"Come near me with that thing one more time and I will hit you over the head," I mumble as John B wafts his kebab from last night in front of my face, the stench of garlic mayonnaise enough to make anyone throw up, especially with a hangover.

"You want some water, Sid?" Pope asks as he takes a seat on one of the spare chairs, Kie and I lying on a coach each, my legs resting comfortably on JJ's lap.

"If I drink or eat anything I don't think it'll stay down," I tell him, "But thank you."

"I still can't get over Kelce's face last night," John B changes the subject.

"It was pretty hard not to," Kiara sighs.

"At least you reminded them that they don't own the island." I tell John B, hoping that Kelce didn't pass any of what happened last night onto Rafe.

"The rats don't run the city, we do," JJ adds in a stupid voice.

"I think we are the rats, J." I laugh, tossing a pillow at him which he catches with ease.

"Oh, hello princess," JJ smiles as the porch door opens, turning our attention to Sarah walking towards us, an awkward look on her face.

"You okay?" I smile, as I sit up straight beside JJ.

"Yeah," She nods.

"Shouldn't you be on Figure Eight, with your little group of polo players?" John B teases, "Or did you break up with Topper?"

"We're just friends," Sarah tells him bluntly but with a smile.

"He's just a friend," John B scoffs, "You have a lot of friends, Sarah Cameron."

"Yeah, it seems like you've got some of your own too." Sarah retaliates, which I respect because given the reasons for their breakup, I had hoped they could at least be civil.

"What are you actually doing here?" John B asks her, frustration lacing his voice.

"I'm here for Pope." She tells him before turning her attention to Pope, confusing us all, "I think I found the island room."

"What?" Pope stands up in disbelief, "Where?"

"Tannyhill." Sarah tells him, my stomach dropping at the thought of going back there.

"We should go right now then," Pope declares, as though a fire has been lit inside him.

"Is that okay?" I ask quietly, nervous that Rafe might be there. Even though the last time I was there Rafe wasn't, that place is still tainted with memories of him, memories of us. I've been doing well at this whole healing thing, and I've not relapsed which I'm proud of. But going back there, I'm not sure if seeing Rafe would set me back again.

Sarah turns to me with a gentle smile, "Rafe isn't there, none of them are."

The drive to Tannyhill was quick, and allowed Pope to tell us more about Denmark Tanny and the cross from what he had found in the diary. It took me some time to reassure myself that I'm okay with going back to Tannyhill, remembering that it's just bricks at the end of the day, those memories both good and bad are with me regardless of where I am.

"This place still freaks me out," John B mutters as we walk along the corridor towards one of the several dining rooms in the house.

"Same," I sigh, because despite the good memories I have here, it's still just a big house,
an unnecessarily big house with too many rooms and way too many secrets.

"Pope, look," Sarah says as she opens the door to a room that I've only been inside a handful of times.

The room is a mess, the once pristine wallpaper is now in ripped shreds all over the floor, revealing images on the wall that can only be described as an intricate and artistic map of the island.

"You've got to be kidding me," Pope whispers as we all take in the art on the walls.

"I know right," Sarah sighs, "It's the island room."

"This is incredible," JJ whispers as we all tiptoe around the room, overwhelmed by the vastness of it all.

"It's a map of the whole island," John B mutters.

"Yeah, you're right, that's Rixon's right there," JJ points at one of the walls.

"Guys, look it's parcel nine and the well," Kiara tells us, running her hand over the wall.

"So if that's parcel nine, and that's Rixon's, then that must be the surf break at Mase." John B points at one of the walls.

"Right, look," JJ holds up a photocopy of the diary to the wall, "This is Denmark's handwriting for sure."

"The drawings match up," Pope mutters.

"So these were all his drawings?" I reply.

"I think he painted the entire room," Pope smiles.

"The question is why, what's he trying to tell us?" Kiara asks.

"It must be something to do with the key." JJ adds.

"How did you uncover this?" John B asks Sarah.

"I didn't, it was like this when I got home." She replies.

"Okay. then who did it?" Kie asks.

"The freaks," Wheezie's voice makes us jump as we turn to see her entering the room.

"What freaks are we talking about, Wheeze?" I ask as we approach her.

"That sick lady and her attack dog," Wheezie tells us, "They showed up last night and they wanted to talk to Rafe."

My body shudders at his name, at the idea of him knowing about the cross, and if he knows how much the cross is worth, then I'm sure he'll be in on it. He'll want to cooperate but only for the right price, which puts us on opposite sides again.

"The pale blonde lady?" JJ adds.

"Yeah."

"What happened?" John B asks.

"At first they searched the whole house for something, and then Rafe told me to go upstairs but I didn't want to miss out so I listened through the grate," She explains, "And then they started talking about getting across the sand flamingo."

"The cross of Santo Domingo?" Pope mutters.

"And then they started talking about angels, a lot of angel talk." Wheezie rambles.

The talk of Rafe being involved causes my hands to tremble as I clench my fists in an effort to stop it. I need some air, I need to splash cold water on my face, I need something that's not being in this room.

"I'm just going to use the bathroom," I excuse myself, slipping out of the Island Room.

I walk down the corridor, heading for the bathroom, but on my way I reach Rafe's bedroom, the door slightly ajar. I push it open, knowing that he's not here, my heart plummeting at the sight of the room that I called home for a while.

Perhaps it's a bad idea, but I step inside the room, running my fingers over the mahogany furniture. His wardrobe is open, the smell of his cologne still lingers on his clothes, a scent that once bought me so much comfort, and in a way, it still does.

I turn my attention to the bed, his side is a mess as always, the sheets unmade, empty glasses on his bedside table. But the side I used to sleep on is as neat as the day I left it, the sheets tucked firmly into the side of the bed.

As I walk towards the dresser I notice an out of place piece of green fabric on the bed. I pick it up to see that it's my sweater, the sweater I used to sleep in most of the time when I was here. I expect he just hasn't changed his sheets since then, but part of me also contemplates whether he's been sleeping with it for comfort.

My attention focuses on the dresser, covered in clutter, but one thing stands out on his mirror and another in a photo frame, both making my heart hurt, just when I thought it was healing.

On the mirror is a polaroid picture of me, taken by Rafe in the garden here at Tannyhill, using Wheezie's camera. It was one of the hottest days after the storm when Sarah and John B disappeared and we were sitting out by the pool, that was the happiest I felt that entire week.

The other is a photo that I forced him to take with me in the mirror before we left for a kook party. His arms are wrapped around my shoulders, his lips pressed against my cheek, and I look happy, actually happy.

And in love.

"He's not forgotten about you, Sidney," Wheezie's voice startles me, she has a habit of sneaking up on you when you least expect it, "He blames himself for everything that went wrong with you two."

"He told you that?" I ask, putting my hoodie back where I found it on the bed.

"He didn't have to," She smiles gently.

"Is he okay?" I ask, hating myself for the pining feeling inside my heart when I think of what we used to be.

"Not really, he's more short tempered than usual," She explains, "And he doesn't smile like he used to when you were here."

"Oh."

"You were the best thing that ever happened to him." She assures me, reminding me how grown up she has to be, despite being thirteen years old.

"He was that for me too," I whisper, even though he was also the worst thing too.

"I wish you two could have stayed together," She smiles, "I would have loved another sister, and I'd look great in a bridesmaid dress."

The laugh that escapes is painful, but sweetened with the memories Rafe and I shared here. Every corner of this room reminds me of him, and it does not help with the whole 'healing and moving on' thing. Because the more I am reminded of him, and the more pieces of me that I realise still remain in this room, the more I wonder if losing him was a mistake.

"You okay?" She asks.

"Yeah," I nod, "Please don't tell Rafe that I was here, I really don't think either of us need that, he needs to heal without me."

It's half true, but it's also a selfish request, because if he begins working his way back into my life again, I don't think that I could say no.

"Okay." She smiles, and I massively appreciate her for keeping quiet. If I had a little sister, I would be honoured to have one like Wheezie.

"Everything okay?" John B appears in the doorway, and I can tell that he knows the answer, given that he lived here for a while too, so he obviously knows that this is Rafe's room.

"Mmhmm," I nod with a half hearted smile, "Wheeze was just telling me everything I've missed since I've been gone."

"Right," John B nods slowly, obviously not buying a word that I've just said, "Well we think we might know where the cross is, if you're ready?"

"Yeah," I reply, "Let's go."

ੈ✩‧₊˚

"Oh shit, the tide's coming in," John B mutters as we approach the Angel Oak, slowing the twinkie down.

"It looks like they've already been through," Pope adds, looking over John B's shoulder at the road ahead of us, "Those have to be Limbrey's tyre tracks, we've gotta go."

They all filled me in on what I've missed on our way here, and we quickly concluded that the only way to treat this is like a race. We might have access to Denmark Tanny's personal diary, but Limbrey and Rafe have money and power.

In the animal kingdom it's not the starving lion cubs who circle a fresh carcass ready to pounce, it's the well fed vultures. Fuelled by greed, they swoop in and take whatever they can before the lion cubs even get a scent. It's the same in society, the rich's hunger to be richer will always outway our desire to be rich.

"What are we thinking, boys?" I ask John B and JJ who are sitting in the front seats assessing the depth of the water ahead of us.

"It looks a little dicey," John B sighs.

"I have to agree with you." JJ nods.

"Well if Limbrey can get through, surely we can," Kiara exhales.

"Why are y'all acting like you're not going to do it?" Sarah asks, "When have you ever played it safe?"

"As a wise philosopher once said, stupid ideas have good outcomes all the time." I add.

"They've got a point," JJ agrees, "Speed is your friend here, alright?"

"Here goes nothing," John B puts his foot down, driving down the mud track at speed.

"We need to go faster or we'll slide!" Pope exclaims as we all scramble to find something to hold onto.

"I'm trying!" John B attempts to assure us, which is not exactly working at this moment.

"Change gear, dude!" I shout from the back of the van as John B adjusts his steering.

The twinkie speeds up slightly and we're quickly on solid ground, "That's my girl," JJ beams as John B parks up.

"We've made it," John B mutters, visibly proud of himself as he opens the door.

"Word to the wise," JJ tells us as we all climb out of the twinkie, "Gators nest out here, so keep an eye out."

"That's reassuring," I sigh.

"You don't want to step on a mama gator, that's for sure," JJ tells us as we begin walking in the direction of the Angel Oak.

"You really take us to the best places," I reply.

"They actually really like the brackish water," JJ tells us as we pass a swampy area, "Hold on, I think I see something."

"What are you doing?" Kiara sighs as JJ picks up a long stick and hits the water with it.

"Yea, let's wake them up, that's smart." I mutter.

"I just had to make sure it wasn't a gator," JJ insists, dropping the stick as we continue walking.

"Remind me to thank you when the gators come looking for a pre-lunch snack," I whisper as we continue to walk through the overgrown forest.

"She's got a point," Kiara adds, siding with me.

"Hey," Pope whispers, silencing all of us at the sound of machinery and indistinct voices.

We crowd behind a bush, watching as one man sits on a digger, Limbrey overseeing the work from afar, never one to get her own hands dirty. This is exactly what I meant about the rich swooping in to get things done, throwing money at any problem that stands in their way.

"I don't see shit," I hear Rafe's familiar, yet unsettling voice rattle through my brain like a ghost train, "You sure this is the right spot?"

Of course he'd be on board this, it's exactly what Ward would do if he were here. He is money and power hungry, exactly like his father. As I peer over the bush I see the man who I used to call my boyfriend.

He looks the same as before, yet somewhat more dishevelled, as though he's not been sleeping. His jaw is more defined and his skin is paler. His hair is just as messy as before, and the glint that used to exist in his eyes when he looked at me is now where to be seen.

"Maybe I should go over," I quietly suggest to the group, realising how stupid it sounds the minute that the words leave my lips.

"And do what?" Kiara whispers.

"I could try and reason with them, you forget that I'm probably still Rafe's weakness." I mutter, each of us aware that it still remains true.

"You are not going over there, Sid," JJ tells me firmly, "He's a live wire, and those men won't give a shit who you are."

"Stop!" Limbrey shouts, grabbing our attention, "Did you hear that?"

"You don't think?" Kiara whispers.

"It's smaller than I thought," Limbrey exclaims as she, Renfield and Rafe look over the whole they've dug, "It looks like a-"

"Casket." Rafe finishes her sentence.

"Let's get it out, come on," Limbrey hurries them all.

We watch as Rafe and Renfield lift a large box out of the ground, "They've got the cross, what do we do?" JJ hisses.

"What can we do?" I sigh, "They'd overpower us completely."

"Be careful!" Limbrey warns them both as they place the casket on the ground before reaching for a crowbar each, "Don't touch anything inside."

As they open the box Limbrey's face drops, "It's a corpse," Renfield announces.

Limbrey hauls herself up, "We must have missed something, it can't be far."

"Yeah, of course it's just a dead body," Rafe mutters just loud enough for us to hear.

"We must have missed something," Limbrey frets, "We need to check the island room again, come on everyone."

On her orders everyone begins packing the shovels away, Renfield guides her back to the car as the digger operator begins to drive away. I watch as Rafe heads back towards his car, the sleekest and cleanest vehicle of all of them.

"He's on his own," I whisper, "I could ask him what happened."

"No, Sid," Pope reasons with me, "They don't know that we're here, that's our only advantage."

"Okay," I nod as Rafe climbs into his car and speeds away from the scene of the crime. Part of me had hoped my friends would agree to the idea, just so I could speak to him again. He's like an itch I can't scratch, or a magnet so strong that I can't avoid the way he manages to pull me in.

Once all the vehicles have left we slowly approach the Angel Oak, gasps escaping our mouths at the sight of the abandoned casket. It pains me that they would leave it open like that, with no respect for the dead. If we hadn't been here, the body would've been left to the devices of the elements.

"Cecilia Tanny, Denmark Tanny's wife." Pope mutters, reading the engraving at the far end of the coffin.

"I can't believe they'd leave her like that," I whisper.

"Really?" JJ glances at me, a reminder that empathy means little to these people, including Rafe.

"He wasn't talking about the cross, he buried her at the foot of the angel," Pope quickly concludes.

"The true treasure," Kiara nods solemnly.

Pope crouches down beside the casket, the rest of us crouching around him too, "Denmark was hanged for burying his wife, and now they've defiled her grave."

It devastates me, despite everything I know about Rafe's capabilities, that he would leave this casket like this, open to the elements. No one deserves that, Ward Cameron wouldn't even deserve that.

"We can't leave her here like this," Pope mutters.

"We won't," I assure him, resting my hand on his.

"I'll get some flowers," Sarah smiles gently, heading over to the base of a tree in search of plants nicer than these.

Kiara and I lift the lid back onto the casket, placing it down gently as the boys collect some tools that Limbrey's men left behind. Wordlessly they seal the casket as Sarah returns with a bunch of flowers, placing them on top of the coffin. Each of us silently acknowledges that we must give her the burial she deserves.