"Where's Sarah?" John B asked when he came back into the Château and sat down in a chair as I walked around the counter of the kitchen, handing out glasses of water to our friends and my brother.
"With her family." KeKe replied in a 'duh' voice, thanking me and taking a sip of her water.
"Okay, and I feel bad for her, but why is she there? She should be with us. With everything that her family had put her through—" John B started.
"Okay, John B, that's enough." I finally snapped, making everyone go dead silent and look between me and my brother.
"What? What did I do?"
"Are you serious right now? What did you do? John B, Ward may not have been the best person on this planet, but Sarah's father just died. Okay? Think of how we were when we found out Dad died. We were broken. So all I am asking of you is to give Sarah some respect." I went off on him, making my brother stand up and walk to me.
"I respect Sarah, okay? That's all I've ever done."
"Not yesterday you didn't. I was there for her while you were just looking at the place where Ward had just gotten blown up! You didn't have a shred of sadness in your eyes."
"He framed us for murder! He took you away from JJ, Riley!" John B shouted, gesturing back to where JJ sat on the couch next to KeKe.
"Don't bring JJ into this, John B. Yes, I agree Ward framed us for murder and took us away for two months, but we got through it and we're back home. So would you just drop it?"
"Riley! Are you even hearing yourself? You're sticking up for Ward Cameron!" John B said, placing his hands on my shoulders.
I shrugged his hands off and pushed him back slightly. "I'm not sticking up for Ward, John B. I'm sticking up for Sarah. All I'm asking for is a little bit of sympathy for your wife!"
"I care for her too, Riley! Do you think I don't?!"
"Well, you sure haven't been acting like you have lately." I shouted back, "And you know what, John B?"
He sighed and rubbed his temples. "What?"
"Maybe I should have just jumped ship in the storm so then maybe you might respect Sarah more." I said, stunning everyone.
"Riley—" John B tried to grab for my arm as I walked past him.
"No, John B. Just . . . just leave me alone for a while." I told him and walked outside, having the door swing shut behind me as I walked out into the peer and hopped into the boat tied to the rail, sitting on the edge and having my feet dangle in the water.
I sat in peace and quiet for a few minutes, watching the sun rise and the birds chirp as sunlight broke through the clouds.
Someone approached me from the docks and hopped in the boat, walking over and standing next to me.
"This seat taken?" Pope asked.
I looked at him and shook my head. "No. Go ahead."
He nodded and sat down next to me, dipping his feet in the water.
"I'm surprised JJ isn't out here with you." I told him after a beat of silence.
"He's inside talking some sense into John B. He asked me to come see you." He replied, offering me a small smile.
"Thanks, Pope. I'm just really . . ." I said, trailing off.
"Annoyed with John B?" He suggested.
"Yeah," I answered, kicking around the water with my foot.
He let out a dry chuckle. "We all get annoyed with him at some point in time. In my opinion, you're the strongest of us all."
"Really? How is that?" I asked, finally looking at him.
"Well, you had to put up with him for almost eighteen years of your life. And not to mention nine months in the womb." Pope said, gently nudging my arm with his. "That must have been a nightmare."
A brief smile flickered across my face. "Yeah, it was not pleasant sometimes."
"You want to know something else?" He asked.
"What's that?"
"While you were gone, one of the Kook restaurant threw out a pancake and it landed on a bunny."
"Seriously?"
"I kid you not. We chased this bunny all day while trying to get the pancake off his head." He said with a large smile.
I smiled and laughed lightly. "I missed so much while I was gone."
"You really did." He agreed and put an arm around my shoulders. "You feelings better?"
"Yeah. Thanks for this."
"Anything for my best friend." He said with a smile before standing up. "Do you want to head back in, or stay out here a while longer?"
"I—uh—I think I'm good. Help me up?" I asked.
"Yeah, yeah, here." He held out his hand and helped me up, steadying me as I slipped on the smooth boat's floor. "Easy there."
I walked up onto the peer with Pope and we walked back to my house, opening the door and letting me go in first as he came in behind me.
The house was empty aside from JJ as he set the dried glasses in the cabinet, looking at me as the both of us entered.
He dried his hands on a dish towel and walked over to me, wrapping me in his arms and kissing my hair as he stroked my hair.
"You okay?" He asked in a gentle voice, pulling back and looking at me.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. I just needed some time alone." I nodded, looking around at the empty house. "Where are the others?"
"They went to Sarah's to check up on how she's doing. KeKe convinced them all to go. She's persistent, that one." He replied with a smile.
I smiled and nodded. "Yeah. She is."
———
I felt someone poking my face and telling me to get up, but all I did was move closer to JJ and have his arms automatically adjust to hold me comfortably, one of his hands on the back of my shoulder.
"JJ, Riley, wake up. Seriously. We have to get to school." Pope's voice floated overhead.
I cracked open my eyes and looked up at Pope and Kiara looking at me as KeKe tried to shake my brother away.
"There she is. Now wake JJ up. We have a Geometry test today." Kiara said, patting JJ's cheek until he woke up.
I groaned tiredly and got up, stretching and feeling my back pop. "JJ, time to get up. Guys, get your stuff ready. I got this."
"Okay." They nodded and went to get John B up.
"J. Hey, time to wake up." I said, snapping my fingers in front of his face. "JJ,"
He opened his eyes and sighed. "Five more minutes?"
I sighed softly and went to desperate measures. "JJ, if you wake up now I'll . . . wear whatever clothes of your choosing."
In an instant, he was up, catching me before I fell to the floor.
"Really?" He asked.
"Yeah. Just not too skimpy." I told him.
"Hey! You got him up! Good job." KeKe said with a thumbs-up at me. "I was beginning to think he was dead."
JJ took my hand and walked me into my room, where he shut the door and let me sit on my bed as he went through my drawers; he took out a white crop-topped t-shirt that stuck to my sides and blue cut-off shorts that ended just under the curve of my hips.
"This? Really?" I asked, taking the clothes from him.
"You told me to choose. And I choose this. Now, come on. Let me see the beauty." He sad back on my bed as I went to change in the bathroom.
I got all my stuff done in there, pulling my hair into a ponytail and walking back out to show him, making him whistle and give me a thumbs-up.
"Looking good." He commented, getting up and going through the drawers again until he found one of his flannels, buttoning it and grabbing a comb for his hair, heading into the bathroom.
I walked out to the others and saw them with their school bags all ready, my brother handing me my bag as I exited, JJ taking his as he walked up behind me.
John B looked at my outfit. "Did JJ choose that?"
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Desperate measures?" He asked.
"Oh yeah. Let's get outta here." I said and we all walked outside and all piled into the van, Pope putting the keys into the ignition and driving us onto the road to school.
I looked at John B and saw him checking his phone. "Sarah still not texted you?"
"Not once." He answered.
"Ouch, man. She'll come around." I assured him, catching JJ before he fell forward as the van pulled into the parking lot of school and Pope parked the car.
"Okay, come on. Time to go to school." He said as we all got out of the car.
We walked through the hallways of school and went into our first class, with me sitting behind JJ and my brother sitting behind Kiara as the teacher passed out our tests.
"Glad you two are back." The teacher said, handing us out quizzes. "And just in time for your first quiz."
"Quiz? You didn't tell me anything about that." John B whispered to Pope.
"Yes, he did. It was the first thing he told us." I answered for him.
"Psst, John B." A dark haired girl got his attention and handed him a folded note before turning back to her quiz.
"Ooo. I think somebody's got a crush on youuuuu." I whispered in a sing-song voice.
———
"Guys, this is from Denmark's diary." Pope told us as we all hung out on the porch. "'August 15, set sail from Port-au-Prince on calm seas. Came upon the Spanish ship San Jose on fire. The entire deck was aflame. We could hear the screams of men trapped below. The Spanish captain cared about only one thing, his vital cargo, the Cross of Santo Domingo. And countless cars of gold. Once the cargo was on board, we went to help the crew, but Captain Limbrey ordered us to pull bayonets and not to let any of the Spanish crew on board. He robbed them and left them to die."
"So it didn't go down off Bermuda." JJ said, leaning back on the couch he and I sat on.
"And it was a Limbrey stealing again." Kiara added.
"This dairy proves that both the gold and the Cross were on the Royal Merchant." Pope said.
"Why didn't we find any in the well, then?" I asked, "I mean, if Denmark was able to get this bedazzled cross off the Merchant and on shore, why didn't he hide it with the gold?"
"Because it was too big." John B told me.
"Right. He had to hide it someplace else." Pope added on.
"But where?" KeKe asked.
"Right before he was hung, he said the treasure was buried at the foot of the angel." Pope told her.
"But this is about the key." JJ said.
"Right. So what's the connection?" Kiara asked.
"The path to the tone begins at the island room." Pope quoted.
"But what is the island room?" Kiara asked.
"You want to know what helps me figure things out?" JJ asked, standing up. "Drinking beer and smoking weed. The ideas just pour out of me."
"JJ, baby, just sit down." I said.
He smiled at me. I like the nickname, but I'm not finished with my idea yet. Here's was I'm thinking, if we get creative and go to this bonfire tonight, we will get somewhere."
"Well, we just got disowned by our parents, and we're official members of the I-have-nothing-to-lost club." Kiara said, pointing to her sister.
"Pope?" JJ asked, "Look, think about how much you could think if you just gave your brain a rest."
"Okay, fine. I'm in." Pope said.
"Great. KeKe?" JJ asked.
"Without a doubt. I'm in."
"Yes!"—he turned to me—"you in?"
"Where you knuckleheads go, I go." I answered.
———
"I've had more black eyes in the last month than I've ever had." Pope said as we all hung out by the giant tree, fairy lights strung up as we all lounged around in the foldable chairs after getting into another fight at the bonfire. "That was building up for years. Rumble in the jungle."
JJ smiled at Pope and came over to sit in the chair next to mine, handing me a cold beer as I put it up to my bruised eye.
"Does it hurt?" He asked.
"No," I answered, looking at Kiara. "Did you really stick up for Sarah?"
"Of course I did." She replied.
"She's not a real Kook. She's a Pogue." I told them.
"Yeah. Try telling that to Topper." JJ said.
"Hey, guys. Shush. Shh. Someone's here." KeKe told us, putting a finger up to her lips.
"You don't think that Topper would . . ." Kiara got up.
"Wouldn't put it past him." John B said.
"Do you have your gun?" Kiara asked JJ.
"Oh, now she wants the gun." JJ said.
"You don't have it?" I asked.
"No,"
"Isn't that your secret weapon?" Kiara asked, putting air-quotes around the last two words.
"Shush," John B shushed Kiara.
"Who's out there?" Pope asked, "you Kooks better not try anything."
"How y'all doing?" Renfield asked, stepping out into the light, waving at us. "Lovely evening we're having. Listen, I don't hold a grudge with any y'all, all right? But this could go hard, or this could go easy. You know what I'm here for."
I stood up with JJ and we walked up next to Pope, the others following.
Let me give you a little demonstration. You see that swing? I got the best bow hunters in the Army Rangers with me."
"Yeah?" I asked.
"Yup. Hidden." He answered, whistling and having an arrow shoot by me, wind brushing my cheek as the arrow shot past me and stuck into the swing.
"Dude! You almost took her ear off!" JJ said, pushing me behind him.
"If I wanted her ear gone, I would have. Now, those men are out there. They'll stick you just as soon as I say so."
I looked at Pope and he looked back at me before digging around in his pocket.
"This key belongs to my family." He told him.
"I'm losing patience with you, Pope." Renfield said, lifting his hand to his mouth to whistle again, but Pope slowly handed the key to him.
He took it and smiled, pocketing it. "You did the right thing, kid. Knowing when you don't have a choice is an unappreciated talent. You be safe now."
I watched as he walked away before speaking.
"Y'all have a good night now." He said and went out of earshot.
"Y'all have a good night now." KeKe mocked him, making me snort with laughter and high-five her.