IF Eden were honest, the last thing she expected to leave the graveyard with was a FedEx package.
Not like she expected to leave the graveyard with anything in hand, but out of anything, she expected a letter, or maybe gold, like the Maybank expected. But, here she was, handing a FedEx package from the small crack of the mausoleum.
Scanning over the item with her headlamp, she read over the words written upon the front. For Bird. At first glance, nothing came to mind, so Eden handed it out to John B.—it was for him, after all.
"That's not gold." Pope muttered, sounding rather disappointed as Eden's hand exited the small crack with a package in hand. Though he didn't fully believe that there'd be gold inside the mausoleum, he did expect something better than a package.
The two girls then exited the mausoleum, landing right beside the three boys. Eden tried to see how John B. was reacting to the package, but his face didn't show too much emotion as he scanned over it.
Despite its invaluable look, Eden hoped that this package held something for John B. After this entire search, as Kie had stated, he deserved to find something. They couldn't leave this empty handed. Plus, Eden couldn't see John B.'s disappointed face, early that day had been enough.
Luckily for Eden, his next words showed that this package indeed meant something to him. "Holy shit. This is from my dad." His eyes glimpsed up from the package, and darted to each of his friends, watching as a small smile appeared on their faces. They were finally successful at something.
But, the Pogues' moment of success was ruined as JJ's voice came over them, slightly panicked. "Code red. Code red. Square groupers! Square groupers!" He blew out a whiff of smoke, turning towards the other four.
"Go." Kie didn't even finish her sentence before the five were running in time with each other, crouching down against the side of the mausoleum. Taking control once again, she ordered, "Lights!"
Eden did as she was told, slapping a hand on the headlamp so it no longer illuminated the ground in front of her. She tried to peek outside, but it was hard to see much without their flashlights on. As she did so, her eyes caught the brunette boy beside her struggling with his lantern, causing her to scoff.
"Do you not know how to turn off a lantern?" Eden whispered, snatching the lantern from underneath his shirt, where he'd been trying to cover up the light. He put his hands up in defense, muttering a small apology as he grabbed the lantern back from her grasp.
Kie peeked out, slightly covered by JJ's silhouette, "Do you think it's them?"
The blonde, who had the best viewpoint, replied with, "Homies got a gun."
After a moment of silence, trying to process what to do, Kiara stood back up and began to run in the direction of the Twinkie. Despite not wanting to get caught, they were more safe driving away than playing a game of hide a seek, "Screw this."
Kie was first to hop the gate, but eventually the entire group was climbing over the fencing, going as quickly as possible. John B. caught Eden as she jumped over, and set her on the ground, not even waiting for her before he chased after Kie.
They would have been in the van already if it wasn't for Pope's frantic calls, "Guys, I'm stuck." He began to try and free himself—more so his pants—from the fencing, "I'm stuck, I'm stuck, I'm stuck—"
"Pope, come on, man!" the blonde turned on his heels, running back after the boy caught on the fence. He pulled out his gun—which, Eden wasn't surprised about. After the incident at the chateau, he always seemed to have it on him—turning off the safety as he aimed it at the boy. "No. Pope, don't move, okay?"
John B. and Eden both gave each other an 'are you kidding me?' sort of look before slapping JJ's arm down in a swift movement before he could actually try and free Pope using a bullet. Based on the blonde's training with the gun, him trying to free Pope would have ended with a bullet to the crotch for the stuck boy.
"Wait. You're gonna rip me!" Pope exclaimed multiple times as Kie pulled him down, cringing as the rip of his pants sounded.
"You're fine. Come on!" Kie didn't bother listening as she pulled him down from the fence, letting out a small laugh as his pants ripped right off of him, leaving the boy in his underwear. Eden put a fist over her mouth to keep from laughing at the sight of him running, hand over his crotch as to cover everything.
"It's a little Tootsie Roll." JJ exclaimed, causing the two girls to let out an unexpected laugh. Crowding into the van, the tires screeched as John B. hit the gas and turned on the wheel, getting them the hell out there.
If only they'd known the two men weren't really the square groupers. They were just the cemeteries security men, wondering what five teenagers were doing this late at night.
After a car ride full of laughing at Pope's situation, they made their way back to the chateau. John B. and Kie had dispersed off to the living room, and Eden found herself in the kitchen with JJ, leaning against the counter as he found something to eat for himself.
"Want one?" JJ spoke up, glancing up at the brunette girl beside him. He was currently slathering peanut butter upon two slices of bread. Eden opened her mouth to say sure, but then her eyes caught a sight of the spots covering half the bread.
"Is it just me, or is that bread a little green, J?" Eden bit her lips, sending a confused look towards the blonde boy. Clearly, the bread wasn't anywhere near good. The spots covering it had to be mold, signaling it was older than expired.
Pope came out from John B.'s room—he'd borrowed a pair of shorts after the destruction of his prior ones—clarifying, "That bread had mold on it three days ago."
"Yeah, I'll just pull off the bad parts." JJ replied with a shrug, clearing caring less about the boys words. He continued to talk, spreading more peanut butter over the splotchy bread, "Plus, mold is good for you. It's just a natural organism."
Eden gave a weary look and shook her head, "Actually, mold is a decomposer, meaning it breaks down dead matter. So, that bread isn't just really stale, it's literally rotten." She watched as JJ paused for a moment and shrugged, "Do what you wanna do, J. I'd just recommend toasting that if you really want it."
He shrugged, "I'll be fine. It'll taste as good as new."
She gave a hesitant nod, "Mhm, sure."
"Eds, JJ!" Kie called the two over to where they'd been discussing mold, beckoning them towards the table where John B., Pope and herself were situated. Eden rushed up to the table, standing right behind John B., and the blonde came up soon after, moldy sandwich in hand.
"Yup, yup, yup! Hot damn. Let's do it." the Maybank appeared on the brunette's other side. After a moment of silence—John B. ripping open the envelope took all their eyes—the sound of gagging was heard, and JJ ran off seconds later, spit up bread in his hand.
"Told you so!" Eden called after the boy, before returning her attention to the brunette boy in front of her. The Routledge pulled out a large map from the package, setting in on the table with slightly widened eyes.
"Holy shit."
Pope pointed out a small but obvious marking on the map, "Oh.'X' marks the spot."
Eden placed her hand over John B.'s shoulder, marking off where the X was located, "Longitude's here, latitudes—" She suddenly felt her finger meet with a different surface, and lifted up the map to look. "Wait, JB, there's something else in here."
John B. placed his hand back in the FedEx package, pulling out a tape recorder. The blonde gave a clueless look towards the object, "What's that?"
"It's a tape recorder, dumbass." Kie retorted quietly, giving him a small side glance.
"Ever seen one before?" Eden remarked sarcastically, causing JJ to give an eye roll and toss his moldy sandwich—which for some reason, he never threw away and left to rot even more on the table—at her. Eden gave a disgusted look, eyeing the thing with suspicion. "That's disgusting, J—"
"Dear Bird,"
The sudden voice caused Eden to stop and fall quiet, just like the rest of the Pogues had. Until, of course, JJ questioned yet again. "Who's Bird?"
"That's what my dad called me." John B. replied. He seemed almost in disbelief that his father was really speaking to him, even if it was through a tape recorder. It had been so long since he'd heard the familiar, comforting voice.
"I hate to say, 'I told you so,' but I told you so. 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. I didn't expect to find the Merchant either."
As Big John spoke of the Merchant, all five teens looked at each other simultaneously. Eden was in slight disbelief. Had he really found the Merchant?
"You were probably right to call me out. Wasn't exactly Father of the Decade. What can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. And hopefully we're listenin' to 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 than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If somethin' happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid. I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side."
The sound of a click told that group that the recording had ended. All the group stayed quiet, waiting for John B. to show some sort of reaction to what he'd just heard. They weren't sure what he'd show. Happiness? Guilt?
It happened to be the latter option. John B. slowly stood up, setting the tape recorder down, and walked over, trying to escape the room so he could cry. He didn't want his friends to see him break down, but he'd only made it a few steps before he fell against the wall, holding on to it as his body raked with sobs.
"Holy shit, he did it!" JJ exclaimed, failing to read the emotion that had taken over the room, "Big John—He found the Merchant—"
Kie scolded him, giving him a dirty look. "Can you....Can you please?"
"Sorry."
John B. had always been there for Eden. Through break ups and broken legs, and everything in between. Eden would always return that favor to the boy—she'd been there throughout this whole grieving process, and she sure wasn't going to leave him now. So, she walked over to him, coming up and wrapping her arms around him. "Nope, come here, John."
At the sudden feeling of her touch, John B. wrapped his arms around her, grasping on to her t-shirt as he let out another sob. Eden held him close, allowing him to cry into her. He needed the support. John B. held on to her like he had no one else, because in all reality, he really didn't.
Eventually, John B. had stopped crying, the Pogues found themselves outside on the dock. Each of them sat in silence, not wanting to set the brunette boy off again, so the only sound the ran through the air was Kie lightly strumming her ukulele.
That was until JJ spoke up, tossing a pebble into the water below as he did. "How much was it again?"
"Four hundred mil." Pope replied simply.
"Alright, let's talk the split." the blonde sighed, swinging his legs back over so he could face his friends again, "Now, before we say 'evenly,' may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us." He pulled out the gun from his waist band for reference. "Protection? Not cheap, okay?"
Pope gave the blonde a dead panned stare, "You haven't trained. You've done zero training."
"YouTube, bro!" JJ popped back up, "That's at least a five percent bump right there."
"You haven't—"
"Any objections?" Both Eden and Kie raised their hands at his words, but he chose to ignore them, continuing on as if he'd seen nothing. "Didn't think so."
Pope huffed, "Yeah..."
"I don't hear any so...."
Kie changed the topic, tired of JJ's words. "What are you gonna do with your eight hundred thousand, Pope?"
"Pay for college in advance." Pope took a moment to think it out, nodding with his words. "And also, textbooks. Those are expensive."
The Maybank looked over at the Carrera girl, "What about you, Kie?"
"Yeah, what does a socialist do when she's rich?" Pope chimed in, teasing his best friend.
Kiara gave a small laugh, shrugging, "Just wanna make a double album. About OBX, the Pogues. You know, the way Catch a Fire is about Kingston. Record it at Marley Studio, Peter Tosh producing."
"Peter Tosh is dead." Pope stated.
"Peter Tosh is dead." Kie spoke at the same time as him, "I know that, Pope. But, the spirit of Peter Tosh will never die."
"Actually, I know what I'm gonna do." JJ spoke up after the Carrera had finished, "I'm gonna get a big ass house on Figure Eight and go full Kook."
Pope gave him a look of amusement, "You're gonna go full Kook."
"Yup." JJ confirmed, "Gonna get a marble statue of myself, and then I'm gonna get a koi pond. Put a bunch of those fish—"
"I'm never visiting." Kie stated with a smile.
Eden rolled her eyes, though the group couldn't see it from her spot next to John B., "If you take down the statue, maybe I'll think about visiting. I can't leave you to become the next Sarah Cameron, can I?"
"Nah, I'd go more of a Topper route; frosted tips and polo shirts." JJ replied.
"You're giving me nightmares just thinking about it." Eden laughed, taking a sip of her beer afterwards. It was quiet again for a moment before Pope perked back up, asking the girl the same question.
"What about you Eds?" Pope asked, "What would you do with eight hundred grand?"
Eden paused for a moment, looking out into the night sky as she thought. The concept of them actually ending up with four hundred million in their grasp was slim, but if somehow, the Pogues miraculously did it....
"I'd probably start by setting up a jewelry business, just for the fun of it....and the extra cash." She spoke with a shrug, throwing out whatever came off the top of her head. Until now, she'd never really thought about what she wanted to do with her life after high school. It had just never really occurred that what she had now—living with John B., the Pogues, getting drunk every weekend—would one day change. She couldn't imagine a life without her best friends by her side.
Because someday, they would be separated. Pope would go off to some Ivy League college, on his way to succeeding in life. John B. would probably be sent off somewhere by DCS, Kie would start working full time at the Wreck and JJ would be off surfing waves on every one of the seven oceans—or, in jail, if she were honest.
But, Eden? She didn't really know what she wanted to do with her life. For most of it, Isla had been controlling her every move; telling her what to wear and what to do. And even now, being sixteen years old—brushing against adulthood, against making her own choices—she still was unsure what was really best for her.
"Then I'd probably end up getting out of the OBX for a bit. Surf some waves, taking after you, JJ. I'd pay for a trip to the Bahamas, we could surf it out there." Eden slightly smiled at the idea; her and the Pogues surfing waves down in the Bahamas, sun beating down on their backs as they surfed the day away, careless of the world around them.
She wished it were a reality.
Turning towards the brunette boy next to her, Eden asked, "What about you, John B.?"
John B. had been silent for the whole conversation, staring out into the night time abyss that was the OBX. All four other teens had their eyes on him, awaiting his answer, which took a moment to appear.
But, after said moment, the corners of his lips turned up in a smile and he turned to face Eden and the rest of the group. "To going full Kook."
All five Pogues raised their beer cans, clinking them together as they all exclaimed, "To going full Kook!"
To Eden, going full Kook was a rare but fathomable possibility. If by chance, using Pope's brains and Big John's map, they were able to locate the gold, then eight hundred thousand would be in the palm of each of their hands.
For John B. and JJ, that could mean getting them out of their current living situation. John B. could start affording more than just a couple of beer cans and JJ could try and escape his dad, head out for a surfing paradise. For Kie, it meant living out her dream and putting the rest of it towards some environmental charity. And for Pope, it meant getting to college, becoming the successful person he was bound to be.
Eden didn't necessarily need the money. She didn't have the dream of going to college, or producing an album. And even if she hated her house, she had a better living condition than either boy's. But, either way, going full Kook did sound pretty sweet, even if Eden already lived half of that dream.
It meant her and her friends could spend the rest of their lives living out their dreams without a care in the world, and that was by all means okay with Eden.
mara's misc!
heyyyy
guess who's staying actually constant with updates for once in her life?
as of now, i'm on episode six of obx3 and i don't like it all that much. it's just......eh i'm trying to figure out where eden fits in, but it's not as easy as it was for s1/s2. like, i'm not envisioning her in the way i did for the other two. maybe that's bc everything's happening.....idk.
what are your thoughts, (no spoilers!)
but, we can worry about season three when we get there.
also, this has nothing to do with anything obx related, but i just wanted to say i saw stephen sanchez last night, (aka the until i found you singer), and ahhh was it so fun. i didn't have the best viewpoint, so the photo down below is that great, but i just wanted to brag for a minute.
i wish i could include every photo and video i took, but here's two for funsies.
hope you enjoyed the chapter <333 (sorry it was a short one!)