"Why do I even have to go?" Evelyn whined.
It had been several hours since Topper had dropped her off at home and she was standing in front of her mirror as her mom placed the flower crown on her head.
"Because it is a party and you will go and have fun," Allison said.
"Mom I'm not going to like anyone there," Evelyn complained.
"Won't Kiara be there?" Allison asked placing her hand on her daughters shoulder.
"Well yes but-"
"Then there will be someone there you like," Allison said, "Just go, have some fun for one night."
--
Evelyn walked into the party with her parents. Her eyes immediately spotted Kiara standing by her parents.
"I'm gonna say hi to Kie," Evelyn said.
"All right sweetie, have fun," Jake said.
Evelyn walked up to Kiara who had an annoyed looked on her face, "Can you believe this."
"I know," Kiara complained, "We're here at midsummers while the cut has absolutely no power."
"Welcome to life as a Kook," Evelyn mumbled.
Kiara bumped Evelyns arm motioning toward Pope, "Shall we go say hi?"
"I believe we shall," Evelyn said in a British accent.
"Excuse me, sir," Kiara said in a British accent, "Do we have to shuck these ourselves?"
Pope turned around with an annoyed look, his eyes softening when he saw the two girls in front of him.
"Because it might mess up our costumes," Evelyn said in an equally horrible British accent.
"We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Pope asked doing and handshake with Kiara, "Those accents were bad."
"They were," Evelyn laughed.
"You ever seen this many Kooks in one place?" Kiara asked as the three looked out at the crowd.
"Yeah," Pope said, "Last year."
"We're in the lions den," Kiara said.
Evelyns eyes landed on Topper, as if he could sense her stare, he looked up locking eyes with her. The boy sent her a small smile before turning back to his conversation with Kelce.
"Have either of you heard from JJ?" Pope asked making Evelyn look back at him.
"No," Evelyn said, "He was already bailed out by the time my dad and I got to the police station."
She wasn't quite sure why she left out the part about seeing Luke hit JJ. Maybe it was because she didn't want to think about it at all.
"He'll be all right," Kiara said, "He's got the survival instincts of a cockroach."
"It's all my fault," Pope said.
"You didn't do this Pope," Evelyn said.
"Topper almost killed you. Remember?" Kiara said.
Clapping from the crowd caught Evelyn's attention. She looked up to see Ward and Rose Cameron walking out.
"Here come Lord Capital and the Exploiters," Kiara said.
"She's definitely gonna poke somebody's eye out with that," Pope said referring to the headpiece Rose was wears.
"Kinda reminds me of Lady Liberty," Evelyn admitted making Pope and Kiara laugh.
--
It was now dark and the party had been going on for awhile.
"I'm gonna go get something to drink," Evelyn said looking at Kiara.
Kiara just nodded letting the girl know that she'd heard her. Evelyn walked over to where the drinks were.
"Could I get a water please?" Evelyn asked, "Thank you."
Evelyn grabber the water and walking back over to Kiara.
"Look man I can walk myself," someone yelled.
Evenly looked up to see JJ being escorted out by security, "JJ," she whispered.
"I really appreciate what you did back there," JJ said, "Let me just walk out by myself. Oh, Mr. Dunleavy, I see you got your drink. Good, that's really nice of you. I'm actually gonna down that."
JJ grabber the older mans drinking, tipping it back and drinking the whole thing.
"We have to do something Kie," Evelyn said looking at her friend.
"It's okay, everybody. Do not panic," JJ yelled catching the attention of the crowd, "Leave it to the men and women in uniform. Let's hear it for them. Rose! You look like Lady Liberty."
"Let go of him!" Kiara yelled, "You can't just boot him."
"Excuse me, ma'am?" the security guard asked.
"I invited him here," Evelyn said, "I'm a member of this club."
"Evelyn," her mom said just as JJ turned around pushing the security guard away from him.
"Sorry about that," JJ said, "Hey, mandatory power hour at Rixon's, Kie, E. Pope, you as well, all right? Rixon's cove, all right."
Evelyn glance over at Kiara trying to hold in a smile.
"Ladies, all right?" JJ said grabbing his wrist with his hand, "Workers of the world unite. Throw off your chains!"
"Evelyn absolutely not," Jake said.
"I'm sorry," she said pulling away form her parents.
"Evelyn!" Allison yelled as the girl ran toward her friends.
"Come on!" JJ laughed looking at the girl with his arms out
Just before she reach JJ Kiara ran in front of her, running into JJ's arms. He grabbed the girl, spinning her around before setting her back on the ground. Evelyn stopped for a second, her smile dropping.
"Let's go," John B said throwing his arm around her shoulders, her smile returning.
--
The group of five sat around a fire that John B and JJ had built at Rioxn's cove.
"Hey, guys. So, like, my dad's already gonna kill me," Pope said, "So what's this mandatory meeting about?"
John B shot finger gun's at JJ, "Might as well tell him, man before we're gaffed," JJ said.
"You ready or this?" John B asked.
"Yeah," Kiara and Evelyn said.
"So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant," John B said.
"Here we go again with this," Pope said.
"No. Hear him out, all right?" JJ said.
"It's been here the whole time," John B said.
"What do you mean here?" Evelyn asked.
"It's on the island," John B said.
"Are you serious?" Kiara asked, "Oh my god."
"I'd like to voice my skepticism," Pope said
"I'm sure you would, Pope," John B said, "Can I please present you with my evidence, sir?"
"Proceed," Pope said waving his hand.
"All right. So, in my backpack," John B said pulling out a paper, "I have a letter from Denmark Tanny."
"Who the hell is that?" Kiara asked.
"Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck," John B said handing the paper to Kiara, "Check this out."
"What?" Evelyn asked leaning to look at the paper Kiara was holding.
"Slaves weren't mentioned as crew member on the ship, but my dad, he found the complete manifest," John B said, "That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom."
Kiara handed the paper over to JJ, who handed it to Pope.
"After that he bought his farm. Drumroll, please, because that farm is," John B said as the group slapped their knees, "Tannyhill Plantation."
"Tannyhill?" Kiara asked.
"Yeah. So, after that, he used his money to free even more slaves, and then he sold a shit-ton of rice, which pisses off all of the white planters, and then they decide to lynch him," John B said, "So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell. And in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold."
"Where?" Evelyn whispered.
"Harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water," John B said, "Except...there's no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Check this out. The gold is in parcel nine, near the water."
"Holy shit," Pope said.
"All we need is an original survey man of the property, and we've found the gold," John B said.
"So this might have a small change of being actually true," Pope said.
JJ walked over to John B picking him up, "Hello! Fire! Fire! You're near the fire. You're gonna burn."
"I'm so proud of you right now," JJ said putting John B back on the ground.
"Thank you," John B said grabbing JJ's face, "That's really sweet of you."
"Okay, so, guys," Pope said, "What's the plan?"
"Good question," John B said pointing at Pope, "Sarah Cameron's coming tonight."
Evelyn looked over at Kiara, who's face twisted in confusion
"She's gonna bring an original survey map--"
"Hold on," Kiara said, "Sarah. Wh-why Sarah?"
"This is gonna be good," JJ said glancing at Evelyn.
"Sarah um-she--she got me into the archives in Chapel Hill yesterday, and that's where I got the letter," John B said.
"You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?" Kiara asked.
"Yeah, um--"
"He was mackin' on her," JJ said making Evelyn gasp.
"I wasn't macking," John B said.
"You were totally macking on Sarah Cameron," JJ said.
"I wasn't macking on her, okay. I was using her for access," John B said.
"There was access, all right," JJ mumbled.
"Did you tell her about the treasure?" Evelyn asked.
"I was just trying to get into the archives," John B said.
"Is that a yes?" Kiara questioned.
"I left out key details," John B said.
"Yo, what?" Kiara said, "You let a Kook in on our secret? What about Pogue Lyfe? What about the t-shirt company, bro?"
"I was just using her for information," John B said.
"Why don't I believe you?" Kiara asked.
"I'm trying to make us filthy rich here," John B said motioning to Pope, "Okay, so that we can pay off a boat, or--or, uh...send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies. Look you guys know me, do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?"
"Do you want us to answer that or--?" Evelyn asked.
"Just--just stop," John B said.
"Look, you don't know her yet. I do!" Kiara said, "You can't trust her."
"Her brother did hit mein the back with a golf club," Pope said.
"Rafe and Sarah are two different human beings," John B defended.
"What did she do to you, exactly?" JJ asked looking at Kie.
"She's like a--like a spitting cobra," Kiara said, "First she blinds you, and then--"
"This is a bad analogy," Evelyn said cutting off her friend.
"Listen to me!" Kiara said, "Whatever we get, she's gonna try and take."