A Chapter | Chapter two

"And we were right outside like this. And all we hear is just 'Bam!' 'Bam!' 'Bam!'. Knocking paint off the wall, G! From the inside! All right, and i'm looking at him, like-. Wait, first off, look at this shit." JJ went on a rant as he paced around the porch, shaking his head as white specks fell onto the porch.

"That's dandruff, disgusting." Kie explained with a shrug and squinted face. Lila grabbed JJs neck to pull his head down as she picked at the white, rubbing it between her fingers before letting him go.

"Definitely not dandruff, Kie, definitely not." Lila shook her head as Kie gave her a disgusted look.

"That's paint. At that point, I was just, like... i'm waiting for death." JJ spoke dramatically, waving his arms around. Lila yanked on his arm to get his attention, offering him the cup of kool aid as he quickly downed it.

"Oh, okay, so you saw the guys that shot at us, right?" Pope spoke up, stopping JJ from going on more, knowing he easily would.

"Yeah." JJ said out of breath as he handed the cup back to Lila while patting her head.

"Did you get a good description of them?" Pope asked again, rubbing his thumb on his nose.

"Yeah, anything's helpful." Kie added in with a nod.

"Anything we can bring to the police report." Pope nodded along side Kie as he looked between JJ and John B.

"Burley." JJ answered as Lila sighed and fell back in the chair.

"Burley ?" Pope asked him in disbelief.

"Yeah, you know, like-" JJ began before Kie cut him off quickly.

"That's not very helpful." she said annoyed while John B looked at Lila as the blonde simply shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, well, no, like the type of guy at my dads garage." JJ went on as Lila looked his way.

"There's a category of garage dudes?" Lila asked as she looked up at her blonde friend. Lila and JJ had gotten closer, that was a easy one. Truth was she was close with all four of the pogues, feeling like apart of a group. She knew they didn't judge her for who she was, welcoming with open arms. She hadn't experienced that back in the village she came from. It's why she got so attached so quickly. She loved that about them, it made her start to dread the end of summer already.

"Yeah, Yeah, kinda. I mean, you guys know, he made cargo hides for drug smugglers." JJ explained as he looked from Lila to the other four.

"Yeah, we know." Kie sighed as she shut her eyes for a moment.

"What kinda drugs?" Lila asked curiously.

"Lila." Pope scolded her with a crazy look as her hands went up in surrender.

"I can tell you with full confidence. these boys, these killers-" JJ began, stopping to take a puff of the blunt between his fingers.

"They're square groupers." JJ finished as he looked their way. Lila wanted to reach for a puff, decided he needed it more then she did.

"They're square groupers, like narco square groupers? Like Pablo Escobar, square groupers?" Pope asked confused as he looked at him with a odd look.

"Yeah, man." JJ answered as he breathed out, a string of smoke coming from his mouth.

"You guys, not everything is a kingpin movie." Kie told the two with a annoyed look.

"Wish it was." Lila said with a sigh as she took Popes drink from his hand to down it much like JJ did hers moments ago.

"Okay, what does a square grouper look like?" Pope asked with a crazy look once again, waving his hands around.

"You weren't there, bro!" JJ yelled at him, clearly overly stressed.

"You don't know what to look for!" Pope finished his sentence as he stood to his feet.

"Dude! I wasn't taking little mental polaroids the entire time! I was under duress, okay!" JJ said as his voice got higher, over thinking things as Lila stood and pointed a finger at Pope.

"Okay, homeboy, man, Pope-arie , lets just give JJ some time." Lila said as she waved her finger at Pope as JJ nodded alongside her.

"I can tell you-" JJ began as he walked forward again, taking a deep breath as he looked down then back up again.

"I can tell you by the way Ms. Lana was screaming... that these guys are serious, serious hombres, man." JJ spoke toward Pope as Lila patted his shoulder before looking toward Pope who was staring at him. The flick of the compass opening caught Lilas attention, realizing John B had been silent the whole time.

"It's a heavy vibe right now, okay? I'm not liking this very much." JJ added in as he paced around the porch.

"Okay, why would they want the compass?" Kie spoke out loud as she looked around at them.

"It's a piece of shit. You couldn't pawn it off for five bucks if you wanted to." Pope added in as Lila threw her flip flop at him.

"It's John B's dads." she defended as Pope looked at her offended, holding the purple flip flop in his hand.

"No offense, John B, I know it's like in your family-" Pope began toward his friend but was cut off.

"The office." the dark haired boy said as he shook his head, the first words he'd spoken since they all met up.

"What?" Lila asked him confused, matching the faces of the other three.

"My dad. My dads office. He always kept the office locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his Royal Merchant research. We use to laugh at him all the time like he was actually gonna find it. But, now that he's gone, i've just kinda... I just left it as he kept it." John B spoke as he lead the four through his house, Lila looking around as the memory of when she doctored him up after Topper tried to drown him come to mind.

"Yeah, for when he gets back." Kie spoke as John B messed with the lock, Lila wondered if she actually believed that.

"I've slept over here like six hundred times, and i've never seen this door open." Pope spoke as they walked into the office.

"Woah, I love your dad, John B." Lila spoke as she looked around in shock at all the research.

"He would have loved you too, had a lot of unsolved murder mysteries you guys could have told each other." John B said to her as Lila stood by his side, a small smile on his lips as the two looked at each other.

"Here, look, this is the original owner right here." he spoke as he pulled a pin bored off the wall and laid it so the rest of his friends could see.

"Okay. Robert Q. Routledge, 1880 to 1920. There's the lucky compass right there." Kie said as she pointed out the golden compass in the old photo of one of John B's ancestors.

"Actually, um... he was shot after he bought it. Then the compass was shipped back to Henry. Henry was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass. After he died, the compass was given to Stephen. Stephen had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam." John B went on as he pointed at each of the pictures and sticky notes on the pin board, not stopping once until JJ spoke up.

"Let me guess, he died in action, right?" the blonde boy asked while looking over at the boy.

"Sort of. Uh, actually, he was killed by a banana truck. In- In country. Anyways after that, Stephan passed the compass down to him, my dad." John B finished as the compass rested on the board, making Lila pock at it.

"Imagine how many spirits are trapped in this thing." she went on, a smile on her face as Kie slapped her forehead.

"Hm, sounds like there's a reoccurring theme here." JJ spoke with a nod of his head.

"Yeah, um, you have a death compass." Pope said with a odd look as Lila nodded.

"With spirits." she added in as Pope agreed.

"With spirits." he repeated.

"No, I do not have a death compass with spirits." John B argued as Pope repeated himself.

"Seriously dude, get rid of it. It's cursed and it's made it's way back to you." JJ added in as Lila gasped as shook her head.

"Let me talk to the ghost first." the blonde argued.

"And then you die, bad idea." JJ said to her as Lila shrugged her shoulders.

"Look, my dad use to talk about this compartment in here. Soldiers use to hid secret notes." John B said as he messed with the compass as Lila gushed.

"To their secret lovers I bet." she said with a nod as Kie patted her back. John B screwed the top of the compass off, shaking it until it popped off while a carved of a word was on the inside.

"Whats that?" Kie asked curiously.

"It wasn't there before. This is my dad's handwriting." John B said in shock as he looked at the carving then to his four friends.

"How can you know that?" Pope asked him in disbelief.

"Because he does these weird Rs with the- see it!" John B said as he held the compass up more, the R was indeed a odd shape.

"Rrrrrrr." Lila said the letter as she stared at it.

"Red- Route- no, I think that's a A." JJ said as he tried to figure out what it spelt.

"It says Redfeild." Kie cut him off as JJ cleared his throat.

"Right." he spoke with a nod.

"Okay, well, whats Redfield?" Kie spoke up confused as Lila snapped her fingers.

"Remember, that big red dog we all read about when we were younger." She spoke as Pope looked her way slowly.

"That's Clifford, the big red dog." Pope said as Lilas smile fell.

"What?" JJ asked confused as he looked between the two.

"I've got you." Lila nodded his way with a wink, before Pope cut in again.

"Redfield is the most common name in the county." he said while looking Kies way.

"Maybe- maybe it's a clue. Maybe it's a clue to were he's hiding." John B spoke up as he held a look of determination on his face.

"A clue, come on, that's-" Pope began but stopped talking as Kie held a intimidating look on her face.

"But if it is a clue maybe it's an anagram?" Pope question after swallowing hard.

"Great save." Lila mumbled as she patted his back.

"Yes. Perfect. Anagram. You need paper. Here you go." John B said as he laid a plain piece of paper infront of Pope as a loud chicken noise came from outside.

"How can you concentrate with that thing crowing at you?" Pope groaned and looked down at the paper.

"JJ loves the rooster." John B pointed out as he motioned toward the blonde boy.

"I love the rooster." Kie added in with a huff.

"I don't know who the fine fella is, but I love the rooster too." Lila announced with a clear of her throat, following John B to the window, watching as he scribbled something down much like Pope was doing.

"John B." Lila said quickly, nudging him as she saw the truck pull up into his drive way. John B looked up as his face fell while staring at it, backing up as he pulled Lila with him.

"Guys. Guys! Somebody's here." he said while looking back at the rest of his friends as they inched near the window as well.

"Guys, guys, is that them?" Kie asked in panic as her hand gripped tighter on Lilas forearm.

"No, no, no." JJ reappeared himself over and over.

"What do we do?" Lila spoke up, counting seconds in her head.

"Guys is that them?" Kie repeated.

"This is so not cool." Pope shook his head while backing away from the window.

"John B, I told you-" JJ began as he walked toward the tanner boy, being cut off by him slightly pushing him into the wall.

"Easy." Lila warned him.

"Look at me. Where's the gun?" John B asked JJ as he held his shirt.

"Gun- I, uh,-" JJ stumbled over his words, looking for a excuse.

"Now you don't have the gun, the one time we need the gun?" Kie asked in a panic, her voice getting higher as tears formed in her eyes.

"We're gonna be okay, we'll be fine, A-Okay." Lila spoke as she held the girls hand, trying to not only reassure Kie but also herself.

"It was in my backpack and then I-" JJ began, trying to retrace his memory.

"On the porch." John B said in realization.

"It's on the porch." JJ nodded as his eyes lit up, going for the door.

"Be carful." Lila called out to him as he ran out of the door as quick as he could. 

"John Rutledge!" the manly voice was heard from the porch as JJ ran back in, empty handed.

"Jesus." Lila said, her own panic getting the best of her as she paced around.

"They're on the front porch, guys." JJ said as Kie looked to Lila for support, finding the blonde pacing as she took deep breaths, feeling the walls close in on her even more.

"Where you at, boy?" the same deep voice was heard again, the sound of things getting throw echoing off the thin walls.

"We gotta leave." Kie whispers as the five hurried to the windows. JJ tried to pull it open on his own, the window paint too thick due to not being open.

"Let me help." Lila whispered as she went to his side, getting on pace with him as the two tried to lift.

"What's happening?" Kie asked worried.

"It's painted shut, okay?" JJ said to her, clearly not meaning to come off as rude as it did. Lila looked back at John B who was standing infront of the door with his eyes shut. Pope joined in on helping Lila and JJ, not doing any good.

"Here, guys, I got it." Kie said as she hurried over with something she found to try and lift the paint.

"Hurry." JJ rushed her before Pope and John B shhed them. Lila squeezed her hands into two fist by her side, biting on her bottom lip so hard it became numb. The door began to shake as the doorknob shook violently.

"You better not be in there!" the loud voice yelled from the other side, Pope and Lila made panicked eye contact. The loud gun shot was heard just seconds after John B and Pope jogged over to them. The five all worked together and pulled the window open, climbing out one by one as quick as they could. Lila stumbled into Kie some as the girl steadied her.

The five ended up in the chicken coop, all crowded together as the rooster squawked at them. Lila held both Kie and John B's hands, considering they were the closest to her.

"What do we do?" Pope asked as he looked to the squawking rooster.

"Pet it or talk to it. I don't know." Kie answered through her tears as she squeezed Lilas hand tighter causing the blonde to squeeze back.

"Do something." Pope said as they could see the two men through the cracks in the chicken coop. JJ reached out as he grabbed the chicken by its neck, strangling it before breaking his neck quickly. Lila looked away as her first tears fell, feeling Kie let go of her hand to hide her sobs. John B held Lilas hand tighter as he squeezed his eyes shut, the chicken coop becoming silent.

"Ratter! What the hell are you doing? Let's go!" a voice from outside said as footsteps walked away from the coop, Kie letting out soft sobs as Lila continued to squeeze her eyes shut, placing a hand on the girls thigh as she squeezed John B's tighter.

After the terrifying day Lila had,the last place she wanted to be was with Rafe Cameron, who was sure to criticize her on where she lived or even try to scare her again. And yet she found herself waiting on the docks for him, feet in the water as the slight wind from the night hit her softly. She thought a lot, she thought about how she almost died, she thought about what would have happened if she had.

The sound of heavy foot steps made her head snap up, finding the all too confident Kook walked her way. He was dressed how he usually way, the snotty and rich boy vibe basically radiating off of him. He was sniffling, for a second Lila thought he was crying until he got closer and she saw his eyes perfectly fine.

"You showed up." he said as he looked down at her.

"What else was I gonna do?" she asked with a shrug as he sat next to her, not bothering to remove the expensive shoes on his feet to dip his toes in the cold water below him.

"What's your issue, Lila?" Rafe asked her as Lila rolled her eyes.

"Right now or just in general?" she question, turning his way. Rafe took in the state she seemed to be in, her eyes puffy and annoyance dancing within her chocolate eyes.

"Right now, I guess." he answered with a shrug, sniffling again as he rubbed his nose this time, making sure there wasn't any white substance smeared.

"It's been a really long and eventful day and I really don't wanna be here." Lila said, turning to him once again as her jaw flinched. Blue met brown for longer then intended, the water hitting the dock loudly to snap one of them back.

"Then why'd you come?" he asked her, his eyebrows frowned in a way that made him appear mad, his eyes flickering from her side profile to the flower on her belt loop.

"No fucking clue." she answered honestly as silents overcame them. Lila almost asked how he was, seeing he wasn't criticizing her for once, but that was a big almost.

"My Dad wants to move you guys over here, to our side of the island in the guest house." Rafe said as Lila looked his way with a odd look.

"Since when?" she asked him in disbelief.

"Since this morning." he answered her, his tone a little snappy, matching hers.

"That's dumb, I like our rent house perfectly fine." Lila said with a glare, staring out at the water again, feeling a few minos hitting her feet.

"You'd make a good Kook, Pogue life isn't for you." Rafe said as Lila looked to him with a glare.

"And how would you know that? I've got friends over there, better ones then anyone over here's probably every experience." Lila shot at him as Rafe went to smart off before Lila
let out a yell in pain, yanking her feet out of the water.

"What happened? Hey!" Rafe yelled at her over her yells, watching as she looked down at her feet.

"Jesus, that's a jellyfish sting." he said while watching her head fall back in pain.

"What the hell is this pain? I didn't sign up for this." Lila groaned as she looked down at her left foot that was swelling up with red dots.

"Come on." Rafe said as he stood up.

"No, no, you have to pee on me." Lila protested as he gave her a crazy look.

"Are in insane? I'm not peeing on you." he shook his head, looking down at her with a nasty look.

"No ones around." she added in, her face heating up from the amount of pain she was feeling, easily one of the worst she'd felt.

"Lila, i'm not gonna fucking pee on you." he said, not stopping himself from looking around to indeed see no one around.

"Please... I won't tell anyone." Lila said as she looked up at him, her eyes begging as her hands were in fist again. Rafe hesitated before groaning loudly.

"Don't look." he said as Lila squeezed her eyes shut, hearing the sound of a zipper before warmth hit her foot as the pain instantly began to get better.

"Very warm if it makes you feel better." Lila said awkwardly, knowing how uncomfortable the both of them where in these moments.

"Shut up." Rafe scolded her as she flashed a thumbs up, her eyes still remaining squeezed shut before she heard the zipper again making her open her eyes and see a red faced Rafe looked down at her.

"Thanks." she said, holding back a laugh, biting the inside of her mouth.

"Don't te-" Rafe began before loud laughter escaped Lila, cutting him off.

"I'm sorry." Lila apologized as she fell back on the docks with laughter. Rafe rolled his eyes as he sat down again.

"You're making me hate you even more, Lila, you really are." he said, a smile in his voice as her name rolled off his tongue with a slight accent.

"That was great, that was the best moment of my life." Lila laughed as she slapped his shoulder, making the Cameron boy shake his head, a faint smile on his lips at the normal feeling he felt around the half breed Pogue-Kook.

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jesus this was long... if it doesn't get the hype it deserves i will cry.