❝isn't it lovely, all alone?
heart made of glass, my mind of stone
tear me to pieces, skin to bone
hello, welcome home❞
-lovely, billie eilish
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chapter eight, THE ISLAND ROOM
"How does your eye feel?" Pope asked as he and AJ walked through the overgrown grass of the Chateau's lawn. There was currently no food in the house and the pair decided to go for a food run, at the very least to get something to eat for breakfast.
"Like I got my shit rocked not gonna lie" She responded through a yawn.
"It doesn't look that bad, just a bit bruised" Pope assured the girl and she nodded, offering him a smile.
"Do you think we could make a quick detour and stop to see my dad? I haven't checked in since the other day" Pope asked and AJ shrugged her shoulders.
"Yeah, of course, that's fine" It was her turn to assure the boy with her words and the two teenagers soon returned to their silence-filled walk. AJ's eyes stayed trained mostly on her feet, the tattered converse really giving it their all.
The air that morning was still, barely a breeze out as the sun shone through the trees. It wasn't hot though, the air was cool enough to make AJ wish she grabbed a sweater but also warm enough that she wasn't a shivering mess.
The bell on the door rang as the pair walked in, the air-conditioned store reminding AJ just how little clothing she was currently wearing. Her light green tank top showed more skin than she'd currently like exposed. Her ripped jeans, which seemed to be more like shredded, did very little to keep her legs warm.
"Dad?" Pope called out, stepping further into the store as he did. AJ followed behind, not even sure what she was expecting. Part of her felt more at place with John B and JJ, the two who had shit families like hers. A sick comfort of having nothing to lose. Though, the two boys had each other. Nothing about this island was comfortable.
"Dad" AJ stopped at the edge of the counter as Pope walked into the back, the boy stopping to look back at her. "you coming?" He asked and she looked around the empty store before shrugging her shoulders and following.
"Hey Dad" AJ stood awkwardly by the door frame of the office, watching Pope hug his dad quickly. "how are you feeling?" AJ asked as Pope and his father pulled away.
"I'm doing okay" He waved off Pope's concerns and turned to AJ. "this the girl?" AJ looked at Pope at his dad's question and Pope stared at his father with wide eyes.
"AJ, nice to meet you" She smiled at him and he returned it.
"nice to meet you too AJ" There was a weird feeling settling in AJ's stomach. "so? Anything interesting about the key?" Heyward asked, looking between the two teenagers.
"We think we know why she wanted it," Pope told him.
"Well, I'm waiting. Enlighten me" Heyward leaned back on his desk. His eyes trained on AJ as she shared a look with Pope, trying to read the boy.
"There's this myth of a magic shroud, think she wants it to heal her," AJ told Pope's dad, filling him in on what they know.
"we're still trying to figure it out," Pope added and Heyward nodded. His eyes landed back on AJ and this time she didn't miss the way his eyes held something behind them. As if it were recognition. She wanted to ask about it but Pope was saying goodbye to his dad and she was following him out.
"you okay, you look lost in that head of yours," Pope asked as the two were met with the cool outside air.
"yeah, I'm fine. Just, tired. We should get the food and head back"
The corner store was somehow colder and AJ shivered lightly. The pair split by the front, both browsing the aisles. The girl found herself, maybe even subconsciously, looking over the shelves, her eyes wandering till they found the boy she came in with.
When she finally refocused herself on the task at hand she was in the beer aisle. She reached down, grabbing two cases to replenish the stock at the house. There could quite literally never be enough beer for that house, AJ knew that already.
As she held the cases in her arms a sickening thought washed into her mind. AJ knew them already. She knew just what kind of beer JJ Maybank liked to drink. She knew exactly what rolling papers Kiara Carrera urged the boys to use, the most environmentally safe ones she could find. She knew that Pope Heyward, no matter how much he didn't show it, was scared for his dad. And that the boy needed this cross to be found more than he'd ever admit. And AJ knew that John B Routledge was an actual idiot.
She took a deep breath in. AJ liked to deal with facts. She liked closed endings and shut cases. She found comfort with finalities. And there was no way she could predict how this one would go down. She had none of the facts. She was lost and in an unfamiliar place.
Her heart was in her throat, bursting out with how fast it beat. AJ couldn't take a deep breath in, her shallow fast paced pants barely escaping. Her head felt on fire and detached from her body all at once. It was terrifying.
AJ heard someone call her name, too out of it to respond or look up. She could see the person come into her vision and arms were soon placed on her shoulders.
"AJ?" Pope's voice was filled with concern and he quickly took the cases of beer from her hands, resting them on the floor next to the pair. He didn't give a shit about the beer, moving his attention back to the girl.
"Hey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay" His words of assurance barely met AJ's ears, the girl clouded. "AJ, shhh, it's gonna be okay" She didn't register the fact that the boy was brushing her hair from her face with his fingers. She didn't register the soft skin cupped against her cheek as he tried to bring her back to earth.
When AJ's body began wracking from the sobs Pope pulled her closer, her face resting on his shoulder. His shirt was soon soaked from the tears spilling down the teenage girl's face.
He rubbed circles on her back, unsure what else to do for her as she panicked. Her breaths were rapid, nothing to them. It was concerning but Pope had never seen anyone have a panic attack before.
He held the girl close to him and even though he didn't do anything more, her breathing started to settle. Her body was shaking less, returning to more of a normal state. Pope continued to try to soothe her, at least one of the things he was currently doing was helping the girl so he didn't move a muscle differently.
"shh," He whispered, moving the hair from her face.
When AJ's body stilled the pair stood there for another few seconds, the two calm in each other's arms. "you okay?" He asked, his tone so delicate. Delicate enough to make AJ want to run for the hills.
"Sorry, I uh, I'm fine," She said, pulling back from the boy. Wiping her face with her hands. Pope tried to shake his head and tell her it was okay but she was leaning down to grab the beer. The girl not staying next to him long enough for him to say anything.
AJ paid, getting a few of the things they agreed on earlier and in seconds she was out of the store and making her way back to the Chateau. She left the boy in her tracks, not bothering to look back and see if he was following.
Pope was. He was giving what he thought was enough space for the girl. He didn't want to overstep. He feared he had already done that in the store. Maybe he shouldn't have held her like that. Maybe he should have asked first. Many thoughts flooded the boy's mind as he too made the walk back to the house.
When AJ got there the air felt different. Sarah was the first person she saw, the blonde girl crossing her arms as she argued with someone. AJ wasn't close enough to hear but she took a pretty good guess at the person being John B.
"all right what are you doing here?" John B asked her and she looked away from him, her head turning to where AJ was.
"I'm here for Pope," AJ turned, seeing the boy behind her, a questioning look plastered on his face. Sarah must have seen him too because she was moving to the stairs, her eyes set on him.
"I think I found the island room" Each of the pogues and AJ looked at her with shock. AJ couldn't help but turn to catch Pope's reaction.
"what the fuck are we waiting for?" JJ let out, moving from his spot quickly. AJ shrugged before putting the beer down, which JJ soon rounded back for.
AJ rolled her eyes as JJ got into the van, a few cans of beer piled in his arms. "give me that" She reached over, taking one from him.
"Hey" JJ tried to hit her hand away and she scoffed before cracking the tab on the one she grabbed, the cold beer soothing her dry throat. Pope pulled the copy of Denmark's journal out and read from it.
"Guys, listen to this. Do you know how AJ read that passage about the cross and the shroud? The diary says more about it" He said and AJ furrowed her brows.
"what else does it say?" Kiara turned back to Pope with her question.
"many feel that we have sinned to steal such a sacred thing, and god will strike his vengeance on us" AJ read off the page, leaning closer to Pope.
"the thing is, god, did have his vengeance,"
"he sent a hurricane to sink the ship Only Denmark survived," Pope added and they all shared looks. Pulling into the driveway at Tannyhill had AJ chugging the last bit of her beer.
"come on, it's upstairs," Sarah told us as they followed her into the house. The large mansion was something AJ couldn't help but ogle at.
"This place still freaks me out" John B shuddered.
"I agree," AJ said, trying not to fall too far behind the rest. The room they stopped at made AJ's jaw drop. All of the wallpaper in the room ripped off the wall, revealing an entire painted piece underneath.
"Pope, look," Sarah showed him the room and his eyes lightened.
"Whoa! You've got to be kidding me." His eyes wandered around the room as AJ and the others did. The previously hidden mural-like artwork
"This is incredible. Yo, this is a map of the whole island." John B's voice barely met AJ's ears as she stared in awe at the room. She moved further in, her fingers tracing the wall. She didn't know anything about the island so nothing was sticking out to her.
"Yeah, John B, I think you're right because this is Rixon's right here. And then, there's the lighthouse."
"So, if that's Parcel 9, and then if that's Rixon's, then that's gotta be the surf break at Mase." John B and JJ were next to AJ now. The trio looked at the wall in front of them. The handwriting standing out.
"Right. And look. Pope come here this is Denmark's handwriting for sure" JJ said, pointing to the wall.
"holy shit, wait, Pope." AJ turned and met the boy's glance. "let me see the journal" She let out and he passed the photocopied journal to her. "look, look at the drawings" She breathed out.
Pope moved to stand next to her and looked from the wall to the journal and then back up. "they match up." He confirmed and he and AJ shared a smile.
"Holy fucking shit." John B remarked. "Denmark, you genius! These are all his drawings. He... he painted this entire room."
"Yeah, the question is why. What's he trying to tell us?" Kiara was still on the other side of the room, still in front of a different part of the drawing. AJ moved from her spot and started to look around more.
"It's gotta have something to do with the key, right? Right?" JJ said, turning to look at the girl.
"yeah, but what?" AJ asked, the question low in tone.
"how'd you know to uncover this?" AJ turned to Sarah as John B asked the question. The tension between the two skies high.
"I didn't it was like this when I got home" She answered and AJ furrowed her brows.
"What?"
"Okay, then who did it?" JJ and Kiara both asked, everyone's attention now on the blonde Cameron girl.
"I don't know, " she said, shrugging her shoulders slightly. The door creaked lightly from behind her but no one paid any attention to it.
"The freaks" A younger brunette girl appeared in the doorway, AJ and each of the pogues jumping at her presence. A sense of shock washed over AJ and she had to take a deep breath.
"Wait what freaks are we talking about, Wheeze?" JJ asked and AJ so brilliantly put together that this girl was the youngest Cameron, Wheezie.
"Uh... that sick lady and her attack dog. They... they showed up last night, and they wanted to talk to Rafe."
"Wait. Pale blond lady?" Wheezie nods at JJ's question.
"She have crutches?"
"Uh-huh."
"It's gotta be Limbrey," Pope said and John B turned back to Wheezie. "Wh... what happened?" He asked.
"they said they had finally found it and then they were talking about getting across the sand flamingo." Wheezie finished her story, talking about Limbrey, Renfield and their brother Rafe.
"That's code for something." JJ let out and AJ furrowed her brows before looking to Pope. "across the sand flamingo?" She whispered under her breath before it clicked.
"The cross. The Cross of Santo Domingo?" Pope questioned, voicing AJ's exact thoughts.
"Yeah, that's it. Oh, and they were talking about angels. A lot of angel talk. I don't know."
"Guys, Denmark's famous last words. He buried the real treasure at the foot of the angel. They're looking for an angel. We have to find the angel in the room." Pope let out, the pogues all moving to look around the room.
AJ stayed closest to the door, focusing on the drawings more intently. "what's going on?" No one answered the younger girl's question and Wheezie turned her gaze to AJ.
"what are you guys doing?" She asked and AJ looked at her, her thoughts mumbling together. "uh," Before AJ could even think of anything to say JJ was announcing that he found something.
"This humongous tree is still on Goat Island. You know what it's called?" JJ turned as AJ and the others got closer.
"Angel Oak," Pope answered and AJ's face stilled at the words. "That means the cross is buried at the foot of the angel. That must be where he put it That must be where they are right now! We have to go!" Pope let out and JJ chucked.
"I think I'm Sherlock Holmes, all right? You're welcome by the way."
"Yeah. Hurry up, Sherlock." John B complained, the six teenagers running down the stairs and back toward the van. The six were so high, and there's so much that can go wrong when you're that high.
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