The cool breeze ruffled your hair, goosebumps prickling your skin. JJ's white collared shirt he had worn to the party was draped over your shoulders. He sat next to you, so close that you could feel the warmth radiating off of him. With your adrenaline from the night fading fast, a rather large rock of fear dropped into your stomach. You couldn't imagine what kind of storm your father was raging back at home. Shutting your eyes, you prayed silently that Kid had the smarts to stay out of his way.

"So, like, my dad's already going to kill me," Pope said as John B stoked the fire. "What's this mandatory meeting about?"

JJ looked up to John B, who pointed finger guns at him.

"Might as well tell him, man," JJ said, the barest hint of a smile on his face. "Before we're gaffed."

Kie turned to look at John B slowly, a look of worry on her face.

"Ready for this?" John B asked. You nodded your head eagerly. It had to be about the gold. There was nothing else that was so important.

"Uh, yeah," Kie said, eyes widening.

"So, the gold went down with the Royal Merchant," John B started, as if telling the beginning of a long ghost story. Your heart started to pound as if it was. Pope sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Here we go again with this," he said, leaning back.

"Hold on," JJ said, "Hear him out, alright?"

Pope looked away from JJ toward John B, who had a finger to his smiling lips. He was really enjoying this whole story-telling thing. If both him and JJ were this excited, it must be a real lead.

"It's been here the whole time," John B said. You scowled, your eyes narrowing as you gazed into the fire. John B looked around, letting his words settle in. "It's on the island."

You sucked in a sharp intake of breath, a smile starting to widen across your lips.

"Are you serious?" Kie asked, glancing between JJ and John B, as if one of them was going to jump up and say 'sike!' But neither of them did. "Oh, my god!"

"I'd like to voice my skepticism," Pope said, leaning his elbows against his knees.

"I'm sure you would, Pope," John B said as he stood. You rolled your eyes at him. JJ threw a stick into the fire. "But can I please present my evidence, sir?"

"Proceed." Pope waved his hand in a mocking manner.

You watched, eyes wide with merriment and a grin on your face, as John B presented his so called evidence. He spoke of Denmark Tanny, the slave who freed himself with the Royal Merchant gold, about the letter he left to his son. He told the circle about Tannyhill, the plantation that Denmark Tanny bought and how he freed slaves and got richer from his rice production. You weren't surprised when John B told everyone that Tanny was killed, but it still made you sad. All the good he had done in his life, only to be murdered.

"Harvest the wheat in parcel nine near the water," John B said. "Except, there's no wheat."

Your mind was swimming. It was so much to take in, so much that you didn't really understand.

"So, wheat is a code for gold?" you asked, squeezing your eyes shut in an attempt to understand.

"Look at this," John B took the two papers he had handed out and held them up. One was a picture of the gold with the wheat symbol stamped on the top. The other was the letter with the same wheat symbol on the bottom. Your heart started to soar. Kie laughed, her mouth falling open with glee.

"Holy shit," Pope breathed, looking at the pictures closer.

"All we need is the original survey map of the property," John B said, pacing back and forth in front of the fire. "And we've found the gold!"

You covered your face with your hands to keep from screaming with joy. You had a chance after all, the chance to get Kid safe.

"Okay," Pope said, looking up. "This might have a small chance of being actually true."

JJ stood and walked around Pope and the fire toward John B.

"Dude, it's like King Tut," he said.

"I am a genius," John B just before JJ engulfed him in a hug. "Hello! Fire. You're near the fire, you're gonna burn."

"I'm so proud of you right now," JJ said, pulling away.

"Thank you," John B breathed.

Everything seemed to be going fine until Pope asked for the plan and then John B made the mistake of mentioning Sarah Cameron. You were excited to hear her name mentioned, but Kie was less so.

"Why Sarah?" She asked.

"Well, see, we, um-" The throne that John B had just been so gracefully sitting on seconds ago had now toppled over and he was fumbling.

"This is gonna be good," JJ mused, looking at his fingers. You watched rather uncomfortably as John B tried to explain to Kie what exactly had happened, how Sarah had helped. He may have almost convinced her that it was innocent, until JJ piped back up.
"He was mackin' on her."

You dropped your head into your hands.

"Really helpful," you said, shaking your head.

"I wasn't macking."

"You were totally macking Sarah Cameron."

"I really don't think you're helping here, JJ," you said, cringing as you looked back up. He just shrugged.

"I wasn't macking on her," John B protested, still trying to defend his innocence. "I was using her for access, okay?"

You could see the lie in his face, but that still didn't help the ache in your chest. You remembered when JJ gave the note to Sarah. John B must have been Vlad. The smile on her face when she saw who it was from had been real joy. If John B really had been playing her, Sarah had no idea. The thought of it made your stomach squeeze.

Kie and John B continued to argue about Sarah while you kept your chin in your hands. You had no idea why Kie hated Sarah so much, but after knowing Kie, there must be a good reason. But also knowing Sarah, you weren't sure what she could possibly do to make someone so levelheaded as Kie despise her.

"Look, you guys know me!" John B said, looking around at the circle of friends. "Do I look like the type of guy to fall for Sarah Cameron."

You nodded your head a few times, glancing up at him.

"Do you want us to answer that or-" Pope started.

"You don't know her yet. But I do," Kie said, desperation clear in her voice. "You can't trust her."

"Her brother beat me in the back with a golf club," Pope said as he stared at the fire. You pointed at him, agreeing non-verbally.

"Rafe and Sarah are two different human beings," John B said.

"What did she do to you, exactly?" JJ asked Kie. That got her fired up more than she was already.

"She's like a spitting cobra," Kie said, using her hands for dramatic effect. "First she blinds you and then-"

"This is a bad analogy," Pope told her.

"Listen to me!" Kie yelled, her voice breaking. "Whatever we get, she's going to try and take."

You didn't know if you could believe that. For years, Sarah was the closest person to you. She had been nothing but kind. She even invited you to her birthday party once.

But John B wasn't taking no for an answer. He had you all in the van less than five minutes later, Kie still smoldering with anger.

When John B pulled to a stop at the Hawk's Nest, JJ and Pope pulled the door open.

"I think I'm going to go alone," John B told you guys, turning around from the front seat. He looked at Kie, still hoping to convince her he was doing the right thing. But she just gave him the longest, most exaggerated eye roll.

Thunder rumbled outside. You pulled the button up tighter around you, a chill running up your spine. You loved storms, the static in the air, the rain and the wind, the flashes of lightning. But this storm felt different. Like a warning.

"I don't think you should go alone," you said, looking out the open van door to the storm out over the sea.

"Why?"

"I dunno. A bad feeling, I guess."

A bad feeling wasn't enough to keep John B from leaving, it seemed.

"I don't see why we're involving her at all," Kie said as she leaned back against the van, arms crossed.

"We're not involving her, Kie," John B protested, clearly tired of having the same conversation. "It's just like a business meeting...thing."

"Promise me nothing's happening between you two," Kie said.

"Nothing's happening!"

You and JJ looked at each other, rolling your eyes in sync. Maybe you and JJ had different ideas about what was happening between the two of them, but you both knew that something was going on. You just weren't entirely sure why John B was being so stingy about it.

"Dude, she's gonna get inside you're head," Kie said, narrowing her eyes. Her mom voice was coming out again. Part of it was concern for her best friend, but the other part of it was obvious disdain for Sarah. This time, John B looked her dead in the eyes.

"I promise."

"That was believable," JJ said as you cringed. John B just really needed to come out and say it. It would make things a thousand times better than lying continually.

"A hundred percent believable," Pope echoed.

"Just go," you said to John B. "It's gonna start pouring soon."

"We'll just sit here," Pope said with a sigh as John B stepped out of the car. "In this hot ass car...while it's lightning."

Kie was less than pleased.

"Is it lightning or lightninging?" You asked, fiddling with the frayed edges of your dress.

"I think it's lightning," Pope said.

"But then it's a verb and a noun. That doesn't make sense."

"That's just the way it is, Elm."

***

You sighed, looking back out the window. Yeah, you had a really bad feeling about this.

"I told him not to go!" Kie paced back and forth, the bottom of her dress sweeping past your feet.

"You act like it was Sarah who pushed him," you grumbled, legs bouncing beneath you.

The four of you sat outside of John B's hospital room as you waited to hear from the doctor any news. Kie hadn't stopped pacing. Pope hadn't looked up from the floor. JJ hadn't taken his hand out of yours. He wanted to kill Topper and part of him knew that if he left you, he might do just that. Even when he squeezed too hard, you didn't let go. Since seeing John B unconscious on the ground, JJ had barely said a word. You couldn't imagine what it might be like to see the person you care about most in the world in that position. You tried not to think about how you would feel if it was Kid.

Sarah was inside the hospital room, sitting on the edge of his bed, holding his hand in hers. After hearing everything that John B had said about using her, you couldn't help but feel horrible. You should tell her so she wouldn't have to find out the hard way. But you also barely believed John B when he said it.

"I'm gonna kill Topper," JJ ground out through his teeth. You hid a grimace as he squeezed your hand even tighter. The two of you kept your heads down when doctors passed, not really wanting questions about the bruises and cuts.

You wanted to kill Topper just as much. It was his fault you were in the current condition, after all, and now he had shoved your friend off a building. You couldn't believe it, but you were almost starting to hate him more than Rafe.

Of course, you didn't say that. JJ needed someone to keep him out of trouble, not throw him deeper into it.

Sarah emerged from the room, arms wrapped tightly around herself. Kie rolled her eyes and turned her back, JJ standing and dragging you up with him.

"They said..." She cleared her throat before lifting her head higher. "They said that it's just a concussion and a fractured wrist. He's going to be fine."

There was a collective sigh of relief. You felt JJ's grip loosen just ever so slightly.

"What about DCS?" Pope asked, finally lifting his head. "They know he's here. They'll take him away."

Sarah shook her head slowly, biting her lower lip.

"I talked to my dad. He's willing to be John B's legal guardian."

That was a bombshell that you weren't expecting. Your mouth fell open and you glanced over at JJ, whose eyes widened.

"Wait, like, live with you?" Kie asked, accusation heavy in her tone. Sarah nodded her head a few times.

"Yeah."

"Great. That's just great," JJ scoffed, pulling his hand out of yours. He turned around, messing with his hat. You walked over to Sarah and pulled her into a hug. She was hesitant to reciprocate it, but eventually, she wrapped her arms around your waist.

"Thank you," you whispered. All she did was nod, sniffling.

"We should go," Pope said finally. You let your arms fall from around Sarah. She wiped a quick tear away and turned back toward the hospital room.

"Where do we go?" You asked, turning toward them with your hands on your hips. "I don't think any of us can go home right now."

"We can go to the Wreck?" Kie suggested. "There are some spare clothes there than we can change into. Get some food. Wait for John B to wake up."

"Maybe we should crash at the Chateau first," Pope said, rubbing his palms against his shorts. "I'm beat and I need to sleep."

"I second that," JJ said, lifting his hand. When Kie looked at you, all you did was nod your head. You hadn't realized how tired you were until they mentioned sleep. It had been a long, exhausting day and you somehow knew that the next few days weren't going to be any easier.

***

"You two do anything funny," Pope warned, pointing a finger at you and JJ. "I'm setting your bed on fire."

You found the energy to smile as you dropped into the bed.

"Aye, aye," JJ said with a mock salute. He fell, face first, against the bed beside you, his arm flopping over your stomach. Kie shook her head as she walked into John B's room. Pope disappeared down the hall.

It was too hot for blankets. You kicked them onto the floor with a huff as JJ threw his shirt at the wall. You could feel JJ start to pull at the bottom of your dress.

"What are you doing?" You asked him, glaring. He shrugged.

"It's hot in here. Just want you to be comfortable."

You shook him off, rolling onto your side.

"You heard what Pope said. I don't want to be responsible for John B's house burning down. JJ sighed and kissed your shoulder before flopping back against the pillows.

Your eyes fluttered, already half asleep. Something kept you awake. A few minutes past before you saw something large skittle across the floor. It didn't take long for you to realize what it was.

"JJ," you mumbled. When he didn't respond, you tried again a little louder. "JJ."

"Hmm?" He was more asleep than you had been.

"There's a big old heckin' spider on the floor," you said, limply pointing at the spider. JJ sat up and looked down at you with a partial smile.

"What happened to your sailor's mouth?" He asked. You turned to look at him with half open eyes.

"JJ," you said. "There's a big old fucking spider on the floor."

He clucked his tongue, smile widening.

"Atta girl."

He slid off the bed, tiptoeing to the other side. He walked over to his shoes, but you held out a hand for him to stop.

"Don't kill it though," you asked, your voice whinier than you wanted it to be.

"Sure." JJ disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a large cup. You nodded your head against your pillow. You watched, vision blurry from a desire to sleep, as JJ scooped the spider into the cup and carried it outside.

"Thank you," you mused as he lay back down beside you. Instead of answering, he lay on his stomach beside you, his head resting against your shoulder, arm laying across your back. Despite the added heat from his body, you couldn't have been more comfortable.

You fell asleep with a smile on your face.

***

Arriving at the Wreck, you couldn't be happier at the smell of food or the prospect of a new set of clothes.

"I'm burning this dress," you grumbled as Kie helped you shimmy out of it. She was unusually quiet. "Are you okay?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm sure John B is going to be fine," you said with a smile. "He'll meet us here."

"Yeah, I'm sure John B is doing just fine." Kie turned around so you could help her unzip her dress.

"What did happen between you and Sarah anyway?" Kie tensed. "It's just us girls, right? You can trust me, Kie."

"Yeah? I thought I could trust her, too." You were tempted not to push further, but then Kie sighed, pulling a tank top over her head. "We were best friends once. And then she stabbed me in the back, turned everyone at school against me."

Your stomach dropped. Even though you couldn't imagine Sarah doing anything like that, you couldn't not believe Kie and the grief on her face.

"Kie, I'm so sorry."

"That's why I didn't want John B to go. It's clear he likes her and I just don't want him to get his heartbroken."

You nodded your head. That made more sense to you than an impersonal vendetta. There was a knock on the bathroom door.

"What are you guys doing in there?" Pope called through the door.

"Anything I can watch?" JJ asked. You could hear his smile in his voice.

You looked at Kie with a sigh.

"Why do I like him?"

Kie shrugged her shoulders, but there was a hint of an almost smile on her face. You shook your head and opened the door.

"Surprise," Kie said. "We were just changing you perv."

John B showed up a few minutes later and the smile that had graced Kie's lips was gone.

"So, do you have a membership card?" Pope asked, tucking his hands behind his head. You helped Kie pass out a few drinks as John B sat down.

"I don't know, Pope." You could tell he was exhausted.

"Does it come with a free sweater vest or do you have to buy one on your own?"

You scowled to yourself, sitting at one of the open chairs. JJ leaned his hands on the back of your chair.

"Look, you promised," Kie said, staring down at John B. "You said you weren't with her."

Even though you understood Kie's concern, you weren't sure why they weren't happier for him. He got around the foster system, wasn't that a good thing? Maybe since you were the only other one at risk of the foster system, you were the only one who really understood how terrifying the idea could be.

"Bro, just own it," JJ said, taking a sip from his cup.

"If you want to hang out with her, that's fine. But I'm letting you know now, I'm doing anything with her," Kie said. You let out a heavy sigh.

"Do you guys see her here?" John B asked. "No? Right. A little focus would be fantastic."

The switch was almost instant. John B pulled out the map, the conversation switching from Sarah.

Thirty minutes later, you were sitting at the remains of Battery Jasper, staring out at the ocean. Pope had the map spread out across the wall. You leaned in close to get a good look.

"Parcel 9," you said, pointing at it.

"Right, so it's northeast of here," he said and you nodded your head.

"Somewhere over that way." Kie pointed out over the land.

"That's not Tannyhill, that's a subdivision," JJ said with a shake of his head.

"Tannyhill used to be the entire island."

"We need another marker," Kie said, walking over.

"What about that?" You pointed a thick line right in front of Parcel 9.

"That's a wall," Pope said. "Perfect, Elm."

Back on the road, Pope sat in the front of the seat with the map. He navigated for John B. You felt your pulse spike. You were actually doing this. And it might actually work.

But then you pulled up to the Craine House and your heart sank. You remembered the story that JJ had told Kid about Mrs. Craine and her husband. You felt sick to your stomach as the five of you hopped over the wall. Barely listening as JJ retold the story he learned from Hollis, you looked behind every tree as if expecting to see the old lady jump out and chop your head off.

Chills ran up and down your arms as JJ recounted the story.

"JJ, stop it. You're freaking me out," you said, peering behind another tree.

"You're so full of shit," John B laughed.

Pope asked a few more questions, feeding into JJ's story. You stood closer to Kie, who clearly didn't believe anything JJ was saying. John B rolled his eyes and started to walk away.

"Dude, wait!" JJ called after him.

"What?" John B snapped, turning back around.

"You sure you wanna do this? She's an ax murderer. You got a cast on."

"I don't give a shit if she's an ax murderer, okay?"

"I do," you piped in. "Just a little bit."

"I got nothing to lose," John B continued as if you said nothing. "You coming or what?"

Kie was the first to follow him and Pope went after her, but JJ stayed back, scratching his arm.

"You want me to walk behind you?" You teased, walking up to him with a smile. He looked around.

"We'll go together," he said, taking your hand. You were glad for it. You didn't really want to walk behind him, afraid that the crazy murderer lady would creep up behind you and cut your head off, but if JJ asked, you would have. His hand in yours made the fear fade.

You snuck through the tall grass behind Pope until John B called for you to stop.

"You scared, JJ?" Kie asked with a playful grin, looking down at your interlocked hands.

"I was," you said, squeezing his hand once. "Call me crazy, but talking about ax murderers doesn't entirely make me feel safe."

"Fair point."

"Okay," John B interjected. "Here's the plan. We need to look for the wheat near the water like it said in Denmark's letter."

"What kind of water?" Pope asked. "Like...pond water?"

"Bong water?" JJ suggested with a laugh. Both Kie and Pope turned to look at JJ, eyebrows raised. You closed your eyes, breathing steadily through your nose.

"No, it just said look for water, okay?"

"That's the shittiest secret message ever," Kie said as she started to walk toward the house.

"You wanna complain a little more, Kie?" John B asked after her. "Nobody said it would be easy."

"I'll search the northeast, you guys search the northwest quadrant," Pope said.

"The decapitation quadrant?" JJ asked as Pope walked away. You let out a deep sigh. This was going to be a long day.

***

There was little to do as John B and Kie slapped skeeters off of each other. All you could really find to do was lean up against the wall and swat bugs away from you.

"Can we leave?" JJ asked, looking around the small basement.

"Don't you think it's weird there are so many bugs?" Pope asked you. You pinched your eyebrows together, but then nodded her head slowly.

"There aren't usually so many, unless they're by-"

"Water."

Realization hit suddenly. You pushed yourself off the wall and walked over to where Pope was, eyes scanning the floorboards. Flashlight scanning the floor, you froze when you heard the ground beneath Pope creak. He looked up at you and you felt your lips twinge upward. You shuffled a few of the broken pieces of wood out of his way as Pope plucked a small rock off the ground and crouched down. You knelt beside him.

"Hey, I think I found Mrs. Craine's voodoo doll," JJ said. Kie and John B continued to slap each other.

Pope took the rock in his hand and dropped it through the floorboards. You waited, straining your ear. You heard the splash and a grin spread across your face. The same smile grew on Pope's face as he looked up at you.

"The water," you breathed. He nodded and the two of you started to move the rest of the junk.

"Hey, guys!" Pope whispered.

"Hey, Pope," JJ replied.

Kie shushed the two of you, turning away from John B.

"Hey, help us move this," Pope said, standing straight. He grabbed John B's arm. "We need to move this."

"Okay." John B lifted his hands. "Just...quietly."

With all of the hands working together to move the trash, it went a lot faster. Then, moving the boards, you found yourself staring down into a deep well.

"Well, well, well," Pope said. You almost laughed.

"They built this part of the house right over it," Kie said, squatting down.

"This is where she hid the bodies." JJ stared into the well. You shook your head.

"Dude, c'mon." Pope tapped his fist against JJ's arm.

"No, I'm dead serious."

"Yeah, you will be dead if you don't stop talking about Mrs. Craine," you said, nodding toward the well.

"She probably doesn't even know it's here," Kie added, shining her flashlight into the well. It was too deep to really see anything.

"So, we found water," Pope said, turning the attention back to the object at hand.

"We're gonna need a really big rope."

***

Once you got back to the Chateau, your nerves abuzz with excitement, John B took off on some unknown trip (but you guessed that it had something to do with Sarah). You elected yourself to go and pick up some groceries.

In doing so, you managed to miss the entire Kie vs. John B and Sarah debacle. You walked up to the Chateau, bags hanging off of your arms, a smile still on your face. You had found the water where the "wheat" was. The gold was right there. All you had to do was get down a really deep well and find it. No biggie, right?

But then you saw JJ and John B sitting in the kitchen. Glancing around, the skip in your step slowing and your smile fading, you saw Pope and Kie down by the docks. Something about the separation didn't feel right to you.

"What did you two do?" You asked as you walked inside, setting the groceries on the counter.

"Wasn't me," JJ said, putting his hands in the air.

"I tried to pull Sarah in but Kie wasn't too fond of that idea," John B said, hanging his head.

"And by 'not too fond' he means that Kie wants him to choose between the two of them, but he won't."

You pursed your lips and started to unpack the bags.

"That's not really a fair ultimatum," you said, tossing JJ a bag of fresh bread.

Pope walked back in with a deep sigh.

"What'd she say?" John B asked.

"That you're an idiot."

You wished that you could shrink away from this entire conversation. It felt like a Pogue thing. The boys argued back and forth for a moment as you passed out apples and set out some grapes. Maybe they were all just hungry. If they just ate....

"I've got a plan," John B said, which pulled your attention back. "And you three are going to help me out."

***

You were assigned to Kie duty with Pope. It felt wrong to be lying to her about what was really going on, but you knew that it was for good reason. Hopefully, she would understand that, too.

"Can't you guys do anything without me?" Kie asked as you pulled up to the boat. The sun had slowly started to set, getting closer to the horizon.

"Definitely not," you breathed as Pope pulled up to the HMS Pogue. You leaned back against the side of the boat while Kie climbed into the Pogue. As soon as she was off, Pope turned his small boat around.

"They're going to kill us," you said, squinting your eyes against the heavy glare of the sun.

"Most definitely," Pope agreed.

You sat up when you heard the sound of hollering and two large splashes. Running to the front of your small boat, you offered your hand to the boys as they neared.

By the time they were back on, Sarah and Kie were both leaning off the edge of the Pogue, shouting. You grimaced and gave a wave.

"Get your assess back here!" Kie called.

"Can't. Not until you two figure things out!" John B said.

"I will kill every single one of you!"

"Don't let her mean words scare you," JJ whispered, grinning like an idiot.

"You can't just leave!" Sarah cried.

"There's food in the cabin and JJ rolled a blunt," John B said, waving his hand.

"Hydroponic!"

The boat started to splutter away, leaving Sarah and Kie behind.

"Love you guys!" John B called one last time. JJ gave a whooping laugh.

As you made your way back toward shore, you wondered if this was really going to work. After all, Kie was probably the most stubborn person you had ever met and if she was dead set on something, she wasn't about to let it go. Then again, the boys did know her better than you did.

"So, what now?" You asked.

"Now we wait until morning," John B said. By the grin on his face, he looked rather pleased with himself.

"What do we do until then?"

"I could think of a couple of things..."

"Really, JJ?" Pope rolled his eyes. "In front of my boat?"

JJ shrugged, leaning back as he draped an arm around your waist.

"If you wanted," John B said, fiddling with his fingers. "Pope and I could get out of the house if-"

"God, John B," you cringed, covering your eyes with your hands.

"I mean, you've...." John B waved his hand through the air. You felt your cheeks burn hot. Once again, you wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Is this what you boys talk about on a daily basis?" You asked.

"Only sometimes," Pope told you, not taking his eyes off of the water in front of them.

"No, John B," JJ said. "It hasn't really come up."

"It hasn't come up?" John B scoffed. "Why don't I believe you?"

"Ellie isn't a fan of sex." JJ shrugged. You turned to look at him, eyes wide. This wasn't really a conversation you wanted to have right now. "I can't push her."

"JJ," you said quietly, trying to smile. "Please stop talking."

"You don't like sex?" John B asked, somehow surprised. You turned to look at him, trying to keep your smile, but it was obviously forced.

"Not really, no," you told him.

"Any particular reason or-"

You almost considered telling them. There weren't supposed to be secrets among you, but this was a secret that could cost you your life. If the beating you got from your dad was just after he found out that you had been sneaking around, there was no telling what he would do if he found out that you told them what he had done to you.

You shook your head.

"Just not a fan."

"Hey, you know what?" John B said, handing you a beer. "That's valid."

You felt yourself give a real smile as you accepted it. You popped it open a took a long drink, feeling the familiar taste on your tongue. In recent weeks, you found that that feeling of calm it brought you could be found somewhere else.

You put your head on JJ's shoulder, letting your eyes close. The wind drowned out the cries of Kie and Sarah, rapidly disappearing behind the small boat.

With the alcohol in your system and the smell of the ocean filling your nostrils, the craziness of the world didn't seem to be able to touch you.