AS JUNE QUINN packed her heavy bag too stay with Sarah for a few days, she rushed herself as she hurried with her clothes, she couldn't stop thinking about the words that flooded her mind.
"Just like your mother!" He shouted. They followed her throughout her day. As she heard a honking she made her way outside, tears straddling her eyes.
"Get in." Rafe Cameron, Sarah's brother said. "Where's Sarah?" She peaked out her door, debating on even going outside near him. "What does that matter? She told me too come get you, get in the car." He demanded.
"Sassy bastard." She muffled, slamming the door as she hurried in the car.
Rafe stared at the sad look on her face as she crossed her arms, "You okay?"
"What?" She huffed, not believing what she was hearing. "Are you okay?" He repeated, more harshly this time. "What do you care? Drive." June dead-panned, obviously not liking the boy she was in the car with. Rafe huffed with a rough eye roll, starting up the car in clear frustration.
As she was in the car, she pulled from her mind, realizing she was missing one thing.
The pogues.
"Rafe, pull over." June spoke out, killing the silence between them. "What?" He squinted, "Pull over! Now, please."
"What the fuck? Where?" Rafe mumbled, giving in to the stubbornness. "By the Carrera food place." She said. "Great." Rafe hit the breaks as he practically sent her flying, swerving down the street.
As they arrive she didn't even say thank you. June was never fond of Rafe. He would always try and flirt with her and be touchy even though she was his sisters bestfriend. And she hated that. She feared it would make Sarah feel a type of way, which she didn't want at all.
"Yo." June rushed in, taking the plate of fries out of Kiara's hand as she sat down. "Those weren't yours, 'Quinn." Kiara mouthed, pointing for another one too her co-worker. "Now they are." She shrugged.
"So, thought you were gonna be with Princess today?" June laughed at that, "You don't get too do that anymore." She dead-panned staring at her with a dying look of confusion. Kiara simply stood, not knowing how too respond as she knew there was still a hint of jealousy laced inside her.
"Like I care." Lies. Of course she cared.
The door swung open too see a Pogue rush it, "I'll leave you guys too it." She said, taking the plate of fries. "You cannot take that plate, Ma'am!" The lady at the desk yelled, only too be ignored as she ran outside, "I'll bring it back!"
June laughed with Pope as they tried too throw fries in each others mouths before Kiara finally agreed too come along. It was dead silent until JJ, of course, spoke. "You mind if I just relax on this one? It's been a long day, a lot of weird stuff's gone down. I'm just gonna lay low. Oh, did you wanna hit of this?" He leaned the blunt forward towards Pope,
"I keep the signal clear." Pope gave the blunt the hand, making June chuckle, "And I don't. Gimme." She said, JJ nodding proudly as he handed it too her.
"Dude, okay. Do you understand that your problem is that you don't get creative. If you got creative then—"
"Look, i know I was wrong about the lights, but I was right about one thing. Okay? My dad is trying too tell me something."
June curled her eyebrows as they pulled into a graveyard. "Oh hell no guys. This is some serious horror movie shit. This is nasty." June ranted too Pope, JJ and Kie who all rolled their eyes. "Let's go June. We're leaving you!" They began too walk away.
"Oh, fuck me." She grunted, stomping too follow them. "This place is scary."
"Shut up. You know how you're trying too remember a song and can't remember who sings it. This whole time I thought it was a place, but it's not a place. It's a person." They shined their light towards the graveyard, reading "Renfield."
"Voi-effing-lá." JJ spoke. "See, my great-great- grandmother Olivia Redfield. That was her maiden name." June nodded, "Help me with the door come on." The boys all walked over there while they stayed behind.
She watched as they struggled only too hear a loud scream, "A snake!"
"Oh my god! Where?" June screamed, lifting her feet up as she looked around. "What did I tell you, guys?" She panicked, her obvious fear getting stronger.
The sound of hissing near her face was heard as she let out a scream, jumping behind John B, "Holy shit!" Kiara screamed as JJ began barking.
"JJ, shut up! Shut up!"
"They're afraid of dogs. Everyone knows that, man. Wait, hold on. If there's one there's dozens." June shook her head, "Yeah, hell no." June began walking only for Pope too grab her wrist, "Stop your scaring me." Kiara said.
"Shut up! John, look. We're not gonna get in there, all right? It's not budging."
"I can get through that hole." She pointed. "You sure?" Pope looked at her. "Yeah, wouldn't want your outfit too get dirty." Kiara mocked. "Awh, it's not like you care, right?" June pouted, referring too her comment from earlier. Kiara scoffed, nodding, "Give her a boost."
She sighed as she began taking of the vines, "So, what exactly am I trying too find?"
"You'll know when you see it." John B said. "Gotcha." She muffled, stepping on JJ's knee with her boot, "Ow!" He grunted, "On the count of three. One, two," A loud thud was heard as JJ rolled his eyes, "Forget three."
She stood up, wiping her outfit from the dirt before speaking, "Flashlight?"
"Yep," JB said, handing it too her through the whole. She walked around the small tombstone, fear laced in her body. "Oh shit."
"You alive?" Kiara spoke up, "No, im dead."
"That's good. Yep, that's good." John B muffled. As June walked around it, she stuck her hand in the steams of it, looking at the weird markings. Her hand ruffled over an envelope as she picked it up, "Got something," Her excited voice yelled, as she jumped up and down slightly, rushing too hand it too them.
Pope grabbed her hand as he helped her out, Kiara looking at her skirt that was dirty. She rolled her eyes as her hands brushed over her, getting it off. June looked at her in an odd way before turning back around.
"That's not gold." Pope grumbled. The faint sound of engines were heard before JJ immediately freaked out, "Square groupers! Code red!"
"Go!"
June rushed too turn off her light as did the others, "Hurry up!"
"Homies got a gun." JJ mumbled. "Screw this." Kiara said, making a run for it. "What the fuck! Wait!" June had fear running through her blood as she grabbed her bag, running after the curly haired girl.
As Pope tried too jump the fence, the sound of loud ripping was heard as he shouted for help, "Guys my pants!"
June turned her head around, a hand on her mouth, "Shit, Pope! Need me too do some shopping for you?" She teased, before finally going too help him, "Wait! Pope don't move okay!" JJ said, holding up his gun, "Don't be a fucking idiot dude!" June hit the back of his head, making Kiara chuckle slightly.
The loud rip of his pants where heard even more as she covered himself with two hands, "Look! It's a little tootsie roll!"
Once the got back too the chateau, eager laced in their bones as they could no longer wait for this mystery too be solved.
"That bread had mold on it three days ago." Pope said too the blonde boy who was currently putting peanut butter on moldy bread. "I'll just pull off the bad parts."
"Plus, mold is good for you. It's just a natural organism." JJ shrugged. "I'll just order pizza." June shrugged, walking too where John B was sitting.
"JJ," Kiara called out, "Yep, Yep! Hot damn, let's do it."
As he opened the envelope, a map came out, the first thing June noticed was the X marks the spot. "Longitude, latitude."
"Wait, there's something else in there." John B announced, reaching to fully open it. He pulled out a tape recorder making them all look in confusion. "What's that?" He asked, "It's a tape recorder, dumbass."
The sound of a click was heard from John B as he pressed the small button at the bottom, "Dear, Bird." It read, "Who's bird?" JJ questioned the boy, "that's what my dad called me."
"I hate too say "i told you so," but I told you so." They all froze at the sound of his fathers voice, "And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet kid." Big John's voice brought sadness amongst them, as well as his words.
"I didn't expect too find the merchant either. You were probably right too call me out. What can I say kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully we're listening too this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica, livin' off passive investments and pulling on permits. If not, and you find this for less optimal reasons," He sighed, "Well, that's what the map is for."
"There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If something's happens too me, finish what I started." June took a deep breathe before it went quiet.
"Having a partner is always best. I care for mine deeply. She's my bestfriend, that Summer." June's heart dropped at the sound of her dead mothers name coming out of Big Johns mouth. "Don't know what I would do without her. I promised her you would keep an eye on June when she was diagnosed. Don't disappoint me, son."
The sound of the door opening in the background was heard on the tape as a female voice was muffled, "Let's get goin." It was her mother. Her hand fell on her mouth as tears formed in her eyes.
"Go for the gold kid. I love you, Bird." Silence.
June hugged herself as John stormed up, tears in his eyes as he sobbed.
A hand on her mouth she tried too give him space as she cried too herself but she could no longer help it as she walked towards him, wrapping both arms around his torso. And once he knew it was her, he swung around and returned the hug.
The night died in sadness after that. Though, the flight too make thing okay, what they heard in that tape just made it worse.
Confusion. That's what filled the two lost kids minds.
What really was going on?