─☼☼☼─

"You have one new message."

Message received today at 11:03am

I'm at your favourite spot, Lottie, and I can't help but think about how much fun we had here. It's not as beautiful without you here, but it's still something...I think we should move here. My dad, he just showed me something that I think will change our lives. You can drop out of school if you want, open that restaurant you've always dreamed of. We can buy a house here, get married. We can have it all. 

But we can't do that if you never talk to me again, so I don't know...call me or text me. Whatever you want. I'll be waiting for you. 

─☼☼☼─

𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙈𝙀𝙎𝙎𝘼𝙂𝙀 𝙋𝙇𝘼𝙔𝙀𝘿 repeatedly as Charlotte opened her closet, riffling through it for a change of clothes. 

Rafe's voice filled her bedroom as she absentmindedly analyzed what he said in his latest voicemail. 

She knew where he was...and exactly what he was talking about. 

The gold was in the Bahamas. 

Hope had sparked back into Charlotte's defeated heart. John B and Sarah were there. If she could get a hold of them, maybe they could get the gold. Maybe all of this wasn't for nothing. 

But that currently fell number two on her list of priorities. 

Number one was a task that had just been relayed to her by Kiara. Apparently Pope had received a letter at school today from someone by the name of Limbrey. Whoever it was, their envelope seal was that of the wheat emblem present on the gold. 

Charlotte had yet to see the letter, but according to Kie's rushed babble over the phone ten minutes earlier, this Limbrey person had material evidence that could exonerate John B. 

There was no hesitation, they were going to Charleston. 

If they could clear John B's name, then Charlotte could tell him about the gold. He could take it back, and then he could come home. Or go wherever the hell he wanted. This was the break they had been needing. 

A small smile came to Charlotte's face as she pressed the number one on her phone, repeating Rafe's message for the tenth time. She needed to hear his voice. Because she feared that in a matter of days, the only way she would be able to speak to him was through prison glass. 

It was always evident to her that clearing John B meant put Rafe at the top of the suspect list. But perhaps it didn't have to be like that. Perhaps there was someone more likened for the crime, and perhaps Charlotte could lead the cops straight to him. 

Charlotte had just finished zipping up her backpack as he door flung open, Kiara standing there, out of breath with her own backpack flung over her shoulders. "You ready?"

Nodding, Charlotte picked up her phone, clicking out of Rafe's message finally. "Yeah. All good."

Kiara nodded toward Charlotte's phone. "Who was that?"

"No one." The eldest of the two answered with a shrug. She decided she would fill the rest of them in about Rafe and the gold on their eight hour drive. It didn't need to be done now. 

Flinging her bag over her shoulder, Charlotte walked toward her bedroom door, ushering Kiara into the hallway. "Did you talk to mom and dad yet?" 

"No." Kie muttered, a nervous teeter to her voice. "That's next on the agenda. I'm hoping that since you're coming, they won't freak out as bad."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Charlotte argued as the made their way downstairs. "They don't trust me like they used to."

And it was the truth. For the last three weeks, Mike and Anna Carrera had watched their first-born daughter like she was going to break at any moment. Gone were the days of their perfect golden child. She didn't smile like she used to, didn't spend her days lounging at the Island Club with her Kook friends and her Kook boyfriend. Charlotte Carrera had become a whole new person, and they weren't entirely sure how to handle it. 

Her mother had taken it the hardest, and that much was obvious. 

Charlotte had once been the perfect example of what Anna had wanted growing up; dating the Prince of Kooks, beautiful, kind, well-liked. 

But now she was throwing it all away for what seemed to be a chaos-filled life on the Cut. 

Anna had accepted Kiara for who she was. Rarely raising concern with how the youngest Carrera liked to live her life. But having both of her daughters succumb to the Pogue life...that was too much to handle at times.

Looking at her two daughters now as the stood on the porch, Anna knew they were up to no good. "Where are you two going?" 

Charlotte and Kiara shared a nervous look. Pope and JJ were waiting in Heyward's truck in the driveway, and no doubt Anna had already seen them. There was no point in lying. 

Letting out a deep breath, Kie gave their parents a sheepish look. "Charleston."

An incredulous laugh fell from Anna's lips. "Pardon me?"

"Look mom, I know it sounds crazy, but we have to do this. We think there's something there that can help us clear John B's name. We'll be back by tomorrow night, and I'll make sure nothing goes wrong. We're going to find a decent motel for the night and will leave first thing tomorrow morning. " Charlotte's words came out rushed and pleading, as if trying to cover every opposition her mother was about to throw at them. 

The motel bit was a lie, she didn't really know where they were going to end up tonight. Full honestly, they could end up dead, killed by this mysterious letter-sender. But she didn't tell her mother that. 

Kiara was nodding along with her sister's words, hooking her hands under in chin in a begging manner. 

Anna looked back to Mike who was watching his daughter's with wide brows. A silent conversation flowed between the couple for a moment. When she turned back to her daughters, she was shaking her head. "No."

"What?" The words flew from Kiara's lips instantly. "Mom, did you not listen to a thing Charley jut said?"

"I listened." Anna assured. "But I'm sorry, you're not going to Charleston on a school night."

"I don't have school tomorrow." Charlotte pointed out. If both of them couldn't go, maybe one of them could. 

"You have work." Mike argued, speaking for the first time. "You've missed enough shifts already."

And he was right. For the past two weeks, Charlotte missed numerous shifts, too defeated to even get out of bed. But this was just one more...and this was important. 

Her reply was instantaneous, as if she had been expecting this push back from her parents. "Liv is going to cover for me." 

Technically she hadn't actually asked Liv yet, but she was sure she would say yes. 

Mike shook his head. "Olivia has already picked up enough of your slack, Charlotte." 

"Well then Olivia could have said no, couldn't she have?"

The attitude from their eldest daughter was unusual, and it was un-welcomed. "Charlotte, sweetie, I know things have been hard because of what happened with Kensington, but don't do this." Anna pleaded. 

"Do what?" Kiara challenged. "What is she doing that's so horrible? Being a Pogue?"

Her words hung in the air as Anna dropped her head for a moment. "This isn't your sister, Kiara and you know it."

"I'm standing right here, mom. And I'm sick of this conversation." Charlotte snapped. "This is me, okay? And I'm going to Charleston. I'm nineteen years old, I can make my own decisions."

Anna met her daughter's eyes with a cool glare. "Not while you're under my roof." She gritted out. "Either you go back to college or you play by my rules...that was the agreement."

Not breaking her mother's hardened gaze, Charlotte gripped onto the strap of her bag. "I'll be back tomorrow." She promised, eyes finally moving toward her sister who was giving her a small nod.

Charlotte knew there was no way in hell Kie wasn't coming. But she wasn't going to sit around and listen to the fallout that would come because of it. 

"Fine." Anna snapped, knowing she really couldn't control her oldest like she could her youngest. "You can go Charlotte. Kiara, you're staying here."

"Why!?" Kie cried. "This is my chance to finally clear John B's name!"

Mike's voice boomed across the porch as Charlotte turned, gritting her teeth at her father's words. He was bringing up the painful─but false─ fact that John B was dead. 

Her parents' and sister's argument continued behind her as she descended the steps, rushing into Pope's truck where he and JJ were watching her with raised brows. 

"Where's Kie?" Pope wondered as she slid into the back seat next to JJ. 

"She's coming." Charlotte muttered, throwing her bag onto the ground between her and JJ. "It's not going well. I needed to get out of there."

JJ looked to her with surprise. "They let you come with no argument?" 

"No." Charlotte answered. "Not really. But I'm an adult, there's not much they can do."

As if on cue, Kiara, Mike, and Anna came into view on the porch. The latter two following after the former, each of them with angry expressions. 

"Looks like they're taking it really well." JJ muttered, shooting Charlotte a goofy grin. 

"You have no idea." She muttered, reaching over to do up her seatbelt. 

At this point, they were yelling something about boarding school. A pit formed in Charlotte's stomach at their words...they weren't actually going to send her sister away, were they?

"I'm not going to boarding school!" Kie shrieked as she hurried down the steps, barely turning to look at her parents. "They're not my people!"

"Look at your life right now!" Mike yelled, exasperation in his tone. It was evident that all he ever wanted was what was best for his daughters, but they didn't really make that easy on him. Especially not of late. 

JJ let out a low whistled as he threw open his door. Before Charlotte had a chance to stop him, he was stepping onto the driveway, throwing up his hand in greeting. "Nice to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Carrera!"

"Get back in the truck!" Charlotte snapped, motioning aggressively. "You're only going to piss them off more."

JJ shot her a look of offense as she slid back into the seat next to her. "Your parents love me."

She let out a snort. "They absolutely do not."

Pope leaned out his window slightly. "Hi, uh, ma'am, sir, I promise to have them both back safe and by a reasonable hour."

Kie shook her head from where she stood next to the passenger side door. "What are you doing?"

Anna ignored both Pope and JJ's greetings. "Kiara, listen to me. You can go to Charleston. But if you are not back when you are supposed to be, don't bother coming back at all!"

The threat wasn't directed at her, but Charlotte felt her heart dip slightly at her mother's words, but mostly her tone. She was serious. 

"She's bluffin'" JJ muttered as Kiara dipped into the passenger seat. 

"No." Charlotte shook her head, eyes focused on her mother's angry expression. "She's not."

Kiara leaned her head on the head rest, letting out an exhausted sigh. "This shit...would be so much easier without parents."