─☼☼☼─

𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙍𝙇𝙊𝙏𝙏𝙀 𝙒𝘼𝙎 𝙋𝙍𝙀𝙏𝙏𝙔 sure she had been at Tannyhill more this past week than she had been in almost a year.

But this time, she wasn't pulling up to the large estate to see Rafe. No, this time she was here because she had received a call from Pope. Apparently Sarah had found the much sought out Island Room, and apparently it was at the Cameron residence.

The Island Room was hopefully the first step in them locating the Cross of Santo Domingo, and despite the fact that Charlotte had taken a backseat on the treasure hunting over the past few days, she was excited to get back to work.

She arrived out front of the large house at the same time the Twinkie did. Closing her car door, Charlotte approached the group of them as they came piling out of the van.

"Nice to see you, Charley." John B commented, a slight edge to his tone.

JJ rose his brows, "Yeah, you sure you're here to see us and not your little psychopathic lover?"

Charlotte let out a deep breath, having had expected the berating from them. "His dad just died." She defended, eyes flickering to Sarah for a moment.

"Yeah, so did mine." John B challenged. "I don't remember you sleeping with me."

Heat rose to Charlotte's face as she dropped her jaw in shock. "I am not sleeping with him. I swear to God John B, I will--"

"Okay!" Pope interrupted, stepping between the two of them. Charlotte hadn't even realized how close she had gotten to John B in her anger. "Can we focus on what we're doing here? We're all still friends, alright? Let's leave the drama for later."

Narrowing her eyes at John B, Charlotte finally nodded. "Fine." She agreed.

John B gave her a look that a pouting four year old would. "Fine." He shot back.

"Grow up, John B." Sarah muttered, brushing past him to grab a hold of Charlotte's arm and pull her toward the house.

Clearly, the group was at odds. That much was obvious.

Turning back to look at the rest of the group, Sarah pulled the front door open. "Come on!" She called, "Someone's already been here...we should hurry."

And so they did.

Without anymore arguing, they managed to make it upstairs and into the formal dining room of the Cameron residence.

Charlotte had never spent a lot of time in here. They never usually ate together as a whole family unless it was a holiday or a birthday. She never could have expected that THIS was the Island Room they were in search of.

When they entered, the first thing she noticed was that all the wallpaper had been torn off, the room looking like it was in the middle of a renovation.

They next thing she noticed was what was underneath the wallpaper...it was map.

Her eyes scanned it for a quick moment, picking up on some of the places that were labelled.

"Holy shit." JJ muttered from next to her, everyone else mumbling their awed sentiments. 

"It's a map of the island." Charlotte announced, turning to look at Pope.

JJ nodded, pointing to one of the illustrations of. "Yeah, Charley. I think you're right, 'cause this is Rixon's right here."

He turned to the window, "And then there's the lighthouse."

"Guys, look." Kie called, running her hand over the wall. "Parcel 9 and the well."

That was where their search for the gold had begun. It felt like that was years ago now. So much had changed since then. 

John B spun in a frenzied circle. "So if that's Parcel 9," he pointed across the room, "And that's Rixon's, then that's gotta be the surf break at Mase."

JJ held up a photocopy of Denmark Tanny's journal that Pope had acquired from their history teacher. "Pope, look. That's Demark's handwriting for sure."

"The drawings.." Pope said quietly. "They match up." A delighted smile had broken across his face. "Denmark, you genius! These are all of his drawings. He painted the entire room."

Charlotte continued studying the drawings on the wall. "Yeah, the question is why? What's he trying to tell us."

"It's gotta have something to do with the key, right?" JJ wondered.

"Yeah." Charlotted nodded. "It's gotta be that."

"How'd you know to uncover this?" John B questioned Sarah who was running her hand along the wall. 

She glanced over at him for a moment. "I didn't. It was like this when I got home."

JJ balked for a minute. "What?"

Kiara shook her head. "Well then who did it?"

"The freaks."

The voice didn't come from any of them, and the new arrival caused all of them to jump in surprise. 

Spinning around, they all turned to face the youngest Cameron who was watching them with raised brows.

Charlotte placed a hand over her heart for a moment before speaking. "What freaks are we talking about, Wheeze?"

Wheezie shrugged. "That weird lady and her attack dog."

"When?" Charlotte pressed. "I was here last night."

"Sometime after you left." Wheezie answered. "They-they showed up here and they wanted to talk to Rafe."

Charlotte closed her eyes for a moment, shaking her head. She, like the rest of them, knew exactly who Wheezie was talking about. 

"Pale blond lady?" JJ clarified. 

Wheezie nodded. 

"She have crutches?" Kiara furthered. 

"Yeah." Wheezie answered, slight suspicion creeping into her tone. 

Pope ran a hand over his face. "It's gotta be Limbrey."

"What happened?" John B pressed. 

Wheezie was easily willing to tell them the story. "Well at first they searched the whole house, looking for something, and then Rafe told me to go upstairs, but I didn't wanna miss out so I listened through the vent."

She explained everything she had heard the night prior. From Rafe explaining that they had searched the entire house, to the discovery they had made. 

"...And they were talking about getting across the Sand Flamingo."

Charlotte scrunched up her face at Wheezie's words as JJ threw his arms up. "That's code! That's code for something!" He announced. 

"No it's not." Charlotte declined, Pope quickly agreeing with her. 

"The cross." He clarified. "The Cross of Santo Domingo?"

Wheezie nodded. "Yeah. And, oh, they were talking about like angels. A lot of angel talk. I don't know."

At this point, Charlotte was lost. She had been following up until the angel talk. All she knew is that apparently things were just getting weirder and weirder. 

Pope seemed to think for a moment before something dawned on him, his face lighting up with recognition. "Guys, Denmark's famous last words. He buried the real treasure at the foot of the angel!" He then began looking around. "They're looking for an angel. We have to find the angel in the room."

They didn't need to be told twice. 

Suggestions flew around the room as they all spread out, some of them standing on chairs, some of them down on their hands and knees. At one point, John B ended up on top of the table. 

"Is anyone going to tell me what's going on?" Wheezie called over all of their voices, confusion sweeping her features. 

Inevitably, she was ignored. 

"Charls, give me a boost!" JJ called, trying to get a look at one of the drawings higher up. 

Charlotte wasn't sure why she was the one who had to give him a boost, but for once she didn't argue. 

Cupping her hands, she allowed him to step into them. Hoisting him up slightly, Charlotte let out a small groan. "See anything?" She asked through a grunt. 

JJ fell still in her grasp for a moment, his eyes locked on something on the wall. "Yeah." he said softly, jumping down out of her hands. "I think this is somethin'."

He then turned toward the rest of the group who were still yelling over each other. "Hey, yo, guys! I think we've got something over here."

Charlotte stepped closer, watching as JJ ran his hand over the part of the illustration he could reach. "This humongous tree is still on Goat Island." He announced. "You know what it's called?"

A lightbulb seemed to go off in Charlotte's head as a smile broke across her face. "Angel Oak." She declared, her eyes shifting to meet JJ's. He was grinning, giving her a small nod. 

His finger landed on something up above their head, "Look right there. There's the keyhole."

John B's face fell slightly. "Wait."

"That means, the cross is buried at the foot of the angel." Pope deduced, his face slack in awe. "That must be where he put it...that must be where they are right now! We gotta go right now!"

Pope was already running out of the room as JJ threw his hands up. "I think I'm Sherlock Holmes. You're welcome by the way!"

Charlotte let out a small laugh, giving JJ a pat on the back. "Good job, Sherlock."

─☼☼☼─

"Guys, we're coming up on Freeman's Church." Pope announced as the Twinkie bounded down the dirt road. "That's the church Denmark built for all the slaves he freed."

Charlotte leaned forward, glancing out the front windshield. "That means we're gettin' close."

Nodding, Kiara pointed ahead. "Yeah. There it is─Angel Oak."

With her heart pounding in suspense, Charlotte let out a deep breath. "This shit never gets easier." She muttered. And it was true, no matter how many times they put themselves in these situations, she always felt the same anxiousness. 

Sarah gave her a small smile, signalling that she felt the exact same way. Out of everyone in that vehicle, those two understood each other the best. 

"Shit." John B cursed, the Twinkie slowing down. "Tide's coming in."

Water had begun to seep into the road, creating a muddy mess which was sure to be a bitch to get through. 

"Hey, wait a second." Pope declared. "Look, they already came through here."

Sure enough, there were tire tracks through the mud, ones that had been left in the last hour or so. 

"Those have to be Limbrey's tire tracks." He added, "Guys, we have to go!"

JJ pursed his lips, giving his head a slight shake as he looked over at John B. "What do you think, Chief?"

John B sighed, cocking his head slightly. "I'm thinking it's looking a little dicey."

"I'm gonna have to agree with that statement." JJ affirmed. 

Kiara leaned forward, "Okay, well clearly they made it."

"Well clearly they weren't driving a vehicle that has been around since the second world war." Charlotte argued, earning a glare from John B. 

JJ snorted as he looked back at the eldest Carrera. "Yeah, Charls is kinda right. Two wheel drive is not our friend today."

A quiet laugh fell from Sarah's lips as she shook her head. "Why are y'all acting like you're not gonna do it anyway? Like when have y'all ever done the safe thing?"

All eyes turned to her, no one saying anything in opposition...she was kind of right.

John B and JJ shared a look, both of them contemplating what she said for a moment. "Alright." John B declared, turning back toward the wheel. 

"Speed is your friend here, got it?" JJ instructed, drumming his hands on the dashboard. "So put her down in second and hammer down, brother."

The three girls in the back shared hesitant looks, each of them grabbing onto something in support. 

Pope, who was most determined of them all, leaned forward, sticking himself between the front two seats. "Stick to the high ground in the middle, John B."

John B revved the engine, glancing back at the girls for a moment, "Everyone ready?"

Charlotte clutched onto the handle above her, giving a slight nod. "Read as we'll ever be."

Taking that as he cue to set off, John B slammed his foot into the gas, sending the vehicle lurching forward. 

Kiara let out a curse as JJ started yelling orders that consisted of:

"You're not going fast enough!" 

"Speed is your friend!"

"You're fishtailing already!"

John B had a death grip on the steering wheel, "Yeah, I know!" He shouted, trying to regain control. 

"Not to put anymore pressure on you, but if you don't make it through, we're gonna be stuck here...forever." Pope announced, prompting John B to shove him back into the back. 

As the Twinkie skirted onto solid group, a collective sigh of relief could be heard from the entire group. 

"That's my girl!" JJ cheered, giving the dashboard. 

"Stop right here." Pope instructed, already in the process of getting out of the vehicle as John B slammed on the brakes. 

"Angel Oak is right through there." JJ explained, pulling open the other side of the Twinkie to allow Charlotte to hop out. "And word to the wise," He called to everyone, "Gators nest back here...so keep your eyes peeled. You don't wanna step on a mama gator...that's the last thing you want."

"Great." Charlotte muttered, eyes already scanning the area for signs of danger. 

Kiara looked over at her sister, her face screwed up in distaste. "They have nests?"

"Seems like a good place to park." Sarah added, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

John B and Pope ignored them as JJ shook his head. "Alright, chirp all you want. I'm just sayin', you don't wanna be a Pat Womack. She had her calf chewed off by a gator, right? You know that, right?"

Charlotte shook her head as he turned to look at her with raised brows. "That's actually not true at all." She argued, "Pat Womack was in a car accident."

"I thought it was a shark attack?" Kiara wondered. 

Sarah swatted at a branch that was in her way. "Wasn't it a hiking accident?"

"No." Charlotte assured them, "I'm positive it was a car accident. Her daughter and I used to be in the same dance class."

"Nah." JJ argued, "She definitely got her calf chewed off by a mama gator. I know that for a fact."

He waved them over to the swamp, "They like the brackish water." Pausing, he picked up a large stick. "Wait. Hold on, I see somethin'."

Kiara let out a defeated sigh. "What are you doing?"

JJ ignored her, swatting at the water with his walking stick. Charlotte brought a hand to her forehead, shaking her head in disappointment. This boy was going to be the death of her. 

"Right." Sarah called. "Wake them up. Great idea."

Turning to face his critics, JJ shrugged. "I was just checking to make sure it wasn't a gator, alright? That's all."

Rolling her eyes, Charlotte gave JJ an amused smile. "Our knight in shining armour."

"Alright, I think you're kidding, Charls, but I'm gonna take that as a compliment since I know I'll be the one to save everyone's ass when a gator shows up outta no where." Still holding onto his walking stick, JJ followed after Pope who had already taken off toward the Angel Oak. 

And as much as she didn't really believe most of the things JJ said, she wasn't doubting the fact that there were gators back here. So, without making it too obvious, Charlotte stuck close behind him. 

While there were no gators seen on their short trek, Charlotte received enough musquito bites to keep her itching for a week. 

"God, we shoulda brought bug spray with us." She muttered, swatting at another one that had landed on her forehead. 

JJ turned to face her, "Do you know how Kooky you sound right now?"

Charlotte's face clouded over in offense as she reached out to shove him. "No wanting to get malaria is not being Kooky, JJ. It's being a sane and functioning human being."

"Hey!" Pope whispered from up ahead, "Come here."

With one final exchange of challenging looks between the pair, JJ and Charlotte did as Pope said, quietly making their way toward him with Kiara close behind. 

As they neared, the sound of some sort of machinery met Charlotte's ears, meaning someone else was here. 

"Look." Pope said quietly, pointing toward the Angel Oak. 

Ducking behind the bushes next to Pope, Charlotte surveyed the scene, her eyes quickly landing on the source of the noise.

"Of course they have a fucking excavator." She muttered, shaking her head before shifting her vision. 

This time it landed on one of the people by the tree. 

She would recognize that head of blonde hair any day.

"Not again." She cursed, mostly to herself than anything. But that didn't prevent Pope from hearing her. 

Even when this initially had nothing to do with him, Rafe was somehow on the opposing team once again.

"He's working for them." Pope muttered, his eyes dark. "He's gonna steal the cross, just like his dad stole the gold."

"I don't see shit!" Rafe yelled to Limbrey, her and her lapdog standing by her car. "You sure this is the right spot?"

Limbrey leaned heavily on her crutches. "It's there. The garment will be in the cross and the garment will be at the foot of the tree."

Rafe walked toward the tree, shovel in hand. "Alright, well whatever we find, I get my cut."

Not seeming phased by his words, Limbrey began to ramble on about some garment...that it was the key to some sort of miracle. 

The sound of metal hitting wood cracked through the sky, causing the Pogues to hold their breath as Limbrey began yelling. 

"That's it!" She called, waving her arms to alert the driver of the excavator. "Boys, get in there and dig by hand."

"Fuck." Pope whispered, his hands clutched in a fist, his glued to the scene in front of him. 

Wordlessly, Charlotte placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a look of remorse as Rafe and Renfield lifted what appeared to be a coffin from the ground. 

"They got the cross." JJ whispered, his wild eyes shifting between Pope and John B. "What do we do? What do we do?"

John B placed a hand on JJ's chest in an effort to calm him down, "What can we do?"

"God damnit." JJ muttered, running a hand through his hair as he paced away from where they were standing, frustration emitting off of him. 

With a tight throat, Charlotte watched on as Rafe and Renfield pried open the coffin. Her heart hurt for Pope. This was more than just a treasure hunt for him...this was about his family, about what was taken from them. 

But as the lid was tossed aside, a look of triumph did not cover Carla Limbrey's face, but instead one of utter disappointment. 

"It's just a corpse." Rafe declared, a dismissive look covering his face. "Of course it's just a fucking dead body. Jesus!"

"No." Limbrey cried, pushing herself slowly to her feet. "It's not over─we just─we have the wrong place. We're going back to the Island Room! We're going back!"

This was far from over. 

─☼☼☼─