Chapter two | A Chapter

"Those are so pretty." Kie commented as she saw the two purple lila flowers tied around Lilas belt loop.

"Aren't they? I think my moms got them for me." Lila smiled as she looked down at them as well.

"Well, tell your moms to get me some next time." Kie joked as the two shared a laugh

"Shit. JJ." Pope said as the sirens were heard from the distance, the four snapping their head around to find the boat that was flickering blue and red floating toward them.

"Guys, that's the police." JJ spoke as he stood up quickly.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."
Pope said with a loud sigh.

"I've got this, i've got this." Lila said as she stood up only to be pulled back down into her spot as Kie gave her a look.

"Just act freaking normal." Kie said as she threw her hair over her shoulder and leaned back some.

"Evening officers." Pope greeted as they came to a stop beside the smaller boat.

"Evening." the man greeted with a smile.

"JJ, tie this off." Pope said, playing things normal with a smile on his face. Lila wished she could be as cool and calm as Pope was in situations like this, knowing her she'd blurt out something random and bust them all.

"How you kids doing? You know the marsh is closed?" The deputy asked as he looked between the four.

"No."

"No, wow."

"I didn't know that." JJ shook his head.

"We were just in a rush to get out here this morning, should have probably checked to see if it was open first." Lila said with a small laugh as the deputy gave her a half smile with a nod.

"Why-why is it closed?" Pope asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well, we're conducting a search out here. Boat went down. You seen anything?" the older man asked as he looked between the four once again.

"Nah."

"No."

"No. No boats, no."

"Where's your friend you always hang with? He here?" the deputy now asked as he looked around, clearly seeing one missing.

"He's working." Kie said back with a forced smile.

"I'm taking his place for the day." Lila said with a joking tone, clearly trying to use her charm.

"You're the Griffins girl.. aren't you? Down for the summer to help with the hurricane?" he asked as Lila nodded and stood up, walking to the edge of the boat.

"Lila, nice to meet you." she smiled, charming her way through this one as she shook his hand, he then noticed the lila flowers on her belt loop.

"Oh, I see you've been spending some time over at the Cameron's." he said with a nod as Lila held a confused look.

"I'm sorry?" she asked confused as he looked toward Pope.

"I'm gonna check your little boat out." the deputy said as he moved past Lila to get over, ignoring her previous question. Kie have Lila a knowing look as the blonde shrugged back.

"Sure, check her out." Pope nodded in agreement, hiding his worry.

"You ugh... you got another one of these?" he asked as he held the life jacket up.

"Yeah- yeah." Pope nodded before JJ cut in.

"Of course. It's uh.. it's in the hold." the blonde boy added in as he nodded over to where Kie sat.

"Show him." the only other girl spoke as she stood up.

"Okay. Yeah, here we go." JJ confirmed as he pulled the other out to show him.

"Uh, be carful right there, you don't wanna slip." Pope quickly said to the man who walked toward the front of the boat to stare down at the water below them. JJ and Lila shared a odd look as they watched him do so, worried but refusing to let it show.

"All right, beautiful day isn't it?" he asked as he walked off, going back toward his boat.

"Sure is." Pope nodded his head in agreement.

"You let us know if you see anything on your way out. And you... say a little hello to the Cameron's for me." the deputy said as he gave Lila a nod, she didn't say anything just forced a half smile.

"We'll be gone soon, sir." JJ spoke up with a nod his way, changing the subject.

"Yes you will." the man said and with that he drove off in the nicer and much bigger boat.

"He's definitely out of air." Pope said as the four leaned over the boat side in search of John B.

"There he is!" JJ yelled as John B swam up to the surface.

"Jesus christ, do you have a death wish?" Lila asked the boy as he swam over toward them.

"How'd it go down there?" JJ asked him with a laugh as John B mumbled something. Lila hurried to the back of the boat to help him up.

"You find anything worth your time?" she asked as he got back into the boat.

"Did I find anything?" John B asked with a smile, throwing a bag onto the boat.

"That's my boy!" JJ said with a laugh and pumping his fist in the air.

"You okay?" Kie asked him.

"Yeah, I ran out of air." John B panted as he looked up her way.

"You scared the shit out of me." she said with a huff.

"John B, the police were here." Lila announced as she slapped the boys shoulder.

"Yeah but we took care of them." Pope nodded along side her.

"Yeah you kinda missed the show, brother. Only reason we got off is because Lila macks on a kook." JJ said as Lila rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, so you're hanging around the Cameron's now? Sarah Cameron? That is how we met you, wasn't it?" Kie asked her, annoyance dripping off her voice as Lila gave her a blink.

"What? No, i'm not hanging around anyone." the blonde cut in, a lie.

"Then what was that about?" Kie fired back at her, crossing her arms.

"I already said I don't know." Lila said back, a bit of venom in her words. Kie went to open her mouth before she saw something behind them.

"Hey guys? Guys, boggey, two o'clock." she said as she turned to the guys while looking out at a boat that was coming toward them.

"Do you recognize that boat?" Pope spoke up as he looked at the unknown boat.

"Never seen it, do your moms have a boat?" Kie asked as she looked to Lila.

"No, they don't." she answered honestly while putting a hand over her eyes to block the sun, getting a better look out toward the boat.

"What are they doing here? The marsh is closed." Kie added in as she stood infront of Lila.

"I don't know, but let's not stick around and find out." JJ cut in as he went to pull up the line.

"Should we wait on them?" Pope asked while looking back at the four.

"No, we're not. Go get the stern, go." John B said to him with a nod.

"You think they're here for the same thing you are?" Lila asked as she looked up at John B, his hair dripping in his honey eyes while looking down at her.

"Hopefully not." John B said as the boat got closer.

"JJ, hurry up." Kie said, panic setting in.

"Don't wait for me!" JJ said as he pulled harder, Lila grabbed his ankles so he wouldn't fall off while John B started the boat.

"I don't like the look of this." John B said as the boat got closer straight infront of them.

"Maybe they're fishing for something too." Pope added in.

"Go, go, go." JJ hurried as he pulled the line up, throwing it back on the boat.

"Go into the marsh." Pope told his friend while Kie pulled Lila to sit down.

"I'm going, act natural." John B repeated with a clear of his throat as he began to drive off.

"They're following us." Lila added in as she saw the boat speed up, getting closer to them.

"Dude, you gotta go faster!" JJ said to John B loudly.

"I'm going, i'm going." the  boy said as he turned in the marsh while speeding up. The sound of gunshots filled the air as the men on the boat behind them began to fire shots at them.

"Holy shit!" Kie yelled as she ducked down.

"John B, get down!" JJ yelled as they all ducked down quickly.

"Oh my god, we're gonna die." Pope said as another gunshot flew past them.

"Those are getting really close to us!" Lila said, the bullets only missing them by a few feet.

"Shit, Pope, move." Kie said as she stood up some.

"Kie, stay down." Lila protested as the taller girl bend down a little more. Another gun shot was heard, bouncing off the boat as Kie gasped.

"Get down, Kie!" John B yelled to her as Kie continued to grab at a few things. Watching as she threw the net off, Lila quickly pulled her back down as another gunshot flew. The boat hit the net as it sputtered in the water, coming to a stop as John B speed off to loose them.

"Smart." Lila said out of breath as she looked at the girl next to her. The five began to cheer once they lost the boat, high fiving each other with laughs.

"Everyone okay?" Lila asked as she looked around at her new friends, staring at each of them.

"Think so, are you okay?" John B asked with a laugh as Lila felt her arms and legs.

"Think so." she repeated with a nod.

"Pogue life, man!" JJ yelled with a cheer as Pope gave him a crazy look.

"What do you guys think it is?" Kie asked as John B dropped the bag on the dock as they jumped out of the boat a few minutes later.

"Probably like those little gold chocolate things you get in easter eggs." Lila said with a snap of her fingers.

"Gotta be money or something, right?" John B asked as he looked down at the bag.

"That or a bunch of keys with street value to the low- to mid-miles." JJ said as John B ouued.

"Can we please just open it?" Pope spoke loudly.

"Wow, Pope. That's a rare outburst of emotion." John B said with a look.

"Show us your best cry." Lila added in jokingly.

"Okay you guys are literally killing me with anticipation. Just open the bag, we almost died over this." Pope huffed while looking between the four as they leaned down toward the bag while John B unzipped it quickly. He pulled out a large thermal like container, yanking at the lid as it screwed off moments later. He flipped it over as a gold and rustic compass was inside, rested in his hand.

"Oh, wow. Yup, that's about right. Good job everybody... we found a compass." Pope rolled his eyes as he stood back up.

"Maybe it's worth a lot." Lila said in hopes of making the frown on John B's face go away.

"Dude, what?" JJ asked as he looked down to see John B staring at the compass.

"This was my fathers." John B said with a small chuckle as he stared down at it.

When Lila woke the next day the sunlight from the window shined right in her eyes. With a huff she blocked it with her hand, rubbing them as she slowly sat up. Once she got use to the lighting she reached for the bracelet on the night stand, stopped when she saw what was sitting in the window seal. She'd left the window open last night, the heat from the four walls getting the best of her. On the inside of her window seal sat a purple flower, the same lila flower that showed up yesterday. Lila glanced over at the two that her mom found on the front porch yesterday before pulling her eyes back to the newer one.

She let a small smile form on her face, not meaning to. Reaching over to grab it she took the time to stare down at the small flower in her hand, the soft scent hitting her nose as she brought it upwards. With hesitation she grabbed the cheap sandles before throwing on the first thing she found and heading out of the house to bring her moms a quick lunch.

After Lila arrived at the Cameron household she slowly made her way the backyard. She looked around for any sight of Sarah, only seeing Topper, Rafe, and Kelce dressed in their usual attire, a roll of Lilas eyes as she searched around for the blonde. Apart of her felt guilty for hanging around the Cameron girl, mainly because she saw the hatred Kie had for her. Catching sight of her friend leaning down next to a young girl, she walked over.

"Hey, Sarah Cameron!" she called out while walking over, a dramatic gasp left Sarah's lips as she looked up at her.

"I see you've come to visit, i'll pretend it's not because your moms are currently working with my dad on generators." Sarah said with a giggle as Lila looked down at the little girl.

"Why such sad faces?" she asked while looking between the two, clutching the bag of lunch in her hands.

"She left her elephant on the boat, will you stand with her while I go get it?" Sarah asked as Lila melted, taking the little girls hand as she gave her a smile.

"Hey! There's fourteen thousand volts in those wires!" Sarah's step mother called out from the porch, Lilas mom by her side. When the blonde looked back she caught sight of the three boys standing a few feet behind her. Kelce and Topper stared at Sarah as she performed her reckless and dangerous act, Rafe Cameron not paying any attention to his sister.

He removed the dark sunglasses from his eyes as the shade of blue looked at Lila. His usual arrogant look mixed within a glare, something he'd often do when he saw Lila. It confused her really, how the boy seemed to hate her so badly but took a liking to her the first day they met. She assumed that was before he knew she was living on the other side of the island, the side he seemed to despise. Lila tore her eyes away from him as she focused back on Sarah now, watched her walk slowly through the wires.

"Sarah, be carful!" Topper called out to her, worried and annoyance all at once, the girls footing struggling to keep balance.

"Sarah, get down now!" Rose said as she walked out closer to the dock, Lacey by her side as the woman also gave the middle Cameron a worried look.

"Rose, calm down. I'm an athlete. I got this." Sarah gigged as she waved her off, Lila passing her mom the bag of lunch.

"Just be safe, honey!" Lacey said to her with a sweet tone, worry spreading on her face.

"You're gonna get electrocuted! Get down!" Rose now began to yell at her. Sarah looked up as she began to shimmy her shoulders back and forth ?making Lila laugh.

"Sarah, that's not funny." Topper shook his head at her, shooting Lila a annoyed look.

"That's coming from a guy with the name Topper, you have absolutely no clue what's funny." Lila said to the blonde with a point as she could hear Sarah laugh at her words.

"Rafe, your sisters crazy, man." Kelce spoke as he looked over at his friend then back at the girl.

"I see her!" Sarah called out to the little girl who still held Lila hand. Lila watched as the blonde Kook slowly climbed into the boat that was filled with volts, a slight worry filling setting in as her smile fell. Sarah let out a scream as she fell, Lila letting the little girl's hand go as she ran forward much like everyone else did.

"Sarah! Sarah!" Topper called out to the limb body on the boat before she turned and waved the wire their way with a smile.

"Okay, that was really unnecessary!" Lila called out as she flipped her off quickly.

"It's disconnected!" Sarah laughed as Lila couldn't hold back the small laugh as Kelce laughed as well, pushing their differences aside as he high fived the blonde who was laughing with him.

"Who's funny now, huh? Who's funny now, Top?" Lila asked as she spun around the blonde boy who stood a few feet away from her, a annoyed expression on his face.

"I'll see you around, Norman Bates. Have a good day, Alvin And The Chipmunks." Lila said as she continued to laugh, moving past the three Kook boys after waving to Sarah.

"You're on the wrong side of the island, Lila!" Topper called out to her annoyed.

"Am I?" she asked, pointing toward her mom who was walking away with Rose.

"Think I just became the first half breaded Kook-Pogue this islands ever seen! Whoo!" Lila yelled out, pumping her first in the air as she walked through the house and toward the front door. She heard loud footsteps gaining on her, stopping as she went to turn before she felt a tight grip on her arms as she was spun around and slammed against the door.

Lila flinched at the sudden force, looking up to see who had her in the death grip. Rafe looked down at her, his jaw clinched as his large hands tightening around her biceps harder. Lila hid the shock in her eyes, staring up at him with just the same hard glare.

"Whats this game you're playing, huh? You wanna be a Kook, you wanna be a Pogues. Make up your damn mind." Rafe said down at her, a glare on his face as his words were laced with hatred and angry. Lila stared up at him, refusing to make eye contact as her eyes squinted every few seconds as his hands got tighter around her arms.

"Game? You really wanna talk about games right now? That's coming from a guy that's Daddy pays for everything he does. No everyone gets that luxury." Lila said up toward him, her eyes dancing with adrenaline and annoyance. Rafe pulled his hand back from Lilas left arm, for a moment she thought he was gonna hit her but when his palm leaned on the expensive wooden door right next to her head she held a brave face, refusing to move as she stared up at him.

"Well, that struck a nerve." she said with a small smirk. Rafe stared at her in disbelief, his eyes flicking toward the lila flower behind her ear. He let her arms go, a look of defeat on his face as he took a few steps back.

"Meet me on the dock later tonight." he said, his face holding a scold as Lila scoffed.

"Or what? You gonna drown me like your blonde bestie tried to do my friend?" Lila asked as she crossed her arm, putting her hands on top of the places he'd had her held in moments before.

"I just might." Rafe threatened as he spun on his heels and walked off much like Lila did out the door.

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fill free to drop a few comments if you want, i always get super anxious and insecure about the chapters when i don't get any comments ahah

hope you guys liked this chapter, i definitely enjoy writing about Lila!