CHAPTER ONE:
KOOK QUEEN
(episode one: the pilot)
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HURRICANE AGATHA HAD SHOWN no mercy on the Outer Banks. Much like everyone else on the island, Haven had been kept up the entire night by howling winds and crackling thunder, the incessant pitter-patter of rain on the tin roof. It left her in a fowl mood when she rose the next morning to an absolute mess in her front yard.
"Jesus Christ," she muttered as she pushed open the screen door and stepped out onto the porch. "Agatha, what the fuck?"
The Murphy women had been living in the shack they called a house for just over a month now. It was actually Haven's grandparents' house but it was passed down to her mother, Melinda, when her grandmother died. Her uncle definitely wasn't interested in the place, so it turned out to be their saving grace after the accident. But as per their luck, Hurricane Agatha had messed up the admittedly unstable roof over their heads. The front yard was practically a swimming pool as water struggled to flow down the drains. A tree had fallen across the road, effectively trapping them at the end of a cul-de-sac. And just to make things that bit worse, a few large branches had landed on the planks above the porch, poking holes through the wood and allowing for water to gather around the front door.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Haven sighed as her socked feet stepped into the offending puddle. Could this morning get any worse?
"Afraid not," Melinda Murphy sighed as she made her way up the driveway. The blonde woman had been down at the front gate chatting to one of their neighbours about the damages when she spotted her daughter outside, a frown on her face as she looked around. "That tree's gonna be there for days."
"Weeks, even," Haven muttered. "God only knows that no one cares about The Cut."
Despite her nod of agreement, Melinda's lips twisted into a displeased pout at the mention of their new home. Melinda Maybank was born and raised in Outer Banks. She grew up in the very house she now resided in with her parents and younger brother, Luke, so she was no stranger to the pogue life, but the years she'd spent on the mainland and the five months on the kook side of the island had given her a taste of riches she never wanted to let go of. But without Darren bringing in his income as a lawyer, they just couldn't keep their nice house overlooking the beach. Instead, they were stuck back where Melinda's nightmares began.
"Do you have work today?" she asked Haven when the awkward silence began to be a bit too much. They didn't know how to cope with each other anymore. They were never particularly close if Haven was being honest, but her dad had always acted as the buffer for their clashing personalities. Without him, they were lost.
Shaking her head, she said, "No, but I might head over and see if they need help cleaning up. It's a mess here but at least we made it through okay."
Melinda let out a sigh of uncertainty, glancing at the gaping holes above them with narrowed eyes. "Maybe, but those repairs are going to cost money." When Haven't didn't say anything, she sighed again and inched closer to the door. "I need to get ready. I've got a shift at the Country Club today."
Somehow, the silence now that she was gone was far more deafening than the silence when they were together. Alone, Haven had to face her thoughts, the grief that had never quite gone away. It settled in her chest, festering until she could barely breathe. And so, she hurried to her feet and followed her mother inside, changing quickly into a pair of high-waisted denim shorts and an oversized white tee. Decent enough for work, she decided as she stared at herself in the mirror.
By the time she made her way outside again (she had to make a pitstop to check on her dog, Rosie, and refill the German Shepherd's food and water bowls) Melinda was gone. Her car was parked in the driveway but the neighbour's was visibly missing despite the elderly lady remaining in her rocking chair. She looked over as Haven stepped outside, waving her hand wildly to get the girl's attention.
"Your mother just left, sweetie," she called out when Haven smiled politely. "I offered her my car since I know you guys are stuck."
"Thanks for letting me know," she shouted back, knowing the woman struggled with her hearing. Then, with a mutter under her breath, "Would've been nice for her to wait for me but I suppose I can take my bike."
Her mint green bicycle was leant up against the garage door. She wheeled it out and down the drive, then past the tree with its roots sticking up in the air. Carefully stashing her phone and house keys in the woven basket on the front, she set off down the road on the way to Heywards. Haven had gotten a job there not long after she and her mother lost the house. Melinda was working two jobs, one at the Country Club where the owner had taken pity on the widowed woman, and another at a less than appealing supermarket on the pogue side of the island. Even then, they were barely making ends meet, and so Haven had grovelled with every place in the area until the Heywards had eventually agreed to take her on for two shifts a week. Not much, but it was what they could afford and at least Haven had some cash.
Fortunately, it didn't take her long to get there. A ten minute bike ride was annoying when the roads were covered in fallen leaves and tree branches, but she managed to make it there in one piece. She set her bike under the awning of the shop, approaching where she saw Mr Heyward chatting to two men Haven had never seen before.
"Morning, Mr Heyward," she called out. "How we looking?"
"We've seen better days, Haven," he sighed before frowning at her. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought you might like some help," she shrugged.
The man sighed again, running a hand down the side of his tired face. "Don't get me wrong now, I appreciate it, but we don't have the money to pay you."
Despite the twinge of disappointment she felt, she waved him away. "It's fine, I just want to help." When he still looked sceptical, she grinned at him. "Honestly, Mr Heyward, it gives me an excuse to get out of the house."
"Fine," he conceded. "Pope could use some help on the deck if you don't mind? Lord knows that boy can be trouble."
Haven chuckled and nodded, inching back to where a ramp led down to the boy in question. He hadn't even noticed her arrival as he hosed down the wooden slats, looking incredibly bored as he stared out at the water longingly. "I'll get right to it, sir."
He called a 'thank you' out to her as she skipped down the ramp but Haven only waved him away again as she came to a stop behind Pope. Apart from some muck on the deck, some branches that clearly needed to be removed and a giant sign saying 'Bring it on Aggie, you bitch' it didn't look too bad. Neither did Pope with his shirt unbuttoned in the sweltering heat, but Haven wasn't about to admit that.
"Looks like you're having a blast," she commented.
Pope jumped in fright before scowling when she let out a cackling laugh. "Very funny, Haven."
"Right?" she agreed, smiling as she picked up a spare broom and began sweeping the leaves on the part of the deck Pope hadn't gotten around to washing down. "Budge over, I've been sent to help you."
"You should get away while you can," he muttered, eyeing his dad who was watching them with narrowed eyes, almost like he could sense his son's discontent for their workload.
"And do what else with no electricity or service?"
"Read a book, surf, literally anything other than this."
Haven smirked at him. "Sounds more like things you want to do."
"And I can't," he sighed before forcing a smile onto his face when his dad coughed pointedly. "Which I'm totally fine with."
Haven giggled under her breath, nudging him with her elbow once she was sure Heyward was no longer watching them. "At least try and sound happy. I'm here now."
"And that changes so much."
Haven officially met Pope Heyward when his parents employed her at their shop. Of course, she knew of him from parties he and his friends would throw at the Boneyard (aka the neutral ground where kooks and pogues could mingle with alcohol) but she'd never had a reason to interact with him before when the two lead very different lives.
But Pope had been quick to extend a hand of friendship on her first day at the store. Haven was clearly lost when it came to working. Her father had always been her source of income, not that the man had ever complained. He wanted her to focus on her studies, so if that meant giving her money whenever she needed it, then Darren Murphy wouldn't hesitate. But as a pogue, Haven had no choice but to get her hands dirty, even while studying. Pope managed to do it. He spent most of his time working and yet he maintained a GPA high enough to be eligible for Ivy League college scholarships. And so, as Pope continued to show Haven the ropes, they eventually developed a routine of studying together on their breaks or before/after shifts. Not quite a friendship, but something.
Haven wasn't there for long before a boat pulled up beside the deck. She'd noticed the inhabitants before Pope did, offering a tight smile to John B Routledge and JJ Maybank. JJ was her estranged cousin who, despite being on an island with for six months, Haven had barely said two words to. His father, Luke, was a drunk and aggressive man who Melinda had disowned a long time ago. Haven vaguely remembered the man showing up at their house on the mainland demanding money after his wife ran away, but Melinda refused and shut the door in his face. He was her brother, but she knew where that money would go and she didn't want any part in it.
And because of this, JJ and Haven barely knew each other. Before she officially moved to Outer Banks, the first and only time she and JJ met was at the funeral for her grandmother. Haven was too young when her grandfather died so she couldn't remember if she and the blonde boy had met, but she did remember exchanging an awkward hello with him as their parents forced themselves to talk about the equal split of their mother's things. Luke hadn't wanted the house, but he eagerly took his share of the money and bounced before the wake was even over.
It also didn't help that JJ saw Haven as a kook. She lived with the pogues now, sure, but she was born and raised with riches. She didn't belong on the South Side, and she certainly didn't belong anywhere near him. But he knew that she had some weird friendship with his best friend, so he said nothing as he stared at the two standing together on the deck.
"We have an attendance meeting," John B cooed as they came to a stop, finally catching Pope's attention as he pretended to speak into a walkie talkie. "Attendance mandatory."
"I can't," Pope sighed and turned off the hose. "My pop's got me on lockdown, trapped Haven here too."
"I'm not trapped," she rolled her eyes, though the gesture was fond for him and him only.
"Oh, come on, man," JJ scoffed, copying John B with the walkie talkie bit. "Your dad's a pussy. Over."
"I heard that, you little bastard," Heyward exclaimed, surprising both Pope and Haven who turned to see him standing right behind them.
"We need your son," John B declared to the man with what Haven thought was an attempt at a charming smile.
"Yeah, and island rules, the day after a hurricane's a free day."
"Bullshit," Haven chuckled at JJ as Heyward scoffed incredulously, "Who in the hell made that up?"
"Pentagon, I think? We have security clearance. I have a card—"
"Pentagon," Heyward repeated with a glare. "Do y'all think I'm stupid?"
Pope slowly dropped the hose onto the deck, though only Haven and the boys noticed, the latter smirking in triumph. Haven couldn't help the twinge of disappointment she felt at the thought of Pope leaving, but she was quick to push the sensation out of mind as she turned back to her task at hand. She couldn't remember the last time she'd hung out with her friends. Sarah was always with Topper, and ever since that night, the two's friendship just hadn't been the same. Kie was always busy with the boys in front of her, and Arden was dealing with a pregnancy scandal so Haven hadn't wanted to bother her. She missed them, and part of her wished it was her girls in the boat coming to save her like John B and JJ were for Pope.
Speaking of Pope, he was slowly backing up to the boat, smiling hopefully at his father who was shaking his head. "I'll do it tomorrow, I promise."
"No, no, hell no. You're doing it right now."
"Get in the boat," John B hissed, ever the devil on Pope's shoulder.
He was closely followed by JJ leaning over the edge and not-so-subtly whispering, "Make a run for it."
"And you have some nerve thinking you can leave Haven to do your work," Heyward was ranting away. For once, his words seemed to make Pope hesitate. He glanced over at the girl in question, frowning when she just shrugged and averted her eyes to the decking.
She looked up a moment later, though, as he murmured in her ear, "Don't be mad at me?"
"What?" she frowned, but her question was soon answered as he grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the boat and his friends. "Wait, Pope—"
"Come with us," he implored, shooting his father a panicked look as the man began to stride down the ramp. "We can drop you off somewhere if you want but you'll be bored out of your mind stuck here."
"I can't just leave work," she protested but didn't stop him from tugging her off the deck. "Pope—"
"I promise you won't get in trouble," he dismissed. "Come on."
Not the puppy dog eyes, Haven sighed at his hopeful stare. "Fine."
He grinned then, urging the boys to go as JJ stepped up on his seat and cheered at the top of his lungs. Haven sat there with her head in her hands as Heyward made it to the end of the deck, shouting out to his son as he watched them drive away.
"Bring your ass back up here!"
"I promise I'll do it tomorrow, dad," Pope insisted. "And don't be mad at Haven."
"Oh, nevermind her," he said, solely focused on his son. "When you get back, you're gonna clean shrimp, you're gonna clean fish, you'll clean your dirty ass room—"
Heywards demands faded away as they disappeared into the marsh, Haven sitting away from the others as John B and JJ celebrated their escape. Pope sat down opposite her when he noticed her getting uncomfortable, offering her a sheepish smile when she raised an eyebrow at him.
"You're welcome?" he said, though it came off as more of a question than a statement.
Haven let out a sigh before returning his grin. "Thanks, I guess."
Before he was able to reply, he was interrupted by JJ hopping past them both to stand on the front of the boat, staring down at his cousin with a mixture of curiosity and distrust. "Not gonna lie, Murphy, I didn't expect you to actually break the rules."
"What can I say," she hummed, just as apprehensive. "I'm a real criminal."
JJ snorted. "Okay, Kook Queen, whatever you say."
Haven scowled at the nickname and nudged his leg threateningly. "Call me that again and I'll push you over the edge."
He raised his hands in mocking surrender, winking at the boys who were shaking their heads at him. "Noted."
And off they went, JJ chatting away as their lookout, John B the driver with Haven and Pope just along for the ride. Little did Haven know what she was getting herself into by accepting Pope's hand that day. In the end, the real question was if she'd have done anything different if she knew just how much trouble this boy and his friends would get her into. And honestly, Haven wasn't so sure.