TALIA SAT AT THE EDGE OF HER DOCK, HER SHOE DRAGGING ACROSS THE SURFACE OF THE WATER. She so desperately wanted Kiara and Sarah to get along, but she couldn't help them if they didn't want to be helped. She was also mad at herself for bringing Sarah into everything and betraying Kiara, but she also felt like she was betraying Sarah if she didn't let her know what was going on. She had no idea how to fix this. She sighed, a hand running through her hair, looking out into the marsh. She spotted a familiar boat making it's way towards her, and she rolled her eyes when she saw who it was.
"Pope, I told you, I need to be alone right now." Talia reminded him as he came closer to her dock, shrugging his shoulders.
"I know, but John B and JJ got conked out on the marsh and they need a tow." He told the girl, who rolled her eyes at the boys' stupidity. Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time this had happened to them, so she knew what to do in this situation. She pushed herself up off the dock and onto the boat, sitting back down on the bow of the boat as Pope drove away. When he began to slow down at another dock and Talia saw Kiara walking out, she turned to Pope with a furious look on her face.
"You didn't tell me she was coming!" Talia yelled at him as he shrugged.
"This is an issue for the whole group, never leave a Pogue behind, remember?" Talia groaned and turned back around to face the water, her back to Pope and Kiara as she asked him what was going on. They drove for a few minutes until they arrived upon Heyward's boat stuck in the middle of the marsh. Talia and Kiara hopped on the boat, going into the cab of the boat to find John B and JJ leaning over the control center of the boat, both of their heads shooting up as the girls entered.
"What happened?" Kiara asked, leaning against the doorframe of the enclosed area.
"Uh, the alternator's, uh, not alternating anymore." JJ told her, to which she rolled her eyes.
"It's not charged."
"Did you check the plugs?" She asked, as the boys looked at each other and shook their heads.
"No, you should go check them." JJ handed her some pliers and she pushed past Talia towards the mechanical area of the boat. Talia walked farther into the room, crossing her arms and shaking her head.
"How did you two idiots manage to do this?" She asked looking at them both. JJ shrugged, scratching the back of his neck.
"Oh, you know, we were just chillin-" He ran quickly out of the room, pushing past Talia as he jumped off the front of the boat into the water. She watched him and turned back to John B, who had a small, mischievous smile on his face.
"Sorry about this." He told her, lightly kissing her cheek and repeating the same action as JJ did. She ran after him, Kiara coming up from under the boat and watching them swim back to the HMS Pogue.
"Is this a joke?" Kiara asked, and was about to yell something at the boys when she heard banging coming from below them, in the cargo hold of the boat. Talia crouched down and opened it to find Sarah, clearly angry and just as in the dark as her and Kiara were about what was going on.
"What the hell?" Kiara asked, yelling to the boys, who were watching them and laughing.
"Guys, are you serious?"
"Are you joking?"
"I'm going to kill all of you!" The girls shouted as the boys began to drive away.
"Get your asses back here!" Kiara yelled to them.
"We can't, not until y'all figure it out!" John B shouted, and Talia shook her head at him. The nerve he had, sticking her on a boat with two mortal enemies that were both currently mad at her.
"John Booker, if you don't get you ass back here right now-" Talia was about to tell him off when Sarah cut her off.
"You can't just leave!"
"There's food in the cabin, and JJ rolled a blunt!" Pope told the girls, as if that would make their situation any better.
"Hydroponic!" JJ added, and Sarah pulled off her skirt, revealing her multicolored bikini.
"This is ridiculous!"
"Well, I'd rather drown than stay here with both of you, so.." Kiara said, pulling off her shirt, and shorts. Talia just shook her head at the two girls.
"You guys are so dramatic it physically pains me." Talia muttered, watching them bicker as Sarah dived into the water, trying to swim after the boat, yelling at them to slow down.
"They're not coming back for you!" Kiara screamed at her, until she let out a yelp of pain. She began to swim back to the boat and climb up the ladder, revealing a giant sting on her torso.
"I got stung by a jellyfish, shit!" Sarah breathed heavily as she got back onto the boat. Talia stood with her arms crossed as she watched the two girls bicker once again, and she tried to figure out why she was here. The only issue she had was with Kiara, there was no reason for her to be stranded on this boat with the two of them. Sarah left to find a first aid kit, leaving Talia and Kiara alone, standing and looking at each other awkwardly.
"She swam into a manowar, I don't know what she expected." Kiara muttered, adjusting her dark red bikini top. The two stood in silence for a few moments more before Talia spoke up, unable to keep her thoughts in any longer.
"Look, Kie, I hate being like this and fighting with you." She told her, gesturing at their awkward nature that they never usually had.
"Then why did you bring her into this after I specifically told you not to?"
"Because Sarah is my friend too and she helped us out!" Talia yelled, causing Kiara to scoff. "And I don't know what happened between you two, since neither of you feel the need to keep me in the loop-"
"Tal-"
"I've had to speculate about what happened between you too, and honestly, I've come up with some pretty wild theories like-"
"I'm mad because I don't want you to leave me like she did!" Kiara screamed over her friend. Talia stopped and let her anger subside, looking at her friend with a confused expression. "What?" Kiara sighed, crossing her arms and turning away from the girl to look at the horizon.
"One day, right before freshman year, she ghosted me, for no reason. And since you two were a lot closer than you and I were, I assumed you would side with her, but you didn't. You kept being friends with me even though it cost you your reputation." Kiara said, not being able to look Talia in the eye.
"And seeing you two together today, and hearing you defend her, it brought me back to middle school. You and I have come so far, Tal, and I don't want you to be manipulated by her again." She continued, her eyes tearing up slightly. Talia sighed, running a hand through her hair. Even though she didn't know what exactly happened between Kiara and Sarah, she knew it hurt Kiara badly and that should have been enough to make her pause and think before just bringing Sarah into the group.
"Kie, I would never leave you." She told her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. "When my dad left, when my mom started to fall off the wagon, and whenever I had a fight with Topper, you were always there for me. Always. And with all the shit we've been through together, I think we're bonded for life." Talia laughed out the last part, Kiara letting out a small chuckle.
"And I should have talked with you about bringing Sarah on board before I did. I knew you had a problem with her, but I let the prospect of finding the gold cloud my judgement. I was a shitty friend, and I apologize for that." Talia told her sincerely, and Kiara nodded.
"Yeah, you were." Kiara agreed, and Talia laughed, her friend never shying away from the truth. "But so was I. I shouldn't have gotten mad at you like that, my problem with Sarah isn't you fault. I know you were only trying to do the right thing by including her." Kiara told Talia, who bit her lip and nodded.
"Can we both agree that we were shitty to each other and call it a day?" Talia asked, and Kiara nodded, pulling her in for a hug as they both laughed loudly. Talia wanted to freeze this moment, to stay this happy for the rest of her life. Kiara pulled away and stuck out her pinky finger.
"Friends for life." She asked, and Talia nodded, copying her movement.
"For life." The two kissed their hands, sealing the deal. They broke apart and watched the horizon, the sun just beginning to set. Sarah let out a loud groan, and the two girls looked in her direction. Talia sighed, beginning to walk away towards her.
"I should go help her-"
"No, I got it. Give us a chance to talk things over." Kiara stopped her, making her way towards the back of boat.
"Okay, but if I hear a splash, I will assume that's one of you throwing each other overboard, and I'm coming to get you." Talia told the girl, who rolled her eyes.
"No promises."
______________________
Talia laid on her back for what seemed like hours, looking at the stars while Kiara and Sarah talked out their problems. While she was there, tracing all the constellations she could find in the shy, she thought about how much her life had changed in just a few days. She had found a famous shipwreck, went against her mother, confessed her feelings to her crush, and reconnected with an old friend. When she thought about what her summer would be, it was definitely not like this. She would have said it was boring parties with her mother, and sneaking away to hang out with her friends when she could, and she was glad it didn't play out like that. Even though it has been stressful, terrifying, and imperfect, she wouldn't have her summer be any other way.
What pulled her from her thoughts was that she hadn't heard anything from the girls in a while, which meant either they had killed each other or made up. She hastily crept her way towards the girls, only to find them laying down on some towels from what she could assume was the bag Pope had packed for them. Sarah was fast asleep. but Kiara was laying with her eyes open, wide awake.
"Is it safe to enter?" Talia whispered, and Kiara nodded. She lied down between the two girls, trying her best not to disturb Sarah from her slumber. The two girls sat in silence, looking at the sky, just as Talia was doing moments before.
"Hey, Tal?" Kiara quietly asked, and Talia turned her head to face her.
"Promise me you won't bail on John B." She said, and Talia furrowed her eyebrows.
"Kie, you know I wouldn't-"
"I know, but he's not just some other guy, and he really, really, likes you. Promise me." Kiara turned her head to face her friend, and Talia saw something in her eyes: desperation. Talia always knew this, but it came clear to her now. Her and Kiara shared a similar trait, undying loyalty and the need to protect the people they love.
"I promise."
____________________
As the sun rose, the girls rose with it. There was still a small amount of tension between Kiara and Sarah, but the talk they had made them mutually understand each other and where their problems lied, allowing them it mend what they could. They still didn't completely trust each other, but enough to get them through this mission. Talia was excited to see her two friends made her, and it was like back when they were younger, the three attached at the hip and always getting into trouble.
"Uh-oh! You guys forget your keys or something?" Pope yelled from the HMS Pogue as the girls at on the edge od the boat, watching them grow closer.
"Don't give them the satisfaction of thinking this worked." Kiara whispered to the girls, who nodded in agreement.
"Absolutely not." Sarah said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Talia told her, the boys still yelling at them from afar.
"You gotta admit, it was funny." John B reasoned, now within earshot of the girls, who looked at him with raised eyebrows.
"John B, mastermind, huh?" Kiara asked, standing up onto the bow.
"I'm always plannin'." He said, looking to Talia who tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows at him.
"Some patriarchal bullshit." Talia said, joining Kiara.
"Yeah, that sucked." Sarah agreed, all three girls standing next to each other.
"You still love us though, right?" JJ asked, throwing Kiara a line and tying it off. She muttered at 'whatever'.
"Hey, you still hate me?" John B asked Talia, who paused for a second, as if to think about it.
"Jury's still out on that one." She concluded, to which he laughed.
"We're all gonna get out back when you least expect it." Sarah told the boys, and Kiara and Talia nodded.
"Watch your back, boys." Kiara warned.
"I, for one, welcome that challenge."
"Me too."
"So, did you guys, you know." Pope trailed, off trying to see if he left his dad's boat in the middle of the marsh for a reason.
"Reconcile our differences? Nope."
"Not even close." Sarah said, looking past the boys.
"But, we are willing to work together." Talia told them, causing the boys to break out into smiles.
"You know what? That's a victory." John B concluded.
"Yep. Woogity, woogity, woogity." Pope cheered, doing a small handshake with JJ. Sarah winked at the two girls, who smiled knowingly.
"All right, enough of that. You guys ready to jack some loot or what?" John B asked, and the three girls nodded and jumped into the boat. As Pope drove away, Talia sat next to John B, leaning her head on his shoulder.
"Thanks." She whispered to him, the four others in their own conversation. He smiled, placing a small kiss on her hair.
"Anytime, Tal, anytime."
___________________
"Alright, you guys got rope?"
"Check."
"Grappling hook?"
"No grappling hook. We're not Batman." Pope told John B, who was listing off the things they needed to retrieve the gold from the well.
"Pulley?"
"Check."
"Dark clothes? Flashlights?"
"Check and check." John B finished the list as he pulled up to the Crain house, which was completely dark in the night. They were all about to jump pout of the can, ready to get rich from the gold when John B stopped them.
"Wait, wait. I wanna thank you guys, seriously. It means at lot to me that you're here tonight." He told them seriously, and Kiara rolled her eyes.
"Always." She told him, and he and Pope did a small handshake. Talia looked at him, sending him a small wink, causing his cheeks to heat up slightly.
"Okay, are we done with this circle jerk? Let's get a move on." JJ broke up the sentimental moment, pushing past all of them and hopping out of the van. They all scaled the wall of the house, all of them hitting the ground with a thud. As they made their way closer to the house, a light shined on them, causing them to stumble back.
"Okay, so she has motion sensor lights." Pope told the group, which was blatantly obvious.
"We could, uh, move really slowly, maybe?" JJ asked, and the group all turned to look at him.
"What?"
"Yeah, that's not how it works."
"Oh shit, let's throw a rock at it." JJ offered up again, and Talia shook her head at his ideas.
"That's a really good idea. Let the axe murderer know we're here." Kiara said sarcastically, and in the dark, Talia could feel JJ roll his eyes.
"You guys have a better idea?"
"Literally anything but that."
"What about the breaker?" Sarah asked, pulling the group from their bickering. "In the circuit box on the porch. We used to play hide-and-seek here as kids, remember Tal? If we were brave enough, we would go all the way up to the porch." Sarah told the group and Talia nodded.
"It's there, I've seen it." She corroborated, and John B shook his head.
"You're not going in that house alone." He told her, and she rolled her eyes.
"Watch me."
"Crain chops people into pieces." JJ told her as she got up from her crouched position.
'Yeah, if you believe that. But she's like what 85? She probably barely still kicking." Talia assured him, as Kiara got up.
"I'll go with you." She said, and Sarah nodded in agreement.
"Me too, I can show y'all where it is." She told the two girls and they began to walk slowly towards the house. Pope said they would wait for their signal and they nodded, continuing to walk. Before she could get too far away, John B grabbed Talia's hand.
"Hey. Be safe." He said to her, fear in his eyes. Talia gave him a light smile and squeezed his hand.
"We will." She told him, and the girls made their way towards the porch. the overgrown garden crunched underneath their feet as they used their flashlights to navigate.
"There has to be a generator plugged into the main power supply." Kiara said as the came upon creaking stairs that led to the front door. They quietly stepped up to find no circuit box, but a line that led to inside the house, The three girls looked at each other, panic washing all over their faces.
"I just hope she's deaf." Talia told the, pushing open the loud screen door, wincing at the noise. She walked into the house, flashing her light around to find dust on almost all of the surfaces. It looked like someone didn't even live there, and it was not someone who kept a clean home. A cat ran over Talia's feet, loudly meowing and scurrying away. They followed the line through the front of the house into a small room, where the circuit box was placed on the wall. The three girls smiled at each other and flipped them off, signaling the boys to get down to the basement.
Just as the girls were about to leave and meet the boys, they heard a loud clomping coming from above them. They looked up, their eyes wide with fear and panic.
"Shit." Sarah breathed out, and Talia pressed a finger to her lips, and looked at the two girls. They stayed where they were, not daring to move a muscle. Who she could assume was Mrs. Crain passed by them, not noticing their presence. Kiara clamped a hand over her mouth, while Talia closed her eyes tightly, holding her breath.
"I can hear you, Leon. I've been waiting all night!" She turned quickly in the girls' direction, pointing a fire poker at them. They took off back through the house, running through the parlor and trying to find a way out. Sarah got slpit up from Talia and Kiara who were met only with a boarded up door.
"Shit!"
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
"Where are you, Leon?" Mrs. Crain called, and Kiara and Talia began pulling at the boards and locks, trying to see of this was a possible way to escape this hell hole. It wasn't long before Mrs. Crain found them, swinging the fire poker at them. Talia and Kiara ducked, narrowly missing her swing each time. Talia attempted to grab it out of her hand, but it only swung to hit her in the forearm, which made her gasp out in pain. She was about to get another swing when Sarah came from behind her, grabbed the fire poker from her hands, and shoved her to the ground. She grabbed Kiara's hand, who grabbed Talia's, and dragged them out, locking the parlor door behind them, trapping her in there.
The girls stood at the door for a few seconds, catching their breath, until Mrs. Crain began to break through the wood of the door, causing the girls to yelp. They ran away from the door and down a hallway.
"This way! It goes to under the house!" Sarah yelled, leading them down some stairs as they could still hear Mrs. Crain screeching. They got down into the basement, closing the door behind them. They shouted for the guys, who were nonchalantly standing around.
"What's going on?" Pope asked, holding securely onto the rope that held John B in the well.
"Mrs. Crain! She's up there." Kiara explained, still catching her breath.
"She tried to kill us with a fire poker." Talia told them as her and Sarah bent over at the knees, breathing heavily.
"We locked her in the parlor, but it probably won't last for long." Sarah told them, pushing her hair from out of her face.
"Guys, we gotta get the fuck out of here." Kiara told them, and they shouted for John B to get back on the rope to pull him up. The girls joined JJ and Pope in Pulling John B up, but when they pulled, nothing was on the end, sending them all flying backwards.
"Shit, where the hell is he?" Talia asked, all of them inching closer to the well and yelling down to him. They could hear him yelling something, but it was muffled to the point where they couldn't really make it out.
"Guys, he's drowning! Pull him up!" Kiara told them, and they went back to their positions on the rope.
"John B, get back on and we're gonna pull you up, okay buddy?" Pope yelled down to him, as they all grunted, finally having weight on the other end. He was almost half way up when a loud bang rang out, sending all of them screaming. It was a sound that had come all too familiar with the Pogues: gunshots. They left the rope and hid under whatever they could find, leaving Pope to tie off the rope.
"She can't aim for shit." Kiara said next to Talia, who was only worrying about John B at the moment.
'She's blind, Kie." She whispered to her, Mrs. Crain's breathing getting closer. Another gun shot rang out, making the group run out of the basement, back over the fence and into the van. JJ hopped into the driver's seat, immediately starting the van before all of them were even in. Talia leaned out to see John B running after them, covered in some kind of mud.
"JJ, slow down!" She yelled over the others, extending her arm for John B to grab onto. He latched onto her and hoisted himself into the van, sitting on the floor and facing the crew.
"Are you okay? Are you shot?" JJ asked John B, who let out a small 'no'. The group all breathed loudly, the adrenaline from the chase already wearing off.
"I'd think I'd know if I was shot, right?" Kiara asked, and Talia nodded.
"You look disgusting." Pope told John B, and Kiara agreed, stating he smelled like ass.
"If this is shit on me, I will kick your ass." Talia told John B, wiping the substance off of her arm from John B grabbing onto her to get into the van.
"What the hell just happened?" Sarah asked, throwing her head back in exhaustion.
"All-time Pogue Hall of Fame, baby." JJ announced, pushing his hair out of his face.
"That bitch is possessed." Kiara told them, and they all nodded.
"That bitch can't aim."
"If she's blind, how can she get around so quick?" Talia asked, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. The rest of the group kept talking, but Talia focused on what John B had in his hand. He looked at her, slowly wiping off the dirt to reveal a wheat symbol, causing Talia's jaw to drop.
"Holy shit, is that what I think it is?"
"We did it baby!" John B screamed, holding the gold up to show everyone. The whole group erupted in cheers and shrieks of joy, their near death experience paying off.
"Holy shit, guys, we're gonna be rich." Kiara yelled over everyone as they crossed the bridge, screaming that they were going full Kook for everyone to hear. No matter what happened, nothing and nobody could take away the joy they all felt in that moment.
hello! this is not my best chapter, i just don't think i'm good at writing suspense, so sorry of that part seems rushed. i'm excited to see what comes for this book, the action is coming so soon!!!!! keep voting and commenting, reading what you guys think makes my day. love you all and next update will be soon!
-brooke :)