CHAPTER THIRTY SIX
( ! when in charleston ! )

IT TOOK LONG before the tow-truck arrived and brought the group to some rundown car shop. The sun had set and the one day of missing school had officially passed. Marley bit her lip as she tried once again to call her mom with no reception.

"This blows. I'm gonna be in so much trouble when we get back." Marley frowned sitting next to Kie. Kie chuckled. "Yeah, you and me both." Marley sent Kie a sympathetic smile.

Kie sent her own back, laying her head on Marleys shoulder. Marley laid her own head on top of Kies as the two girls sat there, both nervous out of their minds.

"Middle of nowhere." JJ complained, walking towards the two. He leaned against a car. "Dudes in heaven right now. "Gotta know the calibration point before you do anything with the intake valve, JJ. You do the—" Hey. You two alright?"

Marley nodded, shaking her phone lightly to show her problem. JJ nodded in understanding before looking towards Kie. She sighed. "My mom is so worried that I'm gonna be a Pogue that she's willing to send me to boarding school."

"Well, I guess that's what you get for hanging out with the wrong crowd, Kie." JJ responded, taking a swig of whatever he had in his flask. Kie continued. "I mean, I'm not gonna go. It's too late anyways. I already am who I am."

JJ shrugged. "Aint all that bad." He looked behind Kie. "Just look at that guy over there." Marley lifted her head off Kies and both girls turned to see Pope working with the repair guy. "He would do anything for us. That's a Pogue if I've ever seen one. Bone-deep."

Kie turned back around, a small smile on her face. JJ looked down. "That's just one man's opinion, though." JJ lifted his flask up towards Kie, taking another sip as she turned back towards Pope.

Marley smiled. "You're swooning, JJ." JJ sent his own look back at Marley, a small smile tugging on his lips. "Maybe I am. What are you gonna do about it?" She shot her hands up in surrender with a small laugh. "Nothing, nothing. Just making an observation."

"Hey, uh... he has the price." Pope spoke, shooting his head out from the small building. Marley went to reach into her pocket, ready to find her wallet. But Kie placed her hand over Marleys. "I've got it." Marley sent her a look. "Kie I can split it with you."

Kie shook her head. "No, it's fine. Just let me get it." Marley frowned. "Are you sure?" Kie just nodded before standing up and walking towards Pope.

Marley let out a sigh, leaning her head back as she shut her eyes. She slowly inhaled, taking in the overwhelming smell of oil as she did so. She hasn't realized how strong that smell truly was till that moment.

"Hey." JJ spoke, lightly smacking Marleys knee. "Don't stress, Kie wouldn't have done it alone if she didn't want to." Marley looked back up, her eyes falling on JJ. "That doesn't make me feel better at all. I'm worried about her. She's always pushed a bit but never this much. Never to the point where her parents are ready to send her away."

JJ nodded a bit, listening to what the blonde had just said. "Yeah, but, they'll get over it. We'll get back and they will realize that what they said was shitty as hell and then they will take it back."

Marley nodded. She didn't exactly believe him, but she truly hoped he was right.

When Pope and Kie came back, the man began fixing up the truck and within 30 minutes or so, it was ready once more. So, the four all squeezed in and Pope drove off to find somewhere they could lay low for the night.

Soon he found a good spot under a tall tree and parked the car, all the teens heading to the back to make a makeshift sleeping area for the night.

Marley laid down with her head on JJs chest, who had one arm wrapped around Marley as the other hand held onto his flask. Marley opened her eyes when she felt a bit of movement, watching as Kie took the flask and closed it, setting it down a bit away from JJs head.

"Good night, everyone." Pope spoke, laying on his side. Kie looked over towards JJ and Marley, causing Marley to close her eyes when Kie sent her a small look.

But she just opened them back up once Kie turned around, catching Kie lightly kissing Pope on the head before laying down herself. "Good night."

Marley looked up slightly, smiling when she found JJs eyes staring back down at her own. He smiled back, kissing her on the forehead as well before he began turning on his side towards her. Marley moved around quietly as well, finding herself in a comfortable position wrapped up in JJs arms.

And then, she fell asleep.

THE NEXT MORNING was spent driving. They all woke up bright and early, which ended up filled with groans and protests from a certain couple, and made it to Charleston by mid-sunrise.

Marley watched the sky as her head laid on Kies shoulder, staring out the window just one seat away from a perfect view. "Wonder where John B and Sarah are right now." JJ spoke aloud, looking out the very window Marley was watching the sky from.

No one responded, but they all hoped for the best. It's all they could do since they were no longer in contact with the pair.

So the group continued their journey in mostly silence. Once in a while someone would say something or Marley would hear a small whisper in her ear from Kie or JJ, but the group mostly found themselves in an exhausted and slightly anxious silence.

But that all ended when they made it to their destination. "They're a bunch of fancy people. They've had three governors in the family. They've run Charleston for, like, 300 years." Kie explained. JJ had wondered what kind of money these people must have had to own the house they do, and that seemed to be the answer.

"These Kooks make our Kooks look like Pogues." JJ responded as Pope slowed down to a stop in front of the house. "You sure this is the place, Pope?" JJ wondered.

"Pretty sure." Pope responded. Marley bit her lip. "That isn't very reassuring." Pope looked towards the blonde girl. "It wasn't meant to be."

JJ sighed. "All right." He opened up his door, letting both girls follow him before shutting it behind them. "Fat City, for sure." JJ voiced.

Pope held up the letter he received a few days prior. "Twenty-seven King Street." Marley held her hand up over her eyes, trying to block the sun as JJ stared at the gates in front of them. "Talk about home security. Those spikes to keep people out?"

Kie shook her head. "No." Pope pointed forwards. "The slave quarters are over there. These spikes were to keep people in."

"Okay, let's go." Pope then spoke, opening the gate and walking towards the front door. The other three followed closely behind, none of them wanting to stray from the group.

Pope grabbed onto the handle attached to the small metal lions head on the front door and slammed it back onto the door. "You think that was too much?" He questioned, stepping back a bit to be closer to his friends.

"It echoed the entire house. That's for sure. So, they definitely heard it." JJ replied, trying to keep his voice hushed. "Maybe nobody's home." Kie guessed, causing Pope to start knocking again.

And then the door opened. A man with dirty blonde hair appeared and Marley suddenly felt even more uncomfortable than she already did. Especially when his gaze fell to Pope and a creepy smirk landed on his face. He pointed towards Pope. "You must be Pope."

"Um... are you Mr. Limbrey?" Pope wondered slowly. "Ms. Limbrey was expecting you yesterday." The man replied, the creepy smirk never leaving his face. Marley intertwined her fingers with Kies.

"Oh. I'm... I'm sorry. My car broke down on the way up here." Pope began to explain. JJ finished for him. "Carburetor blew up in the middle of Nowheresville." The man sent JJ a look. "Sorry about that." JJ finished.

"Yeah, she was, uh, real upset when you didn't show up." The man replied, gaze going back to Pope. "We tried to call, but there's no number on the invitation. We got here as fast as we could." Kie replied.

"She also expected you to come alone." The man continued and with every word Marley wanted to get farther and farther from him. Pope looked between the other three. "I mean, these are my friends. They helped find the Royal Merchant too. I—"

"Yeah, well, the instructions were explicit. Your friends can stay outside." The man interrupted. Marleys eyebrows scrunched up. "Do you not realize how creepy that sounds towards a 16 year old boy, right?"

JJ nodded. "Yeah— And, we're kind of a package deal, man." Pope turned towards the two. "Guys. It's okay. I got this." He sent Kie a nod. "I'll be good." Kie tired to smile. "Yeah. We'll be right here."

"Keep the car running." Pope replied. Kie nodded again. "Yup." As Pope took her hand in his, giving it a slight squeeze.

Pope stepped into the house and the man didn't even wait a second before shutting the door behind him and locking it. Marley frowned. "I don't trust this."

Kie stared forwards. "Me neither. Come on, let's get the car running." Kie pulled Marley with her as she began to walk, JJ following after the two girls as the three made their way towards the car once more.

Once they all made it inside, JJ started up the car as instructed and they waited in silence for a bit, until Kie just couldn't take it. "Look, if Limbrey is legit, then Ward gets arrested, and maybe Sarah gets the gold."

Marleys eyebrows scrunched as she listened because right beyond the gate, Pope was now being basically pushed farther into the grounds. He sent the group a small look and Kie sat up a bit. "Does that look voluntary?"

Pope turned back around as the creepy man shoved him. "That would be a negative." JJ responded. "Come on." Kie spoke, now ready to leave the car. But JJ grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "Wait, hold on, hold on."

"What?" Kie responded as Marley continued to watch Pope, who turned back towards the group when the man looked forward again. "They're going into the alley." JJ noted as Pope did a small motion with his head, indicating for the group to go around. "Go around back?" Kie questioned and JJ nodded. "Yeah. We'll meet them on the other side."

"Okay." Kie responded. Marley bit her lip. "Please be careful with this." Kie quickly agreed. "Yeah, be chill. Be chill." JJ started up the car and began moving it slowly. "Yeah, sure."

The three continued around the property and almost immediately lost Pope. "Look, where did they go?" Kie questioned as they drove past home after home. "What if they went underground? Because in C.H.U.D., when they took people down into the sewers, and it would turn the human into humanoids cause of the radiation. And then all of a sudden—"

"JJ— JJ, Focus. That doesn't make any sense." Kie cut off, holding her hand up to stop the boy. "Right. Sorry. Did you see him?" JJ replied, getting back on topic. "No." Kie replied.

"Mar?" JJ wondered, his attention turning slightly towards the blonde who was sat extremely quiet looking out the window. "Nope." Marley replied, frown deepening.

They continued to drive until Marley thought she saw something. "Hold on, JJ, pull over right here." JJ looked at her confused. "What?" Marley turned to him. "JJ, now!" JJ listened, pulling the car over and Marley ushered for Kie to get out quickly, she did and looked at her friend in confusion.

"Mar what did you see?" JJ questioned, his hand going onto her arm. "I— I saw Pope. At least, part of him. His face appeared over that ledge before he was yanked down."

That was enough for JJ, who began sprinting to the closest way inside the grounds as to not let anyone know they were there. Marley and Kie followed suit and soon the three found an opened gate they could run through.

And soon enough, the sounds of grunts and fighting could be heard loud enough for the three to follow it. JJ continued to lead and soon enough saw the action, jumping over Pope and the creepy man to kick away a taser it seemed the two were fighting over.

He kicked it to Kie, who picked up the taser and ushered. "Come on!" Marley ran towards Kie as JJ grabbed Pope, helping the boy up who continued to try to go after the man on the floor. "Just leave him!" JJ instructed.

Marley and Kie hopped the same wall Pope had originally tried as the boys followed behind, all four of them sprinting to the car once their feet hit the ground on the other side.

"Go!" JJ yelled, hurrying everyone as they jumped into the car. "Scoot over." JJ voiced to Pope as Pope made room for the boy. "Ow! Who were those people?" Kie wondered. "We're getting the hell out of here." JJ spoke over the girl. "Jesus Christ." Marley also spoke, running a hand through her hair. "That was crazy. Let's get out of here." Spoke Pope as well as JJ began to drive away.

AUTHORS NOTE!
I'm back with a THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 200K ON THIS FIC UPDATE!!! can't believe this book has hit THAT many views it's insane!!!! I love you all thank you to anyone who has supported!