13 . 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵 .
"𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘'𝐑𝐄 𝐀 𝐁𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄, they've had, like, three governors in the family," Kiara explained as the truck slowed to the side of the road. "They've run Charleston for, like, three hundred years."
Charleston sure was a picture of wealth, and they could see it firsthand now that they were in the center city. They'd spent the night in the truck, and although the front seats weren't the comfiest bed she'd ever slept on, Charlotte still found it a rather comforting situation to sleep under the stars with her friends right beside her. While the stars shined above them— slightly obscured by the big oak tree they were parked beside— they talked about meaningless things for a while before exhaustion caught up to them and they said their goodnights. The three Pogues slept in the bed of the truck, while Charlie curled up in the seats with the blanket JJ had tossed her.
In the morning, she was the first to wake. She had woken up to the sound of bees buzzing, and had nearly hit her head on the steering wheel in the process. She didn't need to wake the others, because for some reason they just knew it was time to get up— they had to be at their destination as soon as possible. She'd sat on the rim of the truck and thought about John B during the time it took them to wake up as well and get themselves ready for the next stretch of driving— her legs hanging back and forth and her hair blowing softly in the sweet post-summer breeze.
They'd driven over the Charleston bridge, drove through town, and now they were here— stopping in front of their destination. 27 King Street. Somewhere in all of that, Charlotte had asked the group about the "Kook Kings of Charleston" to know the full extent of what she was getting herself into. Or at least some of it. The most that they knew.
"These Kooks make our Kooks look like Pogues." JJ said, from beside her.
Charlie's eyes sort of widened a little at that bit, and she slightly nudged her shoulder away from being pressed to JJ's. He'd refused to sit back in the truck bed after yesterday because his "butt was hurting tremendously" and so they all squeezed into the front. It was definitely illegal, but so was riding in the bed of a truck without a seat, or a seatbelt, through a sophisticated town. So Charlotte's shoulder was pressed up on the window the entire ride, her other one pressed to JJ, and it continued like that. But not for Pope, he needed "arm room".
The conversation about the Charleston rich folk slid to an end when the car finally came to a stop. They were stopped beside an enormous white Antebellum mansion with endless balconies, barricaded with an iron gate. It had a vague familiarity of the Cameron's house back on Figure Eight. Except this one was scarier.
JJ leaned forward to see past Charlotte. "You sure this is the place, Pope?" he asked, skeptically, without looking over to him.
Pope took a long second to answer, not tearing his eyes away from the house. "Pretty sure." he said lowly, as he reached for the door.
None of them could look away from the mansion for a few seconds. There was something captivating about it, and the more she stared, the more Charlotte's stomach twisted with a bad feeling. She didn't mention that feeling to the others just yet, though.
"Alright," JJ shrugged, and nudged Charlie's shoulder for her to push open the door.
She pushed the passenger side door open at the same time Pope left the driver's side. She still couldn't tear her eyes from the mansion as she stepped out onto the slick pavement, pushing her hair behind her ears. JJ hopped out behind her, and then Kiara.
"Fat city for sure," JJ said.
On the other side of the truck, Pope held up the invitation. "27 King Street," he read aloud, with a sigh.
"Talk about home security," JJ commented, motioning to the iron gate.
Charlotte looked to the gate, her eyes trailing over the thick bars. Her stomach sort of tightened when she noticed the spikes along the top rim. Pope slowly appeared in her peripheral view, all of them standing in a line parallel to the gate.
"Are those spikes to keep people out?" JJ asked, confusedly.
Kiara slowly shook her head. "No," she said, sure of that.
"The slave quarters are over there," Pope pointed lowly to somewhere beyond the gate. He let out a sigh. "These spikes were to keep people in."
"Oh, Jesus," Charlotte clutched her stomach.
"So, uh, how are we gettin' inside," JJ said after a long moment. He looked over at Pope. "Does your invitation come with a special key, or,"
Kiara stepped forward and pushed on one of the bars, her other hand reaching up to feel for some sort of clasp. Somehow easily unlocked, the gate pushed open without much effort.
"Yeah, some security," Charlotte commented, referring to the lack of actual security the place held. She figured maybe these rich people knew Pope was coming— so they made it easy for him. Or something was off. "Maybe it's rob rich people day, or something."
"Or they're just expecting me." Pope said, reasonably.
"Come on," Kiara waved them over as she stepped through the gate, holding it open for Pope.
Skeptically, she followed behind JJ as he trailed behind Pope, all passing the gate— letting the iron bars clink behind them. They walked down a stone path in silence, all eyes searching around at the garden of evergreen and the looming trees overhead, gaping at the wealth the property oozed. The stone path eventually led to a staircase, and they walked up the polished steps.
Charlie tugged JJ's arm as she caught up beside him. "Something's off," she whispered, lowly. "I can feel it."
They made eye contact, and his lips formed into a tight line. He sort of nodded, and looked up at the house with the same expression she held, knowing exactly what she was saying.
Once on the staircase landing, they approached the tall door. Pope paused for a moment, before rising his hand and gripping onto the door knocker. They stood beside him in a close line, all expressions skeptical and weary, watching as he knocked three solid times. The knocks echoed, reverberating around them.
Pope pulled back and looked to them. "You think that was too much?" he asked, worriedly.
"It echoed the entire house, that's for sure," JJ glanced over at him. "So, they definitely heard it."
"Maybe nobody's home?" Kiara put out.
"There's gotta be someone here, this place is massive," Charlie said, quietly. "Like a maid, or something."
Pope stepped forward again and reached for the door knocker. He got two solid knocks in, this time louder and more urgent, before the door flew open.
Now, there stood a middle aged man before them, with short brown hair and a short ragged beard.
The moment she saw him, Charlotte knew he was bad news. Some type of it. And when his eyes caught hers— as he scanned them over each and every one of them— it was confirmed. He had this gleam in his eye, a dangerous one, something that Ward Cameron had always had. Her stomach sort of plummeted a little bit, and she swallowed as the man licked his lips, and a devilish smile rose to his face.
He leaned on the door frame, rising his hand to point a finger at Pope. "You must be Pope," he said, with a raspy, peculiar voice.
"Um..." Pope stammered from the man's hard gaze, and looked over to the group for reassurance. He looked back to the man. "Are you Mr. Limbrey?"
"Ms. Limbrey, was expecting you yesterday," he said right away, and quickly trailed his eyes down Pope's appearance as if evaluating him. He pursed his lips.
Pope swallowed. "Oh, I'm— I'm sorry, my car broke down on the way up here, and—"
"Carburetor blew up in the middle of Nowheresville," JJ interjected. "Sorry bout' that."
Charlotte nudged the side of his arm with her shoulder, telling him to shut up.
The man switched his gaze to JJ. He stared at him for a moment, his gaze never wavering. "Yeah... she was, uh, real upset when you didn't show up," he looked back to Pope. His eyes squinted.
"We tried to call but there's no number on the invitation, so," Kiara said, looking down. She shrugged, "We got here as fast as we could."
The man cleared his throat in the middle of her sentence, and his gaze hardened on Pope. He tilted his head to one side, "She also expected you to come alone."
Pope blinked, "I mean, these are my friends," he motioned to them. "They helped me find the Royal Merchant too, and—"
The man looked away, "Yeah, the instructions were explicit, your friends can stay outside." he turned back to them.
His eyes trailed over them again, this time lingering a second longer on Charlotte's— probably wondering why she was the only one who hadn't said anything.
"We're kind of a package deal, man," JJ asserted, "So, you know—"
"JJ." Pope turned to him. He nodded. "It's okay. I got this,"
JJ stared at him, but Pope only looked to the rest of them. "I'll be good," he said, confidently.
"Yeah," Kiara tried to be positive, "We'll be right here." she told him.
Pope looked back to JJ. "Keep the car running." he said, sternly.
And then he turned away, the man tore his dangerous stare from them, and stepped aside for Pope to enter the house. With one last look, the guy shut the door and Pope was gone. They stood behind the closed door, all sharing the same skeptical expression for a while where nobody spoke. JJ was the first to break away after a few moments, and with an impatient sigh he turned around and adjusted the cap on his head out of stress. Charlie turned away from the door, her hand clutching over her stomach as it rumbled— the odd feeling was still there, but now it was accompanied with a groan of hunger.
"I don't trust any of this, for the record," Kiara was saying as she started for the staircase. "I mean any of it. We're all on the same page about that, right?"
"Of course we're on the same page, Kie," JJ said obviously, as he followed behind her. "Besides, what have we learned from rich people all summer?"
"Not to be trusted." Charlie said from behind them. With one final glance to the door, a nervous glance, she began stepping down the stairs— catching up with JJ. "Hey, guys, did anybody bring any food? I'm starving,"
Kie hummed a "no" and JJ shook his head. Charlie frowned.
"This place is giving me a bad vibe," Kiara shook her head in distaste as they reached the end of the stairs, heading for the truck. "And I don't know about you guys, but there was something off about that guy. I mean, who the hell is he, anyway?"
Charlie sighed as Kie pulled open the passenger side door, holding it open for her. "Seriously, guys, does no one have anything to eat?" she asked, desperate.
"I got half a blunt in the back, if you want it," JJ said, as he hopped into the driver's seat.
"I don't want your blunt," Charlie grimaced. She crossed her arms.
"Hop in," Kie looked to her, her eyebrows narrowing— confused as to why Charlie wasn't getting into the truck like them. She stood by the passenger door, gaze trailing off in the distance.
"D'you think there's, like, a store somewhere down this street?" she leaned forward, peering down the road with squinted eyes. "I swear to god I saw one on the way up here,"
"We can check on the way back, or somethin'," JJ said casually, leaning over the steering wheel to look up at the mansion, "If Pope makes it outta there alive—"
Kie slapped the side of his arm.
"I haven't eaten since the motel yesterday." Charlie looked back to them. She'd eaten the second half of Daryl's lunch sandwich before she'd asked her grandparents about going to Charleston. "I'll go get us snacks."
"By yourself?" Kie's eyebrows narrowed further. "Charlie we barely know this place—"
Her stomach audibly grumbled. They looked down at her abdomen. "I'll be quick— look, I think there's a place right there," she pointed her finger down the road, towards a little sign in the distance. "Not even a two minute walk. You'll see me going in."
"I don't think it's safe for you to go alone," JJ looked at her worriedly.
She knew why. They were in a town full of rich, snobby people, where nothing was familiar. And all that Charlie had been through in the last months— it was a very risky thing for her to travel alone in an unknown place. She knew that. They knew that. But her stomach was aching. Who knew how long Pope would be. He was in there for material evidence to clear John B's name— that kind of thing couldn't be quick and simple, just grab and go.
Kie and JJ shared a look, and stared at each other for a moment in silent communication. They evaluated the distance between the truck and the little store down the road, eyes squinting skeptically.
Kie turned her head to Charlie. "You have your phone on you?" she asked.
Charlie nodded and tapped her back pocket, where they could see the outline of her phone. "Guys, I'll be fine. The store is right there." she said, reassuringly.
JJ let out an uncertain huff. "Alright, we'll watch you from here, then,"
A small smile spread onto her face. "Okay, I'll be super quick," she said, while reaching deep into her front pocket for the few coins Caroline had slipped her before leaving.
"Get me some chips, or somethin'," JJ called out his window as she turned away and began walking down the street. She turned and waved a thumbs up.
"C'mon, hurry up Pope," Kiara tapped her foot impatiently, gaze flickering between the mansion and Charlie making her way down the sidewalk. "We should've brought something to eat, goddamnit," she said guiltily.
A gust of sweet wind brushed through her hair and kissed her face as Charlotte stepped down the sidewalk by herself. She felt perfectly safe with their eyes on her from the truck, and she looked around absentmindedly, taking in features of the building that were similar to Figure Eight. The houses were Antebellum style, just like Tannyhill, with their long columns and rows of balconies, high windows and contrasting shutters. She took in the appearances of them as she walked down the street, shoes hard against the slick pavement. She shoved her hands into her pockets and kept the coins close.
It took her less than two minutes to reach the little convenience store. She stopped at the door of it, glancing back to the truck to see JJ still watching her carefully, feeling secure enough to walk inside. Inside, it was a clean little place with a few aisles, but not much other than that and a front counter. She walked up to the counter, and the old man behind it stood up from reading the paper, his nice collared shirt shining from the sun coming through the window. Her stomach practically exploded at the sight of the candy bars, and she grabbed two in her palm, reaching for two mini chip bags along a nearby shelf-trolley.
"Just these, please," she said sweetly, placing the items on the counter. She smiled kindly at the old man as he scanned the food, rather slowly, but she figured she had time to spare.
"Nice day out today," the man said, with a kind voice. "Don't you think?"
She really didn't feel like making small talk about the weather right at that moment, because all she wanted to do was rip that chip bag from his hands and tear it open. She still smiled, though, nodding.
"It's really pretty here," she said appreciatively, as she reached for the candy bars he'd already scanned. She looked out the window, as a young couple passed by, holding hands. She looked back to the counter as he finished scanning. "Thank you," she said, while reaching for the money in her pocket.
He took the coins with a grateful smile, and she grabbed the last of her items. She turned away with the soft smile still on her lips, but as soon as she lifted her gaze to a vending machine along the wall— her steps slowed.
"Somethin' wrong?" the man said from the counter.
Charlie tore her eyes away from the cans of Cherry Cola glinting behind the vending machine glass. The smile remained on her lips, but she felt it all the way down to her feet, now.
"Yes, sorry, I'm fine," she laughed lightly, glancing back to the old man to reassure him. "Have a nice day," she said, and reached to push open the door.
He smiled back as she pushed open the glass door, the 'open' sign clattering against the glass. When the heat hit her face, she felt a vibration in her back pocket, causing her to pause in the doorway as she reached for her phone. Her eyes focused on a text message from Kie, and she let the door close behind her.
meet aroubd back of housew in alley
She narrowed her eyes at the spelling, wondering why the hell Kie was typing as if she were in a rush. But then she looked up to where the truck was parked— except it wasn't parked there anymore. Her stomach dropped.
They were gone. Her smile immediately fell, and her heart jumped to a panic. Meet around back?
pope in troublew hurry
Pushing her hair behind her ears, she instantly leapt into a jog down the sidewalk, her fingers struggling to click on the call button in the corner. She was suddenly jogging down the street, panicking, trying to keep the food in her grasp as she listened to the rings. It only rang once before they picked up, and the first thing she heard was tires screeching and loud exclaims of panic.
She yelled into the phone, "What the hell's going on?! Where are you g—"
"Charlie!" JJ yelled over the speaker phone, "Listen to me— before you get any further, make a right turn right after the convenience store!" he ordered. "You're gonna go down that street until you reach an empty parking lot— then keep straight!"
"Okay?" she called back, and picked up her pace around the corner. She didn't have time to ask what was going on again, but she knew it was bad, and she knew it was sudden.
"I think he's following us," Kie's voice sounded in the car, "Guys, I think he's following us!"
"Where the hell is Charlie?!" Pope shouted, panicked as to why she wasn't in the vehicle.
"You're gonna make a left after that lot—" JJ was yelling. He was the one driving.
"Oh my god, what was that?!" she could hear Kie saying.
"And then a right!" JJ shouted. "Okay? We'll meet you there!"
Her mind tried to keep track of what was going on.
"We're bein' chased!" Pope exclaimed. "Step on it, J!"
Her mind was racing with confusion and worry, and she tried to register the confusing directions. "Okay!" she simply called into the phone, even though she had no idea what she was doing. "Making a right,"
"Where is Charlie?!" Pope yelled again.
"She got hungry!" Kie yelled back.
One of the candy bars fell as she turned the next corner, eyes focusing in on the empty parking lot JJ was talking about. She felt some sense of relief at the sight of it, but kept on running, listening to their exclamations over the call.
"Stay on the call, Charlie!" Kiara yelled in the car. Her phone was somewhere in the seat. "Step on the gas, JJ!"
"She got hungry?!" Pipe exclaimed.
Charlie huffed out, eyes darting in every direction, looking for the next turn. Her mind was boggling, and her heart was racing as she scrambled to keep her phone in hand along with the food items.
"I'm making a left!" she called into the phone as she turned the next corner, eyes moving slower than her feet, "What do I do now—"
Her words were cut short when a body suddenly crashed right into hers.
Her ass collided with the ground and her phone fell somewhere to the side, along with her items flying in all sorts of directions. Her eyes shut out of impact, an instant pain shooting from her hands up her arms, from falling on them for safety. A second passed where she registered the crash.
"What the hell is wrong with you—" she yelled, outraged, and shot her eyes open.
But her breathing cut when she laid eyes on the dirty converse in front of her. Dirty converse. And then in lightening speed, her eyes trailed up the legs, her heart falling somewhere beyond the ground. Then the shorts. She knew those legs, and she knew those shorts. And then the yellow t-shirt, she knew that yellow t-shirt too well. Stained yellow t-shirt.
And suddenly her eyes landed on his face and his messy brown hair, staring back at her with the same bewildered expression— and all the wind knocked right out of her lungs.
𝙅𝙐𝙇𝙄
reunion!!!!! yes i'm tearing up