Guards were on both entrances to the tent. A table was in the center, while chairs lined the side of the tent. Four teens sat there, no saying anything, as they were scared to make a sound.
On the far right, the blond seventeen-year-old boy hunched forward. He held his baseball cap in one hand and held the sandy-haired girl's hand who sat next to him. He did not say anything as he kept his eyes on the ground, rubbing his thumb over the back of the girl's hand. The sixteen-year-old girl kept her eyes shut as she leaned her head back. She felt like she was dying. It felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest, and her throat felt like it was closing off. The other three teens could hear her sniffling, as it seemed that the blond boy would stroke his thumb a little faster to let her know that he was right there. Next to the sandy-haired girl was a darker brown-haired girl. The brown-haired girl looked between the two guards and around them in case someone would come in and let them know that their friends were safe. She kept biting the inside of her mouth when she glanced at the last of the four teens. The darker-haired boy kept his head down. He felt guilty and helpless. He would occasionally glance up at the sound of the guards' radios.
The darker-haired girl, Kie, sighed when she tried not to cry. She looked at the darker-haired boy, Pope, who finally looked up at her.
The sandy-haired girl, Callie, looked up to see the acting sheriff, Victor Shoupe, and two other deputies, Thomas and Plumb. Callie was the first to stand up, while her friends followed her. JJ, the blond boy, kept holding her hand as they watched the three officers take off their hoods as they were soaked from the rain.
"Did you find them? Did you find my brother?" Callie asked quietly when her voice cracked from the tears she was holding back.
"Did you find them?" Pope repeated when Shoupe sighed, not answering Callie.
Shoupe sighed, looking at the four teens. They were just seventeen and sixteen, but they were still kids. He sighed, lightly shaking his head. "No, " he said softly, as the four teens looked conflicted.
"So, they got away?" Kie asked, looking between her friends as she had a hint of hope in her voice.
Shoupe hesitated as he looked at the ground. He sighed when Callie jumped a bit at the sound of the thunder crackling in the distance. "We, uh... We lost them." Shoupe sighed, confessing the truth to the four teens. "I'm sorry." He sighed, looking at each of them before his eyes stopped on Callie, who shook her head.
"You lost them?" Pope asked him with a scoff. "What do you mean you lost them? Like, they're gone?" Pope continued to ask, freaking out as Callie started to laugh.
"No... No way! You're joking, right?" She started to laugh as tears rolled down her cheek.
"What are you talking about?" Pope continued to ask as JJ and Kie stayed quiet.
"They took an open boat... into a tropical depression, Pope." Shoupe sighed, looking at the heartbroken teenagers.
"So, they're dead?" Kie asked as Callie's laughing stopped when she looked at Pope.
"We don't know." Shoupe sighed, looking at the kids.
"You drove them straight through the storm, man!" JJ yelled as Pope watched Kie freeze where she was. She did not move as tears rolled down her cheek. Callie, however, slowly dropped to her knees as her ears started to ring. "Are you kidding me? Come here!" JJ raised his voice, lunging at Shoupe, who tried to push him back as Deputy Thomas and one of the guards tried to pull JJ off of Shoupe. "I'm gonna kill you!" JJ yelled out in anger when Kie knelt down to comfort Callie, who froze, staring at the ground.
"JJ, stop!" Kie yelled as Pope tried to pull off JJ.
"I'm gonna kill you, you--" JJ continued to yell out of hurt and anger as Thomas held back JJ with ease.
"Hey! You killed him!" Pope yelled, making Shoupe turn to him to try and calm him down. "He didn't kill anyone, and you know it!" Pope yelled as Callie let the tears out. It was like her whole body was about to be engulfed by the ground as Kie tried to hold her up.
"We're still looking for him, all right?" Shoupe tried to say to Pope.
"Pope. Pope, just stop." Kie sighed, grabbing Pope's hand as she tried to calm her friends down as she cried.
"No, no, no..." Callie cried, shaking her head.
"Please, stop." Kie sighed when Pope knelt down, hugging Kie and Callie.
"No, no... No! No!" Callie cried out as her friends tried to comfort her.
Kie glanced over to the entrance of the tent to see her parents. She stood up, still staying by Callie, as her mom ran over to hug her. Kie's dad followed as Kie cried to her parents. Pope stood up, seeing his mom and dad, too. His mom rushed over to hug him as Pope began to cry. Deputy Thomas let go of JJ who dropped to his knees, hugging onto Callie as she cried out. Bobby Heyward, Pope's dad, placed a hand on JJ's shoulder, looking at the two kids.
Pope and Kie had their parents. But for JJ and Callie, they had nothing else to lose.
It was not always the case, but this past summer... everything had changed.
~season 1, episode 10: "The Phantom"~
~920 words~
YOU ARE READING
Everything Has Changed:
Fanfiction*Takes place during season 1 of OBX* *JJ X OC Routledge Sister* Growing up, Calliope Routledge only had her family. She was raised by her dad, "Big John" Routledge, alongside her slightly older brother, John B. Taylor Routledge, Big John's wife, lef...
