The 4 Pogues were once again collectively sat on the top van as they waited for Kie and JJ to come to their rescue.
Saylor was sat with her head rested on Popes shoulder, a blunt between her lips and a ripped section of her best friends shirt wrapped around the cut on her palm.
"The tortoise and the tortoise, Just a couple hours late." Pope commented as Kies trucked finally pulled up. "Where the hell were you guys?"
"Paternal complications." Kie replied as she climbed out of the stolen car.
"Luke was at the Chateau." JJ added.
"Ugh, I hate that guy" Saylor scoffed.
"Oh, great! While you were having family time with your pops John B and S got attacked by a gator"
"Like, for real?" The blonde raised an eyebrow.
"Does it look like we're joking?" Sarah deadpanned motioning over to John Bs leg and Saylors hand.
"Okay, what the hell happened?"
"I got bit by a gator!" "He got bit by a gator!" John B and Pope shouted at the same time.
"I dunno why I'm being yelled at. I put my ass on the line." Kie retaliated also raising her voice.
That's when everyone kicked off and started arguing, there voices overlapping each other. All except Saylor and JJ were bickering. JJ was rubbing his hand over his face stressed and Saylor simply exhaled smoke from out her lips as the drug numbed the pain in her palm and distracted her racing thoughts.
"Shut up!" JJ eventually yelled causing everyone to fall silent and Saylor to whistle at his attitude.
"Seriously, guys, can't take it anymore, all right? Everyone just cut it out for a second." He laughed unamused. "Look, I just helped my dad leave this island for good. Like, he's not ever coming back. He's straight up like the Spanish. Just, Bon voyage"
"Thats not the right language" Sarah whispered lowly.
"That's Latin Jay" Saylor corrected believing she was correct.
"Oh my god" Pope shook his head in disbelief.
"And I know for a fact all I got is you guys, okay? You're it. And I've come too close to losing you, all of you. mean, shit, like you almost drowned." He pointed at Kie "Pope, you were kidnapped. Sarah, you've been shot. Say was brain washed"
"It's true, I was there" Saylor nodded her head enthusiastically the effects of the blunt she had smoked clouding her brain.
"John B, you were almost dinner for a freaking gator, bro. So, this blaming each other is some Kook-ass bullshit, all right? We don't do that Okay? We're Pogues." He took a deep breath as he finished his rant "Sorry, that was a lot right now."
After a moment of silence everyone began to slowly clap.
"I gotta be honest. That was the best freaking speech you have ever given." John B praised. "Also, you should think about, like, a Rosetta Stone because your Spanish and French are flip-flopped."
This caused Saylor to scrunch her face in confusion.
"We should bon voyage out of here." Sarah joked pointing into the air.
"Wait, so that wasn't Latin?" Saylor asked Pope as he helped her climb down from the roof. The Heyward boy simply ignored her, once again shaking his head. "No P, I'm serious, was that not Latin?"
☘︎︎
"Okay, you're telling me Denmark Tanny decided to hide the cross here?" JJ asked in disbelief as they entered the old, abandoned church.
"Everybody, just spread out" Kie instructed.
"Okay well, if I was a cross and wanted to be hidden in an old church, where would I hide?" John B asked himself out loud.
"Are you sure that Denmark hid the cross here, Pope?" JJ asked uncertain. "Like, are we at the right church?"
"It's gotta be here somewhere, guys." Pope shook his head, standing at the alter.
"What if we have to push a secret button or, like, okay, like a..a certain chord, and then all of a sudden, the ground beneath us reveals the catacombs or something on which we stand?" JJ spoke up as he looked down at the ground, standing near the piano.
"That would be so sick" Saylor agreed eyes wide as she starting pressing the walls hoping to find a secret button.
"It's not an escape room." Kie rolled her eyes.
"It's gotta be in here!" Pope snapped suddenly.
"I can't see where they'd hide a giant cross here." John B said, his eyes scanning over the church taking note of the lack of hiding spots.
"No, no. There's no way he would set us up on a freaking goose chase that would lead us to a church that has nothing." Pope stressed as he threw his arms around, eyes wide.
"Yes, I get it. I don't know what to tell you, man." John B shook his head.
"The clues led us here. The cross is in this church." Pope repeated.
"Pope, it'll be all right." John B stated as Pope threw himself onto one of the benches. "We've had setbacks in the past, and we figured it out."
"He's right P, we will work it out. We always do" Saylor reassured plopping herself down next to him on the bench.
"We just gotta think about this logically, all right? Where else would you hide a 7 foot-tall cross made of gold?"
Pope lowered the eyeglass, staring up at the ceiling.
"What?" JJ asked as Pope stood up.
They followed his gaze to, what appeared to just be part of the wood built on the ceiling. With a harder look, it was obvious the beams were shaped like crosses.
"Oh my god. Look at that." Kie gapped.
Everyone was looking up at beams with a smile when Saylors face dropped as she saw Pope climbing up the wall in her peripheral vision. "Er Pope, I don't think that's very safe."
"Hey, no!" JJ shouted at him.
"Now Pope's climbing the wall." John B narrated.
"Thanks for that observation, David Attenborough" Saylor joked nudging her twins shoulder.
"Yo! This church's got to be at least two hundred years old." JJ called as Pope crawled to the top.
"He's right, Pope. It's too dangerous." John B added in.
"Pope!" Kie yelled out.
"Pope I know we joke about being hero's but you're no Peter parker" Saylor shook her head and picked the skin around her nails anxiously.
"All right, this ones solid wood." Pope said as he hit one of the ceiling posts, "I'm gonna try the other beam."
"Pope, that's rotten as shit right there, okay?" JJ warned.
Pope then knocked on the next post.
"Pope, I hate to break it to you, but that's wood." JJ scratched the back of his neck.
"It has to be here. I know it." Pope spoke as he rose to his feet on the beam. He walked around the post in the middle.
"Bro, just watch out for that giant wasp nest right above your head," JJ called out to him, taking notice of the wasps as they began to exit their nest.
"Just move slow, all right? Nice and easy." John B recommended.
Pope stumbled, causing them all to gasp.
"Woah, hey!" JJ hollered out.
"Pope! I'm being so serious right now. Please come down." Saylor called up to him desperately her anxiety making her nauseous. She couldn't loose anyone else, she couldn't handle it.
"I'll be okay S, I promise" Pope tried to calm her nerves.
"Don't make promises you can't keep" The Routledge girl shook her head.
JJ moved over to the girl and took her hand in his rubbing his thumb over her knuckles making her relax slightly.
"Look, i'm fine." Pope gasped as he looked at the post, "It's hallow. Go get me a crowbar!"
"What are you gonna do, Pope?" JJ asked as Sarah hurried toward the twinkie, "I don't want this entire church to collapse on top of us"
"Hey. Pope." Sarah called as she walked back in with the crowbar clutched in her hand.
"Throw it." he encouraged.
"Everybody watch your head." John B said as they all back up. JJ pulled Saylor with him to the to side.
Sarah threw it up and Pope caught it making the Cameron smile to herself. "Good job" Saylor patted her back.
"Pope, there's the wasp nest right up there, okay?" John B pointed by Pope's head, "Just move slow, all right?"
Pope began hitting the wood with the crowbar, wood falling down toward them making JJ use his body to shield Saylor.
"What is that?" Sarah questioned as they noticed something was inside of the wood. "It's here!"
"Holy Crap, You did it." "Holy shit" "We did it" "P, you found it!" They all cheered as Pope continued to knock the rest of the wood till the golden cross was fully revealed.
.·:*¨ ✘♚✘ ¨*:·.