「 SIREN 」JM ⁴

012 blackbeard didn't lie to elizabeth

His girlfriend cracked an eye open, "Or boyfriends who lie."

JJ pursed his lips, the muscles of his throat working to not argue with her. He could try to defend his little white lie of not telling her where they were going, but he knew better than to add kerosene to the fire when Bianca was already pissed.

John B arched an eyebrow at his best friend, "Well, there goes our shot at negotiating- like anything."

"Okay, we can do this without her, alright?" JJ shook his head, his gaze flickering to his girlfriend, the lit joint between her fingers. "I've got this. When have I ever let you guys down?"

"Do you want that in alphabetical or chronological order?" Bianca exhaled a puff of smoke. Kiara stifled a laugh, taking the joint from her fingers.

"She's got a point," Pope muttered under his breath.

"Not helping, Pope," JJ scoffed.

He shrugged, "I'm jus' sayin', maybe next time you do something without telling us, we bring two boats."

"Seconded," Bianca leaned back, raising a lazy hand in the air and earning another eye-roll from her boyfriend.

"Alright, is this still about the bet?" JJ glanced between his girlfriend and best friend, but before he could continue, Sarah stopped him.

"JJ, just sit down," She gave him a small but pitying smile while Cleo patted the empty spot beside her. Between practically giving away the last of their gold at the Enduro and lying to his girlfriend about Goat Island, he easily wasn't winning arguments anytime soon.

Kiara waited for the blond boy to take a seat before breaking the silence, "Do you guys know anybody that's been here? 'Cause I don't."

"Nope," JJ ran a hand through his golden strands and set his cap on backward. A collective chorus of 'no's' and heads shaking sifted through the boat.

The HMS Pogue rocked gently, cradled by the steady rhythm of the waves. The sun hung high in the sky, casting streaks of light across the rippling surface. The occasional crest of a wave slapped against the hull, sending up a fine mist that sparkled like confetti in the warm light.

"Hey, B...? Sarah?" Pope's eyes flickered between the two. "You must know somebody who's been here, right? I mean, like, all Kooks, they... they know each other. They go to the same parties."

Sarah's face screwed up into a scowl, "Are you kidding me? You've heard the rumors, right?"

"Oh, yeah, about the daughter?" JJ piped up from behind them. "I mean, that she drowned with her baby? That's what I heard?"

"I heard that too, but I heard that she was possessed first or something," Kiara shrugged.

"And then I heard that was all bullshit because... what?" Pope scoffed.

Between the engine of the boat and the wind blowing against her, Bianca could barely catch the words, but she heard enough, "So, it's haunted. Great. Why does everything come with a ghost story attached to it?"

"Okay, agreed," Cleo interrupted. "Why are we doing this again?"

"We need money," Pope muttered.

"We need the money," Sarah admitted at the same time.

Ahead, the silhouette of Goat Island loomed larger with each passing moment. An unspoken tension seemed to ripple through the group like the waves beneath them. Icy chills ran up Bianca's spine; this was all feeling a little too familiar.

"This place's been around for two hundred years, and they still don't have a single road that doesn't go underwater twice a day," Pope explained as the boat neared the dock.