𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐧; 𝐑𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

•22•

Bianca Jade

"Pope! Pope, please slow down!" I shouted as I neared him, running out of breath as he held up his impossible pace. I had realised now where he was going, near the Jedi outside John B's house where we sat the other night.

But why?

Finally he stopped, noticing me chase after him.

"Bianca" he breathed out, clearly out of breath from all this running as much as I was.

"What are you doing, Pope?" I said, still short on breath but slowly getting it under control.

"There is no time to explain it right now. I'll explain everything when we get to John B's" he said "Let's go" I nodded and followed after him.

We weren't running anymore but we also weren't taking our time, almost like a speed walk. The whole time Pope looked stressed, frustrated, like there was something he was just aching to tell us, to get off his chest before he explodes.

I wondered what that was.

Considering the events of late, it could be anything. Maybe he found another body, maybe it's something about the gold.

"Pope are you sure you're ok?" I asked, quicken my pace so I could stand next to him.

"I- I'm fine. I mean, I might have blown my scholarship but this is more important—"

"You blew your scholarship! Pope, that was your ticket out of this place. What happened?" I said as we confined waking, seeing our destination in the near distance.

"I might if told them I touch the Royal Merchant" he said in a quiet tone, almost like he was regretting it.

"You did what—"

"Shh. We're here" he waved his hand in front of my face.

Did— did he just 'shh' me?

We got to the start of the Jedi and that's when Pope broke out into a run once more. I cursed and followed suit.

"Guys!" Pope shouted as we approached them "Guys!"

"Uh.. pope, Bianca?" Kie scrunched her eyebrows together as she took in our exhausted states from rushing all the way here.

"Oh, shit" Pope panted "We ran all the way here" I nodded when agreeing.

"You alright?" John B asked, laying on the edge of the Jedi, closest to the water as his head rested on a lifeboy. I looked down to him and noticed he had taken his cast off.

"You took your cast off?" I asked. He rose his eyebrows and waved his affected hand "But its—"

"It's fine" he turned his head, picking up a stray leaf and snapping it before tossing it into the water.

"How was the interview Pope?" JJ asked, sitting up top of a small ledge over the shallow water.

"Don't ask" Pope grunted "JB" he said, still slightly panting. I had already regained my breath, having run slower then he was "Look, I'm sorry, dude. About everything"

"It's fine" John B waved it off like it was nothing in a lazy tone.

"But— but I don't have a lot of time and— and I have information that is tactically relevant" he ranted, pushing out a hurried breath between each word.

I sighed, pushing myself against a wooden pillar and sliding down until I hit the floor.

"So, before I had my interview, my dad said he was going down to the privet airstrip to cut palms for Cameron's big plane" he said.