CHAPTER EIGHT: RETRIBUTION
( episode three + episode four: the forbidden zone + spy games )

✲*'。

Arden didn't even try to fight back against Pope as he led both her and Haven back to his Dad's boat. They all had the same idea in their head. They wanted to get the fuck away from the golf club, the recent event haunting their memories.

The silence was slowly but surely beginning to agitating her. Arden didn't do well in uncomfortable silences. Voided gaps and rifts were something Arden was all too familiar with. Throughout the entirety of her parents marriage, Arden wasn't blind to the fact her parents heavily disliked one another. Her father always actively ignored her mother, only engaging with Eun-Cha Lee when it came to the care of their daughter. As a child, Arden had picked up the habit of always trying to disperse any awkward silence. It never worked, but it was a coping mechanism she couldn't seem to shake off.

When the trio were hunched over in the boat, not speaking, Arden did her best to fill the silence. She tried a safe topic; her baby by showing off the newest picture to Pope in an attempt to bring up his spirits and if she was lucky maybe even a smile. It worked for a minute or two, longer than what Arden had thought it would. Her attempts were all for naught as Pope took up his spot behind the steering wheel, forcing them into silence. When Haven ended up curled up in the corner, Arden didn't hesitate in coming to sit at her feet.

Arden wasn't sure how long she had been sitting down by Haven's feet, awkwardly playing with her hair to try and conceal the growing bruise. She knew Haven and Pope were waiting for someone, whoever it was, they were their sweet time.

"Guys, you are not going to believe what just happened to me!" Arden winced to herself as she heard JJ's excited calls from a few feet away. She knew he didn't see her as he hopped onto the deck, for Arden wasn't on the receiving end of one of his harsh glares.

Pope immediately began to get to work on starting the boat,so they could get the fuck out of Figure Eight, finally. "When I say count me in on all these grocery deliveries, Pope, I mean it."

When Pope didn't say anything, JJ frowned and looked around. From where she kept her head bowed down, she could see that JJ first noticed Haven, just as quiet and withdrawn. That was not the cousin he had become familiar with. As his blue hues moved to focus on her, Arden kept her head down so her hair awkwardly splayed over her face, cloaking the painful welp.

"Uh, what happened?" JJ questioned, slowly turning back to Pope. "What's up with you? Bro, are you good?" He leaned forward, and finally catching sight of the bruises.

"Yo, what happened to your face, dude?" Arden cowered in on herself as she saw Pope wincing to himself when JJ lifted his hat, pushing his hand away as the blonde cursed and spun around to look at the girls.

"JJ, don't—" Haven sighed from above her, as JJ attentively looked her over.

"No," JJ harshly cut her off. He shot his cousin a dark glare. Arden seized in on herself as he knelt down, eyes ablaze in anger as he moved to push her hair off her face. "Fucking hell, who did this?"

"Rafe and Topper jumped me. They said no pogues on their side of the island."

"We heard them shouting from my delivery," Haven added quietly. Arden didn't even try to fight against Haven for telling JJ what happened. She was too tired, she didn't want to move a step. Arden felt drained and didn't help that silent tears tracked their way down her cheeks. JJ would be continue to prob until he figured out what made both her and Pope cry.

"Rafe hit Arden, and he probably would've gone for me too if I didn't hit first."

The silence was beginning to suffocate Arden, her mind working on overdrive as she hid her face in between her knees, trying to ignore her surroundings.

"What are you gonna do?"

As it so happened, Pope had a plan. He drove them around to where Topper lived, parking just a few metres out from where his speedboat floated beside their pristine jetty. Arden groaned at the sight and buried her head into Haven's side. There was determination there, no matter how stupid the idea was. Pope was going to enact his revenge. They were going to sink Topper's boat.

"2020 Malibu, 24-MXC," Pope quoted JJ from all those days ago when they first saw the infamous boat. "The world's finest wakesetter. Number one in quality, luxury and performance."

"This is war, Pope," JJ sneered. "They hit us, we hit them."

Arden tiredly stood up, lumbering into Haven's side as Pope discarded his shirt. If the day hadn't been so shit, taking a toll on her, Arden would have happily joked about Haven staring at Pope. She barely registered the fact JJ approached the girls with a handful of neckties. She was startled away from, her thoughts when her sight was blurred by a navy object.

Arden grumbled, lazily reaching up to adjust the necktie that she recognised as JJ's over half her face, before abruptly sitting into the driver's seat of Heyward's boat.

"Has Pope gone already?" Haven asked, though her question was soon answered by a splash as the boy in question dived off the boat and began swimming over to the Thornton jetty. "Nevermind."

Arden sighed, focusing her gaze onto the crumpled sonogram she had eagerly been holding, intent on showing off to Haven only a half hour ago. Rafe Cameron was a fucking prick. It didn't take a genius to work that one out, yet here Arden Kim sat, soon to be forever connected to Rafe fucking Cameron, all because Arden Kim was too much of a coward to stand against her mother.

She barely noticed the precise moment JJ dropped down beside her, yanking the sonogram out of her hand. Arden shot her ex a startled look, but all JJ had eyes for was the sonogram in his hands.

"Damn jellybean sure has grown from the tiny blob I saw here," JJ piped up, patting her chest in search of the locket. As he felt Arden tense beside him from his hands, JJ removed his hand gently, cautiously watching his former girlfriend.

"One would hope so. Little bean is almost 19 weeks now," Arden quietly murmured, titling her head back to meet JJ's blue hues.

A shy smile crossed Arden's lips as a she rested a hand on her swollen bump. "I've gained the fucking weight to prove it."

"You look good," JJ commented, a smirk tugging on his lips as Arden could feel her heated cheeks, colouring red in embarrassment. "Even with the giant bruise on my face?" Arden probed, a teasing glint entering her voice.

Arden winced at the dark glare making it's way back onto JJ's face at the mention of her previous altercation. "That bruise just shows you're daughter has a strong, stubborn mother."

Arden rose an eyebrow in surprise, completely focusing her attention onto JJ. "Daughter?"

"Daughter." JJ declared, his mouth settling into a firm line. Arden wasn't too sure if it was from the fact they were casually talking about 'Rafe Cameron's kid'. As Arden opened her mouth to speak again, she heard a loud splash, signifying Pope was on his way over to them. She glanced up at JJ once again, startling slightly as he held hand out to her to hold. Arden shot JJ a weak smile, grasping it firmly as he dragged Arden over to them.

"Wow, you actually did it," JJ exclaimed. "I'm so proud of you right now. Holy crap."

"And now that's out of the way," Arden said. "Can we get out of here? If I have to spend another minute near Topper's grimy house, I might vomit."

"Good," JJ huffed. "In fact, let's get you on land so you can vomit in Mrs Thornton's rose bushes."

Haven snorted. "Sinking a boat is one thing, morning sickness in the roses is just unfair."

"Guys, listen for a second," Pope interrupted with all traces of amusement gone. "You can't tell anybody."

"Well, obviously," Arden declared, crossing her arms as she rolled her eyes. "Then we'd go down with you." Pope was meant to be the smart one here, why would Arden willingly tell anyone when she could be implicated and thrown into prison?

"I'm serious. Not Kie, not John B, nobody."

"My lips are sealed," JJ grinned at him.

And so they were sworn to secrecy.

After returning Heyward's boat back to the shop and successfully evading any questions about the trip, the quartet took off to the beach to meet up with John B and Kie. Before she could slip away to actually deal with the mess Rafe made, JJ had slung an arm around her waist, intent on bringing her to the beach with them. Arden, though, was having a much harder time just thinking of going anywhere near the water.

"Hey SAVE SOME WAVES for us!" JJ shouted enthusiastically as the four of them made their way onto the sandy shores of the beach, Arden hanging back by the shoreline, as JJ, Haven and Pope headed straight towards John B and Kie.

Arden had no desire whatsoever to leave the sand, the rising waves enough to make her clutch her stomach irrationally. It was a stupid fear, but when Arden first learnt she was pregnant, she straight refused to shower for three days. It took Sarah having to come into to the shower with, to proof nothing would happen to her little jellybean. For the most, Arden had gotten over hear fears, but when it came to actually going into a pool or the sea, she always lingered behind, that fear always creeping back.

"Come on, Ard," JJ rolled his eyes as she stood stubbornly at the edge of the water. The waves washing over to her feet was enough to have Arden jolting back in terror. The horror Arden felt began to grow as JJ purposefully doubled back to pull her out with him. "A little bun in the oven can hardly affect your surfing skills."

"Yeah, Arden, show us what you got," Haven cheered as JJ continued pulled her out further.

"Haven, I swear to—" Arden cut herself off with a screech as the water began to circle over her bump. She leapt back in surprise, JJ finally breaking his hold on her as she backtracked to where the water would be circling her thighs. Everyone paused, frowning at her, while Haven had to hold onto her knees so she wouldn't collapse from laughter.

"Uh, princess," JJ drawled. "What the fuck was that?"

"Ard..." Kie called out in concern as she and John B waded over. They'd heard her scream all the way out where the water was over their heads. "What's wrong?"

Arden took a deep breath before blurting out, "I'm terrified I'm going to drown my child if I go any further."

"It was so bad at the beginning that she flat out refused to take a shower," Haven told the others as they stared at her in disbelief.

"That's what your maternal instincts have developed into?" Kie scoffed. "Ard, we live on a fucking island."

"I know that," she cried out, though even she grinned as they all burst into laughter.

After they had finally gotten over the incredulous of her fear, they made it work with Arden gently being transferred from surfboard to surfboard as John B, JJ and Kie took their turns watching her over. Arden was delighted with the fact that her ship was sailing so beautifully; from a few feet away from the group of four, Pope was trying his best to teach Haven how to surf.

For such a shitty start to the day, it sure had a great ending.

✲*'。

"GET UP!" Arden Kim heard Kiara Carrera shouting into her ear.

Arden screeched in surprise, leaping up from her perch on the bed, wobbily trying not to fall as John B reached out an arm to steady her by the legs.

"Kie, she was clumsy before she got knocked up, never mind what's she like now," John B sighed tiredly. In response, Arden narrowed her eyes, kicking his shoulder. "Rude, rude rude!" She sang to herself, throwing on her sneakers.

"Where are you going?" John B tiredly questioned as Arden fully stood up. "My mother's come back to prove the point that I am somehow not capable of being able to care about the baby in my vagina."

"Too much information Arden," Pope whined from his position on the pull out bed.

"Har, har." Arden mockingly laughed as she threw the clothes she had borrowed into a random backpack so she could have them washed and dry cleaned before she met them whenever.

"Ard," Arden heard John B commenting.

"Yes."

"How the fuck do you plan on getting back to your mom's?"

Arden paused, feeling her cheeks colour red. "You know that is a valid point .... uh I suppose walk?"

Kiara huffed rolling out the bed to put on her shoes. "I'll drive her and then the rest of us can head out and test the drone. BE READY!"

Arden smiled to herself as she heard a chorus of 'yes ma'am' as Kiara led her out the VW caravan.

"Do you want to take a shower at mine and borrow some of my clothes? That way you don't have to face your mother right away?"

"Do you mind...?" Arden questioned while Kiara shot her a small smile. "Course not, I could do with a shower of my own."

Once Arden had quickly greeted Kiara's parents who shot her a strange look, she practically bolted for the shower. Once she was under the warm sprays, Arden sunk down against the wall. For the first time in .... two months, Arden Kim felt free from her mother's suffocating grip. For once, Arden's guard was able to be completely down ---- she didn't have to be wary of Rafe or Ward. For the last few days, Arden felt as free as she used to do.

She really wasn't looking forward to the return of her mother.

Arden sighed, quickly finishing up washing her hair and body so Kiara could have her own shower. She shot her friend a weak smile as she began to quickly raid Kiara's closet. Arden settled on a simple black midi skirt that had a slit up to her left thigh. She quickly tugged on a simple white cropped tee-shirt and her own black converse.

Kiara shot Arden an amused look as her friend pointedly looked the other way while she got changed.

"Come on, let's get you that OBGYN appointment."

On the drive over, Kiara began to probe a little bit more to try and get to the bottom of Arden's situation.

"So, blink twice if Rafe is the father."

That earned Kie a blank stare.

"Blink twice if JJ is the father."

That earned Kie another blank stare. "Don't tell me there's a third man!" Kiara exclaimed while Arden shot her friend a dark glower. "Not funny," she hissed while Kiara continued to giggle.

The remainder of the drive was spent in relative silence, both girls only speaking if there was a need. As they neared the private practice, Kiara began to felt paranoid. Instead of the best friend Kiara was beginning to know again, Arden Kim had become quiet, closing in on herself as they came closer towards where her mother was waiting for her. Kiara Carrera never liked Eun-Cha Lee. The woman always had a pompous attitude about, always looking down on those who she believed didn't meet her social expectations.

Kiara could only assume it was because of her father that Arden met the boys when she was a young girl. There ----- Eun-Cha surely wouldn't blackmail her daughter to be with a monster like Rafe?

Just as Arden was about to leave the car when they arrived at the practice, Kiara desperately reached to grip her friends arm.

Arden stared at Kiara's arm, tilting her head curiously to the side. "Blink .... blink twice if your mom is blackmailing you."

Arden froze, her face turning deathly pale as the words finally began to register with her.

"Arden. I need you to blink twice if your mom is blackmailing you into being with Rafe."

After a few moments of a lack of movement, Kiara expected for Arden to ignore her like before. Arden had been halfway out the door, before she turned around to meet Kiara's dark brown eyes.

Two blinks and Arden Kim was gone, and in her absence she left Kiara Carrera with more questions than answers.

✲*'。

"In all honesty Arden, you need to take better care of that body of your's. My grandchild resides in that womb."

Arden shot her mothers back a nasty glare as Dr. Moira shot her a pitiful smile, completing the exact same scan as the other day.

"Just like the other day Ms. Kim, little bean in perfect health!" Despite the circumstances, Arden felt a giddy smile erupt onto her face at the words of her OBGYN. Her and JJ's little jelly-bean was healthy and safe. That was all that mattered to Arden.

That clearly wasn't good enough for her mother.

"Arden, darling you can cannot keep calling that thing 'bean.' It's unbecoming for a future Cameron."

"Kim." Arden practically snarled in response, startling Moira with the ferocity in her words. "My baby's surname will be Kim. Mother."

Eun-Cha shot her daughter an unimpressed look, before plastering a polite smile to her face. "A matter for another time then. Now, tell me the gender."

At her mother's words, Arden felt anger beginning to course through her entire body. How fucking dare she? Her mother had no right to demand such a question. Not when it was Arden who was going to be raising her child.

"I'm sorry Mrs Lee, but Ms Kim has informed me she would like to be surprised when she learns the gender of her baby when she gives birth."

Eun-Cha scoffed disbelieving. "It's me paying for these visits Moira, don't forget that!"

When Dr. Buckley refused to speak up, her mother only huffed in annoyance before charging over to the doctors notes. As Moira moved to react, Arden only sadly shook her head. There was no point. Her mother would only continue with her god damn pestering.

"See was that so hard now. Darling your going to have a ..."