rafe.” she offered. “C’mon Rose.” Wheezie sighed, grabbing her step-mother and leading her downstairs. 
As soon as they were far enough the teenager sat on the bed and a sob racked through her body. Her trembling hands wiped the salty tears and she sucked in a breath that hurt her ribs. 
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.” She swore, trying to gain back her composure. 
A soft knock on the door made her snap her head up and she locked eyes with the nurse. 
“Hi.” “Audrey, sorry, hi.” “Everything okay?” “Not really, no.” She wiped off her palms on the bed sheets. “Anything I can do before you leave?” “That’s nice but I have to go.” The crackling noise from Audrey’s hands made her stop when she started to stand up and Elizabeth turned around. “What’s that?” “A survival kit of sort.” The nurse handed her the bag. “I don’t know what’s going on here…” Elizabeth grabbed the large ziploc bag. “But I just wanted to complete your collection of hospital memories.”  The nurse eyed the girl’s backpack. “Got you mouthwash, alcohol wipes, a roll of bandages, a few bandaids, electrolytes tablets…” “Why?” “Because you were admitted for self-inflicted gunshot wounds, but you got a concussion, bruised ribs… A psychiatrist evaluated you when you first got here because of the wounds, thought you were suicidal or something…” Two people walked past the room and Audrey nervously looked up. “You can stop if you can be in trouble.” “No, I just feel like you gotta know. They gave us your name, Sarah Cameron, but they didn’t have any ID’s or whatever and the history we were able to find didn’t match you but the doctors still treated you which, they would’ve done it anyway but… There were a lot of inconsistencies between what they would tell us and what you’d do.” “Such as?” Elizabeth asked nervously as she looked at the clock over the door. “When you first woke up, when we had to restrain you, you’d just yell that you had to get them back and that they were in danger, you denied that Sarah was your name and,” the nurse’s eyes flitted to the girl’s neck. “When we had to take off your necklace for the surgery, you became uh, violent?” Elizabeth’s fingers reached for her neck and she caressed the shark tooth that rested on top of her sternum. The brunette let out a sigh of relief.
The squeaking of heavy and fast footsteps approached them and soon enough Rafe was in the doorframe, staring at the two severely. 
“Let’s go.” He ordered before bending over to grab the larger bag. 
The nurse smiled softly when the teenager turned to face her and she gently wiped the tears that fell freely. 
“It’ll be okay, honey.” Ellie nodded without much conviction. 
Rafe rolled his eyes, leaning back against the wall outside the room, unaware of the ziploc bag Elizabeth and the nurse were stashing in her backpack. 
Without another word and overflowing with impatience, Rafe walked in, grabbed the brunette by the arm just as she got the bag on her back and he pulled her away. In silence, they got into the elevator and he let go of her when they reached the main floor. 
“Let’s go.” He mumbled and she followed. 
Rose, Wheezie and the car waited for the pair right in front of the hospital’s main doors and as soon as the bags were thrown in the back, Rafe seated in the passenger seat and Elizabeth buckled in with Wheezie and Rose, the car was put in drive and they were rushed out of the parking lot. Before they veered out on the street, Elizabeth glanced back to the hospital only to see four police cars parked exactly where they were a minute ago. Her eyes turned wide and glassy. 
Was the nurse stalling…? 
“You okay?” Wheezie asked, seated between her step-mother and Elizabeth. 
What a question to ask to someone who’s being held against her will… 
“Yeah.” The brunette whispered with a smile that did everything but reach her eyes. - After a three hour boat ride, the car drove through crisp white gates and up the paved driveway and Elizabeth looked at the trees, the yellow and green summer house, the mountains that served as a backdrop, and the house came with a huge front yard… But no neighbors for miles. 
“All my friends’ houses could fit in here.” she mumbled. “Yeah, it is a pretty big space.” Wheezie spoke up. 
The brunette blindly reached for the door handle but she stumbled and grabbed onto the side of the passenger seat. 
“Miller.” She glanced up to Rafe who held the door open with an amused smile, his head tilted to the side. “Welcome home.” 
She got out of the car, ignoring the man's held out hand and going around the vehicle to grab her “belongings”. 
Elizabeth couldn’t lie, it was a beautiful house, the kind of house she saw herself vacation in when she would be older… Her friends all huddled up on nice chairs out on the balcony as they watched the sun set, they’d be able to do barbecues, maybe install an exterior fireplace, a volleyball net or a couple of soccer goals, they would definitely go surf every morning with the ocean as their front yard. 
Not totally the Kook life they had talked about, but a comfortable life… A normal one. 
“You comin’?” Wheezie asked. “Uh, yeah.” “I’ll show you your room. It’s usually Sarah’s but I'm sure you’ll like it.” 
 It didn’t look as lived in as Tanny Hill, every piece of furniture was draped over with a large white sheet. The interior was nicely decorated, big windows that let the sun rays in and comfortable looking couches and sofas. 
“Where’s Ward?” “Dad’s already set up in his room. They made the trip earlier with a local doctor and nurse and they’re taking care of him.” “Has he been alone all this time?” “No, the maid is-” “A maid, huh?” “Her name’s-” “So, Wheeze. Which is my room?" She interrupted the younger girl and though a pang of guilt hammered in her chest, she wanted to be alone after being cooped up with them for the past three hours. “Last one up the steps on the right, mine’s the one right in front.” “I’m gonna go lay down or something.” Wheezie nodded. 
Her feet clad socks walked on the carpeted floor, she looked at the framed pictures on the walls. They seemed happy; everybody was smiling, Rafe with his arms wrapped around his sisters’ shoulders. It tugged at her heartstrings, seeing her friend so happy and carefree, full of youth. She glanced towards the stairs and wiped a few tears. 
“What are you doing?” Rafe asked as if she had been looking through his personal effects. “Checking out the family portraits.” She tilted her head to the side. “You guys were so happy…” Her green eyes moved from picture to picture, noticing the lack of a mother in the earlier pictures. She peeked at Rafe for half a second and sighed. “I’m gonna go settle in.” “Sure, whatever.” 
The lilac accent wall was the first thing she noticed when she opened the door. Then it was the white dresser, the bed was large and decorated with lilac, soft pink and white pillows on top of the fluffy white comforter. She dropped her bags on the cushioned bench underneath the window. More framed pictures decorated the walls and the dresser, Sarah from age fifteen and younger with her friends, family. One picture made her reach for it and she brought it to her face. 
Kiara and Sarah. 
Kiara’s birthday party when they were around eleven, back when Ellie and Kiara still hung out with their friends on Figure Eight… Less aware of the feud between Kooks and Pogues. She chuckled when she recognized her younger self in the background of the photo, a large smile missing a couple of teeth as she had been swept off the ground by John B’s father who wore his own grin. 
Her fingertips traced her friends’ smiles. She carried it to the night stand next to the bed. - The sound of the bolt turning in the lock is what pulled the girl from her light sleep and she sat on the edge of the bed while the heavy steps became quieter. 
The brunette walked down the stairs quietly, the odor of buttered toasts had reached her nostrils as soon as she exited the room. 
“Morning sunshine.” Rose smiled politely as she looked up from her computer. “Yeah, hi.” She glared before walking up to Wheezie and patting her hair. “Morning, you. I’m sorry about yesterday. I just, I’m feeling a little homesick.” “It’s okay don’t worry.” Wheezie said, not tearing her eyes away from the television on the counter and Elizabeth followed her gaze.
Her heart dropped in her stomach when her picture along with her friends’ appeared on the television. 
“The six teenagers from Outer Banks, North Carolina are still missing and the local sheriff's department has been looking for them for a little over two weeks. No new evidence or information has been brought forward but friends and family are still awaiting the return of their loved ones. Kiara Carrera’s parents have been ever so present during the investigation as they talked to the media and shared on their social media any and all information about their daughter and her friends-” Elizabeth reached for the remote next to Rose’s computer and shut the television off. “Hey, I was watching that!” Rose snapped and she looked up, seeing the teenager’s red eyes. Tears rolled down Elizabeth’s cheeks and she glared at the blonde before throwing the remote at her head. “What the fuck!” Rose shouted and jumped off the stool she was sitting on and her hands fell on her hips. 
Elizabeth turned around and walked past Rafe, hitting his elbow with her shoulder. 
When she reached the room she had slept in, she slammed the door shut and let out a shout, a raw yell that felt as if a metal spoon had been scraped against her throat. The scream trailed off in a whimper. The brunette eyed the room and she wiggled her fingers anxiously before she swiped the dresser clean; hair brush, picture frames, books, so many trinkets fell on the ground in muted clatter thanks to the carpet. She opened the drawers, throwing the clothes on the ground before she undid the bed in a last burst of energy.
She destroyed the room, most of its content now on the floor and she sat in the middle of it, her heart hammering in her chest as the pent up tension of the past weeks finally reached its apex. Her head throbbed, her left arm was tingly and the wounds had bled through the bandages. Elizabeth examined the items covering the floor and she laughed with her head thrown back. 
Maybe she did belong back in that psychiatry unit at the hospital. For a second she felt disconnected to reality, as if what she was living was merely a series of hallucinations… She blinked, clearing her thoughts and evicting any remaining tears from her eyes. 
Her heart skipped a beat, multiple beats even when she saw under the dresser a black block and by god she hoped it was what she thought. So she crawled on all fours and reached under it and she could’ve squealed when she wrapped her fingers around it. 
The old, black flip phone stared back at her. She turned it around, checking if it had a battery and when she saw it did she hurried and turned it on. The battery was more than halfway empty but she didn’t care. 
She had two bars. 
“Hi, you’ve reached the Routledges, we’re unable to speak to you right now but leave a message and we’ll get back to you.” “I- i just saw the news. We finally got to the house and uh,” she sniffled. “please, I know I’m begging and I don’t care, I’d really like any sign of life, anything John please. I can’t- I can’t just keep-” “Elizabeth!” Rafe’s eyes were on her and she stood to her feet. “Where the fuck did you get that?” “Drawer.” She stated as she held eye contact with him, holding the phone between her two hands. “Give it to me.” “No.” “Elizabeth.” “Rafe.” The brunette breathed in and frowned, head tilted to the side. “Wait, is your full name simply Rafe or is it more like Rafael or Ralph?” Rafe sighed, annoyed. “Rose’s gonna come and clean your bandages.” 
The man stepped forward and Elizabeth stepped back. He grabbed her wrists tightly and she grimaced in pain. Rafe squeezed her hands and waited as she reluctantly and with a grimace gave the cellphone up. Without so much as a look behind him, he turned around and closed the door behind him. In a fit of frustration, Elizabeth swiveled and kicked the dresser as hard as she could, leaving her foot throbbing. 
“Shit! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” She shouted before letting herself fall back on the bed. 
The teenager had almost fallen back asleep when she heard the door creak. 
“Shoot.” Wheezie said and Elizabeth cracked an eye open. “What are you doing here?” She groaned sitting up. “Rafe asked me to bring you supplies for your things.” “Leave them there.” She gestured to the dresser. “I can help you out, if you want to.” “I really don’t.” Elizabeth snapped before sucking in her lips and hiding a whimper. “I’m sorry, Wheezie.” She whispered with her face in her hands. “No, it’s okay.” “It really isn’t. Nothing is.” She glanced back at the young teenager and patted the space beside her. “You can sit.” 
Wheezie didn’t need much else to fully step into the room and sit next to the brunette, the first aid kit sitting nicely on her knees. Both of Elizabeth’s hands started moving, thumbs and index fingers rubbing together anxiously, she sniffled. 
“We’re gonna need bandages, peroxide, possibly cotton balls and uh-” “I’ll go.” Wheezie stood up and disappeared in the hallway and Ellie could hear her rummage through the bathroom’s pharmacy. 
In the meantime, the young adult looked through the kit and got out the bandages, disinfecting wipes, ointment and a small suture kit that she grabbed with trembling hands. She could hear Wheezie’s footsteps coming back and she threw the suture kit in the corner of the room. 
“I hope you don’t faint at the sight of blood because I’m gonna need your help.” The younger girl shook her head before she bit the inside of her cheek. “I’m gonna get the bandage off.” Elizabeth announced, peeling back gauze from her shoulder and bile rose in her throat at the torn and raw skin. “Are you okay?” “Mmh-mm.” Elizabeth nodded with a whimper. “Are you gonna faint at the sight of blood?” “Nah, I’ve patched up my fair share of cut lip or eyebrow… Bruised ribs too…” She trailed off while she glanced around the supplies. “With the cotton ball you’re gonna put some peroxide and I’ll clean off the blood around it.” “Okay. I can do it.” 
Elizabeth watched as the younger girl moved with steady hands while her own betrayed the overwhelming feelings inside. 
“Ah!” She hissed when Wheezie accidentally pressed too hard on the bruised skin around the injury. “Careful.” “Sorry.” “It’s okay, just, gentle, please.” “I wonder…” Wheezie trailed off as she applied a light layer of the ointment with a Q-tip around the irritated skin. “Yeah?” “Pogues versus Kooks…” “Is there a question?” Wheezie chuckled. “I just- John B and Sarah are together, right?” Elizabeth nodded. “So why can’t everyone get along? What’s so hard about it?” “How old are you again?” Elizabeth leaned back to stare at her which made her laugh. “What’s the big deal about it?” “It goes back years and years… How we see the Kooks, how the Kooks see us. How we’re treated versus how they are…” “You say “They” as if I’m not one of them.” “I don’t have issues with you, Wheeze. I only got issues with a certain type of kooks.” “Is it true that you guys always get in trouble? I heard dad and Rose say that you’re always at the station or fighting.” Elizabeth let out a sigh and shook her head as she grabbed the new bandage. “I know of people that have records that are very large but, no, most of us don’t act unless we’re provoked and most of the time it’s the Kooks that touch some nerves.” “Mmh.” 
They stayed silent while they finished cleaning up and changing the bandages. 
At night, right after she would close the door, someone she assumed was Rafe walked up to the bedroom door and locked it. During the day, she was allowed out on the balcony but by Rafe’s orders, she always had to be in Rose’s view. 
“Can Ellie and I go out on the beach?” Wheezie asked one morning to her step-mother, the younger girl cast a look over the adult’s shoulder and noticed that the request had attracted the teenager’s attention. “Uh, yeah, sure.” Rose said absentmindely. “Just make sure I can see you from the front door.” Rose instructed, not looking up from her phone. 
As soon as the words left her mouth, Elizabeth and Wheezie were outside, naked feet on the grass. They laid on their backs, looking up at the clouds and Elizabeth felt a tear slide down her cheek when Wheezie spoke up. 
“How’s living on the cut?” She asked quietly. “What do you mean?” “You said there were differences between kids on Figure Eight and The Cut.” “Yeah, there are.” With a wince, Ellie pushed her upper body off the ground and she sat up. “We get away with almost everything. We’d sometimes skip school, we’d run around the island, stay up late, partying… I feel like some of us aren’t as cared for as kids from the other side of the island and I’m not saying that we’re mistreated but, often parents work two jobs so they’re not home all that much, y’know?” “Sounds sad.” “It’s not. I was always with my friends, we’d surf, go on boat rides, fish. We’re just really free.” Elizabeth rested her chin on her upper arm and she glanced at Wheezie who seemed deep in thought. “You surf?” Wheezie nodded. “I’m learning.” “That’s nice, if you guys got boards here or anything we could just go paddle or something.” “We don’t.” “You think we could go dip our feet in the water, though?” Elizabeth asked and they peaked at the house where they could see Rose through the window. “Why not.” 
They walked for a little over seven minutes before finally reaching the beach and a deep breath resembling a soft sob left Elizabeth’s lungs when the water washed over her feet. 
“What about you, Ms. Cameron?” The oldest spoke, hand reached out to poke the girl’s arm. “Huh?” “How’s life on Figure Eight? What am I missing?” “School, five days a week from nine to five. Then, lessons… Dad’s trying to get me to pick up some instruments but I’m already doing dance.” “Got a boyfriend?” “Nah.” “A little crush, then? I know I started noticing boys when I was around your age.” “I guess yeah…” She blushed. “Did you have lots of boyfriends?” Wheezie asked and Elizabeth chuckled. “No, uh, no I didn’t.” she glanced at the younger teenager who stared at her. “There was only one boy ever since I could remember.” Elizabeth smiled. “How old were you when you had your first kiss?” “The real one, which was barely a peck by the way, I was seven. The one that meant something was on my fourteenth birthday.” Ellie arched an eyebrow as she peaked at her friend’s sister. “What’s up?” “A lot of my friends are having their first boyfriends and everything that comes with that and like, I haven’t had my first kiss.” “Meh.” Elizabeth shrugged through a sharp pain in her shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. When it’ll happen it’ll be on your own terms and whenever you’re ready and you’ll be kissed breathless by the person that makes your heart beat a little faster.” “What did you and your boyfriend do?” “Who?” “JJ.” Elizabeth nodded in acknowledgement though a pang of hurt hit her heart. “I don’t know if I can call him my boyfriend just yet, Wheeze.” the brunette sighed. “But, uh there’s this oak tree, on Goat Island and he’s brought me there every year for my birthday since we were I think twelve… We’d go fishing and he taught me how to drive, how to surf… We went for swims whenever we couldn’t sleep, drives. Just normal stuff, I guess.” Wheezie nodded, noticing the dulled light in the brunette’s eyes. 
They stayed on the beach for a few hours after that, basking in the sun’s heat and the occasional gust of wind as they shared stories. They heard the trucks pull up and the car doors slam shut and decided it was time to head in.
Elizabeth closed the door behind her just as Rafe appeared in the kitchen. 
“Where were you?” “Beach.” she stated. “Do you mind me and your sister getting fresh air for a couple of hours? Or would you prefer us to feel like prisoners?” The young adult glared at the brunette and Elizabeth eyed him for a second, noticing the changes in his appearance. “I told you, the balcony’s as far as she goes.” Rafe spoke lowly as he approached his step-mother and the woman rolled her eyes as she took a sip from her chilled glass of wine.
“Pathetic.” she thought at his flared nostrils and the way he seemed to control himself in front of his little sister.
She walked past him, following Wheezie up the first flight of stairs before she turned and called him out. 
“What?” he snapped. “Don’t think I’m getting Stockholm Syndrome or some shit and this’ll be the only compliment I ever pay you but you look better with shaved hair.” she said and like a switch, the frown disappeared, the pure anger behind his eyes did too and his hands went from balled up fist to rubbing the top of his head. “Yeah?” “Knock that fucking smile off your face Cameron.” she glanced down the hallway and saw that Wheezie had made it to her room, the door closed. “You’ll always be a fucking sociopath who tried to kill his own sister.” She spat the words and the calm demeanor he had gained changed back and he started to take large steps towards her. “I am never taking my eyes off you again, you bitch.” Elizabeth smiled slightly before she calmly walked to Wheezie’s room. “You okay?” the younger teenager asked when she saw their guest stand at her bedroom door. “Of course.” The brunette scoffed with an eye roll. - It was a couple of days later that Elizabeth’s ticket to freedom went from a dream to a possible reality. She woke up startled when she heard the bedroom door creak and a very soft, barely audible padding against the floor. 
“Ellie? Are you awake?” 
Rafe forgot to lock the door last night…
“Yes, Wheezie. What’s up?” Elizabeth sighed. “Can’t sleep. I can hear my dad cry out through the vents.” Elizabeth grimaced and bit the inside of her cheek. “Come here.” The older teenager shuffled backwards, leaving enough place for the youngest to lay down. “How’s he doing? Your dad?” “Not good.” Elizabeth heard Wheezie sniffle. “Not as good as Rose or Rafe pretend.” “I’m sorry.” “They act as if I didn’t know what’s going on.” She muttered and Elizabeth sucked in a breath. “I know he’s done bad stuff and I know that Rafe’s been acting out…” “Yeah… that’s putting it mildly.” Ellie added under her breath. “And I know you can’t wait to get out of here.” She added and Elizabeth stayed silent. “Rose keeps telling me that we saved you and that you’re with us until things calm down and that you’re better but I’m not blind or stupid.” “No, you aren’t.” Ellie agreed. “I heard Rafe talk to Rose and one of dad’s nurses and they’re going out to bring in supplies for him, possibly going back home to empty Tannyhill.” “Oh-” “Heard they have to get to Barbados. Rafe mentioned a deal or something.” 
The Cross. 
“When would he leave?” “Day after tomorrow.” “Mmh.” Elizabeth said casually, turning on her back. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” “I have to.” She nodded. “It’s okay, I understand.” 
That night Elizabeth slept better than since she had first stepped foot in the house. During the day, she started to gather her supplies in her backpack which she stashed behind the mirror of the vanity. 
Just before going to bed, Elizabeth grinned as Wheezie handed her her father’s nurse’s cellphone she had apparently forgotten in the kitchen, a couple dozen of ten dollar bills she had grabbed from Rose’s purse and a golden key she guessed would unlock her bedroom door. 
She was a bad influence for the girl… 
“Call them. What if they answer?” Elizabeth smiled and nodded before composing the number and watching as Wheezie left her alone for a few minutes. “Hi, you’ve reached the Routledges, we’re unable to speak to you right now but leave a message and we’ll get back to you.” The recording finished before a beep instructed her to talk. “It’s me.” she spoke quietly. “I, uh- I think I have a way to get home, I think there’s a way and I know you can’t really get this, it’s not like I know where you are so maybe you totally can and decide not to.” She tore a thin layer of skin from her lip.  “I hope you guys are safe, can you tell him that I’m keeping it safe until he’s back and then- then hopefully he and I can talk things out because-” She chuckled wetly when she left a lump in her throat. “Anyways, I think I’m going crazy, I’m watched twenty four seven, feeling a little bit like the princesses from when I was younger except I don’t know if my knights in shining armor are alive or not, god” Elizabeth looked at the ceiling and sighed. “But yeah, I’m getting out, I’m coming home, come hell or high water, Johnny.” She finished before calling Wheezie back in and handing her the phone. 
The following night, Wheezie joined her once more before Rafe locked the door, informing her that Rafe would leave before breakfast, and that the truck would leave at four. 
That night she spent it staring at the ceiling, praying to whoever was listening. 
Please let me go home.
She heard Rafe’s door slam shut at around two thirty and then she heard shouting from outside. At three fifteen, she got up, quickly washed up, kissed Wheezie’s forehead, grabbed her bag and stuffed the framed picture in it before she unlocked the door, crossed the hallway and walked into Wheezie’s room where the girl had left the door leading to the balcony unlocked. Elizabeth glanced around the room, appreciating all the pictures and posters Wheezie had up. The proper room for a teenager. She slid her feet in her brand new shoes, made sure she had a few changes of clothes rolled up in her bag along with anything she would need to any last minute injuries. She heard the front door shut after Rafe bid a goodbye to Rose, promising he would take care of things. 
She stepped on the large balcony and took a few seconds to appreciate the view Wheezie had from it. She undid the latch and walked down the flight of stairs silently, grimacing whenever the wooden steps creaked in the otherwise quiet early morning. 
Elizabeth followed the voices of the men Rafe had hired for the trip and she ducked when she turned the corner and saw Rafe with a large bag over his shoulder. 
“All ready, sir?” The older and taller man asked the young adult and Rafe nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.” 
Elizabeth ran, a sense of deja vu filling her body as she climbed aboard the trailer of the truck. She hid in the back, behind large crates that seemed filled to the brim with something heavy. - It took about two hours to get to their destination and when the truck stopped, Elizabeth’s sweat covered body started to shake in anticipation. She heard rummaging from within the truck itself, guessing they were unloading stuff from it first before two loud bangs echoed through the small space she was in. Her joints cracked when she stood and her shoulder felt hot. She wiped her forehead with the bottom of her shirt. 
Suddenly, the doors opened and she blinked away the brightness of the day light. She stayed rooted to her spot behind the crates and boxes while they started to empty out the trailer. 
“Hey!” Rafe’s voice rang in her ears and she sucked in a breath. “I’ll take care of that! Leave it be!” He shouted and she recognized his heavy steps as he grabbed the crate right above her head and she bent down. 
It was silent for a couple of minutes and she dared a glance to the doors. She sighed, relieved, when there was no one there. 
“Okay.” She moved to walk out, careful to not be seen. 
The place was deserted. Another vehicle was parked a few feet away, attached to it a similar trailer which she guessed was where the crates were going. Apart from that, on one side a dirt road led to a mobile home where she guessed the men disappeared to and on the other side a paved road. 
She walked for miles, seeing nothing but abandoned houses, trees … A few cars drove by and she tried to hitch a ride but was met with speeding up drivers. The only defense she had on her was a screwdriver she pinched from a toolbox left on the ground when she walked out of the trailer and the sterile syringes in her bag but she had to keep those. 
After she walked past what would be for a car a sharp turn, she saw a gray and old garage and she could hear clanking and engines revving. She quickly looked on both sides of the wide road before she ran and walked on the sandy ground that led to the small business. She walked past an old truck with the paint chipped and rust on the doors accompanied by a large “for sale” sign in its window and she walked around it a little, checking it out. Before she walked in, she grabbed the screwdriver and stabbed the left taillight.
The little bell over her head signaled someone entering the shop. “Hello?” she called out when she noticed the front desk was void of another human being. She wandered further in and snuck a glance through the little window that led to the back. “Can I help you?” Elizabeth slowly turned to face the source of the voice and was met with a fifty year old-ish man with gray skin, dulled eyes, sparse three days old beard and stained shirt. “Yes, hi-” She faced him fully. “Hi.” He nodded, eyeing her up and down. “How much for the truck up front?” “How much can a little thing like you have on her?” He raised an eyebrow, wiping his hands on an old rag. 
He walked around the counter and stayed a couple of feet away from her. She noticed a limp in his walk, and the beer belly the counter hid… 
And oh, god, he smelled bad, Elizabeth thought as she tried to suppress a gag. 
“A little less than two hundred.” She said and he chuckled. “I would’ve given it to you for two hundred but if you got less than that…” He said and she almost gave in because her leg was aching and her body was tired, but she had to save a little bit of the money for later. “C’mon.” She scoffed. “That thing is old and rusty as hell, the tires are dried and cracked, the seats are sunburned and the exhaust? Shit’s hanging on by a thread and I’m pretty sure that you’ve got oil leaking out.” She said confidently before glancing at the truck through the window. “Oh and your left tail light’s busted.” She added and he frowned. “No it’s not.” “Yes, come see for yourself.” She moved aside, not wanting him any closer that she had to. He leaned forward and swore. “You did that.” “How? A little thing like me doesn’t have enough strength for that, right?” She said and he shook his head. “You’re trouble, pretty girl.” She hid a grimace and took half a step back when he walked closer. “But I like trouble.” He added. “I’ll go see if I don’t have anything cheaper for you, yeah?” “Thank you, sir.” She almost batted her eyelashes but she knew the bile that was in her empty stomach would end up on his cracked shoes. 
He disappeared behind the doors and she grabbed four ten dollar bills and left them on the counter with a post it that read “for your troubles.” The bell above the door betrayed her leaving and she heard him call for her in the shop while she ran to the truck and climbed in the cargo bed. She threw her bag through the small window between the two seats and once again prayed to whoever was listening as she tried to fit through. She grunted and moaned in pain as her shoulder wouldn’t cooperate. She straightened herself out, sitting in the driver’s seat when she saw him limp to the truck and she was thankful for the distance between the garage’s door and the truck.
Why would he have parked it that far from the door? Elizabeth frowned in thought. 
She heard him shout as he made his way to the truck, but his leg was in too bad a shape to climb up like she did. Her own leg throbbed though and she shivered at the pain. Elizabeth grabbed the screwdriver from her back pocket and jammed it in the ignition. 
“Don’t break, don’t break.” she pleaded while the man slapped the car. 
Doesn’t he have the keys? She wondered. 
“You gotta be careful though B, okay? Shit’s fragile and you’ll be a sitting duck.” “Sitting duck? Why are you exactly showing me this anyway?” She chuckled, letting go of the tool and sitting back in the seat so she could look at him. “Are you planning something, Maybank?” She raised an eyebrow, head tilted to the side and JJ’s eyes trailed down her face and onto her lips. “JJ? Come on!” “You never know. With the kooks multiplying like fucking bunnies and tourons being more and more brave. You might find yourself in an unlikely situation one day and you’ll be thinking of me,” he stopped with a teasing look in his eyes before he opened his mouth. “...teaching you how to break into a car.”“That’ll never happen.” Elizabeth shook her head, tucking her hair behind her ears, eyes falling to her hands.“You thinking of me or you needing to hotwire a car?” He mumbled and she shot him a look through her lashes. “Okay, shut up and show me.” She laughed shyly and the blonde grinned, loving the warmth he felt in her presence.“Whatever you want princess.” He added, staring at the focused expression on her face. 
“I have called the police, young lady!” The man shouted just as Elizabeth hit the tip of the screwdriver and turned it into the ignition and the car started. “Fuck yes!” She shouted, hitting the wheel repeatedly. She sent the man the finger before she stared at the stick in the middle. “Shit.” She swore. 
“Clutch pedal down with left.” She did what the deep voice in her ear said. “Gear stick to first gear.” She nodded before moving her arm. “And right foot on the accelerator.” With a bite to her lip she pressed on the pedal and she was jerked backwards as the truck moved. “That’s good, princess.” She heard and for a second she could feel the pair of lips grazing the shell of her ear and her body felt hot. She was snapped back to reality when the man swore at her and pulled on the handle.
She raised her left arm to the man’s face and lifted her middle finger. She drove off onto the road and not without difficulty made it to what seemed to be the center of the town she was in. - “Hi, you’ve reached the Routledges, we’re unable to speak to you right now but leave a message and we’ll get back to you.” The recorded message was followed by the all too familiar beep. “It’s been a few days and I can’t find anything new about y’all, I need a shower.” She stopped and quickly smelled her clothes. “Yep, definitely need a shower. I’m out-” She sighed, looking around the phone booth’s surroundings.  “I, huh, y’know gathered supplies and whatever I might need. Might have channeled JJ for a little bit. I think the student has surpassed the master.” She chuckled. “I’m in downtown Guadeloupe, been squatting in an abandoned little motel type of thing, trying to figure stuff out like how to get home. I might catch an undiscovered disease in the meantime, just give my body to science if I don’t make it.” She snorted. “Just a little update because that is what I promised you and I don’t blame you for not calling back, I just hope to hear from you as soon as you get your hands on a phone because Routledge if any of you die on me, I’ll kill you dead.” She threatened before the call ended. 
She walked out and made her way to the truck, the heat inside was suffocating so she took off the sweat stained tee-shirt and stayed in a tank top. She grimaced at the color of the bandage wrapped around her arm. She saw other trucks arrive at the truck stop and the gas station right next door, one looking identical to the one she had snuck on a few days ago, even the trailer behind it felt like a bad deja vu. A sign near the entrance of the gas station made her frown and squint. 
Showers available 5$ 
She grabbed her bag and hopped out of the truck almost running to the gas station entrance. 
“Hey!” She called out to the woman behind the counter. “Désolée, bonjour.” She greeted the woman. “Anyone can use the showers?” The woman eyed the teenager. “Usually we try to limit it to truckers but you go right ahead, hon.” The woman gestured to the large hallway in the back of the store. “Got any change for the machines?” “No, I got a ten.” 
Quickly, the woman opened the cash register and grabbed the girl’s ten dollar bill and handed her change. 
Elizabeth used her hands and the thin soap from the hospital to clean her skin and her hair as best as possible. She used a clean shirt to dry herself off and squeezed the excess water out of her hair before she stared at her reflection in the mirror. The wounds burned a little bit but they looked much better. She cringed at the discoloration in her skin and the dark bags under her green eyes due to lack of sleep and malnutrition. Her knotted hair annoyed her and she tried to comb out the knots with a thin plastic comb which only resulted in her grabbing the pair of metal bandage shears and chopping off her hair above the worst of the knots. She walked out the steamy room clean, with new bandages and her hair now falling just above her collar bones. 
“Merci!” She waved to the woman who was on the phone and who stared at her in surprise. “Oui je suis sûre que c’est elle! La fille qu’on voit à la télévision.” The woman spoke on the phone, her eyes were glued to the pictures of the six teenagers that the news kept showing. “Je viens de voir Elizabeth Miller.” She explained to the police officer and described the girl, following her as she jumped into the truck. - “There have been sightings of one of the Outer Banks teenagers this week in Guadeloupe. The young girl seemed to have changed her appearance and would now be sporting shoulder length hair. She also seemed to be injured to her shoulder and leg so she may seek medical treatment. Hospitals in the region have been asked to cooperate with the authorities.” The man on the news said. “As for the other five, nothing new has come up.” The man turned and faced the blonde woman with his eyebrow raised. “We gotta go get her.” “We can’t risk you being seen!” “Send someone else, then!” He argued. “John, she seems to be doing quite well for herself, don’t forget that your son is the mission.” “My son? Yes, of course but she’s as much my kid as he is and we know where she is.” “I am not wasting resources to go and get her in Guadeloupe.” “No, we’re not going to get her, she’s gonna come to us.” - “Hi, you’ve reached the Routledges, we’re unable to speak to you right now but leave a message and we’ll get back to you.” She sighed at the recorded voice before she cleared her throat. “Today’s a good day, I can feel it, it’s been a month now, i’m healing up.” She eyed her bandages free limbs. “I found a little place to call home in the meantime and you’ll laugh because it’s an old surf shop.” She smiled, watching the locals run into the water with their boards under their arms. “The motel I was at got torn down and I got cold at night. This might actually be my last voicemail… I need to just-” Her words got stuck in her throat and she wiped a tear from her cheek. “We survive, right? Us pogues are survivors. Anyways, I love you guys, I miss you a lot. Bye.” 
She hung up the phone and let her head fall against the booth’s window. With a sigh and much hope she did what she had been doing after each voicemail and she composed her home number. 
“This is Ellie and Robin’s voicemail. We are out right now but please leave a message and we will call back within the year.” Robin’s voice echoed in her ears, it was never easier to hear her mother’s voice. Before the automatic beep ran, she entered the code to access her home voicemail remotely. “You have one new message.” A sob echoed through the booth and she pressed her back against the cold surface. Her hand shook when she grabbed the corner of the phone booth’s counter to steady herself. “To hear your messages please press one.” 
To say she was nervous was an understatement but the voice that reached her ears was the last one she expected to hear and her legs gave out from under her as she cried silently. 
“Good morning, you’ve been selected for an all expenses paid cruise to Barbados. The winning raffle number is 5646. I repeat 5646, please keep it in mind when identifying yourself during boarding. The cruise is planned to leave this Monday at noon sharp.” 
She sobbed and her head fell in her hand. She felt small. She felt like a little girl all over again. The same feeling she got whenever her mom would leave for a few days and she would come pick her back up from the Carrera’s after a few days. Or when she would leave her in the mornings at school. That same feeling when you’re so little and your parents are your whole world and suddenly they’re taken from you with no explanations. 
“John.” She gasped in disbelief. She listened to it so many times she had it memorized. She wrote the winning raffle number on a torn piece of paper from the phone book. 
He had called the day before and it was now Saturday. 
She made her way to the nearest library and rented a computer so she could look up where the cruise was departing from. At her station, she had the computer and a phone that she could use for fifty cents per minute. She traced the five, six, four, six numbers again and again not understanding what it meant to the cruise, but she did confirm that the ship was leaving at noon the day after tomorrow.
************************
TAGLIST: - @jjxobx - @moonylantsovs - @k-k0129 - @jaxxandcomet - @taaniesha - @sunflowerbecca - @obx-direction-sos - @itssoweirdyoureher - @scenesofobx - @just-chilling-stuff - @nikfigueiredo - @mirellef2001
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r0s3mm · 29 days
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The Bells // Outer Banks series
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Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
A/N:  episode trois!!!! everything that happens in obx, mentions of gun & being held at gun point, mentions of beth???? is that a warning or wtv?? swear
anyways, yea, enjoy, pls comment and like and reblog maybe even? i wanna read your every thoughts
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After walking on a secluded beach for a while, the teenagers started to feel tired, ready for their first rest in twenty four hours. 
“Cleo, do you actually know where you’re going?” 
“We can hole up here. It ain’t the Taj Mahal, but…” She pointed to an abandoned hotel that stood tall on the small elevated edge of a cliff.
“It’ll do.” John B finished the girl’s thoughts while their friends sighed, their skin had a layer of sweat, their hair stuck to their foreheads and their feet dragging.
“I get the biggest room.” Cleo chuckled. 
Together they walked up the stone stairs and stood over the brink of the collapsed hotel wall. 
“Over there!” JJ squatted behind the three feet high wall when he heard the trucks approached and while the ATV’s drove past the hotel. 
“Go, go, go, go!” The blonde whispered and they all took off running deeper inside the hotel’s structure while Singh’s men searched the premises. 
“We can stay here. It’s an old hotel. Terrance and I squatted here before.”
“Five stars.” JJ mumbled before he found himself a somewhat comfortable spot. 
“Watch your step.” Cleo warned the teenage girl just as she accidentally kicked a wooden plank down a hole in the ground. “Massive sinkhole.” 
“Oh. Home sweet home.”  Sarah replied with a nervous nod. 
“We gotta get Kiara out, guys. Does anyone have anything?” 
“Well, we can’t storm the fort. We can’t call the cops.” “It’s not helping, Pope.” JJ shook his head as he paced. 
“We can’t even negotiate. We don’t know what they want. It’s gotta be about the cross or the gold.”
“Mm-mm.” Cleo shook her head. “Guys like Singh, it’s always about money.” 
Sarah joined her boyfriend who was looking out at the city.
“What are you thinking?” 
“I don’t know. We all just gotta get off this damn island.” He said, worried and Sarah kissed his shoulder, pushing a smile onto his face for a split second. 
-
Kiara had been pacing since she woke up, not that she slept a lot or even at all and she finally sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at the man sleeping peacefully on the carpeted floor.
She silently walked to the window before knocking on it repeatedly. 
“Hey! Hey.” The tip of her nails scratched against the window as she caught the guard’s attention. “I need to talk to mister Singh.” she whispered and Rafe’s eyes fluttered at the noises. “Hey, go get mister Singh.” His head moved off the feather pillow and he glanced at her with a frown. 
“What are you doing?” She took a second to take a quick peak at him before she continued.
“Hey, you! I need to talk to mister Singh.” 
“Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.” He whispered. “Hey. What are you doing?” He stood and walked to her.
“Like I owe you an explanation.”
“Think for a second! Kie, what are you doing?” His eyes turned into wide circles when she went ahead and started hitting the door with her closed fist. 
“Hello?” “Hey! What’re you doing?” 
“Don’t talk to me!” She shouted when the sole of his feet hit the floor hard as he made his way to her. 
Rafe stood, shoulders slumped forward and he sighed. 
“You’re lying about this diary thing.” He started, waiting to see her reaction. “You know where it is.” He stated matter of factly. 
“No, I don’t.”
“You don’t? Okay.” He shrugged with a quiet scoff..
“You wish.” “Okay, listen, I wouldn’t tell me either.” he admitted with a nod.
“Hey!” She ignored him, hitting the window once again and Rafe rolled his eyes.
“But he’s never gonna believe we don’t know something, all right? Listen, Singh killed that–” He approached her at a rapid pace and her whole body tensed up.
“Hey!” She shouted with her hands up defensively before she stared at him, her chest rising and falling quickly. 
“Look around, Kie. I’m the only friend you got.” Rafe trailed off just as a key was entered into the keyhole and the door was pushed open, a guard standing in the doorframe. “Hey.” he called and she walked right past him. 
“I need to talk to mister Singh. I have something to tell him. It’s urgent.” 
“Yes.” 
“Shit!” Rafe swore, hitting the air in front of him. 
-
Big John looked through the windows of the little shack he had been calling home when another ATV engine roared in the street. 
“That’s the fourth truck I’ve seen.” 
“If they’re still searching, it means they haven't found him yet.” Carla Limbrey said breathily before a fit of cough shook her whole body. “I went to my connection at the police department. They said that if they get to John B first, they’ll turn him over to us. Where do you think he might’ve gone?” “I don’t know–” “John, who would he call?” Carla pressed and the man’s head snapped up and he glanced at the plastic bag of belongings that was on the ground, the name of a hospital written in bold black letters. 
“I know who he’d call, it’s just- I don’t know.” he sighed. 
“You don’t know your own son?” 
“We should be out there looking for him! God!” His palm hit the surface of the window as he sighed in frustration.
Limbrey hung onto her crutches and followed him to the little balcony. 
“You always were too emotional, John. It’s one of the reasons Ward got the best of you. No attention to detail.” She stayed behind him, making the man look over his shoulder. “It doesn’t do me any good if you get caught. That’s why we sent the kid in but we can’t expect miracles.” She trailed off when she noticed the man’s mind seemed to be somewhere else. “John?” 
“The game’s not over yet.” He mumbled and Limbrey nodded. 
“Fine, let’s pick up your kid.” Limbrey shook her head as Big John focused on the echoes of the church bells that could be heard all throughout the town. 
-
When Sarah woke up, she was blinded by the direct rays of an early sun. She blinked away the dark spots in her eyes and glanced to her left. 
“What is that?” She asked the fellow blond of their group.
“This is a little souvenir that I plucked from Portis’ pocket.” JJ replied, never taking his eyes off the cellphone in his hands. 
“You have a phone?” Pope’s eyes cracked open. 
“I forgot I had it. It was in my back pocket. That’s my bad.” JJ apologized hand on his chest. 
“Oh my God, dude.” Pope groaned. “Can we go anywhere without you stealing?” 
“You know the answer to that. It’s a lifestyle at this point, Pope.” 
“Let me see it.” 
“Nice work, rude boy.” 
“I steal shit. That’s my job.” JJ shrugged. 
Pope rolled over from his seat on an old beach chair and almost crawled to his friend. 
“How’d you get this unlocked?” “No passcode. Portis keeps it loose.” JJ replied. 
“What are you looking for?” Cleo asked, seeing that Pope was tapping his way through the phone. 
“The kidnapper.” 
“Any information that’ll help us negotiate with this guy.” He answered and Sarah leaned closer, looking over Pope’s shoulder. “The only problem is I don’t see a Carlos Singh in the contacts.” 
“That’s the problem.” 
“It’s just a bunch of nicknames and shit.” 
“Wait-” Sarah spoke up as her last memory of Jimmy Portis surfaced. “Didn’t Portis call him something else?” “Right.” JJ nodded. “Yeah, he called Singh something when we were jumping his ass. It was like Rockfish or–” JJ spluttered. 
“Can’t remember.” 
“Oh shit! No, no, no.” “Catfish?” “What was it? Holy crap! Um…”
“Kingfish.” John B mumbled, pulled from his dreams by his friends’ noise. 
“That was it. Kingfish.”
Pope and JJ echoed each other and the first of the two looked through the contacts for the nickname their friend just uttered. 
“There he is, Kingfish.” 
“And we in business. All right, phase two.” JJ inhaled. “Text him, m’kay?” He instructed Pope.
“And say what exactly?”
“You know, you said it. Negotiate, right? Pretend to be Portis, ask him to meet somewhere in private. That was… that’s really important. Just solo. Bam! We jump his ass, tie him up, and then politely request for Kiara in return for his life.” JJ looked at his best friend who stared at him with an eyebrow raised. “That’s the plan.” Sarah chuckled humorlessly. 
“That’s gonna work.” 
“It’s not a bad idea.” John B agreed with his oldest friend. 
“Not a bad idea? It’s terrific!” 
“Okay, I’m gonna say it.” Pope spoke up, seeing his two friends start to spiral. “We should think this through.” 
“What’s rule number one? Thinking never helps when you already have the idea.” JJ answered himself. 
“No, no, no, hang on. I agree with Pope.” JJ looked at Sarah with a perplexed expression. “This could make things ten times worse, for us and Kiara.”
“How much worse can it actually get, Sarah? We’re already two people down.” 
“I can think of a few ways.” Sarah nodded as if to point out the obvious. 
“Okay, great. Well, while you’re thinking why don’t you-” he pointed to JJ. “just let it rip?” 
“Thank you.” JJ pinched the phone out of Pope’s grasp under the boy’s very worried eyes. 
They waited, hearing the touches of the keyboard click while he typed out a message. 
-
Kiara was roughly brought down the stairs, leaving in her room a very disgruntled Rafe. 
“There.” The guard announced to his boss when the teenager got past the door frame leading to the dining room where the man sat in front of a large breakfast.. 
“I lied.” Kiara admitted and Singh sighed. “I know about the diary. I don’t have the original. But I can get you a copy.” she announced. 
Carlos Singh smiled, victoriously at the girl and he leaned forward. 
“I’m relieved to hear you say that, you know.” He grabbed a green grape off his plate and threw it in his mouth. “May I offer you something to eat?” 
“I’m not hungry.” Kiara lied. 
“Relax. Nothing’s gonna happen to you now.” he assured her. “You’re cooperating, and I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, you know.”
“I just want to get you what you want, and then I want to leave. Look, I know where it is. But I have to go by myself. Alone.” 
Singh stared at Kiara and then a smile pulled at the corners of his lips. His head dropped and he chuckled. 
“But how would I know that you’d come back? You know, I need some collateral.” 
“Rafe’s here.” Singh scoffed at her words, insulted that she thought he didn’t know the truth about their relationship. “Keep him.”
“Rafe.” He laughed and stood up before he walked towards her. “How did someone so young get into so much trouble?” 
“Look, I know where the diary is, and if you let me go, I promise you I can get it to you.” 
Singh stopped walking and turned towards her and from where he stood, in the next room and close to the staircase, she seemed so young. 
“I have heard these words before, sadly the promise wasn’t held and I had to take care of things, which I do not like Miss Carrera.” She frowned and was about to ask him about it when he raised a hand, silencing her… 
The teenager felt her blood boil. 
“You know, I built this fortune myself, you know, from nothin’. From absolutely nothing. Do you know how that happened, Miss Carrera? Hmm? I can assure you it was not by being a fool.” He stepped close to her. “Don’t waste my time. The diary holds the key to the ultimate conquest, and that my young friend, Miss Carrera, is my destiny. So you need to tell me where it is, or I’m gonna–” 
Mister Singh was interrupted when an incoming message made his phone vibrate on the glass coffee table. The man, filled with frustrations, took a deep breath and rubbed down his face. Kiara watched him, slightly afraid as he walked around the coffee table and picked up the mobile phone. He took a few seconds to read the words off the screen before a laugh escaped him and the teenage girl looked at him confused. 
“Amazing,” he finally said. “A text from our friend Jimmy Portis.” Kiara frowned as she had seen Portis be murdered. “From beyond the grave, apparently. It seems Mr. Portis has captured your friends.” 
He showed her the screen showing a picture of her two distressed looking friends, Sarah and John B the message “I got these two.” right underneath. 
“Ryan!” He called out. 
The pieces clicked in her head, the whole thing screaming the name of a blonde kleptomaniac. 
-
“Yo, he’s texting! He’s texting!” JJ shouted when the three little bubbles appeared at the bottom left corner of the chat. 
“What’s he saying? What’s he saying?” 
“No, uh, it’s doing the little bubble thing.” 
“Oh.”
“Send me your location. I’ll come meet you.” JJ read off the screen. 
“He wants to know our location?” 
“Yeah, that’s exactly what we wanted! Here, check it. Boom!” He threw the phone to John B who caught it with ease. 
“And say what?”
“Well…” 
“We can’t give Singh our location. Just give him some random place.” 
“All right. Where- where do we want to send him to?” 
“What about the horse tracks?” Pope suggested. “I saw them yesterday. It’s a wide open space. We can do some surveillance.” The others nodded, agreeing with the idea.
“Yeah! Now we’re working. Now we’re jelling. I like it! And if we have to make a getaway, we’ll hop on some horses. Guns a-blazing!” 
“No. We’re not horse-back riding with guns.” John B shook his head. 
“JJ, have you ever even rode a horse?” Sarah asked him and he pursed his lips in fake thought. “Well, okay, scratch the horses.” “John B, we can really plan this out.”  The phone buzzed in JJ’s hands and he frowned. “What are you thinking?” 
“Just got another text.” He announced. 
“Maybe sneak from behind and use JJ as bait.” 
“We’ll just put him in the middle of the field.” John B added to Pope’s idea. 
The blonde bit the tip of his thumb anxiously as he read off the words again and again, making sure he’d read them right before he turned to his friends with a frown etched on his forehead. 
“Uh, little announcement.” he cleared his throat. “Never mind. I just tracked your location and I’m sending my men. They’ll be there in ten minutes to pick you up.” he trailed off, biting the inside of his lip as he avoided the angry and disappointed stares. 
He felt like he was about to be scolded by a parent. 
“Wait a minute.” John B sighed. “Did you turn off your location?” 
“So-”
“You didn’t turn the location off?” Pope jumped up and JJ almost jumped back at the surprise. 
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” He shouted. 
“Turn the location off!” 
“I have a Samsung!” JJ justified and if it weren’t for the dangerous situation they would’ve probably laughed at his comment. 
“I have a Samsung too!” 
“I can help!” Cleo shouted as JJ stumbled away from his friends. 
“This right here is why you need a plan!” Pope shouted and John B handed Cleo the phone. 
“Everybody relax for a second! Let’s just think about this!” 
“What are we gonna do?” “It’s done, okay? Just gotta figure something out.” 
“And hope he doesn’t kill us?” JJ ignored his friends, seeing the tan colored bucket hat next to him and he picked it up to occupy his hands.
“Guys, we’re running out of time.” “What’re we gonna do?” Pope asked as he and Cleo shared a glance. 
“I don’t know. I don’t know, I’m thinking.” JJ grabbed a thin rope from the ground and nodded to himself before standing up.
“Well, y’all, I know you guys might not wanna hear it. But we got home-field advantage. We can turn this around.” He put the dusty hat on his head and tightened it around his neck. “We’re gonna booby trap this shit. We’re not running from this dude. This is our best chance to get Kiara back. It’s gonna work. We got ten minutes. Come on!” JJ clapped his hands together as he and his friends huddled together to form a plan. 
-
The door creaked as the man peaked his head inside and he saw Carlos Singh.
“Get the big trucks and meet me in the back in three minutes.” He ordered. 
“Copy.”
“Fenton.” He called out, his eyes never left the screen of his phone. “Get Ms. Carrera.” 
“Mister Singh, Mister Singh,” the teenager pleaded once she was right behind him. “Please– Please don’t hurt my friends! Please!” The guard, Fenton, grabbed Kiara by her arms and dragged her back upstairs. “Please! Please! Don’t hurt them!” 
“That depends, Ms. Carrera.” 
“Mr. Singh!
“We’ll continue our chat later. I look forward to it, you know.” 
“Please don’t hurt them.” 
Rafe turned around when the lock turned. Kiara was shoved inside by Fenton and she stared at the young adult’s feet. Once again, the door locked behind her and she briefly glanced at the cream colored door before she sat at the foot of the bed. 
“What happened?” Rafe watched Kiara move her head between her knees and he let out an annoyed sigh. “You’re gonna have to talk to me at some point. Okay?” 
“Do I have to remind you of everything you’ve done?” Rafe’s sigh was accompanied by a roll of his eyes. “You killed Peterkin. Do you remember that? And everything you’ve put Sarah through.” 
“Pet-” Rafe turned around and leaned forward, getting right in Kiara’s face. “Peterkin, I was protecting my father. Okay? I did what I had to, so… Don’t.” He grimaced, hand raised dismissively. 
Agitated, the man took a few steps to the window, glanced around for a few seconds before he snuck a look to Kiara. He sniffled, wiped his palms on his jeans, walked from the closet to the chair a handful of times before sitting on the edge of it. 
“I’m as much a victim as she is.” The teenage girl looked at him with disgust. “No? Think about it. Okay? What did I get from shooting Peterkin, huh? Nothing. Okay? I had nothing against her. I mean, I… I… I liked her.” His words came out in splutters, his thoughts scrambling in his brain. “You think I wanted to make that choice, huh?” His upper body moved back and forth on the chair as his fingers started to shake. “What I did was a gift from me to my father for… for him, and I got screwed because of it, okay? So don’t get that look when I say I’m a victim, all right? I am!” He shouted, jaw tense and his breathing started to come out erratic. 
Kiara was careful when she moved her head away from his general direction, showing a clear disinterest in the man that was sat hunched over in the rattan chair. 
“I will admit, though, what I … what I did to Sarah… What I tried to do, um…” He stood up and Kiara dared to look his way. “What I tried to do to Sarah, I admit that was wrong.” Rafe’s face turned a darker shade of red and Kiara grimaced when his lower lip trembled. “I know that. All right? So you don’t have to remind me.” He whimpered, trembling hands moving to his shaved head. 
Kiara glanced away when the young adult started to sob quietly, a frown made its way to her face when Rafe’s palm came in repeated contact with the side of his head. 
“Oh god.” He exhaled. “She was family. I should’ve never touched her, you know?” He tried. “I should’ve never touched her, but, you know, I just lose control in moments like that, and I don’t know what happened. I’m trying…” Kiara nodded. “I’m trying to get better.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay?” He stopped, his breathing heavy and he played with the ring wrapped around his finger. “It doesn’t matter. All I’m saying is just that I’m not the bad guy you think I am, okay?” The man took a few seconds and stepped closer to the teenage girl he had known for years. “But even if I was, even if I was just, like, bad Rafe Cameron or something…” He rambled. “You got no choice. You may not want to trust me, okay, but I’m your best bet.” He finished and sniffled. 
He pinched and pulled up his thighs the material of his jeans before he crouched. He stopped himself from wrapping his fingers around the girl’s calves, he glanced up at her, wondering if she’d seen him and the frown on her face made him wipe his hands on his pants. 
“Look. I got a boat that can get us off island, okay? But first, we gotta get out of here, and it is better if we work together.” 
The sound of a vehicle approaching and footsteps on the balcony got their attention and both of them, mainly Kiara, hurried to the window where the girl snuck a glance through the curtains. Singh along with a handful of his men, all seemed to get in the trucks with haste. 
Kiara gasped. “They’re leaving?” Rafe asked. 
“They’re going to find John B and your sister.” She announced. 
Rafe stepped closer to the window and listened as the revving engine of the truck announced their departure and the truck left his line of sight. 
“Come on. Let’s go.” 
“Sucks for them. That’s good for us though.” Kiara waited for the man to finish his thought as her arms fell to her sides. “This may be our only shot at getting out of here.” Rafe told her.
-
Big John Routledge watched from the car while Carla Limbrey handed a few dollar bills to a man.
“Thank you, Father.” She whimpered weakly and the man bowed his head. 
“Thank you very much.” the man echoed. 
Never without a struggle, Carla limped with the help of her crutches to the car while Big John quickly unfastened his seatbelt and got out. 
“He said you can ring on the hour for a donation to the collection plate.” She shared with him, a little out of breath. 
“I’ll get you back, I swear.” 
“I only want payment in one way.” Limbrey leaned forward. “You know that.” 
Big John nodded solemnly. 
While Carla got back to the driver’s side of the car, the man took the hood off his head and took the first few steps in the church before stopping and glancing back at the bl0nde. Quickly, he turned around and jogged up the short flight of stairs leading to the large bronze bell.
-
Two trucks arrived near the entrance of the abandoned hotel, both driven wildly then put in park as Singh’s men clambered out of it. Fenton leaned against the driver’s door before pulling on the handle to the backseat and out came Carlos Singh. 
“They’re in there somewhere. Find them.”
“Yes, sir.” The guard nodded before he was followed by others. “You three sweep the bottom. B-team, middle floors. I’ll be at the top.” He barked out orders under the nervous eye of JJ Maybank who leaned over the edge of one of the middle floor’s windows. 
“Oh shit!” He cursed while the building was swarmed by the guards. 
“Portis! Are you in here?” Fenton called out. 
“Yo, I got them up here!” JJ shouted from above their heads. “There’s two of them!” 
“I’m going up. You stay down.” Fenton whispered to his partner. “Where you at, mate?” 
JJ panted, heart in his throat but totally thriving as his plan was underway. He leaned near a corner where he could easily see when the guard made it up the stairs. His eyes almost bugged out of his head when Fenton, unknowingly pointed the gun in the blonde’s general direction. 
“Portis?” “Yeah, yeah! Take a left at the hallway.” JJ shouted, his voice a tad more nasally. “The stairway’s right on your right.” The blonde shouted, while his feet swiftly moved him away from the armed man. 
He ran, shoving a plastic tarp out of his way only for it to cover the doorway again while the blonde climbed up the stairs two by two. 
“He’s coming. Y’all ready?” He asked Pope and Cleo.
“Yeah.” 
“Okay.” JJ nodded before climbing up the next flight of stairs. “Okay. Hey, remember,” Pope called to Cleo. “you hit him in the legs. I’m gonna go for the gun.” 
“No, you’re too slow.” Cleo shook her head. “I go for the gun. You go for the legs.” 
“No. I’m gonna go for the gun.” “Why do you have to argue everything?” 
“Beca-”
“Portis!” “Shh. He’s coming.” 
The pair ran away from where they stood and tried to make their footsteps as light as possible. Fenton had his gun out, ready to empty it on the first person that he saw. 
“Up here!” JJ shouted, one level above. “One more flight of stairs now! You’re almost there! You’re coming, right?” The teenager asked, switching the tone of his voice a little bit though it cracked towards the end. 
“Yeah!” 
“Okay!” 
Quickly, the guard took the steps two by two and took the sharp turn that brought him closer to his target. 
“Portis?” The guard stood right beside the green door that led to the blonde. 
“Oh yeah! No, I’m still here. You just gotta come right in here!” 
“All right, Portis.” He said. 
“Come on in!” 
“I’m coming in!” The man announced before pushing the door open. 
Sarah and John B looked terrified when the guard stumbled into the room and saw the two teenagers with their wrists tied to a pole in the middle of the room. 
“Please untie us.” “Help.” Sarah looked up at the man with a pout and he sighed. 
“All right. Keep your hands still.”
With his gun still raised towards the two teenagers, Fenton nodded and took a step on the old and dusty green tarp. As soon as his boot made contact with the material, the wooden planks underneath it cracked and he fell through the floor on the ground, a floor below. 
“Oh shit, oh shit.” John B muttered as he tried to untie himself and Sarah. 
Fenton groaned and tried to catch his breath as it was cut short when he fell. He pushed off the ground, gun still tightly gripped in his hand and started to stand. 
“Hey!” Cleo shouted, running up to the man with an iron rod. 
She grabbed his attention and swung the rod at him and just before he dropped the weapon, his finger squeezed the trigger; the sound echoed in the empty building. JJ had just landed on the same level as Cleo when the gun went off and he covered his head with his arms, crouching to the floor. 
“Oh shit.” The blonde swore, he ran, trying to reach his friends as quickly as possible. 
At the same time, Pope arrived behind the guard and hit him behind the knees which made the man collapse on the floor for a second time. Cleo yelled, started to take a swing at Fenton when a voice shouted. 
“Stop! Freeze! Drop it!” Cleo and Pope panted and dropped the rods as they raised their hands in the air, their four eyes glued to the firearm pointed at their heads. 
JJ ran down the flight of stairs and tore the hat off his head. 
“Okay, I’m coming!” The blonde shouted when he finally made it to where Pope and Cleo were. “But this time– Oh.” 
“Don’t move! Hold it!” The guard shouted, pulling a firearm on him. 
“Okay.” He breathed out when he noticed Fenton on the ground. 
The teenager raised his hands up defensively in front of him as he tried to catch his breath. His blue irises took notice of the firearm on the ground and his fingertips started to tingle. He shared a quick glance with Pope who dipped his head towards the object and the blonde arched an eyebrow with a slight frown. 
“Don’t even think about it.”
But he was… He really was. 
JJ flexed his hand in a grabbing motion, the over seven trillion nerves in his body were on fire and his mind seemed to be going a hundred and fifty miles per hour. His chance to pick up the firearm came when his lifelong best friend jumped from the hole in the ceiling and dropped on the armed guard. He bent over and grabbed it before raising it to the guards’ faces. 
“Hey, hey, now! Hey, now! Easy! Yeah, yeah, yeah. I would take it nice and slow now.” He said arrogantly. “I think it’s time for y’all to freeze.” He announced before he freed one of his hands and handed Pope the cord. “Tie em’ up.” 
While they were being tied up, the guards swore under their breaths. When Sarah arrived, John B and Pope had just finished triple knotting the cords. 
“All right, y’all, let me see those mugs. This is going to your boss. Smile.” JJ taunted as he captured the men with the IPhone. “For the record, they thought this plan wasn’t going to work.” He pushed off the ground and stepped away. “All right, just send that to your boss. Time for stage three. Hostage swap.” He trailed off. “We’re gonna give your boss a little ring-a-ling, so hang tight.” 
The phone was against Mr. Singh’s ear as soon as he saw the caller ID. 
“Mr. Portis. Do you have Ms. Carrera’s friends?” The man heard mumbling from the other side of the call before a voice different from Jimmy Portis’ spoke up. 
“Yeah. Yeah, we… we found them.” John B muttered. “Listen, my name is John Booker Routledge.” Mr. Singh smiled as he realized to whom he was speaking. “We have your men tied up, and they’re in for a really–” Cleo grunted as she punched into her palm. “really, really harsh time if you don’t give us Kiara back right now.” He finished sounding unconvinced by his own words. “Like right now. And I mean that.” Mister Singh laughed at the teenager’s voice. 
“Kill them.” He replied without much empathy in his voice. 
“What?”
“Kill them.” Singh enunciated. “Go ahead and kill them, John Booker Routledge. It doesn’t matter to me, you know.” The guards tied on the floor started to get antsy at the idea that Mister Singh wasn’t there anymore or never cared enough to protect them. “Just know that if you do, the hotel is surrounded, you know. All of you inside will die.” JJ let his head hit the old brick wall a couple times as the feeling of defeat took over his body. 
Sarah joined him near the opening that once served as a window and they saw three more trucks pull up to the hotel and a dozen armed men walk closer to the building. 
“We gotta go.” 
“Yeah.” 
“We gotta go right now!” 
The Pogues ran out of the room, finding their way to an outside staircase that led to a small patch of woods in which they hoped to hide. Sarah ran straight into her boyfriend’s back when the teenager stopped after noticing the armed guards near the woods. 
“Balcony. Uh, balcony. Bad, so bad.” 
“Go, go, go!” 
The teenagers heard echoes from radios, guards talking amongst themselves and heavy footsteps that went up the stairs. 
“Go back to the main entrance!” JJ shouted as he led the girls in front of him. He pulled at the roots of his hair and frowned when Pope shoved the gun to his chest. 
“Hold this.” “What are you thinking, Pope?” 
JJ helped his friend move the old elevator gate before they, along with Cleo, stared down the empty elevator shaft. 
“Gotta be a better option, right?” John B questioned. 
“Uh… that’s a drop.”  
“This is like the Hawk’s nest part two.” John B said over their shoulders. “I’m not doing this. Nope.” He shook his head as he walked away. 
“Okay, I think we need to think about this from a risk-reward perspective.” 
The armed guards were closing in on the group of teenagers and the clearer the teens could hear them, the more fidgety they got. 
“How about you go first and cushion my fall?” 
“How about no?” Pope glared at JJ, both with their nerves on fire. 
“Yeah, whatever. Forget this shit!” Cleo groaned and pushed the two boys away before she jumped and wrapped her legs and hands around the thick cable that hung in the elevator shaft. 
Pope and JJ glanced at each other and took deep breaths. 
“Okay.” 
“No, no, no Sarah!” 
Without thinking much about it, Sarah followed after her friend. Cleo and Sarah’s grunts could be heard in the cabin as they hung many stories high in the air and as they lowered themselves. 
“You go first, all right?” 
“What?” Pope’s voice came out squeaky. “No. You go.” 
John B, Pope and JJ all turned towards the voices that came from the stairs when the voices became clear. 
“Shit!” 
“Okay, just hold on.” JJ muttered before tying the hat around his neck. 
Pope and JJ shared a look and then nodded. 
“Same time.” They stated together before jumping after the girls. 
“You better be alive, I swear to god.” JJ muttered as his whole body shook. 
Looking back up, Cleo and Sarah panted when their feet touched the solid ground. 
“Come on, guys!”
“Where’s John B?” 
“John B, hurry up man!” 
The teenager exhaled through his nose, a shiver ran down his back when his ear caught the familiar sound and pattern of the near-by church. He turned to face it and the teenager was taken back to what he knew as simpler times. When the only things he had to worry about were fishing, his grades, first dates… 
“Bring it on home, John B!” His father’s voice came like an echo in his head. 
“John B! John B!” “Come on, hurry!” JJ and Sarah shouted from the ground. 
The teenager snapped back to his senses and it didn’t take him long before he wrapped his hands around the dry rope and started to lower himself to his friends’ sides. 
“Hey!” A man shouted and John B looked up, his whole body freezing as he could feel sweat down his forehead when the armed guards fired four times at him. “They’re up here!”  
John B released the rope and screamed as he fell down, bringing down Pope and JJ along with him. Cleo and Sarah jumped out of the way as soon as they saw their three friends falling freely towards them. 
“You guys okay?” 
“You okay, John B? We gotta go!” 
“John B! Come on!” Sarah held her hand out towards her boyfriend while JJ and Pope were helped by Cleo. 
“We gotta go!” 
The guard started firing down the fire escape missing the teens by an inch and so JJ grabbed the gun from the waistband of his pants and fired up at the man. 
The group of teens ran out of the hotel looking for an escape route before realizing they were stuck as the two pathways out of the hotel were being watched by guards. John B raised a finger and traced back their steps before he found a dusty beer bottle. The teenager grabbed the bottle before chucking it to the ground where it broke, the sound attracting the guard’s attention leaving the path clear for the teens to escape. 
“Let’s go, come on!” 
-
 “Just get away from me!” The guard arched an eyebrow as his attention was pulled from the colorful game on his cellphone. 
“I’m tired of this shit. I’m gonna kill you, Kie!” Rafe shouted to the teenager. 
Ruckus could be heard from the other side of the door but the man didn’t move until he heard Kiara’s cry. 
“Help!” She shouted right before glass broke. 
It was quiet for a few seconds. 
The guard pocketed his phone and pulled his gun out. He threw a glance at the woman sitting on the bed in the neighboring room and she held herself straight, backing away from the edge of the bed. 
“Hey, you two! What’d you do?” He questioned before he unlocked and opened the door. 
He peered in, leaning forward but couldn’t see anything so he took a couple of steps in. He saw slight movement from the corner of his left eye and turned to see a black leather boot resting against the edge of the bathtub. The floor creaked under his weight and he held the gun in front of him, arms solid. 
“What be this?” He spoke lowly as he entered the bathroom. 
Within those few seconds, Rafe’s jaw locked and he slammed the door to the man’s face before following him through the small hallway as he ravaged his face with hits. Kiara pulled herself out of the bathtub and grabbed the firearm to the ground before joining Rafe and the guard in the bedroom. 
“Stay down! Stay down, you understand?” The guard moaned in pain while Rafe held his arm twisted high behind his back. “Stay down.”
“Don’t move!” Her whole body shook as she shouted the words. 
“Huge mistake. You’ll regret this.” The guard spoke through his teeth. 
“Hey, gimme the phone.” He requested.
“Here, tie him up.” Kiara handed Rafe the large piece of fabric that was draped over the arm of the chair. 
“Don’t move.” Rafe reminded the man as he twisted and knotted the fabric around the man’s wrists.
“Okay, okay, okay Rafe.” The teenage girl spoke softly. 
Rafe leaned around the guard. “Don’t make a sound all right?” 
The pair walked out of the room and Kiara stopped abruptly when she recognized the face in the next room. She stumbled when Rafe walked into her. 
“What are you doing? We gotta go–”
“What are you doing here?” She asked and was met with a soft but teary smile. “Come on, you’re coming with us.” She said. 
“Save yourself.” She spoke and Kiara frowned. “I have my own way out.” 
“Let’s go Kie.” Rafe hurried, he could feel his heart beat in the back of his throat. 
“I can’t leave her here.” 
“I do not care, we have to go!” The young man whispered before he wrapped his fingers around her arm and pulled her. 
“It’s okay, you go. I’ll see you soon, okay?” Kiara nodded, tears begging to be let out and they were once she blinked. She wiped her cheeks and followed Rafe after tearing her arm out of his grasp. 
“This way, come on.” He told her before they ran down the stairs. 
“Okay, hey. Hey. Hey, Rafe.” Kiara called out breathlessly. “Rafe, Rafe, Rafe.” 
“What?” 
“Hey, hey, let me see the phone.” 
“Why?” He whispered. 
“Just give it to me.” Kiara demanded.
“Okay. Give me the gun.” She shoved the gun to his chest. “You ready?” Rafe breathed heavily. 
They took a handful of seconds, hidden behind the door that separated the front of the house to the rest of it. Rafe glanced back at Kiara who simply nodded and both of them were finally ready. The young adult wrapped his hand around the doorknob and twisted it. 
The door opened and they squinted, the contrast of the lighting between the two rooms creating a harsh adaptation for the two. Rafe blinked a couple of times, “Shit.” A guard was posted right in front of their exit. “Okay, this way, this way, this way.” He hurried turning right towards a wooden door. “Come on.” he mumbled. 
Rafe checked behind him, and frowned when he saw Kiara standing in front of a framed image. The girl raised the phone to her eye level before capturing a photo. 
“Kie, what are you doing? Let’s go! Come on!” Kiara pulled up the messages app and typed in her contact information before her thumb quickly hit send. “Kie, come on!” Kiara breathed heavily and nodded before quietly jogging to the young man and following him out the room and through a new exit. 
As soon as they were out the pair hid behind a green wooden fence and through the holes, they watched two men, whom they assumed were Singh’s employees, jump off the back of a truck before it moved ahead. 
“Can you see?” 
“I got an idea. Come on, come on!” Kiara took off running, followed closely by Rafe. 
They ran through the large yard beautifully landscaped with flowers and plants. They grunted and huffed, both out of air, trying to catch up to the truck that was on its way out of the property. 
“They’re slowing down. Come on, come on!” Kiara shouted. 
Kiara and Rafe stepped over a low wall and the teenage girl pushed herself, with her hands up in the air,  as she grabbed onto the railing from the truck’s cargo space. Her and Rafe lunged themselves onto the hay-cushioned surface, they took a breath for a half-millisecond before Rafe jumped to his feet and pushed a man against the side of the trailer. 
Kiara blinked. “Rafe!” The young adult found himself on his ass and he reacted quickly by kicking the stranger in the face, jumping to his feet and pushing him over and off the trailer even though the unkn0wn man begged to be spared. 
Rafe stood tall, exhaling through his nose before he tried to catch his breath, he avoided the teenager’s disgusted and disappointed stare by looking out at the green terrains around them. 
-
A truck full of Singh’s employees drove by the group of teenagers, hidden in a building’s narrow corner. Cleo’s upper body popped out from their hiding place and she glanced around. 
“Psst! Psst!” She waved her arm around, motioning for them to follow after her. 
One after the other they jogged and then ran at full speed through what looked like stables.
“Go, go, go, go, go!” John B hurried. 
“Bloody rasshole!” Cleo sighed exasperated when she saw the group run right past where she had stopped. “Hey, boy, come!” 
“That way. That way!” JJ shouted. 
“Shit.” 
“She knows where she’s going?” “No clue.” 
They stopped, hiding in a fenced section though they could still see the road that they arrived from. 
“They coming?” “I don’t see anything.” John B answered, looking back between the road and his best friend. 
“So what’s the plan now? What’s our plan B?” The boy started to pace as his fingers started to wiggle. “We just kicked the hornet’s nest. We gotta think of something quick.” 
“JJ, calm down.” Pope spoke. 
“Calm down, Pope? We do something to their guys, they’re gonna do something to Kie.” The blonde said, standing near his friend’s face. 
“That was your idea!” JJ glanced at Sarah as if his eyes were ready to get out of his head. 
“Yeah, I know that was my idea, okay?” He shouted before getting shushed by Cleo. “My bad! That one’s on me!” JJ started to pace again under his friends’ annoyed but worried stares. “Why did we leave that island?” He muttered. 
“You’re the one who talked about getting back to Ellie for weeks.” John B said under his breath.
“What did you say?” JJ asked sharply before going back to getting his steps in for the day.
“And we’re back to pacing!” 
“Ooh, ooh, wait, wait. I got something. What if I offer myself up as a hostage?” He offered and Pope stared up unimpressed. “No. Hear me out, hear me out. What if I got inside the walls, did the Trojan horse type thing?” 
“No, no.” 
“That’s how wars are won!” 
“That’s not how a Trojan horse even works!” Pope said loudly.
“Okay. Fine. What do you got? This is usually where you got the moves, bro, all right?” JJ briefly glanced at his best friend before focusing back on Pope. “Remember Spock? We could really use him right now.”
“Hey.” Sarah called out to John B. “What happened back at the hotel? I thought you got nabbed.” 
John B stayed quiet for a few seconds, trying to catch the rhythm of the church’s bells. 
“I heard something.”
“What?” “That.” He looked out of the window, right at the building on top of the small cliff. “Like that. You hear that, right? The church bells.” “Bells?” Sarah questioned, confused. 
“My dad used them to call me home.” 
“Bring it on home, John B. Bring it home.” 
-
One of the uniformed man walked up to his boss who stood near the empty and dried out pool. 
“They ran off to the south. We’ll get them.” “You know how much this means to me, right? But if you say you’ll get them, then I don’t need to worry. Do I?” “No.” The man shook his head before jogging. “Let’s go!”
-
Hidden under the dark tarp, Kiara and Rafe faced each other, lying on their sides as their destination was unknown. The truck slowed to a complete stop and the brake hissed. 
“Yes, my friend.” The driver spoke before the two young people could hear voices getting closer. 
“All clear.” “Let them through!” The gate was opened manually by one of the guards and soon after, the truck and its trailer started moving again. 
Kiara uncovered herself as did Rafe. 
“I told you we just had to work together.” Rafe groaned in pain. 
The two of them sat with a distance between them and their backs against the side of the trailer. 
“All right. Listen, I’m headed out to my boat, okay? I can give you a ride out, drop you wherever, somewhere safe.” He offered. “One thing though.” He added and Kiara exhaled, the images of the man being pushed over the railing looping in her head. “Look at me. I know your friends are on the island and my sister. I’m not helping them. All right? I can’t trust them, okay? I’ll give you a ride out, not them. Okay?” 
“I just want to get off the island.” “That’s smart. You know, I never thought of you as a Pogue.” He chuckled. 
“What did you think of me as?”
“I mean, I always liked you, Kie. You’re at least half Kook.” Kiara chuckled uncomfortably while Rafe simply laughed, all of his pearly white teeth on display. 
-
“Anything?” Limbrey asked after Big John was done ringing the church bell. 
“Nothing. Sort of the definition of a Hail Mary, you know?” 
“You have to believe in miracles, John, if you want them to happen.” Carla Limbrey sighed before she grabbed her crutches and stood up. “It’s already amazing that she found her way back to you.” she said before walking out the door. 
-
The truck rolled in a neighborhood, a small town right near downtown. 
“Yo, move it, man, what?” the driver shouted as a handful of people crossed the street. 
Kiara and Rafe used that time to jump off the trailer. 
“Come on. My boat’s down here.” 
They walked for a few minutes before walking down a pontoon where at the end floated a beautiful white boat. 
“Make sure your shoes are off.” Rafe quickly took off his shoes and climbed aboard before he started to undo cords. “Okay, we should have enough juice to get us to Saint Lucia, no problem.” he grunted. “Hey, get in the boat.” Rafe crouched and walked around before getting behind the wheel. “Kie!” 
“You’re not gonna pull anything if I get in?” Rafe scoffed and stared at her in disbelief.
“No, I’m not gonna pull anything, okay? I’m trying to do you a solid here. You really wanna be back there with Singh, or do you wanna be somewhere safe?” The girl stared at him. “Can you help me with the bowline?” Kiara nodded, took off her shoes and then got in the boat. “Thank you.” 
Kie walked to the bowline but kept glancing back to Rafe who was getting ready to leave. 
“All right.” he sniffled.
“Hey, uh, i… I can’t get it.” She shouted over the wind as she barely touched the ropes. 
“What?” “I need some help!” 
“Goddamn, do I have to do everything?” Rafe muttered under his breath before he joined Kiara. “Move.” he ordered. 
The young adult climbed over the railing, under Kiara’s gaze and hung onto it as he untied the rope and threw it to the pontoon. Just as the rope hit the wooden surface, Kiara surged forward, pushed him back with a groan and she didn’t stay to watch as he hit the water. 
“Kie!” Rafe shouted when he resurfaced. He saw the teenager run to stand behind the wheel. “Hey!” The engine of the boat revved. “Kie! Kie! Kie! Where are you going?” 
“I’ve gotta help my friends!” 
“You don’t know what you’re doing! Hey!” Kiara panted as Rafe’s voice got further away. “Shit! I’ll find you, Kie! I’ll find you!” The man threatened. “You’re gonna regret this shit! You’re done!” 
She smiled victoriously as she gazed down at the cellphone in her hand. 
-
Cleo, Pope, JJ, Sarah and John B had all fallen asleep, leaning on stacks and blocks of hay the outside world a distant memory. The cell phone that buzzed in his right pants pocket woke up JJ who stared at the object, waiting for his eyes to focus on the screen. 
Fenton:
Meet @ pin 6:15.  P4L
“Hey, guys.” The blonde shoved the hat off his head before shuffling and sitting up. “Wake up. Wake up! Guys!” He elbowed John B who frowned as he was pulled from slumber. “I got something! Meet me at the pin at 6:15. P4L.” JJ read off the screen, his best friend reached over and plucked the object from his hands. 
“We’re supposed to believe that’s Kiara?” Sarah croaked, looking over their shoulders. 
“I don’t know. This all could be a trap. It’s exactly how he set us up last time.” JJ nodded as Pope spoke.
“He knows we got the phone, and he knows he can’t track it so–”
“We go out there, and bam, he’s got us.” 
“Sometimes you guys can be so stupid.” Cleo shook her head. 
“I’m sorry?” 
“You get beat so bad you flinch even when someone’s trying to help.” Once again, the phone was taken from JJ’s hands and he looked up at the girl who was leaning towards him. “P4L. It’s Kiara, man! No way she sent that as bait. They’d have to kill her.” She stated at the group of unconvinced friends. “We gotta help her. Come on, man. You’re all just sitting there, just flinching.” The woman threw the phone back at the blonde teenager and raised her eyebrows expectantly. “Let’s go!” 
The group watched Cleo run out of the hiding place they’d found themselves in and Pope scoffed. He took a few seconds to put the words in his head in the right order before he glanced at JJ. 
“I don’t know, man. It could still be a trap.” JJ breathed out and pushed himself off the ground, the sole of his boots anchoring themselves deeper into the ground. 
“It’s the only game we got right now.” 
“We gotta check, right?” Sarah added, running out after JJ and Cleo.
“Let’s go.” John B hurried Pope. 
Pope took off in the same directions as the others, John B readying himself to the same but he stopped in his tracks when the tolling of the bells echoed through the town. The boy felt his heart beat in his balled up fist but he shook his head and joined the rest of his friends. 
Armed with the smart phone in his hand, JJ guided the group to the pinned coordinates on the screen which led them to the marina. Seeing the open plan of their destination, the blonde crouched down behind stacked up crates, instructing the others to do the same. 
“You got the boats?” John B asked the blue eyed teenager.
“Yeah. You got windows?” He replied as he frantically searched for any visible traps. 
“Yeah.”
“Guys.” Pope spoke up. “Singh’s men could be posted up literally anywhere.”
“No shit.” JJ looked across the bridge and caught a brown and curly head of hair. “Guys, is that her?” 
“I don’t think so.” Pope shook his head. 
“Gimme the phone.” Cleo demanded. “I’ll take care of this.” 
She opened the map application on the phone and saw where the pin was. 
“That boat, that’s the pin.” She pointed to a boat tied to the pontoon. “The white one right there.” JJ nodded and reached for the firearm that was stuck snug between the elastic band of his pants and his back. 
Sarah heard as JJ cocked the gun and she turned around, worried. “What are you doing?” 
“There’s one way to find out.” 
“JJ! JJ!” 
“Dude!” John B and Sarah tried at the same time but the teenager had put on the hat tied around his neck. 
���Stay there!” 
“JJ!” “Hey!” 
“Better to stay hidden in case he needs help.” Cleo said. 
All of them watched their friend walk up to the boat, fingers tightly wrapped around the gun’s handle. A figure came out of the boat, standing on the bow. 
“JJ?” 
The teenager turned around, lower lips slightly wobbling as he set his eyes on his friend. Slowly, he pushed off the hat from the top of his head, quickly placing his messy and very dirty hair. 
“J.” The girl whispered before she hurried, getting off the boat before jumping into his arms, both teenagers chuckling and relieved. 
Sarah smiled, happy to know her best friend was finally safe, in one piece and back with them. She glanced up at John B and softly elbowed him as he was completely fixated on the market on the other side of the marina. 
“John B?” She called out, slightly distracted by Pope and Cleo’s happy laughs as they had joined JJ and Kiara. 
“What?” “What are you looking at?” He pointed to the market and she nodded. 
“The girl with the hat.” “The one with the blue dress?” He nodded.
“Doesn’t she look like Ellie? If she had shorter hair?” Sarah glanced at her friends, watching them talk excitedly amongst themselves before focusing back on her boyfriend. 
“I mean, yeah, I guess. But all brunettes look alike from afar.” She said, watching the girl intently and Sarah was suddenly struck with what felt like her heart in her throat. The girl coughed and nodded before grabbing John B’s hand. “Whatever, let’s just get back to our friends, yeah?” 
But John B couldn’t tear his eyes away from the girl that felt so far away and he watched her as she paid for her things and disappeared right in front of his eyes as he blinked. All of that while Sarah was pulling him to their friends, eyes fleeting back to the other side of the little bridge. 
“Hey!” Cleo shouted when she saw the couple. “What took you guys so long?” 
“I saw E–” John B started and Pope’s eyes snapped to his, almost as if he knew what his friend was about to say.
“We thought we’d been caught.”
“And?” “It’s fine. Let me at her!” Sarah requested as she pushed her friends out of the way to get to her best friend.  
Over their heads, Pope and John B shared a look. 
“Are you kidding me? Kie…” JJ scoffed as he looked at the boat. 
“Is this you?” “What- what is…?” 
“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. Come on.” 
“Where did you get this?” 
“Holy shit!” John B gasped, his attention back on his friends but still the feeling of an itch in the back of his mind. 
He stopped once again, another itch that hadn’t been scratched… The bell kept going in the back of his brain and the edge of the cliff. 
“John B, let’s go!” Sarah shouted from the boat and he promptly followed.
-
Fenton jumped over the fallen wall of the hotel and smiled victoriously at his boss.
“They were all  just spotted out at the marina. Told you we’d get them.”
“Good. Good.” The short man’s ringed hand patted his chest. “You know, I never doubted you, you know.” Singh walked away, never looking at his employees. 
-
“Yeah, so I have just a couple of questions.” JJ spoke up after Kiara had given them a tour of the boat and he was tasked with untying the boat. 
“Go ahead.” Kiara giggled. 
“A Lagoon 620 with twin 150 Volvos. You understand we can go anywhere with this thing, right?” He asked while Kiara watched him work. 
“I know, kind of a piece of shit.” Kiara’s nose scrunched up as she tried to hide a smile. 
“Way to be discreet, by the way. Why did they want anyway? They didn’t hurt you, did they?” 
“No. No, I’m good. It just… I mean you’re not gonna guess what Singh wanted from me.” She leaned over the edge of the boat and stared at the teenager. “Denmark’s Diary.” 
“Why?” 
“I don’t know. Said it leads to a treasure that’s a lot bigger than the merchant.”
“You’re saying there’s a bigger treasure?” He asked, climbing up the stairs of the boat and she nodded right when he was in front of her. “Then, sign me up.” He said and she chuckled. 
Pope walked on the boat, in search of Cleo when a float was thrown at his face. 
“Think fast.”
“You trying to clock me with this thing?” “Gotta strengthen your reflexes.” She replied. “Come on, guys! We gotta go!” 
“Feel like my reflexes are already sharp.” Pope said, pulling a quick laugh out of Cleo. 
“She’s right we gotta hurry.” Sarah said as she cut John B’s train of thought but her interruption was cut short by the chimes of the church bells… Bells that kept the same rhythm all day long. 
“Okay, you definitely heard that, right?” The girl took a few seconds and snuck a glance towards him.
“Yeah, I do now.” She nodded. 
“That’s exactly what my dad would do to call me home. Sarah, that… that pattern, those bells. The ding, ding, ding-ding.” He said in time with the bells. “Sarah, that… that can’t be a coincidence. Ellie we saw earlier-” he said in a lower volume.
“You can’t be sure that was her, John B!” 
“I know I can’t be sure but I know it was her, Sarah. The only people that know about the bells are here on this boat, Ellie and my dad. I think she’s calling me home.” 
“I know, it– Yeah. It- It’s really weird.” She licked her lips, unsure of what to tell him. “But it’s not him, and it’s not her.”
“Okay, how do you know that?” 
“How? How could it be her? It has been over a month and we lost her in the middle of the ocean…” 
“Okay, but listen, Sarah, we were raised by the same people, what I know, she knows. What JJ knew, he taught her, she learned things along the way and, and if there’s one person who could survive all of this alone, it’s her. I am sure of it.” 
“I’m sorry, John B …” She shook her head unconvinced and he grabbed her wrists. 
“Maybe you get beaten enough, you aren’t able to see the miracle in front of you. I mean, that’s exactly how we were called home. Maybe it is her. Maybe the universe is trying to give me,” he stopped himself when JJ’s laugh reached their ears. “give us a gift, and–”
“Okay.” She said.
“What?” He stopped his rambling and stared at her, breath cut short. 
“Okay, I get it. You want to go to the tower to go look? Go look.” She cupped his face lovingly and he breathed out at her touch. “Okay?” 
“You sure?” 
“I’m… I’m serious. I trust you, but… Hurry.” She said before pushing the phone against his chest. “Take this with you.” 
“Are you sure?” 
“Yes. Yes.” Sarah chuckled. “You don’t think I know what you’re like? You’re gonna drive us both insane if you don’t look, so go look.” 
“No wait.” He pushed her hair out of her face and cupped her jaw. “I love you, Sarah Cameron.” He said before bringing her lips to his. “I’ll be back.” 
“Go.” She said, pushing him away and he turned around, giddy. “And John B?” 
“Yes?” He turned to face her, halfway down the steps. 
“Don’t mention it to JJ.” John B took a few seconds to think it over, not liking hiding such a thing concerning the girl from JJ but he nodded. “I love you!” She shouted before he took off. 
“Hey! John B! What are you doing?” Pope asked when the boy jumped over the railing. 
“I’ll be right back!” 
“What are – What?” Pope said in a high pitched tone. 
“Be right back! I love you, Sarah!” 
Pope leaned back against the wall and sighed. 
“What the hell.” He looked up to Sarah and saw doubts and concern written all over her features. 
John B glanced at the phone in his hand and pocketed it focusing on running to the church and not on the way his heart wanted to jump out of his chest. 
My dad always told us that clouds have silver linings. 
Big John repeatedly hit the wooden mallet against the bronze bell. 
But that actually cuts both ways. 
Half a dozen trucks John B was sure belonged to one mister Singh drove right past him as he hid behind a fence on his way to the church. 
Sometimes sunshine blinds you. 
The teenager started his trek to the church. 
And sometimes miracles also have miseries.  
“I can’t believe he just took off.” Pope said as the teenagers all waited for their friend to come back… While Sarah was silently praying that he came back accompanied. 
The sounds of revving pulled them out of their quiet conversations and pensive states.
“Guys, incoming!” Kiara shouted hours later. 
“No! No! No! No!” Cleo swore under her breath as their eyes fell upon the half dozen trucks that John B was able to hide from earlier. “That’s Singh’s men!” 
“Come on!” 
“Right here!” Guards shouted, attempting to surround the boat. 
“Where’s John B?” “He said he’d be back by now.” Sarah said, her voice cracking from stress. 
“Well, he’s not! JJ, what are we gonna do?” 
“We gotta make a stand.” JJ said as he armed the gun. “That’s what we gotta do. That’s the only option.” 
“What?” Kie shouted.
“Kiara, we’re not splitting up again!” 
“Guys, y’all didn’t see what I saw! He killed Portis! We can’t stay here!” 
“Okay, but we’re not leaving John B!” JJ shouted hoarsely. 
“No Pogue left behind!” Pope added and Sarah crouched down and let her head fall between her two knees. 
“They’re getting closer! What are we gonna do?” Kiara shouted. 
“Damn it!” Sarah’s fist hit the floor of the boat and she stood up completely. 
“We’re not splitting up again!” JJ screamed as he tried to hold back Sarah who shook him off. 
“We don’t have a choice anymore!” Sarah took the helm of the boat and pushed the gas. 
“Go!” Pope nodded towards her.
“John B!” JJ shouted. “We need to get John B!” 
“Shut up! Shut up!” Pope shouted over the blonde as he tried to control his decompensated friend. “Go!”  
“We’ll find John B later!” 
“JJ! JJ!” Sarah shouted over all the voices and they turned to her. She blinked, the images of the blue dress and the brown hair engraved in her mind becoming clearer. “He’ll be fine. We’ll get him back, he’s fine.” She said in a way that contradicted the way she had just yelled his name seconds earlier. 
-
John B reached the clearing that would bring him to the pathway leading up to the church and he started to jog with his heart in his throat. The bells, now louder than ever. 
-
The friends kept fighting in the boat. 
“JJ get down!” Kiara shouted seconds before she was brought down to the flooring of the boat as bullets flew near them. 
“Hold your fire!” A guard spoke up, with his balled up fist raised in the air. 
Not knowing how to process everything that just happened, JJ rammed his fist a couple of times against a wall of the boat, startling his friends in the process. 
“Shit. Shit!” 
“I’m sorry, John B.” Sarah spoke quietly. “I hope you find her.” 
The friends floated away from the marina, all of them illuminated by the sunset. 
-
The dried up dirt crumbled under the sole of his shoes as he climbed the remainder of the distance between himself and the church. 
He breathed out, actually feeling nervous. The teenager gave himself a moment and crouched down and leaned against the brick wall. He closed his eyes and rested his head against his hands, palms pressed up against the other. 
“Please, please, please.” He begged thinking of the girl he had known all his life… But in the very back of his mind, he thought of his father and of the possibility that he had it wrong… Wrong about the identity of the person he was about to meet up with. 
The bell rang again and his eyes snapped open.
************************
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r0s3mm · 22 days
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Fathers & Sons // Outer Banks series
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Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
A/N:  angst. jj feeling his emotions. swears, big john, jj "being held at gunpoint", firearms, kiara & jj ??
anyways, yea, enjoy, pls comment and like and reblog maybe even? i wanna read your every thoughts
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My mother left when I was three. 
“Hey, John B. Hey, buddy.” A younger Big John smiled down at his son who babbled random nonsense with a string of saliva falling down his chin.
For the whole time growing up… It was just me and my pops… And Robin and Ellie. 
“Did you see that?” John B asked his father as the two looked out the marsh, waiting for fishes to swim into their traps and attach themselves to their bait. 
“What?” “Right there!” A pre-teen John B stood up from where he was sitting on the edge of the dock. 
“Stop moving, boy! You’ll be the reason we don’t catch anything since you’re moving more than the bait itself.” 
“Oh, oh, oh!” Elizabeth perked up as an idea hit her.
“What?” John B asked, already annoyed. 
“Maybe we should tie you to the poles, huh?” She raised her eyebrows and she smiled victoriously when a smile pulled at Big John’s lips. 
“What are you laughing at, huh?” Robin asked as a bottle of beer appeared in front of the man’s face. 
“Thank you, pretty lady.” He winked and smiled causing Robin to hide her giggle which made the kids send each other disgusted faces. 
 In some ways, he was the best father you could imagine. Taught me how to work-
John B dropped a huge crate of oysters on the boat in front of his father. 
“I’m telling you, boy, never again.” The man said only to be echoed by his son as they both laughed. “I’m getting too old for this, you’ll have to take over soon enough.” 
“Yeah?” “Yeah.”
“Come on, let’s get home or we’ll be hauling these until the morning. Tell JJ to meet us up.” 
and what to do after work.
John B was surrounded by his favorite people in the world. His father, his best friend JJ and the one that felt like a sister, Elizabeth. The girl had been pulled between the blonde’s legs as his arm was wrapped around her shoulders and her head leaned back against his. A new twist to their friendship he hadn’t expected but was secretly fond of since its very start. 
“Ellie’ll tutor me, yeah?” He asked the girl and she arched an eyebrow, looking between the father and son. Her hand absentmindedly tangled itself with the blonde’s free one as she grabbed the can of beer from his other. 
“Sure, whatever.” She mumbled before swallowing a sip. 
“Really?” She nodded and John B punched the air before pulling her in for a side hug as her hand was never freed by the blonde. He then looked at his dad and nodded. “If I get a B, will you let me smoke pot?” He tried and Elizabeth swallowed back a grin, hiding behind JJ’s hand as she waited for the father’s answer and she let out a loud laugh when he shared an unconvinced look with his son. 
More of a friend than a father. He wasn’t overprotective at all. Like any family, we had our moments.
John B ran out of the house with a frown.
“No!”
“You’re not being reasonable.” Big John said. 
“No dad, we’re not selling the Twinkie.”
“Yes, we are! After we get the Merchant gold, I’ll buy you a new one.” Big John tried as his son ran to the van. “Don’t get in that van, boy!” He shouted as he and his son fought for the door. 
 “You are the worst dad ever!” John B protested as he got into the van, fire pumping through his veins at the rush he felt, by defying his father. 
“You leave in that van, you don’t come back!”
“Move!” John B shouted as he put the car in drive. 
“You hear me, John B? Don’t you come back!” 
That was the last time I saw him. 
It’s one thing to lose a father. 
It’s another thing to never get to say goodbye.
-
The dried up dirt crumbled under the sole of his shoes as he climbed the remainder of the distance between himself and the church. 
He breathed out, actually feeling nervous. The teenager gave himself a moment and crouched down and leaned against the brick wall. He closed his eyes and rested his head against his hands, palms pressed up against the other. 
“Please, please, please.” He begged thinking of the girl he had known all his life… But in the very back of his mind, he thought of his father and of the possibility that he had it wrong… Wrong about the identity of the person he was about to meet up with. 
The bell rang again and his eyes snapped open. 
Big John watched through the window and sighed when he still didn’t see a sign of his son. He dropped the mallet to the floor and started to make his way out of the church while his son started to make his way in. 
John B looked around the old and what looked like abandoned back of the church. He went up the old creaking flight of stairs, hands trailing up the ramp, leaving his fingertips dusty and white. With caution, Big John walked to the doors that would lead him to the stairs which made the floor creak loudly. Spooked, John B panted and hid behind a wall, away from view. As he peeked around the corner, John B saw the silhouette of who he could only assume to be a man and he sighed. 
Breathing heavily, he followed the stranger. When he arrived at the stairs he felt his legs wobble, his heart drop low in his stomach and all of the emotions and scares of the past year all hit him at once. 
His father stood there, a few feet away from him, looking out the dusty window for his son. He walked right where his father was and was hit with a faint wave of the most familiar scent. 
I love you, Bird, even if I didn’t always act like it.
It had been over a year and there he stood, alive and well. 
“Dad?” He called quietly. 
The man noticed the shadow first and he slowly turned to see his boy standing in front of him. 
The teenager whimpered, feeling like a little boy all over again. 
“Is that really you?” He sniffled. 
“What took you so long, Bird? I’ve been ringing for hours.” The man chuckled. 
That’s all it took for the teenager to hurry down the stairs and into his father’s arms.
“I thought you were dead.” He repeated a couple times. 
“I’m sorry for the Houdini act. It’s a long story, kid.” Big John felt the hot, wet tears of his son’s down his neck and he sniffled. 
“Check the church!” The words were accompanied by once again the revving of engines and the screeching of tires abruptly stopping. 
“For another time.” The father said and John B got scared, scared that his father might leave him again. 
“What?” 
“We gotta vanish.” Big John spoke and it’s like a switch flipped in John B’s mind, a survival switch that he had been honing for the past year. 
“Pops, talk to me.” 
“Come on. Keep your head down. Head down.” Big John instructed his son. “Shit, ain’t going that way.” 
“Um, the Pogues, the marina, they’ve got a boat. Come on. Follow me.” John B stuttered, tightening his fist in his father’s jacket as he pulled him along. 
“Good boy. It’s good to see you, kid.” 
“Yeah, you too, Pop. Come on, hurry up.” He nodded as he and his father ran for their lives. 
The pair panted as they arrived at the open clearing John B was at a little while ago. 
“I think we’re good. That was a close one.” 
“Okay, Dad. Start talking. So you’ve been alive this whole time and didn’t think to call?” 
“What, you think I didn’t want to? Tell y’all I was okay? It killed me, but it would’ve put you in danger.”
“Well, I was in danger the entire time you were gone.” John B said and his father threw him a look.
“Hey, look, we’re here now. Okay? And I’m not going anywhere. I just had to vanish for my safety. And for yours and the girls.” He said, searching for his son’s avoiding eyes. “Look, it wasn’t my first choice. You got to know that. Let’s go find your friends. Come on, buddy.” Together they started to jog towards the marina.
-
Out in the open ocean, the Pogues all stood in different corners of the boat. 
“So this is what we’re doing, huh? We’re just sailing out.” JJ started, slight venom in his words when he glanced at Sarah. “We’re just gonna forget about John B? We should never have left him, alright? We’re turning back.” He ordered. 
“No! We’re all gonna get caught. What type of plan is that?” Cleo stood up right in front of the blonde. 
“It’s a plan to stick together, Cleo.”
“Then we are dead together.”
“She’s right. We had to leave, or we’d all be zip-tied in the back of a pickup.” Kiara said softly. “We did the right thing.” 
“But why, huh?” He turned to Sarah. “Why did he leave? What he had to take a leak? Wanted to go shopping? What?” He shouted and the blonde girl shut her eyes tight and swallowed back her worry. 
“He wanted to check something.” Sarah mumbled. 
“What?” 
“He’d been talking about the bells all day, said his father used to do the same.” The blonde teenage girl shrugged. 
“Are you f-” JJ chuckled humorlessly, the blonde pulled at his roots. “Is he out of his fucking mind? His dad, right now?” He huffed out. “He risked his life for a maybe? A what if? I thought that was over, I thought that we were going home. Shit! That wasn’t worth it! Nothing’s worth not going home!” He groaned loudly as he kicked a bucket that flew over the boat and in the water. “We were so close! So close to going home and-”
“JJ!” Sarah shouted, voice breaking and he whipped around to look at her when he recognized the distressed tone of her voice. She had her eyes closed, taking a split second to make a decision that would alter the rest of their trip. “He didn’t go because of his dad.” 
“What the f-” He glanced around at his friends who waited on Sarah. “What? Why? What is so freaking important he had to split?” 
“Ellie.” She said, the blonde’s head snapped up and his breath was cut short. 
“I’m sorry what?” Pope spoke as he himself felt his heart drop. 
“When- when we met with Kie, at the market on the other side there was someone, John B was persuaded that-” Her gaze met JJ’s and she stopped herself. His eyes abruptly turned red and he looked as if he was about to throw up. His hand clenched at his chest and he stood in front of her dumbfounded under everyone’s stare while his attention remained solely on Sarah, trying to find any sign that she was messing with him. “There were too many coincidences and the girl, John B, couldn't stop thinking about it.” JJ scoffed quietly, processing the informations as much in his brain as in his heart. “He went to see if it was her or not, JJ.” 
-
Back at the marina, John B and his father walked past the market and without really thinking about it, the youngest of the two spared a glance at it while they were crossing the bridge. 
“Come on, Dad. The boat’s docked right over here.” The two stopped and John B’s face fell. “Shit.” 
“They’re gone. Singh must’ve run them off. Okay, plan B. We take my boat. It’s back at my place. We gotta pick something up there anyway that I had a friend hide away.” 
“Hang on, I gotta call them.” He said, composing the number and bringing the phone to his ear. 
-
The Pogues were all silent after the information they had received when the cell phone rang in Kiara’s pocket. 
“Who’s that?” JJ asked and Kiara plucked it out of her pocket. 
“Portis.”
“Portis? That’s John B. That’s definitely John B. Hold on.” He hurried and grabbed it out of Kiara’s hands before answering the call. 
“Yo! Dude! Is this you?” He asked, voice slightly wavering. 
“Yeah, it’s me.” 
“Speaker. Speaker.” Kiara requested. 
“What– Do you need us to turn around?” He asked and John B shook his head. 
“No, no, no. Don’t worry about it.” John B said but from the Pogues’ ends, the line kept cutting in and out. 
“Yo, say it again. Say it again.” 
“I said don’t worry about me, okay?” John B’s voice crackled, much to his friends’ disappointment. “Look, it’s way too hot here. You guys gotta get out of here.” John B warned “Go back to OBX” 
“We do not copy. Can you–”
“Let me talk to him.” Sarah said before switching with JJ. “John B. Are you okay?” “Sarah-” He started though the line was distorted. 
“Are you okay?” “Yes, yes. I’m fine. Everything’s good. Listen.”
“He’s fine. Thank god!” The girl sighed in relief. 
“What happened?”
“I found my dad.” He articulated but the Pogues were too far away and the line kept scrambling. “He’s alive.” 
“Wait. What’d you say? John B?” 
“Sarah. Sarah?” “I can’t– I can’t hear you.” 
“Hello?” John B called out when the line went quiet.
“John B?” 
“Get out of there. I’ll meet you on Kildare, okay?” 
“Kildare? When?” She said softly. 
“Hello?” He said before the line finally cut. “Goddamn it.” He swore and hung up. “Hope they heard that.” He told his father. 
“Me too. We better go.” 
Big John led his son to the small place he called home for the past year. They ran through backyards and small neighborhoods before stopping in front of a thin gate and going into the yard. 
“Close it. Close it.” He mumbled. 
He took off running to the side and got a key out of his pocket. The old, loose knob rattled before the door creaked open. Big John flicked the light switch on and moved around the space anxiously. 
“Here it is. The spider hole.” He introduced. “It ain’t much but it ain’t a bad place to lay low.” 
“Okay,” John B started to take in his surroundings. “spider hole, good name.” 
The teenager walked around, seeing his father’s map and magnifying glass on the desk along with many articles of clothing on the ground. 
“Still hunting, huh, Pop?” 
“I’m breathing, I’m hunting, man, what can I say?” Big John said coming out of what seemed to be the kitchen with a green backpack. “This time I’m putting it all together, John B. Getting close, I can feel it. Onto something big.”
“I, uh… I heard you died at the Shoals, dad?” 
“Yeah, well, somebody died out there. It wasn’t me. Look. Just gotta go on a little retrieval mission.” Big John said before arming a gun hidden in a cupboard. “Then we can split.”
“Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa. Dad, dad, wait. Retrieval mission? A gun? What- No! What are we doing?” 
“The game is afoot.” Big John said, looking over the rim of his glasses. “Okay, kid? Right now. I got people working with me, got people working against me, I was betrayed and I bruised a few people so, it’s now or never. And this time it’s for the mother lode, the big kahuna, all the marbles. All right?” 
“Right.” John B sighed, disappointed. 
“Okay. Come here. It is good to see you. It is.” Big John said, hugging his son tightly. “But if we don’t move out, like, now, the game is gonna end early. All right? Too many people know about this place and I don’t want to be here when they come back. I got mixed up with Limbrey and a whole lot of things.” John B blinked slowly when he remembered the name. “Wait, wait, wait! Dad,” John B said, leaning against the door frame. “Did you just say Limbrey?” the father cleared his throat. “Like Carla Limbrey?” “Yeah. How do you think we got a boat?” 
“Come on, man!” Big John stuttered at his son’s reaction. “No, no, no.”
“She helped us out a little bit. It’s logistics, etcetera. But now that I found you, I’m gonna owe her something. Better to pay later than now.” 
Big John patted his son’s face and the teenager leaned towards the door to shut it but he frowned and stopped when he saw another backpack. Quickly, he pulled out of it a few articles of clothing tht would never fit his father and some medical supplies. Hearing his father call out for him he shoved the things back inside, grabbed it and closed the door behind him. 
Together doing something they hadn’t done in a long time, they got the boat ready and started to sail back home. 
“Hey, dad, is that the us you were talking about earlier?” Big John turned around and eyed the backpack. 
“What?” “You said that Limbrey helped us earlier and I know you ain’t talking about us two, so, is the owner of this bag the us you were talking about earlier?” “Maybe, but that’s over now. Dead weight I got rid of. You could’ve left it there.” He mumbled and for a second John B grew worried but then he realized he was back with his father, both of them on their way home after what felt like years. 
-GUADELOUPE-
He could feel he was not alone, could hear breathing and the way the mattress dipped under his body weight did not feel all that familiar. Then the scent of perfume hit his nostrils and he was put at ease at the thought of his wife. 
He inhaled and exhaled, his eyes fluttered open and he moved his head from left to right, hoping the slight pain at the base of his neck would soon be an afterthought. 
“Oh, honey.” Rose sighed softly as she squeezed his forearm. 
“Hi.” Wheezie smiled, happy to see her father awake. “Are you okay?” 
“Of course, I’m okay.” Ward said dryly. Wheezie nodded, the father recognized the fear and concern in his daughter’s eyes and he smiled weakly. “Come here.” he grunted, moving a few inches closer to his wife so that his daughter could lay beside him.
The father kissed the girl’s head and stared at his wife. 
“Where are we?” 
“We’re in Guadeloupe. We’re safe.” She assured as Ward glanced out the large window. 
“Where’s Rafe?” Rose sent him a look, an exasperated expression that would mostly come out whenever they talked about the man’s son. “Where’s the girl?” She shook her head and he sighed. 
-BARBADOS-
Rafe walked past a handful of stalls, avoiding the sellers’ shouts as they tried to negotiate prices for objects and foods he had no intention of buying. The man stopped a few feet behind a stranger, eyeing the woman he was with and what they were buying but more specifically. 
“Hey, man.” 
“Huh, what?” Startled, the stranger faced Rafe and frowned. 
“Sorry. So sorry to bother you. Um…” He glanced to his left. 
“What’s up?” 
“I have the perfect… I have the perfect gift for your wife.” Rafe smiled the smile of a salesman. “It’s like a great price too.” 
“Yeah?” The stranger’s interest was piqued and he listened while Rafe gestured.
“So this, all through here,” he pointed to the line-up of shops on both sides. “is where all the tourists shop, but like the real deal is right back here.” He pointed to an alley behind him where a few forgotten stands were left. “It’s a great local spot.” 
“I don’t know, man.” The stranger said unconvinced glancing between his wife and the younger man. 
“Just trying to help you out. Just real quick. You wanna?” He whistled as he leaned backwards. 
“Okay.” 
“Yeah, yeah. It’s got, like, some of the best, like, custom jewelry on the island.” 
“Sounds good.”
“It’s incredible.” 
“Uh, just right back here.” 
In that moment, Rafe justified his actions by blaming the stranger… Because honestly, who the fuck follows a stranger in a tourist trap type of market on vacation, huh? 
Rafe emerged from the alley with a newly acquired hat and a nice, brown leather wallet that he pocketed quickly. With his new belongings, Rafe bought himself a boat ticket. 
The horn of the ship echoed through the marina. 
“All right. Come on, folks, all aboard to Guadeloupe.” Rafe grabbed the stolen ID out of the stolen wallet. “How you doing, boss?”
“Good. How are you?” 
“Living the dream.” The employee replied. “You got some sun since you took this photo, man. There you go, mister Tompkins.”
“Appreciate it.” Rafe smiled as he was handed back the card. 
“Enjoy Guadeloupe.” 
-
“So you sure you didn’t tell him where the diary is?” JJ asked Kiara who had taken over the boat’s helm. 
“I told him I’d seen it, but I didn’t tell him where.” JJ nodded as he swung himself over the railing. 
“So, why does Singh want it so much?” 
“Singh said that he thinks the diary has a clue to the location of some city of gold.” Kiara glanced down at JJ who had sat down with a sigh. “Like the gold on the Merchant was just a small part of it.”
“Okay, so the diary we have leads to a five hundred year old treasure that no one’s ever found?” JJ cocked his head to the side as his voice got higher with each word he said. 
“Pretty much.” 
“I’m in. It’s kind of like my best option at this point, so…” The blonde shrugged. “Definitely beats geometry class.” 
“Yeah, beats boarding school.” 
“I mean,” JJ groaned as he stood up to stand next to her. “I don’t even know what’ll happen when we get back to the OBX. Nothing good. I can tell you that. Nothing good.” He muttered. 
“Shit is going to suck for like a year.” Kiara added and JJ nodded. “We’re gonna be hit with everything that went on lately.” 
“At least you don’t got a restitution, though. No job. No parents. No-” He let his upper body lean forward, stretching his back. He shook his head clear and breathed out. “Yeah, arrows are going to be coming in hot.” He nodded under Kiara’s amused stare. “But you know what we do when arrows come flying?” He asked and a small smile pulled at her lips. “Bing. Ding, ding, ding!” The blonde moved, imaginary arrows flying past his head as he stopped them martial arts style before pulling himself up off the ground. “Ding!” 
“Uh, quick!” 
“And you shoot right back at them.” He added, pointing to the enemies he had made up in his head. “And that spear comes at you, you plant, grab, disarm, straight into the jugular, finish them off like-” He yelped as the invisible spear he armed himself with, won over his adversary. 
His feet moved around, ears caught the sound of the girl’s chuckle and he faced her before the boat hit something from underneath and both lost their balances. 
It took a split second for Kiara to hang onto JJ, pulling him closer to her and for JJ to hang onto the box surrounding the wheel. 
“Just one by one. We’ll defeat them all.” He finished his rambling before he became all too aware of the girl’s eyes on him. 
“You know whatever happens, we’re gonna handle it together.” She said, applying a small amount of pressure on the teenager’s side. “Like we’ve been doing this past month.” She trailed off as they leaned closer. 
“Kie.” JJ said in a tone that was meant to be perceived as a warning. Though he was extremely aware of his nerves at that moment, his mind and his heart had never given him more mixed signals. 
She might be okay. Might be waiting for you at home.
Or she’s on the ocean’s floor.
“Hey.” Pope spoke from the short flight of stairs and JJ’s head snapped to meet his friend’s gaze. Pope sighed, which was clearly noticed by the pair and JJ’s shoulders deflated. “Just wanted to let you guys know that we should probably stop for gas.” He informed them before pursing his lips together. 
“Pope, I, uh… Yeah. Uh…” JJ stuttered as a thousand thoughts fought in his brain. 
“Yeah.” The teenager chuckled humorlessly. 
“Pope. Hey, Pope.” JJ called out, knowing it would be to no avail. He stood there, rubbing his face and sighing. “Shit. I’ll talk to him.” Kiara nodded, deciding on looking out the horizon. 
Pope made his way to the lower level of the boat and he looked at where he arrived from and sighed. 
-
Docked at a more private part of the marina, the father and son pair were leaning on their knees staring at the storefront of an antiques boutique.
“Alright, so what’s the plan, Pop?” “Just like I said, Bird, just a little pit stop to get that thing I was telling you about. Then goodbye, Bridgetown.” The man said as he stared at his surroundings with caution. “Come on, partner. Back me up.”
“All right. Let’s make this quick.” John B sighed before following his father. 
The sun had fallen when John B and his father quietly made their way inside the shop. 
“What do we have here? God of Fire and War?” The store’s owner chuckled, he held up in the air a large coin that seemed to have been aged by time. “Significant piece.” He spared a glance in front of him where the two men peered around the corner, away from the main windows and curious eyes. The seller’s smile faltered and he faced the customer he was with, handing him back the coin. “Sorry. I have an appointment. Maybe another time.” 
“Dad, what are we doing?” John B whispered. 
“Gotta pick something up. It’ll only take a minute.” Big John smiled at the shop’s owner before calling out his name. “RJ.” 
“John.” he stated before he made his way to the pair. He held his hand out towards an adjacent room and nodded. “Please come.” 
“Long time.” The father pointed out. 
“Yeah, well, you’ve been sending your friend here in your place, been helping me a lot with sells and business. A real seller that one, real funny too.” 
“Huh, yeah.” John B frowned at his father’s response of lack thereof. 
“So, what are you doing here, John? What do you want? I know you sent your friend to look after me but I do not know why.” RJ turned around at the sound of a gun being loaded and he stared at the father and son with disappointment and John B noticed the lack of surprise. 
“Sorry for the strong arm, RJ, but we’re pressed for time.” Big John explained. “I can’t get bogged down in a protracted negotiation.”
“Really? You pull a gun on me?” He exhaled while unlocking a safe. “Your partner, who saved your life?”
“If you knew what happened, you wouldn’t hold it against me.”
“Mmh.” RJ scoffed. 
“And I knew you’d buck at the finish line. Just give me the piece.”
“Armed robbery? Really?” He questioned when he opened the safe. “It’s not robbery. The piece is mine. Ain’t that right, RJ?”
“I think an impartial judge would say the ownership is debatable.” RJ said as he moved aside to show that the safe was empty. 
“What?!” Big John shouted before he grabbed his former partner by the lapels of his shirt. “Where is it?”
“At this exact moment? I could not tell you, but I can promise you that it’s safer with her than here.” 
“How?” Big John almost groaned. 
“Unhand me, John.” RJ demanded and the father reluctantly listened. 
“You did warn me that your friend… Had a tendency to, how did you say?” 
“Fight or flight.” Big John spat
“You taught her well. She flew.” The man stated matter of factly. 
“That bitch.” Big John shouted before he shoved things off the desk and onto the floor. 
“I still want my cut. Don’t think I won’t come after you if I don’t get it.” 
“If I get my hands on her and everything works, you won’t have to sell a knockoff God of Fire and War again.” 
“Arjun! You here?” A voice called from the front of the store and RJ raised his hand to John’s chest, silencing him. 
“Wait, don’t move.” The seller shot one last glance to Big John before walking through curtains that led to the main part of the store. 
In the middle stood an exhausted looking Carlos Singh, rubbing his face as he exhaled. 
“Mr. Singh!” RJ said loud enough for the father and son to hear. 
“Shit.” Big John swore. 
“What a surprise!” The owner kept going with a small smile on his face. “How can I help you?”
“It’s always a pleasure to come into your shop, Arjun. You have such fine pieces, you know?” Singh glanced around the room. 
“I would love to show you around, but unfortunately, we’re closed.” Singh glanced at the men accompanying him and they shook their heads, unconvinced. 
“Oh, come on now, Arjun. Just a quick look around for your best customer, now.” 
“Of course.” The man nodded. 
“Dad, you need to talk to me. You need to talk to me right now.” John B whispered nervously to his father who nodded. 
“John B, we gotta get out of here now. Go over that window, now.” He pointed to a covered window behind them and John B moved. 
Big John listened in on Singh and Arjun’s conversation and stood watch while his son started to find a way out of there for them. John B started to sweat when the only words in his head were that he had to stay silent but he also had to get himself and his father out of there in one piece. He tried to move the small metal handle to open the window but it was stuck from layers and layers of paint over the lock and the opening. 
“Shit! It’s stuck!” 
The teenager looked around the room, his hazel eyes fell on a letter opener on a desk nearby and he almost jumped in celebration. Quickly, he grabbed the sharp object and jammed it into the sides of the window. 
“Shh!” Big John shushed loudly while John B’s fingers pulled the grill fencing from the window as quietly as he could. 
“I know the young man John B Routledge was seen with an older man close to here, and I thought to myself, you know, I thought, “Why would those two risk coming so close to downtown?”. A place with so many eyes.” John B and his father could hear Singh’s accusatory tone all the way in the back of the shop. 
“All right, coast is clear.” John B whispered after making sure the area right outside their exit was empty. 
“All right, we gotta go.” 
John B repeated the movement he had done too many times in the last few months; he pushed himself over the window frame, hitching a leg over it before he let himself fall on the wooden boxes and bags of trash. As soon as he was standing on his two feet, John B helped his father do the same, easing the landing for him. 
“Help me out. Help out your old man. Help me. Come on.” Big John demanded as soon as his back hit the ground. 
One of Singh’s guards was passing by while doing a parameter security check when his eyes landed on the pair. Quickly, he warned his colleagues, along with his boss who was in the middle of threatening the shop owner. It took a few seconds for the sounds of engines to hit the Johns’ ears. Their hearts started to race when bullets flew towards them, they glanced back before John B grabbed his father’s sleeve and pulled him with him… Both running for their lives. 
“Go! Go! Come on!” 
The ATV’s followed them through the alleys and down the marina. Faster than ever, John B untied the boat while his father turned the engine on. He had started to drive away just as his son jumped on the boat, slapped him on the shoulder and urged him on. 
“Faster! Faster!” 
“We’re out of there, John B! Let’s vámonos!”
John B watched the men get smaller and smaller as they got away into the night and a sigh of relief got out of him before he cast his eyes on his father… His father, who was alive. 
-
Pope was behind the wheel as he drove them through St. Kitts, carefully glancing at the three women chatting not far away. He heard JJ arrive behind him and he also noticed the few seconds of silence the blonde took to breathe before properly approaching his friend. 
“Almost to port, bro. Want to fill her up?” JJ asked as he kept a distance from the boy. “Need to get some food too.” JJ rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand before breathing in and turning around. “Hey Pope. Pope, look, man. Look, I know you think you saw something up here. Or maybe you did see something. I don’t know, but straight up, nothing actually happened.” JJ said while Pope was staring at Kiara over his shoulder. 
“You ain’t gotta lie to me.” Pope said softly with a shake of his head. 
“I’m not lying to you, Pope. Okay.” JJ exhaled. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. We’re Pogues. We do not lie to each other.” 
“It doesn’t matter, JJ.”
“Pope, I don’t want things to be weird between us, okay?” 
“Well, things aren’t weird.”
“They aren’t weird now?” “No, things aren’t weird.”
“Well, then, who’s lying right now?” JJ questioned. 
“If you’re asking me if I like it?” “Yeah.”
“No, it’s not my favorite thing ever, but I'm not gonna stop you.” Pope said before he got back behind the wheel. “I expected Kie to move on fast but not you.” He mumbled under his breath and JJ stared at him, raised eyebrows and hands on his hips. 
“What?” 
“Elizabeth Miller, remember her?” Pope taunted and JJ’s fists balled up. 
“The hell you talking about, man?” 
“You and her. I thought you guys were finally gonna be together and shit. I mean, Kie and I got together because of grief or something, maybe she pitied me but you and Ellie? That was a long time coming and I was sure after what happened last month that y’all were it.” JJ bit the inside of his cheek. “We’ve all been waiting for years for you two love struck idiots.” The teenager trailed off and JJ cracked his knuckles before shaking his head. 
“That’s none of your business, Pope.” The blonde sniffled. 
“Well, it was my business a month ago when I helped you for her gift but fine, yeah, okay. Like you said, JJ, deny, deny, deny.” Pope responded as he watched his friend jump down the short flight of stairs. 
-
“To life, living,” Big John started, bringing his and John B’s glasses together. “and the pursuit of… treasure.” He tilted his head to the side, he noticed the way his son’s quick smile didn’t really reach his eyes and he chuckled. 
“That’s a good one.” Together, they threw their heads back and let the liquid flow down to their stomachs, leaving behind it a burning sensation. Used to light beer, flavored vodka or the occasional stolen spirit John B coughed.
“Yeah, see, that’ll put hair on your chest there.” 
As he shook his head, John B picked up the picture of the stolen idol he and his father were supposed to pick up.
“So, what’s the deal with this whole big kahuna thing?” He asked, turning the picture around and showing it to his father. 
“Mmh.”
“I mean, how did you end up on Barbados?” 
“Well, same way you did and for the same reason too. The treasure and Carlos Singh.” They chuckled. “Yeah, I was marooned out on the Shoals for what felt like months, living on seaweed, sweat and rainwater, and fixed myself up to be crab food.” Big John explained. “Thought I was a goner. Singh must have tracked my boat, then his men showed up. He must have known I was onto something because they found me. At first, I thought I was being rescued. Turns out it was less of a rescue mission, more of a captivity-type deal. Yeah.”
Images of the events ran through the man’s mind and his son could see the way his eyes seemed to be moving quickly from left to right as if he was dreaming while being wide awake. 
“I didn’t go without a fight. We left one of his men behind, as I'm sure you’ve heard. Next thing I know, I’m being shipped off to Barbados. Singh’s place… They locked me up in some audacious estate surrounded by cane fields and armed guards.” He sighed. “And I meet this particular little man, Singh. He wants to cut a deal with me. He wants me to tell him everything I know in exchange for him keeping me alive. But it didn’t take long before I caught on to the game. So as soon as I got a chance, I took it. I got a little roughed up along the way, but I made it out. And not empty-handed. And here I am, back with my boy.” 
John B stared at his father strangely as a wave of mixed emotions filled him up, sure, he was happy and excited to be back with his father and soon he would be reunited with his family… But dread seemed to creep up in the back of his mind.
-
Docking in Basseterre, in St. Kitts, Pope and Cleo jumped out of the boat, leaving Kiara, JJ and Sarah to man the ship. 
“Let’s go find a corner shop. Gotta be one nearby.” Cleo stated before Pope nudged her and pointed to shops and lots of lights. 
They walked up to a little boardwalk, shops, restaurants and other touristy places on either side. 
“All right. Time to gain some provisions, yeah?” 
“So you’re just gonna walk in there and shoplift?” Pope questioned. 
“You got a pocketful of cash?” Pope stared at her, deadpanned before he faced the well lit facade. “So what? No snappy comeback? Come on. Come on, Gray Pipe.”
“Look, I ain’t got nothing. Okay? Go do your thing.” 
“Okay.” She raised her eyebrows, not liking the sudden change in her friend. “Stay quiet. Watch my back. Maybe this will cheer you up.” She winked before she started to walk, Pope a couple of feet behind her. 
The young woman walked in, hearing a man sing drunkenly a few aisles over before she saw an employee stacking a few things up behind the counter.
“Hey, bey, what’s going on?”
“Hey, sis.” He greeted her. 
“I looking for the pepper sauce. The Jamaican one.”
“Yeah. Got a pepper sauce there. Every one you want.” She pointed to the aisle to her right before smiling. 
“Hey. All right.”
“Enjoy your shopping.” He said. 
She went halfway down the aisle, far enough from the cashier before she turned around and instructed Pope to stay there and keep an eye on the employee. She made her way to the drunk, eyed his basket and knocked a pallet of canned tomato sauce over as a distraction. 
“The fucking-!” 
“What going on behind here, man?” The cashier called out when he heard the noise. “Excuse there, dude.” He moved past Pope and met up with the customer while Cleo slipped away. “Hey! Watch your step, friend.”
“It wasn’t me, mate.” 
“You is the only person here.”
“A woman came through and knocked it over.” 
While they were arguing, Cleo walked over to the end of the aisle, faced Pope who stood on the other end and she started to make her way towards him, stashing canned fruits, bagged snacks and whatever she could get her hands on. To say that Pope was impressed was an understatement and he knew JJ would be too in a few minutes. 
“You smell like a refinery, bruh.” 
“No, no!” The customer denied just as Cleo arrived at their level. 
“Hey, hey, hey, hey!” The cashier shouted when he saw how fuller the girl’s bag looked. “Hold it there, girl!” Cleo stopped and breathed in. “What you got inside this bag here, sis?” “What bag?” Cleo said, walking away. 
“This thing? Back there.” Pope started to freak out, he eyed the cans, the gardening tools before he set his sights on the paying customer’s basket of mangoes right beside his hand.
“What do–”
“Yo, man, you trying to sell my man bag mangoes?” He called out in an accent he hoped was similar to Cleo’s. 
“This mango was just picked, man.” The cashier shook his head. 
“You know that got the blight on it. I’ve been picking mangoes since I was a youth, and you know that’ll kill my man.” He explained, glancing between the two men, while Cleo rolled her eyes at the boy’s antics. “You eat this mango, it eat you. You end up like a sick hamster on your back, dirt on your shirt.” He lied while the seller spluttered, he tightened his hold on the fruit before lightly shoving the closest man away. In a split second, he and Cleo took off with their stolen merchandise. 
“Can’t believe you think I sound like that!” 
“Hey! You! Come back here! Hey, hey! Where do you think you’re going?” The man chased after them, but soon enough the little bell over the door rang and the two friends were running out of the shop. 
“I don’t know what’s worse. The sick hamster or that accent!” 
“You cannot be serious! Thieving rats!” The man cursed under his breath as he watched the two of them get smaller and smaller.
-
“Enough about me. I want to hear about you.” Big John stopped his storytelling and focused his attention on his son. “Who are you sweet on these days, huh?” The father raised his eyebrows. “I know there must be someone.”
“Yeah. Yeah. There’s, uh… there’s been some developments on that front.” Big John nodded, happy to know his son had found someone. “I’m married, Dad.” 
“You’re joking, right?” Big John struggled to get the words out between chuckles and pure shock and confusion. 
“No.” Once again, Big John’s head tilted to the side as he processed the information and poured himself another drink. 
“What, is she pregnant?” 
“No, no. God, no. No.” John B scratched his nose, nervously. “Yeah, I haven’t really had time for extracurricular activities.”
“You’re a little young, ain’t ya?” 
“I mean, you said it best. If it’s right, it’s right.” 
“Do I know her? Uh, who is she?” John B nodded at his father’s question before he cleared his throat. 
“Yeah. Yeah, you know her. Um…” He snorted before swallowing the bitter drink in one fell swoop. “It’s Sarah.” he said as soon as the glass met the table. “Cameron.” John B watched as his father took off his glasses and wiped down his face. 
“Ward’s daughter? The queen of Kildare.”
“Yeah.” 
John B sighed, the teenager hated the fact that his dad was bringing up the kook versus pogue thing or rather the Cameron versus Routledge rivalry. 
“You just can’t do things the easy way, can you? A nice girl like Robin's daughter, no?”
“God, no, Dad… She- she’s like a sister and her and JJ got a thing.”
“Yeah, still?” John B nodded. “That’s nice.” The adult feigned innocence. 
“Yeah, it is.” 
“They’re good for each other, yeah?” John B agreed as he could remember the blushing on Ellie’s cheeks or the way JJ had always dropped everything the second she needed him. “Are you mad? About Sarah?” 
“That you went for the big prize? Nah.” He chuckled. “How could I be mad about that?” They clinked their glasses together. “Congratulations.” 
-
Pope and Cleo were sitting on a wooden bench, the air was fresh and crisp… The wind made the trees, grass blades and the flowers behind them swing softly from left to right. They could hear the night life of the small town from where they were. Cleo glanced to her right at her friend who seemed far in his mind. The young woman put a smile on her lips, rummaged through their findings and pulled out a bag of shelled peanuts.
“Jackpot.” She shook the bag near him and he ignored her. “Why you wybe so sorry, bey?” she questioned while her hands moved to free the nut from its shell. He glanced at her and what she was doing and she raised her eyebrows. “Is it what happened between you and JJ earlier, right?”
“No.”
She relaxed her face and stared at him unconvinced. 
“Come on.” She dragged the word as she shook her head. “No need to tell a fib. We all see what’s happening here.” Pope nodded ever so slightly and breathed in deeply as he leaned his head back. 
“When we were coming into port, I went up to let JJ and Kiara know we were pulling in, and I saw them about to …” He trailed off as he acted out with his hands two people leaning in. 
“And you two were together before, right?” 
“For like a night.” He replied almost bitterly. 
“Then Kiara gave you the boot.” Cleo chuckled before she was on the receiving end of Pope’s glare. “Sorry. Just how I heard it. So what? Same thing happened to me. There was this bad man back on my island. Taught me how to survive on a street.” She started with a somewhat nostalgic smile. “Best thief I ever seen. I mean, a true master. I fell for him.” She raised an eyebrow as a scoff left her. “Turns out he was stealing from me too, and I felt like an idiot. Love. Better let it go. Shut that shit down, Pipe. Cold turkey.” 
“That works for you?” 
“I mean, do you see me with my face all long, thinking about someone who’s not thinking about me?” He didn’t answer, simply sat with his back rounded as his elbows sat on his thighs. “You and me have the same problem. Tried love once, and it didn’t work out. We should start a club. Call it the No Love Club.”
“What?” he chuckled. 
“The No Love Club.”
“That’s so corny.”
“Oh, come on, think about it!”
“Cold turkey from all the obsessive thoughts, huh?” He questioned and she shrugged. “It’s gonna be hard. I have a lot of obsessive thoughts.”
“I noticed.” She teased. “Well, feelings pass like the tide.”
“I’m down.” Cleo smiled at Pope slightly surprised. “I’m down. Let’s do it. No Love Club.”
“All right!” Cleo pushed off her knees and stood up in front of Pope. “Well, I guess we got to come up with a handshake, right?” 
“A handshake?” Pope said as he grabbed a fist full of nuts. 
“I’ll show you.” 
They slapped the palms and the backs of their hands together twice before Cleo formed a heart with her indexes and thumbs. With a chuckle, Pope mirrored her as she separated the heart, hugged herself, moved her index from left to right before she rocked her shoulders. 
“I’ll teach you some rhythm.”
“Okay, I like it.” 
“There you go! You got some rhythm. There’s hope for you after all.” The young woman chuckled. 
Back on the road, making their way home, the Pogues split up with Kiara at the helm. 
JJ glanced at the pair made up of Cleo and Pope as they laughed… The teenager clinked the outside of his ring against his two front teeth as he thought of Pope’s earlier words, what had almost happened between him and Kiara and the lump in his throat betrayed the feeling of guilt he’d been trying to suppress. 
“Elizabeth Miller, remember her?” Pope taunted and JJ’s fists balled up. 
“The hell you talking about, man?” 
“You and her. I thought you guys were finally gonna be together and shit. I mean, Kie and I got together because of grief or something, maybe she pitied me but you and Ellie? That was a long time coming and I was sure after what happened last month that y’all were it.” JJ bit the inside of his cheek. “We’ve all been waiting for years for you two love struck idiots.” The teenager trailed off and JJ cracked his knuckles before shaking his head. 
“That’s none of your business, Pope.” The blonde sniffled. 
Because in every way that mattered, Pope was right. 
-
John B stared at his father with a light-hearted feeling. Soon enough, he’d be reunited with his friends and his father was alive. The only thing missing was the short brunette he’d seen a mirage of earlier. 
“Hey, Birdy Boy.” Big John said as he glanced at his son and the teenager made his way to his father. “See, most people think the Golden City is here up above the Orinoco Basin.” The father pointed to a small dot on a map. “That Spanish ship, the one with the cross and the gold.”
“Yeah. The San Jose.”
“They were rumored to have found El Dorado. That’s where all the gold came from. And this stone piece that the kid stole” John B grabbed the picture his dad had photographed. “ is supposedly what led them to El Dorado. Now the captain of the San Jose wanted to be the only one who knew how to get there, so he dug it up out of the jungle, kept it with him.” John B listened to his father as he watched absentmindedly the ripples and small waves of the ocean. “At least that’s the story. So the idea is, if you can translate this stone piece, then boom, it tells you how to get there.”
“Um, I- that little stone piece is broken. You got another photo?” The son asked and John groaned. 
“Singh thinks that the diary holds a clue to the missing piece. I think he’s probably right.”
“Yep.”
“Only one way to find out. This is the big one, kid. I’ve been obsessed with this since I was your age, going out into the blank spaces, hunting for treasure, and finding it.” The pair chuckled. “But as I got older, I began to think that all those spaces had been filled in, that there was nothing left to discover. ‘Till I got on this. I’ve been dreaming about this my whole life. We find that diary, the idol, boy we decipher those scribblings… and we’ll be on our way to El Dorado.” 
The father and son flinched when the sound of water crashing against itself broke the silence of nature. They turned around just in time to see a whale break through the surface of the water as it blew out the accumulated air into the night sky. 
“Whoa!” 
“Look at that beauty! There she blows!” Big John laughed while his son stared in amazement. 
“Holy shit. That’s amazing.” Their faces showed clear happiness and surprise as the mammal vocalized loudly. 
“Sure is! It’s a sign, Bird. Wow…” The two shared a look, an inspired and determined look. “We’re gonna find it… Together.” John B nodded, his father’s words echoing in his head as they clinked the necks of their bottles together. 
-
A few hours earlier, when the sun still shone bright in Guadeloupe, Rafe joined his father on the balcony of their rental house. 
“Listen, I understand the risks involved with selling the cross, okay? I saw an opportunity and I took it. That’s it. You know, and I thought you would wake up, and I would tell you that it was taken care of. And I don’t know, maybe you’d be proud of me or something, because I’m the one who brought it home. I did it.” His feet anxiously moved around making the young adult fidget. 
“Jesus, Rafe.” Ward sighed while his son rambled.
“Now I feel like an idiot.”
“Rafe, stop it!” 
“No, I- I am.”
“You’re not an idiot. Are you–”
“I feel like and idiot, and–” Rafe avoided his father’s gaze as his shoulders were hunched over. 
“I went down, and you stepped up. I’m just glad you’re okay, you understand?” Ward looked up at his son. “Hey!” Rafe exhaled, his shoulders visibly going down as his breathing slowed. 
“Yeah.”
“It’s your first big deal, all right? I remember mine. It didn’t go well either.” The father leaned forward, holding onto his cane. “I could have told you, it’s Barbados. Carlos Singh does what he wants there.” Rafe sighed, feeling defeated. He sniffled, before he wiped his nose on the sleeve of his striped shirt. 
“Yeah.” The son joined his father, both of them sitting on the dark green adirondack chairs. 
“There’s something I need you to do for me right now, okay?” Rafe looked up from his hands, limbs that sat on his thighs.
“Name it.” 
“I need you to go back to the Outer Banks. Kildare.” Rafe stared at his father, waiting a few seconds for him to elaborate, to explain. 
“Why?” 
“There’s nothing there for us, not anymore. I need you to wrap everything up for me, all right? I need you to sell the businesses, sell the rental properties.” Ward looked at his son as his eyes seemed to turn glassy from tears filled with memories of the past. “I need you to sell Tannyhill.”
“Wait,” Rafe spluttered, trying to find the words. “Wait, we’re selling Tannyhill? Is that what you said?” 
“Yeah.” Ward nodded, his voice quiet. 
“Wh- wha- why? What are you talking about?” 
“It’s not our home anymore.” He cast a glance at their surroundings; the beach, the house, the nearby cluster of trees. “This is. This is our home now. And it’s a clean state.” Ward stated after leaning back against the chair. “It’s a new beginning, a new path. And I need you to take a bigger role, all right?” Ward tilted his head to the left, waiting for a response from his son. “Can I count on you for that? Yeah?”
“Of course, yes. Of course, Dad.” Rafe nodded with vigor. The previous feeling of failure that overwhelmed him had been forgotten as his father bestowed an important task upon him. 
“Yeah, all right, good. Listen, I got some papers inside. I’m gonna bring them. We’re gonna go over them. Tell you what to do and while you’re gone, I am going to be taking that cross and looking into it.” Rafe helped his father up as the older man still struggled after his most recent injuries ,injuries that worsened the ones he'd been given on the boat over a month ago. “We have that cross because of you. You got it for us, and you saved it. I just need you to be careful. You get in there, handle this business, and you get back here safely. All right? You’re a Cameron.” Ward patted the side of his son’s face affectionately, noticing the emotion that seemed to have taken over his eyes. “That still means something.” 
Rafe stood there, gears moving in his head as he watched his father limp away with his cane. 
“I’m a Cameron.” He mumbled before facing the never ending ocean in front of their house. 
-
The sun had been up in the sky for a mere hour before the Routledges arrived home. Big John waited on the deck while John B finished tying off the ropes to it. 
“I gotta admit.” John B glanced up at his dad when he spoke. “It’s good to be back.” 
The familiar noises of the early morning, noises that neither of them ever thought they’d miss. The man chuckled before he cheered, finally able to be home after so long.
“Would you look at this place!” Big John ran up the deck, John B kept his eyes on his old man as it felt strange to him to see his father back home. “Oh, wow! You know, I never thought I’d miss this place so much!” He shouted with a face splitting smile on his lips. 
Just as his son joined him, Big John rang the old and rusted bronze bell and cast a glance to his son. 
“Bring it on in, son. Bring it on home.” John B nodded with a sniffle before he released a breathy laugh. “I sure have missed this place.” 
“Yeah, me too.”
“Huh.” The teenager turned around wondering what his father had seen to make this noise. When his eyes fell on the engraved tree bark, he bit the inside of his cheek and walked to stand by his father’s side. 
“Check it out.” He pointed with a nervous but amused smile. “Got my own headstone.” 
“Would you ever give me one of those?” 
“Never.” Putting his hand on his father’s shoulder, John B breathed out as if the weight of the world had partially fallen off his shoulders. “Welcome home, Pops.” 
“Thanks, kid.”
“Come on.” They started to walk up to the balcony and the house. “Stand out here and get bit by mosquitoes this whole damn time, or you wanna go inside?” 
“I missed the mosquitoes, believe it or not.” Big John grabbed his son and pulled him to his side before he raised an arm and laughed. 
-
A little later, after the sun had gone, Big John and his son settled down for the night, one on the sofa in the living room whilst the younger of the two laid down on the couch that had been placed on the porch years ago. 
“I don’t know why in the hell you wouldn’t wanna sleep on the porch couch when it’s so much cooler in here.”
“Yeah,” John B let out a breathy chuckle. “it’s hot tonight.” 
“Yeah, I don’t know how you survived the summer with no electricity.” The father mumbled when the wind from the fan reached him.
“We weren’t home exactly this summer with us being chased all around the island and then being stranded on a deserted island for a little longer than we thought.”
“Yeah, I guess that is an excuse. Let’s just be glad that we still had that generator from Robin.” 
They stayed silent for a little while, listening to the insects chirping, the flap of the birds’ wings, croaking from a frog’s throat and the sounds of the marsh that always lulled the small family to sleep. 
“Hey, John B, you…” Big John started as he scratched the back of his neck. “you know where… where that diary is, right?” 
“Well, we have a copy.” John B said with slow nods. “And it’s in the Twinkie, which is probably in the impound lot with the police.” His father closed his eyes, the gears in his head already running. “Gotta figure that one out.”
“Yeah.”
A few seconds passed before the teenager called his father. 
“Hey, Pop?” 
“Yeah, kid?” “Remember the last time we were together? We had that argument?” “Yeah.” Big John breathed in deeply. “Yeah, a real knock-down-drag-out.” The father stared at his son through the large living room window before a relaxed smile settled on his lips. 
“Yeah.” John B felt the unshed tears accumulating in the corners of his eyes and he scrunched up his nose. “I shouldn’t have said that. You’re not the worst father ever.” His words made Big John scoff.
“No shit, Sherlock.” 
They stared at each other, finally home, finally safe and with each other. 
“Love you, Pops.”
“I love you, Bird.”
“Enough of this sappy shit. Let’s get to bed.”
“Sleep soundly.” Big John said and John B blew out the candle.
John B woke up with a startle in the middle of the night, a gasp left his mouth as he sat up straight. 
“Dad?” He called in the dark night, he glanced to his right to see that the sofa on which his dad was, was empty. 
He frowned, a lump in his throat when he heard commotion. So, slowly he followed the noise; noise that turned distant clattering into objects crashing and breaking and indistinct shouting. 
“Dad?” He walked around the porch and to its door and he saw from afar that the lights were on in their newly acquired boat.
He let the porch door slam against the frame and made his way down to the source of the noise. He squinted when he saw something on the edge of the deck’s railing. Quietly he reached out and grabbed the heavy object.
“The Idol.” He mumbled to himself, remembering the pictures his father showed him. 
John B looked up when he heard shouting coming from the boat
“Calm down, we can talk about this!” The teenager recognized his father’s voice when he approached. 
“Tell me where El Dorado is, John!” And Singh’s too. “I know you know!”
Singh held John’s shirt collar tightly watching the man’s face turn a deep red as he shouted and threatened him with a red mallet. 
“Hey!” 
“John B!” His son’s voice sent the father into a panic and he tried to free himself when his son jumped in the boat. 
Knowing he would be overpowered quickly, Singh rushed to the teenager, dug his nails deep in the back of his neck before throwing the taller young man to the ground. 
“This is not the end, John! I’ll see you in hell!” Singh shouted before he ran away. 
John B scrambled to his feet to make sure the man had gone away. Once out of sight, he let his body relax and he made his way downstairs to check up on his father. His heart dropped in his stomach when he was shoved against a door, his father’s eyes full of hatred and disgust before Big John easily wrapped his two hands around his neck. 
“This is your fault.” Big John seethed, ignoring the marks his son left on his hands and arms as he tried to free himself. “You did this.” 
The teenager shouted so loud, whole body trashed against the blonde’s soft caress. Once again, his eyes shot open, almost coming out of their sockets as he gasped for air. He flinched when once again, Sarah put a soft hand on his cheek. 
“Hey.” She greeted, though she was worried. “Hi.” 
Seeing her in front of him and feeling her hands on his clammy skin, the teenager felt himself breathe as he fought the images still present in his head. 
“Sarah?” his lip trembled as he spoke her name. 
“Hi.” She chuckled, lovingly pushing back the hair that’d stuck to his sweaty forehead. 
“It’s you. You’re here.” She nodded breathlessly. “Oh my God. Oh my God.” He whispered as realization hit him that it meant she and their friends were back home and safe. 
“Hi. Hi, hi, hi.” She repeated before she wrapped her arms around him. The girl could feel how tight the grip he had on her was and she reciprocated the strength. “It’s okay, you’re okay. Hi, hi.” She spoke sweetly, pressing a few kisses up and down the side of his face. “You’re home. You’re safe. We made it back.” 
“I missed you. Oh my God.”
“I’m here. I know.” She pulled back reluctantly. “I’m so sorry we left. I am so sorry.” Sarah cupped John B’s jaw with her hands, thumbs caressing his cheeks and he blinked, slowly. “They just dropped me off. I didn’t even know if you’d be here. We literally couldn’t hear anything on the phone.”
“Wait, what?” He shook his head. “You couldn’t hear anything?” 
“No, just that we should come back to OBX, but that’s it. What happened? Was it her?”
“So, you don’t know.” He stated, and she frowned. “Oh my God, you don’t-” He started, eyes flitting between hers and inside the house. 
“Know what?” She questioned, worry building up in her stomach. 
“Sarah. He’s alive. My dad’s alive.” He announced and she frowned before chuckling unconvinced. “And he’s here right now. Look.” The couple turned to glance through the window and see an empty bed. John B shut his eyes and shook his head before glancing back at her. “No, he was just right there. Sarah, I swear to God, he was. He was here. Dad!” 
“John B.” Sarah said quietly. 
“No, no, Sarah. Hey. Look, I… I promise he’s here.” He swung his legs off the couch and stood up. “Give me one second. Dad!” 
“Hey, um–” Sarah looked up at the man she loved, fully worried after how she’d found him and how he was acting now. 
“No, no, hold on. I promise you. Hold on.” He left the porch, the door slamming loudly against the framing and she bit the inside of her cheek. “Dad! Hey, Dad!” She stared as he kept running around calling out for his father. 
Without a word to him, she pushed off the couch and walked inside the house. She made herself at home; cleaning whatever they had left behind that’d gained a weird color or smell, she opened the windows, letting the fresh air in.
“Hey,” he mumbled once he stepped into the Chateau. She threw a smile his way before a frown dug itself a place on her forehead. “What?” 
“You got messages.” She shrugged seeing the number seven on the old machine. 
“Where?” 
“Phone…” She pointed and he joined her, a hand to the small of her back before he clicked the button. 
Their eyes filled with water as soon as the first word got out of the caller’s mouth. Messages, after messages they felt a lump lodging itself in their throats. Sarah had tears staining her tanned skin while John B’s eyes turned a violent red from holding back the emotion in. 
“It’s the last one.” The teenager said before he pressed the button for the seventh time. 
“Hey, johnny… It’s me. Look, I’m in trouble and- I don’t know if or when I’ll see you again but, your dad’s alive, okay? I’ve been staying with him the past few days and we’re in Barbados and- fuck! Shit, I gotta go. Tell J-” 
“Shit!” John B shouted before he slammed his fist in the wall. “She told me! She told me when we were on the boat to check my messages!” He swore. 
“Enough! Enough!” Sarah said, grabbing his arm. “What are you talking about?” 
“When we were little, we used to leave messages on each other’s voicemail whenever we were out and about with our parents and shit.” He trailed off in thought before he chuckled. “We’d just tell each other about our days and stuff.” 
“That’s nice.” She said sweetly, she rubbed his back and sighed. 
“Why didn’t my father tell me they were together?” 
“I don’t know, John B… But it confirms one thing.”
“What?” 
“That was her at the marina.” 
“Shit.” He swore, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. 
-
Big John had woken up before the sun did and he grabbed his bag, just in case things turned to shit during his short errand. The man walked through the town, his head low so as to not attract too much attention because legally, he had been declared dead… 
Soon enough, he arrived at the city’s impound lot and he started his search for the Twinkie. 
“Okay,” he mumbled, walking by a dozen cars. “It’s gotta be here somewhere.” He crouched down, hiding, thinking that he had heard something from the entrance gate. “There you are, girl.” He nodded when he turned around and recognized the van a few feet ahead.  He made sure the path was clear before jogging to it. “Okay, yeah.” He approached the vehicle when a frown appeared on his face. “Oh no. Oh god, the window.” He reached through the open window of the passenger door and unlocked the sliding door. “Come on, ol’ girl.” he grunted, pulling harshly on the rusty handle. 
The door squeaked open and John grimaced when murky and slimy water dripped off the soaked carpet. His hazel eyes scanned the damages done to the inside of the van and he shook his head. Right there on the seat, soggier than ever was a pile of paper. 
“No.” He leaned forward and grabbed it, trying to shake off the excess water. “No, no, no, this can’t be the diary. No, no.” He carried it out of the van, trying to separate the sheets. “There’s gotta be something here. Shit.” He panted as a lump formed in his throat. “No!” He screamed before throwing the pile on the ground. In a fit of rage, he kicked the van again and again but stopped when he realized how loud he was being. 
-
Sarah followed after John B as he ran outside, balled up fists and anger coursing through his veins. 
“He was here, I swear he was here.” 
“John B–”
“No, I swear, he was here, all right?” 
“Okay. John B I trust you.” She said softly, watching her agitated boyfriend pace in the yard. 
“There’s the boat right there. How else could I have gotten a boat like that? And he was sleeping inside right there.”
“It’s okay, John B, I believe you!” She walked to him and cupped his face. “I believe you.” She repeated. 
“But where is he?” 
“Right here, Bird.” Big John said as he appeared from behind the shack. 
John B felt relieved and Sarah… Sarah gasped. She believed him when he said his dad was here and she did even more when they heard Elizabeth’s voice say that Big John was alive but seeing him, flesh and blood and walking towards her was something else. 
“Shit.” She whispered, staring at John B with her eyes opened wide and he chuckled. 
“Hello, Sarah.” The father greeted enthusiastically. 
“Oh my god.” Her gaze kept nervously moving between the son and the father. Her hand moved to her chest and she could feel the intensity of her heartbeat under her fingertips. 
“Come on, Sarah.” The father said quietly, his arms opened wide. 
“Oh my god!” She nodded as he wrapped his arms around her. 
“Or should I say Mrs. Routledge?” He suggested, throwing a look at his son. “Welcome to the family, Sarah.” John B stared at the image in front of him with fondness in his heart but he still felt a certain itching in the back of his mind. 
“Where the hell did you go?”
“Sorry.” Sarah sobbed. “I can’t-” She turned to her boyfriend, shock written all over her features. 
“Come on, son. It’s a day of celebration.” Big John wrapped an arm around his son’s girlfriend’s shoulders. “Bring it on in, boy.” 
“I can’t… I can’t believe it.”
-
They had talked about it on the way home and though Cleo wasn’t entirely convinced Pope had made his decision, he’d ask his parents to house Cleo. 
“Welcome to the Outer Banks, Cleo.”
“You’re crazy, Pope.” Cleo shook her head and shared a look with Kiara. “You parents are not going to appreciate me shacking up.”
“Of course they will. Are you kidding?” Pope reached forward and poked the girl’s shoulder blade. “Heyward might put you to work, but we could always use the help.”
“I don’t know, man. You sure?” 
“Yeah, look, he might squawk a little bit, but let me talk to him.” Pope nodded, his hand on Cleo’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out.” 
The group walked for a little bit, not even five minutes as they made it to Kiara’s house. 
“This is me.” the teenage girl exhaled. “Home sweet home.” The latch was pulled on the fence and while JJ was having an internal existential crisis about being back on the island and what happened on the boat, Cleo looked around, amazed. 
“Damn, Kiara. You live here?” The newcomer gazed at the backyard, the house, the trees, everything and Kiara led the group with only a pout on her face. “This is like the White House, man.” 
“How bad you think it’s gonna be?”
“Scale of one to ten? Twenty.” Kiara stopped at the first step, taking a moment to ready herself. 
“Do you want us to hold up here?” 
“No, I, … I gotta take this. Thanks for walking me.” She tucked her hair behind her ears, glancing to the blonde who had refused to have eye contact with her since the night before. 
She stopped, three steps left to go before she’d reach the balcony. “Bye Jayj.” The blonde nodded, head still hung low as he tore apart a little stick that he plucked from a tree. 
Alone, Kiara walked to the doors, she felt nervous, scared. She wrapped her fingers around the handle and turned it only to find it locked, she frowned. Her forehead touched the windows, hands creating shadow around her face so she could see the inside of her house properly. 
She knocked. 
Moving away from the door for a half second, she took a breath and a dozen scenarios rushed through her head. Kiara heard her mother’s voice through the door and she felt a slight pinch in her chest. 
“I have to call you back.” Her mother said as soon as Kiara turned to face the door. Sobs racked through their bodies.
“Hey, Mom.” the girl sobbed before her mother wrapped her in her arms. “I’m really sorry.” she cried, tears falling down her mother’s face. 
“Oh my god.” Anna pressed her forehead against her daughter’s. “Are you okay?” She asked, squishing her only child’s head between her two hands. Kiara nodded. “Mike!” 
“I’m okay, I’m okay. I promise.” She heard her father’s stomp coming down the stairs and the familiarity of the rhythm made her sob. 
When Mike’s eyes fell on his little girl, he ran and wrapped his arms around her. 
“Dad.” She cries, burying her nose in his shoulder and inhaling his scent. “I’m sorry.” she cried, sandwiched between her two parents. 
-
At the Heywards, Cleo watched from afar. As soon as his father had come out to sweep the terrasse and his eyes fell on his son, the broom was forgotten as he shouted his wife’s name. Pope cried when his father stood still, watching his son and he cried when his mother came out sobbing… Cleo had to wipe a tear or two that fell on her cheek as she watched the reunion. Soon enough, just like Kiara, Pope was sandwiched between his two parents. 
“I’m so sorry.” He said once they started to pull away. 
“You apologize tomorrow.” His mother shook her head, pressing kisses to her boy’s skin. 
Pope introduced Cleo to his parents as he roughly explained to them what had happened. 
“She was on the container ship with us, okay? She got stranded on the island with us. She saved my life, and we can help her now. Please.” He begged his parents who shared a glance. 
Without a word but with a smile gracing her lips, Cleo extended her hand out towards Pope’s dad who grabbed and shook it. 
“Welcome to the OBX, Cleo.” his father mumbled. 
-
With Cleo and Pope, he had dropped Kiara home on Figure Eight, then he dropped Pope and Cleo off at Heyward’s and finally he stepped on the yellow grass that served him as a front yard. The blonde looked at the yellow house and stopped in his tracks… 
Alone, he was truly and well alone. 
And so, reluctantly, he walked to the front door, frowning when he saw the yellow police tape making the letter x on the green front door. 
Eviction Notice
It had to happen one day, he thought. 
He wrapped both hands around the rusty handle and twisted it only to find it locked. JJ noticed the padlock screwed into the doorframe and the door and he let out a frustrated sigh, pulling at his roots as he thought of a solution. 
He made his way around the house, and onto the porch before looking for a window he was sure was opened. 
The kitchen window was wide open, chipped and scratched off paint was on the sill as if it had been forced open. JJ pulled himself through the opening, tossing old frozen pizza boxes and beer cans on the ground and out of his way. He got on his two feet, picked up a can of beer that he shook, realizing it was empty before he chucked it with the others. 
The blonde walked around the main room when his eyes fell on an unopened can of beer. He chuckled quietly, picked up the can, let his body fall backwards on the couch and he pulled the tab. He ran a hand through his hair and rubbed his neck, chuckling humorlessly at the thought of his lost necklace and lost girl. 
He was sitting low on the cushion, head thrown back against the back of the couch and he sighed. JJ closed his eyes for a few minutes, peeking one eye open when he heard something coming from what he thought was outside the house so he shook it off and took a sip from his warm beer. He flinched when he recognized the creaking of the drawer on his dresser. A frown appeared on his face and he sniffled, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shook his head. He sat up straight when he heard movement coming from the hallway. 
“What the fu-” he whispered. 
The blonde left the beer on the table, glanced at the empty hallway before grabbing the baseball bat his dad kept above the fireplace. He tightened his fist around it as he walked closer and closer to the noise. His dad’s door was completely opened and an odor came from it and so JJ leaned forward and closed it with a soft click. His room was the last of the short hallway and he could see from the slight opening shadows moving around the room. He could feel his heart hammer in his chest and he blinked a dozen times before stepping closer, the old wooden floor creaked under his weight as he shifted around.  
He pushed the door open slowly, the hinges, old and rusty announced his arrival and in the split second it took him to look up from the ground he was met with the barrel of a gun pointed at his head and he closed his eyes for a split second barely registering the intruder’s face. 
His heart started to hammer violently in his chest, the hair on the back of his neck stood up and he inhaled sharply.
You’ll still be the one thing I’ll worry most about.
That was one of the last things he said to Elizabeth and the last time he was close enough to smell her perfume.
 His eyes fluttered as they opened, fighting the tears that threatened to violently fall down his face and he started to feel lightheaded. His hands started to shake as he took in the sight in front of him. 
The firearm now away from his face he analyzed, looking for any injuries, any changes.
Without much thinking he reached forward, grabbing the material of the sweatshirt and he fisted it harshly before their bodies collided. He pulled away just enough to look at her and their foreheads touched. 
“Elizabeth.” He mumbled just as his knees hit the ground.
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r0s3mm · 1 month
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Harsh Descent 2 Reality // Outer Banks series
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Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
A/N:  episode deux y'all!!! there are swear words, nothing that isn't initially in obx i think. look at me posting weekly.
anyways, yea, enjoy, pls comment and like and reblog maybe even? i wanna read your every thoughts
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“Hey! Hey! We’re here!” they shouted, raising their arms in the sky. “Hey, we’re down here! Help us!” “Look. He’s turning around.” “He sees us. Guys he sees us!” “He’s gonna go to the pond. Come on, come on. Come on!” 
Sarah and John B started running, hearts in their throats, trying to reach Cleo and Pope while it took Kiara and JJ a few more seconds. The pilot quickly landed in a shallow body of water before opening the door to greet the survivors. 
“We did it!” Cleo shouted once they were faced with the man. “Hello, hello.”“Hey there.” “We’re finally getting out of here.” Pope celebrated, while Sarah stared at the man warily. “Well, well, well.. Who do we got here?”“You know, just some castaways.”“Well, I’ll cross that off the grocery list.” The pilot joked. “Uh, hang on. I got just the thing for y’all. Just one second.”“Hey, no. Look at this guy! You think he works for you dad?” “Two things you need on a deserted island.” The man said as he grabbed a bottle and first aid kit out of his plane. “It’s okay.” John B tried to reassure Sarah. “First aid and rum! Incoming!” he said before throwing the bottle towards Sarah and Kie who simply stared at it as it fell in the water. The first aid kit fell in Pope’s hands. “So, what’s the story? You guys sank a boat?”“Uh, jumped off one.” John B said hesitantly. “Her dad’s.” He added, receiving a glare from Sarah who just recovered the bottle of rum from the water. “In-laws, man. They’re tough. Well, have no fear. Jimmy’s here. I got you.” The pilot said with a smile. “Well, all hail Jimmy, guys! Let’s go!” Cleo slapped John B’s shoulders. “Welcome aboard the flying fish y’all! I’m Jimmy Portis. I’ll be your captain today.” Jimmy said as he helped them up. “Is this all. Six of you?” He asked counting the last two that seemed reluctant in jumping on. “Uh, yeah. That too heavy?” “Nah. Uh, technically maybe but i think old Fish here’ll probably be okay. We could always throw somebody overboard, right?” He said and Kiara scoffed. “That’s a lot of probably’s, reassuring.” “See you, island!” Cleo shouted before leaving it behind. JJ crouched forward, throwing one last look behind him before he walked ahead of Kiara, gesturing for her to follow him. “Come on, it’s okay.” Jimmy encouraged them. “I got it.” 
Kiara stalled for a few seconds. Feeling her heartbeat against her ribcage. 
“Bye island paradise.” She said before getting on the plane and sitting down.
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Jimmy Portis, pilot and savior extraordinaire, followed into the plane after the teenager. He sat in his seat, buckled in, put on his headset and started the engine. 
“So, what were you doing all the way out here?” JJ, suspicious as always,  asked on behalf of himself and his friends. “I got a little guide outfit in Saint Vincent. I was spotting fish.” “What were you spotting?” “You know, the usual. Wahoo.” John B, who had been listening in on their conversation stopped his scrutinizing of the plane, his thoughts moved around in his brain. The teenager moved ever so slightly, shook his head and shared a look with his best friend.
Something was wrong. 
“I’d hang on to something. Gets a little spicy on takeoff.” Portis warned and they sent him quick, tight lipped and polite smiles. 
One after the other they wrapped their hands on straps that were hung on the walls as the plane struggled to take off. 
-GUADELOUPE-
In a house, near the beach, lived the Cameron’s. Beautiful foliage surrounded the mansion and all the windows were opened, letting the breeze in. 
“Doc said you’re doing good and getting better.” Rafe spoke to his father who laid unconscious in the bed. “That you’re lucky after everything you’ve been through.” He leaned forward, his forearm fell on his knee and his features hardened. “Don’t worry, in the meantime, I’m already taking care of business. I’ve almost got the new papers ready, you know? Passports, bank accounts. I found someone to stay with them at all times. I got this, okay? Just like you taught me. I got it all planned out. All right, I do. Not Rose, she doesn't know what the hell she's doing. Listen, the gold’s in the vault. Just like you left it, and I'm gonna deal with the cross. Okay? You’ll see for yourself when you wake up.” He softly patted his father’s chest as a way to say goodbye before he stood and walked out, his steps muted by the cream colored carpet that fit with the cream colored theme of the room. - The engine of the plane was loud and overwhelming for the teenagers that’d gotten used to the soft sounds of waves and birds and wind. 
“... one-niner-four-six. This is tower operator on the mainland.” A man said in the pilot’s headset. “Vector 705. Maintain altitude through 1K…” “Wahoo don’t run in October.” JJ told them quietly though the pilot couldn’t hear over the plane’s noises. “Ever. All right? So whoever this man is, he’s not a fisherman.” 
The Pogues shared looks of uncertainty, starting to think they had, once again, embarked upon an unwanted adventure. 
“Maybe the run just starts earlier out here.” Pope suggested. “Are you sure about that? In the Caribbean?” “No, I know what this is.” Sarah spoke up. “He’s working for my dad, and he’s probably been looking for us the entire time.” “All right, we gotta find out.” JJ took a few seconds to breathe. “Start looking for some sort of… clues.” he finished, eyes set on the bag the pilot had around his seat. 
JJ and John B stared at each other while the blonde sat with his back against the back of the co-pilot seat. John B leaned to his left, getting as close as possible to the pilot. 
“Hey, Jimmy.” John B cleared his throat. “Yeah. What’s up?” “How long you had this bird?” “Oh, about ten years now.” JJ moved his right hand to the bag, swiftly slipped his hand under the flap of the bag, fingers grabbing onto different objects. “How long you been flying?” “I’ve been flying all my life.” Pope grabbed the books, pictures and papers JJ had grabbed from the bag. “Uh, who’s that lovely lady right there?” Portis glanced to his left, seeing the picture John B seemed to point to. “That right there?” he chuckled. “That’s Cynthia. Yeah.” “Cynthia?” 
V.S.Naipaul’s The Loss of El Dorado was between JJ’s hands, the teenager quickly flipped through the pages to find one randomly bookmarked by a photo of a boat. Slowly, he turned the picture around, showing it to Sarah who leaned forward and snatched it. 
“The Coastal Venture. Oh my god.” she whispered while John B kept the pilot distracted. “This is the boat we were on. With Eberhimi and the cross.” “So he was looking for us?” Cleo confirmed and they all nodded. “He’s working for my dad.” 
The fuselage of the plane creaked, destabilizing the Pogues for a few seconds while they went through turbulence. 
“Hey, y’all better hold something. We got some unexpected turbulence up here.” “Guys whatever it is, it’s happening fast. Look.” Kiara warned. 
The teenagers looked out through the window of the plane to see white beaches, clear blue water… 
“That looks like Barbados. I’ve been there with Terrance.” “Okay,” JJ said quietly, feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat quicken. “there’s six of us, one of him. You know my vote. We storm the cockpit.” “No, who’s gonna fly the plane, dumbass?” John B frowned at his best friend’s words. “I’ve seen Pope fly simulators.” “I, huh, crop dusted for my uncle last summer. This is not the same thing.” “We don’t have time to pretend that’s a real option.” “Do you have an idea?” “Something safe.” Kiara insisted and the blonde’s hand went to his neck nervously. “Why don’t we just wait until the plane lands somewhere safe, and then we sneak out.” Most of them, except JJ, nodded at the plan. 
The blonde was lost in thought, scratching nervously at his neck, free of the necklace he had given away a month prior. 
“You gotta have something to protect yourself.” He told her.
“I have you.”
“Usually, yeah. But we’re in enemy territory right now and—”
“You’ll have other things to worry about...” she finished, and he nodded with a sigh.
“You’ll still be the one thing I’ll worry most about.” He said and she smiled. He wiped his hands on his jeans and reached both hands behind his neck before untying the cord. “I want you,” he said before he moved it from him to her and tied it with difficulty around her neck. “to keep this safe for me.” He mumbled once the distance between them had lessened.
“JJ...” she gasped; her fingers ghosted over the shark tooth pendant.
“I know you’ll keep it safe.” He whispered and she nodded. “Okay, huh, last thing before we get back there...” he took a deep breath and started to lean in, his hands slid down her arms and moved her hands around his neck. “I just want you to know that I’ve always lo—”
“What do you think, Jayj?” “Huh?” He stared at Kiara, mouth agape when he realized he wasn’t following the conversation. “I said that if somebody comes to mess with us, we mad-dog them.” Pope repeated. “I like the mad-dogging part.” He nodded, pulling the neckline of his shirt. “Just put that back.” Kiara handed him the documents borrowed from Portis’ bag. “Put it back. Be cool.” “Hey, Jimmy,” John B said from the pilot’s left side, away from where JJ was putting back his belongings. “is that Burning Man? Right there?” “Yeah! That’s Burning Man, all right. That was my first time.” “How many times you been to Burning Man?” “I started going when I was eighteen. GT’S, baby! GT’s!” “Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about it.” John B muttered as he glanced at JJ who was struggling to put the book back. “I’ve never been west.” “Hey, man! What the hell are you doing?” Jimmy shouted when he felt the strap of his bag wiggle against his shoulder. 
JJ looked up and as Portis was leaning towards the teenager to recuperate his belongings, the plane went nose down. JJ jumped back and into the wall while John B threw himself at the adult, trying to help his best friend escape. 
“That’s mine!” “Who are you really?” “Fly the plane!” Sarah shouted, seeing that the controls of the plane were no longer being manned. “It’s my book. Give it back!” “Please fly the plane. Please fly the plane.” Pope begged with his eyes screwed shut and his hands “Come on. Come on, Fish. Come on, Fish.” Jimmy muttered as he finally took back control of his plane.
Everything in the cabin made noise, alerting the already very much aware pilot that multiple things were going wrong. Jimmy Portis tried his best to soften the hit the plane made when it hit the water but still, the teenagers went flying around in the small cabin. 
Heads bumped together, bumped against walls. The nose of the plane dug a hole in the ocean floor making it stay in place while water started to infiltrate the damaged airplane. They coughed and spat, groaned and moaned in pain and wiped their faces of the water. 
“Guys. Guys.” “Is everybody good?” Pope asked, his eyes went to his friends making sure no one was visibly bleeding. “JJ! Wake up, man. We gotta get out of here.” 
Tourists, locals, authorities and many other people approached the crash site, wondering what happened. 
John B kicked the door of the plane open and jumped out first. 
“Shit.” He swore seeing a group of unfriendly looking men run in their direction. “Oh, no. They don’t look friendly.” “No, they look very unfriendly.” “We gotta go. Come on!” 
Pope and John B helped out Sarah and Cleo first, then JJ who threw himself out. 
“Kie, let’s go!” “I’m coming. Go!” she shouted, the girl moved towards the pilot, noticing that he was unconscious against the controls of the plane. “Kie, get out before it sinks!” “Hang on!” She shook the man awake, helping him move from behind the wheel. “Come over here. Get to the pier!” “Kiara, come on! You gotta hurry.” Sarah screamed at her best friend. “Portis! Come on!” she groaned. “Portis, wake up. Wake up!” 
The man was slowly coming to,  Kiara was already carrying him out of the plane through the window and she could hear her friends swimming away. 
“I got you.” she panted, she tried her hardest to stay afloat and not sink like the rest of her tired body was telling her to. 
Kiara swam and swam to the shore hoping to leave him there and join her friends as quickly as possible. 
“Wait, where’s Kie? You guys, where’s Kie?” JJ asked out of breath. They made it under the pier, away from prying eyes. “She went the other way.” 
Kiara finally reached the shore line where two people ran to her and grabbed Portis as she got to her hands and knees weakly. 
“Take him.” she grunted, her lungs ached and her limbs shook. “Thank you.” The pilot was able to croak. “You lied to us. Who are you?” “Oh God.” Portis groaned when the sounds of ATV engine revving was heard, arriving closer and closer to them. “You should get out of here.” Kiara glanced back to her friends, barely seeing them before she pushed off her feet and took off running. “Shit.” 
All around her trucks, ATV’s and men in uniforms seemed to surround her so she slipped between two upside down boats and hid under one, hidden by the darkness. 
“Oh my god. Oh my god.” John B gasped when he saw people running off the beach. 
Men in beige uniforms ran out of their vehicles and orders were shouted left and right making the caged teenager panic. 
“Find her and bring her in!” “Search all over the area!” 
Kiara heard their footsteps and covered her mouth with her hand, hoping they wouldn’t hear her heavy breathing. A man walked past her, quickly looking through the gap between the barrels before he stopped and backed up, making eye contact with the girl who punched him right in the face. 
“She’s over here!” he shouted from the ground, hand half covering his mouth since his nose was bleeding. 
Kiara tried to crawl out from under the boat, not seeing another man creep up from behind her and with his colleague, they grabbed her, but Kiara fought, screamed at the top of her lungs to be released and even tried to bite one of them. 
“Get off!” “Get a hold of her.” 
From afar, the rest of the Pogues watched, helpless as their friend was carried to the box of a truck. 
“Damn it! What are we… What are we gonna do?” JJ asked, his eyes glued to the beach where Kiara stood seconds before. “We’re goin’ after her, right?”
Every fiber in his body screamed at him to push off the stone wall they were against and swim to shore to grab the girl but the looks he got from his friends simply angered his already agitated mind. 
“What can we do?” “They’re over there.” Voices from up on the pier echoed. “Where are they taking her?” Sarah asked. “They’re all right there.” JJ pointed above them and they could see shadows moved through the cracks of the pier. “They’re looking this way. We gotta go.” Cleo stated. “JJ, come on.” Sarah said as she looked at the blonde’s clenched jaw. “We can’t save her if we get caught.” 
Kiara sat in the back of the truck, her whole body trembling, covered in chills as she looked out the water for any sign of her rescue team. 
“We lost the others. We’ll keep searching.” Jimmy Portis stared at the radio as the man spoke before his eyes fell on Kiara. “I saved your lif-f-f-e.” She stuttered. “I know. I know. I’m sorry. I’m gonna try to help you, okay?” he offered and she almost spat in his face. “But if you don’t fight, if you just do what they say, these guys prob… probably won’t hurt you.” “What did Ward promise you?” Portis’ head tilted to the side when she spoke the unknown name. “Who? Hey, just take my advice, do what they say. Good luck.” He said before he walked away freely. 
A guard climbed aboard the cargo bed and sat in front of Kiara who glared at him. 
“All right, let’s go.” 
-GUADELOUPE- 
A gray car pulled in the driveway of the Guadeloupe house and two people came out of it; a man who was dressed classy and a woman carrying a briefcase. The pair looked up to the second story balcony to see Rose Cameron, glaring at them before she whipped around, almost stomping back in the house. 
“Again, thank you both for coming. I know it was a long way to travel.” Rafe spoke as he, his step-mother and their guests sat around the table. “But I think what we have is… Is pretty worthwhile.” “Yes. Well, Michel is the most prominent antiquities dealer of the West Indies.” The woman said with a french accent. “Unfortunately, he only speaks French.” “No English.” The man, Michel said with a polite smile and Rafe smiled. “Yeah…” He nodded. “What is, what is French for priceless?” He asked and the pair shared a look before the Cameron son invited them to the next room where the Cross was covered by a large sheet. 
After uncovering the Cross, Rafe stood in front of it, taking it in with a smug expression. Michel and his colleague stared at the piece with astonishment and Michel took a step towards it. 
“Je, je peux toucher?” “Uh, may he touch it?” The woman translated. “Knock yourself out, Michel.” Rose looked up at Rafe with disgust and disappointment whilst the man put on his glasses and inspected the gold carvings and the stones. “C’est, euh, complexe. C’est définitivement dix-huitième siècle. Regarder sur votre tablette, s’il-” “Oui, juste ici.” The woman unlocked the tablet and showed him the picture on it. 
Michel put it side by side, the tablet and the Cross, comparing them. 
“Je comprends pas, euh… D’où vient-elle? Demandez-lui, ou l’avez-vous trouvé?” Michel spoke quickly. “He wants to know where you found it.” “Don’t worry about it. We got it. That’s all he needs to know. It’s here. It’s for sale, so who can we get to buy it?” “Pour une pièce comme ça, il y aura un nombre très limité d’acheteur. Des musées, des institutions … C’est à peu près tout.” “Uh, for a piece like this of this value, there are very limited buyers.” The woman translated. “Uh, like an institution, a museum.” Rafe sighed, unhappy with the new information he got. “Mais j’ai un client qui je pense sera très intéressé.” “But he has a client in Barbados who will be interested.” “Le client est particulier, il aura beaucoup de questions et il va demander à vous rencontrer en personne.” “This client will have lots of questions. He’ll want to meet with you in person.” 
Noises coming from upstairs interrupted the deal being made in the living room and Rafe breathed harshly, nostrils flared and jaw clenched. 
“I’m sorry, my sister is- uh, well, you know, becoming a teenager. She’s been locked in her room for the past two days.” He said before he looked up, along with Michel, his colleague and Rose who frowned at the voices echoing from the upstairs bedroom. “So.” Rafe clapped his hands, bringing them back to the situation at hand. “Voila, alors vous appelez ce numéro pour faire tous les arrangements nécessaires.” “Call this number to arrange everything.” “You… you phone.” Michel said and Rafe cracked a charming smile. “Yes.” “Very important.” “Very important. Very good.” Rafe smiled victorious. “Let’s make a deal?” “Let’s make a deal.” The two men shook hands. 
-BARBADOS-
In a house full of artifacts and unique art pieces sat a man, hiding behind a cut out journal article. 
“Eberhimi was right. They do have it.” A man said as soon as he entered the room. “And Michel says it’s real.” “Let’s invite him to dinner then.” The man said though his eyes never left the paper. “Will do.” 
The Pogues had made it to land and had started to dry up thanks to the bright sun that shone directly over their heads. 
“What the hell was that?” Pope shrieked once they’d caught their breaths. “Why would they want to kidnap Kiara? It doesn’t make any sense.” “It’s called bait.” JJ said, crouched against the metal wall. “I am so sick of this.” Sarah said just as JJ threw a couple of hits at the wall. “Do you think there’s any way we could trust the cops?” Sarah asked him and the blonde scoffed. “The cops? You’re joking, right? You seriously think your daddy hasn’t called them already?” “I have a crazy idea.” Pope started. “Why don’t we call my parents?” “And say what Pope?” “And say we’re alive. I haven’t seen my family in I don’t know how long. They’re probably worried sick about me. We can just call them and maybe ask them to wire us some money or something.” “And put them in danger?” “I got a better idea and faster.” JJ said before he showed them a money clip. “Whose is that?” “You think I’m gonna go through someone’s backpack and not pinch their wallet?” JJ joked. “Jimmy Portis, one zero one, Cattle Wash.” He read off the driver’s license. “I bet that’s where they got Kiara. Alright? So that’s where we’re going.” He announced before giving the card to his best friend. “That’s very conceivable. But can we at least think this through?” “You got a better idea, Pope? Come on! One o’ one Cattle Wash. That’s where we’re going.” JJ said as he walked away. 
The black truck turned right on a private road and Kiara could see the gates and the facade of what looked like a mansion. Armed guards stood at the gates and after the driver was identified and the sniffing dog had done its job they were let through. 
They drove an additional five minutes before they stopped in front of a house, her arm was grabbed and she was convinced that it would be bruised the following day. The door to the fence was opened and she was pulled up the stairs and onto the balcony right up to the front door where a woman, a maid, silently greeted them. 
Kiara rubbed her arm, a red hand shape on it. The teenager glanced behind her when she heard the lock click, when she turned around, her eyes noticed all of the old looking artifacts in the neighboring rooms. 
“Take her upstairs. The Orinoco Room.” the woman said and once again, her arm was trapped by a hand and she was pulled upstairs. 
She was led up to a room before she turned around and glared at the man. 
“Inside.” “Why am I here? Who are you looking for?” “Dinner at eight. I’d clean up.” “Just tell me what they want!” She asked before the door was shut in her face and locked. 
She tried twisting the knob, pulled on it, hit the door repeatedly before scoffing and turning around. The room had forest green walls, hand drawn pictures hung on the walls, cream colored curtains with gold leaf patterns stitched on them… The four poster bed with the cream bed sheets were made to hotel standards, and the rattan chair was placed between two windows… 
There was an opened wardrobe that stood near the foot of the bed and it stood tall, its dark wood gave it an expensive look. 
In a perfect world, she thought, this room would be her best friend’s dream bedroom. She could easily see the brunette read a book on the chair, or host a sleepover with her and Sarah… Maybe even Cleo. 
Her fingers ghosted over the material of the curtains and she pulled it open when a guard and a dog walked past. She noticed the open doors of the wardrobe and took a step towards it to see the same dress offered in a few different sizes. 
“Pick your size.” 
-GUADELOUPE- 
Rafe grabbed the straps of his bags and carried them out of his room as his step mom spoke. 
“I don’t have time for this, Rose, okay? I gotta get to Bridgetown and I’m taking the boat.” “Come on, Rafe. You don’t even know this guy.” Rose sighed. “You can’t just go out and try and make a deal, Rafe. That’s so risky.” “I can’t?” “I know you think you know what you’re doing. But there are people out there that know your dad is alive. No! Not just people, Pogues.” she said and Rafe rolled his eyes, unimpressed. “Pogues, pogues. Listen, they can’t prove it. They don’t know where we are.” “Sarah does! Elizabeth knew before she-” “Listen, Sarah’s not gonna do shit, Rose. She’s too afraid, and if the pogues show up, I’m just gonna handle it.” “Like you handled the girl?” Rose scoffed and Rafe glared at her. “Don’t speak of that.” He said, jaw clenched and neck starting to get red. “Anyway, when have you ever handled anything for us?” she shouted. “Rafe, everything you touch turns to-” “Hey! Hey!” The man shouted, grabbing onto the railing of the mezzanine. “Listen, I’m gonna sell the cross that I found, ‘kay? That I saved, and when Dad wakes up… he’s gonna see that I took care of it. Not you.” He smiled. “Sure.” “So why don’t you go have yourself another Tom Collins while I go make us all a shit ton of money? Okay?” he said in a tone so condescending that it made Rose’s blood boil. She tightened the grip she had on the glass in her hand and threw it against the frame right in front of her, missing Rafe by a few feet. “Maybe you don’t need another drink, huh? There are waters in the fridge.” he said before grabbing his bags and making his way out of the house. 
-BARBADOS- 
A gray SUV stopped on the beach and a blonde woman, Carla Limbrey lowered the tinted windows so they could see the plane wreck better. 
“And you think it’s them?” Big John Routledge asked. “Mmh, they fit the description I heard.” “From who?” “I got the police report.” Carla said while John watched the plane get dragged out of the water. “Did they have a phone on them or anything?” “They were just rescued. Off the Grenadines. They had nothing.” “That means no one else can track them either. Maybe that’s good. “Why didn’t you call him… when you had the chance? Just let them know you’re alive.” “You don’t know how many times I wanted to, but it would’ve put them at risk, all of them and they have her already… And me, it was better I stayed dead.” 
John looked out to the ocean, loving to hear the sound of the waves… The sound of a small bell attracted his attention and he glanced at it as memories surfaced in his mind. 
“When he was a boy I used to bring him home with the bell.  Whether it was just him fishing or with those best friends of his. That’s how he knew to come home. Find my boy. Then we can all go home and I will get you your shroud I promise.”
Cleo, Sarah, JJ, John B and Pope walked the residential streets of Barbados, sweat gathering near their hairlines and exhaustion coursing through their veins. 
“Really helps there’s no names on the streets.” JJ complained and Cleo shook her head. “Just let me handle it.” She said before turning the corner to the pathway leading to a two story building. “101 Cattle Wash?” she asked the men sitting on the balcony and one of them pointed to the blue house right across the street. “Blue house? Thanks, I appreciate you.” “Let’s do it.” JJ mumbled before they made their way to the house. “Let’s go around back.”
They walked through the bushes surrounding the house before seeing the gate’s door leading to the backyard. 
“Shhh!” Pope’s eyes grew wide when JJ stumbled into the metal fence. “My bad. Sorry.” “Hey. Window?” John B asked his best friend once they were all near the house. “Yeah.” “Here you want some help?” Pope asked while John B checked the sturdiness of the planks. “No, I got this.” 
The teenager pulled himself up to the only open window. 
“Whoa! Get off!” JJ whispered as little crabs surrounded him. “Get off! Dude, get o-” He yelped once the small animal bit the tip of his finger after it was grabbed. He kept screaming, attracting the attention of neighbors that decided to mind their own businesses. “Shh! Hey! Shh!” JJ grunted, annoyed by Pope’s shushing as pain radiated through his hand. “What are you doing? Does the element of surprise mean nothing to you?” “It turned my thumb purple!” “Shh. Relax.” Cleo whispered. “I’m being surrounded right now. Goddammit, little sea spiders.” 
His eyes fell on Sarah who struggled to stifle a laugh. 
“What?” He almost snapped and it only made her giggle harder. “Hey, guys, JJ’s got crabs.” She said and the teenage boy stared at her, unimpressed with her joke. “Guys, enough, we gotta go.” Pope said and JJ helped Sarah up while Pope pulled her. 
They snuck in the house, almost tiptoeing their way through the small sunroom. 
“I’ll take the front.” Cleo whispered. “Take the back.” “Kiara?” Sarah called out. “Kie?” “Sarah, no one in there?” JJ asked and the blonde shook her head. “There’s no one in there.” John B told his best friend before he even had the chance to ask. “Okay. Well, if she’s not here, where is she?” 
Pope scanned the room, his brown eyes falling on the painting of a ship. 
San Jose
“John B. John B?” His friend walked slowly to him, taking in what Pope was staring at. “Recognize that?” “What? Find something?” JJ asked. “Holy shit.” “It’s a burning boat.” JJ stated. “This is San José. It’s from Denmark’s diary.” He said and Sarah’s head snapped up from the pile of paper she was looking at. “This is the ship that Captain Limbrey stole the cross from.” “And the Merchant gold.” John B added. “Great, whatever. It’s just about the gold. It’s not about Kiara. It doesn’t help us.” “Well, Portis is a treasure guy. This is too close to our boat.” “Just let it go. That’s not why we’re here.” 
Cleo saw the arrival of a vehicle and she whistled. 
“Guys, guys, guys.” “What?” Sarah arrived jogging. “Shit, it’s Portis.” “Shit. Yo, he’s back.” “Do we run?” 
The group shared a look before hiding in different places of the two main rooms. 
“I’m just really worried about the electrical, all right? I- All right, all right. I’ll check in with you tomorrow.” Portis spoke into the phone as he entered his home. “Flying Fish, man.” He whined before he threw his bag on a nearby chair.
As soon as he made it into the kitchen he stopped; an unknown odor hit his nose and he noticed the usually messy pile of mail was stacked a little bit more neatly on the table. He eyed a little crab that walked on the floor and before he knew it he was tackled and held in a choke hold by the teenagers he rescued a few hours prior. The man was able to overthrow John B and Pope easily, a few elbow hits here and a right cross there got them on the floor. He tried to run away but JJ appeared in the doorframe, stuck his foot out and tripped him, making the teenage boy chuckle. 
“I got it. Get up, pal!” JJ groaned, as he held Portis’ arms back before he threw him on a chair. “Okay! Okay!” The pilot shouted after he quickly decided to cooperate. “You guys really shouldn’t be here, right now.” “Where is she, Jimmy?” “Answer the man.” “You really don’t want to know.” Cleo scoffed just as Sarah pushed the bottom of a rat’s poison can on his neck. “Talk! Was it Ward?” “Ward? Who’s Ward? You guys really don’t understand who you’re messing with.” “We’ll call the cops.” Pope turned around and searched through the man’s bag. “Sure, call the cops. See how far that gets you. This guy owns the cops. He’s got eyes all over the island looking for you. All of you. He’s a big man, the Kingfish.” “The Kingfish.” “Hey!” Pope shouted. “What’s this?” “Hey, take your hands off my shit.” Portis tried to wiggle away but it just made Cleo and JJ hold him down harder. “Hey! Quiet down!” “What is it?” JJ asked and Pope got a wad of cash out of the envelope. “Ah, man.” “What that, Jimmy?” JJ asked while Pope counted the money. “Is that the payoff? Is that the payoff for Kiara, Jimmy? Is it?” “Talk!” 
Pope turned the envelope around, seeing a stamp from Vaux Hall on the top left corner. 
“Hey, what’s Vaux Hall?” “You really don’t want to go there, man. That’s the lion’s den.” “That’s it. That’s where Kie is. Come on, Pope.” John B said before he went back in the house. “You really don’t want to go there!” “Do we look afraid?” Cleo asked. “Well, you should be.” “Let’s go. Come on, it’s not worth it. Come on, Cleo. JJ, let’s go! Come on!” John B insisted before they all followed him out of the door. “Portis, we’re taking some clothes. Deal with it.” John B informed the man once he was out. “Big mistake! You’re just gonna make it worse for her!” The pilot stood to his feet, rubbed his neck and leaned out the window. “Hey, I didn’t tell you shit, okay?” He shouted while the group of teenagers simply flipped him off. 
From the other side of the road, a man had his eyes on Jimmy Portis, making the pilot hide back in his house. Looking down at the phone between his hands, the man composed a text message. 
One map after the other, the Pogues found themselves to Vaux Hall, seeing almost nothing but grassy fields around them. 
“Pope, are you sure you got the right address?” “I know you aren’t talking to me about having the right address.” Pope sassed, they approached another map and stared at it. “That’s exactly what I’m asking.” “Look, the place says Vaux Hall.” He showed him the envelope and then pointed at the map. “Vaux Hall, it’s on the map.” “We don’t know if that’s where we are.” “It’s in the general vicinity.” “Why don’t we just ask someone?” Cleo interrupted them when a tractor approached. “Hey! Pardon I. You know where we can find Vaux Hall?” She asked once the engine was stopped. “You kidding me, right? Everything you can see all around you is all Vaux Hall.” “Wait, what do you mean? Like…” “All this, all this and all this.” “Oh, everywhere.” “Exactly what he just said.” Sarah whispered. “Okay, so who lives up there?” “Carlos Singh. Just on the other side of that wall.” The farmer informed them. “But take it from me, he’s no one you want to get to know. “Okay, thank you.” 
They waved to the farmer before the group started their walk to the stone wall further away. 
Kiara was startled when someone knocked loudly on the door of the room she occupied. She sat up and stood when the woman from earlier opened the door. 
“He’s ready.” She announced and the teenager followed, pulling on the red dress she put on. 
The two women went down the stairs and Kiara was brought to a door that was previously closed when she first walked into the house. Carefully, she made her way into the room and her eyes moved to the right, trying to find the source of the only noise she heard. She stared to her right and saw the back of a tall man who seemed to be pouring himself a drink. 
“Uh, excuse me?” She gasped when the man turned around and a frown appeared on her features. Even the man looked surprised to see her but she didn’t care for the expression he wore. “No, I knew you and Ward were behind this shit.” She stomped over to stand before Rafe Cameron. “What are you talking about? You trying to weasel in on my deal?” He replicated and the teenager scoffed. “Is that what’s going on?” “What?” “I wondered if your little reunion would cause sparks, you know.” A man with an accent said from the adjacent room. He chuckled and walked closer to the two acquaintances. “Who are you?” Rafe simply asked. “Me?” He said and Kiara almost rolled her eyes at the dramatics because obviously she and Rafe knew each other’s names… “My name is Carlos Singh. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cameron. And Ms. Carrera, I do apologize for the rough tactics in bringing you here. But please, come. Sit down. Come now, I don’t bite.” 
He invited them over to the other room and Kiara and Rafe shared a look before Kiara’s curiosity got the best of her and she sat on the cushioned seat in the office. 
“Rough tactics. What about me?” Rafe asked. “Yes, Mr. Cameron, false pretenses. But the ends justify the means, I’m afraid.” Singh poured a glass of an amber liquid that he sipped slowly. “Sit down. We have a lot to talk about.” “Why are we here?” Kiara avoided the man’s gaze, deciding on focusing her attention to the glass on the desk. “Well, Ms. Carrera, Mr. Cameron, we share certain interests, you know. Objectives.” “Is this not about the cross?” Rafe wondered out loud, already losing interest due to the waste of time. “It is. Tangentially, it is about the cross, but it’s also about something much, much bigger than the cross. By orders of magnitude…” he trailed off, pensive. “... the completion of a grand quest. You see the story goes that four hundred and fifty years ago, a Spanish soldier came out of the Orinoco Basin with a few gold beads. And when they asked the Spanish soldier, “Where the beads came from,” the Spanish soldier replied he got them from a peaceful Indigenous tribe who lived in a city of gold. El Dorado.”
The man stopped telling his story for a few seconds, he stared at some of the artifacts he’d acquired through the years and his fingers trailed on a range of sharp knives, stopping on the smallest of them all that he twirled in his hand as he stared at the two young adults.
“For the next four hundred and fifty years, people tried to find that gold, you know. They tried. Conquistadors, knights, captains of ships, tribes, entire nations. All fighting each other in a race for the end of the rainbow. Thousands of lives laid on the pyre of gold fever. And it falls to me, you know. It falls to me to complete the task. To bring full circle to a quest that has gone for almost five hundred years. Perhaps… Perhaps the greatest quest in the history of the western hemisphere, you know.” 
Rafe glanced around the room, utterly bored with the story they were being told. When he looked back at Carlos Singh he nodded, lips pursed and a certain annoyance in his eyes. 
“What is it you want us to do, exactly?” Rafe spoke slowly in his hands as his head fell in his hands. “You two… you two are going to play a part in that. What about you, Ms. Carrera? Are you interested in history?” “I’m more of a future person.” Rafe groaned, completely annoyed. “I didn’t listen to a word you said, okay? How much you gonna keep philosophizing?” “You are direct, aren’t you, Mr. Cameron?” The two men stared at each other, Rafe in defiance and Mr. Singh because the younger man felt like a challenge. “What do you need from me?” Kiara asked. “I’ve come to believe that you and your friends are in possession of something that can help me get what I want.” “Which is?” “An old manuscript. A diary, actually.” The pages flashed in Kiara’s mind and she tried her best to not give away the stress she felt. Rafe and Singh stared at her expectantly.
JJ grunted as he pulled himself up the tall wall, a wall that was taller than the little one they climbed over a few months ago when they discovered the well. He gave his hand to Sarah who was helped by John B on the ground and with Cleo, they were the first three on Carlos Singh’s property. Far away, JJ noticed guards in high towers and on the ground with dogs and he threw himself on the dried up grass. 
“Shit, shit, shit! Sarah, get down! Quick!” He pulled her to his sides and he made sure Pope and John B had made it on the other side. “You see him?” “Shh!” “Oh man!” Pope sighed. “Okay, Portis wasn’t kidding.” “No, that’s a fortress. This is much bigger than Ward.” “We got two towers, patrollers, ATVs, possibly snipers.” JJ informed them after a short recon. “There’s no way we’re getting past that.” “We gotta help her. We can take them if we stay towards the tree line.” Cleo said before pushing herself off the ground and running around the tree line. “No, Cleo! No, Cleo!” They echoed each other, JJ nodded, satisfied before following after their newest friend. “Shit!” 
One after the other, they trailed along the wall, staying close to the ground. 
Rafe stared at Kiara, trying to see behind the walls that she’d put up. 
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” “This is ridiculous. I don’t know anything about a diary.” she scoffed. “But how else could you have learned that the cross was on the Royal Merchant?” “Look,” she inhaled. “I want to help you, but I can’t.” “I was hoping you wouldn’t say that, you know. Because unfortunately, I don’t believe you. You and your friend here couldn’t have found the cross without it.” “He’s not my friend.” She spat. “We can’t all be friends, you know.” Singh looked at Rafe who was pinching the bridge of his nose, exasperated. “All right.” Rafe sighed. “Look, this is getting ridiculous, okay? I’m out.” He stood up and walked backwards towards the door. “I don’t know anything about a diary, okay? So-” An armed guard stepped in front of him once he reached the door to the hallway and he smiled, amused and slightly done. “Do I look like a fool to you, Mr. Cameron? Do I look like a fool to you?” Rafe stepped away from the door, hands on his hips as he stared down at the man. “You have the cross. She and her friends had the cross at one point. So one of you has the diary.” Rafe glanced at Kiara. “And if you really don’t know, then I suggest you convince your friend to tell me. Once I have the diary… You’ll be free to leave.” 
The Pogues stayed as close to the ground as they were capable of, inching their way closer to the house.
“Cleo, stop, shh, shh.” 
JJ stuck a finger to his lips when he heard talking and dogs barking. The teenager stood almost to his full height to glance over the tall grass and check their surroundings. 
“Oh shit.” “What do you see?” 
Under their very confused eyes, JJ showed them four fingers then made a walking motion with his middle and pointer fingers as he tried to communicate his thoughts in a way he thought was very appropriate… 
It was not. 
“Hey, use your words. Words.” John B sounded like he was scolding a child. “They’re right there.” JJ whispered-yelled. “Then just say that, JJ!” Pope groaned at the bickering between the two best friends. “You know who would’ve got it? B-” JJ started but stopped when his best friend glared at him.
 John B sighed and put his hands to his knees, leaning on them as if the interaction had drained him of all energy. “All right. What we should do is we should back up, all right?” JJ’s eyes grew three sizes as he spoke to his friends. “Because there’s no way. We’-” John B grabbed his wrist and pulled him at their level. “Hey,” Cleo caught their attention. “There’s an opening down that way.” she told them. “As soon as the guards turn around, we just sneak in through the back.” She shared with them. “Come on. Go it’s this way.” 
They all whispered indistinctly, following after Cleo. 
“Wait, you know what we should be doing? Go down, take the sewers up-” Sarah turned around and stared at JJ as if he’d grown a second head. “What sewers?” “The sewers!” He defended as if it was obvious. “This is all grassland, JJ.” “There’s no sewers.” Sarah muttered with a shake of her head. 
Between two steps, Sarah stopped, making JJ walk straight into her when she heard a beeping. 
“What was that?” she asked when the sound was immediately followed by something clicking. “What was that? What did you do?” She stared at JJ and he flipped her off. “Why should it be me, huh? But I know that sound. Hold on.”
He walked a bit to the right, straight into the tall grass before he noticed a piece of wood, half buried in the earth, half sticking out with a transmitting box on it, a box that had a motion detector… 
Motion detector that’d been activated when they walked straight into its invisible laser. 
“Shit.” Pope swore. “Wait, what is that?” “It’s a game cam.” “Oh shit.” JJ grabbed it, turning left and right on himself as his heartbeat picked up pace. “Mash it up. Mash it up.” “What?” “Put it on the ground!” “No!” Pope said loudly after JJ had already given it a few kicks. “Stop it. Give me that. Pull the battery.” “Quick, before it transmits.” John B reminded Pope and the teenager muttered a small swear. “Transmits?” Sarah panicked. 
He shook it, tapped it, tried to roll out the double A batteries out of it, the beeping getting quicker as the time went on. When they finally slipped out and the beeping stopped, Pope breathed out, not realizing that he’d stopped breathing. They stopped their movements, slowed their breathings and stared at each other for a few seconds before Sarah spoke up. 
“Do you think we got it before it transmitted?” 
It was like she’d jinxed it because as soon as she stopped talking, they heard barking and they heard shouting. 
“No.” “Dogs. Dogs, we gotta go!” John B snapped out of it and started pulling his friends back towards the wall. “Go! Go! Go! Go!” “Run!” 
Two ATVs, two motorcycles, and two dogs were released after them. Only the animals pursued past the wall of trees and to the wall of stone, but the Pogues kept looking back, hoping that by some miracle they’d stopped. 
As always, JJ went first, and John B stayed on the ground while he and Pope helped the girls up. JJ pulled Sarah first and while John B climbed up, he pulled Cleo and then Pope. 
“No! Stay down!” John B begged when the dog jumped almost to his legs. “John B! Come on!” Sarah shouted from the safe side of the wall. 
The teenagers fell to their feet and their knees as their lower limbs ached and their hearts seemed to have a mind of their own with the intention of jumping out of their chests. 
“Ah cool… A series of bad decisions. That’s new.” “What are we gonna do about Kiara?” Sarah asked, looking up at JJ. “We’ll think of something but we’re not leaving her in there. Come on.” 
Mr. Singh led Kiara and Rafe back to the Orinoco room as the three stayed in silence. 
“Enjoy the grounds during your stay. I must warn you, though. I’m not a man of infinite patience. You have one day.” He said, lifting his pointer finger to their eye level. “Go to the window for a little demonstration. I think you’ll enjoy it, you know?” He tapped Rafe’s arm twice as he exited the room and the door was closed behind them. “Hey, hey! You’re just done talking?” Rafe shouted as he tried to open the door. 
Kiara walked to the window, was requested by their host and she pushed apart the curtains. Not knowing what to expect. 
“Get off me, man! I didn’t do nothing, man!” She heard through the window the muted but familiar voice. Rafe joined her, watching over her shoulder just as Jimmy Portis was brought onto the balcony, right under the bedroom window. “Who the hell is that guy?” “I know him. It’s Jimmy Portis.” Rafe’s head turned to her, waiting for other explanations. “He was trying to help me.” Kiara sighed. 
A chill ran down her back when on the balcony appeared Mr. Singh, pulling a gun out from his waistband. 
“Whoa, whoa, whoa…” Rafe muttered when the pieces clicked in his head. 
Their blood turned to ice when right under their noses, Singh walked to the man and the gunshot echoed through the house. Both of them jumped at the noise and the implications of it. 
“This diary.” Rafe panted. “Hey, no bullshit. Don’t bullshit me, okay? Do you have it?” the young adult questioned and when she kept staring in front of her he nudged her “Kie.” and she looked up.
He stared at her, feeling as if his life was between her two hands and he waited with trembling hands for her answer. 
An answer he felt like she took her time to give. 
Then, without breaking their eye contact she shook her head ever so slightly. 
“No.”
************************
TAGLIST: - @jjxobx - @moonylantsovs - @k-k0129 - @jaxxandcomet - @taaniesha - @sunflowerbecca - @obx-direction-sos - @khacker24 - @itssoweirdyoureher - @scenesofobx - @just-chilling-stuff
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r0s3mm · 2 years
Text
How Well Do the Stars of Outer Banks Know Their Inner Circle? | POPSUGAR Pop Quiz
Welcome!
Don’t hesitate to reblog, like, leave constructive comments, send feedback on what you just read or what you’d like to read next. Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist and let me know if you are on the taglist but didn’t receive the notification.
Tell me what you thought and liked and if you like the format 💛 My requests are open! Ask away people ! Read me here! General Masterlist Sweet masterlist Sweeter masterlist
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“Hey, what’s up guys, I’m Jonathan Daviss.”
“Hi guys, I’m Rudy Pankow.”
“I’m Madison Bailey.”
“I’m Madelyn Cline.”
“And I’m Grace Russell and we’re here to do a quiz to see how well we know each other.”
“With Pop Sugar!” JD finishes as he points to the camera.
Which cast member has a lightning bolt shaped scar on their body?
“Chase?” Madison says unsure, Grace smiles when a buzzer goes off, indicating that she was wrong.
“I’m gonna go with JD.” Mads says confidently.
“Oh god... A bolt scar? I- JD?”
“JD? Isn’t this you, right?” Rudy says and a small bell ring.
“Yeah, so, it’s me!”
“I know your body!” Rudy giggles.
“You want to- you wanna try and guess where it is?”
“On your butt?”
“Your calf?
“No and no. Grace? Mads?”
“Knee?”
“No, it actually happened when I was a baby and an iron fell onto my toe and like busted it and now there’s a permanent lightning bolt scar.”
“What? Oh, poor little you, that must’ve hurt.”
“I look like the flash with it.”
“Maybe but dude, you’re slow.” Grace chuckles.
“I did not know that.”
“I actually wanna see it next time I see you, I’m curious.”
“Careful, Gray tomorrow there’s gonna be something on Instagram saying you have a thing for feet.”
“Wow, you learn something new about JD every day.”
Who in the cast can quote the entirety of animated film The Road to El Dorado?
“Okay,” Rudy grins. “Okay, so there’s actually two of us—”
“You mean, you mean which two of us can recite—”
“There’s two of us, so two answers.”
“Okay, so I’ll just speak on behalf of Madelyn and myself but, JD and Rudy.” She says, raising her hands in the hair.
“Yeah, Judy! Which for those of you who don’t know is Rudy Pankow’s and Jonathan Daviss’ shipname.”
“We rode back to Spain like there’s no manana!”
Which cast member has studied ballet?
“Oh, sweet god.”
“It would have to be, hum, Madelyn.” Madison nods.
“The answer is Madelyn.” JD says calmly.
“Oh, also, fun fact, I don’t know if you guys knew this, but Drew also studied ballet.”
“What?” A chorus of the word echoes through the Zoom call.
“Fun fact, I also studied ballet.”
“JD?”
“Did you really?”
“Yeah, yeah, i did a couple of various class.”
“I didn’t know about that, that’s so cool!”
“It helps with balance in Football so—”
“That’s so cool!”
“I know my first, second, third, fourth and fifth positions. What do you mean?”
“Yes, sir!”
Who had a role in a theater production of Mary Poppins?
“Jonathan Daviss.” Madison says quickly but the buzzer sounds.
“Oh, god no.”
“Nope, Rudy Pankow.” Grace wiggles her eyebrow.
“Rudy?”
“Rudy Pankow?”
“Yeah, I was a chimney sweep. I wasn’t good enough for the role I auditioned for.”
“Don’t say that.” Grace scolds.
“I bet, you were the best dang chimney sweep they ever had.”
“Wait did you have to sing the song? The chim-chimney—” Madelyn starts singing when a blush takes over Rudy’s face and he hides away from the camera.
“Maybe.” He giggles.
“Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-ee
A sweep is as lucky as lucky can be
Chim chiminey, chim chiminey, chim chim cher-oo.” Grace sings quietly and all stop and stare at her.
“Mmh, most likely to know the words to any random song?”
“Graaacie.” Madelyn sings.
“Okay, but that’s a definite yes, just look at his little face, he’s blushing.” Grace teases the actor.
“Can you sing us a couple bars?”
“Nah, guys. Don’t make me sing, I’m not a singer.”
“Stop it, you got a good singing voice, Rudy.”
Whose first Instagram post was a photo of them on Hermosa Beach?
“Is it you?” Madison asks Rudy and they all shake their heads.
“Grace?” Madelyn suggests and Grace declines.
“My first Instagram post was me at my one direction concert in 2015.”
“Is it Chase?”
“Yeah, it is a very Chase thing, no?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wait, who is it?”
“It is Jonathan Daviss—”
“Wait, what?” the man asks before he grabs his phone and scrolls down the application.
“Don’t play dumb. I don’t even know if this is true today.” Rudy chuckles.
“Hold on. Let me go back to my Instagram, real quick. Oh yeah, no that’s true.” He turns his phone around and shows the photo to the camera. “Oh, it was, this was from this movie Age of Summer and that’s me up there, standing up. I was sixteen.”
Which cast member picked the lock to their parents’ cabinet locker when they had their first party?
“What?” JD says, shocked at the words that just came out of Madelyn’s voice.
“I just wanna know how that person learned to pick locks.”
“It’s Grace. Definitely.”
“No!” Madelyn refuses but Grace starts to grin. “What?”
“Oh my god.”
“I swear that girl has like a whole other bad girl side to her that we don’t know anything of.”
“I’m actually impressed.” Rudy mumbles.
“I bet you are, Pankow.”
“So, guys. Thanks so much to PopSugar for having us and thanks y’all so much for watching.” Madelyn smiles
“Check out Outer Banks season two on Netflix.” Grace adds.
“Streaming now!” Madison and Rudy say at the same time.
“Peace!” JD finishes. *********************** Taglist: @jaxxandcomet - @taaniesha - @k-k0129 - @sunflowerbecca - @obx-direction-sos - @mslaughter03 - @luvhann - @oopsiedoopsie23 - @scenesofobx - @hannahnikohl
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r0s3mm · 2 years
Text
Sweet, Sweet Fate // Outer Banks Series
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My requests are open! Ask away people !
Read me here!
General Masterlist
Series’ masterlist
Sweeter masterlist
Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
Word count: approx. 7.6K
Episode: 2x10- it's the end
A/N: WE'RE GETTING A SEASON 3, Y'ALL!!!! maybe we will indeed get to see Beth and JJ as a couple after all... no?
A/N #2: ANGST, language, me almost giving you a full declaration but... that wouldn't be fun, would it? choking, violence, fights, guns, injuries the whole lot. this isn't proof read because ive been having migraines the whole week and i can't handle more than 45 mins of close screen time per day. anyways...
MERRY CHRISTMAS BABIES!!
not my gifs
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Sweet, sweet fate
I had about all I can take
You're my living in the breath that I make
Is it yours? I wonder
Sweet, sweet fate
Oh if it's really out of my hands
Can you forgive all of my sins?
Have mercy on me.
-
The blonde had reluctantly pulled himself out of his seat so that him and his best friend, John B, could find a way to get them and their friends out of the “trap” their “leader” had put them in.
“Nice work, John B.” JJ started as he stared at the door. “You know these things lock from the outside, right?”
“Okay, I was just trying to get us on the boat, JJ.” John B sighed as the exhaustion of the past twenty-four hours took a toll on his thinking capabilities. “I wasn’t thinking that far ahead.”
“Actually, it was Pope’s idea but—” Elizabeth whispered to Kiara who shook her head, amused.
“We’re stuck in here like rats.” The blonde complained and Elizabeth glanced at her friend who was taking off her coat.
“It’s hot.”
“Well, we are sat pretty high, and heat usually stays on top, so...”
“Okay, JJ, you’re not helping.” Pope spoke up.
“You don’t have a lot of room to talk right now, Pope. You said you had a plan, but what happened to thinking ahead?” JJ fell back against wooden crates.
“I find your lack of self-knowledge disturbing.”
“Oh,” JJ chuckled, and he stood to face the boy. “Last I checked, you literally shot an oil container with the gat. Remember that?” Kiara pulled herself up and scooted closer to the two boys before putting her foot between them.
“Oh my god! Shut up. Shut up! Both of you!” She raised an eyebrow and stared at the three young men. “Pull it together.” JJ and Pope sighed, she sat back and received a thankful look from her friend.
“Okay.” The blonde pinched his lips together.
“Let’s try to find a way out of here.” Pope said and they nodded.
The heat was getting to them, most had rid themselves of their unnecessary jackets and were all as far away from each other as possible in the small space. John B was looking at the ocean through the slits in the air vent, Kiara still sat on top of a crate, Pope leaned against the cool wall and Elizabeth had fallen on top of where she and JJ were earlier.
“Hey, Pope, how do you kill a snake?”
“You go for the head.” Pope answered weakly.
“Exactly. But the head, in this instance, is the bridge.” JJ spoke and Kiara and Elizabeth shared a look. “To take the bridge, we need maximum firepower. And I happen to know that there’s an armory on this ship in case of pirate attacks.”
“Dude thinks Jack Sparrow’s coming or something...” Elizabeth said under her breath.
“If we take that—”
“You lost me.” Kiara shrugged.
“And I’m not just talking pistols. I’m talking knives—”
“JJ, murder is not a plan. Not now, not ever.” Beth said and he looked at her confused.
“Well, we lost the girls. But boys, I’m serious, if we get to the armory. I’m talking AKs, pistols, knives, double-barrels—”
“JJ!” John B jumped up and grabbed the blonde’s shoulders.
“What?”
“We gotta get out of here. We can’t do anything if we’re still stuck here.” Elizabeth leaned to the side seeing her best friend move some things behind John B and JJ.
“If I get enough pressure, I can spartan kick that thing open.”
“You’ll just hurt yourself, J.” The brunette mumbled, catching the blonde’s attention for a milli-second.
“You’re not kicking shit.”
“Stop, stop it!”
“Guys.” Kiara said but JJ, Pope and John B talked over her. “Guys!” she whisper-shouted and all four heads turned to her.
“Hey.” All three boys started to walk towards the dark-skinned teenage girl, but Ellie whistled making JJ turn around and he rolled his eyes when he saw her hands extended out in front of her. He pulled her to her feet and moved her in front of him as they joined the others. “She’s got something. Quiet.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry.”
“Just get to her.” All four teenagers stood in front of an air vent, one that was quite bigger than the one John B had been looking out of.
“Can we fit through that, yeah?” They all nodded.
“Hell yeah. Nice one, Kie.” A hand appeared in front of the brunette’s face, and she stepped aside.
“What was that about a Swiss Army knife not coming in handy?” JJ sassed.
“Just stop it.” John B scolded and the blonde rolled his eyes.
“Go.” As quietly as he could, JJ moved the tip of the knife to one of the screws before he turned it to the left.
“Okay, we raid the armory, get weapons, roll back here, and plot the next move.” JJ said as he attacked the last corner. John B sent Ellie a look and she shrugged. “The armory is on the third deck, aft, near the laundry room. Let’s roll.” He turned around and started to pull the vent when he was stopped.
“Hold up. I don’t think we should all go out there.” Pope said. “It’s too risky.”
“Why?”
“Okay, I gotta be honest I think you should stay here.”
“What?”
“I have Sarah that I’m gonna go after. And Pope has...” “The cross.”
“Yeah, exactly. Let’s go get it.”
“Also,” John B started, and Kiara and Beth took a step back. “if you go out there, there’s a hundred percent probability that you’re gonna do something stupid.”
“Okay, first of all, I think the correct terminology is ballsy. That is, it and—”
“Okay, get down here.” Pope sighed and pulled on the boy’s arm.
“No. Get off.” JJ pulled his arm up, shaking off Pope’s hold. “I’m a field player.”
“If we go out there, and we get in a bind, we need somebody to look out for us. That’s what we need.” John B resonated and JJ shook his head.
“Okay. I get it. I get it. I get it. I’ll be on the B team.”
“I never said “B team””
“Sorry. Are you calling us B team?” Kiara asked the blonde and he sucked in a breath.
“Hey, JJ—”
“Didn’t mean to offend you, ladies.”
“J, c’mon.” Beth groaned.
“I’m pretty sure half of B team just find our way out or am I totally tripping?” Kiara commented and John B sighed loudly and rubbed his forehead... Something his dad used to do when John B and Beth were beginning to be too much.
“JJ, just hang back. Hold down the fort.”
“Great. Looking forward to it. Mm-hmm.” The blonde said disappointed.
“You guys have fun. It’s your funeral, your game. I’ll be in here, on the bench—”
“With me.” Elizabeth added from behind the blonde and he looked over his shoulder and winked at her.
“With her, indeed.” He smiled and Kiara groaned.
“Yeah, thanks for that, guys. Leaving me with those two.”
“C’mon, Kie!” Elizabeth chuckled and moved aside when JJ walked to the back.
“I’ll babysit, I guess.” Pope and John B nodded. They turned around ready to climb up to reach the window when Kiara put her hands on their shoulders, and she raised her own. “I guess, just... I don’t know.”
“Don’t get shot and die, is that she means to say.” Elizabeth shrugged. “Just, be so safe.” John B shook his head before he quickly hugged the brunette.
“Yeah, that’s comforting... Thanks, girls.” With that, Elizabeth left them be and joined the blonde in the back.
Kiara grabbed the vent from John B’s hands and watched with anticipation as the two teenage boys slipped out through the opening, not without difficulty and clumsiness. She sighed and made sure they were okay before she quietly put it back in place, wincing when it made a scratching noise. She looked back to JJ who was almost pouting, and she rolled her eyes before jumping off the crate she was standing on.
“Just me and you guys.”
“You just seem so happy about it, Kie.” Elizabeth replicated as she fanned herself.
“Meh...”
A little over twenty minutes later, JJ’s eyes were half closed due to the heat exhaustion, Kiara’s skin was covered with droplets of salty water and Elizabeth had peeled layers of clothing only to be left in her tank top and the blonde finally spoke.
“I’ve been thinking.” Elizabeth watched her best friend perched on a high crate as she moved back in forth. “When all this is over, and we’re just rolling in the dough, I’m gonna get a new board. I’m gonna deck it out, and I’m gonna go on a surf trip.” Elizabeth smiled and wiped her forehead. “I don’t know where, but, like, the world’s calling. I don’t know, Beth, name a place, where do you wanna go?”
“Spain.”
“Then after Spain, South America or South Africa.”
“You’ll go to South Africa?” Kiara scoffed.
“One of the South places.”
“Then Micronesia maybe, and then... and just ride.” he said dreamily. “Wherever the wave takes you, you know?”
“So that’s the plan if we were to get a ton of cash?” Kiara asked and the blonde nodded.
“That’s the dream? Surf trip?”
“Ripping jungle break all day long. Bamboo hut, cooking a fish on a fire, and after that, you go back out and just hit the waves again. That’s the dream.” He finished and both girls smiled. Elizabeth’s finger traced the edges of the uneven walls. Her focus shifted from the conversation to the imaginary drawings her fingers drew.
“Sounds perfect.” JJ nodded before his gaze fell on the brunette in front of him.
“Yeah, I’ll find something for the princess to do, huh&” He said, the tip of his shoe hit the side of her thigh and she frowned.
“Sorry, what?”
“When we get the cash, you and me, endless waves, whatever we want to eat, open air and freedom? Yeah?” he offered, and a shy grin appeared on her face before she scanned the blonde.
“For real?” He nodded.
“Never been more serious, B—” A quiet and high-pitched whistle was heard from outside and the blonde stopped talking, worry took over their bodies as they stayed silent.
“Hey. Hey. Open it.” They recognized Pope’s voice and started moving.
JJ jumped and quickly pulled out the screws before taking out the vent and handing it to Kiara who was close behind.
“You need help?”
“I’m good.” Pope grunted as he pulled himself through the opening.
“I thought Rafe got you guys for sure.”
“No. We’re chill.” He panted. John B struggled while he twisted his body to get in the shipping container.
“Okay, let’s put the grate back on.”
“No, wait. Hold it.”
“You guys found Sarah already?” Elizabeth asked when she saw that Pope’s eyes stayed on the window.
“What? No. Put it back.” Kiara said quietly and the girls gasped when a new face appeared right after John B’s feet touched the ground.
“Jesus Christ! I kill you, John B!” The young woman said, and the two best friends frowned.
“Who the fuck is that? John? Pope?” JJ, Elizabeth, and Kiara watched as the stranger climbed through the window and cursed off their friend.
“Who is this?”
“Just relax.” John B whispered to the two girls. “Just relax, okay?” he turned his attention to the newcomer, slightly panicked at the unexpected reactions. “I told you I had a surprise.”
“Who is she? What’s going on? John B!”
“Hey, hey. Kie, relax. Relax.” He stared at Ellie and Kiara who looked at him confused and he put his hands on their shoulders. “Remember I told you guys about the girl we met in the Bahamas that saved us?” The teenager asked and Kiara nodded.
“Cleo...” The brunette realized as she took in the new teenage girl.
“Cleo.” John B confirmed, nodding towards the young woman. “She’s gonna help us, all right?”
“Next time, ask me.” The woman said with a strong accent, its origin unknown to Elizabeth and the rest of the Pogues.
“So how did it go?” JJ asked and John B hesitated before glancing at his best friend. “You seriously didn’t grab nothing, not a single gun?” He asked in disbelief.
“We tr... we tried, okay? I got attacked.” JJ shook his head while he raised his hand to his hair.
“This is why I should’ve gone with.” Kiara started shushing the boys for what felt like the millionth time that day, worried that the volume of their voices would attract unwanted attention.
“Let me get this straight. You five, with no weapons, decided you were gonna hijack this tramp steamer on your own?” Cleo spoke up quietly.
“I,” Elizabeth started, and all eyes turned on her, but her focus was on Cleo and Cleo only. “I, uh, I got a gun.” Kiara frowned.
“What? Since when?” Elizabeth huffed out before walking to the back of the shipping container and reaching into her jacket pocket.
“Here.” She eyed the slightly older woman before handing her the gun.
“What is that?” Kiara asked with her eyes open wide in shock.
“That’s a Glock forty-three.” JJ answered as he watched Cleo examine the weapon before handing it back to the brunette.
“How many bullets you got left?”
“I don’t know, maybe five in the gun itself and I got a few more in my pockets.” She mumbled and Cleo nodded. Elizabeth turned around and handed JJ the gun. His brows furrowed but she nodded, leaving the weapon in his hands, along with the nine additional bullets she had in her pockets.
“Do you have any idea who these people are?” she continued her speech from earlier. “Eberhimi, if he catch you, he’s gonna kill you. Dead. Cut off your fingers.” She warned and the blunt side of the knife she had went over her fingers.
“Okay, so what about waiting until we get to port? At least then, if something goes wrong, we have a place to run.” Kiara suggested but she was met with a lot of negative heads shakes.
“No. No, we can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve run the scenario over a thousand times in my head, and our best chances are on this ship. There’s fifteen crew members and six of us.”
“Exactly.” Kiara interrupted.
“Just over three-to-one odds. That’s the best it’s gonna get. We wait until we get there, they’ll trap us.”
“We have no chance.” Kiara exclaimed panicked and she lowered her voice when she noticed she had gotten louder.
“No, Kie, there’s something else.” John B added. “Ward’s alive.” He told them and the friends frowned. “He’s alive, and he’s on this boat.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Ellie shouted and the blonde quickly pulled her to him and put his hand over her mouth.
“Yeah.”
“You gotta be kidding me.” JJ scoffed and Beth tore his hand off her face.
“Are you serious?”
“It was all a setup, blowing up the boat, the confession to Shoupe. Think about it. That was to clear Rafe’s name. And he does what? Goes to the Druthers. And what’s on the Druthers?”
“Diving gear...”
“One point for Miller.”
“So, Ward’s alive, huh? And he has the gold and the cross and Sarah.” JJ enumerated.
“Thanks for rubbing that in.”
“So, he’s just gonna get away with everything again, huh? Not happening.” He moved towards Pope, who looked at his friend with a newfound determination. “We’re not watching this movie again, right, Pope? You said we need the win. And with her,” he pointed to Cleo. “we’re going to the bridge and we’re going to take it right now. You with me?”
“Let’s do it.” John B said solemnly.
“I’m with you, and I wanna be the one to take that bridge.” Pope said and JJ grabbed his shoulders.
“That’s what I’m talking about.”
“He’s gonna take the bridge?” Cleo let out a chuckle, pointing to Pope.
“Yeah.”
“He couldn’t even take me.”
“First of all, I was going easy on you—”
“Seriously?”
“I went easy on you.” Cleo snapped back and Kiara tried her best to keep them quiet.
“Shut up.”
“She didn’t even—”
“Quiet. Both of you.” Elizabeth ordered as she shared a look with John B and Kie.
“If you’re really with us, if we use that knife, we can go up into the bridge, hold it up against the captain’s neck, then we go on the intercom and make him tell the rest of the crew to meet up in the forward hull.” JJ shared his plan, not seeing the worried looks he was getting from the two teenage girls. “Once they’re in the same place, bam, we lock them in there and we take back what’s ours.”
“I like it. It could work.” Pope agreed.
“Are you with us, then?”
“No.” Cleo said sternly. “This is stupid—" She turned to John B.
“All right, let’s open these things up!” a man from outside the container said and all six of them held their breaths.
“They’re checking the containers.”
“Uh-oh.” Thinking on her feet, Cleo started to climb the crates and started to undo the screws holding the grate.
“Wait. No. Cleo.”
“Cleo, what the hell are you doing?” Elizabeth said and she received a glance from the woman that made her frown.
Cleo shushed them before she let half of her body hang from the opening. Her hands touched a wooden crate that she held onto as she slithered out of the container. She heard them mumble a few words just as her feet touched the floor. She quickly dusted off her hands and jogged to the two men who were struggling to get the door open.
“Macias!” she shouted and ran to them.
Inside the holding vessel, Kiara put the vent back in place while Pope started to walk back in forth in the small space. JJ’s jaw was tightly closed as he stared at his best friend, silently blaming him for bringing someone he barely knew in their plans, for the second time.
“She’s gonna tell them. Shit!”
“I don’t think so, Pope.” Elizabeth shook her head and bit the skin that surrounded her thumb, leaning back on the wooden planks next to JJ.
“Hold up!” Cleo shouted, once she arrived next to the men. “This one’s clear, sir.” She told them and the smallest of the two looked at her.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Went through it inch by inch.” She moved from feet to feet, trying to appear as casual and trustworthy as possible. “Nothing but tubing and plastics in there.”
“What if the stowaway had been in there?”
“Well, he wasn’t, so...” she shrugged and started to walk away from him. “Come on, man. We have work to do. Move your bumper, man.” She hurried and acted as if she was walking away from the container. The dark-skinned woman made sure the men were far enough so that she could get back to the teenagers.
“Okay,” Pope sighed in relief. “she’s on our side. That’s good.”
“Pope, you’re up. We’ll wait for your signal, okay?” Pope nodded to JJ’s suggestion, and he took off the vent when Cleo whistled, signaling that he could get out.
“C’mon!” she hurried, and he moved out.
“Thanks for that, by the way.”
“Yeah.”
“Look, I don’t know why you did that, but I’m not gonna argue.” He crouched behind an old barrel. “Why’d you do that?”
“Not for charity. Just figure I’m better off with you guys than with Eberhimi.” She stated simply and he nodded, satisfied with her answer.
“Right.”
“And now you guys owe me a cut of that treasure.” She bargained and Pope nodded.
“That’s fair.”
“All right. How we take over this fort, chief?”
John B, Kiara, JJ, and Elizabeth all stood by, waiting for whatever sign Pope was supposed to send them. They all stood around the vent, in silence, the four of them in their thoughts.
“Hey,” JJ bumped his hand with Beth’s. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” he asked quietly, hoping to not attract too much attention on them. She nodded, leaving Kiara’s sides as the girl sent the brunette a small smile.
“We’ll be right back.” She whispered and John B and Kiara nodded. The shared look between JJ and John B was one that the brunette did not miss, and she frowned, once again, as she was pulled by the surfer.
“Hurry.” He said gently and she was pulled in front of him, against the wall.
“JJ, what—” he shook his head, lips pinched. She grew concerned once she recognized the worried and scared look in his eyes. “Everything okay?” she asked softly, and she cupped his cheeks, her thumbs immediately started to lovingly rub his cheeks.
“I, huh...” he stuttered and took a hold of her warm hands on his even warmer and sweaty skin. “Okay,” he breathed out. “First,” he fished the bullets out of his pockets and the gun out of his jeans’ waistband. “I want you to keep this.”
“What, JJ no—” JJ shook his head.
“Beth, I’m not asking you. You’re keeping it.” He said sternly and she nodded tightly, placing the objects back where they were not even an hour earlier. “You gotta have something to protect yourself.” He told her.
“I have you.”
“Usually, yeah. But we’re in enemy territory right now and—”
“You’ll have other things to worry about...” she finished, and he nodded with a sigh.
“You’ll still be the one thing I’ll worry most about.” He said and she smiled. He wiped his hands on his jeans and reached both hands behind his neck before untying the cord. “I want you,” he said before he moved it from him to her and tied it with difficulty around her neck. “to keep this safe for me.” He mumbled once the distance between them had lessened.
“JJ...” she gasped; her fingers ghosted over the black shark tooth pendant.
“I know you’ll keep it safe.” He whispered and she nodded. “Okay, huh, last thing before we get back there...” he took a deep breath and started to lean in, his hands slid down her arms and moved her hands around his neck. “I just want you to know that I’ve always lo—”
“Attention, all passengers and crew. Report to the tween forward hull.” A second passed before the same voice, now strained, continued. “Attention, all passengers, all crew, report to the tween forward hull. That’s an order.” The teenagers let go of each other once John B appeared right next to them and cleared his throat.
“Sorry to interrupt again, but, huh, we gotta get going.” He said and they nodded. Elizabeth pulled down on her shirt and grabbed her jacket and took one step to follow after John B, but she was pulled back against the blonde’s torso.
“Beth, I lo—” She shook her head, her hand covered his mouth and she stared up at him with teary eyes and he wiped the one tear that escaped the fragile hold she had on them.
“Don’t.” she said, and her voice cracked. “JJ, just, if you finish that sentence, neither one of us is getting out of this container, I won’t have it. So, just add that to the list of thoughts to hold, yeah? Until we’re safe?” she suggested, and he swallowed thickly but still nodded. He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly before kissing her forehead.
“Guys! We gotta go!” John B shouted and JJ nodded, his lips still glued to her forehead, and he sighed before he pulled away from her and loaded the gun.
“Okay, let’s go.” He wiped his face of any emotion and followed after his best friend, missing the silent sob that racked through the girl’s body.
“They took the bridge.”
“That’s my boy.” John B and JJ pulled the vent out, letting it fall on the crate next to them. “Once they’re all in the hull, Kie and, Beth, and I will lock them inside.”
“I’ll find Sarah and get the lifeboat.”
“We’ll meet you, load the cross and get outta here.” Kiara finished and they all nodded.
“Let’s roll.”
The blonde slipped his head out, quickly looked both ways before he extended his arms out and let himself fall forward. He crawled to the edge of the large crate before his legs hit the surface with a loud thud. John B followed in a similar way while Elizabeth and Kiara sat on the edge of the opening, theirs legs were out first, and they steadied themselves once both feet were planted on the wooden tops. Their hands were grabbed, and they jumped off, landing as quietly as they were able to. The five teenagers, who were careful not to get caught, crouched down, walked around the shipping container, and followed John B as he led them to a narrow flight of stairs.
“Down there.” He gestured and JJ nodded before he took the lead and went down quietly.
Elizabeth, Kiara, and JJ hastily moved around the hull, all three were hidden behind a wall that led to another section, Kiara and Elizabeth moved back and forth trying to catch the men that walked inside their trap.
“Hey, what the hell is this all about?”
“This doesn’t have anything to do with that stowaway, does it?”
“Guess we’ll find out.”
“Psst. How many?” JJ whispered and Kiara looked back at her friends, raised three fingers in the air and the blonde nodded.
“It’s got something to do with that cross.” A man said as the workers walked past the teenagers and inside the smallest section of the hull. “I’m telling you; it’s cursed. We’re making God angry.”
“Wheezie and Rose.” Beth mouthed to the teenage boy, and he nodded. “Plus, two.” She added.
“Where are we going, and where’s dad?”
“I don’t know, Wheezie.” Rose sighed.
Kiara leaned forward while Elizabeth just moved from Kiara’s side to JJ’s side and the blonde swore under his breath when at the same time, Rafe Cameron turned in their direction after seeing a blur move. They could hear voices come from the secluded room and the brunette frowned when she saw Rafe simply disappear below deck.
“What are you doing?” JJ demanded in a whispered shout.
“Ellie, what—"
The brunette made sure that the way was clear before she followed after the older young adult. She waited to hear him move away from the metal ladder before she joined him and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she crouched and hid behind a dozen, large wooden pallets.
“There she is.” She whispered once he uncovered the coveted object.
Curious, she tailed the deranged golf player as he walked around the hull. He caught sight of something, and his expression turned to determination, the girl followed his line of sight and she gasped quietly when she recognized John B’s flowery button up. Sweat started to gather around her hairline when they got lower, getting closer to the boiler room. She saw him grab what looked like a hook and he let it drag to the floor as he walked closer and closer to the engine.
“John B,” he sang quietly, the loud pumping of the pistons drowned the already soft volume of his voice.
“Sarah!” Her best friend shouted, and he ran down the five steps, his instinct on high gear as he made sure to not hurt himself.
She watched from afar, not wanting to put herself in the situation unless she felt it was absolutely necessary. That meant watching Rafe scare John B as he banged the hook against one of the hot pipes.
“Rafe.” John B gasped, taking a couple of steps back.
“Watch your head, man.” He said nicely. “What the hell are you doing here, John B?” The latter’s eyes were glued on the pointy and rusty stick Rafe held with his two hands.
“Just put that thing down, all right?”
“Why would I do that? Huh?”
“This isn’t about you, all right?”
“It’s not about me?” Rafe asked, his head ticked to the side two times in a row.
“No. This is about Sarah, okay?”
“I don’t know. I think it is.”
John B noticed the teenage girl in the far corner of the warm room, and he used Rafe’s moment of distraction as he feigned running left. His feet took him to his right, and he was able to avoid Rafe’s body ramming him into the wall. He jumped away from the weapon, the murderer swung it back and forth with the hopes of badly ailing his enemy.
The dirty blonde got a few hits in; on the chest and his left shoulder, along with the side of his head, near the temple. John B was on the floor and Rafe smiled, loving the death fearing look in the younger boy’s eyes, he loved the way his nostrils flared and the way his breathing seemed erratic and lacking. Rafe still trying to hurt John B who was crawling away from the monster.
“Same old shit.”
“You don’t have to do this, all right?”
“Pogues stealing from us. You know, I can’t—” he breathed heavily. “I’m not gonna let that happen.” He tried to take another hit, but he shrieked when a loud bang echoed through the room.
His eyes left John B’s face who had been able to kick him in the ribs. Rafe’s icy blue stare fell on Elizabeth who stood a few feet away from them with the gun raised towards his person.
“What the f—”
“John, go!” she shouted, and Rafe started to make his way towards her but got hit in the back of the way by John B who then ran away from the man. “Go, go, go!” the brunette shouted, and she ran towards them.
She could hear the hissing of the boiler; she could hear the piston move up and down faster and faster in the cylinder.
“Where are you going, huh?” Rafe asked and as he reached to pull John B down, face first on the metal stairs she pressed the trigger a second time. Only, this time an additional blast made her lose her balance and she fell back. Ellie took a few seconds before she felt John B’s hands pull her to her feet and she was tugged along as the pair ran past the injured Rafe.
They ran and Beth followed, holding back the tears at the burning sensation she felt in her lower back. John B quickly pushed a door open and shoved her inside before covering her mouth with his hand. The duo heard Rafe groan as he walked down the small hallway, unaware that his targets were close.
“What the fuck, Lizzie?” he whispered, she groaned, holding the handle of the gun tightly in her hand. “You could’ve got—”
“Shut up. Shut up, John B.” she seethed, and he scoffed.
“Are you out of your goddamned mind?”
“What? So y’all can throw yourselves around and risk your lives but the one time I want to help I get scolded like a fucking child?” he nodded before he gave his back to her.
“Go find JJ and Kie. I’ll find Sarah.”
“No, I’ll help.”
“Get to JJ and Kie, E. I’m not asking.” He said and she pouted.
“Fine.”
“Fine.” He said before grabbing her shoulders and hugging her. “Go up the stairs and to your left. You’ll be near the lifeboats.” He instructed and she nodded.
“You come back to me, yeah?” she asked, and he nodded.
“You, too. And if something happens,-”
“We check our messages.” The girl sniffled and tightened her grip on the weapon before she slipped out of the door.
She did as she was told and climbed the stairs which led to a blue door that she opened not without struggle. She got on the deck just in time to see a head of blonde hair. She whistled, getting their attention and JJ’s eyes turned wide.
“Where were you?” she waved him off.
“Found John B, he’s getting Sarah and we’re getting the fuck out of here.” She muttered. “Cross?”
“Yeah, Pope and Cleo got it.” Kiara told her and she sent a thumbs up.
“Is it clear?”
“Clear.” Kiara motioned for them to move forward, and they ran to the railing of the ship.
“I don’t see him.” JJ shouted once he saw the deck below was clear, but the two girls were stopped dead in their tracks.
“J.” Kiara called when they fell face to face with Eberhimi.
“Of course. There’s more of you.” He eyed the three teenagers and pulled a sharp blade out. “Get down on your knees.” He ordered.
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen.”
JJ lurched forward, trying to get the blade out of his hands, Kiara pushed the man against the wall before hitting him with a movable panel.
“Where’s he supposed to be?” Elizabeth asked, leaning forward.
“Where’s John B?”
“John B!” Kiara shouted.
Quickly, the adult gained consciousness and stood to his feet.
“Didn’t you learn that little girls shouldn’t play with fire?” he taunted once he saw the firearm in Beth’s grip.
“I never had the greatest role models.” She mumbled making him chuckle.
In one swift motion, he grabbed Kiara’s hair and threw her down on the ground, against the wall and she groaned. Elizabeth pulled the trigger one and then two times, barely missing the man but giving JJ just enough time to jump on his back and try to get a few good hits in. As if he weighted nothing less than a leaf, Eberhimi shook the blonde off. JJ fell on his ass, feeling his whole skeleton hurt as his head hit the railing. He groaned and rubbed the tender spot on his head, checking on Kiara to make sure the teenage girl was fine, and his eyes fell on the singed off part of her top.
“Now, tell me which one of them is your girlfriend, huh?” the man asked, and JJ scoffed.
“I don’t—” he groaned when his head started to throb.
Eberhimi grabbed the top of JJ’s head, tightened his hold on the mop of blonde hair and he started to swing in the girls’ directions. A very shallow cut was made on Kiara’s arm when she took a step forward, her hand balled up in a fist.
“Kie!” JJ shouted once he saw the curly hair girl bend forward.
He twisted his body and yanked the knife out of the man’s grab before he held it to his throat. Eberhimi leaned his head forward before swinging it back and hitting JJ with it, he made the blonde lose his hold on the knife and it clattered to the ground, loudly. In an effort to help him, Beth aimed at the knee of the man who was attacking her friends and she pulled the trigger. The bullet flew out of the gun and lodged itself in the man’s thigh. He swung at her but missed once she dodged the hit, twisted her wrist, and pulled her to him, his hand wrapped around her throat.
“JJ...” Elizabeth realized when she heard the splash of the water.
“JJ!” Kiara shouted, running to the edge.
“Tut, tut, tut.” He shook his head. “Her or him?” he asked, and her eyes went over Beth’s face; her eyes were rolling in the back of her head, and she seemed to be gasping for air.
“JJ, K... Get him.” She struggled to say as she scratched the man’s hand around her airway. “Pl... lease. Take ca—" She begged, and Kiara sobbed before she jumped over the edge.
The man threw her down against the side of the edge of the boat and she felt her body crack, a pained moan was released. She laid on her side, body racked with sobs and about three feet away from the man, she saw her gun. She crawled to it as best as she could though her body yelled at her to stop but she pushed through, determined to make it back to her friends. Elizabeth could very faintly hear their voices, almost like a quiet echo in the back of her mind. She crawled under his stare, and he laughed, almost like a snort and he put his booted foot on her hand, stepping on it while he reached down for the gun.
“Please, JJ. Take care of JJ.” She cried as he aimed the gun towards her.
John B had been able to retrieve Sarah, Pope and Cleo and was now looking for the last three, his three oldest friends.
“Where’s J, Kie and Ellie?” he asked.
“I thought they were with you.” John B nodded.
“I sent Ellie off to find JJ and Kie.” He said. “We gotta find them, all right?”
“Last time I saw them was on the other side of the ship.” Cleo said. “Your sister wasn’t with them, though.” John B breathed harshly and nodded, driving around the boat.
“JJ, please, stay with me!” Kiara begged the blonde who was slowly but surely drowning her. “Stay with me.” She panted. “John B’s coming. John B’s coming, okay? John B! Help!”
“That’s Kie.” Sarah said.
“Where are they?”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” The dark-skinned girl cried as the burn in her muscles became too much.
“There they are!”
“JJ!” they all shouted. John B’s heart started to beat faster once he saw the state his best friend was in.
“Oh my god!” Pope gasped and he crawled to the front, ready to pull the blonde up.
“JJ!”
“No! No! No! No! No!” John B shouted and his voice cracked.
The two of them were quickly pulled into the lifeboat, while Kiara gasped for air and coughed out the water she had breathed in, JJ laid his head on top of her chest, barely breathing. He knew they had to leave fast, and nobody really thought about her until the sound of a firearm shot echoed through the atmosphere and John B slowed down, his face showed clear panic when he cast a look over JJ.
“Where’s Ellie?” he snapped his head towards Kiara who held back tears.
“She, she told me to get JJ. She told me she’d be right there but—” she cried, and Pope grabbed her hand.
“We gotta go back.”
“John B! John B!” Cleo shouted. “We have to leave, man. I’m sorry.”
“No, no, no!” Sarah stared at something that was back on the ship and she frowned.
“We have to go, John B. Rafe!” she pointed towards the man who held the gun in his hands.
“Fuck!” John B shouted, Pope moved him aside and took control over the driving of the boat.
“I’m sorry, man.” John B whispered to the blonde.
“JJ, please wake up!” Kiara begged. “J! Please! Get up! Please!”
“Dude, you gotta wake up!”
His blue eyes shot open, and he started to cough up the leftover water that was in his lungs.
“There you go. Yeah, yeah. Cough it out. Cough it out, baby.”
“Hey, buddy, there you go.” All the eyes were on his as he laid back against the inflated side of the lifeboat.
“Welcome to the land of the living, dude.”
“No CPR needed, huh?” JJ stared at all of them, feeling hands on his neck and chest and he smiled before he turned his head around and his eyes fell on Kiara.
“What?” he stuttered; the smile fast gone from his face. “Where’s—”
“She got caught.” Kiara told him and he moved out of her grasp.
“What?” he asked louder and coughed.
“She asked me to go after you and I just—”
“There was a gunshot, JJ.” John B told him, and he frowned, his eyes never left his best friend’s face as he blinked away tears.
“Who?”
“We don’t know. We were getting you when it happened, and we couldn’t get back.”
“You left her?” he shouted as best as he could. Sarah leaned forward to press a wet torn up piece of clothing to his head.
“What the hell happened?” he asked seeing the blood on his fingers.
“The blunt end of a machete.” Cleo answered.
“Machete, huh?”
“The blunt end. Next time duck.”
“I’ll try to remember that next time.” He sat up, keeping the wet cloth on his forehead. “So, we gonna make a plan to get her back or what?”
“The cross or Ellie?” Pope asked.
“Both.” JJ replied.
“This shit ain’t over.”
“No, it ain’t.”
-
Rafe had joined his stepmother and Wheezie, almost thirty minutes ago and they stood in the corner of the small hallway.
“How is he?” Rose asked.
“He’s stable. He’s sleeping.” The Cameron’s sighed in relief.
“We have half power but will make next port in three hours.” Macias told them. “I’ll have a doctor waiting.”
“For the both of them?” Wheezie asked and Macias shot Rafe and Rose a look and Rose nodded.
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
“Can we see him?”
“Yeah, of course.” The doctor said before Rafe walked in the room
-
JJ, Pope and John B were stood side by side while the girls sat on the sand a few feet away from them.
“Come on, guys.”
“Come on, boys.” They grunted and dropped the inflated boat on the land.
“Good job, guys.” Sarah said without much enthusiasm.
“Good job.”
“Whoa.” The blonde gasped once he started to lose his footing.
“JJ, you all right there, buddy?”
“Yeah. Still a little dizzy.” The six teenagers regrouped on the grass, staring off at the open water in front of them. “Okay, anybody know where we’re at?”
“Deserted beach. Unknown island.”
“All right, I’ll take that as a no.”
“JJ, didn’t you have that necklace thing?” Sarah asked and JJ rubbed the naked space around his neck.
“Yeah, gave it to Beth for safekeeping...” he cleared his throat. “Plan A, huh, Pope? That went well.”
“This is the lowest we can go. We literally have nothing else to lose. The cross, gone.”
“The gold, gone.” Sarah added.
“Seriously, if we had a nickel for every time we got beat up, I’d say we’re at a dollar fifty.”
“That’s more than I got on me.”
“That somehow doesn’t make me feel better.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” John B spoke up. “But, I mean, we’ve... We’ve had some good stuff happen, right?”
“Name something.” Pope challenged.
“Um, the boiler room.” He stared at Cleo who looked at him amused. “What? If the boiler room didn’t explode, E and I wouldn’t have gotten away from Rafe. I couldn’t have gotten the Zodiac and gotten us out of here.”
“That wasn’t luck.” Cleo shook her head. “That thing was gonna blow the second I stopped feeding it.”
“Stealing my thunder, Cleo. Um...”
“Sorry.”
“Okay. Pope, you’re related to Denmark Tanny. That’s crazy.”
“And I lost all his inheritance.”
“You know what?” John B stood up. “Guys this is it. This is the Pogue Life. We are in the Caribbean. It’s our own little slice of paradise. With my best friends, with my family.”
“Minus one.” JJ added and John B sent him a sorry smile.
“I don’t know. I wouldn’t wanna do it with anyone else. Look, and while you guys were complaining about every little thing... JJ?” the blonde stabbed the tree with his knife.
“Hmm?”
“I was looking at those burly lefts.”
“There’s some slabs out there.”
“Just a few.” John B snickered. “Kie, see that? I know you wanna get out.”
“No boards.” She rolled her eyes.
“Well, we can bodysurf till we make some boards.”
“Lame.”
“Pope? Come on, man.”
“They do look pretty tasty.”
“Oh, yes, they do.”
“There’s nobody around. We could squat here for a bit. Kind of belongs to us now, huh?”
“You got a point.”
“Six-way split?” Pope said as him and John B did their handshake.
“Poguelandia.” JJ said in a posh accent.
“Oh boy.”
“I claim thee Poguelandia.” He said in the same accent before clearing his throat and returning to his usual voice. “I like the ring of it. I’m gonna make a flag. It’s gonna have a chicken on it. With a coconut bra, smoking a J...” he said watching the girls laugh. “in crocs.”
“I could use a J.”
“Can we vote on that?”
“Shall we get to work?”
“We should get to work.”
“Let’s start working on provisions.” John B told Pope and they first bumped before going their separate ways. “Set up shop.”
“To going full Pogue?” John B asked Sarah and she nodded.
“Going full Pogue.” Kie repeated while JJ helped her to her feet.
“What is a Pogue, anyway?” Cleo asked.
My dad had this quote from Euripides, “The ocean washes away all the evil men do. But I’m not sure that’s true.”
-
Anna and Mike walked on the deck, stapling two different missing posters. They shared a look as they stared at their daughter and goddaughter, and they sighed.
“The missing teens were last seen on the night of September twenty seventh on the road leading out to the point. No foul play is expected at this time. We’ve set up a hotline. If you have any information leading to their whereabouts, please give us a call.” Victor Shoupe spoke to the medias.
I don’t think the ocean washes away anything. If anything, the ocean makes you remember.
-
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************* TAGLIST: @jjxobx - @moonylantsovs - @k-k0129 - @jaxxandcomet - @taaniesha - @sunflowerbecca - @obx-direction-sos - @directioner-kaa - @mslaughter03 - @khacker24 - @itssoweirdyoureher - @scenesofobx -
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r0s3mm · 2 years
Text
Words From That Night // Outer Banks series
Welcome!
Don’t hesitate to reblog, like, leave constructive comments, send feedback on what you just read or what you’d like to read next.
Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist and let me know if you are on the taglist but didn’t receive the notification.
My requests are open! Ask away people !
Read me here!
General Masterlist
Series’ masterlist
Sweeter masterlist
Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
Word count: approx. 1.7K
Episode: X
Bound to you -Deleted Scene
A/N: implied smut ... kissing, making out???, the closest y'all will get to see bf!jj x gf!beth for a little while, them being cute af, language
Also it’s badly written and I’m not a fan of it yolo
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He hovered her, one more time, kissing her lips gently before he exited the room, coming back with a warm cloth. After he was done, he grabbed her underwear and a clean shirt of his that was in the room, wrapping her naked body in them.
“JJ,” she called out, moving to lay her head on his warm chest. He looked down at her. “Thank you.” She leaned up and kissed him again, moving up on her arm to hover his body slightly. A giggle erupted from her throat once he grabbed her, pulling her to his other side.
-
She woke up startled, her eyes snapped open, and she felt overheated. She craned her neck to take a look at the time, noticing that it was barely past two in the morning she groaned. The brunette bit her dry lips as she thought back to a few hours ago, a small and shy smile made its appearance on her lips as she wiggled free of the hold of the muscular blonde. Standing on the cool floor, she walked to the kitchen where she got herself a glass of cold water to calm her heated body.
“Hey,” she heard from the bedroom.
“Hey, back.” she smiled and heard the old floorboards creak under his weight. She felt eyes on her and turned around, a blush, she hoped was hidden by the darkness of the room, overtook her when she got face to face with the half-naked teenager, his eyes indeed on her. “Whatcha lookin’ at?”
“I mean…” he mumbled, his eyes taking their time to scan her naked legs. “Since when do you blush?” he grinned and shortened the distance between them, leaning back against the beam in the kitchen.
“Couple hours ago.” he nodded and scratched the back of his head; a yawn escaped his mouth. “Go back to sleep, JJ.” He smiled at the way she had said the words so softly.
“Will you be joining me?” he asked, and she chuckled.
“Yeah.” She nodded and he closed the space between them, he kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, then the tip of her nose... Then their lips were a few millimeters apart as they breathed each other in. He crouched down and leaned in, grabbing her lips between his.
One of her hands, the one holding onto the edge of the counter, kept her steady as her legs nearly gave out from under her, her other hand was tangled in his blonde locks. His chapped lips were slowly gliding against her soft and warm lips, her eyes fluttered shut at the warmth taking over both of their bodies. She giggled; a contagious smile made it hard for the blonde to keep kissing her, but he didn’t mind.
He was the only solid thing for her in those few seconds, she held onto JJ, releasing the edge of the countertop so that both of her hands could move to his head full of hair as she softly tugged on them, pulling sounds from him that made her feel as if she was on fire.
Slowly, he stepped backwards, stopping at the beam against which she leaned back. His thumb found its way under her chin, holding her head up as their tongues met each other. JJ started to kiss his way down, stopping at her shoulder where he left a mark.
“Are you giving me a hickey?” she asked quietly and before he said anything, she felt his hot breath in her neck. The blonde chuckled as he kept kissing the skin, loving the way the goosebumps rose under his lips.
Gently, she pushed on his shoulder, she looked up, feeling a thousand emotions his eyes shared and she smiled... A smile that made his heart beat faster than ever.
“God.” He mumbled before leaning in and kissing her lips again.
She pulled away, the quietest moan left his lips and she had to restrain herself from kissing him again. She grabbed his hand and lead him back to the room they had come from, shutting the door behind her with her foot. The blonde laid on the bed, craning his neck to get a proper look of her.
“Why you looking at me like that?” she asked as she laid on top of him, looking up at the most gorgeous blue eyes she had ever seen. He shrugged as an answer.
“You’re just like, really pretty.” He said, leaning forward to barely press his lips on hers.
She shook her head before she let herself fall next to him. Slowly, they moved so that their heads fell against the pillows. She used his arm as a pillow, letting him hold her close to his body. They stayed silent for what felt like hours but was actually only a few minutes. Her eyes moved frantically as she watched the ceiling and how the moonlight lit up the room.
“What’s going on in your head, right now?” he spoke softly, and she gazed up at him, her pointer finger traced the outline of his shoulder, then his collar bones and she finished with pressing a kiss between his two pectorals.
“A lot.” She sighed. “You, mostly.” He smiled. “But also, the whole thing, you know... With John B and the gold.” Her voice wasn’t above the volume of a whisper. “But right now? It’s like, you’re taking over ninety seven percent of the space in my brain and huh—” she heard something creak behind the door and she sat up, her whole body tensed. “Did you hear?”
“It’s the floorboards, Beth.”
She laid back in his arms, loving the way he wrapped them around her and the way he held her tightly, but she did not feel suffocated.
“JJ, taking the risk of ruining everything that happened in the last few hours. I just... What are we exactly?”
He would be lying if he said the question didn’t take him by surprise. He breathed in, letting his mind be overtaken by images of her of the past couple of years, when things started to change. She always took the time with him, she had helped him through some of the worst moments in his life, her, and John B, she always made sure he felt loved and important, and she always made sure he knew how needed and wanted he was.
How much she needed and wanted him.
With Pope, she had spent countless of evenings at the Chateau trying to explain to him things he had gotten behind on at school. She never teased him for the difficulties, always accepted the worse parts of him, parts that she seemed to love. She might not agree with a lot of what he did but most of the time she would steer him on the right track. He knew she would do unthinkable things for him, and she knew he would do the same for her and that is why no one really tried to wedge themselves between them.
He was hers, wholly and fully.
“JJ?” she questioned again, shyly. She sat up, pulling away from him and she grabbed his hand.
“Sorry?”
“What are we?”
“Whatever the hell you want.”
“JJ, I’m serious, because friends don’t—” she cleared her throat. “Friends don’t have sex and I honestly think we skipped over the friends line a while ago.”
“I mean it, whatever the hell you want. We’re going at your pace, do things your way—”
“You never want to do things my way.” She pouted, expecting another type of answer from the blonde.
“This I do.” She stared at him, feeling his eyes on her. “Whatever pace, whatever label, I just want to be able to kiss you.” He said seriously.
“Oh, stop it.” She groaned with a swat of her hand his way. He chuckled, getting on his knees, and towering over her, he helped her up, getting her in the same position he was.
“I’m dead serious, Beth.” He leaned it, kissed her sweetly. With little struggled he got her laid on the bed once more, falling between her legs. “Don’t seem like it, but I’m actually really good at the whole boyfriend thing.” She smiled at his words, words that were mumbled against her lips.
“Yeah?” he nodded, and she brought him down, a smile took over her lips as she hugged him. “J...” she half moaned when his lips kissed her neck. His hands trailed her body, shamelessly pulling sounds out of her that made his body boil. “Please, just—” she requested and he happily obliged.
-
Actually waking up was hard, they were both perfectly warm and wrapped up in each other. Beth’s eyes fluttered opened, and she saw barely there light from the window.
“What!” she sat up. She looked at the clock on the wall and gasped. “JJ! We gotta go back!”
“Huh?” the blonde turned around, frowning when he found the warm but empty spot. “No, baby, come back.”
“J, they’re gonna wake up and we won’t be there.”
“So what?” she approached him, moving a strand of blonde hair away from his face.
“C’mon.” he sighed.
In silence, they got dressed, both of them stealing sneaky glances at the other. JJ walked out, after leaving a soft kiss on her lips.
“I’ll get the bike, yeah?” she nodded.
She cleaned herself up a bit, grabbing a change of clothes for Kiara before applying some expired concealer to her neck and chest. Elizabeth stared at herself, trying to find something different, something new about herself... Trying to see if love had changed her.
She joined JJ outside, the teenager waited for her with a smile, his heart felt light.
“Hey, hey. My artwork.” He wrapped his hands around her waist.
“It’s a private exhibition.”
He leaned in a kissed her one last time, savoring the way her lips felt on his and the way her skin felt on him... The way her fingers were threading through his gold locks.
“Come on, let’s go, pretty girl.” He whispered. They got on the bike, the boy making her put on the helmet before he started it.
“I love you.” She mumbled against his back, knowing he wouldn’t hear it because of the engine’s volume.
-
These arms of mine, they are lonely
Lonely and feeling blue
These arms of mine, they are yearning
Yearning from wanting you
And if you would let them hold you
Oh, how grateful I will be
************************
TAGLIST:
@siwiecola - @gigi-june - @jjxobx - @moonylantsovs - @k-k0129 - @frankiebcanon - @jaxxandcomet - @taaniesha - @sunflowerbecca - @obx-direction-sos - @avidreader321 - @directioner-kaa - @mslaughter03 - @khacker24 - @itssoweirdyoureher
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r0s3mm · 2 years
Text
The Art Of Letting Go // Outer Banks series
Welcome!
Don’t hesitate to reblog, like, leave constructive comments, send feedback on what you just read or what you’d like to read next.
Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist and let me know if you are on the taglist but didn’t receive the notification.
My requests are open! Ask away people !
Read me here!
General Masterlist
Series’ masterlist
Sweeter masterlist
Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
Word count: approx. 10,796 words... y'all im not even sorry.
Episode: 2x08
A/N: nothing that isn't in the show, TW: Luke Maybank, allusions to abuse, language, JJ and Beth kinda going back to their old ways.
my gif
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I'm lost, is it really even my fault? I don't think that it's supposed to be hard If it's really meant to be So, give me a sign Is he always gonna be mine? Have I given it enough of my time?
Beth walked out of the house and onto the balcony with a plate in her hands. She stabbed her scrambled eggs with the prongs of her fork, adding them on top of her toasted bread before she took a bite.
“That was epic.”
“Did you guys see Kelce’s face?” John B asked, looking up at the brunette who handed him a slice of ham.
“Bomb drop!” JJ grunted, before jumping on the couch and shoving the small ball in the basket.
“Another broken couch.”
“You gotta sleep there.”
“I always sleep there. Hey,” he said, gesturing to the blonde who was entering the space. He quickly looked in the brunette’s plate before grabbing a buttered piece of bread. “Well, hello, princess.”
“What’s up?” Kie greeted, half asleep on the couch.
“You hungry?” Beth offered and Sarah shook her head.
“Shouldn’t you be on Figure Eight with your little group of polo players? Or did you break up with Topper?”
“We’re just friends.”
“Ah, he’s just a friend. You have a lot of friends, Sarah Cameron.”
“Yeah, and it seems like you’ve got some of your own too.” She replied.
“All right, what are you doing here?”
“I’m here for Pope.” She sighed, facing the covered-up teenager. “I think I found the island room.”
They all stood from their seats, exchanged looks, they grabbed their things and practically shoved Sarah’s bike in the back of the van before they started the journey to Tanny Hill.
“Guys, listen to this; the diary says the cross holds the most holy relic in all of Christendom, the Garment of the Savior.”
“So, wait, he saying there’s a holy garment inside the cross?” Kiara spoke up.
“Yeah. It says the garment is capable of healing the sick from any malady.”
“Mmh, yeah.” JJ said as if remembering a long-forgotten memory. Elizabeth looked up from her nails she was picking on and frowned at the blonde in front of her. “If only I may touch His garment, I shall be made well.” He recited and Elizabeth shook her head, amused.
“What? I went to Sunday School.” He said to the others that turned towards him, surprised.
“J, you mixed up Matthew 9:21 and Mark 5:28 but yeah, that’s the gist of it.” She mumbled, glancing from the road outside to the smiling teenager who winked her way. Kiara looked at her two friends utterly confused.
“Who the hell are you people?” Elizabeth shook her head before looking at the photocopies in Pope’s hands.
“Well,” Pope cleared his throat. “That explains why Limbrey would want the cross so bad. She thinks it can heal her.”
“What else does it say?”
“Many feel that we have sinned to steal such a sacred thing, and God will strike His vengeance on us.” Pope read off the page.
“Thing is, God did have His vengeance.”
“He sent a hurricane to sink the ship. Only Denmark survived.”
“I swear if this whole thing turns magical or some shit, I’m out.” Elizabeth sighed as she held eye contact with the blonde for a few seconds before she blushed and looked away.
-
Quietly, they walked through the large front doors, the Pogues all looked around at the mansion commenting how their own houses could fit a couple of times in it.
“Whoo!”
“This place still freaks me out.”
“Yeah, same.”
“It’s such a beautiful house, though.” Sarah opened a door and walked through first before Pope entered the room.
“Pope, look.”
“Whoa! You’ve got to be kidding me.” He said amazed.
“Yeah, I know right.” Sarah sighed as a smile took over her features. “It’s the island room.”
“Incredible.”
“It’s been here this whole time.”
“No freaking way.”
“What the- that’s like the whole island.” Beth gasped.
“This definitely means something.”
All six teenagers spread out around the room, looking at the paintings on the walls, places they recognized, details in the paintings that amazed them...
“Yo, this is like a map of the whole island.” John B pointed out.
“Yeah, that’s what I said.”
“Yeah, John B, this is Rixton’s right here.” JJ pointed to a drawing. “And then, there’s the lighthouse.” He stared at the painting before looking out the window and seeing the real lighthouse.
“Guys, look, Parcel 9 and the well.”
“Okay, so, if that’s Parcel 9 and then if that’s Rixton’s, then that’s gotta be—”
“Surf break at Mase.” Elizabeth finished his thought and the curly haired teenager nodded.
“Right and look.” JJ grabbed a page of the photocopied diary and placed it underneath the painting. “Pope, come here. This is Denmark’s handwriting for sure.”
“The drawings, they match up.”
“Holy shit.”
“Denmark, you genius! These are all his drawings. He... he painted this entire room.” Pope said, turning on himself.
“Yeah, question is why. What’s he trying to tell us?”
“It has to be related to the key, right?” Elizabeth said, thinking of the key they had lost the night before.
“Yeah, but what?”
“How did you know to uncover this?” An impressed John B asked Sarah who was tracing a painting with the tip of her finger.
“I didn’t. It was like this when I got home.”
“What?”
“Okay, then who did it?” Kie asked.
“I don’t know.”
“The freaks.” The group gasped, and Elizabeth reached for her gun before she noticed the voice came from Wheezie, Sarah’s little sister.
“Wheeze!”
“For fuck’s sake.” The brunette breathed, releasing the hold she had on the firearm.
“What freaks are we talking about, Wheeze?”
“Uh... that sick lady and her attack dog. They... they showed up last night, and they wanted to talk to Rafe.” The young girl explained.
“Okay...”
“Wait. Pale blond lady?”
“She have crutches?” Wheezie nodded at the teenagers’ questions.
“Uh-huh.”
“It’s gotta be Limbrey.”
“Wha... what happened?”
“Well, at first they searched the whole house looking for something, and then Rafe told me to go upstairs. But I didn’t wanna miss out, so I listened through the grate.” The little brunette explained, and Elizabeth smiled, amused. “I heard them tearing off the wallpaper, saying how they’d found it. And they were talking about getting across the sand flamingo.”
“That’s code for something.” JJ said immediately.
“The cross. The Cross of Santo Domingo?” Pope offered and the girl’s face lit up.
“Yeah, that’s it. Oh, and they were talking about angels.”
“Angels?”
“A lot of angels talk.” She looked to the older kids in front of them. “I don’t know.”
“Guys, Denmark’s famous last words. He buried the real treasure at the foot of the angel. They’re looking for an angel. We have to find the angel in the room.”
“Start looking, start looking. Come with me.” He grabbed Beth’s jacket sleeve and pulled her with him, and she opened her eyes wider in surprise.
“Spread out.”
“There’s a church over here!”
“Yeah, check the church.”
Their voices became one as they talked over each other, sharing theories of heat sensitivity, other angel names were shouted. Elizabeth felt JJ’s fingers separate from hers and she followed after him, keeping their limbs intwined. She watched him carefully, in silence as she could see the wheels turn in his head; the way his lips were pursed, and his brows were furrowed. The way his eyes stayed on one particular focus point and how his stress induced erratic breathing stopped for a few seconds. His free hand reached forward, tracing the outline of what looked like a keyhole.
“It’s still there.” He said quietly and she stared at him. “Hey, yo! Hey, guys, I think I found something!” he shouted, and they all stopped only to turn towards him and make their ways to where the pair was. “Come here. This humongous tree is still on Goat Island. You know what it’s called?”
“Angel oak.” Elizabeth mumbled, memories of the start of the summer hit her and an easy smile fell on her face. JJ looked down at her, sharing the same expression. “Look there. There’s the keyhole.”
“Wait.”
“That means the cross is buried at the foot of the angel.” Pope said, staring proudly at the blond. “Wow, that must be where he put it. That must be where they are right now! We have to go!”
“I think I’m Sherlock Holmes, all right?” JJ wondered excited. “You’re welcome by the way.” The group left quickly leaving JJ and Beth to be the last to leave the room.
“Hey, Sherlock.” She called from behind him, and he turned around. She held onto his shoulder and stood on her tip toes, she leaned in and kissed the corner of his mouth, getting back to her usual height with a small giddy bounce. A small laugh left her lungs before she started to quickly walk back to her friends.
“Hey Sherlock and Watson. Stop with the macking we gotta go, now!” John B shouted from the front door and JJ shook his head, trying to shake off a grin before he followed, practically chasing after the girl, both running out of the house and into the van under their friends’ gazes.
-
They drove on a deserted path, in a little corner of their island that had been abandoned for a while now.
“Guys, we’re coming up on Freedman’s Church. The church Denmark built for all the slaves he freed.”
Driving on the dirt path, John B and his friends looked around, trying to find the tree they were looking for.
“There it is, Angel Oak.” Kiara said and they watched the tree right in front of them grow bigger and bigger.
The Twinkie slowed to a full stop in the middle of a sparse forest and the three girls in the back were pulled from their hushed conversation and they leaned forward with a pout.
“Oh, shit! Tide’s coming in.” John B carefully watched the watery mud in front of them. “Um...”
“Hey, wait a second. Look.” He pointed to the barely visible tire tracks. “They already came through here. Those have to be Limbrey’s tire tracks. Guys, we gotta go.” He urged.
“Mmm, what do you think chief?”
“I’m thinking it’s looking a little dicey.” John B told his best friend.
“Yeah, I’m gonna have to agree with that statement.”
“Yeah...”
“Okay, clearly, they made it. No?”
“In a two-wheel drive? I don’t know about that.”
“Why are y’all acting like you’re not gonna do it anyways?” Sarah asked with an amused smile and Elizabeth chuckled with her head on her shoulder. “Like when have y’all ever done the safe thing?” John B and JJ looked back at the blonde before staring at each other.
“C’mon John! Put it in second, press on the gas and close your eyes.”
“Yeah, what Beth said.” JJ nodded, both of them faced the road. “Speed is your friend, here.”
“Oh, and stick to the high ground in the middle.”
Both brunettes and the blonde in the backseat held each other’s hands and breathed in before they nodded to John B’s gaze in the rearview mirror.
“For fuck’s sake, just do it.” Elizabeth mumbled and Kiara and Sarah laughed at her dramatics.
“All right, ready?” they all nodded. “Here we go!”
“Come on, bro. Punch it. Speed is your friend.” JJ repeated for the second time. “You’re not going fast enough.”
“I’m in second.” John B replied, slightly annoyed.
“It’s gonna slide.” Kiara commented from the far right of the backseat.
“You’re fishtailing already.”
“Yeah, I know! I know!”
“Not to put any more pressure on you, but you don’t make it through, we’ll be stuck here forever.” Pope spoke up in between the two front seats.
“We’ll be stuck here forever.” Elizabeth mocked the teenager. “And JJ and I are the dramatic ones? Please...”
“Put your head back, okay?” John B said. One of his hands left the wheel to push the boy’s head back.
“John, both hands on the wheel please.” He glanced at his oldest friend in the backseat before doing what she asked.
The six teenagers cheered when they finally made it through, and the stress and tension left their bodies.
“See? I told you we’d make it.”
“That’s my girl.” JJ chuckled, slapping the van. “All right, all right. Right here, right here’s good.” He instructed the driver who stopped the van. “Angel Oak is right through here.”
“Um, yeah, guys just, you know be careful of the gators.” Elizabeth mentioned once JJ had slid the door open for them.
“What?” Kiara turned to face her friends.
“Yeah, know that gators nest back here, just keep your eyes peeled. You don’t wanna step on a mama gator. That’s the last thing that you want.”
“They have nests?”
“Seems like a good place to park.” Sarah nodded, unconvinced.
“All right.” JJ sighed once he saw that everyone had made it out of the van. They started to walk between the trees and on fallen leaves. “You don’t wanna be a Pat Womack.”
“JJ, enough with Pat Womack.” Elizabeth sighed, turning around to face him for a few seconds. “It’s every time we come here, now.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes when he kept going.
“She had her calf chewed off by a gator, right? You know that, right?”
“That’s actually not true.” Kie mumbled.
“Jesus, finally.” Ellie sighed; her hands raised in the air as a thanks.
“Pat Womack was injured in a car accident, but I hear ya.”
“Okay, just live-in ignorance. But like, she had her calf chewed off by a mama gator. I know that for a fact.” Elizabeth listened to the banter, almost tripping before she held onto Pope that was walking in front of her. “They like the brackish water.” JJ stepped onto a little surface of solidified dirt near a source of water. “Wait. Hold on. I see something.”
“What are you doing?” Kiara asked before JJ grabbed a large branch and hit the water with it, making large ripples appear on the surface.
“Right. Wake them up. That’s smart.” The blonde girl mocked.
“I was just making sure it wasn’t a gator. That’s all, all right?”
They walked a little while further, Elizabeth, JJ, Kiara, and Pope all pretended to not be able to hear the broken-up couple behind them and snickers could be heard within the quartet.
“Hey, shh.” Pope, who was ahead, shushed them and once they had all quieted down, they could hear the indistinct voices and the whirring sounds of the engines.
“I don’t see shit. Are you sure this is the right spot?” JJ joined Ellie and Pope who stood behind a large and tall bush.
“The fuck is your brother doing here, Sarah?” Elizabeth asked the girl who’d just appeared by her sides before JJ shushed her.
“It’s there. The garment will be in the cross and the cross will be at the foot of the tree.” Limbrey spoke weakly.
“Well, whatever we find, I get my cut.” Renfield spoke.
“The actual garment. You understand the significance.”
“I do, Carla. Completely.”
“One touch of it, and I’ll be healed, and this long nightmare will be over.”
“Your lips to God’s ears.”
Pope watched curiously as they dug a hole at the foot of the tree. The sound of wood being hit could be heard from the teenagers that were feet away from the actual scene and they tensed up, unwilling to admit that they would fail their newest quest. Carla screamed at the workers, requested that they stop and did it by hand. She hovered over the hole and the men and watched amazed but then confused as they lifted a casket off the ground.
“He put it in a casket.” The woman chuckled breathlessly. “Denmark put it in a casket. Get it up.”
“Let’s go.” Elizabeth looked at Pope’s profile, seeing the disappointment in his eyes.
The casket was brought out of the hole, Renfield and Rafe grunted as they carried it barely a foot away.
“They got the cross? What do we do? What do we do?” JJ asked frustrated.
“What can we do.”
“Be careful.” Carla said to the two men working to get the casket opened. “Don’t touch anything inside! Don’t touch anything inside!”
“No, wait.” Elizabeth mumbled; her eyes focused on the now open crate. She watched as Carla Limbrey didn’t have the reaction of a woman who had found the thing she’d been looking for, for years. She looked defeated and exhausted. Rafe wiped his upper lip, sighed, and crouched in front of the wooden box.
“It’s just a corpse... Sorry Carla.”
“We must have missed something.” Carla Limbrey grunted, struggling to get back on her feet.
“Of course.” Rafe started. “Of course, yeah. Of course, it’s just a dead body. Jesus!” The oldest Cameron sibling swore under his breath.
“We just got the wrong place.” The Pogues watched, starting to feel their patience thinning out. “We’ll go back to the island room. We’re going back! We’re going back! It’s not over.” Carla screamed, her voice straining.
The teenagers watched as a few men got into their cars, along with Limbrey and her brother, and left the space in a hurried manner. Pope pushed his way through the bush as soon as Rafe, the last one to leave, had fully gone away.
“Pope. Pope, wait. Wait! Shit.” JJ whispered to his friend.
The teenager ran, his heart was beating quicker than it had in a long time and he fell on his knees, right in front of the casket.
“Wait, wait. Yo.” They stopped half a dozen feet away from the boy, watching him attentively.
“Cecilia Tanny, Denmark’s wife.” He read the plaque inside the box and their eyes opened wide. “He wasn’t talking about the cross.” Pope stood up, walking closer to the tree. “He buried her at the foot of the angel.” His voice cracked.
“The true treasure.” Kiara said beside Elizabeth and the brunette smiled, her eyes watery.
“His wife.” Elizabeth didn’t miss the stolen glance John B threw Sarah and a small smile appeared on her face at the simple thought of love.
All five of them surrounded Pope and the coffin, their eyes sad and hearts heavy at seeing their friend, who had fallen to his knees, crying.
“Denmark was hung for burying his wife, and now they defiled her grave.” He cried, feeling JJ and Kiara’s comforting touches on his arms. Slowly, he reached in and wiped the dust away from what looked to be a thin name tag.
“This must have been from Denmark.” Sarah said quietly. In her hand, she held a wedding band, a simple thin ring that once, represented the love two people held for each other. “Her wedding ring.” She stated, looking at the man that made her heart beat faster.
Sarah and Pope placed the objects back where they found them, the teenagers stayed silent for a minute or so.
“We can’t leave her like this.”
“We won’t.”
They started to work together, JJ, John B and Pope put the cover back on the casket while Elizabeth went to get a few flowers that were nearby. She handed them to Pope and smiled as he added them to what remained of Cecilia Tanny.
“I just don’t get it. I mean, you guys saw the map.” Pope stuttered while JJ finished covering the hole with dirt. “He hides his gold, so no one finds it for a hundred and seventy years. And then he sends a message to his son Robert to come here to his mother’s grave, but the message never gets to him. Denmark wanted him to find the cross. I know we’re in the right spot. It just feels like—”
“Like we missed something?” JJ spoke up pushing away from the van he was leaning on. “Guys. Come here.” The blonde’s eyes were fixated on something that was high up. The teenagers turned around with a frown trying to see what JJ was looking at. They watched him climb easily on top of the van and Kiara followed close after him.
“That looks like—”
“The painting in the island room.” The pair said, standing close to a hole in the tree.
“Wait guys, is there something in it?” Elizabeth asked.
“It’s worth a shot, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Go for it.” JJ stepped aside letting Kiara take the lead, but she shook her head.
“Not a chance.”
“You do it!” Sarah told JJ.
“Sorry. I... I went in the storm drain so...”
“She did go in the storm drain.”
“Yeah. No, I’m gonna do it. It’s just...”
“He’s scared.” Kiara whispered teasingly and smiled when she saw her friends laugh.
“I’m not scared dude.”
“You seem scared.”
He hesitated, his hand was in the air for a few seconds, retreating and going forward before he closed his eyes and shoved half of his arm in the hole and the teenagers watched attentively.
“There’s something in there.” He licked his lips before pushing his arm further down. He chuckled humorlessly and frowned. “Wait—” The blonde started to scream, calling for help; Kiara quickly moved to him, trying to pull JJ’s arm out while the rest called for him from the ground.
“Kiara! Get him out!” Elizabeth and Pope shouted, worried for their friend.
JJ started laughing, his whole body shook, his head was thrown back and his teeth were showing. Kiara flicked his ear, Sarah stared at him while John B and Pope were watching him with annoyance, Elizabeth though, sent a full glare to the boy.
“Oh, you asshole.”
“Oh man! I got all of you on that one.”
“Oh, yeah, real original.” Pope replicated.
“Wait, but seriously, there’s something in here.” His fingers wrapped around a cylindric object, made of metal that felt cool under his touch. He pulled the object out with a grunt before giving it a quick look.
“Let me see it.” Pope stood on his tip toes, grabbing it from JJ’s hands and he turned it before wiping away dust that covered half of an inscription. “HMS Royal Merchant.” He read enthusiastically.
“Give it to the captain.” JJ grabbed it from Pope’s hold as soon as his feet touched the ground. “Here we go. It’s a spyglass.” JJ twisted it open, his arm extended out in front of him as he tried to stare into it.
“There’s something on the ends.” Kiara noticed while John B examined it.
“An inscription right there.” John B mumbled and Elizabeth and Sarah stared at each other, curious. “Look at that shit.”
“Oh, what does it say?” JJ asked impatient.
“You’ve come this far, do not falter the cross is on the freedman’s altar.” He read off before turning towards his friends. The teenagers grinned at each other, victorious. “” Freedman’s altar.” The cross is at the church!”
“Oh my god.” Sarah held onto the brunette’s arm tightly as they jumped up and down for a few seconds.
“What are we doing here, guys?”
“Come on!”
“We got it!” Pope shouted; his voice turned into a high pitch shriek making the rest of the group laugh.
“Woogity-woogity.”
As quickly as they could, they scrambled back into the van, retracing their route back to the church.
“Ah, crap!” John B groaned from the driver’s seat.
“What?” Elizabeth looked up from an old polaroid picture of her, JJ, Pope, Kiara and John B and she smiled, her finger traced their round faces from when they were younger.
“The tide!”
“Oh, this doesn’t look good.”
“How deep is that?” Kiara raised herself to take a look and she frowned.
“I don’t know. The road’s gone.” John B hit the brakes; his friends all moved forward before they fell back against the backs of their seats.
“Tide rose faster than I thought it would.”
“Just a little bit.”
“Uh, John B, how high are the spark plugs?”
“They’re good. We’re fine.” He stated and Kiara and Elizabeth looked at each other, recognizing the boy’s tone.
“How high are they?” JJ and Pope asked their best friend and the group frowned.
“Oh, um...” he hesitated before looking out the window. “Uh, just above the taillight.”
“Oh god that’s not good.”
“Okay, so that’s, what, three feet?”
“That’s three feet. Yeah.” JJ confirmed, he bit his lip as the wheels in his head started to turn and his blue eyes were trained on the brunette who seemed lost in her own thoughts.
“It can’t be three feet deep.”
“Then what’s the problem?” John B asked.
“Not a problem. No, we’re good. We’re good. She’ll make it.” JJ said unconvincingly. “B, you good?” the blonde asked the girl.
“Huh?” she raised her head and their eyes met.
“You okay? Cold?” he asked, noticing the way her hands shook.
“Nah, I’m fine.” She smiled.
Elizabeth reached forward, rubbed his arm lovingly before sitting back in her seat. She wiped her palms on her jeans and looked at Sarah when the girl grabbed her hand. The rest of the friends didn’t say a word about the interaction they had witnessed but turned their attention to the van’s driver.
“Yeah. Fasten your seat belts. Hold on to something. We’re going into hyperdrive.” John B instructed and Elizabeth attached the old and barely usable seatbelt around her hips.
“I’ll say a quick prayer.” JJ said before he closed his eyes.
“3,2,1...”
“You got this! You got this!” They started to yell as the Twinkie’s wheels turned in the liquid mud. “Faster! Faster!” JJ repeated the words he had said earlier, silently hoping they would make it across.
The vehicle started to lose its speed before it drifted to the right and out of its intended course, thanks to the water overflowing. They came to an abrupt stop, their bodies surged forward, and Kiara and Pope hit their heads together.
“Shit!” JJ swore.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no.” John B said out loud, trying to get the van out of there.
“I think we miscalculated.” Pope said and Sarah grimaced unamused before holding her index and thumb close together.
“Just a little.”
“I knew I should have driven.” JJ commented before the teenagers groaned.
“Let’s get out.” John B said.
One after the other, they got out of the van, Elizabeth crawled to the back of the van, sitting on its edge perfectly placed between Kiara and JJ, the sole of her shoes dangled over the murky water.
“Okay, maybe we can walk from here.”
“What? And leave the Twinkie? The... the tide’s coming in.” John B protested Pope’s idea.
“So then, what are we supposed to do?”
“Not stay here.” Ellie saw her best friend’s face and rolled her eyes at the idea brewing in the teenager’s head.
“No, Kie, c’mon.”
“What?” JJ frowned, seeing the expression on the girls’ faces.
“I can take my dad’s truck.”
“Kie, are you sure?”
“How much worse can it get, you know?”
“Wait, my mom’s, JJ.” Elizabeth said, starring at JJ.
“What?” Kiara asked.
“JJ, would my mom’s truck be able to pull the Twinkie out?”
“I mean, yeah, probably. We’d need something to pull her out with. There’s the winch at the Chateau.”
“So, your mom left without her car?” Sarah asked confused.
“Mom has the little blue Toyota she uses day to day that she left with and then she’s got this old ass Jeep that JJ’s been working on for the past few months.” Sarah nodded and Beth turned her attention to her friends.
“Okay, so, to the Chateau that’s like two miles.”
“That’s a good idea.”
“If you’re gonna do it, let’s go, okay?” JJ nodded before he started to walk out of the water. “Tide’s coming in, Twinkie’s going under water.”
“Hey, thanks.” Kiara smiled at her best friend and Ellie nodded.
“Of course.”
“Yo, princess! You coming or?”
“What?” JJ waved at her to join him, and she jumped into the water, grimacing when her feet became cold and wet. “On my way! Wait for me.”
“Double time, B. You and your little legs gotta move, okay? I’m not carrying you.”
“I’m walking as fast as I can, J!” was the last thing the Pogues heard before the pair was out of sight and too far for them to be heard.
-
They had been walking for almost twenty minutes when JJ cleared his throat, breaking the comfortable between the two.
“Yes, JJ?”
“So, how you been?”
“I’ve been good, yep, yep.” She clapped her hands, they turned the corner and started to hear civilization. “You?”
“Are we gonna talk about it, one day or...?”
“About what?” she asked, pretending to be oblivious.
“You never called me back.” He stated and she felt the anxiety grow in her. She kept walking, trying to avoid his intense gaze as he burned holes in the side of her face. “B?”
“JJ, I’m sorry.”
“Did you even listen to them?”
“The messages?” she asked and nodded. “Yeah.”
“I don’t know if knowing you did, makes this worse.” He breathed in sharply.
“Can I be honest?” he nodded, noticing the way her chest rose and fell as she took a deep breath. “I’m just scared that things will change.” He watched her carefully. “We had a good thing, a great thing even and just—”
“What?”
“Do you have feelings for Kie?” a chuckle left his lips and she felt stupid for a few seconds, thinking back to how he reacted to her that night and how many times she had caught him staring at her as if she had hung the moon.
“No.” she nodded, relief clear in her face.
“Okay, huh, so we’re cool?”
“I am if you are.”
“Great.” She smiled contagiously; the blonde shared the same expression as they walked the rest of the way to her house.
They walked on the pathway to the front door. She wrapped her hand around the knob and twisted it finding the door locked.
“The fuck...” she mumbled and frowned. JJ appeared behind her, and she let him go while she tried to find another key she knew was supposedly stashed somewhere.
“Your bedroom window.” His head snapped up and his thumb pointed towards the back of the house.
“Huh?”
“It’s always unlocked, no?”
“True, true. Let’s go.” She put her hands on his shoulders, turning him around and leading him to the overgrown backyard where the jeep was parked.
The blonde stopped in front of the familiar window, he made sure the lock was undone before he pushed the window to the right and then lifted it up. He had done the exact, same thing about a hundred times over the past few years, and it had become a habit, something he did automatically.
“I never knew how you opened it from the outside every time, damn.”
“Yeah,” he grunted, pulling himself up and inside the room. “Pope told me a few months ago.” He waited for her by the window, on stand-by if she needed help to get in.
Elizabeth got to her feet and walked out of her room, and she frowned at the empty house.
“Lou?” she called out and frowned when she didn’t hear the pads of her dog’s paws hit the floor. “Keys are in the kitchen.” She told the blonde before she went to the bathroom and her mother’s room. She grabbed her mom’s coat and put it over her shoulders, she frowned when she noticed a piece of paper on the back of the door.
Had to go back home. Left the dog with Mrs. P. Call me when you get home. -Ollie.
She ripped the note from the door and crumpled it before throwing it in the trash. While JJ searched for the keys, she walked to her room and grabbed a new bag before stuffing a few things inside.
“Found them.” She nodded, looking back to her room as she felt a sense of nostalgia fill her. She closed the window and her bedroom door and made her way through the backdoor where JJ was waiting for her.
“Chateau?” he nodded before getting in the driver’s seat.
Quickly, they drove past half a dozen house before they got at John B’s residence. He parked the truck, quickly throwing the keys on her laps and he scrambled out, holding onto the door as his foot slipped a little bit before he started to run towards the shack.
“Don’t hurt yourself!” she laughed as he jumped over a branch but tripped on another. He fell halfway into the air and a groan left his lips when his arm cushioned the fall.
“I’m okay!” he shouted, and she shook her head.
She could hear noises from the shack, and she sighed, letting her head hit the back of the seat, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the semblance of peace she had for the first time in days. She sighed and looked at the time before pressing down on the horn.
“C’mon they’re waiting on us!” she yelled to the blonde and leaned forward to try and catch sight of him. “J!” she got out of the car and walked to the shack, worried as she had not heard the blonde in a short while.
“Dad, get off me!” She heard and her steps became quicker as she fell on the father and son duo.
“Listen to me!” The man said severely as she grabbed the collar of his son’s jacket. JJ’s eyes turned wide when he saw the brunette in the corner, anger written on her face. “I should’ve had the Phantom, but I don’t because of you.”
“Hey!” she shouted but Luke paid her no attention, shaking his son to get the blonde to look at him.
“I got your restitution hanging over me. This is your fault.” Her jaw clenched when she noticed the tension in JJ’s body; the way his knuckles turned white around the equipment in his hands, she could see him clench and unclench his jaw and heard his heavy breathing.
“Luke, get off.” She shouted and the man simply flipped her off.
“You telling me you’re not gonna help your own blood?” Luke’s voice turned soft, a fake softness that made her blood boil.
Luke knew and JJ knew too that he wasn’t the kind of father that was soft and nice with his child. JJ stared between the man he called dad and the girl he had always called his, unofficially that is.
“No.” she shook her head, never broke eye contact with the blonde as he made a decision. He avoided her stare, grabbing his father’s shirt roughly and pulling him towards the truck. “Fuck, no. JJ!” she called out and he ignored her, even though she was a few inches away from him. “Look at me!” he huffed as his dad hurried.
“Just get in the truck.” He instructed her, severely as he shoved his things in the back.
“Our friends are waiting for us, J. We don’t have time. The twinkie’s fucking drowning.”
“Get in the truck, Beth.” He repeated his voice lowered, and she frowned, seeing his hands balled up into fists and his nostrils flaring.
“As soon as he gets out of my mother’s car!” she turned to the adult who smiled victoriously at her, and she flipped him off. “What is that? What is this? No—" she followed him as he took a few steps away.
“Listen to me!” he said loudly, he grabbed her arms tightly and pushed her against the driver’s side door. “Listen to me, okay?” she frowned, hating the way his hands felt on her right now. “I need to get into the marina at the Island club. There’s a boat there he can take. Your mom still got the sticker on the truck.” He licked his lips and his voice softened. “Twenty minutes, that’s all I need.”
“There won’t be a Twinkie to save in twenty minutes!” she said, and her voice cracked. Her eyes followed his movements as he moved to the passenger’s door.
“I know.”
“We can come back later for his sorry ass, our friends need us, right now!” he took a few steps towards her, stopping when he faced the car fully and his fists hit the truck’s hood.
“The cops are after him! If I do this now, maybe I will never have to do it again. Just think about it, our life, together, without him.” He said and she nodded. She turned to get in the driver’s seat and let out a frustrated yell.
“I don’t have a license.” She said once at the passenger door, the blonde sighed and got out, he closed the door behind her before getting behind the wheel. “Don’t ever grab me like that, JJ.” She snapped and he stared at her while she stared out the window.
She could feel Luke’s eyes on her, and she wiped away a salty tear that managed to escape.
“Don’t even look at her.” JJ ordered his dad before he started the car.
They had been driving in silence for almost ten minutes when Luke’s voice broke through.
“Hey, pull up to Home Food here. I’m gonna need provisions.” The man instructed and JJ nodded, shooting a quick glance to the silent brunette next to him. “Crackers and baked beans and tuna, all right? And some salt and pepper.” Elizabeth rolled her eyes and shoved her hands in the jacket’s pockets, she frowned when she touched what felt like a small piece of cardboard paper. “Five days’ worth.”
“I know.” JJ shot Elizabeth a warning glance before he walked away and into the store.
The brunette frowned when she pulled the object out. A business card from a well-known bank was in her hand and she read the information before flipping it and seeing her mother’s handwriting.
“Lizzie’s trust fund.” She heard from over her shoulder, and she jumped when Luke’s face appeared over her shoulder.
“Fuck off.” She swatted the air, getting him to sit back.
He started to hit the front seats, creating an off-beat rhythm that made her groan. She got out of the car and leaned against the hood. Elizabeth went back to the car and picked up the blonde’s cellphone from the driver’s seat. She typed in the phone number written on the card before putting it against her ear.
"Branch Banking and Trust Company, account number please.”
“Uh, yea.” She held the paper tightly in her hand, reading the series of numbers on the back of it. "000746328765.”
"Alright, mother’s maiden name?”
“Mabel Davis.”
“Security question number one; which city were you born in?"
“Charleston, South Carolina.”
“Security question number two; name of your first child?”
“Elizabeth Dawn Miller.” She said as her voice shook, and she glanced around her.
“Alright miss Miller, what can we do for you today?”
“Can I know my account’s balance?”
“Yes of course, give me a few seconds.” The brunette stared through the store window, trying to see if she could catch the blonde in the store. "The current balance is of twenty-five thousand seven hundred thirty-six dollars and ninety-eight cents.”
"Oh shit.” She gasped before repeating the number.
“Anything else for you Miss Miller?” she shook her head, kicking a rock that rolled under a picnic table a few feet away. “Miss Miller, was there anything else?”
“Uh, when would a withdrawal be possible?”
“We have to be advised twenty-four hours before a withdrawal is made.”
“Okay, thank you.” She hung up and immediately went to recent calls and deleted the number she had contacted.
The brunette walked back to her seat, under Luke Maybank’s vile stare and she sighed, the amount running around in her head like a hamster on its wheel.
“What you gon’ do with twenty-five K, Elizabeth?” she noticed JJ at the register, eyes trained on the old Jeep, and she stared at him with an easy smile on her face.
“Do you even know his favorite meal?”
“Mac and cheese with hot dogs cut up in it.” The father said confidently, and she snorted.
“Not since he was ten but thanks for trying. Tell me, you know you’re a miserable excuse of a father, right?”
“Lecture me all you want, Miller.”
“You never even tried to get to know him,” she said calmly. “your son’s the best person I’ve ever known, and I feel so lucky to have the chance to know him.”
“He’s a thief is what he is.”
“If he is, what does that make you? Oh wait, I know, failure as a dad, the town’s clown, drunk and failed fisherman and the only thing you merely succeeded at was to get involved with the wrong people. Can’t say that you’re an impressive shit.” He chuckled, his tongue poked out and it rested between his two front teeth.
“That was all Robin right there.” He mumbled and she frowned at the mention of her mom. “You’re the spitting image of your mama and you got lucky too ‘cause Clive isn’t exactly a looker if you know what I mean, but you know, he was the bad boy that she fell for back in the day.” She watched JJ talk to someone inside the store, both him and the older woman frowned. “And your friend, Anna’s daughter, slumming with the bad boys while she has it all. Both your mama’s did the same thing y’all are doing with the boys, wonder which one of y’all will get pregnant first...” he leaned closer, and Elizabeth looked at him from the corner of her eye. “If you’re as open minded as your mom you might end up the same way later, stuck with a good for nothing husba—” she turned around, facing him as best as she could and glared.
“Don’t you fucking dare talk about my family or my friends cause I swear you won’t—”
“Hey.” JJ whistled as he approached the car, noticing the frown and angry look on the brunette’s face. She watched JJ hand his father a pack of six beers before he dropped the paper bag in the trunk. He stared between the girl and his father, worried about their expressions as he got into the seat next to hers.
“Let’s go before I throw his sorry ass out of the car.”
“Yeah, okay.” The blonde nodded before he looked back at his father who bit the inside of his cheek, amused.
The whole ride to the club, JJ kept looking between the road and the brunette beside him who seemed upset.
“The sticker’s expired.” She mumbled once they arrived close to the gate.
“It’ll be fine.” JJ nodded to himself in reassurance, and he drove past the guard who played a game on his phone. The blonde jumped out of the car and walked around it to open the door for his father who had leaned in closer to Beth.
“Why don’t you say hello to Anna and Robin next time you see them for me, yeah?” he smirked, and Elizabeth just shoved his head away.
“Stop it.” JJ groaned as he pulled his father out of the car. “I told you not to speak to her.”
“J, gotta go quick.” He nodded before pulling his father away from the car. “Hey Luke,” he turned around. “I’ll pray that you choke on your own saliva.” She said and she flipped him off with a smile on her face, hoping it’d be the last time she would ever see the man,
“C’mon, go. Go!” JJ led his father away from the car.
The father and son pair walked on the pontoon to the boat that waited for the oldest of the two. Together they started to get the boat ready and got the provisions out.
“Did you have to do that? Did you have to go after her like that?” JJ asked.
“I told her some of the history, some Pogues history, thought she’d like it.”
“Everything.” The son groaned. “Everything I have, you try and fricking ruin.” JJ shook his head.
“With her? Was there even anything to ruin, c’mon she’s a dud.” The adult chuckled.
“Shut up!” he snapped, slapping the cupboard’s door close. “Yes, she’s the everything that you can’t ruin, dad! Not her.”
“I don’t try to. Happens naturally.”
JJ breathed out, trying to calm himself as best as he could before he climbed the ladder and started the engine. He went back down and joined his father who was putting away a dozen pill bottles.
“You’ve got... You’ve got a full tank of gas, but I reckon that’s only gonna get you to Jacksonville.” Luke walked past his son, his hand went over his head when he noticed the teenage girl walking down the pontoon, stopping halfway. “You got money for gas, right?”
“What do you think? Yeah, no, I’ll figure it out.” JJ sighed, frustrated before he fished his wallet out before grabbing the eight dollars he had left.
“Dad.” He lifted the money up, showing his father and the man stood, watching his defeated son. Luke walked to JJ who simply handed him the cash and started to walk away.
“Hey. Come here, son. Come here.” Luke stopped him, hands on his shoulders in a somewhat affectionate manner that felt unknown to the blonde. He grabbed JJ’s head, holding him in place as the teenager tried to keep the tears at bay, tears that held a multitude of emotions that even his own father couldn’t guess. “I know I could’ve been better.”
“I hadn’t exactly been perfect either.” JJ mumbled, avoiding the eyes he had known all his life.
“Hey, perfect don’t matter.” Luke finally stared at his son, eye to eye as the youngest breathed out sharply. “You got a good heart; I know your girlfriend and your friends have a lot to do about it.” Luke finished and pulled back on his son’s arm when he tried to walk away. “No, no. Come on. Can’t let it end like this. I’m going to Yucatán. I might never be coming back. It’ll all work out.”
“Not it’s not.” JJ sniffled. “But maybe in the next life.”
“Come on, J. Don’t be like that.”
“Take care, dad. Okay?”
From afar, Elizabeth watched the pair hug, strangely she felt relieved when Luke seemed to hug his son tighter. She watched JJ pull away and she wiped another tear that fell down her cheek. The blonde got off the boat before he untied the rope that held the boat to the dock.
The rope that still tied his father to his life.
She brought her hands to her mouth and watched his shoulders shake as Luke started to pull away from the dock. She jogged the rest of the way before she arrived next to him and watched him throw a couple of bottles in the trash. She opened her arms and he fell against her; his head was in the crook of her neck and his arms were tightly wrapped around her waist and she scratched his scalp comfortingly. Luke Maybank looked back for the last time, a small smile made its way to his lips when he saw and finally recognized that his son had been taken care of for a while now. With both of her hands, she cupped his face and wiped away the few tears that he let go of. They shared a small smile when their eyes met and she kissed his cheeks, the blonde’s eyes closed instinctively as the soft touch.
“I got you.” She mumbled before she grabbed his hand.
Together, they made their way up the dock, into the jeep and away from the Island Club, making their way to their friends who had grown impatient. The blonde slowly hit the brakes when their friends and the almost totally submerged van came into view.
“Oh, speak of the freaking devil!” Pope said, though it wasn’t heard by the pair. JJ pressed the horn, signaling their arrival. Elizabeth opened her window and looked back at the four teenagers sat on top of the Twinkie. “The Maybanks, always and forever... late. Just a couple hours late.” She opened the door, letting herself out as her eyes fell on John B. “Where the hell were you guys?”
“Asshole—” she cleared her throat before pointing to JJ. “Sorry, paternal complications.”
“Luke was at the chateau.” JJ explained, grabbing things from the backseat of the Jeep.
“Oh, great! While you were having family time with your pops, John B got bit by a gator.”
“WHAT?” Elizabeth dropped what she had in her hands and ran to the water only to be stopped by Pope.
“Like, for real?” JJ asked, going to help the brunette back up the small hill.
“Does it look like we’re joking?” Sarah snapped, showing the curly haired teenager’s leg.
“Okay, but what happened?”
“What happened?” John B groaned. “I got bit by a gator!”
“He got bit by a gator!” Pope shouted, irritated.
“I don’t know why I’m being yelled at! Why we’re being yelled at!” she corrected herself. “Sorry we took a bit more time than predicted but for fuck’s sake JJ just—”
“You’re being yelled at because it took two hours to do something t’was supposed to take twenty minutes!” Pope interrupted and Beth glared at the boy.
“Hey! If it was for me I would’ve brought Luke’s ass here and I would’ve fed him to the fucking gator but—” Elizabeth groaned as the five teenagers all started to yell at each other.
“Shut up!” the blonde snapped as he held the roots of his hair tightly in his fists. The group became silent quickly, their breathing was erratic as they stared at each other, all of them looking at the blonde.
“Seriously, guys, I can’t take it anymore, all right? Everyone just cut it out for a second.” He chuckled humorlessly and Beth muttered a small apology. He leaned back against a tree, holding himself up on his knees and the rest of the Pogues all looked like children being scolded by their parents. “Look, I just helped my dad leave this island for good. Like, he’s not ever coming back. He’s just straight up like the Spanish. Just, “Bon Voyage.”” He finished and they all held their laughs at the misuse to the word.
“JJ, what have you been doing during Spanish class?” Elizabeth mumbled as she frowned, and she stared at Sarah who just shook her head.
“All we got...” he started, “And I know for a fact that all I got is you guys, okay?” he scoffed before his eyes trailed to the brunette a few feet from him. “You’re it. And I’ve come too close to losing you, all of you.” He looked between all of his friends, memories of them hitting him at full speed. “I mean, shit, like Kie almost drowned. Pope, you were kidnapped. Sarah, you’ve been shot. John B, you were almost dinner for a freaking gator, bro.” he sighed and then turned his attention to the brunette and John B smiled at how his best friends were looking at each other. “B, if you get hurt I’m gonna lose my goddamn mind.” He mumbled and she swallowed thickly, her heart felt heavy at the feelings she had for the blonde. “So,” he cleared his throat, suddenly all too aware of the attention on him. “this blaming each other is some Kook-ass bullshit, all right? We don’t do that. Okay? We’re Pogues.” He ended before smiles pulled at his friends’ lips. “Sorry, that was a lot right now.” Beth got her hands out of her jacket’s pockets and let her hands hit each other in a loud clap, which then turned into a slow applause from the rest of the Pogues. “Yeah, all right.” He scoffed, he rubbed his eye with the tip of his finger, a blush appeared on his cheeks and Elizabeth shuffled towards him, wrapped an arm around his bicep and hugged herself to his arm an action that made him grin.
“Well, done.”
“I gotta be honest.” John B said. “That was the best freaking speech you have ever given.” JJ nodded, smugly. “Also, you should think about like, a Rosetta Stone because your Spanish and French are flip-flopped.” JJ shook his head, lifting his arm so the girl could get closer to him before he flipped them off.
“We should bon voyage out of here.” Sarah suggested and Kiara and Beth agreed, doing simultaneous finger guns.
“Alright,” JJ said determined, he raised his arm twirling the brunette around before they walked to the jeep, under their friends’ stares. “let’s get this damn Twinkie out of here.”
The blonde tied the Twinkie to the Jeep before he got behind the wheel and started the engine.
“Princess, you gotta lead me, though. Stand right there and just—”
“Shout shit?” JJ chuckled and nodded.
She wiped her hands on her pants and stood on the side with Kiara while Sarah, John B and Pope climbed aboard the Twinkie.
“You guys ready?” she asked and received two loud horns as answers. “J, Sarah! Put it in drive!” she said, and the blondes started to press on the gas pedals slowly.
They went back and forth, turning and straightening the vehicles out in their efforts to get the van out.
“C’mon, Cameron! Keep it coming! C’mon, c’mon!” she encouraged. “She’s almost out! Okay, slow, slow.” She stared at JJ who had the Jeep straightened up and ready for the last pull. “Sarah, to the right! Okay, forward, just straight now!”
“I am straightening!” She walked five steps to her right and saw the entirety of the Twinkie out of the marsh.
“Whoo! And she shall live!” The group cheered when they had successfully achieved the rescue of their main way of transport.
“The Twinkie lives!” JJ shouted.
Joining him back in the jeep, Elizabeth and JJ led the rest of the Pogues back to the church where they excitedly exited the vehicles. Pope and JJ were the first to reach the doors and together they opened them, eyeing in amazement the old and decaying establishment. John B leaned on Pope for support as he walked on the small step, arriving at the same level as the two boys.
“Okay, you’re telling me Denmark Tanny decided to hide the cross here?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Everybody, just spread out.” Kiara suggested and they all went their separate ways.
“Okay,” John B’s voice echoed in the wooden structure. “well, if I was a cross and wanted to be hidden in an old church, where would I hide?” Elizabeth crouched down and looked underneath the benches, her fingers following the marks that looked like letters under one of them.
“Are you sure that Denmark hid the cross here, Pope? Like are we at the right church?”
“JJ, we’re in the church that Denmark built... I don’t see it being hidden anywhere else.” Beth mumbled facing the wall.
“It’s gotta be here somewhere, guys.”
“What if we have to push a secret button or, play, like, a ... a certain chord, and then, all of sudden the ground beneath us reveals the catacombs or something on which we stand?” Kiara and Sarah shared a look amongst themselves before glancing at Beth who just shrugged and kept looking.
“You’re gonna play Fur Elise for us, J while we look for the priceless cross?” she smiled at him, her head raised at the ceiling. “Or maybe pull a talking map out of your purple bag?” she snickered, and he shook his head.
“I know what you want me to pull—"
“How about we try to find obvious clues and you guys stop flirting for a freaking second?” John B interrupted and he shook his head in disgust.
“It’s gotta be in here.” Pope snapped, frustrated.
“Sorry. I’m sorry.” JJ said softly as he went to the girl’s side and bumped the side of his hips with hers.
“Come on!” Pope pleaded.
“Look, I can’t see where they would hide a giant cross, here.”
“No, no. There’s no way he would set us up on a freaking goose chase that would lead us to a church that has nothing.”
“I know, I know!” John B said over Pope’s rambling. “Yes, I get it. I don’t know what to tell you, man.”
“The clues led us here. The cross is in this church.” He let his body fall on a creaking bench.
“Pope, it’ll be alright. We’ve had setbacks in the past, and we figured it out. We’re gonna find it.”
“He’s right.” Kiara agreed from her place next to Pope.
“We’ve just gonna think about this logically, all right?” Pope grabbed the telescope, closed one eye, and looked into the lens. “Where else would you hide a seven-foot-tall cross made of gold?” His expression dropped when he saw the beams on the ceiling, and he pulled the spyglass away from his eye.
The teenagers noticed their friend’s silence, and all looked at him as he stared at the roof.
“What?” JJ asked as he and Beth followed Pope’s glance. The dark-skinned teenager stood and took a few steps and that’s when it clicked in their minds.
“Oh my god! Look at that.” Kiara gasped. JJ and Beth walked away from the window and joined the four others.
“Pope, what are you doing?” Elizabeth asked when Pope started to climb up the fragile wall.
“Hey, no!” JJ scolded he quickly wall to stand under his friend, worried that he might slip and hurt himself.
“And now Pope’s climbing the wall.” John B sighed, exasperated.
“Wait. Pope, wait! This is crazy!”
“Pope, this church is old.”
“I’m just gonna, stand here.”
“Like really old. This isn’t safe.” Kiara shared a look with JJ who had his arms extended out in front of him just in case.
His foot moved to a hole that had been eaten by termites and they heard it creaking, seeing pieces of old wood crumble on the floor.
“Yo! This church gots to be at least two hundred years old.”
“He’s right, Pope. It’s too dangerous.”
“Guys, clearly he’s made up his mind.” The brunette pointed out, gesturing to the teenager that had reached the horizontal beam. “Best we can do is make sure he doesn’t break his face when he’s gonna fall.” JJ put his hand over the girl’s mouth, he held her in front of him as they both looked at their friend.
“Hey! Yo, let me just be real.” He shouted, getting his hand off where it was. “You’re not the most coordinated person on planet Earth—"
“Neither are you, by the way.” Beth mumbled and he pinched her thigh lightly and she yelped.
“You hear me? What are you doing?” they frowned when the boy starting to hit the beams.
“All right, this one’s solid wood.” He finally spoke before he leaned forward. “I’m gonna try the other beam.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, I don’t wanna see this.” She got out of the blonde’s hold and turned around, pulling at the root of her hair before she put it in a ponytail. The situation stressed her out; she had started to sweat a little and so she rid herself of the jacket that kept her warmth close to her body.
“Pope, that’s rotten as shit right there, okay?” Pope grunted as he hit yet another beam.
“Hey, easy!”
“Pope, I hate to break it to you, but that’s wood.”
“No, no. It has to be here. I know it.” Elizabeth’s eyes went over the structure for any sign of gold.
“Oh god,” she gasped, and her hand gripped the material of JJ’s jacket. “Pope, please look out for the giant wasp nest.”
“What?” Kiara gasped.
“It’s right over your head.” She added and Pope finally heard the buzzing made by the wasps’ wings and he looked up.
“Hey, just... just move slow, all right? Nice and easy, all right?” John B guided.
They all watched, breathless as Pope stood to his full height, a short distance between his head and the wasps nest. He took a step, pushing away with his foot a piece of wood that flew by the Pogues’ heads.
“Whoa, hey! Yo!” JJ yelped when the wood passed right by his head.
“God!”
“Look!” he said, eyeing the hole that formed after the piece of wood fell. “It’s hollow. Go get me a crowbar!” he requested, and Sarah pushed off the wall and ran outside.
“What are you gonna do, Pope? I don’t want this entire church to collapse on top of us. That’s all I’m saying.” JJ stated.
“Sarah!” Pope said as he broke off a piece of the dried wood with his hands.
“Hey. Pope.”
“Throw it.” He motioned and Sarah spread her legs apart, solidifying her grasp on the ground.
“Oh, for real?”
“Everybody, watch your heads.” John B warned.
“Wait.” JJ said as he took a step back.
Sarah threw the crowbar in the air, and Pope grunted as it flew in front of him, and he grabbed it with his free hand.
“Got it!”
“Not bad.” Kiara smiled and John B and JJ clapped.
“Yo, P. Just please be careful. You got that wasp nest right over there, okay?” the boy looked up and swallowed. “Slow movements, nothing harsh or big.” Elizabeth warned.
“Got it.”
He hit the wood with the crowbar a few times and grunts left his lips, the friends all looked up worried.
“Hey, uh...” Sarah spoke when pieces of wood fell to the ground. Ellie and Sarah noticed the wasps getting restless, both of them grew worried. “What is that?”
“Do you guys see that?”
“Oh my god.” Beth gasped when a large piece of wood was broken off and the cross was uncovered.
The group watched in amazement; hands flew to mouths to cover gasps, eyes opened wide, hearts started to beat quickly, and victorious smiles started to appear on the Pogues’ faces.
“Holy shit.”
“It’s here. Oh my god.”
“You did it buddy.” JJ said as emotions took over his body and he wrapped an arm around his best friend’s shoulders.
“What is that?”
The three girls started to freak out amongst themselves while John B and JJ shouted, and Pope stood still and watched the gold cross in astonishment.
“We did it!”
“Oh, my fucking god!”
“Keep going!” They encouraged loudly, jumping up and down in excitement.
“I thought you were crazy!” Kiara shouted and Beth laughed at her friends’ expressions, the pure happiness she felt could not be surpassed.
“We did it! We did it!” Pope shouted before he grimaced. “Okay, they’re stinging now. Ow!” he said before he dropped the crowbar right where JJ stood.
“Take it easy!” the blonde shouted as he moved to the side to avoid being hurt.
The boy started to slap himself, trying to get rid of the wasps which made them angrier, and he released his hold on the beam. He quickly lost his balance, his body falling off before he held as best as he could onto what he could.
“Wait!”
“Cushions.”
“Move the pews! Move these!” They started to gather the old cushions that was left there, moving, and placing them under the boy to soften his fall.
“Pope, hold on!”
“I can’t hold!” The boy shouted; his voice strained from the effort it took to keep himself up.
They shouted at him to hold on, trying to move as quick as they could, and they all shrieked when one of his arms gave out.
“I’m slipping guys!”
“Hang on! Hang on!” JJ screamed before the dust gathered on the beam made it too hard for Pope to grab and he fell. The cushions made his fall softer but the dust that rose from it made them all cough.
“Pope, are you okay?” Kiara was at his sides in a second.
“Are you good?”
“Are you okay?”
“Anything broken?”
“P, can you talk?” The teenager’s eyes fluttered open when he heard something creak.
“You did not tuck and roll, that’s for sure.” JJ said breathlessly.
Pope’s eyes opened wide, and the air left his lungs when he saw the cross fall from the beam, heading right to them. With reflexes he did not know he had, he rolled to his right, bringing Elizabeth with him as the group all fell on their backs.
************************
TAGLIST: @jjxobx - @moonylantsovs - @k-k0129 - @jaxxandcomet - @taaniesha - @sunflowerbecca - @obx-direction-sos - @directioner-kaa - @mslaughter03 - @khacker24 - @itssoweirdyoureher -
@siwiecola - @gigi-june - @frankiebcanon - @avidreader321
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r0s3mm · 2 years
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Can't We Be Seventeen? // Outer Banks series
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General Masterlist
Series’ masterlist
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Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
Word count: approx. 7.5K
Episode: 2x07 - Bonfire
A/N: the usual, swearing, guns, underage drinking and mentions of weed... jealous!jj if you squint i guess?
as usual i haven't proof checked it bc it's late and i want to sleep & ill probs see mistakes in it when i read it in a week. oh well, let's ignore them? like the sounds of my car.
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my gif hehe
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Why me? If you walked a mile using my feet You would go a little easy on me You know where I'm coming from, yeah How come, when I'm lookin' at everyone They get away with havin' little fun I'm paying these dues when they don't mean nothing
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Elizabeth stopped in front of the detention center; eyes fixated on the dark blonde. She let her bicycle fall on the ground as she stomped towards him.
“You fucking son of a bitch. You should’ve gotten a life sentence! They know! They know you killed Peterkin, but they can’t hold you because your daddy admitted to the murder you committed, psychopathic fuck!” she yelled as she walked to him, and he simply stared ahead, not even sparing a glance to her. “Hey! I’m talking to you!” She stopped, taking him in. His face was bruised, and she thought of the words Topper said the day before. “Topper should’ve drowned your ass, both Cameron’s getting the same deserved fate.” She sniffled. “You ruined his life, our lives.” She breathed and he finally stared down.
She clenched her jaw and without thinking, she held her hand in a fist before making it collide with the side of his jaw as hard as she could. He sucked in a breath and groaned, towering over her, he glared at her, chest puffing in anger, and she laughed though her fist throbbed.
“Look at you, country club.” She chuckled and he frowned. “Trying to look all menacing and mean and shit when you’re actually just a little bitch.” She said, pronouncing each word carefully. He scoffed and slowly sat down on the ground. “You’re messed up Rafe.” She mumbled, she took a few steps back, crouching down to his level she rested her elbows on her knees. “It’s amazing that you can’t feel shit. You know that? God, I wish I could be as numb as you are. You actually shot your little sister right in the stomach, tried to drown her, tried to harm me and my friends multiple times.” She finished, she stood up, wiping her sweaty hands on her pants and she turned around with furrowed brows when she heard a car pull up. “Shit.” She cursed when Rose Cameron came out of the car.
“Rafe, we’re going home.” She said and the man cleared his throat, nodded a goodbye to Elizabeth before he stood up.
“No!” she yelled as she pulled on his t-shirt. “You don’t get to walk away. You killed somebody.” She yelled and Rose shouted.
“Rafe, let’s go!” she said, her foot tapped the ground nervously. The tall adult shook his head in amusement before walking towards his stepmother.
“Jesus, Rafe! Say something!” she walked to him, following him and she hit his arm. “Hey! I’m talking to you!” She glanced towards Rose who had her phone to her ear.
She felt helpless, the way Rafe was ignoring her and now what Rose was doing. Tears had started to fall down her face a few seconds prior and she had no intention of making them stop.
“Don’t you care, Rafe? That you,” she jabbed her index finger in his chest. “Caused all that pain... Rafe your dad’s dead because of you!” her fists hit his chest repeatedly and Rose furiously made her way to the two young people. “Sarah and Wheezie’s dad is dead because of you! To protect you! They lost their dad! Ward wasn’t a good—” she was interrupted when an arm was wrapped around her middle and her feet were taken off the ground. “What the fuck?” she yelled as she tried to see who was holding her.
“That’s enough.” A voice said and she groaned.
-
She sat in the passenger seat; her arms crossed over her chest as she looked out the window.
“You assaulted someone outside the detention office!” the man said severely, and the teenager rolled her eyes. “Sweetheart, I’m talking to you.” His southern accent came through, making her smile a little and she stretched her aching hand.
“What were you even doing there?” she asked her friend’s father.
“Deliveries. I don’t have you assholes to do them for me anymore.” Heyward shook his head when he saw the traffic ahead of them. “Driving you home?”
“Hum, no. The chateau, please.”
“I’m disappointed in you, Miller.”
“Please don’t say that.” She whined and her head fell against the window.
“What made you think it was a good idea to go after him, huh? You think I would’ve liked to go to the rest of y’all, to JJ and tell them that you got knocked out or hurt by Cameron’s son?”
“Look, I’m sorry, won’t do it again. Just pent-up frustration and disappointment I guess.”
The remaining nine minutes were spent in total silence before Bobby Heyward parked in front of the fishing shack. The Pogues came outside and frowned when they saw Pope’s father.
“Pops? Whatchu’ doing here?”
“Dropping off miss Miller, here.” He sent the girl a look and she scoffed. “Tell them, Liz.”
“Tell us what?” John B asked curious.
“I went to see Rafe.” She mumbled and they all looked at the adult, none of them close enough to understand what she had said.
“What?” Kiara stepped closer.
“I- huh—” her and JJ’s eyes met, and he frowned when she escaped his gaze. “I went down to the detention center, and I saw Rafe.”
“What?” Kiara shouted.
“Why? Why would you do that?” John B asked.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Pope asked, eyes scanning her to see if she was injured.
“What the fuck, Beth.” JJ groaned; his arms wrapped around his head whilst his hands supported it.
“Shove it, JJ.” She snapped.
“Answer Pope.” The blonde asked and she rolled her eyes.
“Tell them or I will.” The father said as he leaned against his van.
“I hit him, and it felt so good.”
“I swear to fu—” JJ started before John B’s hand hit his chest, interrupting him.
“Look, I don’t actually wanna do this right now,” she said, looking at her friends one by one. “Well, never. We all did fucked up things, it was my turn. It’s over, let’s move on.” She turned to the man and put on a fake smile. “Thank you, Heyward for the ride, was nice to catch up.” She waved before walking inside.
She went to the toilet just to freshen up a little bit and quickly change her clothes into something more comfortable before she got out and walked to the kitchen where a spider-man ice pack wrapped in an old dish towel right next to an ice-cold beer laid. She picked up the cold beer, took a sip before putting the ice pack on her knuckles, a small smile took over her features and she sat down on a chair, the silence in the home making her think about the last week and all the things she had missed with Kiara, JJ, and Pope.
“He deserved it, right?”
“Are you joking?” Kiara scoffed, looking over her shoulder to see the brunette with an almost empty beer. “Of course, he deserved it.” Elizabeth walked down halfway to the deck and stood next to Pope
“Never seen anyone blow themselves up like that.” Pope commented and Elizabeth shook the image out of her head.
“Cross that one off the bucket list.”
“JJ!” Both girls scolded which made the blonde frown.
“It sucks for Sarah.” JJ commented and Beth scoffed. “What?” he looked at her from her head to her sock covered feet.
“Oh, course it sucks for Sarah, she lost her freaking dad.” She put her hand on Pope’s shoulder before joining Kie and John B on the boat. “Like, John B, I get he was your sworn enemy, and I can’t say I’m not slightly delighted that he’s down there, but you really messed up with Sarah on that one.”
“Are you okay?” Kiara asked as she finally sat on the boat next to John B, wrapping an arm around him.
“It’s not me I’m worried about.” He mumbled as he buried his face in the corner of his arm, frustrated with himself.
“You guys wanna do anything? Change our minds a little?”
“I’d rather be alone, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Ellie stood up, kissing the top of John B’s head before she ruffled his hair. “We’ll be inside if there’s anything, yeah?” she shot a look to the others, quickly grabbed JJ’s other fishing bag before she followed them inside.
-
Kiara, Pope, JJ, and Elizabeth had been channel surfing for the past hour or so when the blonde stretched loudly, his whole body taking over a large part of the already small brown pull out couch.
“JJ, I’m trying to sleep.” Beth groaned when the boy’s elbow hit her in the forehead. She watched him stand up and walk to the fridge. “We got any food?”
“Nope.” He sighed, he stood in front of the teens, hands resting on his hips as he had a severe look on his face.
“What?”
“Who’s got money for a food trip?” they all looked at each other, Beth sighed and pushed herself off her warm spot on the couch.
“I can go to my place and bring back some stuff.” She walked to the door before turning around. “Keys?” she asked the blonde who turned around from his spot next to Pope on the couch.
“Since when can you drive?”
“I could always drive, you’re just a shit teacher.” She winked before she extended her hand out to him. “C’mon.” he placed the cold object in her hand before she let out a farewell in their directions.
Sarah walked past Elizabeth just as her feet touched the first step.
“Hey, didn’t think I’d see you so soon. What’s new?” she asked, and Sarah turned around; lips and hands trembling, she tried to keep her sobs to a minimum which made Elizabeth frown.
“Don’t. Come here.” She mumbled and she pulled the blonde in her arms, rubbing her back. “Hey, it’ll be okay, you’ll be okay, I promise.” She whispered as she felt warm and very wet tears glide down her neck.
“I- I should go.” She sobbed and Ellie shook her head. “Not in that state, you going back to Tannyhill? I can ask Kie to drive you back? Or I can do it.” Sarah shook her head when Ellie shook the keys.
“I think I’ll go to Topper’s.” she announced, and Beth couldn’t hide the fact that she was surprised. “He offered and I think I just need to be far from here right now.”
“I get it. Just, you know, keep in touch?”
“Yeah, of course.” She nodded as she started to walk away.
“Wait, Sarah I don’t have your number!” Ellie jogged to the blonde with a small grin and handed her the phone. John B watched from far away, he watched the two girls’ exchange not actually knowing what was said but he let his head fall between his two arms in defeat and Elizabeth sighed once she’d turned around after Sarah had left. She put her hands together and started to make her way towards the taller teenager, stuffing the keys in her back pocket.
-
She’d barely gotten back from her trip to get the food, only finding JJ and Kiara in the living room, a deck of cards between them.
“What are y’all playing?”
“Go Fish.” JJ answered as he picked a card from the pile in front of him.
“Pope and John?”
“the pogue.” She nodded, she stepped over their game and grabbed cold beers from the fridge.
She held them over their heads, and they stood up, humoring her as they followed her down to the boat.
“Give me.” JJ requested. “Hot potato, hot potato, hot potato two!” he said before tossing the cans in the boat.
“Impressive catch, impressive catch.” Kiara complimented as her best friend grabbed the joint between her fingers. The smoke tickled her lungs and she had to hold back a cough as she inhaled.
“Oh! He shoots!”
“I need another one.” John B laughed as he saw the beer spill out from the can onto the boat. “I’ll take that.” He said before popping it open.
“What are you guys doing down here? Having a good cry?” JJ commented and the girls chuckled.
“Cry?” John B and Pope scoffed, they looked at each other, trying their best to look innocent.
“Cry? What are you talking –We don’t cry.”
“You know it’s not your fault, right?”
“You think she’ll come around?”
“Yeah, dude. She’s one of us.”
“Huh. Sarah’s a Pogue.” John B said smugly as he scratched his head. “She’ll come around. Yep. You know, she’ll come back to me. Right. You know, I was just thinking about it. I’m gonna do a backflip.”
“You’re lying!” Kiara challenged.
“I won’t do it?”
“You won’t.”
“You got any money we can bet?”
“No, we don’t!” the brunette said loudly.
The Pogues’ voices became cacophony as they all spoke and cheered for their friend who stared at them with a smile before pushing off the boat and landing the backflip in the water. His head broke the surface of the water a handful of seconds later. The shouting became louder when John B’s arms came up in the air in celebration. The boy got back on the boat, an easy smile on his face as he watched his friends being simple teenagers.
“Okay.” Elizabeth took the cap off JJ’s head; her hand shamelessly went through his hair and a shiver took over his body. “You ugly fuckers,” she said pointing between the blonde and John B. “Need a haircut. C’mon.”
-
Elizabeth walked out of the room she occupied with Kiara the night before, shrugging on a large coat she was sure didn’t belong to her.
“Kie, there are Eggo’s in the freezer.” She told her friend as she filled up her travel mug with coffee.
“Hey.” Pope hit John B with a pole made of beer cans taped together. “We gotta go to school, man. We have a geometry test in thirty minutes.”
“Oof, that’s gonna be a harsh return to reality.” The brunette winked before walking to the blonde who was sleeping on the other side of the pull-out couch.
“Get up!” Pope walked to JJ, slapping his cheeks one after the other and Beth chuckled when the teenager did not move a muscle and she walked to the freezer.
“C’mon, JJ. Pope, is he even alive?”
“Yeah, John B. Is he alive?”
“I don’t know.” The boy groaned, rubbing his face.
“JJ. Get your shoes.”
“What are you doing today?” John B asked the dark-skinned teenager.
“Hey, Kie. We’re going this way.” Pope said, pointing towards the side door.
“Um... I will meet up with you guys later.”
“I’m starving. I need some pizza.” JJ whined as he was pulled away by Pope.
“No, you missed breakfast.”
“JJ I got it.” Beth mumbled before shoving the box of frozen waffles to his chest.
As soon as they got into the van, both John B and JJ fell back asleep while Ellie and Pope talked quietly in the front seats.
“Brake, brake, brake!” Elizabeth chuckled, looking back at the blonde. Pope shook his head in amusement and stepped on the brake, after finding a parking space. JJ’s body went flying into the brunette’s seat and a giggle came out of her mouth when he opened his blue but confused eyes.
“Come on. Let’s go. Up and at ‘em, boys.”
They walked to the door together before Elizabeth turned to them.
“I actually never thought we’d all come back here.” She smiled before she waved and ran to her class, knowing she was already late.
“I’ll join you after your class!” John B yelled and she sent him a thumbs up before turning the corner.
-
“Beth!” she heard from behind her as herself and John B made their way back to where Pope and JJ were. She turned around, expecting to see the blonde but, frowned when a guy she had a class with the year before stood before her. “Hi,” he smiled, out of breath.
“Hi, um, it’s Ellie actually.” She smiled politely, sensing John B’s presence next to her.
“Oh, okay, yeah. Just thought I heard someone call you that, sorry.” She smiled and looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. “So, yeah, you going to the bonfire tonight?”
“Yeah, with my friends. What’s up?”
“I was just wondering if you wanted to go together?”
“As a date?” she glanced to her right, seeing that John B had turned around and was laughing as subtlely as he could.
“Yeah.”
“Oh—”
“If you don’t want to, or if you’re already taken,” he said gesturing to the tall teenager beside her and she chuckled, shaking her head.
“No, I’m not taken.” She looked him up and down, a small and shy smile graced her lips before she let out a small laugh. “Pick me up at seven?” she suggested, and he nodded. “It’s the little brick house, on Quinton Drive.”
“Okay, great.”
“Great, see you then, Dylan.” She nodded as John B pulled her away from the boy.
They walked down the stairs in silence and the curly haired teenager cleared his throat before he spoke.
“Look at you getting a date and shit.”
“Yeah, I’m actually excited.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m just glad things are somewhat over, and we can go back to normal life.” She said, pointing to their left where Pope and JJ were waiting for them by the door.
The pair joined their two other friends and John B pulled out the note he got passed in class showing it off to JJ. They walked outside and JJ put his sunglasses over his eyes.
“What’s this?” Elizabeth asked, standing on her tiptoes to see over the blonde’s shoulder.
“Think JB got invited to the bonfire.”
“Bonfire? Well, I think she meant to give it to me, so we’re all good there. We’re going.” He folded the note before pushing his glasses up. “You coming, Miller?” the brunette nodded.
“Of course, J.”
“Mr. Heyward, Mr. Routledge, Mr. Maybank and of course Miss Miller, just the men and woman I wanted to see.” Mr. Sunn said as he stood by the door.
“Wish I could say the same.”
“I have a question of an historical nature for you, kids.” The teacher led them to his classroom, shutting the door behind them. “I digitize documents for the Maritime Museum, and in return, I’ve been given access to the archives.” The man said, he walked to the little storage space in the classroom. “And I found... this.” He opened the door and grabbed a box.
“A box.” Pope spoke up, confused.
“More than a box.”
“That’s a good start.” Mr. Sunn walked to his office before setting down the box, lifting the lid and turning on the light.
“Go ahead, Mr. Heyward.” They all got closer and watched Pope pick up a plastic bag with inside what looked like an old and dried up leather journal. “Careful with that.”
“Whoa.”
“It’s a diary. The author’s unknown.” Elizabeth looked up to the teacher and noticed his excited expression along with anticipation.
“Wait.” They gasped, recognizing the wheat symbol on the first page.
“Whoa.”
“And this is a sample of Denmark Tanny letter.” He set the copy on the desk and Beth and JJ exchanged confused but amazed gaze. “Compare the handwriting.”
“No way.” John B held the sheet of paper next to the journal, watching in complete amazement as they noticed that the two handwritings matched.
“It’s nearly identical.” Sunn said from in front of them.
“This is Denmark Tanny’s diary.” Pope whispered and he carefully flipped through the pages. “Guys, it’s Captain Limbrey.” He pointed to a drawing made with an inscription beside it. The Denmark Tanny descendant took a few steps back, needing to sit down to focus on the words in front of him. “August sixth eighteen twenty-nine.”
“Wait John, that’s the year the Royal Merchant went down, isn’t it?” The boy nodded.
“I thought you might find it interesting.”
“Thank you so much for this.” Pope didn’t even look up from the diary.
“It’s important to know your own history.”
“What? How the f- frack does he know that?” Beth corrected herself when the teacher threw her a look. The instructor then stood up and walked out, leaving the teenagers to themselves.
“Oh my god. It’s the cross of Santo Domingo.”
“Holy shit.”
“Wait let me see.” The girl requested and she frayed herself a place between Pope and John B. “Damn that’s actually massive.”
“It was on the Royal Merchant.” Pope said and the teenagers shared looks before they made their way outside.
-
After school, Kiara met them back at the school and the teenagers made their way to the Chateau, where Pope went through the new findings he was given.
“Guys, this is from Denmark’s diary; “August fifteenth, set sail from Port-au-Prince on calm seas. Came upon the upon the Spanish ship San Jose on fire. The entire deck was aflame. And we could hear the screams of men trapped below. The Spanish captain cared about only one thing, his valuable cargo, the Cross of Santo Domingo—” he looked up from the words, his friends all wore somber expressions on their faces while they listened to him attentively. “and countless bars of gold. Once the cargo was on board, we went to help the crew, but Captain Limbrey ordered us to pull the bayonets and not to let any of the Spanish crew on board. He robbed them and left them to die.”” He finished and they stayed silent for a few seconds until JJ clicked his lighter.
“So, it didn’t go down off Bermuda.”
“And it was a Limbrey stealing shit again.” They all nodded at Kiara’s words.
“This diary proves that both the gold and the Cross of Santo Domingo were on the Royal Merchant.”
“Why didn’t we find it in the well then?” JJ asked Beth glanced down at him from the other end of the couch.
“True.” She mumbled and he pointed to her.
“I mean, if Denmark was able to get this, like, bedazzled cross off of the Merchant to shore, why didn’t he just hide it with the gold?” The blonde looked back at the girl he trusted the most and silently asked her if what he said made sense and she nodded, a small smile pulled at her lips.
“Because it was too big.”
“You’re right. He had to hide it someplace else.”
“But where?”
“Right before he was hung, Denmark said he’d buried the treasure at the foot of the angel.” Pope reminded them.
“I thought this was about the key.”
“Right. So, what’s the connection?”
“The patch to the tomb begins in the island room.” Pope recited.
“We got any closer to finding out what the island room is?” Beth asked and Pope shook his head making her groan.
“You know what helps me figure shit out?” The blonde stood, getting his feet off the brunette’s laps.
“Oh boy, here we go.”
“Smoking beers and drinking weed.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right.” Elizabeth mumbled hiding a laugh for which she received a small shove of her foot.
“The ideas just pour out of me. If we just sit here and try to figure this out, we’re gonna get nowhere. But if we get creative and go to this bonfire tonight, maybe we get somewhere.”
“Well, I just got disowned by my parents, and I’m an official member of the I-have-nothing-to-lose club.” Kiara said with fake enthusiasm.
“Pope?”
“We’re so close.”
“Look, look, think about how much you could think if you just gave your brain a rest.” JJ crouched in front of the teenager while Elizabeth checked the time on her cellphone and stood up.
“Ohhhh!” John B teased.
“Okay, fine.”
“Yeah!” they all cheered.
“Okay, wait. We gotta shotgun before we go.” JJ said and he walked to the door.
The blonde stopped when he noticed the brunette stood in the door.
“What about you, B?” he asked her quietly and John B stopped, almost fully upright as he cast a careful look on the blonde. “You a member of our club?”
“Well, I have everything to lose because I have you guys.” She smiled, scraping off the paint that had risen from the doorframe. A feeling of guilt overwhelmed her when she stared into his blue eyes, and she shook it off and swallowed thickly.
“Don’t get emotional on us now, Ellie.” John B winked and they started to move around, JJ stayed with his feet rooted in their place.
“I got another ride but, uh, I’ll meet you guys there. Yeah?” she sent a look to John B, and he nodded.
“Yeah, no worries. See you later.” She quickly saw John B mouth a quick explanation to Pope and Kiara and the trio quietly walked inside.
“Have somewhere to be?”
“I’m being picked up in a little while.” She said, not wanting the situation to be longer than necessary.
“Oh,”
“At school, a, a guy asked me out this morning and I just said why not so I have to leave now.”
“He bringing you anywhere special?”
“Not that I know of, I think we’re going straight to the bonfire.”
“I’ll see you there, then?” she nodded and opened the door, went down the four wooden stairs and her feet touched the leaves covered ground. “Hey, princess.” He called out, she breathed in and turned around.
“Yeah?”
“Have fun.” He said, his voice teasing, and she rolled her eyes.
Quickly she heard his steps move further away and the door opened, she then heard his voice shout throughout the house.
“Fuck, I need a beer.”
-
Dylan picked her up right on time, he walked to her door, knocked, and waited for her to open up. He then complimented her, saying that she looked pretty, he did the whole opening-the-door for her thing, and he chatted her up on the way there.
“Milady.” He said, pulling what he thought was a funny accent.
“Thank you.” The brunette smiled, and she grabbed his hand as he tried to help her out.
He closed the door behind her, locking his red ford, he still held her hand as she looked around an easy and calm smile on her face as she stepped onto the gravel.
“Wanna get a drink?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.” He led her to a large keg that had cups next to it. He grabbed the faucet head and tilted the cup.
“Shit, the flow’s down.” He stared between the tap and the cup and the brunette chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ears.
“Wait, let me do it.” She walked around it, putting her two hands on the pump and she put as much weight as possible on it and pumped a few times.
“Yeah! Look at you!” he said once he pushed down the faucet and the beer came out. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” She took a sip and grimaced. “Ugh, it’s warm.” She shook her head; the bitter drink left an aftertaste on her tongue. His eyes glanced down to her lips, and she started to blush.
“Can I huh—” he chuckled before gesturing to the zone under his nose. “You got foam under your nose.” He said, he leaned in gently, wiping the white foam from under her nose before shaking it off his hand.
“Is it all gone?” he nodded. “Okay great, let’s go.” She pointed to the fire where she saw people she knew dancing.
She grabbed his hand, lifting it up over her head, leading him to the middle of the party. Her hips swayed to the beat of the music; she hummed the lyrics to the song with a carefree smile on her face and the boy following her watched her with awe.
“Hello, boys.” Elizabeth smiled, heads whipped in her direction and a loud yell came from the group of eight.
“Well, if it isn’t royalty Miller.” The boy she knew as Jesse jumped up from the log he was sitting on before he wrapped his arms around her.
“Don’t hog, don’t hog!” she felt a hand on her shoulder before her hands cupped another teenager’s face.
“Oh god, Cedric where the hell were you all summer?”
“Went back to the mainland to work at my uncle’s garage.”
“Yeah? You got enough to buy yourself that car now?”
“Not yet, Mills, but soon.”
“And when you’re gonna pay me back, huh? I owe a guy money...” she took a sip from the beer, watching the redhead’s face carefully before she broke out in giggles. “Fuck, I’m messing with you.” She wiped the liquid on her lips with the back of her hand.
“Can’t believe you’re actually going out with Dyl, tonight. Fucking crazy.” One of the boys said and the brunette shrugged, looking up at her date.
“Stop it, he ain’t that bad.” She smiled to the taller boy; the tip of her finger poked his cheek gently.
“No, we just never thought you and Maybank would divorce.” He joked and Ellie faked a chuckled. “He coming tonight?”
“Supposed to, yeah.” She glanced around; her eyes stopped on the top of the Twinkie that she could see through the waves of teenagers. “He’s around.” She mumbled, licking the beer from her lips.
They kept talking, the brunette laughed as her friends told stories of their summers, their recent hook-ups or family. Within minutes, Dylan had her smack in the middle of the makeshift dancefloor, his hands were on her hips as she laughed out loud to a story he was telling her. Their bodies were moving in sync and his head nestled in the crook of her neck. Dylan looked up, noticing the blonde she used to be glued to and he scoffed quietly, a subtle smile appearing. Grabbing her hand, he linked their fingers before twirling her and pulling her back against him. He kept her pressed against himself, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The group of boys they hung out with earlier cheered for the pair, making them smile. He stared into her eyes, suddenly, glancing to her beer covered lips before he leaned in, and her name was called.
“ELIZABETH MILLER!” she heard a loud voice and turned to the side to see Pope Heyward wearing an amused and knowing look.
“Hey.” she pouted when he grabbed her cup and drank from it.
“Hey, where’s your own drink?”
“Kiara!” Cedric shouted and Elizabeth’s best friend arrived at her sides, a teasing smile on her lips.
“Good evening, ladies.” She greeted, standing by her best friend as they walked back to the group of teenage boys.
Pope and Kiara blended well with the group of boys plus Ellie, the teenagers had known each other for years now, often had classes together or hung out at keggers and bonfires like this one.
“I need a refill.” She told the boy with whom she arrived. “Want one? I’ll go.”
“Yeah, please.” He smiled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Quickly, Kiara caught up to the brunette, poking her sides annoyingly.
Kiara and Elizabeth walked to the keg; the brunette noticed emptied bags of ice right next to it and hummed happily. They waited until the girls before them were done filling up their cups, grabbing Ellie’s, Kiara pushed down on the faucet and her eyes met her best friend’s.
“JJ hasn’t taken his eyes off you since we got here.” Kiara saw right through her best friend, seeing the way a small smile appeared on her lips and how she started to look around, unknowingly, for the blonde. The dark-complexioned teenager shook her head in amusement.
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh.” Kiara’s smile grew wider and just as Pope arrived at Elizabeth’s right, along with JJ. She looked him up and down, noticing how the fire light made his skin look so soft and his eyes turn a darker shade of blue. “So, huh,” she shook her head clear of the thoughts. “I’m gonna go back you guys can come if you wanna.”
“I think we’re gonna mingle, Kie?” JJ said quietly, as he stared at the other kids there. He offered his friend his arm and she nodded, looping her arm through his.
“Okay, see you later, I guess?”
She turned around, the group of boys with whom she was hanging until a few minutes ago seemed to have changed locations and she frowned. She walked around, asking people if they had seen her date, she looked up and waved to Sarah and Topper who gestured for her to join them.
“Fancy seeing you here.” She chuckled, looking through the different types of alcoholic beverages. “Oh, okay, so that’s the kook spot, huh? Y’all got some good stuff up here, and in coolers too, wow!”
“Here alone?” Topper asked and she shook her head.
“On a date,” she said seriously before she tilted her head to the side. “supposedly.”
“So, Maybank finally put on his big boy pants?” Topper asked before being cut off by Sarah.
“JJ?” Sarah asked somewhat hopeful.
“Dylan Merrick.” She cracked a can open, smelling the fruity scent that came out of it. “How are you?”
“As good as I can, I guess.” Elizabeth followed Sarah’s line of sight, falling on John B who was obviously flirting with a familiar brunette.
“That girl’s been after him for years... It’s kind of sad, really.”
“It’s fine.” She shrugged. “Guys, I wanna dance!”
“Dance? I can dance, let’s go dance!” Topper smiled enthusiastically.
Sarah left first, Topper and Elizabeth fell in step with each other, following after their blonde friend.
“Sarah told me she’d crash at yours last night. How’s that going?” She asked with a smile and topper’s eyes turned as round as pennies.
“We- we haven’t done anything it’s not like—"
“T, I don’t care.” She waved him off.
“Thought you’d be on John B’s side.”
“Not saying I’m not, but I’ll take whatever happiness I can get my hands on. I want carefree and normal teenage shit for a good while.” She spoke.
She noticed how Sarah seemed to be watching John B and the girl he was with, she downed her drink, grimacing because of the sting at the back of her throat before she started to walk towards the pair.
“Shit, Sarah, no.” Elizabeth cursed under her breath, going to stop the blonde but she was a handful of seconds too late.
“Sancho.” Sarah spoke sweetly, interrupting the two slow-dancing teenagers. “Hi! You gonna introduce me to your friend?” The brunette arrived between the two ex-lovers, wincing. She glared at Topper, urging him to arrive and help her.
“What are you doing here?”
“Same thing you’re doing here it looks like.” The dark blonde kook finally arrived, wrapping an arm around his ex-girlfriend’s shoulder. “Hey Top.”
“Hey, I think we should go.”
“I don’t know what you mean.” She turned around, under John B’s enamored but saddened stare. “I think we’re just getting started.”
“That’s a good idea. You should go, Sarah.” The girl, the stranger by John B’s side spoke up, making Elizabeth’s eyes roll.
“Did I ask you?”
“You don’t own everything, princess. You aren’t even together.” Sarah breathed in, shaking off Topper’s hold on her shoulder.
“Why are you still talking?”
“Relax!” Topper butted in. “Have a little respect! Her dad just died!”
“Shut up, Kook. Back off!” the girl pushed Topper. “Respect?”
“What’s your problem?”
Topper and the still unknown girl kept fighting while John B and Sarah spoke in ushed voices. Kiara saw Elizabeth from the other side of the pit, her attention attracted by the screaming match. No one really knew how it got started but just like a couple of months before, Sarah was stuck between John B and Topper while the two young men shouted at each other. Tension could be felt in the crowd and stress and worry was felt between the Pogues when Kelce stepped in, getting up in John B’s face.
“What you gonna do, John B, kill me like you killed Peterkin?”
It took a split second, the smallest conversation in the world happened in that second when Elizabeth Miller and John B Routledge stared at each other, and John B took a swing at Kelce. The brunette groaned in exasperation before she reached for Sarah’s wrist to pull her away from the three teenagers. John B called for the girl he loved while Topper grabbed his collar and threw him to the ground. Sarah and Elizabeth were pushed around before they were shoved against the girl that somewhat started it all with Sarah. The girl’s drink went over the edge of the cup and she gasped, looking up to see the two teenagers. She glared at Sarah before shoving her away, the blonde fell, and a small but high-pitched yell left her lungs.
“Fuck, Sarah! You okay?”
“Move, bitch! What’s your problem?” Kie arrived, pushing the dark brunette away and Elizabeth and Sarah exchanged a look, trying to not chuckle.
“Hey, what the hell?”
“You all right?” Sarah nodded and Beth helped her to her feet.
“Whose side are you on?”
“She’s my friend.”
“You belong with us!” She screamed and Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Shut up! We don’t even know you!”
Ellie heard JJ’s name being called and she gasped when she saw Kelce hit Pope in the stomach.
“What the –”
“We gotta get out of here.” Kiara said and Elizabeth nodded.
“C’mon guys, they’re not worth it.”
“Let’s get out!”
“You good? You good? All right!” JJ shouted before he followed after Pope and the girls.
“BETH!” she heard her name and turned around, her eyes fell on Dylan, and she frowned. “Where you going?” he asked. She felt a tug on her jacket, turning to see the blonde a foot away from her.
“Come on, we gotta split.”
“I- I gotta go, Dyl, sorry!” she said before JJ wrapped his hand around her wrist and he brought her to the van.
-
JJ came back to the van, slurping the last of a beer he had gone back to grab.
“Well, that was a little unexpected.” He burped.
“You’re disgusting.” Beth scoffed and she rolled her eyes.
“Was it?” Kiara asked, annoyed.
“Hey, maybe she’ll come around.” JJ said to his best friend.
“It’s like everything that happened to us didn’t matter.” John B leaned against the seat with a cold beer on his forehead.
-
The twinkle lights were turned on, they grabbed a few beers from the fridge inside and filled a cooler with them along with ice. JJ walked around the property trying to find twigs they could use to roast marshmallows before they all settled on logs.
“I’ve had more black eyes in the last month than I’ve ever had.”
“Don’t get used to it though, P.”
“That was building up for years. Rumble in the jungle.” The blonde handed the brunette a plate and she thanked him with a smile. A giggle escaped her when he tried to grab the rack they used to toast the bread and he hissed when the metal came in contact with his skin.
“Hey,” John B looked at the two girls. “Did you guys really stick up for Sarah?”
“Of course. She’s not a real kook.”
“Right. Yeah, tell that to Topper.” Elizabeth got distracted by the blonde to her right and she frowned before chuckling.
“J, jesus, wait a minute.” She told him as he tried to pick up the hot food.
“I just want one bite. That.. Mmh!” John B chewed the grilled hot dog before dropping it behind them.
“What are you doing? No, stop!” Sneakily, while the blonde was standing a foot away from his plate to get a beer, Elizabeth grabbed the rest of his hot dog.
“You’re not having any of mine.” JJ spoke before his eyes met Beth’s and he frowned. “Where did you get that?” he quickly looked for his plate and gasped.
“So, so, so good!” she said as she bit half of it.
“Wait, no give it back!” he jumped over the log and wrapped an arm around her waist, squishing her cheeks together.
“Ew! No. Here.” She said before she shoved the rest of the hot dog in his mouth.
“Well, I’m stealing your marshmallow.” Kiara said and Beth frowned as she had lost track of what the other three were talking about.
“I believe that’s a ... not even a fair trade.”
“It’s not at all.”
“John?” she asked when she noticed the seventeen-year-old seemed to focus on something else.
“Shh, shhh.” He said, and JJ subconsciously tightened his hold on the brunette. “Somebody’s here.” He stood to his full height; eyes trained carefully on the chicken coop.
“You don’t think that Topper would...”
“I wouldn’t put it past him.” JJ added, his voice a few millimeters away from Elizabeth’s ear.
“Do you have your gun?” Kiara asked JJ and the blonde stared between all of his friends.
“Oh, now she wants the gun!” Beth grabbed the blonde’s hand, lowering it under her jacket until he frowned when he touched something hard and metallic. They exchanged a quick but silent conversation, and he shook his head and bent down to grab and iron rod.
“Oh, now you don’t have the gun?”
“No.”
“Isn’t that your “secret” weapon?” Kiara sassed.
“Shut up.” John B requested of his friends.
JJ kept his girl at arm’s length, ready to grab her gun if needed but also because he wanted to make sure she stayed safe. The Pogues slowly walked behind John B, carefully making their way towards the wooden shed.
“Goddamn, now she wants the gun.”
“Hey, who’s there?”
“You Kooks better not try anything.” Kiara warned.
“Who’s there?” The blonde shouted, raising the rod higher in the air.
“How y’all doing?” Renfield appeared from being the shed, a fake friendly smile on his face.
“It’s this piece of shit.”
“Isn’t that the guy who was with the lady? With the crutches?” Pope nodded at the small girl.
“You gotta be kidding me.”
“Lovely evening we’re having.” The man spoke with his hands up in the air. “Look, I, uh, ... I don’t hold a grudge with any of y’all, all right?” The brown and curly haired teenager snuck a glance at his best friend who was ready to swing whenever. “But this can go hard,” he patted himself down, lifted his jacket and turned around, showing them, he wasn’t armed. “Or this can go easy. You know what I’m here for. Let me give you a little demonstration. You see that swing?” he pointed to the swing that rubbed against Beth’s shoulder and she frowned. “I got the best bow hunter in the Army Rangers with me.” JJ stood up straight, staring at the man arrogantly as he lowered the weapon he held.
“Yeah?”
“Hidden.”
JJ leaned forward; his chest hit the hood of his old jacket; a jacket that Elizabeth was wearing then. His fingers wrapped around one of the thick strings holding up the swing and he heard a whistle rip through the air, and he heard the brunette hiss before she held her shoulder. The blue-eyed teenager frowned, glancing between the arrow stuck in the tree, the string that had been cut and the brunette who stared up at him.
“Fuck, Ellie, you okay?” John B asked worried, and she nodded, rubbing her shoulder with a fake smile that hid the sting badly. She felt his hand sneak into hers, his heavy and frustrated breathing hit her ear, her thumb went to rub the back of his hand as if it was an old habit
“Now, they’re out there. They’ll stick you just as soon as I say so.” He winked towards the brunette. “You, miss, just got a little taste.”
“JJ, no.” she whispered before she lost the warmth behind her. Quickly, Renfield whistled, knowing that the blonde moved behind him. An arrow shot through the air and landed inches away from JJ’s foot.
JJ looked around, in the trees, in the bushes and behind the chicken coop but his eyes couldn’t find anything. He saw movement coming from behind Elizabeth and he frowned when he heard the familiar sound of a gun loading. His eyes turned round when he looked at her, a clear but disapproving expression on her face made her roll her eyes.
“We clear?” JJ’s nostrils flared up as he breathed in and out. “Now, I’m not gonna give you a countdown or any bullshit like that. I’m just gonna whistle.” Reluctantly, Pope fished the key out of his pocket.
“No. This key belongs to my family.” Pope sniffled; the man laughed.
“I’m losing my patience with you, Pope.” Renfield brought his fingers to his mouth, licked his lips, and breathed in, ready to call for the next arrow when Pope handed him the key. “Did the right thing, kid. Knowing when you don’t have a choice is an underappreciated talent. You be safe.”
Renfield turned around, mumbling a couple of words to JJ who tightened his hold on the now warm metal.
“Y’all have a good night.” The man walked away, whistling to his men, calling them off.
“I’m so sick of this shit.” Pope breathed heavily. He turned around and walked away with Kiara following after him.
“You okay?” Beth heard from right behind her.
“Yeah. Just a scratch.” She shook it off, her eyes met his and she started to feel warm with the jacket on. “I just want to get to sleep. Had a long night.” She smiled at him, a smile that went up to her eyes before she rubbed the back of his hand was followed in John B’s steps as he started to walk towards the house.
“Beth!” she turned around, curious. “How was your date?” he asked, and she bit her lower lip, trying to hide a smile.
“Meh,” she shrugged, a grin appeared on his face. “I’ve had better.” She ran to the house, thank John B for holding the door for her before she disappeared from his field of vision totally.
The blonde stared at the grass, his foot rolled on the iron rod, the grin on his face only grew wider at the words she spoke.
************************
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r0s3mm · 2 years
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One Step Closer to Normal // Outer Banks series
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General Masterlist
Series’ masterlist
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Pairing: OC!Elizabeth Miller x JJ Maybank
Word count: approx. 2.3K
Episode: 2x03
A/N: language, things are somewhat going back to normal? a little bit of angst
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(yes, i made a gif wow.)
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Elizabeth walked in the bedroom and saw his sleeping body on the bed, underneath the covers. She reached under the cream-colored lampshade and pulled the metal string which turned on the light. She took a few steps forward and sat next to him before her hand moved of its own accord and moved a strand of hair away from his tanned face. The teenager stirred, groaned, and laid on his back. She kept her hand at the same level, making any skin on skin contact she could. She watched as his eyes fluttered open and a small smile appeared on his face.
“You always loved watching me sleep, huh?” he snickered and with a yawn pushed off the mattress to sit up and lay back against the old and tattered headboard.
She didn’t add anything, simply let her hand fall to his jaw which she lovingly rubbed with her thumb, then she traced the half dozen blood-colored marks on his neck and collarbones, her hand kept going down happily and traced the forms of his pectorals before stopping on his heart. He smiled at her focus and concentration, loving the way her touch felt on his bruised and often aching skin and muscles and he was completely enamored with the way her brows furrowed and she was biting her lower lip. His hands reached forward, inviting her to straddle his hips which she did without hesitation along with wrapping her arm around his neck.
“I love you, Elizabeth Miller.” he murmured and leaned forward, his hands were on her lower back, sliding down her thighs just as their foreheads touched, their lips millimeters apart.
Their breathings were heavy as his lips teased hers, pulling away just as she was about to finally kiss him. Her hand that had been sitting on the side of her body moved between them and just as she kissed him,
She pulled the trigger.
She watched, face numb and body immobile, as he gasped and his eyes showed surprise, fright, confusion, pain and even love. His body fell against the pillows and the headboard as he gasped for breath.
Whispering her name and calling for help.
Elizabeth looked down to her hand which was covered in blood splatter and holding a firearm.
-
Her whole body shook as she sat up on the couch. She stared at her surroundings before falling back against the cushions, where she had fallen asleep the night before.
“You should try going to class today.” Ollie suggested from behind her as he put a cup of coffee next to her head. “Can’t do you wrong.” She glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed.
“Yeah, fine.” She grunted as she stood from the couch, stretching. “Can I go tomorrow? It’s like the middle of the day.” The man sighed and shook his head as he walked away. “Fine.”
As soon as her feet hit the ground, he sped away, leaving her no option but to step into the school. The woman at the front desk simply raised an eyebrow at the teenager and huffed out.
“Name?” she asked, and Beth rolled her eyes because the woman knew her name.
“Elizabeth Miller.”
“Elizabeth, thank you for joining us to this year’s class.” She typed in Beth’s name and pulled out her schedule. “You have American history with Mr. Sunn, right now.” Elizabeth’s hand hit the top of the desk lightly which startled the woman. “What? No, I was supposed to have AP calculus with Mrs. Pino, I asked for the spot last week and I was told it—”
“Yeah, it went through, but then you didn’t show up for the first few days.” Beth groaned, as she took a step back, annoyed.
“M’kay. Thanks Agnes.” She mumbled before grabbing her printed schedule and walking to her class with a frown.
As she turned the corner, walking down the last step, she was stopped in her tracks when she almost walked into Pope.
“— And wanted to learn more about this Royal Merchant.” She heard as she finally looked up.
“Damn, sorry.” She apologized as Pope wrapped his hands around her forearms. “Oh, sorry P.” she smiled shyly.
“Yeah, no it’s okay. Nice to see you here.” She nodded before she took a step towards the door. “You’re here?” she nodded.
“I’ll go, but, hum, sorry for interrupting, sir.” She apologized once more. “Y’all have a good day.” She nodded before walking in the class.
She opened the door quickly, making the curtain on the door hit the window harshly and she took in a sharp breath.
“Shit.” She whispered before she opened her eyes, feeling the twenty something students all stare at her.
“Stop cussing and come here.” She handed him her schedule and they shared a few whispered words.
She listened attentively, nodding along the words spoken by the teacher, under the careful stare of JJ, whose eyes wandered back and forth between the paper in front of him and the girl a few feet away. Mr. Sunn handed her the books she’d need for the semester along with a pile of about a dozen papers and she thanked him before standing to her full height.
“There’s a free desk and chair to Ms. Peeler’s left.” The teacher said and she nodded, her eyes falling on the free space right next to Kiara and only a seat away from JJ and Pope. “Don’t make me regret it.”
She walked to her newly assigned seat, meeting JJ’s blue eyes and Kiara’s hazel ones and to each, she sent a tight-lipped smile. As soon as she was sat, she got her books out, wanting to catch up as quickly as her brain would allow her to. She saw Kiara move next to her and the door opened, all three following Pope’s movements as he sat back in his chair. The teenager turned around, sharing a couple of words with Kiara before he showed her and JJ the stamp on the envelope. Beth stared at it for a few seconds and her eyes opened wide.
“Is that the wheat symbol?” Kiara and Beth asked.
“Yeah.” Pope answered.
“What the fuc—” JJ started but Mr. Sunn along with Beth a few other students turned around. The teenager played with the paper plane in his hand as he corrected himself. “What the- the fudge...?” he finished, and Elizabeth hid the smallest snicker.
“We have to talk.” Kiara mouthed to her, and she nodded quickly, not wanting to attract attention to herself. She threw a glance over her shoulder, hoping to see JJ focused on his test but his eyes were on her and as soon as he noticed he sighed and went back to his test.
-
The bell had rung, and the students had been dismissed but Mr. Sunn had kept Elizabeth a few minutes longer to talk and catch up. Once she was out, she expected to be greeted with emptiness, but Kiara Carrera was there, leaning back against the wall.
“Hey,” Liz smiled shyly to her best friend before a groan left her lips as the hair was squeezed out of her body.
“Hi.”
“Kie, everything okay?” she asked her once they were separated. “Not that I don’t like the hug and all, just a bit unusual.”
“Just so much happened that, life’s just weird.”
“Tell me about it.”
“So,” Kiara started.
“So?”
“We’re going to Charleston today.”
“What, when?” “Right now. We’ll pick up stuff from our houses and we’re leaving.”
“You and the boys?” she asked and Kie nodded. “Okay?” “Wanna come?”
“Are you serious?” Kiara nodded and Beth rubbed her forehead and checked the time from the clock on the wall. “Kie, I can’t I have another class after that, and I have so much to catch up. Why are you going anyways?” Beth asked.
“Trying to clear John B’s name.” Kiara simply stated and the brunette swallowed back tears. After she noticed her best friend’s struggle, Kiara grabbed her hand. “We’ll bring him home, Liz.” She said and Elizabeth frowned but nodded, nonetheless.
“Hum, listen. I gotta go, okay?” she sniffled, blinking away the tears. “And I’ve lost my phone but keep me updated one way or another and I’ll just—”
“Yeah, of course.” Kie nodded before her cellphone pinged and she looked at it. “I’ve gotta go.”
“Be careful.” She said as Kiara walked away. “Don’t let JJ drive! And good luck!” she shouted, and she heard Kie laugh before she was left in silence.
-
Elizabeth arrived home many hours later, the teacher from her last class of the day had kept her twenty minutes after the other students had been dismissed. Then she’d walked all the way to the Wreck only to work there for a short sixty minute before she was sent home by Mike who was in a very bad mood, walking back home took her longer than usual because she had stuck her nose in her history book which had made her walk slower. So, she arrived home and she was alone, she put a frozen pizza in the oven, turned on the lights and set up her schoolwork on the small desk she had in the corner of her room.
She was humming the melody to the music playing in her EarPods when she saw the door open in the corner of her eye. She shrieked and her hand went to her chest when Ollie’s head passed through the opening.
“How did school go?”
“Went well, dad.” She mumbled as she highlighted an important passage.
“What are you working on.”
“Math’s. I went and got all the stuff I’m behind on and I’m just trying to do as much as I can tonight.”
“That’s good, I’m proud of you.” She sent him a thumbs up and he scoffed in amusement. He was always out of the room when his voice was heard. “Hey, found your phone. She spun around, eyes wide in surprise and shock as she reached forward to grab it from his hands.
“What? Where was it?”
“You told me you'd lost it but Sam just kind of brought it to me earlier today. It's dead though.”
“Oh, fuck. Thanks!” she turned it on only to be met with the red empty battery.
She plugged it in, anticipating updates from Kiara and to see if she had missed anything else. It had been almost forty minutes of her glancing between her phone and her homework, she had a very old phone and charging it to an appropriate percentage so all would work properly could take hours and she gasped when the screen lit up with a text message. The brunette frowned, her finger touched and glided on the screen because an unknown number had texted her days ago.
“Oh my god.” She gasped, she scrolled through the conversation, multiple emotions brewed inside of her, and disbelief was the strongest one. “It’s a joke.” She mumbled as she re-read the conversation.
Unknown; Is JJ there?
JJ; I’m here Bree.
Unknown; Did you pimp my shortboard?
The last message made her sob and she clicked on the photo, zooming in and out to see if it was edited or anything like that.
“Oh my god.” She shouted, her phone was dropped to the floor and tears fell down her cheeks.
“Liz?” Ollie called for her, knocking on her door before he walked in. “Everything okay?”
“It’s John B,” she gasped, and the man shook his head, confused. “It’s John B, he’s—" she handed him the phone.
“What the fuck?”
“He’s alive, Ollie. John’s alive.” She cried and her legs gave out from under her as she hysterically cried into the man’s shoulder.
She woke up the next morning, eyes red and irritated and she reached for her phone, hoping to have updates from Kiara.
From Lizzie: Kie? Everything good?
From Lizzie: kie we have to talk. John b’s alive and none of y’all told me????
From Lizzie: are you guys, okay? Can we talk?
-
They were reunited; Kiara, Pope, JJ, Sarah, and John B, all together at last.
The teenagers all embarked on the boat, ready to head back home and they caught each other up on their lives in the meantime. John B was driving, throwing a few glances to his best friend who was playing with the green bracelet on his wrist. He frowned and silently asked Pope to take the wheel as he walked towards the blonde.
“Hey,” John B said, gently hitting the boy’s shoulder. “What’s up?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re in your head, so either you’ll get us killed, or you’re thinking about someone, and I could bet all the money I have, which is a big old thirty-two dollars that’s stashed in a bag in the tank of the toilet at the chateau, that I know who it is.” JJ scoffed.
“Yeah, no.” he said, and John B sent him a questioning look. “I’m not doing this right now.”
“Just answer this, why isn’t she here right now?”
“I don’t know, haven’t talked to her since you died.”
-
Sitting in her Spanish class she turned her head to the left to see JJ’s empty seat. Her phone vibrated on her desk, and she apologized before acting as if she was putting it away. She slipped the device in her pencil case and unlocked it to see that she’d received a picture from Kiara.
From: Kie
Look who we found.
📎 joint picture
Elizabeth clicked on the picture and water filled her eyes as the most perfect photo, in her opinion, appeared in front of her.
Her friends, alive, all together. They were smiling as John B took the selfie. All of their smiles were contagious, and she found herself simply grinning in the middle of her Spanish class.
“You’re okay.” She said as her finger went over her “brother’s” features.
************************
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