KIARA DROVE them over to Figure Eight, parking her car just off the side of the road. They had found an old and abandoned cabin- which happened to be falling into disrepair- and stopped there for the night, hidden away under the cover of the trees. No one had spoken since the police station as none of them knew what to say. The plan had been to take Scarlett to the hospital to get her injuries properly attended to, but having to go on the run had obviously stopped this. Eventually, after an hour or so of quiet, Kiara spoke. She swivelled in her seat, turning to face John B and Scarlett. "What the hell happened back there?" She asked the pair.
Scarlett bit the inside of her cheek, unsure how to explain. A lot had happened in the last few hours. "Well, as usual, none of our plans have worked out." She huffed, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, we went in there to report Ward for Peterkin's murder but... it kinda backfired."
Pope raised an eyebrow at her. "How could that backfire on you?"
"Because Ward blamed John B for Peterkin's murder. Told Shoupe the wrong story so his precious son could stay out of jail." Scarlett spoke, her voice full of anger and annoyance. "And apparently I'm an accomplice, despite the fact that his own son shot me!" She threw her arms up in the air before crossing the over her chest and sitting back in her seat. "It's fucking ridiculous." She sighed.
JJ wrapped his arm around her, gently pulling her into his chest. "So, you two are fugitives now?"
"I guess so." Scarlett answered. She curled up into JJ's side, closing her eyes.
There was quiet for a moment before Kiara spoke again. "What do you propose we do now?" She asked, looking between each of her friends.
John B shrugged, leaning his seat back. "There's not much we really can do right now. I mean, the whole island's probably looking for me." He paused for a moment, his eyes fluttering shut. "And Lottie too, probably." He added.
"I say, let's sleep and come up with a plan in the morning." JJ suggested. "I mean, we're not gonna get shit done if we're all tired."
From the front of the car, Kiara nodded. "That's actually a pretty good idea."
"Should we take shifts or just chance it?" Pope asked.
❤❤❤
Scarlett found herself drifting in and out of sleep. She kept turning, which wasn't easy to do considering she was engulfed by JJ's arms in the back of Kiara's car. Eventually, she gave up on sleep and slowly sat up. As quietly as she could, she pushed open the door and pulled herself from JJ's grip. Scarlett jumped onto the grass, silently closing the door behind her. Something was plaguing her mind, and she knew it had to be connected to those pictures her mother had left her. Sighing, she walked round to the back of Kiara's car, pulling the trunk open. Before they had left on their adventure to the airstrip, Scarlett had taken to placing the folder in the back of Kiara's car- just in case something happened to John B's van.
She took them out of the bag she had hidden them in. Closing the trunk quietly, she moved over to a small clearing, taking a seat on the grass. Though it was dark out, she could still see the photographs- not much, but just enough- using the moonlight from above. Something familiar struck her as she looked at one picture in particular. The older woman, who Kiara had told her was Olivia Fields, looked extremely familiar to her.
"What're you looking at?" A voice whispered from behind her.
Scarlett jumped slightly, but calmed herself once she saw it was JJ. "Don't scare me like that." She scolded him. A frown fell over her face. "What are you doing up? I thought you were asleep?"
"I was." JJ said, sitting down opposite her. "Until I felt you climb out the car."
"Oh God. I woke you up." Scarlett realised, feeling awful. "I'm so sorry JJ."
The blonde boy shrugged. "It's alright. Why are you awake?" He asked her.
"I couldn't sleep. And then I couldn't stop thinking about this." She gestured to the folder on the grass in front of her. "These people, they seem so familiar to me. But I just can't work out why." She paused, her finger tapping against the image of Olivia Fields. "Kiara told us who she is, right? But I didn't know who she was and I've never seen her on the island before. Yet, somehow I recognise her."
JJ leaned forward, twisting the folder so it was upright for him. "She was at Midsummer's." He told her after a few minutes. "Yeah, I ran past her when Rafe and that lot were chasing me." He found himself with the feeling of deja-vu, having had a similar conversation in the back of John B's van a few hours after midsummer's. But he didn't tell the girl before him, knowing she had been too drunk that evening.
"Huh." Scarlett said. "I don't remember much of that night, but I'm pretty sure we crossed paths in the bathrooms." She paused, something else coming to mind. "When we broke into the hotel that time, she was there." She realised. "I saw her, but didn't realise who she was because you and Pope pulled me away."
"Why'd you think she's in your baby pictures?"
Scarlett shrugged. "Maybe my mom was friends with her. But that's impossible because Kie said she didn't move to the island until a year ago. But she doesn't appear in any photographs after I'm like, what? Four years old." She paused, taking a breath. "J, I think she's my grandma."
JJ was silent for a moment, not knowing how to respond. "What makes you think that?" He asked eventually.
"Okay, it's crazy, I know. But, I just have that feeling, ya know?" Scarlett told him. "Besides, she kinda looks like my mom." She shrugged. "I know it's a long shot, JJ. But..."
He reached out and placed his hands on hers. "It's okay. I understand."
Scarlett smiled softly at him. "There's more." She said after a moment or two. Pulling her hand away, she flipped through the folder- stopping once she found the photograph she was looking for. "See here, this man is in loads of photos until I'm like three. And doesn't he look like-"
"Like Sebastian Hale?" JJ suggested.
Scarlett nodded at him. "Yes. Exactly. Why would my mom be friends with him? He's like the complete opposite of my mom. The thing that I keep thinking about though, is why he suddenly disappears? What, my mom just stops taking pictures of him? It seems strange." She paused, looking up at JJ to see if he was following along with her train of thought.
"Go on." JJ nodded at her.
"And then like, after a year my father shows up. Which is weird, because I don't remember him being in our lives till I was like four." Scarlett continued. "And I remember mom always wore a ring on her finger. And then the ring changed after a while. I don't... I don't think my dad is like, my birth father." She let go of the folder, keeping her hand pointed at the image of Sebastian Hale. "I think- I think he is."
JJ stared at her, not saying anything. "Seems like you solved your mystery then."
Scarlett shook her head slightly. "There's still things I don't understand. But, I guess it makes sense now. Why mom wanted me to find them. Why my 'dad' hates me so much. It's because he knows I'm not his kid. And he probably resents me for that."
JJ moved forward, reaching a hand up and wiping the tears away from her cheeks. "You don't need him, love. You've got us. Us Pogues for life." He smiled softly.
"Pogues for life." Scarlett whispered back. She reached up, holding JJ's hand. She moved closer to him, curling up next to him. Unable to sleep, the couple spent the rest of the night looking up at the stars and whispering about nothing and everything all at once.
❤❤❤
During the night, she wasn't sure when, Scarlett had fallen asleep. Though, it wasn't restful. Throughout the night, she was plagued by nightmares- images of Rafe shooting Peterkin, and then turning the gun on herself flooded her mind- and she woke up in a sweat. She shot up from her sleep, looking around the car to make sure her friends were still alive and well- which they were. She had been the last one to wake up, the group not saying anything as they listened to the news report on the radio.
"Good news for residents of Outer Banks. Dominion Power says their underwater transmission line, which will restore power to 90% of the area... should be functional within 24 hours."
The sound of a police siren driving past caught Scarlett's attention and she shared a worried look with JJ- the boy having sat up straight. She watched through the front window of the car as a police car sped past, a second one right behind it. A tense silence passed through Kiara's car- her friends knowing that they needed to come up with a plan and move soon or they'd be caught.
"And still no arrest for the shooting death of Sheriff Susan Peterkin." The man on the radio continued. "The state police have issued a statement regarding a local person of interest, a juvenile from-" His voice was cut off as Kiara reached forward and switched off the radio.
Silence fell over the teens as they sat anxiously in their seats. "Let's game this out." JJ said, breaking the quiet. He leaned back in his seat, wrapping one arm around Scarlett as his other hand fiddled with a freshly rolled joint. "Maybe you guys can help, being the smart ones and all, but..." He sighed, letting a puff of air escape from his lips. "...who are the cops going to believe? Ward Cameron or us? So, the accuser is a bigshot developer, kind of the lord of the island, got the government on speed dial kind of person, and the accused... is John B- with apparent help from Red. And John B is pretty much a homeless 16 year-old boy at the moment. Then there's Red, who has so many convictions on her record that the police have even more reason to believe she was involved."
Scarlett sighed. "Great. So, they have even more reason to not believe us."
"Thanks." John B said, staring up at the roof of the car.
"Shit." Pope groaned, bringing his hand up to his face.
"Okay, man." JJ spoke, beginning to form a plan out loud. "Yucatan, all right?" He turned his head so he could look at John B. "I'm saying that's the only option. What other option do you have?"
"Enough with the Mexico bullshit." John B groaned, rolling his eyes at the blonde. "Sarah's gonna bail me out."
"Other than Lottie, she's the only one that witnessed the whole thing and is possibly on our side." Kiara pointed out.
"Thank you." John B sat up slightly, motioning to Kiara.
"And she's gonna snitch on her brother?" Pope questioned.
Scarlett shrugged. "Well, I don't think she likes him that much. She might just throw him under the bus."
JJ shook his head as he took a hit from his joint. Blowing out the smoke from between his lips, he sat up slightly and turned to John B. "Not happening, bro. Okay? We've gotta get you off the island."
"What about Lottie?" John B asked, turning to look at the girl.
Scarlett shrugged. "I'll figure something out. I'm sure either my Nan or my Dad can bail me out if needed."
Pope turned in his seat, raising an eyebrow at her. "I thought your Nan died before you were born?"
John B sat up slightly, keeping his eyes on the brunette. "Isn't your dad like, an alcoholic asshole?"
Scarlett shook her head at the boys. "No. Well- It's complicated. Basically, I think my real dad is Sebastian Hale. So, my dad isn't my real dad."
"What about your Nan?" Kiara asked her, sounding confused.
"I think Olivia Fields is my Nan." Scarlett paused, looking round at all the confused faces. "I can't explain it, I just... The point is, I'll be okay. John B however- we need to help him."
"The ferry." Pope said, nodding his head at JJ and Scarlett. "It's the only way."
"Exit stage left while you still can." JJ agreed. He looked out to the distance as another siren passed by. "Before the entire island is on lockdown."
"Guys, just get down." Kiara told them as the sirens got closer. Her voice was quiet, but the annoyance was visible. They all lowered themselves in their seats, desperate not to be seen. The sirens grew louder as the police car approached them, but drove straight past without getting a glimpse of the teens. Once the sirens had faded, Scarlett sat back up again.
"Sarah's not a Pogue, John B." Pope told the boy, leaning his head against the headrest.
Scarlett nodded. "I know at this point she's just honorary, but she's not a proper Pogue. We trust her, but not that much JB."
"Yeah. You can't stay here, man." JJ added.
Scarlett reached over, patting John B's shoulder. "We're gonna get you out of here, JB. You'll be okay." She smiled softly at him, and he returned the smile.
❤❤❤
It was a miracle that they were able to drive away from their hiding spot without being seen by any cops. The harbour seemed to be swarming with people and it was a struggle to find a parking spot. Seeing as Pope was the only one out of the teens who knew how to parallel park, he had swapped seats with Kiara. The space they had found was fairly close to the ferry, which was a huge risk. While Pope was looking at the notice board, Scarlett found herself biting her nails out of worry. They were out in the open so they had a huge chance of being caught. She tried to act normal, sitting up in her seat and cuddling up to JJ. John B was lying next to her, his seat pushed as horizontal as it could possible go so as to stop him from being seen. She looked up as Pope came back to the car, a piece of paper held between his hands.
"Okay." He sighed. "Okay. All right, no."
"Pope, can you act normal." Kiara asked him, watching as he walked round to the driver's seat.
"So, um... okay, so, bad news." The boy told them as he climbed back into the car. "The ferry's closed, and there is this." He handed the piece of paper to Kiara. Scarlett watched as the girl's face dropped.
"What is that?" John B asked as Kiara passed it through to the back of the car. "What is this?"
Scarlett took the piece of paper, JJ leaning on her shoulder to read it. "Shit. They're not going easy on you, huh?" On the paper was John B's face, with the words "WANTED" and "$25,000 REWARD" printed in big, bold letters.
"Well, John B, uh... this is a good framer of you." JJ commented. He took the wanted poster from Scarlett's hands, holding it up to show John B.
"Okay, so the whole island's lookin' for John B right now." Pope sighed, leaning his head back.
Scarlett shook her head slightly, bringing her legs up and crossing them on the seat. "That might be a problem."
"Might be?" John B questioned. "It is a problem."
"That's a lot of money." Kiara gulped, looking around at the Pogues with a worried look on her face.
"Congratulations, John B. You're now famous." JJ said, handing the poster to the boy so he could read it.
Scarlett shook her head at the blonde boy next to her. "That's not a good thing."
"Guys, we got to get to the HMS." Kiara told them, seeming to be the most anxious out of the group. "We need small, no running lights-"
"It's at the Château, Kie." John B told her, cutting her off.
"And I wonder if the cops got the entire place staked out. Let me think." JJ spoke, his voice thick with sarcasm. He pretended to think about his statement for a moment. "Oh, yeah. No. They definitely have that place locked down."
Scarlett nodded in agreement. "It's the first place they'll look- for any of us."
"Yeah, copy that." Kiara spat, turning back in her seat.
"Let me just think. Just give me a second." Pope muttered. He closed his eyes, leaning his head forward on the steering wheel. "JJ." He said suddenly, his eyes snapping open.
"What?" The blonde replied, leaning back in his seat.
Pope turned around, leaning on the back of his chair. "Does your dad still have that boat? The cigarette boat, the Phantom. The one he used to race."
"Maybe." JJ answered.
"You could get right up the coast, no problem." Pope added, swivelling back in his chair.
"Okay, look." Kiara started. "The surf's running from three to four."
"It won't be easy, Pope. I don't know where the keys are." JJ tilted his head to the side, leaning against the window.
"Well, find them." Pope argued.
"I'm thinking." JJ mumbled.
"Why is nobody moving forward?" Pope stressed, gesturing to the cars in front.
"Can you relax?" Kiara asked. She looked from Pope to JJ. "JJ, how much weed did you give him?"
"Guys." John B whisper-yelled, trying to get their attention. "Your car's on the poster!" He hissed at Kiara.
Scarlett sighed, running a hand through her hair. "For fucks sake."
Ignoring John B's warning, Pope began honking the horn multiple times. "Can we move it?" He yelled, angrily waving his hands in the direction of the cars in front of them.
"Pope!" Kiara yelled. "That's not gonna help." Pope continued honking the horn, clearly too high to realise they were sat behind parked cars. "Don't honk the horn." Kiara warned him.
"Dude, move. Let me drive." Scarlett suggested, unbuckling her seatbelt and preparing to climb into the front seat.
"No, I'm fine." Pope defended, reaching a hand back and gently pushing Scarlett back into her seat. "Besides, you don't even have your licence yet."
Through the open window, they heard a small boy tell his mom that he recognised John B. "Fuck." Scarlett hissed. "Pope, just drive!"
"We got a snitch." JJ said, patting the back of Pope's seat. "Pope, turn the car on."
Scarlett nearly jumped out of her seat when a man walked up to the car and started banging on the window. "He's right there!" He pointed to John B. "I've found him." John B rolled over in his seat, facing away from the window and pulling his hood over his head. An idea formed in Scarlett's head, and she reached over the back of her seat. Grabbing her jacket- she always left a spare in Kiara's car- she laid it over John B.
"Hey!" Kiara yelled at Pope, beginning to properly panic. "We gotta go!"
"Turn the car on!" JJ yelled, hitting his hands harder against the back of Pope's seat.
The people outside the car began to argue about who spotted John B first as the Pogues urged Pope to start the car and drive them away. Scarlett let out a puff of air, trying to keep her anxiety down. "Just turn on the fucking engine!"
"I'm trying!" Pope yelled back, his fingers fiddling with the key. The engine spurred to life and the car jerked forward, knocking into the back of the car parked in front of them.
JJ grabbed onto Scarlett, holding her so she didn't fly forward into the windshield. "Go, go, go, go, go!" He yelled, helping Scarlett secure her seatbelt. "You alright?" He asked her.
"I will be." Scarlett mumbled. "Pope, you need to drive the other way." She stressed.
Pope was still pressing his foot on the gas, pushing them further into the parked car. "Dude, back up!" Kiara yelled at him, grabbing the boy's arm. "The other way." Ignoring them, Pope continued to attempt to drive forward, eventually pushing the other car further enough away that they could drive around it. The car swerved as Pope pulled out onto the main road, narrowly missing the female officer that had chased after them the night before. "What are you doing?" Kiara asked, holding on tightly to her door.
Now, Pope was driving off-road and onto the grass. "Dude, what the fuck are you doing?" Scarlett cried.
"We'll bump out." JJ said. He wrapped his arms around her, not wanting her to receive any more injuries.
"Watch out! Pope!" Kiara yelled, shifting in her seat as Pope swerved the car hard to the left. He smashed the car straight into a mailbox before swerving back onto the road.
"Pope, what the fuck, man?!" Scarlett yelled, gripping tightly onto JJ.
Pope let out a big laugh, clearly enjoying himself and not feeling the worry that everyone else was. "I'm livin' my best life now!"
"My mom's gonna kill me!" Kiara stressed, leaning forward in attempt to asses the damage to the front of her car.
"I should be the last one to tell you this, but you are not okay to drive, dude." JJ said, trying to get Pope's attention. "Stop!" Pope pressed hard on the breaks, the tires squealing as the car came to a sudden stop. The sudden stop sent Scarlett lurching forward in her seat and she had to tighten her gip on JJ's arm to regain her balance.
"John B, get out." Pope turned his head, looking over his shoulder at the boy.
John B furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as JJ nodded his head. "He's right. We'll draw the cops, you run."
John B sighed, pulling himself into a sitting position and opening the door. "Shit."
"I'll get the rig, and I'll meet you in the dump tomorrow, okay?" JJ told him. "Three o'clock, okay?"
"Yeah." John B said, climbing out of the car.
"Three tomorrow at the dump." JJ confirmed.
Scarlett reached over, placing her hand on John B's as he started to close the door. "Be safe, alright?"
John B smiled at her, knowing how much she worried about him and the others. "I'll see you tomorrow." Scarlett nodded, taking her hand off his as he closed the door. She watched through the window as he started to run through the grass towards the woods, disappearing from view.
"Go, go, go!" JJ urged Pope, patting the back of the boy's seat. Pope pushed on the gas, driving them in the opposite direction of their friend. JJ looked over at Scarlett, noticing how worried she looked- despite the fact she tried to mask her worry. "Hey." He whispered, interlocking his fingers with hers. "He's going to be alright. We're going to be alright." He smiled softly at her.
Scarlett nodded her head slightly, leaning on his shoulder. "I hope so. I really do."
❤❤❤
⁎⁎⁎
Edited: 10/07/2021