CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: DIFFERENT TYPES OF WATER!
( episode six: parcel 9 )

✲*'。

"So, here's the plan. We need to look for the wheat near the water like it said in Denmark's letter," John B declared after several minutes of creeping around in Mrs Crain's maze-like yard. Christ Arden couldn't wait to get out of here; take a nap and shove away the thoughts of Mrs Crains axe murdering face.

"Okay, what kind of water?" Pope asked. "Like, pond water?"

JJ cackled, momentarily drawing everyone's attention to him. "Bong water?"

Arden let out a sigh. "Yeah, JJ. Pope Heyward just said bong water."

"No, it—" John B cut himself off with a shake of his head, clearly deciding that correcting JJ's smart remarks wasn't worth it for once. The last thing John B needed right now was to set off both Arden and JJ. They'd be discovered before he could even try to say gold. "It said just look for water, okay?"

"That's the shittiest secret message ever," Kie grumbled to herself, shoving John B aside to keep walking.

"You want to complain a little bit more, Kie? Nobody said it was going to be easy."

Their voices faded as they wandered on ahead, leaving Arden stuck with the two most annoying members of the group. Don't get her wrong, Arden loved Haven and Pope. But oh dear god, the duo were unbearable whenever the were so bloody focused.

"Okay, I'm going to search the North-East Quadrant and you can search the North-West Quadrant," Pope declared, pointing a finger into JJ's chest to get his attention. Arden looked up startled from where she had been staring at the creepy gnomes, a smirk playing on her lips as she thought of a new way to force JJ to talk to Haven.

"Ooh, I'm coming with you, Pope," Arden grinned as she skipped over to his side. She linked their arms together, shooting an obvious wink in Haven's direction while JJ looked on unimpressed. God has Arden ever mentioned how beautiful his eyes looked when he was mad? Her daughter better get JJ's blue hues. "Haven can go with JJ."

"Looks like I'm going with JJ," Haven sighed as Pope shot her a helpless shrug. Arden was forcefully dragging him after her.

Arden would see to it that the Maybank duo were back together!

"Ard you better actually help me look," Pope hissed under his breath. Arden tiredly rolled her eyes in response. Oh god she had chosen wrong. She should have left earlier to be with Kie!

"I am Pope!" She hissed, swatting her arms in annoyance as the overgrown plants kept poking her arms. So looks like Po-Po was a no go in conversing. Arden didn't even complain when John B lead them into the basement of the house after they'd all met up again.

There was only so much serious Pope Heyward that Arden Kim could take.

"Yeah, I'm not staying down here," Arden declared as she walked right into a puff of dust, practically coughing up a lung as John B hissed at her to keep quiet. Well excuse her, she didn't mean to cough up her lungs. It wasn't as if she decided to do it for the heck of it! "I'm going back to the van. JB, give me the keys."

"Just try not to get caught on the way out, alright?" he sighed and handed them over. Arden hummed dismissively, snatching them up before racing back to the door. "I mean it, Arden."

"I know, I know," she rolled her eyes before pausing to turn back to Haven. "Have, you wanna come with?"

Haven hesitated for a moment before speaking up.

"I'm good," she said, shaking her head in confirmation as Arden raised an eyebrow. "You go. We'll be out soon."

"If you're sure."

Unfortunately for herself, Arden didn't get to nap for all that long. She shot awake as she heard JJ's hoots as he climbed over the wall, a proud smirk adorning his face as he met Arden's confused facial expression.

"Logan's gonna be a borne a spoilt little bitch!" He enthusiastically exclaimed, watching on eagerly as Arden brought her hands to her face in carefully guarded elation.

"You found the water?"

"We found the water baby!"

Arden screeched in delight, launching herself into JJ's arms who eagerly caught her, crushing her into a  tight hug. "Our daughters going to be a spoilt little bitch!"

"I don't think that's something they should celebrate," Arden heard Pope muttering, to which Haven hissed at him to shut up.

✲*'。

"What the fuck is that ugly thing?" JJ questioned in disbelief as he watched Arden strolling up to him, carrying the most ugliest looking shoe box he had ever seen in his life.

"I decorated this you prick!" Arden hissed, plopping herself down on the arm chair of the seat JJ was seated on.

"It's still the ugliest piece of shit I've ever seen."

"Ever the charmer JJ." Arden huffed before focusing her attention back to to the box.

"This is a piece of a work of art if I say so myself."

"Yes, Ard, your the only one that would consider this shit a master piece."

"Would you shut up?" Arden hissed, nodding in satisfaction when JJ did the hand motion of keeping his lips sealed. "This is the box I made up when I figured out I was pregnant. I figured it could be a nice little memory box of this pregnancy that we could give to our daughter one day."

JJ nodded along staring at the box. "I still think—"

"Shut up about the way I decorated it or so —"

"What's inside?" JJ probed, eagerly opened the box.

"The four pregnancy tests I took to actually confirm I had a baby in me."

"Didn't you like ... pee on them?" JJ questioned, blue eyes meeting Arden's. She huffed before nodding. "Yes JJ I had to pee on them and since then they have been cleaned down completely."

"What's this?" JJ asked, holding up a plain grey crocheted blanket.

A small smile crossed her face as she gently ran her hands through the knitted fabric. "My father made that for me when I was born. I wanted to give it to Logan."

"See your father he had actual talent compared to th—"

"I get it!" Arden hissed while JJ shot her a cheeky smile. Arden felt herself smiling, burying her head into his hair as she watched him rooting around.

JJ inhaled in surprise, catching sight of a photo of him and Arden—in fact it was the very last one either of them had taken together before Arden dropped the false bomb shell on JJ. Arden's hair was a darker grey brown, compared to the blonde hair she had now. Arden and him ... looked happy and carefree as they looked at the camera. He turned it around, the smallest of smiles erupting on his lips as he saw what Arden had wrote.

Appa and Eomma.— March 27th, 2019.

"I'm going to be an appa..." JJ muttered.

"Watcha say?" Arden murmured, wrapping her arms around his body, closing her eyes in, content in this moment.

"Appa. I'm going to be an Appa." Arden glanced down at JJ. "Do you want her to call you that? I was probably too forward writing that was I?"

JJ shook his head. "Appa is perfect." Arden leaned forward, pecking his temples as she watched JJ finishing rooting around. "Now. The actual reason I gave that to you." Arden began, moving from her perch beside JJ so she was standing upright.

"I want you to choose however many items you want. Could be one, could be ten, I don't care. I want you to put in some items that will help explain to our daughter who her appa is." She stated, smiling warmly at JJ.

"I can put whatever?" He questioned. Arden nodded watching on as JJ shot her an adoring look. "I'm going to hide this and when I find whatever you can take it back."

Arden tried to speak but only sighed as JJ charged away. She could persuade him into minding it for a while later. All Arden wanted was to lounge around lazily, something the others shared as Arden hadn't heard a peep from them in a while.

When JJ came back, he gently lifted Arden up, before depositing her body back onto his, wrapping his arm around her as she began to play with his chain.

JJ kept a tight grip on Arden happily relaxing as she used him as a body pillow, eyes entranced as he waited for their baby to move. Little Logan had been still for the last hour, JJ presumed she could only be napping and would no doubt be back to her hellish little kicking antics.

Arden was almost at a state again where she felt tempted to fall back asleep——— well that was until she heard Sarah's shrill shouts.

"SLUT!" Sarah shouted, startling Arden and JJ. Arden sat up, peeping her head up to see Sarah practically bouncing towards her in excitement as she caught sight of her best friend. Arden felt JJ tense at the nickname Sarah had called Arden but she paid if no mind. It to have been something she called her daily.

JJ huffed, not even trying to work out that.

"Bitch!" Arden declared, sitting up properly on JJs lap.  She didn't dare move, her leg without a shadow of a doubt give out on here even if she attempted to try and stand.

"What are you doing here?" Arden questioned in surprise as Sarah knelt down before her. "Didn't John B tell you?"

Arden blinked, turning her head around to meet JJ's gaze who only shrugged. "Uhh I may have missed that little announc———"

"What the actual fuck?" Arden heard from behind her, prompting a wince from the girl in question.

This wasn't going to be a fun conversation ...

✲*'。