003. ╱ 𖦹⠀⠀ ❝ diver down. ❞

AFTER WHAT HAD HAPPENED AT THE PARTY THE DAY BEFORE, Amelie had barely slept a wink all night. Every time she tried to rest, the memories came back to haunt her and robbed her of all sleep.

⠀⠀She knew that her friends were planning to leave the investigation, as Kie had informed her in a phone call only minutes before.

⠀⠀Minutes lasted thanks to her stepfather, Jake, who was quick to appear on the scene and start drama.

⠀⠀A normal morning in the life of Amelie Haylan.

⠀⠀"Mom!" Cried Amelie furiously, following Jake's back at a brisk pace until she reached the living room.

⠀⠀"What did you do now?" Sighed Casiopea, not taking her eyes off her magazine.

⠀⠀"Tell him to give me my phone back," asked the brunette, folding her arms like a child.

⠀⠀"Jake," her mother named him, by way of warning.

⠀⠀"Cassie, haven't you heard about what her friends did at their beach party yesterday?" Jake wanted to know, leaning back comfortably on the kitchen island.

⠀⠀"What have they done now, Amelie?" Asked Casiopea.

⠀⠀"Nothing!" Replied the younger girl, raising her arms in frustration.

⠀⠀"They fired a gun!" Jake raised his voice.

⠀⠀"You did what?" Modulated her mother, standing up and looking away from her magazine.

⠀⠀"I didn't do anything!" Amelie assured after rolling her eyes.

⠀⠀"Sure, you didn't, but that Maybank idiot did," debated Jake.

⠀⠀"What?"

⠀⠀"JJ?" Cassiopea said, her brow furrowed in confusion at the news.

⠀⠀"That boy is a danger to you, how many times do I have to tell you?" Jake challenged her with his accusing finger directly.

⠀⠀"As many times as you want, I won't mind any of them," reproached Amelie. "I'm leaving," she announced, walking away towards the exit door.

⠀⠀"Where are you going now?" Her stepfather questioned from behind her back. Her mother just kept quiet and went back to her magazine.

⠀⠀"With John B, you skipped the part where Topper almost killed him," said Amelie, walking away at a brisk pace.

⠀⠀"Amelie, come back here," commanded Casiopea, finally raising her voice. Amelie did not obey, but deigned to turn back to her.

⠀⠀When Amelie barely turned around, she almost instantly felt the confused and murderous looks from Jake and her mother. They both looked at her with disappointment, as they always did when they saw Amelie leave again. But they never went out of their way to show her that they wanted her to stay, they went out of their way to keep giving her reasons to leave.

⠀⠀"You know JJ," murmured Amelie, with her gaze on her mother.

⠀⠀"Amelie..."

⠀⠀"You're not going," concluded Jake, knowing what would happen if Casiopea kept talking and Amelie kept convincing her.

⠀⠀"Keep giving me orders, ancient man..."

⠀⠀That said, Amelie turned and resumed her flight, following her earlier steps towards the front door of the house. Once outside, she took a few seconds to catch her breath. She couldn't believe her mother would let Jake behave like that in her own house. Amelie knew. Casiopea knew it. Jake was with her because of how deep her pockets were.

⠀⠀Once mentally ready, she crossed her house to move to the large backyard. She walked along the dock with false eagerness until she reached the edge, where everyone was there, waiting for her and watching her with a cheerful morning smile. They were able to make her forget all her troubles.

⠀⠀"Amelie!" Jake called out in a small shout.

⠀⠀Amelie laughed as she expected to see Jake behind her, and confirmed it as soon as she stopped her pace so she could spot him. And there he was, like an idiot who thought his wife's rebellious teenage daughter was going to back off and go home. Before he turned around again, Amelie raised her arm and held up only her middle finger. Jake snorted, knowing he had lost.

⠀⠀"Trouble in paradise?" Asked John B with a small smile as he extended a hand towards Amelie with the intention of helping her.

⠀⠀"You mean hell," corrected Amelie, accepting the help John B offered her and getting into the boat.

⠀⠀"Hey, what's going on?" Kie wanted to know now. She used to be one of the few who could tell when Amelie wasn't really joking.

⠀⠀"The same as always. Idiots who think they're your parents for sleeping with your mum," replied the brunette, grimacing in disgust. Her friends snorted at that.

⠀⠀"We've been calling you," said Pope, with the intention of diverting from such a sensitive subject for Amelie.

⠀⠀"With Jake present? Impossible," she assured. "He took my phone away from me."

⠀⠀"What about your mother?" Asked the brunette again.

⠀⠀"It's... I don't know, she doesn't really care."

⠀⠀Beside her, the blond reached out one of his hands and placed it gently on one of Amelie's knees, unashamedly caressing it as a way of showing his support.

A FEW HOURS LATER, John B had shown his friends the scuba tanks he had borrowed from Ward Cameron's boat earlier that morning.

⠀⠀After giving each a quick scan, Kie frowned.

⠀⠀"This is empty. You took empty tanks?"

⠀⠀"You had only one job, John," buffed Amelie from the comfort of JJ's lap, who laughed at her comment.

⠀⠀"Okay, this one's a quarter full. It's enough for one of us," reported the same brunette.

⠀⠀"Love it when a plan comes together," Pope ironised.

⠀⠀"All right, I'll go," spoke Amelie, getting to her feet. The blonde beneath her pulled one of her hands, putting her back on her place.

⠀⠀"Does anybody know how to dive?" Kie asked.

⠀⠀"I do," replied Amelie, raising one of her hands with noticeable excitement.

⠀⠀"It's kind of a kook sport," excused JJ, accompanied by a grimace of disgust.

⠀⠀"I read about it," said Pope.

⠀⠀"Great, Pope read about it, so someone's going to die," Kie concluded sarcastically.

⠀⠀"Look, you put the thing in your mouth and breathe. How hard could it be?" The blond wanted to know, laughing as he saw Amelie roll her eyes.

⠀⠀"Well, if you come up too fast, nitrogen gets into your blood and you get the bends," Pope reported seriously. JJ looked at him in confusion.

⠀⠀"Bends like, bend over and you..." JJ began mockingly, as he arched his back mischievously.

⠀⠀"The bends kill you," interrupted the dark-haired man.

⠀⠀"Right."

⠀⠀"I can... I can dive," said John. His friends laughed at this, as they knew he didn't really know anything about diving.

⠀⠀"Hello? I said I know how to dive," insisted Amelie this time with a bit more desperation.

⠀⠀"Really? You?" JJ questioned, disbelievingly, looking over his shoulder at Amelie.

⠀⠀"As you said, JJ, it's a kook sport," explained Amelie with an obvious smile.

⠀⠀"Yuck."

⠀⠀"All right, I'll go," confirmed Amelie again, getting back to her feet. JJ pulled her arm back down.

⠀⠀"No, John B will," Pope quickly refused.

⠀⠀"He'll die," Amelie said, realising that it would not be possible to convince her friend.

⠀⠀"It had to happen at some point, dear Melie," joked John B, standing up with his friends.

⠀⠀"I told you not to call me that."

⠀⠀"As you wish, Ames," he joked, remarking for the end the nickname that only JJ usually used.

⠀⠀"Hey," JJ snapped at him, clearly offended.

⠀⠀Everyone knew how much it annoyed him when they used the nickname he had given his best friend.

⠀⠀"Since when can you dive?" Kie continued to ask from behind, while her friends continued to ignore her.

⠀⠀"I'll do it. It's fine," said John B with confidence.

⠀⠀"Let me do some calculations real quick," asked Pope as he quickly stood up to take his notes.

⠀⠀"You serious?" Kie was not very happy with the idea.

⠀⠀"Yeah, so that boat is about 30 feet down, right? So it'll take 25 minutes at most at that depth..." Pope began to indicate as he finished his calculations.

⠀⠀"Twenty-five..." Muttered Kie, as if she was seriously thinking about what to do.

⠀⠀"Which means you need to take your safety stop at about... ten feet, all right? For two minutes," finished Pope as he finally stood up, giving John B a serious look.

⠀⠀"Yeah, yeah. Ten feet, two minutes. Got it," John B said with amusement, but also with seriousness.

⠀⠀They did not realise that Kie was no longer with them until they heard the great roar of the water as Kie jumped straight into it.

⠀⠀Those still present in the boat approached the edge with little concern, confused as to what had just happened.

⠀⠀"What was all that about?" Pope questioned in confusion, sharing glances with Amelie.

⠀⠀"Did she just jump?" Asked Amelie now with equal confusion as her other two friends.

⠀⠀"I don't know, but I liked it. A lot," said JJ with his gaze lost in the water. For some strange reason, a murderous look from Amelie was on him. "I would have loved it if you had done it," he confirmed with a flirtatious smile.

⠀⠀Amelie laughed along with JJ for a few seconds. They both knew they wanted each other, but neither had ever taken the first step, and they doubted they ever would.

⠀⠀There were rules involved. Those... stupid rules that had always prevented them from achieving what they wanted so much together.

⠀⠀"Yeah, when you're down there, you look for the cargo hold. You stick this thing inside and twist and pull, okay?" JJ indicated after a few seconds of awkwardness with Amelie. He had the key in his hand.

⠀⠀"Stick in, twist, pull," John B stated confidently, JJ nodded quickly in agreement.

⠀⠀"Yeah. My dad moved some weight back in the day."

⠀⠀"Who didn't?" John B questioned wryly. JJ gave an uncomfortable smile at this.

⠀⠀"Hey! I tied my T-shirt to the anchor chain about ten feet down. It's where you need to do your safety stop," said Kie in a little shout as she came out of the water.

⠀⠀"Cool," replied John B in a whisper as he prepared to go down.

⠀⠀"Alright, keep an eye on this," Pope said again, showing the stopwatch to John B. "You need to make sure you have enough air to decompress," he finished by pointing out.

⠀⠀"Okay, how much do I need?" John B asked after a few seconds. Pope snorted in surrender.

⠀⠀"Unclear. Breathe as little as possible," Pope answered as surely as possible, since he didn't know at all.

⠀⠀"Zen. Think Zen, you know?" Joked JJ approaching John B with amusement.

⠀⠀"I can think of something better," muttered John B, nodding his head at Amelie behind the two of them.

⠀⠀JJ rolled over on his back for a few seconds, noticing Amelie behind him, and was grateful that she was distracted by Kie at the moment. When he returned his gaze to John B, the latter laughed at the look of seriousness on his face.

⠀⠀"Dude, I'm gonna kill you," murmured JJ in response, giving John B a light smack on one of his cheeks.

⠀⠀"Got it," said John b ignoring JJ completely, turning to Pope, who had not stopped talking.

⠀⠀"Hey, if we get caught out here in the marsh, we're basically screwed, so... better get a move on," spoke Pope helping John B.

⠀⠀And from one second to the next, Kie caught his attention again. This time, she had shamelessly approached John B, coming face to face with him. They even imagined she was going to kiss him or pounce on him, and they half confirmed it as soon as she left a warm, soft, lucky kiss on one of his cheeks.

⠀⠀"Diver down?" Questioned John B with a victorious smile, not quite processing what had just happened.

⠀⠀"Diver down," confirmed Kie with a smile from end to end.

⠀⠀"Diver down," said Pope now after John B finally disappeared in the water. "Alright," saying this, he walked away.

⠀⠀"Goodbye," said Amelie after a few seconds, also walking away from the edge of the boat.

⠀⠀"See ya, dude," JJ now said goodbye, also walking away with Amelie.

⠀⠀They both sat in one of the corners in the utmost silence, without much exciting talk during their wait for John B. It had never been like that between them. There was never silence when they were together. But why did they feel different now? As if they were both afraid or ashamed to speak to each other.

⠀⠀Luckily for her, JJ killed the silence. Amelie was really grateful for that, as it was starting to get a bit awkward.

⠀⠀"So... You and John B?" He raised his voice after those seconds of silence, in a whisper so that only Amelie could hear.

⠀⠀"What?" Amelie asked in confusion, not understanding the reason and the context of that disturbing question.

⠀⠀"You and John B, you... mhm... are you... Are you something?" Finally asked JJ, a grimace of disappointment and disgust was on his face.

⠀⠀"Yes, we are something," replied Amelie, who smiled as she saw JJ's disappointment increase. "Friends, Fushi. We're just friends."

⠀⠀"Great, I mean, that... good," confirmed JJ with a smile he couldn't help but form at hearing that and mainly that nickname he liked so much coming from Amelie. "And don't call me that," he ordered, this time more serious.

⠀⠀Fushi was a nickname Amelie had given him a few years ago, when JJ ate sushi for the first time in his life. Amelie had invited him to a fancy out-of-the-way restaurant, to which JJ had no hesitation in accepting. When one of the waiters finally took his order, JJ was rude enough to say 'fushi' instead of 'sushi'.

⠀⠀From then on, Amelie sometimes called him that, as she knew how much it annoyed him.

⠀⠀"And why such a question?" Questioned Amelie now with an amused smirk. JJ looked away nervously.

⠀⠀"I don't know, I was just... curious," explained JJ, still nervous, without looking back at Amelie.

⠀⠀"Curious?" Replied Amelie in her mocking tone. JJ nodded without looking at her. "Yeah."

⠀⠀"Yeah," JJ remarked, this time, leaving his gaze on the water in front of them, feeling Amelie's eyes on him.

⠀⠀She wished he would speak again, because it was becoming almost impossible not to look back at him.

⠀⠀"What about you? Do you... have a thing with someone?" Amelie asked, smiling unconsciously as JJ finally looked at her.

⠀⠀"Me? No, not at all," denied JJ quickly. "They're just... a distraction," he finally explained.

⠀⠀"What?" Amelie remarked with difficulty. It wasn't what she wanted to hear, but it didn't bother her too much either. Still, it was offensive.

⠀⠀"I know it's wrong to use them as a distraction, I know that, believe me. I live with the guilt," JJ defended uncomfortably. That Amelie thought he was a bad person made it worse. "But they make me forget my sad reality," he finished, with some fear that Amelie would find out what he meant.

⠀⠀"Your sad reality?" Amelie emphasised next to him. Her smile never faltered, which was a good sign for JJ.

⠀⠀"Well... there's this one girl who has me... very... too impatient, and it's weird because I've never felt that way about someone before. It's really weird. I keep thinking about her. I wake up with the happiness of knowing that at some point in the day I'll see her," explained JJ with disappointment, and this time, the smile that faded was his.

⠀⠀"I know what you mean. You're in love," said Amelie calmly, which quickly got JJ excited.

⠀⠀JJ had never been in love in his life, it was even scary to be in love. But, for some strange reason it felt so right and so good to see Amelie like that. I mean... that mysterious girl.

⠀⠀"What? No, no way," denied JJ again, before understanding Amelie's answer. "Do you know what I mean?"

⠀⠀"Yes, in my case... there's a boy too," answered Amelie, leaving JJ even more disappointed, which he hid by showing a cheerful smile.

⠀⠀"Oh, is that so?" He questioned with a grimace of disappointment that he couldn't help. Amelie nodded her head. "May I know who the lucky one is?" He asked.

⠀⠀"Mmm, no," replied Amelie with an amused smile.

⠀⠀She knew perfectly well who she was talking about, and only hours before she had discovered that she was actually in love.

⠀⠀"Ames... Come on," JJ cheered, trying to hide the thought of rejection that came to his mind because of Amelie and his crush on someone who was clearly not him.

⠀⠀"You tell me who's the unlucky one," joked Amelie returning with her smile as she gave JJ a shoulder shove.

⠀⠀"I asked first," reproached JJ pretending to be offended, he couldn't do it with Amelie.

⠀⠀"And me after. Come on, tell me," insisted Amelie, smiling as JJ slowly agreed.

⠀⠀"It's..." Began JJ, ready to do just that. Maybe it wasn't the best moment, but he was ready to confess his feelings for Amelie.

⠀⠀"Shit. JJ," Pope called from the other half of the boat, drawing their attention.

⠀⠀As JJ and Amelie turned towards them, with little desire to do so, they recognised the island's police boat, and also noticed that it was slowly approaching their boat.

⠀⠀"Guys, that's the police," JJ reported as he shifted in his seat uncomfortably and nervously.

⠀⠀"Oh, you got to be kidding me," complained Pope, getting up from his place and standing in front of the boat control again.

⠀⠀"Just act friking normal," commanded Kie fixing her hair and posture, leaving her face more serious.

⠀⠀She herself approached Amelie, pretending to talk and laughing loudly as the police boat finished approaching. They stopped acting just as Pope spoke.

⠀⠀"Evening, officers," greeted Pope kindly too, he seemed to be acting it out.

⠀⠀"Evening," officer Shoupe greeted in the same manner while letting the sound of his alarms resound for a few seconds.

⠀⠀"Here," spoke the officer accompanying Shoupe, handing Pope the rope from their boat.

⠀⠀"JJ, tie this off," Pope ordered this time, leaving the rope under JJ's power, who promptly obeyed.

⠀⠀"How you kids doing?" Shoupe questioned, taking off his glasses that covered his eyes from the sun. "You know the marsh is closed?"

⠀⠀"No. We didn't know that," denied Pope and JJ without wasting their time, knowing exactly what to say.

⠀⠀"Why... Why is it closed?" Asked JJ.

⠀⠀"Well, we're conducting a search out here. Boat went down," Shoupe reported after scanning the swamp near and far. "Have you seen anything?"

⠀⠀"No," they denied again, this time all four present in unison.

⠀⠀"No boats. No," Pope denied again.

⠀⠀"Where is your friend you always hang with? He here?" Shoupe questioned again.

⠀⠀"He's working," replied Kie, raising her voice calmly, speaking for the first time since the officers arrived.

⠀⠀"You know..." Amelie caught their attention as she saw how the two officers doubted them. "Ward Cameron has a big house, he needs a lot of... employees."

⠀⠀"What about you, Haylan? What are you doing here?" Asked Shoupe being very unkind with his simple question.

⠀⠀"Me? Oh, I'm just... hanging out," Amelie explained nervously. Whenever she lied she was always very aware of how bad she was at it.

⠀⠀"I'm going to check your little boat out," Shopue said without waiting a second longer as he got into the same boat as the teenagers.

⠀⠀"Yeah, hop aboard," spoke JJ as he opened his passage to let Shoupe free.

⠀⠀"If you want to check... uh, check her out," Pope said, standing up from his place again, also giving way to Shoupe.

⠀⠀"Thank you," thanked Shoupe as he walked around that corner of the boat. "Uh, you got another one?" He asked, pointing to one of the lifejackets.

⠀⠀"Yeah, of course, it's in the hold," replied JJ pointing to the small door underneath Kie.

⠀⠀"Show him," commanded Kie standing up, this time leaving JJ free to demonstrate what they claimed.

⠀⠀JJ walked over to it quickly, pulling the other lifejacket he had just named into the air. Letting it be seen as he held it aloft with one of his arms.

⠀⠀"Alright," said Shoupe in agreement, or so they thought.

⠀⠀And this time, Shoupe walked over the edge of their boat, peering down to the surface of the water, trying to see something that might make him uneasy. And just as uneasy were the teenagers who watched him nervously, wishing they would get the hell out of there once and for all.

⠀⠀"Alright," spoke Shoupe again, stepping away from the edge with his direction now set on the police boat.

⠀⠀"Alright," replied JJ and Pope in unison after letting out sighs of relief.

⠀⠀"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Said Shoupe kindly as he returned to stand with his companion.

⠀⠀"Sure is," confirmed JJ, really not knowing why they were now talking about the weather.

⠀⠀"Very good," added Pope, following officer Shoupe with his gaze and footsteps.

⠀⠀"Let us know if you see anything on your way out," Shoupe ordered as he removed the rope from the boat.

⠀⠀"Will do, will do," confirmed JJ and Pope again in unison. They kept agreeing on what to answer .

⠀⠀"We'll be gone soon, sir," added JJ.

⠀⠀"Yes, you will."

⠀⠀And when the officers' boat finally moved far enough away for the group to force themselves to stop acting and pretending, the four present almost ran to the front edge of the boat, leaning out to see if they could spot John B under the water.

⠀⠀"He's definitely out of air," Pope reported, just as nervous and worried as his three friends at his side.

⠀⠀And at exactly that moment John B was visible on the surface. Amelie and Kie let out sighs of relief knowing that John B was safe and well, while the other two celebrated.

⠀⠀"There he is!" JJ celebrated excitedly as he pointed at John B with one of his fingers.

⠀⠀"Oh, God! Jesus Christ! Don't scare us like that anymore," complained Pope obviously, Amelie and Kie laughing at him.

⠀⠀That's how bipolar they were, that's why they were such good friends.

⠀⠀"How'd it go down there?" Asked JJ, but John B didn't answer. "Did you find anything?" He asked again, approaching the other edge of the boat.

⠀⠀"Did I find anything?" Confirmed John B with excitement and a big smile on his face, as he threw the diving stuff into the boat.

⠀⠀"Yeah, there you go! That's my boy!" Cheered JJ also with excitement as he helped John B put down the diving stuff.

⠀⠀"You okay?" Kie questioned after letting out more soothing sighs as she watched John B's breathing improve.

⠀⠀"Yeah, I ran out of air," confirmed John B with an amused smile, as if that had not been enough.

⠀⠀"You scared the shit out of me," joked Kie with a grin in return. John B laughed at that.

⠀⠀"Yeah, the cops were up here, but we took care of them," reported Pope, also with an amused smile decorating his lips.

⠀⠀"Hey," called Amelie in exasperation as she noticed an unfamiliar boat approaching the area. Her friends didn't hear her, or perhaps just fiercely ignored her.

⠀⠀"My bad," John B apologised for Pope's report.

⠀⠀"Yeah, you kinda missed the show, brother," added JJ with some emotion, even though it wasn't an exciting moment.

⠀⠀"Hey, guys!" Called Amelie again, raising her voice this time. Her friends turned to look at her. "Why don't you listen to me?" She finally complained.

⠀⠀"What's up?" Asked Pope with curiosity and very little patience for Amelie's sudden complaints.

⠀⠀"Two o'clock," indicated Amelie without giving a single glance at that point, she was a little uneasy about that.

⠀⠀"What?" JJ questioned, turning around on his feet towards the direction indicated by Amelie.

⠀⠀"Do you recognise that boat?" Pope asked as he spotted the boat some distance away from theirs.

⠀⠀"I've never seen it," denied Kie quickly. This made those present much more uneasy.

⠀⠀"What are they doing here? The marsh is closed," Amelie spoke with confusion and concern, even her tone of voice showed it.

⠀⠀"I don't know, but let's not stick around and find out," replied John B. "JJ, get the bowline."

⠀⠀"Yeah," said JJ as he walked over to the end of the boat, where the anchor chain was, and began to pull it quickly.

⠀⠀"Should we wait on them?" Questioned Pope.

⠀⠀"No, we're not going to wait them," denied John B seconds later. "Go get the stern. Go!" He ordered again.

⠀⠀"Are you joking?" Kie asked from a few steps behind everyone present.

⠀⠀"JJ, hurry up" Amelie nervously sped up, clapping her hands together, as if that would speed up the boy's pace.

⠀⠀"Guys, don't wait for me. Go," said JJ finally reaching the end of the chain, meeting the anchor.

⠀⠀"Pull out the stern," repeated Pope as John B started the boat's engine, which was now beginning to pull away.

⠀⠀"I don't like the look of this," muttered John B at the helm of the boat, turning the boat around until his back was to the unfamiliar boat.

⠀⠀"Shit. Who are they?" Asked Amelie, who was now also terrified. Really terrified.

⠀⠀"Maybe they're fishing," replied Pope next to him, who was also not one hundred percent sure of his answer.

⠀⠀"In the closed marsh?" Amelie asked incredulously, giving a frowning look to Pope, who shrugged his shoulders.

⠀⠀While some kept cursing and half of the rest kept saying a few Hail Mary's, John B moved the boat quickly through the water until he was on the path that would put them directly into the marsh near them. Unluckily for them, the unknown boat was still behind them.

⠀⠀"Are they following us or am I the one who thinks so?" Asked Amelie as she noticed this. Her friends turned around.

⠀⠀"Oh, this can't be good," muttered John B as he tried to keep his worried eyes on the clear path ahead of them.

⠀⠀"Dude, you got to go faster!" JJ nervously and fearfully cheered in a big, audible shout.

⠀⠀"I'm going!" Said John B next to him, in the same shout.

⠀⠀"Gun it!" JJ said again, once more letting out a loud shout.

⠀⠀Thanks to perhaps fear and worry, they couldn't help but turn backwards every second, in the direction of that insistent boat. They didn't know either of the two on it, let alone the boat, and that was the most confusing thing. Why the hell were they following them?

⠀⠀And from one second to the next, as they managed to focus more on the marsh in front of the boat and themselves, the audible echo of a bullet behind drew their fearful attention. By sheer instinct, those in the boat ducked down to touch the floor of the boat.

⠀⠀"Holy shit! What the fuck is wrong with them?" Shouted Amelie as they kept John B safe, covering his back.

⠀⠀"Ames, get down!" JJ ordered, pulling Amelie by the arm to lay her down in front of him, pressing his chest against her back.

⠀⠀If it weren't for the context of the situation, they would both say that they loved being like that, it was even something new, as JJ and Amelie had never been encouraged to be this close, despite how close friends they were.

⠀⠀"Oh my God, we're going to die," muttered Pope with little real hope as he heard another shot.

⠀⠀And so it went twice more, until Kie decided to act, being even smarter than Pope himself.

⠀⠀"Shit! Pope, move," commanded Kie standing up, approaching the nets in a small corner.

⠀⠀"Get down, Kie!" Commanded John B this time as he managed to dodge another bullet. By sheer luck, obviously.

⠀⠀Kie managed to get the plastic nets, approaching the back edge of the boat again, she threw the nets from her hands far enough away from the boat.

⠀⠀As another shot echoed around them, the now faint engine of the unknown boat was heard as it met the nets over the water, cutting it off.

⠀⠀Those present rose to their feet as they celebrated their survival, or at least JJ and Kie, Amelie and Pope shared only fearful glances.

⠀⠀"Woohoo!" JJ cheered as he stood up, helping Amelie to her feet. "Pogue God, man!" He pointed to Kie excitedly.

⠀⠀"That was insane!" said Kie now as her chest was rapidly rising and falling.

⠀⠀Amelie, without thinking too much, rushed to Kie quickly, wrapping her friend in a strong, patient and friendly embrace. She had saved their lives, she couldn't have thanked her better.

⠀⠀"Hey, I want a hug too," said JJ, drawing the attention of his two friends.

⠀⠀When Amelie and Kie broke away from the embrace, Amelie turned to him in confusion, hoping for some explanation. JJ didn't respond, merely pointing to her bikini top, making Amelie understand, and making her grimace in disgust.

⠀⠀She wasn't too disgusted, though.

⠀⠀"Get away!" Commanded Amelie with an amused smile as she pushed JJ away from her as he tried to approach her with open arms and a lustful smile.

WHEN THEY FINALLY ARRIVED AT THE DOCK, which was the one at John B's home, the Château, everyone present quickly got off the boat with the intention of finding out as soon as possible what it was that John B had discovered.

⠀⠀"What do you guys think it is?" Asked Kie, clinging to Amelie's arm as she walked with her.

⠀⠀"I don't know. Got be money or something, right?" John B replied as he set that rescued bag down on the wooden floor of the dock.

⠀⠀"That or a couple of keys with street value to the low-to mid-mils!" Added JJ excitedly, standing next to John B.

⠀⠀"Can we please just open the bag?" Pope asked, rarely excited as well.

⠀⠀His friends looked up to see him in confusion and also certainly in victory, for Pope was not usually excited about such things. Very seldom was he the one who was excited or cheerful.

⠀⠀"Wow, Pope," began John B with a slight smile. "That's a rare outburst of emotion," he added, sharing glances with his three other friends.

⠀⠀"Someone's excited," spoke JJ with an amused smile at his own joke, raising and lowering his eyebrows rapidly.

⠀⠀"Okay, you guys are literally killing me with anticipation," replied Pope defensively. "So, open the bag. We almost died over this."

⠀⠀John B obeyed quickly, unzipping the bag at almost the same speed, but with more curiosity as to what he would end up finding inside. He pulled out a small cloth bag, which he opened just as quickly, removing an old metal jar from the bag, taking only seconds to remove its lid. Finally, he found something that didn't seem to be money at all.

⠀⠀It was a compass.

⠀⠀And for some strange reason, John B stared at it lost and dumb, all because of the simple compass that was certainly rusty in some corners.

⠀⠀"That's... not money," murmured Amelie looking at the compass with confusion, she wasn't too disappointed by that.

⠀⠀"Oh, wow. That's about right. Good job, everybody," Pope feigned celebration, surprised by that compass, very contrary in a good way. "We found a compass."

⠀⠀"Dude, what? It's not worth anything," spoke JJ addressing John B, as he hadn't uttered a single word thanks to staying with his attention on the compass.

⠀⠀"This was my father's," replied John B finally, looking up at his friends, with a comforting smile.

⠀⠀"Sorry, what?" Amelie asked in confusion. She had heard John B perfectly well, but it was too unreal.

⠀⠀"Melie, it's dad's," repeated John B still with that smile, holding up the compass in his hand so Amelie could see it better.