There are only three kinds of relationships in the animal kingdom. The first is commensalism. One example... fish finding hiding spots in coral reefs. Fish profit, but life for the coral doesn't change. Then, there's mutualism... a relationship where both animals benefit from each other. The tricky thing about animals is you don't always know what kind of relationship you're in. Which brings me to relationship number three. The parasitic.
I never made it home last night. I feel so much better now that Topper and I talked. I feel even better knowing that JB is moving into Tannyhill. Apparently my father offered to be his legal guardian. At least now I know he has a roof over his head with food and electricity.
After John B gets out of the hospital we meet at the Wreck.
"I'm sorry. You're staying where?" Kie questions.
"Tannyhill," John B states.
"So you're living with Sarah Cameron," Kie says.
"And Ash. But, look, the only reason I'm living there is because their 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..." John B starts.
Pope cuts him off, "Hey, so do you have a membership to the clubs now?"
John B shakes his head slightly. "I don't know, Pope."
"What about those golf carts they drive around? You get one of them?" JJ asks.
"Does it come with a sweater-vest, or do you have to buy one on your own?" Pope teases.
"Look, you promised. You said you weren't with her," Kie reminds John B.
"Bro, just own it. She got you," JJ tells him.
"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," Kiara insists.
"Do you guys see her here?" John B looks around. "No, right. Okay. A little focus would be fantastic. We've got the map, right?"
"It's out of whack 'cause the guy was ganja'd when he drew it," JJ states.
"It's 'cause the coast has changed," I explain. JJ nods his head in realization and I smile slightly.
"So we just have to look for landmarks that haven't changed," Pope explains.
"What about the old forts?" John B offers.
Kie points at the map. "Battery Jasper."
We drive out to the remains of the old fort. JJ and I stand on the old stones looking out into the distance.
Pope stands with the map. "We're in Battery, right here." He points to the map. "So if this is parcel nine, then it's somewhere northeast of here."
Kie points in the distance. "Somewhere there."
"Right," Pope agrees.
JJ points in that direction. "Over there? Guy's, that's not Tannyhill, that's a subdivision."
"Tannyhill Plantation was the entire island. It got sold into smaller pieces over time," John B explains.
"So we're just looking for an old stone wall," Pope tells us.
We drive towards where parcel 9 should be. Pope points out the window. "Okay, so the road should split up here."
John B nods. "Okay."
"All right. You're gonna take a left," Pope instructs.
"That looks like a stone wall to me," JJ offers.
"This is it," Pope tells us.
We get out of the car and stand in front of the house on Parcel 9.
"Not the Crain house," John B states.
"Are you kidding me?" I ask.
"Worst-case scenario," JJ states.
"Why'd it have to be here... of all places?" Pope questions.
"I heard that Mrs. Crain buried her husband's head on the property," JJ tells us.
We start walking through the yard of the Crain house. Kie leading the way. "Look, you guys know whose house this is, right?"
"Oh, yeah. No, I do," JJ assures.
"Honestly, I don't really believe the stories of this place," John B admits.
"Shh," Pope tells him.
"What?" John B asks.
"Which stories did you hear?" JJ asks me.
"The one where she killed her husband with an axe and that she's been holed up ever since. On certain nights, when the moon is full..." I wiggle my fingers in front of JJ's face. "You can see her in the window!"
"No, Ash, it's not funny, 'cause it's all true," JJ states. "I swear to God, guys, this is all real. I knew Hollis." JJ freaks when he sees a statue. "Jeez!"
"Wait, you knew Hollis Crain?" Pope asks.
"Yeah, dude," JJ says.
"Dude, how do you know Hollis Crain?" Pope asks.
"She was my babysitter, man. She told me all about it. Told me the truth... about her mother and what happened in this house. 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," JJ tells us.
"What night?" John B asks.
"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. 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," JJ tells us.
"God, you are so full of shit," John B accuses.
"Dude, I swear to God, man," JJ says.
"Did she call the police?" Pope asks.
"She didn't have time," JJ tells us.
"We can't do this..." Pope starts.
John B walks right past us.
JJ tries to stop him, "Wait, bro!"
"What?" John B asks.
"You sure you wanna do this? She's an axe murderer. You got a cast on," JJ tells him.
"I don't give a shit if she's an axe murderer, okay? I got nothin' to lose, right? You comin' or what?" John B asks.
Kie follows after him. "Come on."
I put my hand on JJ's shoulder. "Come on. I'll protect you."
John B whispers, "Hey, come on. Come here. 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? Like, pond water?" Pope asks.
JJ chuckles. "Bong water?"
We all give him a look.
"No. It... it just said look for water, okay?" John B tells us.
"That's the shittiest secret message ever," Kie remarks.
Pope turns to JJ. "Ash and I'll search the northeast quadrant, you search the northwest."
"The decapitation quadrant," JJ protests.
Pope and I look around the yard but don't see any water. It's all just overgrown plants and creepy statues.
John B stops beside the house. "Hey, psst! Hey, come on. It's the only place we haven't looked."
JJ nearly trips over a root as he walks towards the house. "Oh shit..."
"Here we go." John B enters the crawl space under the house.
We all follow after him one at a time. There's all kinds of stuff everywhere. There's more than one creepy doll. There are other little knick knacks scattered about.
JJ starts to sing, "Down came Mrs. Crain And cut off all our heads Up came the sun And dried up all the blood."
"Can you stop?" Pope tells him.
"See any water?" Kie asks.
I swat at the mosquitos buzzing around. "Another dead end?" I state.
"There's not even water on the pipes," JJ tells us.
"There's no water here," Pope says.
"Not a dropamino," JJ states.
"Know why we didn't find it? Bad karma," Kie offers.
John B groans. "Oh, God. Here we go."
"You know, we had a good thing going. And then you decide to rope in Barbie, and now the trail's gone dry. Coincidence? Probably not," Kie accuses.
"This is exactly why I didn't wanna tell you about Sarah," John B explains.
"Yeah?" Kie asks.
John B nods. "Yeah. What the hell's the deal with you two?"
"Nothing," Kie insists.
"Nothing? Is it because I kissed you? Is that the problem?" John B asks.
Kie saps John B across the face.
I laugh. "Oh!"
"Oh shit!" JJ taunts.
"That echoed, dude!" Pope remarks..
"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," Kie demands.
"Did you, uh... hit me?" John B asks.
Kie holds up her hand. "Skeeter."
"Skeeter?" John B asks.
"Yeah, you see it?" Kie remarks.
"Yeah." John B slaps Kie on the cheek.
"Oh, hey!" JJ says.
"Okay..." I start.
"Where's your proof?" Kie asks.
John B holds his hand up. "Skeeter."
"Yeah? There was probably one right there," Kie says as she hits John B.
John B slaps Kie's arm. "There's one right there."
"Really? You saw that?" Kie asks.
John B hits Kie on the forehead. "On your forehead."
"You're dead. That's it. Today's the day that you die," Kie tells John B as she pushes him away.
Pope keeps swatting mosquitoes. "Jesus."
"Today's your funeral," Kie warns. John B hits her again. "One bandito."
I swat the mosquitoes out of my face. "These things are a freakin' swarm!"
"You see this?" Kie asks.
"Hey, sh! Keep it down," JJ warns.
"You know how this ends," John B tells Kiara.
"Why are there so many mosquitoes in a basement?" Pope asks.
"Dude. I know, seriously. Tiny vampire bats, just leave me alone," JJ remarks.
I swat another mosquito out of my face. "Oh, my gosh! Okay, can we leave? 'Cause I'm already itchin' to leave."
"Hah? Punny," John B says. Kie hits him again and he groans. "All right... Ow!"
JJ picks up a creepy doll. "I just found Mrs. Crain's voodoo doll, guys."
I giggle. "Oh shit."
"All right, can we leave this? 'Cause this is getting..." JJ trails off.
Kie hits John B again. "Skeeter, for real."
"Hey, guys." Pope starts to bang things around.
"Hey, Pope!" I tell him.
"Sh!" Kie warns.
"Hey. Help me move this. Help me move this," Pope says.
"Okay, just... quiet," John B tells him.
We start to pick the things up from the floor. Moving them out of Pope's way.
"Guys! Guys!" Kie warns.
"Guys. I know. Yeah. Yeah. Sh, sh," Pope says.
"She's probably right upstairs," I warn.
We pick up one of the floorboards and under it is a well so deep you can't see the bottom. We all stare down into the blackness.
"Well, well, well," Pope comments.
"That was a good dad joke," John B admits.
"They built this part of the house right over it," I state.
"This is where she hid the bodies," JJ says.
Pope punches him in the arm. "Oh, dude, come on."
"Stop," Kie tells him.
"No, I'm dead serious," JJ argues.
"Stop it!" Kie tells him.
"It was never an outhouse," JJ says.
"She probably doesn't even know it's here," I tell them.
"So... we found water," Pope states.
"We're gonna need a really big rope," John B offers.
We sit on John B's back porch waiting for Kie. It's going to be interesting when she shows up because John B brought Sarah with him. I'm the only one that knows what happened between Kie and Sarah and I can say John B is a dick for bringing Sarah here. Not just in regards to Kie but Sarah too. He should know better than to try and force friendship on two people who very clearly don't want to speak with one another.
Kie storms through the door. "No effing way! You brought her here? So what? She's in on this now?"
John B looks to Pope. Pope shrugs his shoulders. "I dunno."
"Look, all I care about is her cut comes out of your share," JJ tells John B.
John B looks at me. I don't respond, I just give him a look letting him know I'm on Kie's side. Sarah is my sister but this is a Pogue thing. It started with the crew and he should have talked to Kie before he brought Sarah here.
"You know, I don't remember taking a vote. This is our thing. A Pogue thing," Kie argues.
"I gotta say, I'm just a tad uncomfortable with all of this," Pope admits.
"Thank you," Kie says.
"When are you not uncomfortable?" John B asks.
Pope shrugs his shoulders. "I dunno. I rode here on the back of JJ's bike pretty comfortably."
"It's true. Most relaxed I've ever seen him," JJ adds.
"That's cute, guys," John B taunts.
"You know we were all extremely comfortable until you brought her," Kie argues.
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Sarah yells.
"Then leave," Kie offers.
Sarah scoffs. "I told you."
"Told him what, exactly? That you're a liar?" Kie asks.
"No, that you're a shit-talking bitch," Sarah states.
"Oh shit!" Pope says.
"When have I lied?" Sarah asks.
"My money's on Kie," JJ says.
"You get somebody close to you..." Kie starts.
"I didn't lie about shit," Sarah insists.
"Everybody shut up!" John B shouts. "Kie, you are my best friend, right?" John B looks at Sarah. "And Sarah, you're... you're my..."
"Say it," Sarah tells him.
"You're my girlfriend," John B states.
"Ohh... that's new," Pope remarks.
"She's your girlfriend now? What was all that talk about you were just using her for information? Get a map, cut her loose," Kie reminds him.
"You said you were using me?" Sarah asks.
"No," John B says.
"Yeah, you did," Pope states.
"You said those things," JJ reminds him.
"Look, love just walked in, okay?" John B tells us.
Kie looks away from him. "Oh, vomit."
"I didn't expect it. It just... it kind of happened. And I'm not gonna deny it. Right?" John B tells us.
"Oh! That's corny," Pope whispers.
"Look, cut the bullshit, John B. If she's in, I'm out," Kie tells him.
"I'm not doing this. I can't!" John B insists.
"You are gonna decide. I'm very interested, actually. Me or her?" Kie asks.
"Both," John B answers.
JJ whistles. "Went for the Hail Mary."
"Noooo!" Pope says.
Kie walks out the door. JJ and Pope sit there awkwardly not knowing what to do.
Sarah forces a smile. "It'll be cool, right?" She stands up. "I'm gonna leave."
"Sarah, don't," John B tells her.
"Gonna let y'all chat. Let me know," Sarah says before leaving.
"I'd just like to say, you handled that beautifully," JJ taunts.
I stand up. "You're a dick, John B."
I head inside looking for beer. I sit on the counter as I open the bottle. JJ walks in and takes it from my hand. "Hey!"
JJ laughs before taking a sip and handing it back to me. "Do you know what Kie's problem is with Sarah?"
I nod my head. "I know all about it."
"And?" JJ asks.
"They really just need to talk it out," I tell him.
"You think they can work it out?" JJ asks.
I nod. "Sarah is my sister and Kie is my friend. I'm very confident they can work it out." JJ nods his head. "It's John B that needs someone to talk some sense into him."
John B walks into the kitchen and I give him a look.
"What, Ashlynn?" John B asks.
I shake my head. "Nothin' just maybe you shouldn't have bought Kie's arch enemy here."
"What was I supposed to do?" John B asks.
"I don't know, maybe talk to Kie before getting Sarah involved," I offer.
John B gives me a look. "She's your sister, Ash."
I shrug my shoulders. "So? You still should have talked to Kie. Sarah doesn't just get a free pass because she's my sister."
Pope walks in the door and John B turns his attention from me to him. "What'd she say?"
"That you're an idiot," Pope tells him.
"It's a no-brainer. You're picking Kie," JJ states.
"Mm-mm." John B shakes his head. "Look, I can't make a decision."
"So what? We're just dead in the water because you're pussy-whipped?" JJ questions.
"We can't do this without Kie, and you know it," I tell John B.
"And I can't do it without Sarah. Okay? They both have to be in on it," John B insists.
"Well, good luck with that," Pope remarks.
"You know what? I know this was my fault, all right? But it's our problem. I've got a plan. And you two shitheads are gonna help me out," John B informs us.
I raise my hand. "And what about me?"
John B smiles. "Well your Sarah's sister and Kie's friend so... you're gonna be the referee."