THE SOUND of the front door shutting drew Scarlett from her restless sleep. Her eyes snapped open and she pushed herself into a sitting position, holding her duvet close to her body. Her vision slowly adjusted to the darkness to see JJ no longer laying next to her. She wrapped the cover around her body and stood up, walking over to her open bedroom door, and peering into the hallway. Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion as she watched the silhouette of JJ carrying boxes out of the house. "What are you doing?" She asked, her voice startling him slightly.
He stopped and placed the box on the floor before making his way over to her. "I borrowed the van from John B so we can move your stuff into Kie's place." His eyes trailed down her figure before moving back to her face. "I left you some clothes out to wear." JJ said, nodding his head in the direction of Scarlett's room.
"Are you moving me into Kie's place now?" Scarlett asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "It's like... She paused, not knowing the correct hour of the day. "What even is the time?"
JJ pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the clock, the bright screen lighting up the hallway for a brief moment before turning off. "Quarter past one." He shrugged. "According to John B, Mr. and Mrs. C are expecting you to be there in the morning and you and I both fell asleep for a while after our little... adventure." He winked at her as he walked back to the box he had left on the floor. "Now get dressed because I've got a few boxes left to pack up."
A smile graced her face as she watched him carry the box of her things outside. She stared down the empty hallway for a few moments longer before heading back into her bedroom, softly closing the door behind her. Her eyes fell on JJ's side of the bed, where he had laid out some leggings and one of his jumpers for her to wear. Her smile didn't falter as she picked up her underwear, slipping them back on before she changed into the fresh clothes.
JJ knocked softly on the door and peeked round the corner. "You ready to go, Doll?" Scarlett nodded, gathering up the last few bits that lay around her room. She walked over to the door and wrapped her arms around JJ's waist, burying her face in his chest. "Oh, I've left some paper and a couple of pens on the kitchen table in case you want to leave your dad a note." He told her. "Only if you want to, though."
Scarlett nodded, moving her head back slightly. "Thank you so much, JJ. Honestly. I don't think I could have done this without you."
"We're in this together, Doll." JJ whispered, placing a kiss on her forehead.
They pulled away and Scarlett walked over to the table. She sat down in the chair and used her phone's torch to see the paper. She picked up the pen JJ had left out for her and began thinking about what to write. After a few moments, she began writing her note to her father.
'Dear Dad,
It's been real- real bad. I'd say you did your best, but Mom taught me to always tell the truth. I've taken Maisie away from your alcoholic ass. I won't tell you where we're going, so don't try to write and don't ask about us. Go get a job or something because I won't be here to pay the rent anymore.
Sincerely, Lottie.'
She placed the pen down next to the paper, making sure to put the lid back on. Scarlett stood up from the chair, picking up her phone and switching the torch off before walking out of the house and closing the door behind her. Not looking back, she walked over to the van, climbing in the passenger seat. "Let's get the fuck out of here." She said, nodding over at JJ who started the vehicle's engine.
❤❤❤
"It feels so weird to no longer be neighbours with John B." Scarlett said, leaning her head on the window and looking out at the Figure Eight houses.
"You're turning into a Kook." JJ commented, glancing over to her.
Scarlett shrugged. "I guess I am."
"Promise me that you won't forget about us all now you're a Kook." JJ said. "Especially me."
Scarlett chuckled. "Believe me, I won't. Besides, once we find that gold, we'll all be Kooks." She pulled out her phone, making sure she had some signal before pulling up Kiara's message thread and typing out a text.
Kie 🗝🐢
Finally got some signal so I'm just letting you know that I'm like 5 mins away. Don't worry, JJ's driving me. Sorry I'm later than expected, packing took a bit longer than I thought.
Lottie xx
Delivered 01:20
She put her phone back into her pocket and went back to looking at all the fancy Kook houses that were being lit up by the van's headlights. They drove in a comfortable silence until JJ pulled up outside Kiara's house. Kiara was stood outside the front door, and made her way over to the van the second JJ turned the engine off. "You're really moving into my house at half one in the morning?" She questioned, folding her arms over her chest.
"Blame JJ." Scarlett told her, pushing open the door and hopping out the van. "Apparently moving in had to happen as soon as possible." She walked round to the back of the van and opened the boot. She reached in and grabbed one of the boxes, this one filled with both hers and Maisie's essentials.
"Here's an idea." Kiara said, walking over to her. "Why don't we wait till morning to move you in properly." She suggested. "That way we can rope JB and Pope into helping." Kiara smiled, picking up another box.
JJ climbed out of the van and walked over to Scarlett. He placed his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "I'll drive the van back to John B's and bring it back in the morning. Then we'll all help you move your stuff in before going to test out the drone."
A smile formed on Scarlett's face as she looked between two of her best friends. "Thank you guys, really. I owe you all so much."
"You don't owe us anything." Kiara said, while JJ shook his head. "It's what best friends are for."
❤❤❤
The next morning, Scarlett arose early to the sound of knocking at the front door. She pulled herself up from the sofa- where she and Kiara had fallen asleep watching 'Notting Hill'. Half-awake, she stumbled to the front door, grabbing the keys and unlocking the door. Her eyes fell upon the three boys- John B, JJ and Pope. "What the hell are you doing here this early?" She asked, stepping aside so they could come in, each of them carrying a box of her and Maisie's things.
"Helping you to move in." Pope told her. "You've got something on your neck, by the way."
Scarlett blushed, pulling her dressing gown closer to her body. "Where'd you get those hickeys, anyway Lottie?" John B asked, setting the box by the stairs.
"Um..." Scarlett looked over to JJ. Her eyes fell on Kiara who walked into the hallway, and eyebrow raised at her best friend. "Just some Touron I met." She shrugged. "No big deal." She walked away from the group and towards the stairs, picking up one of the lighter boxes. "Right then, I suppose I better get moved in."
"Yeah, the quicker we get this done, the quicker we can go test that drone." JJ said, following her up the stairs. "Touron? That's the best you could come up with?" He whispered in her ear.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Well, you weren't exactly discreet with the placement of the hickeys. And it's not like I had all the time in the world to come up with an answer. You know I'm a shit liar, JJ."
A smirk formed on JJ's face. "Why are you complaining all of a sudden? You enjoyed it last night." He winked at her.
"I'm warning you, blondie. Any more comments and I won't hesitate to push you down the stairs." She joked. "But yes, I did enjoy last night." She winked.
❤❤❤
Having finished unpacking all of the Woods' sisters belongings, the Pogues were now sat on the dock outside the Château, testing out the borrowed diving equipment. Scarlett sat next to JJ on the dock, leaning against the wooden railing. Her, JJ and Pope watched on the screen as John B and Kiara dived under the water. "So, I guess it works then." Scarlett smiled, leaning back on her hands.
"Yeah, I guess it does." Pope answered. "Don't touch that." He scolded JJ, hitting his hand as he went to press a button.
"JJ, if you break this, we're completely screwed." Scarlett sighed.
JJ turned to look at her, a smirk forming on his face. "Just like you-"
Scarlett was quick to cut him off. "Don't you dare finish that sentence, JJ."
"Stop flirting." Pope said, his attention on the monitor. "I'm trying to work out this thing."
"Well, that'll be easy for you, Pope. You're a bloody genius." Scarlett complimented.
"Thanks, Lottie." Pope smiled at her before turning back to the monitor. He pressed a few buttons and they watched as the drone propelled forward under water, Kiara and John B swimming out of the way and up to the surface.
"God bless geeks, Pope." JJ said, leaning over his shoulder. "Truly, man."
"Fun fact; Truly Scrumptious is my favourite character in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'." Scarlett mumbled.
JJ's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at her random comment as he turned to face her. "Already knew that, Babe." He smiled, leaning over and patting her knee.
Scarlett smiled at him, watching as he stood up from his crouched position. "What would we do without you, Pope?" She questioned. "No, seriously. Because none of us would be able to control the drones if you weren't here." She looked out across the water as Kiara and John B reappeared.
"Technically, it's not a drone. It's an ROV-" Pope corrected.
"Shut up." JJ groaned, stepping over Scarlett's sprawled out body and leaning against the ledge so he could face the water. "Shut up. It's too early for that right now."
"Hey, look, once we get footage of the wreck, we'll bring it to a lawyer in town and file a formal claim." John B called out as he treaded water to stay afloat.
"It's such bullshit. Why do we have to do that?" JJ asked.
"Obviously for legal reasons." Scarlett commented.
Pope nodded at her, walking over to stand next to JJ. "Well, there is maritime salvage law. You can't just go to the ocean floor and scoop a bunch of stuff up." He explained.
"I know. I know." JJ said, looking over at John B. "It's just, lawyers aren't cheap, bro."
Scarlett nodded. "Believe me, they are sooo not cheap."
"As soon as they see the footage, they'll work for a comp." John B said.
"How do you know all of that?" Kiara asked, turning in the water to face him.
"'Cause my dad said it, like, a million times." He explained. "Isn't that right, Lottie?"
Scarlett nodded. "Yeah, Big John and my mom would always say it."
"Yeah, that's fair." Kiara replied, swimming towards the ladder.
"This tether is, like, really long." Pope observed. "In the wrong weather, it could get pushed around."
"Then we'll go at dead calm." John B said.
Scarlett nodded, moving out of the way so Kiara could climb back onto the dock. "Sounds like a plan." She stood up and walked over to JJ, who was now standing on the other side of the dock, and leaned on the ledge next to him.
"At slack tide?" Kiara asked, standing on the ladder.
"So now, we just gotta wait around for the right weather." Pope said. "And today is not that day." He added, as the sound of thunder rolled from the horizon.
Scarlett scoffed. "Go figure." She looked over at Pope. "You're dad making you do deliveries today?" She asked.
"Yeah. Get to go deliver food to Figure Eight folk." He answered.
"Reckon you'll need help with it all?" She asked, leaning her elbows on the wooden ledge and looking out at the darkening horizon. "Because I wouldn't mind helping."
Pope shook his head at her, knowing that he there was no way he could convince her to take the day off. "If you insist, then sure. I'm sure my dad won't mind you tagging along."
Scarlett grinned. "Well, the more of us there are, the easier it'll be. Right, JJ?" She looked over at him, planning on dragging him along to help out herself and Pope.
❤❤❤
Scarlett stood on the by the edge of the boat, helping the boys carry the various shopping bags from the dock to the center of the boat. They were just outside the back of Heyward's, prepping all their deliveries.
"You kids get these groceries over to Figure Eight." Heyward instructed, handing over a couple more bags. "Get straight back here when you're done. No fishin'."
"Yes, Sir." Scarlett saluted, taking one of the bags and placing it on the floor of the boat where the rest where sat.
"I promised delivery by this afternoon." Heyward added, turning around to grab more bags. "Rich folks don't wanna wait for you lazy sons of..." He trailed off with a sigh as he turned to see JJ standing by the edge of the boat, holding his arms out. "Oh, JJ, thank you." He handed the bags to him and JJ carried them over to Scarlett, who had taken the liberty of organising them by order. "...sons of bitches."
Before long, they had loaded up all of the deliveries and had begun sailing to Figure Eight. The boys sat in the cabin, while Scarlett took the rare moment of free time to catch the sun's rays out on the main deck of the boat. Soon enough, she got bored and found herself wandering into the cabin. Scarlett walked up to JJ and stood between his legs, resting her back against his chest.
"Doesn't even look like the storm hit there." Pope observed as they sailed into the realm of the Kooks.
Scarlett shook her head, looking out of the window at the island. "They really have it all, don't they." She sighed. "A storm hits, and they still manage to have everything. It's not right."
"That's because they got generators, bro." JJ said. "Get used to it. Lucky you, Red. You get to live in one of these."
"I'd rather live back on the cut, and be closer to you." She muttered, tilting her face up to look at him. "Just because I live on Figure Eight now, doesn't mean I like being there. I feel so out of place, like I don't belong. Ya know?"
JJ nodded, his hand rubbing her shoulder. "And then they say the juice will be out all summer at the cut." He ranted.
"It's nice to be a Kook." Pope commented. Scarlett hummed in agreement, although feeling slightly alienated from her friends as she was now living on the part of the island they all hated the most.
"Lucky bastards." JJ muttered.
❤❤❤
After dropping JJ off at one of the docks, Pope and Scarlett pulled up to last dock and Pope picked up the bags for the delivery. The last delivery was to a fairly young couple, who Scarlett only knew as Mr. and Mrs. Hale. Scarlett had seen them a fair few times on her deliveries and she found them to be some of the nicest Kooks she had ever met- that's to say, she didn't hate them. "Do you want me to come with you?" Scarlett asked Pope, following him to the stern of the boat. "Or am I just keeping an eye on the boat?"
"Keep the engine running." Pope told her. "That way we can leave quicker to go get JJ."
Scarlett nodded, watching him walk out of sight. Once she could no longer see him, Scarlett crossed back to the table, picking up the list of deliveries. Her eyes scanned the list, looking at all the ticks she had made as they finished each delivery. She stuck the list back to the table and turned around, sitting on it. She swung her legs back and forth for a few moments, before she felt her feet kick something. Scarlett jumped off the table and knelt down, instantly spotting the lone carrier bag. "Shit. We forgot one." She muttered, reaching forward and picking it up. She hurried off the boat, walking down the path in order to try and catch up with Pope. A plastic bag flew into her vision, along with its contents, just as she rounded the corner. "Hey, Pope. We forgot one-" She yelled, coming to a stop as she saw Rafe swinging his golf club.
"Dude, I don't owe you shit, Pogue." Rafe sneered, stepping forward and shoving Pope backwards a few steps.
"Hey, lay off him!" Scarlett called, dropping the bag she held and rushing forward.
"We just want one of these beers!" Topper said, grabbing Scarlett's arm as she tried to step in between he boys. His grip on her arm tightened and he pushed her away from the fight. "Just give us one of these-" He stepped forward and grabbed onto the box, trying to tug it out of Pope's grip.
"You guys are freaking crazy!" Pope yelled, struggling to get away from Topper.
"Give us a beer, man!"
Scarlett stormed forward, grabbing onto the back of Topper's shirt. "Back the fuck off, Topper!" She yelled. "You have enough money to buy your own goddamn beer. So, just leave us alone!"
Topper threw his elbow backwards, jabbing Scarlett between the ribs. Rafe ran forward and grabbed her, pinning her arms to her sides, and dragged her away from Pope. Topper yanked the box of beer out of Pope's grip and sent him flying to the dirt. He curled up into a ball, groaning in pain. "Shit, my bad, man."
"Eat shit, Topper!" Scarlett screamed. "You know you don't mean it." She kicked her leg back and the heel of her foot collided with Rafe's knee. "Get the fuck off me, man!" She screamed.
Rafe groaned in pain, but tightened his grip on Scarlett all the same. "This the dirty Pogue who tried to drown you?" He asked Topper, ignoring how Scarlett squirmed in his grip.
"Yeah, that's the one." Topper informed him, turning away from Pope.
"Maybe we should teach her a lesson." Rafe mused, not noticing Pope pull himself up from the ground. He lifted his fist, swinging it at the boys. At the same moment, Scarlett shoved Rafe off of her, stumbling out of his grip. Before Pope even had the chance to land a blow at Topper, Rafe shoved the handle of his golf club right into Pope's stomach. Scarlett let out a worried scream as her friend doubled over in pain, clutching his torso.
"Hey." Topper yelled, his eyes wide as he looked over at Rafe. Scarlett moved to run forward, intending to take any more blows that Rafe was planning on giving out, when Topper grabbed her round the waist and shoved her away- pushing her into the dirt. Scarlett watched helplessly as Rafe brought the golf club over his head before bringing it down and smacking it into the middle of Pope's back. The blow sent him crumbling to the ground. "Hey! Rafe, Rafe!" Topper screamed, holding his hands out in defence. "Come on, man!"
"Stay down, bitch!" Rafe yelled, pointing at Pope. Scarlett crawled out of sight before pulling herself to a standing position. A scowl formed on her face as she fuelled her anger into propelling her forward, leaping onto Rafe's back and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, strangling him. Rafe swung his elbow back, catching her in her side, before swinging the golf club back and hitting her in the same spot. "Get off, you dirty bitch!" He choked out. He lifted his hands and grabbed onto her arms. His nails dug into her skin as he threw her off his back and onto the ground. "I think it's time to teach you a lesson or two, you vile Pogue!" He lifted his foot, stepping down on Scarlett's chest, as he raised his golf club above his head. He brought it down and it connected with Scarlett's face with such a force that she could already feel blood trickling down the side of her face. He lifted the club for a second time, bringing it down towards her face again, smashing the end of it into her temple. "Scum!" Rafe screamed at her, spitting in her face- which by now was covered in blood.
Topper stepped forward, finally coming to his senses. He pushed Rafe back, his hands pushing against Rafe's shoulders. "Hey, let's go! Let's go, man!"
Rafe pushed Topper off of him. "What, man?" He yelled. "You don't wanna teach this whore a lesson for what she did to you?" He spat, glaring down at Scarlett. The girl hadn't moved since she'd been pushed to the floor. Her head throbbed and she could feel her eyes slowly drifting shut, though she fought to keep them open just in case something were to happen to Pope.
Topper pushed back at Rafe. "Knock it off, Rafe! Come on!" He stepped in between Rafe and Scarlett's barely conscious body. "I don't care what she did to me. She's a girl, dude. She doesn't need someone else beating the shit out of her!"
With a yell, Rafe shoved Topper out of the way, swinging down his golf club and slamming it into the ground next to Pope's head. He left the club lying in the sand, stepping back slightly. He sent a kick into Scarlett's ribs, letting out some of his anger.
"Rafe, listen. Come on, man." Topper tried to reason.
Rafe ignored him, squatting down over Pope. He took the time to admire his hard work, looking back and forth between both Pope and Scarlett before setting his gaze on the former. Rafe reached down and patted the boy on the cheek. "We don't want your kind over here. Got that?"
Topper walked over to his friend, trying to pull him away from the fight scene. "Just let them go, man." He sighed.
"Stay off Figure Eight, Pogue." Rafe sneered, gathering up his golf club. He stood back up, walking away from the pair of beaten up Pogues. "That goes for you, too, slut." He spat at Scarlett. She gathered up what was left of her energy and kicked her leg out at him, tripping him up slightly. Rafe went to hit her again, but was held back by Topper who sent the girl an apologetic look.
Pope picked himself after a few minutes, his body straining as he did so. "Shit, Lottie. You look like death." He muttered, walking over to her. He held out his hands, and she grabbed onto them with the little strength that she had left.
"Feel like it, too." She grumbled. The two held onto each other for support as they stumbled back to the boat. "Don't really feel like telling JJ about this." She mumbled, climbing back into the boat. Immediately she fell to the floor, her back propped up against the boat's frame. "No way to hide it, unfortunately."
"We'll think of something." Pope said, making sure she was okay enough to be on her own before moving into the cabin and sailing back towards home.
❤❤❤
Pope pulled the boat up to the dock and helped Scarlett walk into the cabin where she collapsed into the captain's chair. "There's a first aid kit somewhere on this boat." He told her, starting to look through the cupboards. "Maybe it'll have something we can use to clean up your face."
Scarlett waved him off, leaning back in the chair. "Don't worry. I'm... I'm not great, but I'm okay."
Pope, picking up the first aid kit, span around to face her. "No, Lottie. You're not. Rafe almost killed you." He placed the first aid kit on the counter and opened it. He picked up an anti-bacterial wipe and moved his hand towards her face.
Scarlett flinched, leaning her head away from him. "I told you, Pope. I'm fine." She insisted.
"Let me at least clean the blood off your face." Pope asked, concern etching onto his face at the sight of his friend flinching away from him. "At least let me do that." Scarlett nodded, and Pope began to gently wipe the blood off her now scarred face. Pope had only cleaned up a small part of Scarlett's face, when a yell from outside startled the two of them.
"Pope! Red!" JJ yelled out with a laugh. He was running down the jetty towards where the boat was parked at the dock. "Dude, you are not going to believe what just happened to me, man!"
"Stay here." Pope instructed, handing the anti-bacterial wipes to Scarlett. He made his way out of the cabin, pulling his hat lower on his face as he stepped onto the main deck.
"Whoo! That was the best 100 bucks I've ever made!" JJ cheered, running up to the boat. "When I say count me in on all these grocery deliveries, Pope, I mean it." He climbed aboard the boat and rested his hands on his knees. Pope stayed silent and just walked back into the cabin, starting the boat and pulling away from the dock. JJ followed him, leaning on the back of Scarlett's chair- oblivious to her injuries and not noticing the first aid kit on the counter. "What's up with you? Bro, you good?" He leaned forward, catching a glimpse of red beneath Pope's hat. "Yo, what happened to your face, dude?" He asked. "Red, do you know what happened?" JJ looked down at her, seeing the red cloth in her hands and the dried blood all over her face. "Holy shit, what the fuck happened to you two?" He crouched down next to Scarlett, reaching his hand up and gently holding her cheek as he inspected her face. "Who did this to you, my Love?"
Scarlett shook her head slightly, moving his hand away from her face. "No one." She muttered, her eyebrows scrunching together.
JJ frowned at her, letting his hand rest on his knee. "That's bullshit, babe. And you know it." He said quietly. He stood back up, moving over to Pope and reaching out to lift his baseball cap up. "Jesus!" JJ exclaimed as Pope pulled his hat lower on his head, never once taking his eyes off the water ahead. "What happened?" JJ asked, looking between the two.
Pope sniffed, looking out at the water. "Rafe and Topper jumped me." He told JJ, and Scarlett could tell that he was feeling very emotional. "They said no Pogues on their side of the island."
JJ sighed, glancing down to Scarlett. "And I'm guessing Lottie jumped in and tried to play hero, again." Scarlett opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. "I'm right, aren't I." JJ asked, although it was more of a statement. "Red, why the fuck would you try to take on both of those Kooks?"
"Because Rafe was gonna kill Pope." Scarlett answered, looking up at the two boys.
"He could have killed you, too!" JJ exclaimed, running a hand through his hair. "And from the state your face is in, he almost did!"
"I'm fine." Scarlett muttered, looking back out at the water.
JJ sighed. "Stop fucking lying, Scarlett. You're definitely not fine. I know you're not." He took a deep breath, kneeling down next to her and cradling her in his arms. "What are you gonna do?" JJ asked after a moment, looking up at Pope.
The poor boy had tears running down his face. Scarlett looked up at him, pulling away from JJ as she attempted to stand up. She moved a few steps over and wrapped her arms around Pope, wishing she had arrived at the scene sooner, so that Rafe hadn't had the chance to injure him. A hard gaze fell on Pope's face as he turned to look at JJ.
"Sink his goddamn boat." Scarlett muttered, her gaze shifting between the two boys. She let go of Pope, patting him on the shoulder as she stepped a few steps backwards. "We sink that son of a bitch's boat."
❤❤❤
Pope pulled their boat to a stop just opposite Topper's boat. Scarlett folded her arms over her chest as she stared over at the expensive water vehicle. She thought that she would feel regret for suggesting the idea, but so far she didn't. Scarlett did, however, feel quite anxious that they would be caught. And she knew that if Pope were caught, he'd lose his scholarship and she would feel particularly responsible for that. "2020 Malibu, 24-MXC." Pope said, staring across the water at the boat. "The world's finest wakesetter. Number one in quality, luxury, and performance."
"And... we're about to destroy it." Scarlett added with a sigh, nodding her head at the two boys.
"Red, this is a war. It's a war between Kooks and Pogues. And they shot first by harming the two of you." JJ said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and rubbing it gently with his hand. "They hit us, we hit them." With his free hand, he pulled out a bandanna and secured it around the lower half of his face. "Do it." He said to Pope, putting a pair of sunglasses over his eyes.
Pope nodded, pulling off his shirt and his hat. He dived into the water and both Scarlett and JJ watched as he swam over to Topper's boat. "Have any of those for me?" Scarlett asked, pointing to JJ's bandanna. "Because I refuse to get caught for another crime." JJ nodded and pulled out a second bandanna, handing it to her. She thanked him and pulled it over her face, making sure was unable to be recognised. They watched as Pope pulled himself onto the boat, before ducking out of sight in case any of the Thornton's or their security cameras happened to be looking. After a few moments, Pope reappeared before diving back into the water and swimming over to his father's boat. He climbed up the ladder and held up the Malibu's drain plug.
"Wow, you did it." JJ exclaimed, taking off his sunglasses and tucking them into his shirt. He pulled his bandanna down, and Scarlett did the same. "I'm so proud of you right now. Holy crap."
Scarlett held out her hand, and Pope handed her the drain plug. She laughed slightly before walking over to the starboard and throwing the plug way out into the marsh. "Try getting your boat back now, Topper!" She called.
"JJ, Lottie." Pope said, pulling himself up onto the boat and shaking the water out of his hair. "You can't tell anybody."
Scarlett nodded. "Trust me. I won't tell a single soul."
"Not even Kie." Pope said, staring at her pointedly.
Scarlett sighed, but nodded all the same. "I know I tell Kie everything, but I promise you... I won't say anything to her about what happened here today. Trust me."
Pope nodded and turned his gaze to JJ. "You're not gonna tell anyone, right? You can't tell anybody."
JJ nodded. "Oh, no, yeah. Totally, dude."
"No, I'm serious, dude. This is like the two of you hiding your relationship, you can't tell a single soul. Not Kie, not John B, nobody."
"I swear on Maisie's life, Pope. I won't speak of today's events to anyone. If Kie asks about my injuries, I'll just make up a lie." Scarlett assured him. "Or just dodge the subject entirely, because you know I'm incapable of lying." She shrugged.
JJ nodded, holding up both his hands. "Yup, my lips are sealed." He grabbed onto Scarlett's hand and the two of them followed Pope back into the cabin. "Okay! Let's get outta here."
❤❤❤
After spending the remainder of the afternoon and most of the evening surfing, the Pogues found themselves back at the Château. They each took turns using the cold shower, cleaning themselves of the salty water- and in the case of Pope and Scarlett, dried blood from their face wounds. Having been the last one to use the shower, Scarlett dried herself off and got dressed in some clothes that had been left out for her, which were one of JJ's old shirts and a pair of shorts from the drawer of clothes Scarlett owned at John B's house. By the time she joined the others outside at the hammocks, the sun had already set. JJ waved her over to him and she climbed into the hammock that he had claimed as his. Kiara leaned over from the middle hammock- situated between the one Scarlett and JJ were now sharing and the one that Pope was sharing with John B- and handed the girl a beer. Scarlett thanked her, unscrewing the top and taking a sip.
It wasn't long before the light conversation was drawn back to the Royal Merchant. "You really think it's out there?" Pope asked, leaning back in the hammock and shifting his gaze between John B and Scarlett. "Like, no bullshit?"
Scarlett nodded, cuddling closer to JJ. "I mean, my mom believed it, right? She spent her whole life looking for it with Big John."
John B nodded, lying down at his end of the hammock. "My father thought it was."
"But do you?" Pope asked. "Do either of you believe in it?"
Thunder could be heard rolling in the distance as John B thought about his answer. "After hearing his voice on that tape... I think I do."
Pope looked across the row of hammocks to Scarlett. "What about you, Lottie?"
She turned her head slightly, glancing out at the water. "I think it's out there. Because, I refuse to believe my mom was searching for something that isn't real." She shook her head and looked back at her friends. "It has to be out there, right?"
"Only one way to find out." Pope muttered, and both him and John B did their special handshake.
"Look, we're gonna find it, you know?" Kiara said, resting her arms behind her head.
"Oh, I don't doubt that for a second." Scarlett smiled, taking a large sip of her beer and resting the bottle on her leg.
Kiara smiled at her. "Even JJ believes."
"Oh, my God, JJ, do you really believe?" John B asked, teasing the blonde haired boy.
"Totally." JJ answered, running his fingers through Scarlett's hair. "Wait. Are talking about four mil?" He asked, using his free hand to take the bottle from Scarlett and drinking some of it.
"Four hundred mil." Kiara and Pope corrected, the two of them speaking at once.
"Jinx." Kiara smirked.
JJ placed the now empty bottle on the grass and rolled over onto his side, his arms still wrapped around Scarlett as he pulled her body closer to his. "I'm gonna dream about shipwrecks."
Scarlett smiled up at him, patting him gently on the cheek. "You gonna dream about me?" She whispered.
"Always do." JJ whispered back, a huge smile gracing his lips. He snuck a small kiss on her temple, making sure the others didn't see- specifically John B. "Good night, Bird!" JJ called, teasing John B by using the nickname his father had used.
"Good night, bird shit!" John B called back, laughing slightly.
The group fell into a restful silence, and Scarlett found herself having a peaceful nights sleep- something she hadn't experienced in a very long time.
❤❤❤
The following morning, the Pogues woke up earlier than usual and borrowed Pope's father's boat to sail out to the shipwreck. Scarlett leaned on the wall next to the control deck, enjoying herself as JJ attempted to explain sailing to her. "You know I'm never gonna understand, right?" She laughed, securing a yellow bandanna in her hair so it wasn't blowing in her face.
JJ turned his head towards her, a grin forming on his face. "Then maybe I'll just have to give you a hands on demonstration. Just you and me, Doll. How's this evening work for you?"
Scarlett grinned, moving over to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. "I don't know, I'll have to check my schedule." She leaned up and placed a kiss on his cheek before sending him a wink and heading back onto the main deck.
"All right, JJ." John B called from the back of the boat. "Pin it here."
"Roger that!" JJ called back, pulling the boat to a stop. "X marks the spot."
"What were you two talking about in there, then?" Kiara asked, crossing her arms over her chest as Scarlett stood next to her.
The brunette leant on the side of the boat, gazing out at the ocean. "Private boat lessons." She chuckled.
Kiara raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Oh, I see. Remind me to not sit anywhere on either this boat or the HMS tomorrow."
Scarlett laughed, looking over at her friend. "I'll promise to let you know where not to sit."
"All right, ladies and gentlemen." John B called out, grabbing the attention of the others. He picked up the ROV and checked the attachment tether before lowering it into the water. "To going full Kook."
"To going full Kook!" Scarlett cheered, throwing an arm around Kiara's shoulder. The two girls began working the tether, marking every hundred feet they used. While John B and Pope monitored the video feed, and JJ kept the boat in place. "To think, we might be able to find the gold." Scarlett grinned, looking over her shoulder at John B. "How great will it be when we're able to say we finished what our parents started?"
John B smiled over at her, nodding in agreement.
"Not to put a downer on your excitement, Lottie." Pope spoke up. "But I don't think you should get your hopes up too high. We might be hitting a dead-end." He shrugged.
"Okay, and if that happens, then it happens." Scarlett said, twisting herself around so she was facing the boy- her hands resting firmly on her hips. "But, you've got to have some hope. I mean, what happens when we do find this buried treasure?" She pointed her finger at him.
"If. You mean if we find it." Pope corrected.
"No, I mean when. We're gonna find it, Pope. You've just gotta trust the universe." She tilted her head slightly at him before turning back around and checking the depth of the tether and the drone.
John B chuckled slightly, admiring her positivity and hope despite growing up the way she had. "All right, JJ, we're right over it." He called out to the blonde haired boy as he checked the coordinates. "Ten seconds northwest."
"Got it! Ten seconds northwest." JJ called back, moving the boat in the correct direction.
"One hundred feet." Kiara called out as she continued lowering the tether into the water. Scarlett nodded, using the chalk to draw a tally mark on the side of the boat.
Suddenly, Pope let out a gasp and jolted backwards. "What? What, what, what, what?" John B asked, rushing over to him.
"You guys see something shiny down there?" Scarlett called, glancing over at them.
"No. It's nothing." Pope answered with a shrug. John B let out a groan and Scarlett rolled her eyes at him. "Sorry, I thought-"
"Don't do that to me, man." JJ said, looking out at the them from the cabin. "Come on, bro!"
"My bad." Pope apologised. "I thought I saw..."
"It's fine." Scarlett reassured, smiling over at him. "Don't worry 'bout it."
Pope nodded at her, turning back to the monitor. "And to quote The Hobbit, 'Down, down, to Goblin Town. Down, down, you, my lad.'"
Time seemed to drag on before Kiara yelled out that they were now at four hundred feet. Scarlett drew another chalk line on the side of the boat, hoping that something interesting would happen soon. She raised her face towards the sky, watching as it slowly began to darken as thunder began to rumble.
"The tide's turning." Kiara called out, informing the boys of the situation.
"I think we might be heading towards another storm." Scarlett mused, watching as the sky slowly became a shade of grey.
"Hey, JJ?" John B asked, watching as the monitor began beeping.
"Yup?" The blonde boy answered.
"Ten seconds easy." John B told him. "South-southeast."
"Copy that!" JJ called back, turning the helm of the ship and redirecting them.
"JJ, 20 seconds mid-speed, all right? South." John B called out to him.
"Copy that! Aye, aye." JJ responded. The boat began moving, tilting from side to side as JJ worked to keep it steady. "Keep the tether out of the prop!" He yelled to the two girls.
"We're trying!" Kiara yelled back as both herself and Scarlett struggled with the tether.
"JJ, keep going!" John B called to him.
The storm clouds were moving closer and from the corner of her eye, Scarlett saw a flash of lightning. "Are we sure this is still a safe idea?" She asked, yelling to be heard over the thunder.
"What happened to your hope?" Pope asked, raising a sceptical eyebrow at her.
"It's still here. I just don't want us to be caught in a storm, because that's a very dumb idea and I have little hope that we'd all make it back to land." Scarlett retorted, using all her strength to hold on to the tether.
"John B, is that good?" JJ asked, having moved the boat into a better position.
"We're good!" The brown haired boy confirmed.
"Okay, 700 feet!" Kiara called out. Scarlett nodded, letting go of the rope with one hand and marking the depth with the chalk. Thunder could be heard crashing and the waves began to pick up, drifting their boat backwards.
"JJ, hold it steady!" John B yelled.
"Okay, 900!" Kiara yelled, watching as the tether began to roll out of it's coil at a faster rate. Like she did with the other measurements, Scarlett marked it on the side of the boat.
"JJ, we'll turtle in this storm." John B said, looking over to the boy.
"920!" Scarlett called out. "This in no way feels safe, guys. Are we sure about this?" The boat rocked again and she gripped tightly onto the side of the boat.
"Crank it north by northwest!" John B yelled. "Ten seconds! Pope, how are we doing?"
"We better be almost there." Scarlett said, her insides flipping about in her stomach. "Because this is starting to get really unsafe." She turned to John B. "We cannot get caught out in this storm."
"Well, the good news is that we're almost there." Pope informed them.
"The bad news?" John B asked.
"There's too much current!" Kiara yelled, struggling to keep ahold of the tether. Scarlett leaned over the side of the boat, her hands grabbing onto it, but it was no use. It kept slipping from her grip at an extremely fast rate, no doubt giving her some form of rope burn. "We're gonna lose it!"
John B nodded at the new information before yelling more instructions at JJ. "South, southwest, JJ! Hard!" The boat swerved suddenly and Scarlett felt herself topple slightly. Pope rushed forward and grabbed the back of her shirt, making sure she didn't go over-board. Scarlett thanked him as she grabbed ahold of the tether and Pope went back to the monitor screen. "Half speed. Steady at this bearing, JJ!" John B yelled out. The screen he was holding began beeping, showing that they were directly above it. "What do you got, Pope? Come on, man. What do you see?"
"Please, for the love of God, please tell me you see something." Scarlett breathed out.
"Hate to disappoint you, Lottie but there's nothin'. A whole lot of nothin'." Pope told them, his eyes fixed on the video feed.
"There's- there's got to be something. Right?" Scarlett stuttered. "There can't just be nothing there."
"I hate to say I told you so-" Pope started.
"You should be right above it, brother." John B said, cutting him off.
"Kiara!" Pope yelled out, looking over at the two girls.
"960." Kiara called back, still working with the tether. "970!" Scarlett leant forward, watching as her hope began slipping just as fast as the tether slipped out of its coil. She ran a hand through her hair, anxiously biting her lip. What would happen if they didn't find anything? "980!"
"We're running out over here!" Scarlett called, her gaze fixed on the remains of the coil.
"I'm at the bottom! I'm at the bottom!" Pope suddenly yelled.
"Okay, steady here, JJ!" John B instructed. "Steady here. Quarter speed, all right?"
"You sure you don't want those boating lessons now, Red?" JJ called out to Scarlett. "Perfect time to learn!"
"Would rather not learn how to drive a boat whilst we're in the middle of a storm, thanks." Scarlett retorted. "Also, we're kind of busy with finding the gold!" She grinned, laughing slightly.
"You should be seeing something, man." John B said to Pope, the two of them staring intently at the video feed.
"I know, I know!" Pope replied. "Wait, wait."
"What? What's happening?" Scarlett asked. She grabbed Kiara's hand and pulled the girl over to where the two boys stood. Crowding around the screen, their jaws all collectively dropped. "Holy macaroni." Scarlett breathed. For she could not believe what she was laying her eyes on.
"Oh, good God." Pope muttered.
"See anything?" JJ asked the others, looking over his shoulder at them.
"It's the Royal Merchant." John B chuckled in disbelief.
❤❤❤
⁎⁎⁎
Edited: 7/1/2021