June paced back and forth on the wood of the Chateaus old dock, her stomach in knots as she attempted to gather her thoughts. The others were due any minute now, June preparing to lay her proposition on them. This was the first time they had all been together as a group since...well it had been awhile.

Her palms were sweaty and she was more tense than she had been all week, worried about how this entire thing would go over. Hardy had texted her earlier that day when she told him she had arranged a meeting, the man informing her that mentioning him as the reason for this would result in some kind of punishment for her, considering he was trying to keep a low profile. So I'm trying to wrack her brain for what she could possibly want to find more treasure for, she had given herself a pounding headache from pulling her hair. Her fingernails were down to nubs and she had chewed the inside of her cheek raw, finally coming upon the conclusion.  She knew what she would tell them, and exactly how she could sell the idea.

She leaned against the wooden railing, looking out at the water as the sun glistened against it. It was a pleasant day, a chilly breeze  nipping at her skin every few minutes, nothing a jacket couldn't protect from.  She hadn't felt as particularly empty today as she had been lately, her heart betraying her when she thought about being around all of her friends. And while things were shaky between them, they had no idea...so she figured as long as she could amp  up her mental fortitude, that she'd be fine. If she out anger and hurt aside, they would all be golden. She could do that.

She chewed at the inside of her cheek as she stood with her back to the entrance of the dock, trying to keep a level head.  She had about one shot at doing this just right, she had to do the perfect delivery or they'd completely dismiss her.  It was a thing that they did often, dismiss her, mull over her words. She had to stress the importance...she had to run things smoothly.

"Where's everybody at?" The voice startled her, June jumping  at the sound of it. She had been too caught up in her own thoughts to notice the footsteps that had been approaching, her head quickly turning. She wasn't in the least bit surprised that JJ was the first one there, his hands hidden inside the pockets of his jean jacket. She hadn't seen him in one of these before, and she thought it suited him more than you would assume, fur lining the inside of the collar.

The instant her saw her face he could tell she was on edge, the boy refraining from asking her what was wrong. Instead he took a few slow steps towards her, the girl letting out a calming breath and then looking back out at the water.

"Isn't that something I should be asking you?"  She let out a sigh and he was actually a bit offended by her placing the blame, a scoff leaving his lips as he made his way to the spot beside her.

"Excuse me you told me to tell them to meet here. Not that I had to get a RPSV from all of them alright?" June wanted to laugh at his words, holding in her chuckle but letting a smile slip by.

"It's RSVP babe. And I'm just joking...jeez. Never said you were incompetent." JJ  looked at her in some kind of horror, unamused by what she was saying.

"What's that—what's incompetent mean? Are you calling me dumb?"

"No I'm...okay I'm sorry I've been writing my English paper and Mrs. Jones wants us to put in bigger words and I—you know what...it doesn't matter. I'm just saying that I was joking, you're not dumb." She looked at her in anger and she felt bad for just a second, also completely exasperated by this conversation. Until a second later when a smile broke across his face, his eye crinkling as he laughed at her. She seemed to understand what had happened before he even told her, the girl feeling relieved that he wasn't actually upset with her.

"I'm just joking. Relax, babe. Jeez." She pushed his shoulder, the boy slapping at her hand as a smile crossed her lips and a groan fell from them. He was frustrating. However he grabbed slapped her hand from where it was going to push his shoulder again, his finger lifting to poke her cheek as he spoke. "Ah, there it is. There's that pretty little smile I wanted to see. Perfect Carly, now let me see those teeth."

He attempted to grab at her chin, but she laughed as she slapped his hands away, the boy beaming as they shared a moment. She finally got away from him, attempting to catch her breath from laughing as he watched her with that earth shattering gaze he always managed to conjure up when he looked at her. She liked the sight of it, but not the context, June lifting her hand and pushing him back by the face.

"You're not funny." He still couldn't wipe the smile from his face when he backed up with his hands up, shrugging as the smile remained on her lips. Actions spoke louder than words.

"Whatever you say." He leaned against the wood again and she followed, her lips falling as she was brought back to reality. He glanced over at her after a few moments, trying to see where her head was at. "They're gonna show up. Just give them some time."

"Yeah...no you're right." He could tell she wanted to say more, the boy looking at her with his full attention as she looked out at the water. "But do you ever feel like sometimes you can be screaming and begging for someone to just...invest time in you, and it's like nobody can hear it, no matter how loud you yell."

"Yeah...I know the feeling." He related more than she thought, his mind traveling to his dad. She seemed to understand this now, bumping her shoulder with his and catching his attention again. She bumped his shoulder a second time and he bumped hers back, the two of them sharing a knowing look.

Junes smile fell as a warm feeling fluttered around her chest, spreading like wildfire through her arteries and veins and  filling her lungs. It was too much, and it was exactly what she was afraid of. Especially with him. It was forgiveness,  it was tenderness,  it was sentimentality, and it was something she had felt before, an arrow that had pierced her heart by the same hand as it had now. By him. The tiniest bit, but still enough to scare her. His empathetic gaze melted into one of sorrow as he seemed to remember that something between them wasn't right, it wasn't—

"Am I interrupting something?" They both broke the eye contact, flipping around to see who had interrupted them. It was Pope who had approached first, by the others were close behind, June feeling the nervousness return  when she remembered what they were here for.

"Nope. Thanks for coming." June leaned against the wood behind her, a nervous smile covering her lips as the others approached. JJ moved from her side and to the edge of the dock, taking a seat and pulling his knees up.

"So what's so top secret that your secretary couldn't tell us in the group text?" John B said, his eyes holding a glare a she looked at JJ. The blonde boy shrugged as Junes face dropped, her eyebrows furrowing as she quickly spoke.

"What group text? There's a group text and I'm not in it?" She asked, feeling anger bubble in her as John B shrugged now.

"He created it for this. Relax, if there was another group text you'd know." Sarah chimed in, leaning against the wood and crossing her arms over her chest. June felt better when she said it, Kie being the next one to talk.

"So wait...why are we here?"

"Could you wait a minute so we could find out maybe?"  JJ shot back, John B picking up the slack and answering for Kie.

"Okay smart ass. Tell us then." The Routledge boy said, looking at the blonde expectantly as if he was the one who was going to talk. Pope and Cleo both sat, JJ quick to shoot back with another comment.

"Well I don't know. She's the one who told me to get us all together. I'm just her secretary remember?" John B let out a sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest too, June noting that him and Sarah were almost complete mirrors of each other in this moment. His attention shifted to June and she looked at him, still gathering up the courage to tell them about why they were here.

"Okay...June then what is so urgent?" John B said in a snarky tone, Pope letting out a groan at the expression change in Junes pale face.

"It's pretty urgent that you change your fucking attitude John B, that's what's urgent." June shot back, the Routledge boy adjusting his hat on his head and letting out a chuckle at her words.

"Someone's in a cranky little mood."

"Shut up John B." Sarah was quick to say, irritated by the fact that he just kept on aggravating the situation.

"Yeah let her talk." Cleo chimed in, John B shutting his mouth finally and gesturing towards the girl.

"Thank you. Now sit down and pay attention." June said, running a hand through her hair as she realized the time had come. They all looked at her in anticipation, Pope quickly adding a comment to her words.

"Yes ma'am."

"No commentary until I'm done alright?" The Heyward boy tightened his lips into a thin line, pulling his fingers across them to mimic zipping them and making her nose scrunch up at the attitude they all seemed to be having today."Okay so there's this thing that I need to ask you guys to do, well to help me do... and really it's right up our alley, well—it was."

"Go on." Kie beckoned, June nodding and continuing on.

"Okay so I was..." June reminded herself of her plan, her stomach turning as she felt sweat drip down the back of her neck. They all looked at her in confusion and anticipation, June crossing her fingers that she could get them all on board. "...someone sent me an email, describing a treasure. And before you say anything yes it's legit, it's been missing since 1863."

"Treasure? What's this got to do with—" Pope started again, June lifting her hand and stopping his words with her own.

"Ah ah...I'm still talking."The Heyward boy stopped talking again, a sigh leaving his lips as she continued on. "Okay so I got information on how to get to it. And it involves some old friends of ours."

"What old friends?" Sarah asked, June looking to her to answer.

"Limbrey." They all seemed to widen their eyes, Pope instantly shaking his head as JJ spoke.

"No. Hell no." He said, not liking the sound of this already. June let out a groan and tried to rein them in again, chatter beginning to erupt between them but her voice cutting through all of that.

"Let me finish please." John B didn't listen to that though, the boy jumping forwards to say his piece.

"No because I'm not seeing that crazy lady again!  Not after what happened with  my dad and her and she was magically healed by a hand towel and that's—"

"Let her finish explaining dude." JJ cut him off, seeing the desperation behind Junes eyes as she tried to calculate how to convince them even still. So far it wasn't looking too hot.

"Thank you. So apparently Limbrey had a key, she hid the key somewhere on the island, key goes to a safe...safe has a map—x marks the spot." She explained in simple terms, the six of them falling into silence with looks of contemplation. June could hardly gauge where any of them were with this, the girl ready to take on questions.

"What's the treasure?" Kie asked, June only running with what she knew.

"Shit ton of money?" She said it almost like a question, John B chuckling dryly and putting her proposal down.

"We have...we have money."

"Yeah but having more never hurts, right?" June couldn't exactly tell them that the money wasn't for them, figuring that was an obstacle she would get to once it came. She sat there with a questioning look, the others sharing a look as she waited for their answer. It wasn't looking too good, Sarah and John B both moving to speak at the same time.

"I think we should do it." Sarah said, John Bs words masking her own.

"I don't think we should do it." June groaned as she looked at the two of them, shaking her head and covering her eyes for a moment.

"Okay well...thats not helpful." She said, pulling at the roots of her hair for s second as they started amongst themselves.

"I mean it sounds like a lot of trouble for something we don't even know exists." Kie said, shaking her head with an unsure look in her eyes.

"That didn't stop us with El Dorado." Sarah replied to that, JJ and Cleo seeming to agree with the Cameron girl.

"Yeah but look what it cost us." Pope said, his knees pulled up as he wrapped his arms around them. They all seemed to latch onto this fact, a sorrowful wave crashing over them as they thought about what they had lost to gain the money from El Dorado.

"He's got a point." John B agreed, his lips pulled into a tight line.

"Yeah man but she's literally asking us for help. You won't even consider it." JJ said, gesturing toward June with a aggravated expression. How could they not even consider it when one of their friends was asking for help.

"I've got school and stuff I don't know if I can just be running around treasure hunting again." Pope said, shaking his head as he tried to get his point across.

"Yeah don't you think those days are behind us?" Kie said, trying to push the fact that they didn't need to do this.

"Wouldn't it be fun though? I mean just look into finding the key and maybe—" Sarah started, JJ cutting her off and adding his own input.

"Maybe something good comes out of it. She had a point with the money thing." The Maybank boy said, trying to give this ass over the fact that he just trusted that she needed their help. He didn't want to seem to keen on the idea over the fact that it was just her. John B shook his head, taking a step forwards and putting his foot down.

"As group leader I vote no we shouldn't—" Cleo was quick to cut John B off, everyone letting out some kind of exclamation at his proclamation of leadership.

"Woah woah..who made you group leader? No one agreed to that." They all started to argue over each other, her side losing more than winning. She felt her heart rate pick up and their overlapping voice began to sound a lot like the shouting voices in her head. She felt her breath quicken and she knew she had to convince them, for the sake of Adam and Zachs lives. She knew she had to say something that they couldn't refuse, she had to put some serious weight on this proposal. So she pulled out her last ditch effort, her face burning red as she cooked up a hot lie and served it to them. Her lips moved before her mind even made up its decision, a shout leaving her throat.

"Someone's going to kill me if I don't do it!" Silence instantly followed and they all paled, confusion masking all of their faces as she swallowed hard, realizing the pressure she had put on the situation. JJ stood from where he was sitting, the boy taking a step towards her with furrowed eyebrows.

"What?"

"I got...I was buying a phone and I got in my car. This—this man I've never seen before was in the backseat. He knew everything about me...he told me that if I didn't find the key and the map and the treasure and give it to him...he would kill me." She wasn't lying, the girl leaving out the part where he had threatened Zach and Adam instead of her. But the group didn't care about Zach and Adam...they were more keen on her, meaning she had to lie to get them to agree. However the lie wasn't that deep, because she was sure Hardy would gladly kill her, it was just more of an unspoken threat.

"And you didn't know this guy?"

"No. I've never seen him before in my life...but this is why I'm asking for you guys help. You're better at this than I am." They all seemed to break into an silent contemplation, June feeling a chill go down her spine when they shared another heavily meaningful look. She had gotten them, it had worked. They shared a small almost unseen nod and then Sarah stepped forwards, a serious expression in her face as she spoke.

"Then it's not even a choice. Of course we'll help you."