We all fell asleep at John B's and when we woke up the mood has not changed at all, if anything it's become more depressing. Pope is so angry and frustrated and none of us are sure where to go from here. I go to the kitchen and make some pancakes to try and cheer everyone up. Everyone eats happily and we go toward the porch to relax. It's chillier out today than it has been and it feels nice. As I sit curled up next to John B, my phone starts buzzing and I see Sarah is calling me.
"Gracie! You have to get over here! There's something you guys have to see!" Sarah shouts into the phone.
"What's going on? Is dad there?" I ask not wanting to take everyone there obviously if he was.
"No, but I don't know when he'll be back so you have to come quick!" And then she hangs up the phone.
After I convince everyone that it's safe to go, we head over to my house. Sarah is waiting for us outside when we get there and we all quickly follow her to our dining room but it doesn't look like the dining room. The wallpaper that once covered its walls is torn apart on the floor and there are drawings all over the wall as well as a large hole toward the one end of the wall.
"What is this?" I ask, looking at the pictures.
"It's a map," Pope says.
"These drawings match the one's Denmark made in his journal," John B. says as we all look around.
"How did you figure this out?" I ask Sarah but she explains that she found the room like this.
"I know who did," I hear Wheezie say and we all jump at her sudden presence.
"Wheeze, what happened," And she goes on to tell us that a woman with crutches who we know to be Limbrey, came here. She asked dad to show her the room and started talking about angels.
"It's a map to the cross! Everyone look for an angel!" Pope yells and we all look at the drawings searching for anything that resembles an angel but no one can find anything.
"Guy, look at this," JJ yells and we all rush to see him pointing at what looks like a keyhole on a tree.
"It's an angel tree," He says.
"You're a genius, JJ" I yell.
We all turn to rush out the door and to the van but Wheezie stops Sarah and I asking what was going on.
"Wheezie, there's a lot going on right now but we'll explain later, love you!" We both say we love you in unison and follow the others out the door.
"Sarah, are you coming along for this adventure?" I ask as she hesitates to get in the van.
"You're coming," I say before she can answer and pull her into the van.
As we drive through the muggy swamp area of the outer banks, the road becomes less visible as the tide rises.
"Um what's the likelihood we get through there?" John B. asks JJ who is in the passenger seat next to him.
"They're not great," JJ replies.
"Oh come one, we all know you're gonna do it. Like when have any of y'all ever done the safe thing?" Sarah says laughing and we all follow in her amusement. I was happy to have her here with me. Her and I often felt like we were on two different sides of everything. She never cared that I was a Pogue but I always wondered if a part of her was jealous. Jealous that I was able to get out of the Kook life that she was wrapped up in. But none of that mattered now. John B. floors it and we thankfully end up on dryland, getting through the swamp water. As we get out of the van JJ warns us of alligators and begins barking because he claims it scares them.
"Yeah wake them up, that's smart," Sarah says to him sarcastically. She seems to be enjoying life outside the bubble wrap for a change and I'm happy for it. I wonder what Topper would say if he saw her.
"It's this way guys," Pope says as we follow him through the woods and we start here mechanical sounds, like at a construction site. Then as we get closer and duck behind a bush we see Limbrey and Renfield as well as dad and several others digging around the Angel Tree.
"Shit, we're too late," Kiara says and Pope looks crushed. Our hope is snatched away from us as we hear the thunk of wood and Limbrey has the men stop digging. They bring out of the ground what appears to be a casket and Ward pries it open but there faces don't look like a group of people who just found an ancient gold cross.
Limbrey starts to yell something at the others and Ward looks extremely annoyed and within minutes they pack up their things and drive off.
"Come on!" Pope yells and heads towards the tree. As we approach we see that the coffin is not entirely empty. There's a half deformed skull and some other bone fragments inside.
"OMG," Sarah and Kie say in unison. Pope looks inside the coffin and picks up a small looking coin and engraved on it is the name Cecelia, Denmark's wife.
"The true treasure lies at the foot of the angel, the true treasure was his wife," Kie says and her voice quivers with emotion as the realization settles over us.
"They defiled her grave," Pope says and he sounds both heartbroken and angry.
"We'll fix it," John B. says to him and pats him on the back. We all get to work lowering the coffin back into the grave and Kiara even gathers some wildflowers on top. When we're done, Pope keeps thinking out loud about none of it makes sense. How he didn't think Denmark would send his kids on the hunt for a cross that didn't exist.
"Guys, maybe this isn't over," JJ says as he climbs on top of the Twinkie and onto a large tree branch.
"This looks like the spot in the drawing at Tannyhill, the tree grew over time so it would make sense that the spot is different," JJ says and I follow his footsteps and climb up next to him in the tree.
"You're right," I say as I look at the others.
"So who's sticking their hand in?" JJ asks, looking at me and the others. Kie says no because she crawled into a drain, which is a fair point. Everyone else shakes their heads no.
"Rock, paper, scissors, JJ" I say.
"You were shot, I'll just do it," He says. I can't help but giggle at the craziness that has become our lives. JJ reaches his hand into the hole in the tree but then he lets out a loud scream and I go to pull his arm free from whatever horrible booby trap got him. Instead he stops and begins laughing.
"You should see all your faces!" He laughs and proceeds to continue feeling around in the tree.
"I got something!" He says and pulls out a long leather tube.
"Theres an inscription!" Pope yells as he takes the tube from JJ.
"HMS Royal Merchant!"
"Let me see!" JJ says extending the tube to reveal that its actually a spyglass.
"Look it says, "you've come this far, do not falter, the cross is at the freedman's alter," Its at Denamark's church!" Pope yells and we all run to get into the van and drive off. John B. slows down as we approach the same part of the road as last time but now the tide is even higher.
"Um how high are the sparkplugs, John B?" JJ asks nervously and John B. hesitates before saying that they're just above the taillights. Everyone unconfidently agrees that the water couldn't be that deep and we brace ourselves as John B. floors it. We're just about out of the water when we swerve to the side and off the road. We're thrown from side to side in the van and then water begins flowing in from the bottom of the door.
"So we might have misjudged that," JJ says.
"Only a little," Sarah responds as she steadies herself.
We all hop out of the van and the water is cold and murky, as it comes up to about my thighs as I'm only 5'2. No one is quite sure what to do but then Kiara suggests getting her dad's truck.
"Kie, are you sure?" I ask, knowing how hard things have been for her at home lately.
"Yeah Kie, that's a lot to ask," John B. adds.
"It can't get much worse," She responds. JJ goes with her to get a wench from the chateau so that we can pull the Twinkie out. Leaving me, Sarah, Pope, and John B. behind. The four of us are all sitting on top of the Twinkie, half our buddies damp with water and mud. The boys are becoming impatient waiting for JJ and Kie to come back so they hop into the water to begin looking for driftwood to leverage the van out of the water.
"I guess I'll help too," I say and hop in as well. Sarah opts to stay where she is and I don't blame her. I keep hearing JJ's warning about gators in my head and I feel like I'm getting paranoid as I search through the water for a big enough piece of wood.
"Hey guys I found one!" John B. yells but then I hear a splashing sound and I can no longer see him.
"John B?" I yell but there's no response but then I hear another splash and John B. flashes through the water holding onto an alligator.
"OMG Pope!" I scream and run towards John B.
"Gracie, here!" Sarah yells and throws me a fishing knife from the glovebox of the Twinkie. When I get to where John B. is he is pulled beneath the surface again and I can't see anything in the muddy water.
"John B!" I scream and then he's tumbling in the water with the alligator latched onto him. I wait until I have a clear shot and bring the knife down hard into the alligaotrs thick skin. I do that several more times and then it finally releases John B. and swims off leaving a trail of blood in the water.
"Come on you guys let's go! Back to the Twinkie!" Pope yells as he slightly pushes John B. forward. My heart is beating out of my chest still as we climb back onto the Twinkie.
"Ow, my leg, it really got me," John B. says as he pulls his leg up for support and the huge gash in his leg makes me nauseous.
"We need something to stop the bleeding," Sarah says butJ John B. pulls out the bandana, our bandana, his dad's bandana.
"John B-"
"It's fine, nothing a good wash won't fix," He says before I can object. I hold the bandana over his wound and he winces when I press down.
"Where the hell are JJ and Kiara?" Pope exclaims and as if on cue, we saw Kiara's dad's truck pull around the corner.
"Well look who finally showed up! The tortoise and the tortoise!" Pope yells at them as they get out of the truck.
"My dad was at the Chateau," JJ says in a sheepish manner.
"Oh great! While you were having family time with your Pops, John B. got bit by a gator!" Pope yells back at him but I give him a hard shove and he glares at me.
"I'm sure it wasn't bonding time, lay off," I say to him out of JJ's earshot.
"What do you mean John B. was bit by a gator?" Kie says.
"Look at his leg! Does it look like we're joking?" Sarah says back to her. Now everyone is yelling back and forth about how they took too long and how Kiara risked everything to do this. Before things get worse, JJ screams at everyone to stop.
"Look I just helped my dad leave the island and I'll probably never see him again. You guys are all I've got, and I have come too close to losing each of you! Kie you almost drowned, Pope you were kidnapped! Gracie, you were literally shot! And John B. you were almost eaten by a gator! We can't keep arguing and blaming each other like this! That's some Kook shit!" No one knows quite what to say. He was right. We were all we had and we were better than this. John B. begins a round of applause and we all follow his lead.
"Alright let's get the hell out of here," I say and we finally get the Twinkie out of the water.
"Let's go get my cross!" Pope yells as we head towards Denmark's Church