The Least Favorite Cameron

Chapter 35

"So you guys didn't get any guns? Not even a knife?" JJ was bubbling with frustration at John B. and Pope who came back without any weapons when they went on their little mission around the ship. They didn't come back empty handed however, Cleo, the girl from Nassau, somehow found a job aboard this ship. Her and Pope got into a bit of a scuffle until they realized they could be on the same side.

"I was attacked dude, I couldn't," John B. says, holding his hands up in surrender but anger and fear was evident across his face.

"There's something else too," He starts to say and it looks like he doesn't even want to say the words.

"Rafe's alive and he's on this ship. I saw him," The group looked around in horror and confusion.

"How the hell is that even possible?" Kiara exclaims.

"I don't know, he faked his death to clear his dad's name and now they're escaping to wherever the hell we're going," John B. says.

"Unreal man. So they get the gold, they get the cross, and Gracie and Sarah? Nah not happening! We are not watching this movie again, right Pope?" JJ says as he hops off a crate and walks closer to the group.

"Nah, not happening," Pope says and they all agree. They plan to move forward with JJ's plan of taking the bridge and now with Cleo, their plan is even stronger. Pope and Cleo head to the bridge while the others wait in the container till they hear the message requiring all passengers and crew to go to the forward hull of the ship. Once they're there, they can lock them in and take back everything that's theres. Fifteen minutes pass and then they hear, the announcement is being sent out over the ship.

"OMG they did it!" Kie says.

"That's our boy!" JJ replies and now their plan is in motion.

***

The sweat is dripping down my face as I sit here and wait but then I hear an announcement going off.

"All passengers and crew report to the forward hull,"

I don't know why but I had a feeling this was my shot to find Sarah. Everyone will be distracted and in the forward hull for some reason and I can figure out a way to get her. I push open the door just a crack and peer out to make sure the coast is clear and when I see that it is, I head inside the ship and downstairs. I'd feel better if I had something to defend myself with against these shady crew members and I never wanted to feel like I needed a weapon to feel protected from my own family but I do now. I can hear men talking and I assume I'm near forward hull so I veer off into a different direction until I'm in a big room with lots of crates in them but only one sparks my attention. I can see the gold sticking out from the cloth around it and when I get closer I see it, the cross. If I could lift a couple hundred pounds on my own then there'd be no problem but there was no way for me to get his cross. I stand there looking at it but then I hear footsteps from behind me so I turn to run but its too late.

"Gracie!" Rafe's voice halts me. Hearing him and seeing him still feels like some hallucination but this was real. Rafe was alive and he looked pissed. I stayed planted where I was, leaning against some crates waiting to see what he'd do.

"Rafe I-"

"Will you never be on our side? Huh?" He cuts me off and begins pacing in front of me.

"On your side? Rafe you guys had to kidnap me to get me here! I don't want to be on your side!" I say and he quickly turns to look at me.

"We just wanted to all be together! To be a family! Don't you get that? Or does your little pogue boyfriend have you so brainwashed that you can't even think straight?"

"Aren't you tired of this, Rafe? Aren't you tired of defending him and repeating the same words he always spouts at you? Are you sure you're not the one who's been brainwashed?" He hesitates before answering me. I can see my last question shook him.

"Dad loves us. That's why he's doing all this. You just don't care because you think you're a pogue now huh? Just a pogue who's gonna steal from her family and leave us all behind, all for John B. Routledge!" He's back to pacing again and he's moving his hands around as he talks, like he's some conductor. God, he needs so much help.

"The gold and the cross aren't yours! John B. loves me! He would do anything for me! And he certainly would never kill someone to get what he wanted, not like dad and not like you! You're a murderer and so is dad!" He lunges at me and I try to move out of his way but I'm not fast enough. He slams me against the crate and my head bounces off the hardwood sending stars across my vision. I then feel Rafe's hands move from my shoulders to my throat and he slowly adds more pressure.

"Rafe, please, you don't have to do this. I'm your sister, please don't do this to me again," I say as I can feel his grip tighten.

"I don't wanna do this Gracie, but you're not leaving me much of a choice, you don't care about us. If you leave, you'll never stop coming after us to take what we earned. If I do this, it'll all be over, you won't have to worry anymore." His voice is a whisper and I can see the tears brimming in his eyes fighting to fall over his cheeks.

"Rafe, please. You're my brother, I love you,"

"I know, that's why I'm doing this. I love you too and if I do this, everything ends," Now his hands tighten even more and I can no longer speak. I try to pry his hands off of me and try to scratch at his face but I can already feel myself getting dizzy. The darkness is approaching around the edges of my vision and all I can see is his face, his angry broken face. Then I don't see him anymore and my body instinctively takes a huge breath causing me to cough. Then I see him, and I know now that I have to be in heaven. Rafe killed me and I'm in heaven because I see John B. standing here looking at me. He's holding what looks to be some sort of paper weight in his hand but he drops it and rushes over to me scooping me up in his arms. I hadn't even realized I was on the floor but as I lay there looking up at him I had to reach up and touch him to see if what I'm seeing was real.

"Are you real or am I dead?" I say, my voice raspy and my hand feels his slightly stubbly cheek.

"I'm real. You're not dead baby, I got you," He says and brings me closer to him so that our lips meet.

"We gotta go, okay? We've got a plan cooking and getting you out of here is a big part of it," He says and gets up and pulls me to my feet. Rafe is laying there unconscious but I can see him starting to stir. John B. grabs my hand and starts to pull me towards the door.

"Wait, did you say we?" I ask hoping that meant the pogues were here too.

"Oh yeah, you didn't think I got here on my own did ya?"