PAPER RINGS | jj maybank

018. mrs crain's got nothing on us

"I think we all knew he was lying." Athena piped up. Kie sent her a look, trying to hide her laugh at the stupid smile on her best friend's face.

"Beo, just own it. She got you." JJ stated.

"Whipped JB." Athena whispered to him.

"Look if you wanna hang out with her that's fine." Kie told the boy. "But I'm letting you know now that I'm not doing anything with Sarah."

"Do you guys see her here?" John B gestured around. Everyone shook their heads, knowing he was right. "No, right. Okay. A little focus would be fantastic. We've got the map, right?"

"It's out of whack cause the guy was ganja'd when he drew it." JJ stated as they gathered around the table, the map laying in front of them.

"It's because the coasts have changed." Kie told him.

"It does look out of whack though." Athena agreed with JJ, making the blond smile at her.

"So we just have to look for landmarks that haven't changed." Pope told the group.

"What about the old forts?" John B suggested.

"Battery Jasper." Kie and Athena stated in unison.

And with that the group was off, they rode to Battery Jasper where Pope figured out they needed to look for a stone wall that was close to where the gold was. Now, the group was driving down a road, Pope instructing John B on where to go.

"Okay so the road should spilt up here." Pope told him.

"Okay."

"All right. You're going to take a left." John B turned the corner, swerving so dramatically that Athena slid into Kie as he did.

"God, JB, where did you learn to drive?" Athena complained. She untangled herself from the curly haired girl, sitting back in her seat.

"That looks like a stone wall to me." JJ pointed out as they drove pass a large stone wall. John B stopped the van next to the wall.

"Not the Crain House." John B muttered.

Everyone got out of the van, stepping in front of the wall, the Crain House standing behind it. The Crain House was like Kildare's haunted house. The owner, Mrs Crain, apparently went crazy and killed her husband, leaving his body on her property, but no one really knew what happened to her or anyone in her family. There was a lot of rumours, stories told to people to scare them but nothing concrete. To get as close to the house as possible was always the biggest dare at parties.

"Are you kidding me?" Kie scoffed.

"Worst case scenario." JJ stated.

"Why'd it have to be here of all places?" Pope complained.

"I heard that Mrs Crain buried her husband's head on the property." JJ told them.

"You guys aren't scared, are you?" Athena asked them. "Come on, we're like the goonies just hotter and cooler. Mrs Crain's got nothing on us."

Athena was the first to step forward, hauling herself up and over the wall. Her feet landed in Mrs Crain's backyard, a small smile on her face as she turned to face the others. They all stared at her for a moment in silence before following her actions and climbing over the wall.

"Honestly, I don't really believe the stories of this place." John B stated rather loudly, making Pope shush him as they continued walking through the bushed.

"Which stories did you hear?" Athena heard JJ ask Kiara as they approached the house.

"The one where she killed her husband with an axe and that she's been holed up ever since." Kiara said. "On certain nights, when the moon if full you can see her in the window!"