Going to see Kiara the day before hardly seemed like the beginning of a friendship, and yet when she got a text the next afternoon, that's what it looked like.
Unknown Number
hey maelynn, its kiara
maelynn
howd you get my #
?????
kiara
ive had it since fifth grade
maelynn
oh yea
guess thats what i get for never changing it
whats up
kiara
u into mysteries
maelynn
ofc i am
what do u have
kiara
come to the restaurant
ill tell u there
we have 2 meet the boys 2
maelynn
got it
can i bring s
kiara
no for now
the boys wont b happy im bringing u either
but at least you were decently nice to them
so they wont be 2 pissy
but they might b if sarah comes
maelynn
kk
ill b there asap
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She saw Kiara almost immediately upon arriving at the restaurant. She waved hello and left her truck, taking the keys out and slipping them into her hoodie pocket.
'Hey stranger,' she called. Kiara smiled and nodded for her to get into her truck.
'We're going to the cemetery.'
'Why?'
'I'm going to leave it to John B to explain,' Kiara replied with a slight smile. 'There's a lot.'
Maelynn smiled and settled in as Kiara started to drive. 'Oh, boy.'
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'Hey, Kie! And... Maelynn? Maelynn Cameron?'
Maelynn smiled and waved at the boys. 'Hi. Kiara invited me. Sorry my brother is such a dick.'
JJ snorted. 'What a greeting.'
As they met eyes, she immediately remembered having a gun in her face. The memory made her flinch a little and she looked away. Pope, the only one she hadn't really talked to, was watching her and Kiara curiously.
'So...'
John B rolled his eyes. 'Did Kie explain anything to you?'
'Zip, zero, zilch. Said you should do it.'
'My dad's missing. I'm sure you know that part.'
'I heard. I'm really sorry.'
John B waved her off. 'It's fine. We're gonna find him. Now, this compass, which has caused us a lot of issues, says Redfield on it.'
'Like the lighthouse?'
'That was my first thought, but no. It was my great-great-great-great grandmother's maiden name. Here she lies and all that bullshit. I think my dad left something here for me.'
Maelynn nodded. 'Okay. Thank you for the catch-up and inclusion. Let's have a peek around.'
Everyone else smiled and started to look, spreading around. Maelynn bent down near the crypt and started to poke around in the grass for a clue. There was a slight rustling, and suddenly a snake popped out from under her hand. She screamed and jumped back, colliding with a strong chest. Someone held her upper arms and staggered back.
'What?' Kiara asked as she rushed over. 'What is it?'
'There was a snake,' Maelynn said. 'It just spooked me.'
'Oh, god. Is it still there?'
'I don't wanna look.'
The person holding her started to bark. JJ. Oh lord.
'Why are you barking?' she asked as she turned out of his grasp. He smiled.
'Moccasins don't like dogs,' he replied. 'And you're welcome for catching you.'
'Yeah, thanks.'
He started barking again, only stopping when both Pope and John B started shushing him. Kiara and Maelynn just smiled slightly and kept on searching the crypt.
'Can't get the freaking door open,' Maelynn grunted. Kiara looked put out before reaching for something on the wall. 'What's that?'
'A hole. Think I can fit?'
Maelynn stepped back to look at it. 'Yeah, probably. Gonna try?'
'Absolutely.'
'JJ, can Kie over here get a boost?'
The boys all came over. John B crossed his arms over his chest. 'Please tell me you're not going to climb through that hole up there.'
'I am.'
JJ stood next to Kiara and put his hands out. 'Alrighty. Step here, then I'll boost you up.'
Maelynn held her hand out for balance, giving Kiara a smile as she took it and jumped up to meet the wall. JJ grunted a little as she pushed off of his hands and landed halfway into the hole, her legs dangling out.
'You okay?' Maelynn asked loudly.
'Fine!' Kiara shouted back. Maelynn sighed audibly and slumped back on the crypt wall.
'When I wished for more excitement, this is not what I meant,' she whispered to herself. Beside her, John B chuckled. 'Did you hear that?'
'Sure did.'
'Whoops.'
He waved her off for the second time that night. 'I'm sure all of you kooks wish for something more to do than golf, or boat, or just sit around and enjoy actually having power and food.'
'Uh...'
'Sorry,' he shook his head out and passed a hand over his face. 'I'm not in the best mood, what with your dad firing me and all.'
'Sorry about that, by the way,' she cringed. 'But, you know, it wasn't Sarah who-'
'Oh my God!' Kiara called from inside the crypt. Everyone jumped up and rushed over. 'There's something here!'
'What is it? Kie, come back out!' John B yelled. An arm came through the hole first, a FedEx package clamped in its hand. Then came Kiara's head, another arm, her torso, and she was falling into Maelynn's outstretched arms. They landed with a loud thump on the ground.
'Thanks for all the help getting back out, boys,' Kiara said darkly as she stood up and brushed herself off. Maelynn was pulled to her feet by JJ, who checked her over for injuries quickly before turning to John B and Kiara.
'So? What's in it?' he asked, rocking back and forth on his heels. He seemed to be perpetually moving, that one.
John B started to tear open the package, but there was a sound of an engine, and then people running at them. JJ grabbed Maelynn's hand and dragged her after him as they all ran off, trying their best to lose the men in the graveyard.
'We gotta jump! Come quick!' JJ yelled at Maelynn as they neared the fence.
'I don't-'
'I'll catch you! Just trust me!' And then he was gone, having hopped over the fence easily. She stopped short of it and reached for the top, hoisting her legs over clumsily. JJ stood below her on the other side, his arms up. 'Come on, Maelynn!'
She took a deep breath and shoved herself off the edge. As promised, JJ was there to catch her barely after she registered falling. He tightened his arms around her as he took off running again. She had to slowly let go - while running - and instead grab his hand. He led her all the way over to the big van John B always drove around and yanked the door open, all but shoving her in and yelling for the other pogues. They were close behind, Pope in only half of his pants, and with a worrying grunt from the van, they were off.
Maelynn registered some time later that she was still clutching JJ's hand. She made no move to let go as she turned to face him fully.
'You caught me.'
He smiled a smug smile and winked at her. 'Told you I would, princess.'
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mei-mei
s
u there s
sarah beara
im here
where r u
mei-mei
still out
i might not b home until late
can u cover for me
pls
sarah beara
yea ofc
what else r twins 4
mei-mei
ur the best! <3
sarah beara
ikr
just b safe k
mei-mei
for sure
love u
sleep good
sarah beara
love u 2
come see me in the am
ミ⛧ ミ⛧ ミ⛧
'JJ, that bread is definitely moldy,' Maelynn said as JJ grabbed some bread from a cupboard in John B's house. The pogues referred to it as 'The Chateau'. Apparently it's where JJ crashed most of the time and John B lived full-time. It was obvious there was no adult around to keep it even a little bit clean.
'Mold is natural, right Pope? It's a fungus?'
Pope turned his face away in disgust. 'Don't... just don't even look at me while you're holding that thing.'
JJ sighed and took a slice out. 'Nature, y'all. I'm one with it.'
'Will you still be one with nature when you're puking your brains out in a few hours?' Maelynn asked with a shit-eating grin. JJ looked like he wanted to make a smart remark, but he had taken a bite while she was talking, and suddenly needed the toilet. '...Or maybe minutes.' She added quietly as he ran out of the room.
'So, what do we have here?' she asked as she sidled up to John B. He looked up briefly before looking back down at the inventory on the table. She picked up the tape recorder. 'Huh. Big tech guy?'
'Apparently not.'
'Where's the player?'
'What?'
'Well, how else are we going to figure out what's on the tape?'
John B shook out his head again. 'Oh, yeah. True. One second.' He rose from the table and left the room. Maelynn looked from Pope to Kiara, then sighed.
'I'm going to go make sure JJ's doing okay. He won't want to miss this anyway.'
They both nodded and Maelynn left, following where JJ had bolted before John B had left. The sound of him retching echoed through the hallway. She waited until there was a pause before entering the bathroom he occupied.
'You okay?'
'Maybe ask the toilet,' he replied. He was bent over it quite awkwardly.
'Want some water?'
'I don't think I trust anything in this house anymore.'
Maelynn laughed and grabbed a rag from beside the sink, dampening it under the faucet. JJ watched as she bent down next to him and lifted his face up, wiping the vomit off of his mouth and cheeks. She did it with such care, such cautiousness that it made him smile.
'What? Do I have something on my face?' she asked as she pulled back. He shook his head no and grabbed her hand, bringing it back to his cheek. 'Oh. I see.'
'I think I'd kiss you if I didn't have a puke mouth.'
She laughed again and did one last wipe before standing up. 'I think I'd like that if you didn't have a puke mouth. Now, let's go back out there and hear what Big John had to say.'
He followed her out closely, watching her every move. It was as if her one caring action had cast a spell on him. Suddenly, he wanted nothing to hurt or touch her. The girl that had cleaned vomit off an idiot she had just met; one who had pointed a gun at her brother's head only a few days before.
'Did we miss it?'
Kiara nodded sadly, her face forlorn. Maelynn kept moving forward until her hand was on John B's shoulder. 'What did he say?'
'Just more shit about the ship.' John B said. He slid a map closer to Maelynn. 'Here's where he thinks it is.'
'The... ship?'
JJ laughed. 'Kie, did you forget to tell her the most important part?'
Maelynn turned to face him. 'What part?'
'We're gonna be rich, baby.'
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1842 words.
written on august 8/21.