Five. in the heat of your electric touch
Dylan hardly slept after last night's debacle. It was a great night. A fun one. But it was ruined by her friend's (some over the others) acting stupid. That was the downside of the Outer Banks. You never know what's going to occur. The thought of JJ actually hurting someone made her feel sick. He would never. Not like that. He was just extremely loyal to his friends, especially John B. He could just be incredibly stupid sometimes.
Braxton was eating cereal when she came downstairs the next morning. "Morning, dweeb." She announced herself and ruffled the top of his head when she walked by.
He huffed and moved away from her. "Was there a fight at the boneyard last night?" He asked while she raided the fridge.
Dylan paused and looked at him with furrowed brows. "How do you know about that?" She asked with suspicion.
"Wheezie."
She rolled her eyes. "Ah yes, of course. Your girlfriend."
"Ew, no, never!" He quickly denied. His eyes then lit up. "So there was a fight!"
"Hush!" Dylan hissed. She leaned forward on the counter. "Don't say anything to mom and dad. They'll go crazy."
"So what she said about the gun is true?" questioned with wide eyes.
She groaned. "Again, hush! It's between you and me, okay?"
Braxton scoffed. "Yeah okay, sure. Until word spreads on the island and gets to mom and dad."
She rolled her eyes again. "I'll handle it then. Just keep your mouth shut."
The twelve year old went quiet. He looked at his bowl of cereal and back at her. "You didn't get hurt though, right?"
Her face softened. "Aww, are you worried about me?" She circled around the island and wrapped her arms around his neck. She peppered his cheek with kisses. "Love you, buddy."
Braxton groaned and tried shoving her away. "Okay, you ruined it. Get off me!"
When Dylan arrived at the Chateu, she saw Sheriff Peterson coming out of the home. She slowly got off her bike, feeling wary, and sent the woman a smile. "Good morning, Sheriff Peterkin."
The woman titled her head in her direction. "Good mornin', Dylan. How's your folks doing?"
"Oh, they doing really good. I'll tell them you say hi."
"That'd be wonderful." Peterson replied and got in her cop car.
Dylan quickly shuffled into the Chateau to see John B sitting in his couch with his head in his hands. "Do I want to know why the Sheriff was here?" She questioned. He lifted his head and revealed a big purple bruise around his eye. "Ouch, looks like Topper really can pack a punch."
John B rolled his eyes. "I'll explain when the others get here."
She nodded. "You're lucky you didn't die last night. I used whatever kind of stength I have to lug your ass out of the ocean."
He frowned slightly. "Yeah, I know. Sorry you had to do that."
She shrugged and sat next to him on the pull out couch. "I would've done it for any of you. Just stop going around and fighting people." She warned and shoved his head to the side. "You're lucky you're good looking. Nobody'll pay attention to the eye."
He looked at her and smirked. "Are you flirting with me, DJ?"
"Maybe in a parallel universe when JJ wins a Nobel peace prize."
John B laughed out loud. He looked down at his lip and pulled his bottom lip between his teeth.
Dylan leaned her head forward to see him. "You okay?" She asked though she already knew he wasn't.
He just nodded.
"Don't lie to me, John Booker."
He winced at the government name. John B lifted his head and looked her in the eye. He shook his head. "No, not really."
Dylan wrapped her arm around his shoulder and brought him in close. "I love you." She muttered.
"I love you too, Dyl."
Dylan twisted the bracelets around her wrist. She leaned back in one of John B's outside chairs while Pope was playing the bongos to surapreas the silence. John B walked outside to where everyone was at. "Look, I'm calling it off, all right? Peterkin said I stay out of the marsh, she'll help me with DCS." he told them all.
Dylan looked up. "Wait, that's why she was here?" She voiced.
"And you believed her?" Asked JJ.
"Yes, I believe her, JJ."
"An actual cop, John B. You believed a cop." He repeated in disbelief and threw a rock.
"All I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple days and she'll help me out." John B exclaimed out of frustration. "It doesn't help that your ass was the one who was shooting a gun."
"You know what I should have done? I should've just let Topper drown your ass." JJ stated in disbelief.
Dylan gasped. "JJ!"
"Yeah because Topper was gonna drown me?" John B taunted in anger.
"Sure looked like it. I mean have you looked in the mirror?"
"Tell me some more. Come on. And for your information, it was DJ who pulled me out of the water."
Dylan rolled her eyes. Idiots.
"They always win, don't they man?" JJ voiced again. "Kooks verses Pogues. They always, always win! God damn!"
"Look, it's okay!" Kie tried to assure the blonde over his rage.
"No, it's not okay!" He retaliated with a red face. "It's not! They don't want us to go down into the marsh, that means there's something valuable down there and you know it."
"Or maybe because it's a crime scene and they don't want people interfering!" Dylan spoke up.
"Can you cut the detective shit for like five minutes, Dylan? It's getting annoying!"
"Hey!" Pope exclaimed with a stern tone.
She chewed the inside of her cheek and looked down at her bracelets again.
JJ glanced at John B for a second then looked at Pope. "I understand why you don't wanna go. You're the golden boy. You got way too much to risk." He looked between Kiara and Dylan. "And you two, you're already rich as fuck anyway. Why would you bother?"
The two girls looked annoyed by his jab but kept quiet.
"But you and me man, we got nothing to lose!" He exclaimed to John B. "We really don't, all right? And I know it didn't use to be that way for you."
"I don't want to talk about this," John B muttered. "I don't want to talk about it."
"So that's it?" He questioned only to have John B shove past him.
"Just get out of my way, bro."
"John B, listen to me. I have a plan!"
Dylan, Pope, and Kie shared a knowing look. They watched the JJ walk to stand by his friend. "You got the keys to Cameron's boat, right?"
"No, JJ—"
"There's scuba gear inside, man. We just borrow that and then we go down to the wreck this afternoon, and that is what's going to save you man. You don't see rich kids going into foster care, do you?"
They didn't hear and answer from John B but Dylan already knew he would agree. JJ was his best friend and John B always, always listened to his friends.
She stood up from her chair gaining their attention. "I'm gonna walk down to the beach." She announced.
JJ's expression softened. "DJ." He spoke but she ignored him and walked by to go to the beach. "D!"
The others watched her leave and Pope glared at him. "Nice going, dumbass." He snapped and went after her.
He found her sitting on the sand at the edge of the shoreline. Her knees were pulled to her chest and her arms circled her ankles. Her wild curls blew in the wind. He didn't even have to see her face to know she looked beautiful. Pope sat beside her on the sand. "Are you okay?"
She just shrugged.
He sighed. "JJ's a dumbass. You know that. He says dumb shit when he's mad."
"I know." Dylan muttered. Her brown eyes admired the soft waves that rippled through the clear blue water.
"But he always means well," he continued and stared at the side of her face, looking for a reaction. "You know he loves you and your detective obsession. We all do."
"Does he?" She questioned with a low voice. "Do I talk about it so much that it gets on all of your nerves?"
Pope immediately frowned. "What? No, no way! You know me. I love when you go all detective on me. I would literally be lost without it."
Dylan cracked a smile. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"No, I'm serious. You have no idea how much I look forward to hearing you talk about the newest documentary you watched on Hulu or when you tell me what's going on in the news. It's really the highlight of my day."
A soft blush rose on her cheeks and she giggled, shaking her head. "Well, I do pride in gaining new information about serial killers."
"See!" Pope exclaimed, proving his point. "You're a smart lady. Don't let JJ make you feel bad for something you love."
Dylan turned her head to the side and gave him a lazy but gracious smile. "Thank you, Pope, for making me feel better."
He smiled. "Of course."
She looped her arm through his and laid her head on his shoulder. Pope looked down at her with a grin slowly appearing on his face.
Later that day, Dylan waited at the docs for John B and the others to come get her with the boat. The sun was starting to settle and the sky turned a brilliant orange. The breeze had stopped blowing and the air was left with a soft warm feeling. The sound of a motor in the water caught her attention and she could see the HMS Pogue zooming down the stream in her direction. "Anyone call for a boat ride?" John B announced with a charming smile from the front of the boat.
Dylan grinned. "Well, all the yachts were taken so I had to improvise." She teased.
"I can assure you we are better than a yacht." JJ stated and got up to held her in. He held his hand out.
She took it with hesitation. She was still slightly mad at him for how he acted this morning. JJ rarely ever snapped at her like that but when he did it really hit her hard. He was like an older brother to her.
She was shocked when JJ suddenly pulled her into him and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck, making her face smush into his chest. "JJ!"
"Tell me you forgive me and I'll let you go!" He exclaimed with a laugh and squeezed her tighter.
The others laughed in amusement as they watched JJ drag Dylan's downward and she thrashed against him. "Jesse James Maybank!" Her voice muffled.
"I'm sorry, Dylan Celeste. I love my little detective lady, you know that."
She gave up her thrashing and just let him hug her. "Yeah, yeah."
"Am I forgiven?" He asked again while looking down at the top of her head.
Dylan sighed against his clothed chest. "I suppose so."
"Yeah!" JJ cheered and the others clapped. "Say you love me."
"I love you, stupid."
John B grinned through his clapping. "And they're back."
JJ pressed a loud kiss to the side of Dylan's cheek and sat back down on the bow. She rolled her eyes and sat beside Pope, who was watching the interaction in amusement from the driver's seat. She narrowed her eyes. "Was this your idea?"
He only shrugged with a tiny smirk. "Maybe."
She smiled a cute smile and nudged him in the arm, making him chuckle.
Pope drove the boat into the middle of the marsh and docked. They crowded around as Kie observed the tanks that John B stole from Ward Cameron's boat. "This is empty. You took empty tanks?" She asked in disbelief.
"I..." John B started but sighed with defeat, running a hand through his hair.
"Okay, this one's a quarter full. It's enough for one of us."
"Love it when a plan comes together." Pope said sarcastically with his feet propped up. Dylan sat on the other seat with her feet propped up beside his.
"Does anybody know how to dive?" Kiara asked the group.
They all looked at each other but didn't say anything. "It's kind of a kook sport." JJ declared and that's when their eyes turned to Dylan.
She sat slouched in her seat and picked at her nails, thinking she desperately needed a manicure. Feeling their eyes, she looked up. "Why are you looking at me?"
"Oh, come on, DJ. You're out water bug." JJ teased and ruffled her messy head of curls.
Dylan swatted his hand and rolled her eyes. "So that automatically means I'm volunteered to check out a sunken boat when we're literally in the middle of a crime scene investigation?"
There was a pause. "Yes."
"Uh, I-I don't think it's a good idea." Pope chimed in and shook his head. "I read about it."
"Great, Pope read about it. Someone's gonna die." Kiara shot.
Dylan blinked. "That's a terrible assumption,"
"Look, y-you put the thing in your mouth and breath. How hard could it be?"
"Well, if you come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood and you get the bends." Pope informed.
"Bends like, bend over. . ." JJ said and bent over to demonstrate.
"The bends kill you."
". . .Right."
"Dylan, you're our best swimmer." Kie informed, looking at the other girl.
"She sure is." JJ agreed with a snap of his fingers.
Dylan looked at them bewilderingly. "Did you not hear Pope? I could get the bends!"
"Just. . . come up really slowly!" He continued, not making the situation any better.
She stared like he was crazy.
"I-I can dive." John B raised his hand, interrupting their banter.
Kiara scoffed. "Since when can you dive?"
"I'll do it. It's fine."
"Let me do some calculations real quick." Pope intervened and grabbed a paper and a pencil. "Okay so, that boat's about thirty feet down. So it'll take twenty five minutes at most of that depth. Which means you need to make that safety stop at about. . . ten feet. All right? For two minutes."
Dylan shook her head with a dazed smile. "Pope, I love your brain."
"His brain loves you." JJ chimed, earning a quick elbow to the gut from Pope.
They watched as Kiara stripped herself of her t shirt and dived into the water with a graceful splash. "Uh, what was that all about?" Pope questioned.
JJ's eyes stayed on the water. "I don't know. But I liked it. A lot."
Dylan narrowed her eyes at them and clapped her hands loudly, making them snap out of it. She rolled her eyes. "Pigs."
"Uh, anyway, so. . .When you're done there, you look for the cargo hold," JJ stammered and took the key out from his pocket. "You stick this thing inside and twist and pull, okay?"
"Stick in the hole, twist and pull." John B repeated.
Dylan snorted in amusement and Pope gave her a look. "You spend too much time around JJ."
"Hey now, it works it. My one brain cell mixes together with all of hers." JJ grinned like an idiot and the two of them high fived.
Kie popped her head out from the water. "Hey, I tied my T shirt to the anchor chain about ten feet down. It's where you need to do your safety stop."
Dylan started helping John B put his gear on.
"Keep up with this," Pope ordered and handed a timer to him. "You need to make sure you have enough air to decompress."
"Okay, how much do I need?"
He had no idea. "Unclear. Breathe as little as possible."
"Zen. Think zen, you know?" JJ added.
Dylan smiled sarcastically. "Well, that's promising." She turned back to John B. "Are you sure you don't want me to go? You know me. I thought I was a mermaid when I was six so I used to train myself to stay under for like five minutes. And being a lifeguard really helps." She tried convincing them.
"Yeah, and you used to trick us by floating face down and making us think you were dead." Pope mumbled, earning a wink from her.
John B grinned. "It's fine, DJ. I can handle it. You'll give me CPR, right?"
She smiled in response.
"Hey, if we get caught out here in the marsh, we're basically screwed so. . ." Said Pope.
"And tampering with crime scene evidence is a third degree felony and is punishable for up to five years in prison." Dylan added in.
He pointed to her. "Better get a move on."
"Copy that." John B muttered.
Kiara stepped onto the bow and kissed him on the cheek. Dylan's jaw dropped and shared a look with JJ and Pope. "Diver down?"
"Diver down."
"Damn, Pope, why can't you be that bold?" JJ mumbled.
Pope's eyes widened and he quickly elbowed him in the gut.
Kiara stepped down at John B put the oxygen mask on before stepping off the boat and into the water. The second his head dipped under water, Dylan smacked her arm. "Ow, Dylan!" She yelled.
"What the hell was that?" Dylan questioned and the smirked. "You're such a liar!"
Kiara rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, I am not!"
"Are too! You think I haven't noticed the eyes you've been giving him? Or the constant need to be around him and make sure he's okay?"
Kie gave her a look. "That's called being a concerned friend, DJ. Besides, no pogue on pogue macking, remember?"
Dylan rolled her eyes. "That's a stupid rule you made up when we were twelve when we both hit puberty."
"And it keeps us all from getting our feelings hurt. Besides, why on Earth would I want any of these goons?"
Dylan looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with Pope. He was balancing the pencil on his nose when he saw her staring and immediately sat up, making the pencil fall and he smiled shyly. She grinned and looked back at her friend. "They're not that bad."
Kiara only rolled her eyes.
She made her way back to the empty seat beside Pope and sat down. "Hey mathlete." She smiled big.
He rolled his eyes. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"
She grinned comically and propped her feet up. "No, I'm not. Don't worry, I think it's cute."
A light red brushed his cheeks and laughed. "Uh, hey, did you know that forensic science wasn't invented my scientists? It was actually introduced by cops."
Her brown eyes widened with interest. "No way, really? Wow, we should give them more credit than we thought."
He chuckled. "Yeah, it's because cops DNA testing and UV lighting weren't in the picture yet so they would rely heavily on fingerprints."
Dylan waved a finger in the air. "Speaking of DNA testing, I don't know if you know this. Well, you probably do, but did they can extract DNA from the pulp chamber of your teeth?"
"I did know that! It's so fucking cool."
JJ blinked rapidly as he listened to their interaction. "Ah, nerds in love."
"Gotta love it." Kiara added.