CHAPTER SIXTEEN
THE LOUVRE — LORDE
Blow all my friendships
To sit in hell with you
AT TWO O'CLOCK in the morning, Emma Marx found herself wide awake, waiting for her daughter to return home. She was usually very lenient when it came to Stella's curfew during the the summer months, but tonight, her motherly instincts were setting in.
The urgency in Stella's voice and the way JJ demanded an emergency meeting told her that they were hiding something. While she trusted her daughter and the fact that she helped raised her friends to have a good sense of judgement, she knew there was something different about tonight.
The older woman expected to give her daughter an interrogation and a lecture about maintaining their image as soon as she walked through the door, but what she didn't expect was four dejected teens drudging through her door with tear stained cheeks.
"Stella?" Emma questioned with furrowed brows as the girl entered the foyer.
In front of her stood her daughter, JJ, Pope, and Kiara. She got a better look at their sad expressions and rushed over to them, placing a hand on Stella and JJ's cheeks. "What happened?"
"John B's in the hospital," Stella sniffled. "He, uh... Topper pushed him off of Hawk's Nest."
"What?" Emma gasped, her eyes darting over the quartet. "What were you kids even doing at Hawk's Nest? It's the middle of the night! Oh my god, is he gonna be alright?"
"We don't know," JJ said quietly, placing his hand on the small of Stella's back.
"Uh, I think— Um," Stella stammered, obviously shaken up by the night's events. "I think he might've broken his arm, it was all swollen... And I-I tried to help, but—" Her words caught in her throat and her eyes glossed over. "It was a bad fall, Mom. It was a really bad fall."
Though Emma was proud of her daughter for stepping in to help her honorary brother, her maternal instincts were overpowering her doctoral ones. Before the first tear could fall, Stella was already pulled into a hug. "Sh..." she soothed, rubbing her back. "It's okay. You did what you could and that's what matters."
Emma looked at the other teens over Stella's shoulder. Pope was staring at the ground, Kiara was wiping her tears away, and JJ was staring longingly at Stella. Without a word, Emma opened her arms back up and like a magnet attracting small bits of metal, the others gravitated to her and joined the hug.
After the group pulled away, they were ushered to the stairs. "Go get some rest. You've had a long night," Emma said as she lead them to the base of the staircase. "You can all sleep in Stella's room if you want, but if not, you can take your usual guest rooms. I'm pretty sure you left some clothes here last time you guys stayed over." The four teenagers started heading up the stairs, quietly giving thanks to the woman.
"Oh, and guys?" Emma called, placing a hand on the stair's railing and looking up at them. "John B will be okay. I'll make some calls and make sure he gets the best care. I promise. And I'll see what I can do about DCS."
"Thank you, Mom."
She sent them a comforting smile before heading into the kitchen to call Kie's and Pope's parents. She could only imagine how worried they are after the kids walked out at Midsummers and she wanted to let them know where they were and that they were safe.
Pope and Kie both wanted to be alone for the night and retreated to the rooms they would usually stay in when they came over. Out of respect for Stella's mom, JJ decided to sleep in the guest bedroom instead of with Stella in her bed. Stella protested, saying it wasn't necessary and that her mother didn't mind as they've shared a bed multiple times during their six year friendship, but JJ insisted. Emma let him stay in her house, eat her food, and treated him better than his own parent. The least he could do was sleep in the guest bedroom when told to.
About halfway through the night, Stella's bedroom door opened. She was kept awake by the storm and her worries about John B. Her mind was also occupied with what Pope said about grudges. She knew holding grudges wasn't healthy, but Sarah hurt her and Kie so badly that it was hard to forget. On top of that, she had grown so used to sleeping next to JJ that sleeping without him simply felt odd.
Stella lifted her head and looked at the door. In the darkness, she could make out the outline of JJ's figure. "Hey," she whispered. "Can't sleep?"
JJ shook his head and climbed into bed next to her. "You?"
"No. My head is too full."
"A thought for a thought?" He felt her nod.
Stella glanced up at JJ before reaching for his hand. She started tracing each finger, twirling his rings as she passed.
"I'm worried about John B," she confessed quietly. "He could've died and seeing him unconscious on the ground like that... I don't know what I would do if something happened to him— If something happened to any of you."
Even though she wasn't on the best terms with John B right now, he was still her best friend. He was still the guy who looked out for her. He was still the guy who let her cry on his shoulder and made her laugh at the most inappropriate times. He was still her brother.
She couldn't imagine a world without John B in it. If any of her friends died, she was sure that a piece of her would die with them.
After a few moments of silence, she removed one of JJ's rings and placed it on each of her fingers, trying to find one that fit.
"Your turn."
JJ nodded and placed a hand behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. "I changed my mind," he stated, sharing his thoughts.
Stella's eyebrows knit together. "About what?"
"About what I'd do with my share of the money." His head tilted down to look at her. "I'm gonna follow you around the world, go wherever you go if you let me. Take you on the best dates. It's the least that you deserve."
The corners of Stella's mouth twitched as she thought about what JJ was saying. She imagined what it would be like to travel with him, to live shamelessly and love fiercely in every corner of the world. The very thought brought a fluttery feeling to her stomach.
Her future was always something she looked forward to. Ever since she was little, she dreamed of being a doctor like her mom. It was something she worked hard for. She wanted to help people and change the world one patient at a time. But outside of her dream job, she didn't have much planned.
The thought of getting married left a bitter taste in her mouth. She thought that marriage was a sham and that they all ended in divorce—her parents' own marriage being a prime example as to why. She didn't want to wake up one day trapped in a loveless marriage with a man or woman she only tolerated because it was convenient.
But the thought of a future with JJ, one where they travel and eventually settle down to form a family of their own, left anything but a bitter taste. The thought felt like sunshine beating down on her skin. Or a tall glass of water during a heat wave. Or falling into bed after a long day. The thought of a future with JJ felt like putting the last piece in a puzzle you'd been working on for days, the piece being JJ and the puzzle being her life.
She knew they were young and that marriage was a long ways away, but a future with him just felt right. The idea felt safe. It felt like home.
"You don't even have a passport," Stella teased with a lighthearted smile.
"That's how you know I've gone full Kook. Only Kooks have passports," he said with a chuckle.
A wave of calm washed over them once again before Stella softly hummed. "And then what?" she asked, placing the ring she was playing with back on his hand. She twisted a bit so she was facing him better.
"And then," JJ mused, "we'll get a fancy ass house in Figure Eight and go full Kook. You'll work at the hospital with your mom and I'll be the good looking stay-at-home dad that everyone's jealous of."
When he was finished, he looked down at her. There was a small smile on his face as he awaited her response.
"Stay-at-home dad, huh?" Stella questioned lightly.
JJ immediately felt embarrassed. He feared that he might've said the wrong thing and crossed a line. He knew they were still a bit young to be thinking about something as serious as kids and a marriage, but he just loved Stella so much that he couldn't not think about it. His mind wandered there whenever he got into it with his dad and needed something to ground him to the earth. She was his sweet escape and there was no way in hell he'd be letting her go. He thought about their future everyday.
Stella's eyebrows raised in amusement when she saw JJ's panicked expression. "Tell me about them," she requested, resting her head on his chest. He didn't need any indication of who she was talking about.
JJ's body released the tension it had built up. His mind went back to the fantasy he had created and he started drawing little shapes on Stella's shoulder. "We'll have one of each. Our boy will look like me but be a total mama's boy and our little girl will look like you but be a daddy's girl. They'll be super smart and I'll teach them how to surf. Baby Pogues."
"But technically, they'll be Kooks," Stella pointed out, trying not to swoon so she could continue the conversation.
"Not how we're raising them, baby. They're gonna be Pogues with money."
He paused for a second, reviewing the life he wanted to give his kids. He wanted to give them the world. His kids would never be scared of coming home or gone all hours of the day to avoid him. They would never think twice about asking him for help or doubt that he loved them. He was going to be a better father than the one he got.
"Really?" Stella simpered, breaking him out of his thoughts. Her eyes were twinkling under the moonlight that shone through her window blinds. "You want all that with me? Your marble statue and your pond full of fish?"
JJ sat up, causing Stella sit up as well. "I want more than a koi pond with you, Stel." He got off the bed and walked over to her vanity where she kept all her jewelry. After plucking a necklace off of her jewelry holder, he made his way back to the bed and sat in front of Stella.
Stella watched curiously as he unclasped the necklace and slid the ring she was playing with off of his finger. "What're you doing?"
JJ pulled the chain through the ring and let it drop. Leaning forward, he pushed Stella's hair to the side and clipped the necklace around her neck. "Well, you can't exactly wear it on your hand, it's too big," JJ explained. He chuckled at his words. "Ha, 'it's too big', that's what she said."
"Okay, anyways. Back to what I was saying," JJ continued, shaking his head at the small joke he just made. He placed a hand on her cheek. "I promise you, Stella-Anne, once we find the gold I'll get us some shiny promise rings to show off."
Stella gave him a lopsided grin and tilted her head to the side. "I can tell you're serious because you used my full name."
"Dead serious, swear to God." JJ fell back onto the bed with a content expression and beckoned Stella to come and lay down next to him.
"I love you," Stella said as she made herself comfortable. "A lot. I hope you know that."
The words that fell from her lips brought JJ brought a sense of security.
He placed a kiss on the top of her head before his hand dropped to play with the necklace around her neck. "I love you more."
"Not possible."
He pulled her closer and stared at the ceiling while she drifted off to sleep. When her breathing slowed and the quiet of the night settled into the corners of the room, he looked down at her with a fond smile.
JJ had never been a believer in anything. Before Stella, he didn't believe in love, he didn't believe in soulmates, he didn't believe in heaven. But looking down at the girl in his arms, he knew that the poets got it right. Because while he didn't believe in a higher power, he did believe in Stella. And what did heaven have that he couldn't find next to her?
"Hey, Stella?"
There was a long pause of silence that almost convinced him she was asleep.
"Mhm?"
"I know I say I don't have anything to lose, but I don't think that's true anymore."
STELLA WAS THE first one of her friends to wake the next morning. For a moment, she forgot the events of the night before. Everything was peaceful, her friends were safe, and John B was perfectly fine. But that moment left as soon as it came and she was faced with the harsh reality that none of that was true.
As she left her bedroom and headed down the grand staircase of her home, the sound of her mother's voice rang through the air.
"Cheryl— Don't you think moving him to a house he's already used to would be better for him? With people who actually— Don't give me that bullshit. I've been trying for months but no one has gotten back to me. Who do you think has been paying his bills? Or making sure he eats? Ward— What credentials does he have to foster a kid? John B already has a room in my house, I was friends with his father, and I am the closest thing that boy has to a mother!"
Stella followed her voice to the kitchen, the sound of her footsteps alerting her mother that she was no longer alone.
Emma looked up, giving her daughter a small smile before returning her attention to her call. The phone's coiled wire swung back and forth as her movements became more animated.
"You know what? Give me the number to your supervisor. I don't care who I have to talk to, I want him home with me! Mhm, thanks for nothing. Have a great day, Cheryl."
Emma slammed the phone back into its receiver and let out a huff. Moving a piece of hair out of her face, she turned to Stella and smiled again. "Morning, my love. How did you sleep?"
"Okay," she replied, amused by her mother's quick change in mood. She sat on one of the stools at the kitchen island. "What was that about?"
"That was John B's social worker. I called to see if we could take him in when he gets discharged later."
Her brow raised. "And can we?"
Emma sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Stel. Someone beat us to it."
"What? Who?"
"Ward Cameron."
"Ward Cameron?" Stella repeated with wide eyes. "Why would he want to take in John B? And it can't be because of Sarah, I doubt he'd want his daughter's..." Friend? Boyfriend? "...thing living with them. Especially when he knows how close we are to him."
The older woman shrugged as the sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. "I have no idea, but it's a little weird." At her daughter's worried expression she stepped forward and leaned against the counter across from her. "I'll look into it, okay? Don't worry. John B will be fine."
The footsteps got louder and the voices of the three other teens filled the air.
Emma greeted them with bright smiles, asking how their sleep was before giving them a list of options for breakfast.
With tired eyes and groggy movements, they joined Stella at the counter and started to plan their day.
Hours later, the group met with John B at The Wreck for lunch. They were relieved to find that the only injury Topper was able to inflict on him was a fractured arm, which Stella was very proud of herself for diagnosing.
The entire time was spent with John B's awkward avoidance of Kie and Stella's gaze and him silently trying to build up the courage to tell them about his living situation. He had no idea how he was going to tell them he was staying at Sarah's, especially after the way they reacted the day before.
Thanks to her mom, Stella already knew the secret he kept. At first, she found it amusing to watch as he opened and closed his mouth in hesitation, but after the sixth time, she finally had enough.
"So," Stella began, her gaze settling on John B. "How's Tannyhill?"
The table silenced as John B's eyes widened.
The brunet boy looked up at his childhood best friend and watched as she raised a brow at him. "Uh... How do you know about that?"
"About what?" Kie looked between them, confused by the way John B grew nervous and Stella's expectant stare.
"Come on, Johnny boy," Stella mused with a sarcastic smile. "It's me we're talking about. Is there anything I don't know?"
"Okay, what is Stella talking about?"
Stella responded before John B had the chance to. "He's living at Tannyhill now."
Kie had to do a double take as she walked away to get the table more drinks. "I'm sorry, you're staying where?"
John B sighed and stood before them. "Okay, look, the only reason I'm living there is because Sarah's dad bailed me out, right? And it's way better than foster care, which, by the way, is where I was about to go if Ward didn't—"
"That's not true," Stella defended. "Do you really think my mom would let you get exiled to the mainland?"
"Well, she hasn't done anything to stop it."
Disbelief flooded Stella's features as she stared at John B. "She's been trying to foster you for months despite you're constant stubbornness. It's not her fault DCS is incompetent."
"Then why was Ward able to take me in so soon? At least he's being helpful."
"Helpful?" Stella scoffed. "I'm sorry, when was the last time you paid an electricity bill? Or a water bill? Who's been making sure you don't starve, John B? Who's been checking up on you? Because it sure as hell hasn't been Ward Cameron."
JJ shook his head at the boy with a disapproving look. "Don't talk bad about Emma, man. It's not like she hasn't been trying. She's asked you a thousand times if you wanted to live with her and Stel, but you've always said no, remember?"
It seemed that John B did remember because he closed his mouth and said nothing more.
"So..." Pope trailed off, looking up from the plat map he had been studying, "do you have a membership to the clubs now?"
John B sighed. He knew that Pope was just trying to diffuse the tension, but he wasn't prepared to be on the receiving end of their Kook related teasing. "I don't know, Pope."
"What about those golf carts they drive around?" JJ questioned, taking a sip of Stella's drink. "You get one of those?"
Pope placed his hands behind his head and leaned back in his chair. "Does it come with a sweater-vest, or do you have to buy one on your own?"
Kie sighed and turned to John B with a frown. "Look, you promised," she reminded, "you said you weren't with her."
John B opened his mouth to protest, but JJ cut him off with the shake of his head. "Bro, just own it. She got you."
He leaned over for Stella's cup again, taking it from her hands mid-sip. As he pulled it away from her mouth, he accidentally spilt some soda on her shirt, earning a smack on the arm.
Kie rolled her eyes at the pair before continuing. "Look, if you wanna hang out with her, that's fine. But I'm letting you know now that I'm not doing anything with Sarah."
Stella raised her hand. "Yeah, I second that. I prefer to keep my back far away from her stabbing little hands."
John B gave both of the girls a sharp look. "Do you guys see her here?" he snapped. "No, right. Okay. A little focus would be fantastic."
"You losing the attitude would be fantastic," Stella stated, taking her cup back from JJ and taking a sip. "We went through some heavy shit while you were frolicking with Sarah in Chapel Hill. You didn't ask us about it once. All you care about is finding the gold. And I get that it's a lot of money, but you need to stop acting so selfish."
John B ignored her call out and the fact that all his friends were nodding in agreement. "We've got the map, right?"
"It's out of whack 'cause the guy was ganja'd when he drew it," JJ said, trying to read the map.
Stella looked down at the map and came to the same conclusion Kie did. "It's 'cause the coast has changed," they chorused.
Pope shrugged. "So we just have to look for landmarks that haven't changed."
John B pointed a finger at one of the drawings on the map. "What about the old forts?"
The group left the Wreck and piled into John B's beat up van. They headed towards Battery Jasper, an old fort from the Civil War that was now reduced to ruins. After setting themselves up in Battery Jasper, Pope situated the map to match the landmark's orientation with it.
"So if this is parcel nine," Pope started, pointing to the map, "then it's somewhere northeast of here."
"Somewhere there," Kie repeated, pointing in the direction.
"Over there?" JJ questioned, looking off into the distance. "Guys, that's not Tannyhill, that's a subdivision."
Stella shrugged. "Tannyhill was probably bigger and sold off into small pieces over time."
Pope looked back down at the map. "So we're just looking for an old stone wall."
"That shouldn't be too hard, right?" Stella asked cheerfully. "I love a good scavenger hunt."
"OKAY, SO THE road should split up ahead," Pope said, looking down at the map. He was sitting shotgun, giving John B directions while the others were sitting in the back of the van, swimming in anticipation. "Alright. You're gonna take a left."
John B took a sharp left, causing Stella to fall into JJ's side. "Dude," Stella groaned.
They pulled over to the side of the road and came to a stop in front of an old stone wall covered in overgrown vegetation.
"That looks like a stone wall to me," JJ mused as he climbed out of the van.
Stella grimaced when she realized where they were. "Awesome," she muttered, pursing her lips as she stared at the stone wall and the house that sat behind it. "Of course the gold is in an axe murderer's house. When is anything easy for us?"
John B came up beside JJ, matching her expression. "Not the Crain house."
"Are you kidding me?" Kie shut the door and stood next to Stella. The two girls shared a look before turning back to the unkept house.
"Worst-case scenario."
JJ nodded slowly. "I heard that Mrs. Crain buried her husband's head on the property."
John B patted him on the back before walking closer to wall. He hoisted himself up, ignoring Stella's warning to be careful about his broken arm, and swung his leg over. "What are you waiting for?" he questioned, staring at his friends. "Come on."
There were grumblings of protest from the four remaining teens as they followed suit and helped each other over the fence.
"Look, you guys know whose house this is, right?" Kie asked as they walked through the overgrown yard.
"How could we not?" Stella replied.
John B's eyebrows furrowed. "Honestly, I don't really believe the stories of this place."
"Sh," Pope hushed, causing the three of them to look at him in question. He just brought his finger to his mouth, signalling them to be quiet.
JJ ignored the two boys. "Which stories have you heard?" he asked Kie from where he walked behind Stella.
"The one where she killed her husband with an axe and that she's been holed up ever since," Kie shared with a tone of amusement. "On certain nights, when the moon is full... you can see her in the window!" She wiggled her fingers in front of Stella and JJ's faces with a laugh.
JJ shook his head quickly. "No, it's not funny, 'cause it's all true."
Kie gave him a flat look before turning to Stella. "Stel, you don't seriously believe all that, do you?"
Stella gave a shrug and a sheepish half-smile. "I don't know, Kie..." she trailed off. "JJ and I got bored one night after binge watching Buzzfeed Unsolved and we did some digging. It turns out Mr. Crain's missing person's case was never solved."
"That doesn't mean she killed him."
"I swear to God, guys, this is all real. I knew Hollis," JJ pressed. He felt something brush against his shoulder and threw his fists up on defence, spinning on his heel. "Jeez!"
Stella jumped at his sudden outburst before turning to see what he was looking at. She let out a small laugh when she saw a statue standing before them. "Fighting statues now, JJ?"
JJ's shoulder's slumped in relief and he scrunched his face at her before flicking her ear.
Stella swatted his hand away as he laughed at her reaction. "It's so annoying when you do that," she grumbled.
"Yeah, that's why I do it," JJ grinned before turning back to the group.
Pope slapped his shoulder. "Wait, you knew Hollis Crain?"
"Yeah, dude."
"How do you know Hollis Crain?"
"She was my babysitter, man," JJ explained, glancing over the four of them. "She told me all about it. She told me the truth... about her mother and what happened in this house."
They all glanced over to the house with mixed expressions.
"So as a kid, she heard all the stories that her mother killed her father, and... she was a murderer and all. Hollis didn't believe it. Until that night."
"What night?"
"It all came back to her. When Hollis was six years old, she heard her parents arguing downstairs. So she goes downstairs to see her mom washing her hands in a sink... full of blood." JJ's gaze landed on each of them as he recounted the horror story from his childhood. He kept the suspense alive despite John B pursing his lips and turning his cheek.
"Her mother just says that she cut her finger. The next morning, she says her father and her split up. But then, Hollis noticed something. Her mother going into the parlor constantly, in and out and in and out 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, his annoyance from earlier never fading. They could be finding the gold right now, but instead they were having story time.
Pope stepped closer to JJ, obviously consumed by the tale. "Did she call the police?"
JJ shook his head. "She didn't have time—Wait! Dude!"
John B pushed past the two boys, but JJ ran to stop him.
"What?" John B snapped as he turned around.
"You sure you wanna do this?" JJ questioned with skepticism. "She's an axe murderer. You got a cast on."
"I don't give a shit if she's an axe murderer, okay?" John B's proclamation caused Pope's eyes to widen and Stella's brows furrow. "I got nothin' to lose, right? You comin' or what?"
He turned to walk closer to the house and cast a look over his shoulder.
Kie followed and prompted them to do the same.
"Glad to see how much he values our lives. If I get murdered, I'm coming back to haunt him," Stella muttered bitterly as she crept through the grass between JJ and Pope. She had been walking behind Kie, but JJ pulled her back mumbling something about wanting to keep her close for safety purposes.
"Hey, come on. Come here." John B stopped and motioned for them to crowd around. Once they were in a semicircle crouching around him, he continued, "so here's the plan. We need to look for the wheat near the water like it said in Denmark's letter."
"Okay, like, what kind of water?" Pope asked, searching for anything that might make their lives a little easier. "Like, pond water?"
JJ let out a chuckle. "Bong water?"
Pope, Kie and John B simultaneously turned their heads to hive him a flat, unimpressed look. Stella said nothing as she flicked his ear.
"Hey!" JJ exclaimed, swatting her hand away.
"Mhm," Stella hummed with a righteous expression. "How do you like it, huh?" She stuck her tongue out at him.
JJ leaned forward and tried flicking her ear, but she was quick and pushed his arm. He then twisted the arm she was holding and pulled her closer, pepping kisses against her cheek. Stella squirmed, trying to get away, but JJ knew from her laughter that she secretly loved it.
"No, guys—stop that," John B scolded, trying to get the couple's attention. "It—it just said look for water, okay?"
Stella pursed her lips. "That's helpful," she said with her voice dripping of sarcasm.
Kie nodded. "Yeah, that's the shittiest secret message ever." She started walking ahead of the group, searching for any sign of water.
John B rolled his eyes at her before creeping after her. "You wanna complain a little more, Kie?" he hissed. "Nobody said it was gonna be easy."
Stella decided to stay with JJ and Pope, not wanting to suffer John B and Kie's bickering.
"Okay," Pope started, turning to the couple. "I'll search the northeast quadrant, you search the northwest."
"The decapitation quadrant," JJ stated in blunt shock. He stared at Pope's retreating figure with a look of disbelief.
Stella lightly slapped his chest with her arm and started in the northwest direction. "Come on, J."
Stella made her way around the area as quietly as she could, though her soft steps did nothing to keep her cover as JJ kept freaking out about what would happen if Mrs. Crain caught them sneaking around the property. She turned around to tease him, but stopped when JJ threw his fists up at a plant that had brushed his shoulder.
"Wow, JJ, you're on a roll today," she chuckled, moving forward. "First statues, now plants. Are you going to fight the ocean next?"
"Ha ha," JJ responded sarcastically before reaching over to flick her ear again.
She swatted is hand with a yelp of protest, nearly missing John B's attempts to catch their attention. Walking over to the boy, Stella had to refrain from laughing as JJ got tangled in a plant. She was going to say something when he tried to punch it, but decided against it. He was on edge and when JJ was on edge, he fought.
"This is the last place we haven't checked," John B whispered to the group as they approached. He was standing in front of a small door under the house. The wood was rotting and its hinges were rusted, but it was wide open.
Stella was the first to move. "Hope you kids got your tetanus shots," she said, glancing over her shoulder as she crouched down and headed into the dark basement. John B followed after her with Kie on his tail.
The basement was uneven and like the rest of the house, neglected, and there were old children's toys littering the floor that made the place look like a horror movie. Though, the thing that really confused Stella was how humid the area was. Upon first glance, there was no water anywhere. So why was it so humid?
"Down came Mrs. Crain and cut off all our heads, up came the sun and dried up all the blood," JJ sang as he climbed into the basement.
Stella watched as Pope turned back to JJ with a look of annoyance.
"Can you stop?" Pope requested.
Stella shook her head before moving to stand beside Kie. The floor creaked under her but she didn't think much of it, brushing it off as the house just being old.
"Find anything?"
There was a buzzing noise that captured her attention, causing her to look down at her arm. Stella's noise scrunched up when a mosquito landed on her arm. She smacked it and Kie gave her an odd look. "Skeeter," she explained.
"Another dead end?" Kie chided as she pursed her lips and turned to John B.
JJ came up beside Stella and touched the pipes above their heads. "There's not even water on the pipes," he muttered.
"There's no water here," Pope nodded, though sounding very disappointed.
"Not a dropamino."
Kie's hand fell her side, letting her flashlight shine on the ground. "Know why we didn't find it?" Her gaze on John B hardened and Stella could sense an upcoming fight. "Bad karma."
John B rolled his eyes. "Oh, God. Here we go."
"You know, we had a good thing going," Kie drawled. "And then you decide to rope in Barbie, and now the trail's gone dry. Coincidence? Probably not."
"This is exactly why I didn't wanna tell you about Sarah."
Stella scoffed as John B stepped closer to Kie. She turned away, not wanting to watch them argue because she knew that she'd somehow get roped into it and she didn't feel like hurting John B's feelings today. She tried to ignore them, but it was pretty hard seeing as they were talking loudly, probably too loudly for the sly mission they were currently on.
"What the hell's the deal with you?" John B asked as he stared down at Kie.
Kie shrugged. "Nothing."
"Nothing? Is it because I kissed you? Is that the problem?"
A loud slap echoed against the basement walls, causing JJ and Stella to share a shocked look. "Oh, shit!" The blond exclaimed before turning to watch the rest of their argument. "That echoed, dude!"
From where she stood, Stella could see John B's jaw clench. She rolled her eyes. "Stop being a dick, B."
Kie nodded at Stella's words, but kept her eyes on the boy in front of her. "Yeah and stop treating me like I'm some girl that's obsessed with you instead of your best friend who's actually trying to look out for you."
"Did you, uh... hit me?"
Kie raised her hand. "Skeeter."
"Skeeter?"
"Yeah, you see it?"
John B raised a hand and slapped Kie across the face.
"Okay, see, that's what we're not going to do," Stella scolded. She moved over to them, stepping on planks of wood as she went. Her eyebrows furrowed when it sounded hollow beneath her feet and she stopped in her tracks. A mosquito landed on her thigh as she lowered herself to the ground and she smacked it away.
It seemed that Pope was coming to the same realization she was. "Why are there so many mosquitoes in a basement?"
Stella stood and jumped on the wooden planks. She prayed that they weren't rotten and that she wouldn't fall through. A loud echoing noise returned to her as she straightened up.
"Hey guys, look, I found Mrs. Crain's voodoo doll." JJ held up an old doll for everyone to see.
"JJ, don't touch that," Stella ordered, sparing her boyfriend a glance before turning to Pope. "Did you hear that?" she asked him, referring to the hollow echo that sounded after she jumped.
He nodded and pointed his flashlight to the ground. His foot stomped on the wood planks again to make sure he and Stella weren't just hearing things, and when the same sound occurred, Stella handed him a small pebble.
Pope took it in his hand and lowered to the ground. He found a crack between two planks and dropped the pebble in. A few seconds later, there was a splash echoing from below.
Pope and Stella shared a wide eyed look before scrambling to move the planks aside. Instantly, JJ came over to them, telling them to be quiet. "Stella, baby, you gotta—"
"Help us move this," she commanded, cutting him off with a frantic stare.
"Okay," he nodded, "but you have to sh..." He placed a finger against his lips before bending down to help.
Kie and John B followed suit, shushing Pope as he tried to move the planks on his own. "She's probably right upstairs," Kie scolded quietly.
They stopped after getting about half of the planks out of the way. They sat in silence as they stared at their discovery. A long stone well covered in moss laid at their feet.
"Well, well, well," Pope said.
John B glanced over to him. "That was a good dad joke."
"They built this part of the house right over it," Kie observed, shining her flashlight down the hole.
"This is where she hid the bodies," JJ stated quickly, causing everyone to groan. "No, I'm dead serious."
"JJ," Stella warned.
"It was never an outhouse."
Kie rolled her eyes at him. "She probably doesn't even know it's here."
"So..." Pope trailed off, looking to John B. "We found water."
John B glanced at him with a small, but proud, smile. "We're gonna need a really big rope."
RAE SPEAKS !
stella and john b were really giving us fighting sibling vibes this chapter huh