"There it is, Angel Oak." Kie looked out the window of the twinkie, sitting across from Sky.
"Oh, shit. Tides coming in." John B spoke up as he looked at the water puddle down the dirt road.
"Wait a second, look." Pope pointed to the tire tracks, "They already came through here. Those have to be Limbrey's tire tracks. Guys, we gotta go."
"What do you think, chief?" JJ looked toward John B.
"I'm thinking it's looking a little dicey." the curly haired boy said back, "Sky? How's your brain rolling?"
"Well, it's rolling, for sure." she looked out of the windows. "It's also a knowing fact that 41% of car accidents happen because of mud."
"Sure, very known fact." JJ hummed.
"Okay, clearly, they made it. No?" Kie suggested.
"In a two-wheel drive? I don't know about that." JJ shook his head, looking out the window.
"Why are y'all acting like you're not gonna do it anyways?" Sarah spoke up from the back, trying to hold back her smile, "Like, when have y'all ever done the safe thing?"
"She's got a point." John B nodded as him and JJ looked to each other.
"Speed is your friend here, okay?" JJ nodded, turning back in his seat.
Skyler stumbled toward, falling into Kie's lap as John B gassed it. "Sorry, Kie!"
"It's cool!" she held onto her as the Twinkie sputtered.
"Cmon, bro, punch it. Speed is your friend." JJ encouraged.
"It's gonna slide." Kie spoke up, holding onto the side of the van with one arm, the other around Sky.
"Not to put any more pressure on you, but if you don't make it through, we'll be stuck here forever." Pope leaned up toward the pair in the front.
The twinkie made it through the mud puddle, gliding easily on the dirt road again. The group sighed in relief, cheering slightly.
"Well, at least we didn't make the mud accidents 42%." Skyler sighed, pulling back from Kie with an exhale. "And alive."
"And alive." Kie nodded her head, JJ pulling the van door open.
"All right, so word to the wise, definitely know that gators nest back here, so keep your eyes peeled, okay?" JJ spoke up, Kie held her hand out for Sky to step over the mud puddle.
"You don't want to be Pat Womack. She had her calf chewed off by a gator, right? You know that, right?" JJ continued on.
"That's actually not true." Kie commented back.
"Pat Womack was injured in a car accident, but I hear you." Sarah shrugged, pushing branches out of the way as they walked in a line after Pope.
"Okay, just living ignorance. But like, she had her calf chewed off by a mama gator. I know that for a fact." JJ hummed, turning to look back at them. "Sky?"
"Whatever you say JJ." she tossed her hands up, too focused on avoiding stepping in mud holes. "Though, the largest alligator in the world weighed over a thousand pounds. So, if her leg did her chewed off, i'd believe it."
"Do not encourage him." Kie shook her head, pulling back a branch for Skyler to duck under.
"Wait, I see something." JJ spoke up as he hurried toward the water, grabbing a stick and hitting the water.
"Right. Wake them up. That's smart." Sarah nodded her head.
"I was just making sure it wasn't a gator. That's all, all right?" the blonde boy held his hands up in surrender.
Skyler lost her footing, slipping on the mud as Kie grabbed her arms. "Jesus, watch yourself."
"Sorry." Skyler looked down, getting back on the path again as Kie held her arm. "Thanks."
"Stay away from the sides, that's where the mud gets most slippery." she said in return, getting a nod.
the sound of moving trucks and excavators were heard, making them all hurry over and duck behind one of the bushes.
"I don't see shit!" Rafe called as the group all looked from behind a bush. Rafe, Limbrey, Renfield, and construction workers digging up dirt at the foot of the tree, "You sure this is the right spot?"
"It's there. The garment will be in the cross, and the cross will be at the foot of the tree." Limbrey announced. By the look of Rafes face, she's said this enough times to annoy the shit out of him.
The crunch that echoed through the air had Limbrey yelling, Reinfield and Rafe standing close by as the construction workers jumped down into the hole, "They got the cross? What do we do? What do we do?"
"What can we do?" John B asked him with wide eyes.
"Look." Skyler pulled his face to look, seeing annoyance on Rafes face.
"We're going back! It's not over!" Limbrey called as she got to her feet, clutching her crutches. It didn't take long to load up again, the trio leaving the open casket laying there as they drove off.
Pope began walking forward as soon as they walked off. JJ followed, "Pope. Pope, wait. Wait! Shit."
Pope stared down at the casket, rotten bones on the inside as he took deep breaths, "Cecilia Tanny, Denmark's wife. He wasn't talking about the cross. He buried her at the foot of the angel."
"The true treasure." Kie frowned, Skyler standing next to her.
Pope gave a small cry, Skyler grabbing his shoulder as she kneeled with him. The rest of the group followed down next to the grave with him, "Denmark was hung for burying his wife, and now they defiled her grave."
Pope reached down, pulling a small pin from inside of the grave. Sarah did the same, a small ring in her palm as she smiled, "This must have been from Denmark. Her wedding ring."
"We can't leave her like this." Pope frowned as he looked at his friends.
"We won't." John B promised. Him and JJ grabbed the casket lid, laying it back over and shutting it tightly. Sarah placed a few flowers she found on top as John B hammered the nails back in.
Kie and Skyler held hands, looking down at the grave as she was lowered. Skyler looked to Pope. "Wanna know something about ancestors that have passed?"
"Sure." he met her eye.
"It's not a fact, but, if you believe." Skyler nodded, Pope did as well. "That she's likely watching over you, guiding you to the right direction."
"I believe that." Kie agreed.
"Me too." John B nodded.
"Me too." Sarah added in.
JJ wrapped an arm around Pope. "Me four."
"I just don't get it. I mean, you guys saw the map. He hides his gold so no one finds it for 170 years." Pope ranted on as the group stayed near the tree, "And then he sends a message to his son, Robert, to come here to his mother's grave, but the message never gets to him. Denmark wanted him to find the cross. I know we're in the right spot. It just feels like-"
"Like we missed something?" JJ's voice caught their attention, heads turning to see he'd been looking up at the tree, "Come here."
"Give me a hand?" Kie suggested toward Sky, the girl helping her up on the twinkie and holding her waist.
"Hang on, hang on." he waved her off, "That looks like-"
"The painting in the island room." Kie added in as she looked at the hole in the tree.
"It's worth a shot, right?" JJ spoke up with a shrug, "Go for it."
"No chance." Kie gave a stupid look.
"You do it!" Sarah scoffed from the ground.
"Sorry, I went in the storm drain." Kie said back.
"She did go in the storm drain." Pope sided with Kie.
"Yeah. No, i'm gonna do it. It's just..." JJ trialed off as he pulled his sleeve up some.
"He's scared." Kie whispered.
"It's a common fact that woman have a higher fear rate then men, I love when society is proven wrong." Skyler grinned, Kie laughed at her unawareness to offending JJ.
"I'm not scared, dude." JJ scoffed in disbelief with them.
"You seem scared." Kie laughed.
JJ slowly reached his hand into the tree, getting closer before letting out a shout. Skyler gasped, her and Sarah pushing together to see who could get up on the twinkie first. Kie yanking on his body while John B tried to climb the twinkie. JJ began to laugh, relaxing as everyone gave looks of disbelief.
"Real original." Pope scoffed.
"Wait, there's seriously something in here." JJ shook his head, digging deeper before retracting his arm with a golden and maroon trinket.
"Let me see it." Pope reached up. Sky held her hand up, Kie grabbing onto it to jump down. Skyler steadied her by grabbed her waist slightly, letting her go, "HMS Royal Merchant."
"Give it to the captain. Here we go. It's a spyglass." JJ yanked it open, peering through the peephole.
"There's something on the end." Kie nodded, their eyes moving toward the little writing.
"An inscription right there. Look at that shit." John B looked down at it. " 'You've come this far. Do not falter. The cross is on the Freedman's altar.' It rhymes!"
"The cross is at the church!" Pope announced as his face lit up.
"What are we doing here, guys?" JJ called out with wide eyes.
"Come on!" Pope encouraged as they got back into the van.
"Another mission?" Skyler looked to Kie.
"Tired of us yet?" she cracked a grin, pulling her jacket sleeve.
"Define us." she joked in return. "The boys? Totally. You? Never."
Kie grinned, pulling her harder.
•
kylie speaks
they really went from regretting
kissing to still being flirty gfs