"Follow Plumb to that tent. Hold up, wait for your friends," Shoupe told Pope who was waiting for Aria and JJ after Kie.
"They already killed a person," Some annoying Kook muttered.
"This way." Plumb directed.
Cameras flashed with lights and sirens blared around the Pogues. Aria stopped momentarily ready to yell at the guy who called John B a murderer but Shoupe pushed her forward.
"Come on," Plumb said.
"Right to your left here," Shoupe explained.
"Right here," Plumb pointed to four chairs all sat around for the Pogues.
"Awe, special chairs, just for us," Aria fake pouted. "I'm touched," She put her hand over her heart.
"Aria, come on," Kie spoke annoyed.
"Sit down. Don't move. We got a lot to talk about. Keep an eye on these kids," Shoupe told.
"Blockade is up at the marsh and Masonboro and all other inlets from Shem Creek to Breach Inlet. I want eyes on all coastal access points, people. Let's get this guy," Aria glared at an old guy pointing to a wanted photo of John B.
Aria rolled her head back and looked to the top of the tent. JJ put his hand on her knee which grabbed her attention to look at him. He was trying to comfort her but she could see behind that.
JJ was trying to comfort himself just as much as he was Aria. She wrapped her fingers around JJ's and he squeezed her hand three times.
"It'll be okay, I promise," Aria whispered.
JJ shook his head as his lips twitched a little bit. "Don't make promises you can't keep," JJ repeated what Aria told him earlier.
Aria's face softened as she brought JJ's hand up to her lips. She softly kissed his knuckles while staring into his eyes.
"Ey, you two. No touching," A guard told Aria and JJ, Aria glared at him but kept a hold of JJ's hand just put them both out of his view when the officer turned around.
A very distant flickering noise struck the Pogues, Aria turned slightly and saw how the lights were coming back.
"Guys," Aria gasped. "We're fucked."
"That's them! There they are!" A person in a black jacket yelled. All the Pogues made eye contact as they had found the Phantom with John B in it.
"It's the Phantom," A woman mutters.
"Go. Go. go, go, go, go," Someone else says.
"Go get them!" Someone shouted.
Aria tapped her foot relentlessly against the green grass hoping to god they find a way out. Her breathing hitched when she saw a face that made her blood run cold.
Ward Cameron walked through the tent with a police officer leading him the way. Ward made eye contact with the Pogues but quickly averted back to the path set out for him.
...
Aria kept turning the rings on her fingers waiting to find something out about what happened with John B and Sarah, somehow she made it onto the boat.
JJ kept jittering his leg up and down and tapping on Aria's knee due to nervousness. Aria could hear Kie sniffles but Pope didn't seem to move, she was frozen.
The three musketeers, Shoupe, Plumb, and Thomas all walked in wearing yellow raincoats. The Pogues instantly stood up wanting to hear the news.
The three officers walked up to them and stood directly in front of them.
"Did you find them?" Pope asked right in front of Shoupe, looking down slightly at him.
"No," Shoupe shook his head. Aria ran her hands through her hair, already knowing what they meant by that.
"So, they got away?" Kie hoped.
Shoupe was silent for a moment as the thunder crashed overhead. "We, uh... we lost them," Aria screwed her eyes shut at words forming her lips into a line. "I'm sorry,"
"You lost them?" Pope moved closer.
"Your sorry?!" Aria felt tears prick at her eyelids challenging her to let them go.
"What do you mean you lost them? Like, they're gone? What- what are you talking about?" Pope asked. JJ looked down figuring out what they meant.
"They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Pope," Shoupe said apologetically.
"So, they're dead?" Kie concluded.
"We don't know," Shoupe looked at her.
"You drove them straight through the storm, man!" JJ shouted.
"You killed them!" Aria felt a single teardrop from her eyes.
"Are you kidding me?! Come here!" JJ lunged for Shoupe "I'm gonna kill you!"
"Fuck you!" Aria pointed to Thomas. "You murderer!"
"JJ, stop!" Kie shouted.
"I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!" JJ continued.
"Hey!" Shoupe tried to calm him.
Thomas grabbed JJ away from Shoupe and Aria pushed Shoupe back.
"Are you kidding me?!" Aria pushed him again.
"Hey! Calm down!" Shoupe told them.
"You killed him!" JJ shouted fighting against Thomas.
PLumb grabbed Aria and who jumped around trying to get out of her grip. "It's your fault! You are all killers!" Aria shouted.
"He didn't kill anyone, and you know it!" Pope shouted right in Shoupe's face.
"We're still looking for him, all right?!" Shoupe tried.
"Bullshit! You are all gonna sit on your ass like lazy fucks!" Aria shouted as she pushed Plumb away. "Let go of him!" She demanded Thomas.
"Pope. Pope, just stop. Aria," Kie cried.
Aria pushed Thomas and he let go of JJ. JJ tried to go back to Shoupe but Aria put her hands on his chest, tears fell as the raindrops outside on both o their faces.
Aria sobbed and JJ pulled her shoulders into his chest. Her arms flung around his neck his on her waist. "He's gone," Aria whispered hiding her face in JJ's neck.
JJ pulled her tight into him like she was going to disappear any second. Aria saw Kie's parents hugging their daughter and Pope's parents hugging him.
She didn't have anyone come for her tonight or any night.
Aria let go of JJ needing air. She walked outside of the tent and stood there just crying, after everything she had been through she still didn't want them to see her cry.
When she walked back inside she saw JJ hugging Pope's family and Kie with hers. She against one of the Poles holding the tents up and realized how alone she truly was.
Aria looked down at her hands shutting her eyes. Aria brought a hand over her mouth to silence her cries.
Kiara turned and saw Aria alone, then grabbed her hand. Aria looked up still crying. Kie pulled her towards Pope and JJ, all four remaining Pogues grabbed each other hugging as if this was the only way they could breathe.
...
Kie's parents had eventually taken her home as well as Pope. Even JJ's dad showed up to take him home, he definitely wasn't happy about it and Aria didn't want JJ to leave with him but JJ promised her she would be all right.
"Look, Aria. I can't let you go until your father shows up, I told him you were here and he said he was coming," Shoupe told the girl standing opposite her sitting body.
Aria was sitting down, legs crossed with her elbows on her knees. Aria's hands were holding her hair back as she stared straight down to her lap, she had been in this position for at least an hour.
"He was lying," Aria whispered knowing that her father was already on the main island, gambling and drinking and he definitely wasn't coming back for her.
Shoupe sighed and turned his back against her. Aria looked up shyly and saw how there were only a few officers around and none of them focuses on her.
"If he doesn't show up soon, I will have to call DCS," Shoupe continued.
"What, the dickhead clean-up services, ooh, I'm so scared," Aria replied sarcastically.
Shoupe looked over his should and Aria immediately returned her gaze to her lap. "You know what I mean," He sighed.
Aria looked up again and Shoupe wasn't looking at her, so she mustered up all the strength she had left and jumped onto her feet. She sprinted out of the tent and towards the main road.
"Hey! Come back here!" Shoupe yelled. Some officers tried to run after her back she was too quick on her feet and ran straight towards one of her comfort zones.
...
Three hours. Three hours since John B and Sarah had disappeared. Drowning, it's a funny thing, isn't it? They drowned, yet Aria is the one right now in need of help.
If you look up the definition on Google, 'to drown is to die through submersion in and inhalation of water' whatever the hell that means. The funny thing about drowning is that it's not only physically draining, but it's also mentally.
At this moment half of the Island were celebrating the "Cop murder's" death, Kooks. However, there was a few strays upset over the death of their friend, Pogues.
Then, there were four friends, isolated across the Island. Pope and Kiara are back with their loving families offering all their support to the two Pogues. JJ attempting to stay as far as possible away from his father after stealing the Phantom and it being smashed to pieces.
Aria, sweet, pretty, broken Aria. Laying down on her surfboard, in the middle of the night, moonlight beams dancing across her porcelain skin gazing back up to the half-moon.
Half-moon, ironic. On the outside, Aria looks fine, perfect even, long blond hair with dark roots, that falls to just below her shoulder blades. Two small dimples that match in with her perfect fake smile, light blue eyes that have tiny, random, yellow rays from her pupil.
Light freckles were placed on the bridge of her nose to the start of her cheekbones. Like a half-moon, Aria's outside features shine with beauty. But also like a half-moon, Aria has cowered away in the darkness.
Three hours, in three little hours of her 16 years, everything managed to fuck up so much, too much. Aria was snapped out of her gaze when she heard a group of young Kooks talking. Three boys, one girl.
"Did you hear about the killer that died?" One of them asked.
"Yeah, I say good riddance," Another one replied.
"Hey, respect for the dead, bro," The girl muttered.
"Where was his respect for the Sheriff," The first boy returned.
Aria was just laying there, she couldn't even defend her friend, she couldn't do anything.
"Hey, guys. Shut up, do you guys see that?" Aria assumed the last guy was pointing to her.
"Oh shh, guys let's just go," The girl sighed.
"No. Ma'am, are you all right?" The second guy asked.
"Oh boys, she's a Pogue. Come on let's go," The first boy muttered and their footsteps started to decrease.
Aria closed her eyes taking in the water cuddling between her toes. Sand laced in between her fingertips and she slowly found herself drifting off to sleep.
Author's note.
ARGHHHHH. So this is the last part of this book, finally. Sorry for my slow updates but I'm super excited to write the next season. Btw can anyone help me think of a title, I have no idea and I would credit you if you helped me, please? Anyway, thank you for coming along with me on this ride and thank you all for the love this book has been given. I seriously can't thank you all enough. I love you guys, XX.
Hey guys, I'm back a day later, anyway, the next book is going to be called Obscurity and it's going to be on a different story if you wanna continued Aria and JJ's story go check it out.