━ 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗴𝗮𝘇𝗲𝗱
"𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐌𝐎𝐋𝐃 on it three days ago." Pope projected, carrying a lantern into the living room.
I was sitting in a chair at the dining table in John B's home. The events at the graveyard were making my head spin— we had driven away so fast that I didn't even remember to ask for a ride home, ending up in me planting myself in the dimly lit kitchen. It was only when I'd looked at my red bike still leaning on the outside of the house, on the way inside, that I remembered Caroline and Daryl. It was far too dark to bike home, I wouldn't have found my way nonetheless, so I stayed quiet.
Besides, when we entered the Chateau, John B wasn't laughing anymore. I figured it was a bad time to ask for a drive. He had rushed straight for the table, which I had cleaned up earlier, placed his plastic envelope on the surface and lit up a few lanterns. He didn't speak to anyone as he simply stared down at it, while everyone else made themselves comfortable, me sliding into the chair next to him. I kept looking at his face, that was shining orange from the lantern, to see if he'd look back, but he never did.
"I'll just pull off the bad parts." Jj shrugged. He was standing by the counter, his shadow outlined by the light of another lantern, as he crouched over and spread peanut butter on a slice of bread. "Plus, mold is good for you, it's just a natural... organism."
A small grimace formed on my lips. I was sitting with my ankles crossed underneath the table, my elbow perched up to let my chin rest on the open palm. Pope was standing next to me, his hands gripping the end of the table to lean on them.
"Jj," Kiara called for him, her voice annoyed as she stood beside John B's chair.
"Yup, yup, yup," he replied, while grabbing his bread and skipping over to stand behind my seat, his hand on the top rim. "Let's do it."
With a strong jerk, John B suddenly ripped open the top of the envelope, still not looking at anyone. Jj gagged from behind me, and I turned around to see him spit the chunk of bread back into his hand. I wanted to call it disgusting, possibly add a laugh, but the room was quiet and it wasn't a good moment to make jokes. He threw out his bread and returned, right as John B pulled out a folded paper.
"Holy shit." He whispered out, when he unfolded the thin parchment. There, in front of everyone, was a huge map, with a small X drawn in the corner in black ink.
"X marks the spot," Pope pointed his finger right at the mark.
Everyone stared down at the paper, with mouths agape, and eyes curious.
"Longitude... latitude," John B trailed his pointed finger over lines on the map, speaking quietly.
"There's something else in the there," I said with a low tone, almost a whisper, with eyebrows narrowed. I lifted my chin towards the plastic envelope.
John B reached his hand into the envelope, pulling out a small grey box-shaped object. He looked down at it with a confused expression, turning it over to its back.
"What the fuck is that?" Jj asked, leaning over the top of my chair to get a better look.
"It's a tape recorder," Kiara looked up at him, "dumbass."
John B didn't hesitate, and clicked a button on the side of the recorder. The room was quiet as a man, over the pre-recorded message, began to speak, starting with "dear bird".
"Who's bird?" Jj questioned quickly. I kicked his foot.
John B breathed out unsteadily, "That's what my dad called me."
My heart sank, after hearing him say the words.
"I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so," the man's voice continued, sounding rough and tired. As the message kept going, everyone quiet and not a sound made, glances were shared between his friends. I stared between John B and the recorder, trying my best to understand and listen to what his father was saying through the tape.
"I didn't expect to find the Merchant either." With that sentence, John B finally looked away, and up past my head to Jj, and then to Pope, and then to Kiara. The message continued on, with the man speaking about John B and somewhat apologizing for things I didn't know of, meanwhile everyone stared down at the tape, unsure. "There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If something happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid."
There were tears bubbling in the brims of John B's eyes, which made my face soften.
"I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it." There was a pause in the recording as a vehicle approached in the background. "I'll see you on the other side."
There was a static cracking, and then the message was over.
No one spoke a word, as John B stared down at it, clicking the recorder off. Even I— who had never met his father, and didn't even have a connection to their lives — felt a certain sadness after listening. John B let the recorder fall on the table with a thud, before he stood up abruptly from his chair, walking away.
"Holy shit," Jj breathed out in disbelief, "Big John— he found the Merchant!" He let go of the back of my chair.
I stared at John B who gripped the wall and held it for support, as he began to sob uncontrollably, his back turned to us.
"Can you— can you please." Kiara rubbed her hands over her head stressfully, trying to keep in a burst of anger, or sadness, I couldn't tell.
"Sorry," Jj stopped rambling, and looked down. Pope stared at the table, an unidentifiable expression on his face.
John B's sobs were hard to listen to, as I ran my hands through my hair, and breathed out a heavy sigh. Kiara walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he let her comfort him, until he didn't. He suddenly stood up from leaning against the wall, and wiped his eyes, storming off outside the back door.
"I should go," I finally said. Uncomfortable and quiet, I slowly stood up and pushed my chair out with the back of my knees, hitting Jj only slightly.
"No," Kiara looked up at me, "you should go talk to him."
"What?" I softly narrowed my eyebrows, taken back by the suggestion.
"You need to go and talk to John B," she said, sounding sure now, and nodding her head.
"Yeah," Jj agreed, stepping away from me so I could see him. "he'll listen to you."
"Why me?" I breathed out, my voice still sounding soft. "This isn't about me, and I barely know him. Maybe he just wants to be alone right now."
"Then talk about something else," Pope butted in, surprisingly speaking lightly. "He's not gonna talk to any of us. He never does about his dad."
I looked to each one of them, before sighing and looking down at my feet. "Alright," I nodded slowly, grabbing one of the lanterns, and then began to walk in the direction he left in.
I knew he hadn't driven away because no one heard the sound of the van's engine. So I walked out the door he did, and looked out into the darkness. For a second, I didn't know where to go, and simply stood outside the back door, trailing my eyes around everything in front of me until I spotted a figure. I shined my light in the direction, to see that he was sitting at the end of his dock, sitting on one of the thick railings, with his back leaning against the post, and his head turned to the water.
I felt a trickle of nervousness spill into my body, not really knowing how to approach the delicate situation. But, I walked over to the dock he was at, rehearsing conversation-starters in my mind the whole way. The wooden boards creaked under my feet.
"Hey," I said, when I got close enough. His back was turned to me, as he looked out and away. My voice was quiet and soft, but loud enough for him to notice.
He didn't turn around, though.
I folded my hands together over my stomach, still holding the lantern, "I know you don't wanna talk about it," I whispered delicately, while taking another step closer. "We don't have to."
He sniffed.
I swallowed the air in my throat, finally stepping past him and turning, to face him sitting there. "Just thought you might want some company." I smiled lightly, my lips formed in a tight line, as I placed the lantern on the railing, my hands gripping onto the wood of it right after.
I then looked over at his face, which was stained and wet with tears, illuminated by the light I brought out with me. He didn't budge, didn't even shift his eyes an inch. He didn't acknowledge my presence.
I breathed out a heavy breath, before gripping my fingers around the lantern's handle. We didn't know each other, it was odd for me to comfort him. "I'll go, if you want." I nodded softly, and looked at him once more, starting to walk away.
I felt his hand suddenly grip onto my wrist, turning me back around. "Can you stay," he mumbled, in such a low tone it was barely audible. He was looking down at his legs now.
I smiled, a small feeling bursting in my stomach. His hand fell from my wrist, and I missed the contact already, but then walked back over to my spot beside him. I stood there, elbows leaning on the railing while he sat, both of our faces lit up by the lantern that I placed back down.
"I don't know if I'm doing this right," I said out loud, after a moment of silence.
"Doing what right," He asked, his voice low and tinged with a slight rasp. I was surprised he was talking.
"I've never really had a friend to comfort in situations like this," I said, causally. "I don't really know what to do," I admitted, sort of laughing.
"Didn't seem like that at the lighthouse," he commented. He didn't really sound emotional, more as if he was trying not to be because I was there. "And I say you're doing pretty good."
"I didn't think I had that in me," I lightly laughed, feeling the mood in the air relax slightly. I only blushed a little bit at his comment, but he couldn't see it anyways in the dark.
"The hug?" He asked. He didn't look at me as he traced shapes on the wood of the railing between his legs.
"Yeah, that," I answered, before realizing. "Do you... want a hug? Like— right now?" I turned to him, speaking awkwardly. "Only if you wan—"
"You don't have to ask that, Charlie," he surprised me when a laugh fell from his mouth.
"Yeah, sorry," I giggled softly in return.
He swung his legs over the railing, his body no longer facing the water. He shifted his eyes up to me, and I looked at him back, before stepping away from the railing and standing in front of him. He was still a bit taller than me when sitting down, the top of my head reaching his nose level.
Almost immediately, he wrapped his arms around me. My hands instantly found their way to the back of his neck, slinging around both of his shoulders as he grabbed me tightly. His chin was buried in the crook of my own neck, and I placed my own on his shoulder. The wind bristled past us, ruffling the water in front, and crickets chirped in the silence around, my hair blowing behind me.
I didn't even think about if I was doing it right. I just let him hug me until the silence seemed too much for him to handle.
"I miss him," John B said, after long moments of quietness. "That's the first time I've heard his voice in nine months." His voice cracked with pain, and I could feel him getting emotional again. It sounded like he felt obligated to tell me.
I hugged tighter.
"Hey, it's okay, John B." I reassured him, letting him know that it was okay to cry. "You don't have to explain yourself, you know."
He sobbed quietly on my shoulder, his arms gripping tighter around my waist. I stood there, hugging him tightly, and he sat with my body pressed against his, until he was completely ready to let go. When he pulled away first, he looked down, but I could see all of the tears on his cheeks. He looked up at me after a short moment.
I smiled softly, while sliding my hands from his shoulders, stopping for a second. I raised my hand up, and used my thumb to gently wipe a fresh tear from under his eye. I was careful of the bruise.
I looked closely at his face, and the slight redness of his eyes. "That's not fair," I laughed, a smile breaking out onto my lips, as my hands fell back beside my legs.
"What," he softly furrowed his brows, sniffling.
"You don't look ugly when you cry," my lips frowned.
His hands fell from my waist and folded at his legs. "I bet you don't either," he laughed silently, his finger gripping onto the bottom hem of my sweater.
I laughed too, flattered. A wide smile on my face, I looked past his head and out into the sky, my eyes growing wide. "Look! the stars are out," I said as a whisper.
He turned around, his knee lightly hitting my leg as he moved. It was quiet for a minute. "You see that one," he pointed a finger up into the sky after the silence, glancing to me as I stared, "That one right there," he pointed to a shining white one, "That's the north star."
"What does it mean," I asked with a delicate stone, taking a small step backwards. "It's pretty."
"It's the brightest star in the sky," he glanced once at me, before looking back. "All the other stars revolve around it. It helps boat navigators and stuff."
"I've never stargazed before," I laughed lightly.
"Never?" He turned to me.
"Nope," I shook my head, only slightly.
I stared up at all the stars in the sky, wondering how in the world I'd never stargazed before, and how in the world I was suddenly doing it then with a surfer boy on his crazy island. My eyes were twinkling from the reflection of them. It was beautiful.
John B looked at me— and it wasn't just a normal look. He was really looking at me, and I could see it from my peripheral vision. The look in his eyes held something different, he'd never looked at me that way before, at least not that I had noticed.
"You're beautiful, Charlotte," he whispered, suddenly.
I turned my head to him, thinking that he was joking. But he meant it. My lips departed from one another as goosebumps cascaded over my whole body, abruptly frozen by his words. My heart felt like it started up again when his hand rose up, delicately cupping the side of my face, with such a gentle touch that it was barely there. His eyes shifted up to mine, our faces only mere inches away. My heart rate sped up uncontrollably. He began to lean in.
"Guys?" Pope's voice broke out through the silence.
I jumped, John B's hand gripping around my wrist, as I reeled away from him quickly. In the short distance, three lanterns were approaching us as orbs, followed by his friends who wore confused looks on their faces, eyebrows narrowed as they neared.
"See, bro, I told you they'd be having a moment." Jj complained, talking to Pope. The three of them walked on the docks towards us.
"You good now, JB?" Kiara asked, looking sympathetic as she placed her lantern down on the railing across.
"Yeah— yeah, yep," John B rambled, nodding his head quickly as he let go of my hand. "We're good— yep."
"Everything is great," I bit the inside of my cheek, looking down at my feet.
Jj propped himself up on the railing across from us, folding his knees up, and Pope sat on the other side beside him. I leant my back against the railing next to John B, while Kiara sat down and dangled her legs beside my body. It was quiet outside, with only the sounds of the crickets chirping in the distance, and Jj throwing rocks into the water below him.
I felt awkward standing there beside John B, after what had almost happened. We didn't look at one another.
"So, how much was it again?" Jj asked after a while.
"Four hundred mil." Pope answered, his voice tired and groggy.
Jj sighed, before turning to all of us. "Alright, let's talk the split."
Everyone shared glances as Jj continued, claiming that he needed a bigger share for being our protection, with the gun. Everyone rolled their eyes.
"What about Charlie," Pope said.
"I'm not apart of it." I put my hands up in defence, truly not wanting to interfere with anything I wasn't supposed to.
"About that," John B put a finger up, meaning he was about to bring up a point, which caused everyone to look over at him. "I think Charlotte should do it with us."
"What?" I turned my head to look at him, my eyebrows defined and sharply narrowed.
"Well I think," John continued, speaking lightly as if the subject were touchy, "you've already come this far— and you've even saved us a few times— we'd have a lot of fun with you,"
"She's not a Pogue." Pope said, shortly.
"Yeah, I thought this was like, your guys' thing?" I questioned. "A Pogue thing, or whatever."
"Well yeah— but you don't have anyone else to hang out with," he shrugged, not meaning it offensively, "Maybe you'd like to spend your summer with us."
"John B, this is a serious thing," Pope claimed, talking lightly, "we're talking four hundred mil, in gold," he said. "The frickin' Royal Merchant, dude. It's not just about having fun anymore."
"Yeah— and you want me to come with you guys to what? Find it?" I stared at John B obliviously.
"If it's so important, Pope," Jj said, "Then she's already in too deep to leave now."
"All in favour of Charlie joining the group, say I." John B smiles brightly, and looked to his friends.
It was quiet for a long second, and I almost laughed.
Until, Kiara sighed gently. "I." She said firmly, a smile growing on her lips as she looked to me. "I think it'll be fun." she shrugged. "Another girl in the group besides me."
"Well, most definitely, I." Jj shrugged, like it was obvious.
"Pope?" John B grinned, excitedly.
He breathed out, throwing a rock into the water. It felt like a moment of truth— that his words would determine our next fate. "I guess." He mumbled, "I."
John B nudged his shoulder into my side. I looked up to see an even wider grin on his lips. "You up for it?" He beamed.
I slowly looked at everyone. "I mean, I'd have to introduce you to my grandparents, instead of sneaking out everyday," I tilted my head to the side, weighing my options. "And you have to promise me that we won't die."
"Can never make that type of promise, sweetheart," Jj said, laughing a little as he threw another rock into the water. "Always ends bad."
"You in?" Kiara grinned at me.
I bit my lip for a second, before nodding my head slowly, "Yeah, why not."
Immediately, a smile broke out on every face, even Pope. John B cheered loudly as he stood up and wrapped his arms around my body, picking me up, and high-fiving Jj as he did. I was laughing hysterically, gripping my hands onto the material of his shirt, as they cheered and made happy sounds. With everyone following, John B ran with me over his shoulder, all the way back to the house.
I was out of breath from laughing when he put me down inside. "I think I should get going," I was still smiling widely, my hands on his shoulders while his friends spilled through the room behind us.
"You need a drive?" Kiara asked me distractedly, as she folded a blanket on the futon sofa. Jj and Pope were messing with each other as they scrambled in the kitchen.
"Yeah," I nodded, my breathing finally calm as I let my hands fall.
"I'll take you in the van," She nodded kindly, placing the blanket down and grabbing a set of keys from the nearby cabinet.
"Want me to come?" John B was still standing in front of me, looking down.
I patted his chest once, "You get to sleep, it's been a long day." I smiled, sounding like a mother. When I let my hand fall back, the sleeve of the sweater covered my fingers. "Oh— do you want this back?" I scrambled to grab the hem.
"No, you keep it." He stopped me by grabbing my arms.
My rushed face relaxed into a soft smile, and I let go of the bottom of the hoodie. "Okay." I nodded, and then began to walk past him and out the door where Kiara had left.
"Goodnight, Charlie." He turned his head around, meaning it, and looked at me from the middle of the living room.
I turned my head around too, as I stepped out the door, "Goodnight, John B," I said it with a funny tone, trying to mock him for being so formal. Even though I was joking, my stomach was still filled with butterflies.
We looked at one another once more, before I walked out, closed the door, and headed for the van. When I heard Pope and Jj snickering and mocking John foolishly, a genuine smile rose up to meet my lips and I looked down, as I walked away in the dark.
༄
𝐯𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 !!