stevie | outer banks | JJxOC

41- for John B, for Sarah

Coming back to her childhood home after the loss of her family felt wrong. She looked at it like it was almost a set from a movie, she hadn't lived there, but a character of her had. Everywhere she looked she saw memories but she almost felt too disconnected to them to realise they were hers, that the children were her and her brother.

Since Stevie was up and out of bed the four thought it was the right time to say goodbye to their friend. Stevie collected a box of some photos and some of John B's things, things that were important to only him, whilst Pope cut the bark off the side of the tree. Stevie stood watching with Pope and Kie as JJ wrote 2003-2020 John B Routledge P4L by burning it into the tree. A memorial for their friend and brother.

"For John B" JJ muttered.

Stevie stepped forward and buried the box under the tree. Tears pricked her eyes as she covered the box with the dirt from their garden. She noticed JJ drinking a lot more, not just beer. A couple weeks prior, Stevie barely thought about anything, she had become so hollow she didn't think at all, only about John B and Sarah or about herself. Now she could see the real hurt in JJ's eyes. The hurt that he didn't want to show her to protect her. But John B had been JJ's best friend. JJ would have done anything for him, including ignoring the fuzzy feeling his sister gave him for as long as he could.

They stood back from the tree looking at it one more time all feeling immense grief. JJ placed his arms over Stevie's shoulder and reached down to hold her hands before kissing her on the side of the head. She let herself cry one more time at that tree before the rest left.

Alone, Stevie had time to sift through her thoughts but she kept getting left with the time she met Sarah.

She had been sat on the beach seething with anger and on the brink of tears. She could not stand her dad anymore, nothing she could do would make him like her so she stopped bothering and ran out. She thought she would be alone but a smiley blonde girl came up to her, she recognised her as Sarah Cameron.

"I'm making this sandcastle," She smiled before reaching out her hand to pick Stevie up, "Do you want to help me?"

Without realising Stevie had walked to that very beach.

And she sat in the same spot as where she sat years ago.

Around her she noticed piles of rocks and shells and felt it her responsibility to give Sarah something like they had given John B. Silently, she set about etching Sarah Cameron P4L into the side of a large flat rock before building piles of rocks and shells around it. Stevie etches swirls and flowers and waves into some and leaves others as they were.

"Hello," A small girl came up to her and broke her out of her artistic trance she didn't even realise she was in.

"Hi," Stevie smiled at the young girl and tried not to let her sadness show through.

"What are you making," The young girl inquired.

"Just a little something for my friend," Stevie kept her answer simple, "She's gonna be away for a while."

"What's her name?"

"Sarah."

"I knew a girl called Sarah," The girl smiled again at Stevie whilst recounting her memory. " She was beautiful and kind. And playful. She was selfless too. She helped me get my elephant toy from my boat after the storm. We couldn't get to it because of the way the storm pushed the boat about but she tried to get it for me anyway, even though there were wires that could have hurt her. She got my toy for me. And she played a prank on her brother which made me laugh. She's quite funny"

Stevie was struggling to keep her tears in. The girl was right. Sarah had been beautiful and kind and playful and funny. She had been so full of life, that it radiated from her. "That sounds like my Sarah."