Harley had decided she hated relationships. They were more trouble than they were worth. Yes, she was basing this off one and a half experiences, but she couldn't fathom why they were so difficult. Movies and books made it all seem so easy which made no sense. Relationships were annoying, tiring, stimulating, fun little warmth filled gifts.
She groaned. She couldn't make up her mind. She hated relationships, but she really liked the one she had with JJ. Most of the time it was perfect, way more than with Rafe.
It felt like Harley had an automatic mechanism for pissing off whoever she was with. And said partner eventually always made her feel like shit. With Rafe it felt very intentional, she couldn't say the same for JJ.
"What's the matter with you?"
Harley opened one eye too see John B hovering over her. Harley had plonked herself on an uncomfortable chair in John B's room and let her head dangle over the edge.
"Just thinking about everything."
Harley had woken up in the hospital a couple of days ago. Immediately, she had panicked until she saw JJ asleep on her legs and holding her hand. When he had woken up, he explained that the ambulance had decided to take Harley in with John B as she'd had two seizures. They had wanted to keep an eye on her. JJ had also relayed that John B was okay, but he had a broken wrist. After that he had disappeared to get a nurse and never come back.
Turns out not taking your epilepsy medication and constant stress actually had repercussions. After being told she was okay for now, Harley had decided John B's room was now hers and occupied half of his bed. It was her subtle way of marking her territory, whenever Harley was around Sarah backed off. John B could hardly kick her out and the nurses didn't mind as long as they knew where she was.
"Careful, your head might explode." John B joked.
"I think it already has," Harley whined.
"Okay." John B sat up. "Let's work it all out. It can't be too complicated."
Harley shuffled to sit on the bed where John B had patted.
"What's up?"
"Well for a start, you had me thinking you were dead." The way John B had been sprawled on the floor, bits of the wooden railing his body had broken scattered around him, and Sarah Cameron bawling her eyes out. It had been a scary sight. "I think my heart actually stopped when I saw you."
John B grinned like a dopey puppy. "Nice to know you care about me." Harley could only respond with an irked glare. John B's good arm wrapped over Harley's shoulders and squeezed her tight. "You know I'm kidding. I'm not dead. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I promise."
Harley would hold onto that promise like it was the most precious thing in the world. John B was her best friend, and the only family she had. She'd lose her mind if he wasn't around anymore.
"Is that all that's bothering you?"
A moment of silence ensued whilst Harley tried to collect her thoughts.
"I think Sarah's dad knows something about Billie, this Mr Wayne person who owned the garage, and maybe my past."
John B furrowed his brows. "What makes you think that? How do you know?"
"The day of Midsummers, when I was at the Cameron house, I asked Ward if he had known anybody called Mr Wayne. He's like the richest Kook on the island and knows everybody, right? So I thought maybe he'd know. When I had asked, his initial reaction was like I'd caught him out on something I shouldn't know. He denied knowing anyone with that name. But then I found an email on Ward's computer. It was signed off 'F.W'. What if that was Mr Wayne?"
"What if it wasn't?"
Harley frowned. "I don't understand. It would make sense for Ward to know who he is. Mr Wayne owned a business on the island, so he must have money. Enough money to buy a garage and then completely abandon it when things go wrong."
"But, the email was signed off with initials. You can't be sure it was your Mr Wayne." Annoyingly, John B had a point, but Harley wasn't willing to relent. She had a gut feeling and Kie always told her to trust her gut. "What did the email say?"
"It was kind of a threat. Apparently, Ward knows someone called Carla who must have done something to Mr Wayne, because he told Ward to pick a side before he came to the island."
"Wait. He's coming to the island? There you go then. You can find out who he is when he gets here."
"But, what if I don't get a chance to meet him?" If it was Mr Wayne then he must know who she was and maybe he knew about Renfield. Maybe he could clarify some of the warped images she's seen in her head.
"We'll find a way. No more solo adventures, okay? Plus, we're staying with the Cameron's, remember?"
Right. Harley would be living with her psycho ex-boyfriend and his soulless sister. The only reason Harley hadn't put up a fight about it was because Ward offered to be their legal guardian which meant no more DCS. No more DCS was a dream come true, it meant no more running.
Harley nodded though she did pause. "What about you? You left on your own solo adventure with Sarah." Harley had to try and not spit out the girl's name with immense distaste. "Fast forward some hours and her boyfriend is pushing you off a tall structures. You said you and her weren't a thing."
"We aren't." He's defense sounded extremely lame to Harley.
"How convincing. Sarah has done some messed up things. I don't like her. Kie doesn't like her. I feel like our dislike is warranted." Harley grimaced as she recalled her own reasoning. "I don't think I can hang out with someone who would make up lies like that. Those lies were the reason why Rafe did what he did to me."
"She didn't tell him to do those things," John B muttered weakly. Harley scowled.
"If you want to be with Sarah then fine. But, don't expect me to be happy with it. And I won't be hanging out with her," Harley stated firmly.
She never wanted to dictate who John B could or couldn't date. She hadn't appreciated how the Pogues had reacted when she first started talking to Rafe and so she wouldn't act the same way. John B had eventually gotten over it and been open minded, so Harley would try to do the same... to an extent.
"Look, I- wait, what? It's fine?" John B stumbled over his words as he realised what Harley had said.
So, John B and Sarah were a thing. John B was just as bad a liar as Harley.
"Yes. I just don't want to hang out with her. So, if you're going to bring her in on the search for the gold then I'm out. That's all. Fair?"
"Fair." John B nodded with unmatched enthusiasm. He clearly liked Sarah and it was annoying but as long as his bond with Harley wasn't compromised then she couldn't be mad. "Is there anything else you're worried about?"
JJ's angry eyes flashed up in Harley's head. "I know the doctor's have given me the all clear today. But... I'm still a little worried about the seizures."
John B softened again seeing the concern all over Harley's face. "There's nothing to worry about. They said it was caused by stress and not taking your medications. You don't have to not take them because you think we can't afford more, okay? I'll make Ward get you a room fall of meds, just don't do that again, okay? I get why you did it, but you didn't need to. Come to me and I'll sort it out."
"I'm sorry. I promise I'll come to you next time." Harley still didn't feel completely at ease about it all, though she figured speaking with her doctor again for extra reassurance would be better than stressing John B out with her thoughts.
It was strange. Despite the seizures being straight forward to manage now as opposed to at the start when Harley had been trialing drugs, they were still anxiety inducing to think about. Losing control of your body the way she did was scary. She dreaded the feeling she got before a seizure and she hated the drowsiness and nausea afterwards, in what the doctors had explained to her as the postictal state.
Three knocks on the door drew the siblings'eyes to Ward Cameron who stood with bright blue eyes and a large smile. "You two ready to go?"
⚓️
The Pogues were driving around in the Twinkie, food and drinks from the Wreck still present from their earlier visit. Harley and John B had fled their new home fairly quickly once Harley managed to give Rafe the slip and pry her brother from the clutches of Sarah.
"You're living with Sarah Cameron," Kie practically vomited her question, before turning to Harley with sympathetic eyes. "And you're stuck with your ex. If you ever need to run away my door is always open, Harls."
Harley smiled gratefully as she sipped on her smoothie and laid her head on Kie's shoulder.
John B groaned. "Look, the only reason why I'm living there is because her dad bailed me and Harley out, right? And it's way better than foster care, which, by the way, is where we'd be if it wasn't for Ward."
Harley had to agree with her brother, "Unfortunately, I have to agree. Anything is better than being split up in foster care."
"So, when do we start calling you Cameron's?" Pope joked.
"Never."
"You've got memberships to the clubs now, right? What about those golf carts they drive around? Oh, do you get those little sweater-vests or do you have to buy one?" Pope and JJ questioned with teasing smirks. They were enjoying this a little too much, Harley thought.
"I don't know, Pope." John B answered.
"How about we focus on why we've been driving around all morning and afternoon?" Harley gestured to the map sat in Pope's hands.
"Great idea!" John B jumped at the chance to shut down the Cameron talk as deeper mention of Sarah would become inevitable.
JJ muttered, "The map. Does anyone else not think maybe we should have got an up to date map? Maybe, you know, a snapshot from Google or something. Probably would have avoided the Sarah saga, too."
Kie fake laughed before shooting daggers at JJ, "No. Shut up."
"I think we take a left here and then we should see a stone wall somewhere," Pope instructed John B.
Up ahead the group spotted a craggy stone wall hidden by overgrown plants and shrubbery. They were all excited that they were one step closer to finding the gold Tannyhill had hidden somewhere. They were one step closer to being four hundred million dollars richer.
What had the groups' bright smiles sliding right of their faces was the large, ominous house imprisoned by massive trees and overgrown grass. Well, all smiles bar Harley's, she had no clue why the mood had shifted. She stared up at the house taking in the sight. The home had a Gothic essence to it, off white, horizontal wooden panels lining the outside of the house and a red, weathered roof. The hunched, golden cat vane at the top was was the icing on the cake, and it matched the gold running through the window panes. The house kind of looked like a stern face the longer Harley scrutinized the exterior. A dark window on each side made the eyes, the center of the house protruded forward like a nose with arched bay windows.
"What's the matter guys?"
John B spoke first, "This is the Crain house."
"Should that mean something to me?" Times and situations like this reminded Harley that she hadn't been on the island for a long while in the grand scheme of things. Which brought the realisation that she hadn't grown up with the Pogues so she still didn't know all the big things or even small things that others would.
"This is the worst case scenario." JJ's eyes flickered to Harley. "We're all going to die."
Harley couldn't tell if she was more surprised at JJ speaking to her or the contents of what he said. All day, so far, he had been glancing her way but not uttering a word. Naturally, Harley kept her distance to avoid any uncomfortable disagreements. Now he was telling her the whole group was going to die. What the hell.
"I heard that Mrs Crain buried her husband's head on the property."
Disturbed looks were shared which made Harley's stutter Usually, you could play off the wild stories JJ spewed on regular, however this time it felt very true.
"Great! Trespassing on a morbid psycho's land. This should be fun," Harley's chirpy sarcasm caught the group off guard. She was the first to step up to the wall and scale it. She sat on the uneven ledge and nodded for the others to follow. "The faster we find...."
"The water," John B jumped in.
"... The faster we can leave." Harley held a hand out for Kiara who had to roll her shoulders and gear herself up before accepting the help.
"Sometimes I forget that you're lowkey an adrenaline junkie. You're crazy." Kie laughed.
"Pretty high key. You drive Rafe's car into a lake... with yourself in it." Pope stated.
Harley giggled "Thanks?"
"Alright. Let's go boys!" JJ was next to hop up.
They all dropped down into what could only be described as a mini jungle. Mrs Crain hadn't been pruning her plants and no gardener had set foot on the property for at least a century.
"So, is Mrs Crain like a axe murderer or something?" Harley questioned lightheartedly hoping to ease the air around them as they trudged through the greenery.
"That's exactly what I heard," Kie hopped ahead wavering her arms like a ghost making light of it too. "She murdered her hurband with an axe and she's been holed up here ever since."
"No. No." JJ charged forward taking centre stage. "You two are not taking this seriously enough. I swear to God, guys, this is all real. I knew Hollis."
"Who's Hollis?"
"Wait, Hollis Crain. You knew Hollis Crain, JJ? How?"
"Yeah Pope. She was my babysitter, man. She told me all about it. Told me the truth... about her mother and what happened in this house." That answered Harley's question. "As a kid, she heard all the stories that her mother killed her father, and she was a murder and all. Hollis didn't believe it. Until that night."
"What night?" John B murmured, eyes glued on JJ.
"It all came back to her. When Hollis was six, she heard her parents arguing downstairs. So, she goes downstairs to see her mom washing her hands in a sink... full of blood. Her mother says she just cut her finger. The next morning, she says her father and her split up. But then, Hollis noticed something. Her mother constantly going into the parlor, with plastic bags. Weeks pass, and Hollis decides to use the outhouse, and as she's using it she looks down. And, there, in the outhouse, is her father's head, looking straight back at her."
"God, you are so full of shit," John B stated confidently.
"I just wasted two minutes of my life listening to that," Harley moaned. "If Hollis had seen that and remembered it, wouldn't she have told the police. Mrs Crain would be locked up right now."
"The police are shit, we know that. Fuck the feds."
"Whatever you say, JJ. Can we get searching now?"
"Yes." Pope exclaimed.
"We got nothing to lose," John B shrugged. "We need to look for the 'Wheat near the water' like it said in Denmark's letter."
"Okay, like, what kind of water? Like pond water."
Harley grimaced and swiped at her forehead. "Like, a puddle of sweat? Why is it so muggy here?"
"Like bong water?"
Harley snickered at JJ, but shut up the second the rest of the group peered at the two.
"No. It... it just said look for water, okay?"
"That's the shittiest secret message ever," Kie grumbled walking off.
"You wanna complain a little bit more, Kie? Nobody said it would be easy." John B trudged after her.
Pope was quick to ditch Harley and JJ after mentioning something about a north-east quadrant. Harley didn't even know which way was currently north and she didn't think to ask, she was too busy trying to stop Pope from abandoning her. She failed. Pope did that on purpose and Harley would not forgive him for at least an hour, maybe two.
"Well, we got left with the decapitation quadrant," JJ mused.
Harley nodded. "I can just wait here." She wasn't thrilled to search the grounds anymore.
JJ scratched the back of his neck. Harley recognised it as one of his nervous ticks, similar to how she rubs at the pulse point in her neck. "Can we talk?"
Harley shrugged, "If it's not going to end in an argument or you yelling at me then sure."
"It won't." Harley took JJ's word and moved to walk beside him as they searched an area of the Crain land. "I've... I've missed you. I missed talking to you. Not talking to you has been so crap."
It seemed like a weight was lifting off JJ's shoulders the more he spoke to Harley. There was relief in his eyes and tension dropped from his muscles.
"I was pissed that you were with Rafe and that you lied about it. I still am. But, I shouldn't have spoken to you the way I did and I shouldn't have yelled at you."
"Yep." Harley agreed.
"I was being an asshole."
"A huge asshole." Harley smirked taking great pleasure in the moment. She knew she would forgive JJ, she just wanted him to wallow a little.
"Yes." JJ managed to contain his own smile as he glimpsed the cute expression on Harley's face. "I said shit to purposely hurt you, that I shouldn't have in any scenario. So again, I'm sorry."
"Good," Harley nodded. "I apologise for comparing you to Rafe. And, like I said before, I am sorry for lying. It wasn't cool and I shouldn't have done it. No matter what. I won't do it again, scout's honour."
"I forgive you. Do you forgive me?"
Harley hummed. "I don't know."
"You don't know? What? Harley, come on." JJ whined. "What do you want me to do?"
Harley kept quiet as she surveyed the area looking for any form of water. She brushed aside a low hanging branch to cut through a small gap.
"Harls. Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg? Because I will. Just for you."
"I mean, you did look pretty good on your knees when you took off my heels." The nonchalant confidence oozing from Harley's words and demeanour did not match the internal shock at the fact she had said something like that so quickly.
JJ's eyes widened intrigued before a cocky smirk graced his features. Harley almost lost her footing as she stared into JJ's eyes.
"If that's all you wanted you could have said straight away." JJ went to kneel but Harley stopped him.
"I was kidding."
"I wasn't." He backed her up a step before getting down on one knee. One hand rested on the back of Harley's thigh, the other pushed his hair out of his face so he could look up at her. "I'm sorry for the way I acted and the shitty things I said. I didn't mean them. They weren't aimed at y-" JJ's words died and his eyes dimmed ever so slightly but Harley caught it.
"It wasn't aimed at..."
JJ shook his head. "I didn't mean to hurt you the way I know I did. What can I do to make you forgive me? I missed you. I missed talking to you, hugging you... kissing you. I miss that noise you make when I -"
Harley slapped her hand over JJ's mouth and hushed him. Her heartbeat had gotten more prominent in her ears at each word JJ had said, the organ wanting to melt. "I forgive you." JJ's eyebrows rose. "Yes, I forgive you. Just don't finish that sentence."
Harley's cheeks were glowing, her mind trying to thrust intimate images of her and JJ to the forefront of her mind. His eyes gleamed and his eyelids drooped a little, Harley could feel his smirk against her hand.
When she believed JJ wouldn't continue his train of thought she let go and allowed him to tower over her again.
"You look cute when you blush," JJ teased, his thumb stroking her cheek.
"Only when I blush?"
"All the time." JJ leant forward to kiss Harley and despite her wanting his lips on hers she turned her her face. He kissed her cheek and frowned when he pulled away. "I thought you forgave me?"
"I did. But we still have to properly talk about what happened. I need to work on communication and so do you."
"Do I?" Harley glared. JJ winced. "You know what? I think you're right. I could definitely work on my communication."
She grinned and slipped away from JJ just as John B called out for the others. They followed his voice to the side of the Crane house where a small wooden door led inder the house.
"Hey, stay close in case something happens," JJ whispered trying to get Harley to slow down. He grabbed the belt loop of her shorts and tugged her back into his chest. "Chill out, Shortcake. We're going into a murderer's home. Not a smoothie parlour."
"Ha ha. Come on," she whined urging him forward.
The group ducked and entered a dim, dank, cluttered space.
"Down came Mrs Crane ans cut off all our heads," JJ sang lowly to the tune of incy wincy spider. "Out came the sun and dried up all the blood."
Harley smacked JJ's chest. "Will you shut up," she hissed.
The space beneath the old house was filled with random junk, dust and webs. Pope noted none of the pipes showed signs of water and Kie and John B were doing laps with their torches flickering everywhere.
"Ew. Bugs." Harley recoiled at a mosquito that whizzed by her face. "Pope let me hold your hand." She practically ran to him and squeezed his hand.
He laughed at the frightful expression on her face and laughed further at the jealous look on JJ's face.
"What if the gold is in the house or something? Maybe Mrs Crain found it already." Harley said.
John B refused to agree. "No. No way. We're just not looking hard enough."
"There's no water here, dude. Not a dropamino." JJ commented.
Nothing was ever smooth sailing for the group. Why was it so hard to locate four hundred million dollars worth of gold? It was exactly the kind of thing you could hide in the boot of a car.
"This is just great. Another dead end." Kie flared up. "Know why we didn't find it? Bad karma."
"Here we go." Both Pope and JJ muttered.
"You know we had a good thing going. And then you decided to rope in Barbie, and Joe the trail's gone dry. Coincidence? I think not."
"I feel like Barbie isn't much of an insult," Harley said. Annoyed eyes flitted to her and she shut up immediately. "Just saying."
"This is exactly why I didn't wanna tell you about Sarah. What is the issue between you two? Harley, I get. But, you..."
"Nothing."
"Really? Nothing? Is it because I kissed you? Is that the problem."
The other three Pogues winced preparing themselves for Kiara to let rip on John B.
"He makes it hard to back him sometimes," Harley murmured to the boys.
"Must be a Routledge thing."
A loud smack took the trio by surprise. Kie slapped John B, more like bitch slapped. His head cracked to the side and his jaw dropped.
"Oh."
"Oh shit. That echoed dude."
"Fuck, Kie." Harley whined
"Stop treating me like some girl that's obsessed with you. Instead of your best friend who's actually trying to look out for you."
Harley pulled the boys a little further away so they were out of the drama.
"Did you, uh... hit me?"
Kie held up her hand with a satisfied smile. "Skeeter."
John B stood astonished for a second before he retaliated with the same smirk. "Skeeter."
"Okay. That felt a little controversial," Harley frowned at her brother disapprovingly.
"That's our cue to mind our own business," Pope chuckled awkwardly and began looking around again.
Harley moved to head the opposite way but felt a sting on her ass. She held in a squeal and turned sharply to JJ, ensuring John B still had his back to them.
"Did you just... smack my ass."
JJ held up his hand, no bug in sight. "Skeeter."
Harley rolled her eyes and replied sarcastically, "Yeah. I can really see that. Keep your grubby little hands to your grubby little self, Maybank."
JJ just laughed as she slapped his arm and walked away to keep searching the space. Kiara and John B were still bickering and smacking each other. Their laughter soon followed.
Harley had been running away from JJ's wiggling fingers not wanting to be tickled by him anymore, when Pope started making loud banging noises. John B was quick to silence him.
"What are you doing?"
"Help me move this."
Pope's flash light shone on a planks of wood perfectly lined over something. That something turned out to be a well.
The light from the torch couldn't even illuminate the bottom of the gloomy waterhole. And when Pope threw another stone the massive gap of silence before a splash was lengthy.
"Well. Well. Well."
The group snickered at Pope's dad joke.
John B stared in awe. "We're gonna need a really big rope."