Paradise on Earth

"And here you come with a shield for a heart and a sword for a tongue."

- Carol Ann Duffy

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At age four, Beatriz Broussard realized that her life was not normal.

Most children didn't have to hide when their fathers came home, waiting for his anger to fade and the alcohol to send him into a deep and dreamless sleep. Beatriz used to listen to her friends talk about their families, the affection and love Beatriz was unfamiliar with. She would sit silently and wonder what those differences meant.

At that same young age, Beatriz witnessed her first act of violence. Hidden beneath the kitchen table, trying desperately to fold herself into a smaller and smaller ball, Beatriz was forced to watch helplessly as her father sent a vicious punch to her mother's face. That was the first time Beatriz ever felt truly afraid. Not the kind of fear that wakes you up after a bad dream, but the type that binds your legs and sends your heart deep into your gut.

At age six, Beatriz's role changed.

Her father, drunk on bottom-shelf whiskey and stinking of gas station cigarettes, lost his temper on little Beatriz. Genevieve Broussard came home to find her husband passed out on the couch, belt in hand, while Beatriz cried quietly in her room. The scars faded, welts on her back, and cigarette burns on her sides, but the memory never did, and neither did the fear. From that day on, Beatriz began to well and truly fear her father, not just for what he could do to her mother, but for what he started to do to her.

At age eight, her father's anger nearly cost Beatriz her life.

After years of drinking and angry outbursts, Hugh Decuir's boss finally lost his temper; he fired Beatriz's father without a second thought. It seemed like justice to Beatriz, a well-deserving punishment for a man that had made her life hell. Of course, her father didn't agree. Instead, he dragged Beatriz out of the house and towards the river. It was the same river that Beatriz learned to swim, the same one she spent hot summers splashing in; that night, it would nearly become her grave. But Genevieve interrupted, knocking out her drunk husband and fishing a terrified Beatriz from the water. The two left that very night, fleeing Louisianna for somewhere they could have a fresh start.

At age six, JJ Maybank's life changed forever.

He came home from school to find his father in a rage and his mother nowhere to be found. Donna Maybank had packed a bag and left while her husband and son were out, leaving a note on the kitchen bar. Why she left, JJ didn't know; maybe she was tired of his father or felt trapped in the OBX. JJ never got a chance to read what his mother wrote; his father burned the letter, downing whatever alcohol he could find and giving JJ a beating before he passed out. That might have been the first time Luke Maybank ever hit his son, but it would not be the last.

At age eight, JJ first ran away from home.

He had nowhere to go, no friends or family to take him in. Not to mention he had only packed two peanut butter sandwiches and his brand new Game Boy. JJ made it to the docks before his father noticed he was missing. Luke threw his son into the car, not caring who saw, and yelled the entire way home. JJ took a week off of school to recover, the bruises didn't fade till a month after, but at least he could hide them. He was afraid that his entire life would be like that, beating after beating, with no end in sight, and no one to ease the pain.

At age nine, JJ Maybank and Beatriz Broussard met.

Their first meeting was in true Pogue style. Not long after moving to Kildare, Beatriz learned the ropes of the OBX the hard way. Caught unawares, Beatriz faced the bullying of three pompous Kooks. JJ saved her, pulling her from the water and from her loneliness.

Neither had any friends of their own; both were used to a solitary existence, but by no means happy with it. It was decided that JJ and Beatriz would stay together forever, still of an age when promises of eternity seemed possible. 

JJ and Beatriz's lives had not been easy, and they weren't about to get any simpler, but as long as they were together, they would always have a Safe Haven.

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The Pogues

Rudy Pankow

as

JJ Maybank

"That's JJ, my best friend since the third grade. He's about as local as they come. Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Best surfer I know. Just don't tell him I said that. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat. JJ's a true Pogue, but that doesn't stop him from breaking our number one rule with a certain Louisiana native."

Lou de Laâge

as

Beatriz "Bea" Broussard

"Where JJ goes, Bea isn't too far behind. Bea and her mom moved to The Cut when she was nine, and she and JJ have been inseparable ever since. Despite not being a local, she fits right in; we Pogue's aren't too picky. Of course, it isn't very hard to like Bea; she can kick ass and knows how to have a good time; she likes to say it's the Cajun in her. A spitfire through and through, it's better not to get on her bad side, especially when her friends are involved. Not to mention she hates the Kooks; what more could we ask for? Bea's biggest problem at the moment is that she may or may not be in love with JJ, but who are we to judge?"

Madison Bailey

as

Kiara "Kie" Carrera

"And that's Kiara, or Kie, as we call her. When she's not saving turtles or listening to Marley, or getting a dolphin tattoo, she hangs out with us. I'm not really sure why, though. So, she's a rich kid, actually. Foot in both worlds. Her family owns The Wreck, which is this Outer Banks institution. Total cash cow with the tourists. You know, I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us. I guess we all sorta have a thing for her, minus JJ."

Jonathan Daviss

as

Pope Hayward

"And that's Pope, the brains of the operation, finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhorst Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person I know. A little bit of a weirdo. Alright, so his father's this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island, Heyward could get it for you. Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. He was a Pogue, just like the rest of us."

Chase Stokes

as

John Booker Routledge

"And that's me, John Booker Routledge. And this is where I live, an old fish shack on the marsh. The Chateau, as my dad used to call it. There's dad; he disappeared at sea nine months ago, looking for a shipwreck. Who disappears at sea these days? I miss him. And then there's mom, she split when I was three. Last I heard, she was in Colorado, I think it was Colorado. That's Uncle T.  Since dad's vanished, he's supposedly my legal guardian. At the moment, he's in Mississippi, building houses, which means it's just me right now, on my own, hangin' out with my friends."

The Kooks

Madelyn Cline

as

Sarah Cameron

"That's Sarah Cameron, Kook Princess. Kiara's best friend in the 9th grade and worst enemy in the 10th grade. I work on her dad's boat, so, you know, I've seen her around."

Drew Starkey

as

Rafe Cameron

"Sarah's psychotic brother, Rafe, is the worst of the Kooks. Ever since he tried to drown Bea when we were kids, it's been obvious he's fucking insane. But, of course, he's a rich kid from Figure Eight, fat chance he'll ever get in trouble."

Austin North

as

Topper Thornton

"Then that's Topper, her not-so-pleasant boyfriend. Topper actually thinks Pogues were bred to mow lawns."

The Parents

Vera Farmiga

as

Genvieve Broussard

"The unofficial mom of our little gang, Ms.Gen, is always taking care of us. I can't tell you how many times she's let us crash on her couch or made us dinner. She's probably the best cook on Kildare; that's how she got a job at The Wreck working for the Carrera's. Even though she's Bea's mom, it hasn't stopped her from taking each of us in, though JJ is her favorite by far. I swear she'd adopt him if she could, lucky bastard."

David Lyons

as

Hugh Decuir

"None of us have ever met Bea's dad; all we know is that he's a real piece of shit. He's the whole reason they left Baton Rouge and came to the OBX. Bea never shares much about him; JJ's the only one who knows the full story; either way, he better steer clear of the OBX unless he wants to face all us Pogues."

Gary Weeks

as

Luke Maybank

"JJ and Bea have a lot in common, including crappy dads. Sadly, JJ's is still around. After JJ's mom left when he was six, Luke turned into even more of a dick. JJ tried to avoid going home after that, which got much easier after meeting Bea and me. Still, he has to see his dad at some point, which never ends well. JJ is terrified of becoming like his old man, even when we all know it will never happen."

AUTHORS NOTE

OBX brain rot is a real thing and a serious illness.

Should I be posting a new story or updating the three I already have? Probably updating, but where's the fun in that? I'm super excited for this fic, I have a lot of (evil) plans for JJ and Bea. Be prepared for angst upon angst.

Special thanks to radiantwinds and starbeams for all the support/bullying. You guys are the best (worst).

I do not own Outer Banks, I only own Beatriz, her family, and her story. All rights reserved to the creators of Outer Banks.