"Haunted." Lila spoke as they walked into the church, her being the first as she looked at the extremely old interior, "Should we stay the night?"

"Are you crazy?" Kie asked her in disbelief.

"Okay, you're telling me Denmark Tanny decided to hide the cross here?" JJ spoke up as he looked around.

"Everybody, just spread out." Kie encouraged, looking at Lila as she filmed the place, "To look for the cross."

Lila gave a frown, turning off her camera as she looked up at the tall ceilings.

"Okay, well, if I was a cross and wanted to be hidden in an old church, where would I hide?" John B spoke as they all looked around for any search of the hidden, seven foot cross.

"I wouldn't hide in a church if I was a cross." Lila said as she walked by his side, "I'd hide in a old bunker with other crosses so i'll blend it."

"Very smart move of you." John B nodded.

"Are you sure that Denmark hid the cross here, Pope?" JJ spoke up in questioning, "Like, are we at the right church?"

"It's gotta be here somewhere, guys." Pope shook his head, standing at the alter.

"What if we have to push a secret button or, like, okay, like a..a certain chord, and then all of a sudden, the ground beneath us reveals the catacombs or something on which we stand?" JJ spoke up as he looked down at the ground, standing near the piano.

"Sounds like a ghost story." Lila said honestly as she got down on her stomach, ear to the floor. She knocked on the wood, "Doesn't echo or anything."

"Lila, it's wood." Kie said her way.

"How about we try and find obvious clues, Watson and Sherlock?" John B asked the pair as Lila crawled off the floor.

"It's not an escape room." Kie rolled her eyes.

"Well neither was National Treasure, Kiara." Lila said back, mocking her eye roll.

"It's gotta be in here!" Pope snapped suddenly.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." JJ rose his hands in defense.

"I can't see where they'd hide a giant cross here." John B said, taking note of the lack of hiding spots around them.

"No, no. There's no way he would set us up on a freaking goose chase that would lead us to a church that has nothing." Pope stressed as he threw his arms around, eyes wide.

"Yes, I get it. I don't know what to tell you, man." John B shook his head.

"The clues led us here. The cross is in this church." Pope repeated as if he was talking to a three year old.

"Pope, it'll be all right." John B stated as Pope threw himself onto one of the benches, "We've had setbacks in the past, and we figured it out."

"What if we just have to use a different type of vision? Like, obviously it's not gonna be right infront of us." Lila said as she hoped to ease Popes stress and panic, "Try looking in a different aspect."

"What? You have some special contacts you wanna whip out?" JJ asked with a raise of his eyebrows.

"We've just gotta think about this logically, all right?" John B took on his role as calming them down, "Where else would you hide a seven-foot-tall cross made of gold?"

Pope lowered the eyeglass, staring up at the ceiling.

"What?" JJ asked as Pope stood up.

They followed his gaze to, what appeared to just be part of the wood built on the ceiling. With a harder look, it had been clear it was shaped as crosses.

"Oh my god. Look at that." Kie gapped.

"Looking in a new sight." JJ smiled over at Lila, "You're a genius."

"Want me to crawl up there?" Lila asked Pope.

"Says the girl who falls over her own ankles and once came over the staircase." Sarah said as Lila looked back at her, "Yes, I remember."

"I'm sorry, what?"John B asked with a odd look.

"I flew over the staircase running down their stairs once." Lila shook her head, watching as Pope climbed up on the side of the wall.

"Hey, no!" JJ shouted at him.

"Now Pope's climbing the wall." John B voiced as Lila videoed it, "How's that for a voiceover?"

"Lovely." Lila nodded, "Pope, don't fall, man."

"Yo! This church's got to be at least two hundred years old." JJ called as Pope crawled to the top.

"He's right, Pope. It's too dangerous." John B added in.

"Pope!" Kie yelled out.

"If you fall, try falling feet first, best chance at survival." Lila called up to him, zooming in on her camera.

"Lila." Sarah scolded her.

"All right, this ones solid wood." Pope said as he hit one of the ceiling post, "I'm gonna try the other beam."

"If you die, can I have your room?" Lila called up to him.

"Pope, that's rotten as shit right there, okay?" JJ spoke up.

Pope knocked on the next post.

"Pope, I hate to break it to you, but that's wood." JJ scratched the back of his neck.

"It has to be here. I know it." Pope spoke as he rose to his feet on the beam.

"Pope, don't d-" Lila began, stopped as Pope walked around the post in the middle, "All right, never mind."

"Bro, just watch out for that giant wasp nest right above your head." JJ called out to him, taking notice.

"Just move slow, all right? Nice and easy." John B added in.

"Like a tortoise." Lila called as Pope stepped, wood dripping down on them.

"Woah, hey!" JJ hollered out.

"God!" Sarah huffed.

"Look." Pope gasped as he looked at the post, "It's hallow. Go get me a crowbar!"

"What are you gonna do, Pope?" JJ asked as Sarah hurried toward the twinkie, "I don't want this entire church to collapse on top of us. Lila doesn't even know how to surf yet."

"Hey. Pope." Sarah called as she walked back in with the crow bar.

"Throw it." he encouraged.

"Everybody watch your head." John B said as they all back up, Sarah standing under Pope as she tossed it up, Pope catching it.

"Right on." Lila grinned, zooming in, "You feel any spiritual presence up there?"

"Not yet." Pope called back.

"Pope, there's the wasp nest right up there, okay?" John B pointed by Popes head, "Just move slow, all right?"

Pope began hitting the wood with the cross bar, wood falling down toward them.

"What is that?" Sarah questioned as they noticed something was inside of the wood.

"Holy hell!" Lila gasped when she saw the gold of the cross.

"It's here." Sarah gasped.

"You did it, bubby." JJ grinned up at him.

"What is that?" Sarah laughed.

"Pope! Your family is so proud, man!" Lila called up to him with a bright smile.

"Holy shit!" Kie cheered with a laugh.

"We did it!" JJ yelled as he wrapped his arms around John B.

"Ah!" Pope yelled as his shock wore off at the sight of the cross.

"Pope, dude, i'm so proud of you!" Lila cheered up at him.

"We did it! We did it!" Pope called down to them with a huge smile across his face, "Okay, they're stringing now. Ow!"

The crow bar came down, Lila pulled JJ aside to avoid it fitting him. Pope began hitting his skin, the wasp swarming him in harsh bites. Pope suddenly lost his balance, falling over the side and holding onto the wood for dear life.

"Hold on, Pope!" Kie yelled in a panic.

"Cushions!" Sarah yelled as they all spread out, moving things and grabbing all the cushions.

"I can't hold on!" Pope called.

"Just a few seconds!" Lila tried to reassure him.

"I'm slipping!" Pope hollered as they stacked the cushions under him, his hand letting go as he plummeted done onto the cushions.

"Pope, are you okay?" Kie asked as they all hurried to help him up.

Popes eyes went wide as he stared directly above him, rolling over quickly as they all backed up. The golden cross fell down, hitting the cushions suddenly as they all barely got out of the way.

"My life!" Lila gasped as she put a hand on her heart, "It straight up just flashed before my eyes! I mean, I saw everything."

"Pope, are you okay?" Kie repeated as JJ went to his side.

"Yeah, i'm good. Just give me, like, one second to, like, catch my breath." Pope breathed heavy on the floor. Lila rubbed his head, siting next to him.

"You did it, Pope." John B gushed as they all looked mesmerized by the cross.

"Pope, she's beautiful." JJ gasped as he looked over it.

"Look at those details." Lila spoke as she crawled over, studying the little details, "All gold. All of it."

"I've never seen anything like it." Sarah laughed.

"Well, here's why Limbrey wanted that key so bad." John B said as he looked at the key hole.

"Her witchcraft scarf." Lila nodded as she looked at it.

"How much you think she's worth? Like, if we melted her old bones down, dude, i'm talking like high billions." JJ spoke quickly as his excitement got the very best of him.

"No, this belongs in a museum." John B stopped him.

"Wait, it's Popes, Pope gets to decide." Lila stopped them both.

"So no one sees her?" JJ asked John B in disbelief.

"In a museum where everybody sees it." John B shook his head.

"Are you kidding?" JJ asked.

"Hey! It's my ancestors cross." Pope cut them both short.

"Right, okay. All right, all right." JJ nodded.

"This is bigger then money, and the worlds gotta know the truth." Pope breathed heavy as he gripped the base of the bench.

"Yes. And if we don't get this shit out of here before Limbrey gets here, nobody's gonna know. So saddle up." John B announced.

"Yeah, I'd rather not deal with Rafe right now." Lila said honestly.

"Okay, me neither." JJ nodded as they all grabbed different sides of the cross, "John B, you're gonna pull, all right? Pull down."

"I'm gonna pull down. You guys pull up. Ready? One, two, three." John B spoke as the six all attempted to move the cross, lifting and pulling as hard as they could.

"Who's not lifting right now?" JJ spoke up as they all carried a heavy weight, moving it a few feet forward.

"Okay, guys. I can't, I can't." Pope said quickly as began to lower.

"No, no, no, no!"

"Pope! Hang in there! No, no, no."

They all dropped it when Pope let his side go, the cross falling back on the floor.

"Damn it, yo! You almost dropped it on my foot!" JJ shouted at Sarah suddenly.

"Cause i'm the only one lifting it!" Sarah defended herself.

"Okay, okay, okay! Listen, we'll make like a sling, like a little-" John B began trying to reason.

"Yeah, and then we put it on the tail hitch." JJ nodded alongside him.

"Guys! I'm not okay. I'm not okay." Pope announced as he clutched his chest.

"Shit, Pope!" Lila panicked as she went to his side, grabbing his hand, "His whole body is swelling up. Guys, seriously!"

"You don't look too good bro." JJ said as they crowded him in a panic.

"I can't-" Pope began gasping for air.

"He's having an allergic reaction." Kie concluded.

Pope suddenly collapsed.

"His air way, his air way." Lila said quickly, "We gotta get him outta here right now."

"JJ, try and hide it." John B said, referring to the cross as they all lifted Pope off his feet.

"Y'all, grab his feet, elevate them." Lila spoke quickly, remember the medical classes she took with her church back in the village. Sarah listened, raising Popes feet high as they hurried toward the truck.

"JJ! We gotta go!" Kie called out as JJ ran out of the church.

"Pope, what do you need, buddy?" JJ called out to him in a panic. Pope began hitting his arm.

"A shot, like a epinephrine!" Lila spoke fast, getting in the back with Pope and elevating his feet on the seat.

"I know where to go! Give me the keys!" JJ yelled toward Kie.

"They're in the ignition!" Kie yelled as JJ jumped in.

"JJ, hurry!" Lila said quickly as she tried to get any form of air on Pope, keeping her hand on his pulse.

"Hang on, Pope! We're going!" JJ called as he stepped on the gas.

•

kylie speaks

nothing too interesting
going on here but we get to
see a bit of lila struggling
from ptsd next chapter.

all i can say is s2 comment
section is so much better then
s1 comment section, like everyone was so insensitive in
the first half of this book so ig
the lack of manipulation in
part two made everyone shut
up or something but i'm just
glad it's better in part two bc
i love this book and i love the
comments now and there was
so many times i thought about
discontinuing and deleted this
one bc of people in part one.