─☼☼☼─

𝙈𝘼𝙔𝘽𝙀 𝙄𝙏 𝙒𝘼𝙎 because she predominantly grew up on the Figure Eight. Maybe it was because she was best known to take the path of least resistance. Maybe it was because Charlotte Carrera hated putting herself in dangerous situations. 

Whichever it was, she could say with confidence that this might have been the most scared she had been in her entire life. 

Her heart hammered in her chest as she held a hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her rapid breathing. 

Five minutes ago, the two men who had chased her friends and sister the day before, the ones who had shot at Miss. Lana, the "burly" ones, had arrived at the Chateau and burst in in a rage. 

From Big John's office, the kids could hear the men screaming for "Routledge", digging through drawers and knocking over anything in their way. 

They had found the office door, and had began breaking it down just as Pope and JJ finally managed to pry open the window. 

Now, the five of them sat huddled in the chicken coop, their breathing ragged and laboured as they tried to stay as silent as possible. 

One problem, though. The rooster, the one that Pope had complained about earlier, would not shut up. 

Charlotte's eyes darted between the rooster and the house where the two men had just exited from...they were going to find them. 

"Shut him up!" JJ snapped through gritted teeth. 

The two men were now loading boxes into their truck. Whatever they had found in Big John's office, apparently it had been of importance. 

"What do you want me to do?" Pope whispered, his eyes darting between the rooster and JJ. 

Kie looked like she was ready to break down in tears. "Pet it, or talk to it, or something. I don't know!"

Charlotte shoved herself further into JJ as one of the men turned toward the coop, his face clouding in intrigue. 

"He's coming." She whispered, her voice shaking viciously. 

In a split second, JJ had pulled himself away from Charlotte and toward the chicken, wrapping his hands around the animal's neck. 

"Oh my God." Charlotte whispered, her stomach lurching as JJ drove the bird into the ground, effectively breaking its neck. 

The noise stopped, and all that could be heard were the quiet cries coming from Kiara. 

Charlotte pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to stop herself from making any noise as she adverted her eyes away from the dead rooster. 

"Ratter!" A voice called. "What the hell are you doing? Let's go man!"

JJ released his grip on the animal, his face tight with discomfort as he settled back into his spot next to Charlotte. 

Soon enough, the sound of the truck starting up filled the air, causing all five teenagers to let out the smallest sighs of relief. 

They were out of the clear ─ for now. 

As soon as they were sure the two men were gone, Charlotte look around at the others, her heart still hammering in her chest, warm tears in her eyes. "What the fuck just happened?"

─☼☼☼─

Charlotte was just about to her breaking point with this whole treasure hunt bullshit. 

It had been one thing when it was a slightly illegal activity, but now that it seemed to be highly illegal and dangerous, she wanted out. 

She didn't express her concerns to the group just yet. Because mere minutes after almost being killed by the two "burly" men, the five of them were in The Twinkie, headed toward ─ well actually Charlotte had absolutely no idea where they were going. 

"I mean, it's obvious, right?" John B wondered. "A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message? He had to know it was going to get back to me, right?"

Pope was dangling the compass in front of his face as JJ and Charlotte engaged in their fifth round of a thumb wrestle. 

Charlotte pulled her hand away from JJ, her eyebrows rising slightly at John B's words. A certain heaviness settled in the air as they all looked toward him. 

Kiara, who seemed to be John B's biggest supporter at the moment, nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's possible."

Pope dropped the compass into his hand. "It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know, deal with all the sad feels?"

"Bro, you know how I deal with my sad feels. Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it."

Charlotte shot JJ a look to which he simply grinned back at her. 

John B turned his head from the road slightly. "Look, I'm not concocting okay? My dad is trying to give me a message."

"If it helps you believe, John B─"

He quickly cut Kiara off. "─Look, I-I don't need a therapy session, okay? I'm not trippin' out."

JJ let out a breath through his nose. "It's okay to trip bro─"

"Look, my dad is missing!" John B snapped. "Missing. You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just wake up everyone morning wondering."

Everyone had fallen silent until Kie spoke up. "It's been almost a year."

"Hey," JJ called. "He could have been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility." His attempt at making John B feel better was absolutely horrible, but Charlotte appreciated the effort.

Pope nodded in agreement. "Yeah. He could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere."

"Absolutely." JJ fuelled. "Or Atlantis."

Charlotte rolled her eyes as she looked between the two of them. "That's awesome, guys. Really helpful."

Kiara wore a similar expression as her sister as she turned to John B. "Look, what do you think the message is?"

"Redfield. Redfield Lighthouse. My dad's favourite place."

A low sigh fell from Charlotte's lips as she leaned forward, eyes casting over the lighthouse that they were currently pulling up to.

"And the plot thickens."

JJ shot her a grin as The Twinkie came to a stop. 

As Pope slid the doors open, Charlotte jumped out and looked toward the structure. "Kinda creepy."

John B ignored her, and turned toward JJ. "Okay. Here's what's gonna happen. You're gonna post up and look for bogeys, alright?"

"Wait..why me?"

Pope gave JJ an exasperated look. "Because you're not coming."

"Why!"

"There are independent and dependent variables. And you're an independent variable. We don't know what you're gonna do ─"

"Shut up!" JJ argued.

John B tore his hat off in frustration as the two Carrera sisters watched on with raised brows. "Just listen to me for a second! Pope and Charley, you're gonna stand lookout with JJ, okay?"

At the news that Charlotte would be joining him, JJ turned to her with an excited smile. Looks like his mood had changed. 

"If we get split up, we meet back at JJ's house. Sound good?"

Everyone shared quick looks before nodding. "Guess so."

"Be careful." Charlotte ordered her younger sister as Pope rambled on about working on some essay and avoiding felonies. "I mean it."

Kiara nodded, a small smile coming to her face. "Always am."

─☼☼☼─

"You know what I wanna know?" Charlotte spoke as she kicked a hackey sack back in JJ's direction. "This is all about the Royal Merchant, right?"

Pope nodded as the hackey sack was passed in his direction. "Most likely. Yeah."

"Do you think Big John found the gold? Maybe that's what all of this is about."

JJ scoffed. "Come on, Charley. Please don't tell me you believe all that crap."

She allowed the hackey sack to drop at her feet as she placed her hands on hips. "It's not crap, JJ. It's history. Facts."

"You really think that there's just a bunch of gold chilling in the bottom of the ocean right now?"

Picking the sack up once again, Charlotte shrugged. "Think about it. There's no way it was stolen by any enemy ships right after the wreck, that surely would have been documented. And if it had been discovered since, someone would know about it, right? So that must mean it's still out there somewhere."

"There's proof that it existed, right?" She continued. "Denmark Tanny─ you know who he is right?"

"Yes."

"Not really."

Pope and JJ's answers came simultaneously, and Charlotte chose to ignore JJ's response. 

"He documented the fact that the gold was on board ─ it was there. So maybe it still is."

JJ regarded her with a curious expression. "What, you need the gold to pay for college or something?"

Charlotte sucked in her cheeks, trying not to give him too strong of a reaction. "Don't be a dick, JJ.  I just think all of this is interesting, all right? Maybe Big John wasn't as crazy as everyone made him out to be. I mean, that would be awesome, right? If John be could solve the mystery his father lived and ─" 

She cut herself off, not wanting to day the d-i-e word. 

"I think it would be good for him." She finally concluded. "But there has to be an easier way than almost getting murdered. I think you guys need to be careful."

"'You guys' ?" Pope repeated with a furrowed brow. "What about you."

The Carrera girl gave him a small smile as she kicked the hackey sack back at JJ. "This was never my adventure. I'll help with what I can, but Kie only ever invited me to make me feel better."

JJ shot her a glance, his eyes narrowed slightly. "You're just gonna run back to your Kook friends, now? Back to your Country Club and AC? C'mon Charley, we were just getting you back."

"I'm not abandoning you guys." Charlotte assured, trying to keep her voice even. 

"You're in this." Pope reminded. "Whatever happens. Even if you're not there every step of the way ─ you're apart of this. And I don't mean we're gonna give your name to the cops if anything ever goes awry. I mean that you get the glory if everything goes according to plan."

Charlotte smiled, a genuine one. "That's really sweet Pope. But I don't want the glory. I just want to help you guys. To help John B."

"And for the record," She started, spinning on JJ. "You never lost me. Even if I wasn't around as much, I thought about you guys all the time. You're my little bros...how could I not?"

JJ tried to keep his face clouded in disappointment, but one poke in the ribs from Charlotte caused him to break his shadowy composure ─ his face giving way to a smile. "Please do not ever refer to us as your 'little bros' ever again."

A small laugh had fallen from Charlotte's lips just as another noise sounded off into the hazy afternoon sky ─ sirens. 

"Shit!" JJ cursed, bending down to pick up the hackey sack just as Charlotte turned and saw the police cruiser making its way down the drive. "We gotta go!"

Rushing toward the van, Charlotte tripped over a rock and tumbled into Pope who then proceeded to tumble into JJ. 

"Really, Char!?" JJ scrutinized as Pope hauled her up. 

"I tripped!" She argued, ignoring the stinging cuts on her elbow and knee cap as she all but threw herself into the vehicle. 

"Drive, JJ! Drive!"

Pope let out a laboured breath as he leaned against the seats in the back, Charlotte doing the same from the front as JJ peeled onto the road. 

"What about Kie and John B?" Charlotte wondered, casting a glance over her shoulder at the lighthouse where they had just left her sister and friend. "Shouldn't we pull over and wait for them?"

"And all get arrested?" JJ clarified as he stepped on the gas. "Bad idea, Char. John B said if we get split up to meet back at my house."

Charlotte turned back toward the road, pressing the butt of her hands into her eyes. "Just take me to The Wreck." She ordered, her breathing finally slowing. 

"What-what no, Char. We need to reconvene. Rally the troops. Start anew." JJ argued, looking over at her form the driver's seat. 

"No." She argued, pulling her hands away to look at him. "I need to go home. We could have just gotten arrested, JJ. Need I remind you two that I'm a legal adult? If we get busted for something I'm not going to juvy like the rest of you. No, I'm headed straight to the big show where I'll probably get my toes cut off or something."

JJ and Pope shared a confused look at the older girl's words. 

"Prison Break?" She offered as if it were obvious. "You know, what ─ never mind. The point is, I cannot get busted. I get a record. I get kicked out of college. My parents resent me and then I'm out on the streets for the rest of eternity."

Pope snorted. "You and Rafe would really be the perfect couple then."

Charlotte glare was enough to scare a grown man. "Real nice, Pope."

JJ took a hand off the wheel to place it on her shoulder. "Charley, relax. We didn't get arrested, did we? Nor did we get hurt in any capacity. We're all fine."

"I'm not fine!" 

Charlotte's outburst scared everyone in the car, including her. 

"Look," She breathed, running a hand through her hair. "I just need to spend a little bit of time not chasing treasure. Just give me a few days to get my shit together and then maybe ─ maybe ─ I can 'start anew.'" She mocked JJ's statement from earlier. 

The two boys shared a look, neither of them wanting to piss her off any further. Finally, JJ sighed and turned onto the road that led to Charlotte's parents' restaurant. "Fine."

The truth was, Charlotte loved spending time with the Pogues , but this was getting a bit too much for her all at once. She had come home from college expecting to recharge after a particularly grueling year ─ not run from the police and look for lost treasure. 

Maybe in a few days she would change her mind...but right now, right now she needed to go back to the Figure Eight where her biggest concern was whether she should or a piña colada or a daiquiri at the country club. 

─☼☼☼─