ᴍʏ ᴘᴀʀᴀᴍᴏᴜʀ | ꜱ.ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ

ten.

Shivers ran down Marley's spine as she listened to the tape, and she exchanged surprised glances with each of the Pogues, silently acknowledging their shared astonishment.

"You were probably eight to call me out. Weren't exactly father of the decade, What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully, we're listening to this in out brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica, living off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you find this for less than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If something happens to me, finish what i started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if i didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side."

With that, the tape ended, and the room filled with a deafening silence as no one really knew what to say. Marley observed John B getting up from the chair and making his way toward the door. Tears broke free before he even reached it. She understood how difficult this was for him; the Pogues finding the recorder only meant one thing - that John B's father was no longer alive. She swallowed the lump in her throat, fully aware of the weight this revelation bore for the boy.

However, it also meant another thing, that Big John actually found the Royal Merchant, and that the map they possessed would help them find where the gold lay. And this JJ failed to keep inside, his astonishment was too much for him not say anything, "Holy shit, he did it! Big John-He found the Merchant."

"Can you...can you please?" Kiara questioned the boy in front of her, raising her arms over her head as she, too, wore a tearful expression.

"Sorry," JJ nodded in understanding.

After the Pogues helped John B calm down, they all moved outside. Kiara played her ukulele, weaving a tranquil ambiance around the five teenagers. Her tune had a soothing effect on all of the Pogues, while Marley sat on one of the wooden walls by the dock with a joint in her mouth, gazing up at the stars. The rhythmic lull of the music and the distant sounds of the night created a moment of shared peace, a respite from the complexities that life on the Outer Banks often brought.

"How much was it again?" JJ inquired as he tossed a rock into the water below them.

"Four hundred mil." Pope answered.

"All right, let's talk a split." JJ sighed as he observed them all. Marley was now immersed in the newfound conversation, taking a hit from the joint and nodding in agreement with her brother, exhaling the smoke as she performed the action, "Now, before we say "evenly," may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us. Protection? Not cheap, okay?"

Marley smirked at her brother, retorting as he pulled out his gun for show, "JJ, don't flatter yourself too much. I'm pretty sure a bunch of groupers would be more scared of Pope's internal anger issues than your so-called 'protection.' And evenly splitting is fair, bro. No need for a superhero tax."

"Hey!" Pope groaned in response to the Maybank girl's statement, though he found himself somewhat agreeing with her words. He then turned his gaze towards JJ, "She's right, you haven't even trained. You've done zero training."

"Youtube, bro!" JJ exclaimed, looking towards his sister and Pope witth a shrug, "That's a five percent bump right there. And don't worry Marley, I'll give you like 20 dollars."

"Thanks," Marley responded with a fake smile.

"Any objections?" JJ posed the question to all the Pogues, and despite most of them raising their hands in objection, JJ nonchalantly shrugged, as if he didn't notice, "Didn't think so."

"Yeah..." Pope stated in an obvious tone, making it clear to the boy that literally everyone objected to his statement.

"Didn't hear any, so..." JJ shrugged.