CAMERON'S
"Hey, guys, so like, my dads already gonna kill me. So what's this mandatory meeting about?" Pope questioned as JJ poked the fire.
River sat around the fire with a smile. She loved camp fires. When both her and JJ have had a bad day at home they'd sleep under the stars with a fire burning next to them. JJ had given her his button up shirt in attempts to keep warm.
John B fired finger guns at JJ, allowing him to explain. "Might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed."
"You ready for this?" John B questioned looking at Pope and Kie. He had already explained it to River on the boat ride to her house.
"Yeah." Kie said impatiently. River nodded, ready to hear the story again. She was a history buff and loved shit like this. River rested her head on JJ's shoulder and waited for him to tell the story.
"So, the gold never went down the with Royal Merchant." John B stated, he paused and waited for their reactions.
"Oh my God. Here we go again with this." Pope let out a frustrated sigh. He was sick of hearing out the Royal Merchant.
"No. Alright, wait. Hear him out, alright?" JJ looked over to Pope.
"It's been here the whole time." John B said. He took a brief pause. "It's on the island."
"Are you serious?" Kie questioned. Half believing, half not.
"As a heart attack." River mumbled, Kie looked up to her shocked.
"Oh my God." She whispered excitedly, if River believed again then maybe-
-just maybe it was true.
"I'd like to voice my skepticism." Pope said pointing to John B.
"I'm sure you would Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?" John B stood up with a smile.
"Proceed." Pope said dismissively. River chuckled at the boys.
"Alright, so, in my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny." John B said holding up the letter.
"Who the hell's that?" Kie questioned looking up to John B. River grabbed JJ's hand and intertwined their fingers. JJ couldn't help but smile.
"Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck. Check this out." John B unfolded the letter.
"What?"
"Here you go." John B handed they letter to Kie. "Okay. Slaves weren't mentions as crew members on the ship, but my dad, he found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery." He paused. "So, Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom."
Kie handed River the letter, she tried to hold on to it, to read it again, but JJ knowing she had already seen it, took it off her and handed it to Pope.
"After that, he bought his farm. Drumroll please, because that farm is..." The four of them began to slap their knees with excited smiles on their faces. "Tannyhill Plantation."
"Tannyhill?" Kie questioned.
"Yeah, so, after that, he used his money to free even more slaves, and then he sold a shit ton of rice, which pissed of all the white planters, and then, they decided to lynch him." Nobody said a word, so John B continued. "So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last time of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold."
"Where?" Kie whispered like an excited child, sharing secrets.
"Harvest the wheat, in parcel nine, near the water. Except there's no wheat. You see, wheat is code for gold. Check this out." John B grabbed the letter from Pope. "The fold is in parcel nine, near the water."
"Holy shit dude." Pope mumbled.
"All we need is an original survey map of the property, and we've found the gold." John B smiled happily. It was the happiest River had seen him in months. On the boat journey back to her house, he had apologised for being a dick, she told him that she had already forgiven him, which he knew, he just needed to apologise to the girl. Plus, it was JJ who was more likely to hold a grudge than she was.
"Okay, so, this might have a small chance of being actually true." Pope began talking but River became distracted.
JJ gave her hand a light squeeze before getting up and hugging John B. JJ lifted John B up making everyone shut up. "Hello. Fire. You're near the fire! You're gonna burn."
JJ listened to John B and placed him down. "I'm so proud of you right now." JJ cupped his face.
"Thank you, that's really sweet of you." John B smirked, his hands tapping JJ's shoulders.
"Come on JJ, enough with the flirting." River scoffed.
"Don't be jealous baby girl, you know that I'm yours." JJ said walking back to his original seat.
"Prove it." River mumbled, turning her head. But she didn't realise how close JJ actually was. Her breath hitched slightly, as she felt his nose brush against his. One small movement and his lips could be on hers. JJ licked his bottom lip and glanced down at Rivers.
Her heart was pounding. She could feel everyone watching them but she felt like she couldn't move, not that she really wanted too.
"Okay, so, guys," Pope said making the pair snap back ito reality. "What's the plan?"
"Fuck you Pope." JJ mumbled with a quiet groan. He was so close to finally kissing his girl.
"Good question, so, Sarah Cameron's coming tonight." She's gonna bring an original survey map—" John B attempted to explain but Kie cut him off.
"Wait-wait. Hold on. Sarah? Wh-why Sarah?" Kie questioned, she absolutely despise Sarah Cameron.
"This is gonna be good." JJ mumbled, even River was confused at this point. She had no clue what was going on.
"Sarah, um she, she got me into the archives in Chapel Hill yesterday, and that's where I got the letter." John B explained, scratching the back of his neck anxiously.
"You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?" Kie said disgusted.
"Oh dear." River mumbled, JJ placed his hand on her thigh. River's heart rate increased rapidly. One small action could make her feel so many things.
"Yeah, um-"
"He was mackin' on her." JJ blurted, the truth was going to come out sooner or later.
"Oh my God, are you serious?" River gasped, she glanced over at Kie to see her disappointed expression.
"I wasn't macking-"
"You were totally macking Sarah Cameron." JJ cut off John B.
"I wasn't macking her okay? I was using her for access." John B said, but River could see straight through his lies. She knew John B better than he knew himself.
"There was access alright." JJ mumbled, River clipped the back of his head, making him shut up. She quickly kissed his cheek as an apology.
"Did you tell her about the treasure?" Kie questioned, trying her hardest to pretend she wasn't hurt.
"I was just trying to get into the archives." John B defended himself.
"Is that a yes?!" Kie shouted.
"I left out key details."
"You what? You let a Kook in on our secret? What about Pogue Lyfe? What about the T-shirt company bro?" Kie questioned angrily.
"I was just using her for information." John B lied again.
He'd caught feelings.
"Why don't I believe you?" Kie questioned sarcastically, tilting her head slightly. JJ pulled River closer to him and rested his head on hers.
"I'm just trying to make us filthy rich here. Okay so that we can pay off a boat, or-or-uh, send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies." John B pointed to Pope. "Look, you guys know me. Do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?"
"Yes." River whispered, but only loud enlightened for JJ to hear.
"Do you want us to answer that or?" Pope questioned, looking up to John B. He glanced to River and JJ and let a small smile appear on his face, he was glad that JJ didn't go to jail, River needed him.
"Just-just- just stop." John B said stuttering over his words.
"Look, you don't know her yet. I do! You can't trust her." Kie exclaimed. Sarah Cameron was bad news and she wasn't going to side idly by and let her ruin their friendship.
"Her brother did hit me in the back with a gold club." Pope agreed, thinking that all the Cameron's were alike.
"Rafe and Sarah are two different human beings." John B attempted to defend Sarah. River agreed with John B's statement, they weren't the same person, but Kie didn't trust Sarah Cameron, so neither did River.
"What did she do to you, exactly?" JJ questioned curiously as he looked at Kie.
"She's like a-like a spitting cobra. First she blinded you and then-"
"This is a bad analogy." Pope cuts in.
"Listen to me!" Kie pleaded. River was the only one who knew why she hated Sarah. "Whatever we get, she's gonna try to take."
The Pogues quickly fell into an awkward silence,
NOBODY DARED TO SAY ANYTHING.