THE PRINCE'S QUEEN | J.MAYBANK

[6]

"Aw well, thank you, Monkey Man."

~:*:~

"You really think it's out there? Like, no bullshit?" Pope asked as me the Pogues were all stretched across lawn chairs and hammocks near the Chateau. I was lying on JJ's chest with his hand entangled in my black hair.

I sighed, listening to the blonde's steady heartbeat, "my father thought it was," John B said from his law chair.

"But do you?" Pope interrogated, and we heard thunder rumble in the distance.

"After hearing his voice on that tape . . . . I think I do," John B whispered, and I smiled softly at the night sky.

"Only one way to find out," Pope smirked and did the Pogues handshake with John B.

"Look, we're gonna find it, you know? Even JJ believes," Kiara said.

"Oh, my God, JJ, do you really believe?" I gasped—Kiara and I laughing. I looked up at JJ, and he chuckled.

"Totally. Wait. Are we talking about four mil?" JJ questioned and looked towards Pope.

"Four hundred mil," me, Pope, and Kiara all sang.

"Jinx," Kiara and I said at the same time, causing all of us to giggle quietly.

"I'm gonna dream about shipwrecks," JJ huffed tiredly and turned to his side, so I slid off his chest. I glanced at him and pouted my bottom lip. He didn't say a word, just pulled me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around his torso and rested my nose in his neck. "Good night, Bird!" He called to John B.

"Good night, bird shit!" John B shot back, and we all chuckled as JJ lifted his middle finger in the air before having it rest on my hip, tapping my skin through my shorts.

~:*:~

"All right, JJ. Pin it here," John B ordered the blonde who sat in the driver's seat of Heyward's boat. Today was the day we would use the drone to find the Royal Merchant. Today was the day we were going to get rich. Or, in mine and Kiara's case, richer.

"Roger that! X marks the spot," JJ exclaimed and stopped the boat. I stood next to him and placed my hand on his shoulder, going on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

He looked at me with a puzzled look, "what was that for?"

"Would you like me to take it back?" I asked innocently, and he laughed.

"Of course not."

"All right, ladies and gentlemen. To going full Kook," John B announced and put the drone in the water. Pope and John B started looking a the drone's camera as Kiara lowered the rope.

"All right, JJ, we're right over it. Ten seconds northwest," John B read, and JJ started driving the boat as instructed.

"Got it! Ten seconds northwest," JJ repeated and tilted his head up slightly, making my eyes stay on him a little too long because he caught me staring.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," he said confidently, and I sneered at him, ruffling up his hair as I walked over to Kiara.

"One hundred feet," the brunette warned. Pope then gasped, and John B ran over.

"What? What, what, what, what?" He rambled.

"It's nothing," the black boy whispered, and John B's face fell. He groaned, "Sorry, I thought --"

"Don't do that to me, man. Come on, bro!" JJ scolded him.

"My bad. I just thought I saw . . . ." Pope trailed off, "and to quote The Hobbit, 'Down, down, to Goblin Town. Down, down, you go, my lad.'"

~:*:~

"Four hundred feet!" Kie yelled and wrote another dash for how many hundreds of feet the drone went. The thunder from last night started arriving again, and everyone started to panic, moving faster than ever.

"The tide's turning," I gawked as the winds started picking up, and the baggy t-shirt that I stole from Topper blowing in the wind.

"Hey, JJ?" John B said.

"Yup?"

"Ten seconds easy. South-southeast."

"Copy that!" JJ shouted and started moving south-southeast.

"JJ, 20 seconds mid-speed, all right? South," John B added, and JJ swiftly changed directions.

"Copy that! Aye, aye. Come on," he tried to sound joyful, but his worry quickly overpowered that. The boat started swaying under the waves, and Kie and I couldn't control the rope.

"Keep the tether out of the prop!" JJ snapped at us.

"We're trying!" Kiara and I barked out of frustration.

"JJ, keep going!" John B ushered, and another loud roll of thunder spread across the sky.

"John B, is that good?" JJ asked.

"We're good!"

I glanced at the number of feet we had left and gulped, "okay, 700 feet!" I marked another slash on the side of the boat. The thunder started getting immensely loud, and the wind was insane that I could barely see out of my mess of hair.

A large wave hit the front of the boat and made everyone stumble. I ran into Kie and almost fell overboard, but Kiara grabbed my hand and lurched me back up. JJ looked back at me, and I took a breath, staring at Kie before going back to the rope. Another loud crash of thunder erupted, and I bit my lip.

"JJ, hold it steady!" John B shouted.

"900!" Kie screamed.

"JJ, we'll turtle in this storm," John B said with a frazzled look in his eyes.

"920!"

"Crank it north by northwest! Ten seconds!"

"Pope, how are we doing?" John B looked at the screen.

"Almost there."

"There's too much current! We're gonna lost it!" I screeched, and Kiara and I tried desperately to pull the drone back towards the boat, but the water was too strong.

"South, southwest, JJ! Hard! Half speed. Steady at this bearing, JJ!" John B cried. Once JJ landed there, John B looked at the screen, "what do you got, Pope? Come on, man. What do you see?" John B questioned hopefully.

"Nothin'. A whole lot of nothin'," Pope spat.

"You should be right above it, brother."

"Kiara! Elle!" Pope yelled at us, making me and Kiara wince.

"960," I said, "970! 980!"

Pope then gasped, "I'm at the bottom! I'm at the bottom!"

"Okay, steady here, JJ! Steady here. Quarter speed, all right? You should be seeing something, man," John B rushed. Me and Kiara raced over to the screen and looked at it with John B and Pope.

"I know, I know! Wait, wait," Pope's jaw dropped, "oh, good god."

"See anything?" JJ roared and snapped around. John B smiled in disbelief.

"It's the Royal Merchant."