"NICE WORK John B." JJ sighed. "You know these things lock from the outside, right?" Neither of the Pogues knew how much time had passed since they'd snuck into the container. To Scarlett it felt like forever, the heat was slowly getting to her and she was regretting not changing out of her cropped sweater before the adventure. Tiredly, she leant her head against JJ's shoulder, still curled up on his lap.
John B nodded, also feeling tired from the ever-growing heat. "Yeah. Okay, I was just trying to get us on the boat, JJ. I wasn't thinking that far ahead."
"Yeah, well now we're stuck in here like rats." JJ moaned.
Scarlett shook her head, tapping his shoulder with her fingers. "JJ, go easy on him. It's not totally his fault."
John B smiled at her sarcastically. "Thanks, Lottie."
"But, like, maybe we should've thought this through before we jumped in here." Scarlett added.
"It's not like there was much time to think of anything else." Luke voiced, speaking for the first time in a while. "You made a quick decision in order to try and save your friend and the really old family heirloom."
Pope nodded over to the older boy. "He's right, you know."
"It's hot." Kiara complained, shrugging her jacket off her shoulders. Scarlett looked over at her friend, wishing she could take her own sweater off. But she was just wearing a bra underneath instead of her usual bikini top and she was conscious of the fact that her step-brother was trapped in the container with herself and her friends.
"It's a death cage!" JJ continued, running his hands through the ends of Scarlett's hair.
Pope sighed. "Okay, JJ, you're not helping."
"You don't have a whole lot of room to talk right now." JJ fired back, leaning against one of the stack of crates. "You said you had a plan, but what happened to thinking ahead?"
"I find your lack of self-knowledge disturbing." Pope said. "And to repeat what Luke said a few minutes ago, we didn't exactly have the time to create a well-thought out plan."
JJ let out a sarcastic laugh as he tilted his head to look round at Pope. "Last I checked, you literally shot an oil container with the gat." He pointed out. "Remember that?" He moved Scarlett off his lap as he stood up and faced Pope. Scarlett curled her legs up to her chest as she watched Kiara jump down from another stack of crates where she had previously been sitting.
"Oh my God! Shut up. Shut up!" The brunette yelled, landing in between the two boys. "Pull it together."
Both boys sighed as Scarlett mouthed a 'thankyou' to Kiara- grateful that the girl had stopped the arguing before it got out of hand. "Let's try to find a way out of here." Pope spoke, his voice considerably quieter than it previously was.
Scarlett lifted her head slightly, looking up at John B. He'd climbed up onto one of the crates, leaning against the wall as he peered through the slits in the vent. Before she could ask him what he could see, JJ spoke up again. "Hey, Pope, how do you kill a snake?"
The boy shook his head slightly. Scarlett turned her gaze to the two, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "You go for the head." Pope answered in a whisper, his eyes falling shut out of exhaustion.
"Exactly." JJ smiled at him, an idea forming in his head. "But the head, in this instance, is the bridge. To take the bridge, we need maximum firepower. And I happen to know that there's an armoury on this ship in case of pirate attacks."
"'Pirate attacks'." Kiara repeated in a whisper, shaking her head slightly.
"Where are you going with this, J?" Scarlett asked, rolling the sleeves of her top up her arms.
"If we take that- and I'm not just talking pistols. I'm talking knives-"
Kiara shook her head, pushing herself up off the floor. "You lost me. And killing everybody here is not a plan." She told the blonde, walking past him towards the other end of the locked container.
JJ shrugged as she walked off, turning back to the others. "Ah, we lost her."
"JJ-" Scarlett shook her head at the boy, resting her chin on her knees. "Kie's right. We can't just kill these people. It wouldn't be right."
JJ sighed, looking down at where she was sat on the floor. "Then what do we do, Red? We don't have any other plan. We're locked in here, trapped on a ship that's in the middle of the ocean. Just listen- If we get to the armoury, I'm talking AKs, pistols, knives, double-barrels-"
John B cut him off, standing up suddenly and placing a hand on his shoulder. The two began to talk in hushed whispers as Luke sat down next to Scarlett. "Do all his plans involve this much violence?" He questioned, sounding a little sceptical.
Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, most of the time. But it's JJ. You get used to it."
She looked up as the blonde boy she had fallen so deeply for spoke again, and furrowed her eyebrows. "If I get enough pressure, I can Spartan kick that thing open."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow at him. "And if it doesn't work? JJ, you could get hurt."
"It'll work. Trust me."
John B shook his head at the blonde. "You're not kicking shit."
"Guys." Kiara called from further down the container. "Guys!" She called again, raising her voice slightly when the Pogues didn't hear her the first time. She waved them over with a nod of her head. JJ held a hand out for Scarlett, pulling her off the floor before following behind the boys. The group crowded around Kiara, looking up at the wall. Light from outside spilled in through the gaps in the metal vent that was situated near the top of the container. "Can we fit through that, yeah?" Kiara asked.
"Hell yeah." John B breathed out. "Nice one, Kie."
"What was that about a Swiss Army knife not coming in handy?" JJ commented, pulling the knife out of his pocket.
John B rolled his eyes. "Just stop it."
Scarlett took a step back as JJ climbed up so he was kneeling on the stack of crates Kiara had previously cleared away from the window. He dug the sharp end of the knife into the top of the screw and begun twisting it. It was slow, but after a short while, JJ started working on the last one. "Okay, we raid the armoury, get weapons, roll back here, and plot the next move." He said to the others as he worked. "The armoury is on the third deck, aft, near the laundry room." He lifted out the frame of the vent and turned around, passing it to Luke. "Let's roll."
Pope shook his head as Luke placed the frame at his feet. "Hold up. I don't think we should all go out there. It's too risky."
"Why?" JJ asked him.
"I gotta be honest with you, I think you should stay here." John B voiced his opinion. "And Luke too." He turned to the older boy. "No offence, it's just because you're brand new to this sort of stuff."
Luke nodded his head, silently grateful that he wouldn't have to go. "None taken." He replied honestly.
"What? Why?" JJ asked again, the hurt showing on his face for a second before he hid it. But Scarlett noticed and her heart broke when she saw how easy it was for the boy to quickly hide how he was truly feeling.
"I have Sarah that I'm going after." John B explained. "And Pope has..."
"The cross." The boy said.
John B nodded. "And Lottie, I dunno if she's coming." He shrugged, turning his face towards the girl.
The corners of Scarlett's lips curled upwards as she smiled. "Um, yeah. Rafe's on this boat and I bet he knows where the gold is."
"So, you're what? Going to fight him to give you the information?" Kiara questioned, her disbelief visible in her voice.
"Yeah." Scarlett answered simply.
JJ shook his head. "No. If Scar's going, then I am too. I'm not letting you face him alone."
"I'll be fine, babe." Scarlett said in attempt to reassure her boyfriend. "I promise."
"Also," John B added, "if you go out there, there's 100% probability that you're gonna do something stupid. Especially if it involves Lottie being in potential danger."
"Okay, first of all, I think the correct terminology is 'ballsy'. That is it." He crouched down on top of the crates, as if he were going to jump down but made no move to actually climb down. "Secondly, why would that be a bad thing? Especially if it meant that I saved Red's life."
Scarlett scoffed. "I know you mean well, Blondie. But I don't need saving all the time."
"Okay, get down here." Pope sighed, reaching up to grab JJ's arm.
JJ shrugged the boy's hand away. "No. Get off!" He jumped down, landing on his feet. "I'm a field player."
John B shushed him, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "If we go out there, and we get in a bind, we need somebody to look out for us." He spoke quietly, his voice a whisper. "That's what we need."
"Okay. I get it." JJ shook his head. "I get it. I get it. I'll be on the B team."
"I never said 'B team'." John B raised his hands slightly in fake offence.
"Sorry. Are you calling us 'B team'?" Kiara asked, pointing between her and Luke. "Did B team not just find our way out, or am I totally tripping?"
"Didn't mean to offend you." JJ shot her a small smile.
Pope patted JJ on the shoulder to grab the boy's attention. "Look, just hang back. Hold down the fort."
"Great. Looking forward to it. Mm-hmm." JJ muttered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I'll babysit." Kiara commented, tilting her head towards JJ.
JJ scoffed. "You guys have fun. It's your funeral, your game. I'll be in here, on the bench..." He walked away, leaning his back against a separate stack of crates. "...chilling."
Scarlett walked over to him while Kiara spoke to the other two boys. "JJ, please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad." JJ said, shrugging his shoulders. "I just wanna be able to protect you." Scarlett opened her mouth to protest, but closed it when JJ cupped her face in his hands. "And I know you don't need me to. But I want to. I wanna make sure that you're safe."
Scarlett smiled softly at him, briefly placing her hands over his before she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. She leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. After a moment, they pulled away but left their foreheads resting against each others. "I'll be safe, J. I promise. And I'll be back here before you know it, okay?"
A small smile graced JJ's face as he pushed a strand of hair behind Scarlett's ear. "Okay." He whispered. They pulled away from each other and JJ took hold of Scarlett's hands. "I love you, Red."
Scarlett smiled widely. "I love you, too JJ."
"Hey, Lottie. You coming or what?" John B called over to her. Both him and Pope had climbed up onto the stack of crates, waiting for Scarlett before they climbed through.
Scarlett nodded, walking back over to the group, with JJ following behind her. She placed a hand on Kiara's shoulder. "Keep my brother safe?" She asked.
Kiara nodded, brining the girl in for a quick hug. "Sure thing. And, Lottie..." The girls pulled away from each other and Scarlett paused, her hand resting against the stack of crates. "Don't get shot."
Scarlett chuckled. "Believe me, I don't wanna get shot for a third time." She joked. "And even if I do, let's hope it's not Rafe again." She pulled herself up onto the crates just as John B slid through the small gap. Scarlett waited for Pope to climb out next before she slid herself through, landing with a small 'thump' on top of a few wooden barrels. Quietly, she jumped down, crouching next to Pope as she peered over the barrels. A little way from where the three were hidden, Scarlett could see a few members of the crew. They were talking into a walkie-talkie, but neither of the Pogues could make out exactly what they were saying. After a few minutes, Scarlett felt movement next to her and turned to see the two boys moving towards the back of the back of the container. "Wait for me." She whispered, moving quickly to catch up with them.
⭐⭐⭐
Scarlett followed behind the two boys as they snuck round the ship to the emergency ladder. John B climbed down first and Scarlett stepped back to let Pope go second before she stepped onto the ladder herself. John B waved them down a corridor, sneaking past one of the open doors in the hallway. Pope leaned his back against the wall, allowing Scarlett to go before him. Moving quickly, she stepped past the open door. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw one of the crew walk past the other side of the open doorway. Nervously, John B grabbed her arm and pulled her quickly out of sight.
Pope shared a nervous look as John B fiddled with the handled on the closed door marking the end of the hallway. "Hey, no." Pope whispered, realising he would be spotted if he tried to move closer to the others. "No. Can't. They'll see me." Slowly, the three peered round the open doorway, glancing at the crew who were gathered in the room.
After hearing one of the men announce that he was leaving the room, Scarlett tugged on John B's shirt and pulled him back out of sight. "What do we do?" She mouthed. She watched as John B paused for a moment before taking hold of her hand and leading her through another door. Scarlett caught a glimpse of Pope dashing down the hallway in the direction they had snuck in from, and could only hope that he didn't get caught. The door led to another staircase, and the blonde followed John B down the steep, narrow stairs. The boy stopped at the bottom of the stairs, peering round the wall that cut off the room from the stairway. "What do you see?" Scarlett whispered, coming to a stop a few steps up.
John B stepped back behind the wall, holding a finger to his lips as he moved back up the stairs. "The armoury is that way. But there's a problem."
Scarlett's face scrunched up in confusion, and she tilted her head to the side. "A problem? What does that mean?" She hissed.
John B stayed silent for a few moments, slowly peeking back around the edge of the hall to check that they hadn't been heard. When he was sure they were safe, he turned back to Scarlett. "Someone's there. I think this bit is the laundry room. We need a distraction." Scarlett frowned as she followed John B back upstairs. She watched as he snuck past the kitchen and grabbed a blowtorch from the unoccupied counter. "What the hell are you planning to do with that?" She muttered.
John B didn't answer as he put his makeshift plan into action. Using the smoke alarm above the stairs to his advantage, he held the blowtorch up to it, turning it on so that the flames would set of the alarm. After what felt like forever to Scarlett- but was really only a minute- the alarm began to blare, alerting the man downstairs by the laundry. Scarlett spotted an empty closet and dragged John B in there before either of the pair could be seen by the laundry man. As soon as the man walked past them and into the kitchen, the pair of teenagers ran as quietly as they could back to the stairs. John B paused to pick up the fire-axe that was secured to the wall before they hurried down the rest of the stairs.
"A closet, really?" John B questioned as they approached the locked cupboard that made up the armoury. He began hitting the axe against the padlock, eventually breaking it open.
Scarlett scoffed as she reached forward and helped him open the doors. "Oh, yeah, because I had time to fashion us the Bahamas of hiding places." She rolled her eyes. "We're literally illegal stowaways right now, JB. Time is not our friend." She grabbed the axe from his hands and swung it forward, breaking the second padlock.
"Pistols. Even better." John B breathed out as the door swung open. Scarlett dropped the axe on the floor before reaching forward and picking up a couple of pistols.
"Hey!" A deep voiced yelled from behind them. Scarlett wheeled around, letting out a shriek of surprise as she became face to face with one of the crew members. Without alerting the teens to his presence, he had picked up the axe and swung it forward towards Scarlett. She ducked to the ground, narrowly avoiding being hit by the axe. John B, however, kept moving around the small room as he dodged the man's attacks. Staying low, Scarlett moved across the room to the fire extinguisher, pulling it off the wall. Once John B was in reach, she passed it to him and he sprayed the foam in the man's face. The man fell to the floor coughing, and the teens used the free moment to run out of the room.
Following John B onto the main deck of the boat, Scarlett took a deep breath of fresh air. The inside of the armoury and laundry room had been boiling hot and she was sweating what felt like more than a normal amount. "Holy shit..." She sighed, stepping to the side as John B pushed the door shut after checking that none of the crew were following them. "I've got to say, never had an axe thrown at me before." As she spoke, she ripped the sleeves off her sweater having become overheated. John B shot her a confused look before holding a finger up to his lips, signalling that she should be quiet. The two walked across the deck, coming to a stop next to the ladder which led to the next level. John B glanced up, checking that no one was on the higher decks. "We're safe, right?..." Scarlett asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.
Hearing voices coming from the deck above them, John B placed his hand over her mouth worried that the members of the crew would hear her. "Yeah, TJ said he saw somebody." The man spoke to his colleague. "Said there were two of them, a guy and a girl." Scarlett's face paled as she looked up, seeing the fleeting figures of two men.
"All right, let's get this place searched." The other man said. "Start on the port side."
As soon as the two men were out of sight, John B dropped his hand from Scarlett's mouth. "So, I guess we're not safe then." She mused as John B moved to the railing. Scarlett followed close behind him, face frowning in confusion at the sound of two familiar voices. She grabbed the metal rail with one hand, the other holding onto John B's arm. "What the hell...?" She mumbled. Just one deck below the two teens were Sarah, but she wasn't alone.
"You want them to take you?" Ward Cameron yelled at his daughter.
Sarah shook her head. "I didn't ask to be here." She retorted, her voice matching the volume of her father's.
"You're here, and you're staying here. You're my daughter!" Ward yelled again, his hands reaching up to grab Sarah's shoulders.
The girl flinched, pushing his hands away from her. "Don't touch me!"
"You want me to carry you?" Ward shouted, moving to grab his daughter for a second time. Sarah stepped away, walking around the man and disappearing from view. After another few moments Ward followed after her, seeming a bit defeated.
"He's... no. He can't be." Scarlett muttered, her face falling as everything sunk in. Ward Cameron was alive.
A hand patting both Scarlett's and John B's shoulders made the pair jump as they turned around to face Pope who had managed to catch up with them. "Hey." Pope greeted before quickly shushing them.
"Christ." John B breathed out as Scarlett held a hand to her chest in shock. "What are you doing?"
"Jesus Pope, you scared the shit outta me." Scarlett scolded, lightly hitting the boy's arm. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she caught sight of the girl standing behind him.
"I brought a friend." Pope announced, stepping back to reveal the girl dressed in slightly tatted clothes. Scarlett looked between each of her friends as a look of recognition fell over the girl's face. "Cleo, meet Lottie. And I believe you already know John B."
Scarlett slowly raised her hand, giving a small wave to the girl who she know knew as Cleo. "Cheese on bread." The dark-haired girl exclaimed, eyes fixed on John B.
"Cleo?"
"So it is you." Cleo confirmed, leaning forward ever so slightly.
Confused, John B looked between the girl and Pope. "What the hell? What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here? I work here. This is my boat." Cleo answered. "It got too hot in Nassau because of you and Sarah. I had to run."
"It's not safe out here." Pope added. "We gotta go."
Both John B and Scarlett began following after the pair, the latter still confused about Cleo. "So, how'd you know this girl?" Scarlett asked John B as they climbed down the ladder, her eyebrow raised. "And we can trust her, right?"
"Yes, we can trust Cleo." John B replied. "I promise. And I'll tell you the full story once we're off this boat, yeah?" Scarlett sighed but nodded her head in response. Having only just met the girl, and barely speaking two word to her, she was a bit unsure of trusting her. But both John B and Pope seemed to, which was enough for Scarlett to be okay with Cleo for the moment.
⭐⭐⭐
"I've been thinking." JJ started, leaning his back against one of the pile of crates. "When all this is over and we're just rolling in the dough, I'm gonna get a couple of new boards. I'm gonna deck 'em out, and I'm gonna take Red on a surf trip. You think she'd like that?"
Kiara nodded, a smile forming on her face. "Of course she would. She's been talking about wanting to travel the world since we were like eight."
"Where would you go?" Luke asked, swinging his legs back and forth as he leant back on the pile of crates he had taken to sitting atop of.
JJ shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know where exactly, but, like, the world's calling. I don't know. Wherever Scar wants to go. Like, France or Australia."
Luke nodded. "Lottie would like that."
"Or, I dunno. Name a place." JJ added, looking over to Kiara.
"Uh... Spain." She sighed.
JJ nodded. "So then, after Spain and France, South America or South Africa. One of the South places."
Kiara raised a slightly sceptical eyebrow. "You'll go to South Africa?"
"Then Micronesia maybe, and then... and just ride." JJ added. "Wherever the wave takes you, you know?" Luke nodded, although not completely understanding. He wasn't one to surf, but he fully understood the travelling side of JJ's plan for the future. Travelling was something he was set on doing once he finished college.
"So that's the plan if we were to get a ton of cash?" Kiara asked. "That's the dream? Surf trip?"
JJ nodded. "Yeah, and eventually marry Red. But, surf trip first, ya know?" He shrugged his shoulders. "Ripping jungle break all day long. Bamboo hut, cooking a fish on a fire, and after that, you go back out and just hit the waves again. All that, plus living my life with Lottie? That's the dream."
Luke smiled across to the boy, happy that his sister had found someone who got so happy talking about her and the future he was planning with her. "Wow. Sounds perfect."
Kiara nodded. "I was gonna say. You got it all planned out."
"Yeah." JJ spoke softly, a small smile gracing his lips as he thought about living the rest of his life with Scarlett.
"Got room for a couple more?" Kiara joked, looking across to Luke.
JJ laughed, looking between the two. "You got your passport?"
Kiara scoffed. "You don't have a passport."
"Hell no, I don't got a passport. Kookiest thing ever." JJ laughed. A whistle outside cut off their joking around, and JJ climbed up to the vent to see Pope.
"Hey. Hey. Open it." Pope whispered. JJ pulled the vent out of its seat in the wall, before passing it to Kiara. "Lottie, you go first." Pope said, stepping back to let the blonde climb up to the vent. She slid herself through the hole, grabbing onto JJ's outstretched hand as she crawled onto the stack of crates. Once she was through, she jumped down, moving out of the way so Pope could climb through.
"Thankyou." Scarlett smiled at JJ, pulling the taller boy into a hug.
"I thought Rafe got you guys for sure." Kiara told them, breathing a sigh of relief.
Pope shook his head as he straightened himself up. "No. We're chill."
Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, no. We didn't even see Rafe. But, if we do we'll be okay." She patted her back pocket where one of the pistols she'd managed to pick up was hidden.
Luke's eyes widened in shock. "You got a gun?"
"Mmm. Only thing we managed to get before we got busted by the laundry man." Scarlett told them as John B started to climb through the vent. "Had an axe thrown at my head."
"You what?!" JJ exclaimed, pulling her closer to him so he could check her over for any injuries.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Scarlett attempted to reassure him, waving his hands away. "I promise."
Kiara lifted the grate back up to John B as he finished climbing back into the ship container. "All right. Okay, let's put the grate back on."
Pope lifted a hand, stopping Kiara from moving the vent. "No, wait. Hold it."
"What? No. Put it back." Kiara frowned in confusion.
"Jesus Christ!" Cleo swore as she climbed up to the hole in the container. "I'll kill you, John B!" She pointed angrily at the boy before climbing down into the inside of the container.
Kiara looked between the others, confusion covering her face. "Who is this?" Scarlett shrugged in response, not fully knowing the answer to her friend's question.
"Just relax. Just relax, okay? I told you I had a surprise." John B spoke, turning to Cleo and helping her down onto the crates piled up by the window.
"Who is she? What's going on?" Kiara questioned, becoming irritated. "John B!"
John B placed his hands on Kiara's shoulders, trying to get her to calm down. "Remember I told you about the girl we met in the Bahamas that saved us?"
Scarlett's mouth fell open in shock as she remembered the boy telling them about her. "Oh... That's Cleo? Now I remember you telling us about her!"
John B nodded. "Yeah, Cleo. She's gonna help us, all right?"
"Next time, ask me." Cleo stated.
⭐⭐⭐
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A/N:
It's been a while, so sorry about that guys. I've missed writing this book but I had a bit of writers block and then a spiral of family stuff happened so I've been too busy to do any writing. But I should be back periodically with new chapters, though I'm not sure how often that will be. We are getting closer to the end of season 2 so that's exciting! And I do have some things planned for some extra bonus chapters, if you guys would like that?
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Edited: 12/03/2022