Sunflower || JJ Maybank/Cassandra Routledge

Prolog

The Outer Banks. Paradise on Earth. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island.

Alright, so Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks. Houses so big they need multiple cleaning personnel to even do the bare minimum. Most Kook families consist of a CEO father, trophy wife, and kids thinking they own anything they want. So, guess where we don't live.

You should probably know about the Kooks, at least a little. First is Sarah Cameron. Kook Princess. Kiara's best friend in the ninth grade, worst enemy in the tenth grade. Who's Kiara you might ask? Just wait, I'll get to her. Back to Sarah. I'm not really sure what happened between her and Kie but I work on her dad's boat, so you know, I've seen her around.

And there's Rafe Cameron. Leader of the Kooks. A complete douchebag, treating everyone like shit. Everyone hates him. I'm pretty sure even some Kooks hate him. He's a total ass and treats girls like they owe him something. It's a constant battle between me and my friends and him and his friends.

And then there's Topper, Sarah's not so pleasant boyfriend. Best friend of said Leader of douchebags. Topper actually thinks Pogues were bred to mow lawns. Like Rafe, no one likes him, not even a little bit.

Let's get to the actual important side of the island. The south side or the Cut. Home of the working class who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, running charters. The natural habitat of, drum roll please...The Pogues. Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish. Lowest member of the food chain. Okay, so, the downside of Pogue life is we are ignored and neglected. The upside of Pogue life is, we are ignored and neglected. Which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.

And lastly, the Boneyard. It's basically just a deserted beach people party at, an OBX tradition. You can't understand the Outer Banks without understanding the Boneyard. It's kinda like a three layer burrito. There's us and our friends, the working class derelicts from the Cut. Then there are the Kooks, the rich second-homers. They're mostly from poncey-ass boarding schools, just rich trustafarian posers. Our natural enemies. And then there are the tourons, tourist-morons. Totally clueless, here for a week on vacation with their families. Chum for the sharks.

Okay, I think it's time for you to meet the Pogues. First, JJ Maybank, my best friend since the third grade. He's about as local as they come. Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Best surfer I know, just don't tell him I said that. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat.

Next is Kiara Carrera, or Kie as we call her. When she's not saving turtles or listening to Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs out with us. I'm not really sure why though. So she's a rich kid actually, foot in both worlds. Her family owns the Wrech, which is this Outer Banks institution. Total cash cow with the tourists. You know I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us. I guess we all sorta have a thing for her.

Then we have Pope Heyward, the Brains of the operation. Finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person I know. Little bit of a weirdo. Alright so, his father is this legendary character Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island, Heyward could get it for you. Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter, he's a Pogue, just like the rest of us.

Lastly, I can't forget Cassandra Love Routledge, Casey, or Andy or whatever else I come up with. If you call her Cassandra I'm pretty sure she'll punch you in the face. She's my younger sister. Actually she's my twin but she's still younger, by a couple minutes, but it means I gotta look out for her. You know, big brother and everything. What makes it even better, the Pogues all see her as sort of a little sister, so we all look out for her. And I know for a fact she hates it. She's the comedian of the Pogues, constantly making fun of us but she's also extremely reckless. Nothing scares her away, even when it should. Her and JJ are always getting into some kind of trouble, but I can't lie, it makes life more fun. Unless I have to bail her out or bandage up a new wound. Which happens more than you would think. So, JJ has had this crush on her for as long as I can remember, but she has no idea. I don't think she's ever seen him in that kinda way, even though they are practically inseparable. Which I'm not a fan of...again big brother and everything. She's the heart of the Pogues, always standing up for what's right, no matter how stupid or dangerous it might be. She may be the loose cannon but she's as loyal as they come.

And me, John Booker Routledge. Andy and I live in an old fish shack on the marsh. The Château, as my dad used to call it. And Dad, but everyone else called him Big John. He disappeared at sea nine months ago looking for a shipwreck. Who disappears at sea these days? I miss him. I know Andy misses him too. And then there's Mom. She split when Andy and I were three. Last I heard she was in Colorado. I think it was Colorado. And Uncle T. Since Dad's vanished he is supposedly Andy and I's legal guardian. At the moment, he's in Mississippi, building houses. Which means, it's just us right now, on our own, hanging out with our friends. Three months after our dad went missing he was officially presumed dead. I refused to sign the papers. Until I see a body, I'm not giving up.

There's something else about our father though. The week before he went missing, he said to me, "Bird, I think I found something. Your Uncle T's gonna come stay for a while. Look out for your sister. I might have to vanish for a bit." So he talks about vanishing, and he vanishes. Everyone says he was lost at sea but he's still out there. I know it. Andy knows it.

JBR