─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"here for your fifty dollars?" marella asked the boy through the window. "i can just grab it from my purse if you give me
a—"

"marella, we need your help—i need your help." pope explained, his face full of desperation. behind him was jj's motorcycle with two tanks of what she assumed was petrol.

"even if i wanted to, which i don't, i'm kind of on lockdown." marella told him. "i've been watching the news, i know what's happening with john b. i wanted to go out and look for him, but ward has my mom under strict orders."

"look, all of that doesn't matter right now." pope shook his head, "just open the window and come with me. please?"

"come with you?" marella questioned. "pope, i don't trust you. i don't trust any of you. not anymore."

"and i am sorry, i am so sorry. i will explain, i promise." pope sighed. "but we don't have time for this— john b doesn't have time for this."

"i'm sorry but you can't just disregard my feelings just because john b's on the run." marella frowned, opening the window a little bit more. "i'll come with you but don't try to guilt me into assisting you."

"i'm sorry." pope sighed.

"i know you are." marella said. "hold on." she moved over to her desk, scribbling a quick note for her siblings and placing it on the bed. then she clambered out of the window and followed pope to the motorcycle.

it was awkward. and it was never, ever, awkward between them. marella climbed into the bike, behind him. she wasn't sure where to put her hands. it wasn't as if marella was afraid of physical touch, it was even her love language. she just didn't know where she stood with pope, or any of them.

"hold on, marie." he instructed. she sighed, snaking her arms around his body. "where are we headed?" marella asked, her voice raised over the sound of the engine revving.

"the boatyard." pope told him. "jj's getting his dad's phantom for john b and sarah to escape the island."

"they're leaving?" marella questioned. "why didn't you say that before? i-i would've gotten them some supplies from the hotel, or food or—" the girl paused and frowned, "i haven't seen sarah for two days. is she okay?"

"we went to tannyhill last night." pope told her. "kie saw her. ward had her locked up in her room but i think she's alright."

"okay." marella sighed in relief. the rest of the ride was silent. and it was a long silence. the second pope had stopped the engine of bike, outside the entrance of the boat garage, marella pulled herself off.

"this doesn't make everything okay." she reminded him.

"i know." pope nodded. "i promise i'll—"

"stay down boy!"

"where's john b?!"

the two quickly shared a look before rushing over to the opening  and saw rafe with his hand around kie's neck and barry having pinned jj to the floor. pope was about to charge forward but marella stopped him.

she placed her fingers to her lips, telling him not to make a noise. the girl wasn't given the nickname 'mouse' for no reason, she could be absolutely silent when she needed to. pope observed as marella tiptoed into the room. she grabbed two metal pipes off of the ground and tossed one over to pope.

thankfully, he had caught it, and that's when she gave him the nod to attack. pope ran forward, slamming the metal pipe into rafe's leg. he immediately released kie from his grip, only to be struck again.

"don't touch her!" the boy screamed.

the two began to fight and rafe managed to hit the weapon out of pope's hands. marella moved forward, afraid that rafe had gotten the upper hand, but pope was now repeatedly striking the boy in the face.

seeing that pope was fine, marella instead hurled her metal bar over to barry. it whacked him in the back of his head, making him stumble back. jj took this chance to grab the man's ankle and pull him onto the ground. the pistol fumbled out of barry's grip.

"kick it, kie!" jj ordered.

the girl did as she was told, using her foot to push the firearm away from barry's reach. it slid right across the the room, right beside marella's black boots. the girl didn't know what to do, but she knew that she didn't want to be scared anymore. the best way to overcome your fears are to face them head-on.

ignoring her trembling hands, the girl grabbed the gun off of the ground, placing it into her shorts. marella had completely zoned out as she considered what she would do with the weapon. but now she was snapped back intoreality, she could see pope asphyxiating rafe cameron with a rubber pipe.

"pope!" she screamed out to him. jj too seemed surprised by the sudden act of violence. "hey, pope! he's had enough dude!" he added.

marella quickly moved over to them, "pope, what the hell are you doing?!" marella knew rafe deserved this beating, but she also knew they didn't need another murder on their hands.

pope momentarily glanced up at her, but it wasn't enough for him to stop. kie and jj hadn't even realised she was with him, but they didn't have time to process it as pope was on the verge of killing rafe. the beaten, blond boy was trying to loosen the grip around his neck, blood spewing out of his mouth.

"stop, dude!"

"pope, that's too much!"

jj moved behind his best friend and desperately tried to unlatch him from rafe. "pope, look at me!" kiara cried. pope dropped rafe, hyperventilating out in surprise at his actions.

"we've got to go!"

marella dropped down to her knees, beside rafe. she pulled barry's gun out of her jean shorts and pointed it at the blond boy just as he had pointed his at her the day before. from the floor, he immediately raised his hands, his breathing getting faster. the girl clutched onto the hem of his t-shirt and slightly lifted him off the ground.

"river, what are you doing?" jj questioned, making his way behind her in case anything happened.

"marella?" kie asked.

"mouse." rafe choked out.

"i won't shoot you." marella shook her head. the girl didn't even know how to hold the gun properly, let alone use it in action. "but you shot the sheriff... you've ruined john b's life. and i swear to you rafe, you are going to pay. i'm not scared of you anymore."

jj had a look of disbelief on his face as they watched the interaction.

"and stay off the cut." pope seethed.

marella released him, making his head slam into the ground. she got to her feet and threw the gun away as far as she could, before going over to everyone else.

"that was unlike you." jj started in an attempt a conversation.

"please do not speak to me." marella shook her head. she could not believe what she had just done. she had just threatened someone with a gun. no, she had threatened rafe cameron with a gun. everything was such a blur for her and it had been ever since she was forced into the cameron's plane.

─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───

"dude, where is he?"

"give him a second. he'll be here. he's coming. he'll be fine." jj reassured them, standing inside his father's boat.

"jj!" kie yelled, her eyes on the approaching police car. "hey, yeah. get back on the boat." jj instructed them. "untie it. shit."

the sirens turned off and john b stepped out of the police car, slinging his bag over his shoulder. marella was completely surprised and oddly impressed that he had managed to obtain such a vehicle.

"wait."

"no way. no f'ing way." pope laughed.

"i'm sorry."

"you've gotta be kidding me." jj gawked.

"shoupe let me take it for a spin." john b joked. "okay. that's believable." kiara laughed, her arms open for him to embrace her. "i'll buy that for now."

"it wasn't easy, bro, but i got the phantom for you, and she runs like she was made yesterday." jj told him, "you ready to go?"

"where's sarah?" john b asked.

"she's not with you?" kie asked.

"no, we got separated in the swamp." john b shook his head. "she said she'd meet me here."

"no, we haven't seen her man." pope told him.

john b looked at marella, who visibly growing anxious about sarah's absence. "okay, well, i'm not leaving without her."

"john b, look at me." jj spoke. "i know you feel bad for leaving, but there's no time, man. you've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. once you get around that point, it's a straight shit across the sound to dismal swamp, okay? once you get there, lay low, all right? hang out for a couple of weeks and then go overland, cross the border at brownsville, you got that? brownsville."

john b's eyes were wandering elsewhere, clearly concerned about his girlfriend. jj pushed his head to the side for john b to face him.

"hey! you got that?"

"yeah, yeah. brownsville." john b nodded.

"all right. saddle her up, saltwater cowboy. let's do this. yeah."

john b stepped onto the boat, looking back at his friends with a sad smile on his face. "hey, hey. i'm sorry for basically... throwing us off a cliff with this whole treasure hunt thing."

"hey, john b, yo... we were bound to run off a cliff at some point, right?" jj asked.

marella frowned, turning away from their emotional chat and leaning against one of the large trees.

"yeah."

"at least we did it together, though." jj smiled, putting his arms around pope and kie. "pogue style."

"pogue style." john b nodded.

"get out of here! please." kie sighed.

"now." pope nodded. "we'll see you in two months, down in mexico."

"love you."

"hey, wait... wait a second." john b stopped himself, his eyes on marella again. they all followed his gaze and turned to her too. "i'm really sorry, marie. about everything." "i'll testify against them, i promise." she told him. "stay safe, john b."

"thank you, marie.... tell sarah i said goodbye, okay?" he requested.

"of course." the river girl nodded. "if you do end up seeing her, tell her i love her."

"i will."

"don't forget. cross the border at brownsville, okay?" jj reminded him. "got it." john b nodded, moving to the driver's seat. the three pushed the phantom, to move it off the ledge.

they all watched sadly as john b sailed away. marella bit her lip, wishing she had said more to the boy or even hugged him. she didn't know when she would see him again and she knew she couldn't be angry forever.

"yo, can we talk?" jj spoke to her, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"about what?" marella asked.

"about everything." jj shrugged. she didn't say anything, so he continued. "i'm stupid, okay? i'm so stupid. and i—i can't believe i fucked it up this bad with you. it's killing me, alright? seeing you cry... it's like the hardest thing ever. but seeing you cry because of me? that shit hurts way more."

"okay?" marella hummed. "why are you even getting so worked up over 'some kook'?"

jj's face fell. he deserved that. he pulled off his baseball cap before running his hands through his hair in nervousness and placing it right back on again. "you know that's not what i meant." he explained, scratching his neck.

"how could i know?" marella questioned him, softly. "actually i've got something for you." she reached into her back pocket and pulled out two twenty-dollar bills and one ten. marella placed it in his hands but he immediately flung it to the ground in irritation.

"ella, please."

"jj, i accept your apology." marella told him. "but i can't rely on you. hearing what you guys said hurt, so much. and especially after i thought we had finally worked things out—"

"we did!"

"and i don't know how long it'll be until i can trust you again."

"i understand that. i just need— you gotta give me time, okay?" he requested, visibly getting stressed out. marella didn't really want him to get so emotional at that moment in time, especially since his best friend had just departed. so she nodded. "okay."

"and uh, thanks—thanks for saving me back then." jj sighed.

"it's okay."

the sound of sirens filled the air and they glanced over to the edge of the walkway to see pope and kie kissing. marella but the inside of her cheek at the sight. she knew something was going on with them but she didn't like how it was making her feel so strange.

"hey, guys, i'm sorry to ruin the party, but, uh, we gotta go right now." jj explained. "come on!" but it was too late, two cars had already pulled up in front of them and they instantly raised their hands.

"pope, hands!" kie yelled at the boy who hesitated. more police officers began to appear, filing out of the cars with their weapons up.

"move! hands up!"

"we're too late." deputy shoupe yelled. "he's gone. damn it! bratcher, have your guys stand down." the agent from state bureau of investigation gave the other officers a nod and they all lowered their weapons.

"let me talk to these kids. all right, where the hell is he? where the hell is he?" shoupe inquired. "jj? i see you're livin' up to your name." the man shook his head. "pope, how about you? this isn't a fucking game! you can do the right thing now! where'd he go?"

"suspect has just left station 26 in a small boat." agent bratcher spoke into his rando, "need marine patrol to respond."

shoupe stood in front of marella, shaking his head at her. "what are you doing running around with them? if you know where john b is, you've gotta tell us."

"he's innocent." was all she said, making him even angrier.

⎯ ❃ jania speaks!
hmmmm jj and pope grovelling !! this is what i like to see.