The salty smell from the cracked windows was something Aria was fairly use to. What she wasn't use to was her father leaving in the middle of the night while it rained heavily from the outside. He always hated the rain, bad memories from his childhood he'd always told her. Aria was opposite of him, though she usually was, the rain was something that comforted her in some weird, sick way.

The way it bounced off the walls of the tiny, two bedroom shack. The leak in the ceiling made a clicking noise, almost confusing her for a pen. The floor boards creaked under Arias feet as she walked into the kitchen, her heart hammering as she shut the open window. The water poured into the tiny house like a waterfall, causing Aria to hurry and clean it before her father got home. She always had a bad habit of forgetting to close windows when the sun set out across the water.

When Gage returned, Aria knew the look all too well. She'd only ever known she'd father, spending all her time with him, looking up to the things he did, wanting to be just as he was. She knew his looks, and she was well aware what the certain one he held meant, "Another one, was it?"

Gage didn't explained her to be sitting in the dark kitchen, "Jesus christ, you almost gave me a damn heart attack."

Aria turned the shitty, dim lights on, staring over at him. The old band tee shirt, that she didn't even listen too but thrifted for cheap, hung loose around her. When she crossed her arms, it bunched up a little and showed off the tattoo across her upper thigh. If you stared long enough, and you absolutely would, you could see it was a little light house, "You know the guy?"

"Nah, not really." her father said back, walking into the small laundry room area to rid his wet clothes, "Just a pilot."

Aria hesitated, glancing slightly over her shoulder toward the laundry room, because she knew the whole story, because Ward had panicked and called Gage any time anything bad happened, "To keep Rafe safe?"

Aria and Rafe were once friends, childhood best friend with innocent souls and sand box stories. They lasted up until Gage was arrested and Arias family life was blasted across the island faster then she could pack her bags off Figure Eights and live on The Cut. They never spoke after that, yet Aria knew everything that happened due to his daddy's big mouth and soft spot for her own father.

"Aria." Gage warned from inside the laundry room, "Go back to bed."

And she did. Because the last thing she wanted was a slap across the face after her own father just helped cover yet another murder.

"Gold? Like, literal gold?" Aria asked the next morning, pulling the red flannel on better as she hurried after her father, "Like, some Figure Eights shit?"

"Aria." Gage said, looking over his shoulder at his daughter, "Lower your voice."

"Sorry." she gave a whisper, "Gold?"

He huffed, getting into the car as she got in close after, "Do you want to screw this up for us?"

"No." she defended herself quickly.

"Then shut your mouth." he warned, staring up the car. It took a moment, due to how desperate it was for a oil change and low she was on gas, "We do this, we're set for life. We leave, get your mother back."

Gage always did think somehow Jade would come back. Maybe if he had enough money, pretended to be a good father, stayed out of jail, stayed sober. Non he actually had or did, but he wondered if that would bring her back. He stayed off social media, which Aria was thankful for. But she hadn't much, she was well aware her mother was married to Denny Maybank and they were living their lives up in Dayton Ohio. Aria tried not to think of her mother, especially when she had to live with her own mistakes that she didn't ask for.

"What did you say to Ward?" Aria asked, knowing there was no way possible they would just be offered gold.

"I didn't say anything to Ward." he snapped at her defensively. Aria knew it had been a lie, she knew Ward Cameron too well, "He just needs my help with something and that's how he is repaying me. You should be more great full."

"I so am." Aria nodded, bouncing her knee in the car as she looked out the cracked window, "But you never involve me in any of this."

"Well, i'm gonna need you, Ar." he nodded some what, keeping his eyes on the road. Arias heart swelled at her fathers words, wanting to smile but she knew he'd get mad if he caught her being soft, "You can handle that, can't you?"

Aria grinned as she looked out the window, "Yes, sir."

Rafe, backwards black hat and all, was pretty excited to join his dad in the Bahamas. Of course, he figured it was gonna be just the two of them, a chance for him to show he had his dads back and would do anything for him. But as he came down the stairs and heard the clanging of glasses and the ice maker, he was met with Aria in his kitchen. Rafe had seen Aria a few times since she headed off toward The Cut, they never talked any though.

She didn't look too different, though she was lacking her prada sweaters and northface jackets. Aria had always stood a bit shorter then her friends had, a side effect from her mother taking cocaine while she was pregnant. But to make up for it, she wore a pair of combat boots that pushed her up a good two inches, a height enhancer in the heel of her shoe for a extra one and a half. Her hair was long and hung around her shoulders nicely, they complimented the pair of round eyes, that were brown, but sometimes appeared green in certain lightening.

"What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?" his voice caught her attention, eyes snapping up with a raise of her eyebrows. Aria had to laugh, not heavily, but more of a chuckle in a form of giggle, "Did you break in?"

"Did I break in?" she laughed at his words, much heavier then her minor chuckle. Unlike Aria, Rafe looked a lot different then he use to. Once, he had long hair that hung across his forehead and a fuller face. It was crazy what a new hair style and stressful weeks can do to you, "You're not in jail yet?"

"You're not dead yet?" he moved past her, opening the fridge up for two waters. Unlike Aria, who had a very small cup and a ridiculously large straw, drowning the coffee in caramel drizzle. It lingered on her but her usual smell of orange sherbet was much stronger, "I'll have you know i'm here to help you, i'm assuming."

"Help me do what?" he asked her with a mocking manor, waving his hand as he circled the island to stand across from her, "Help me drop outta high school and have Crain as a grandma?"

Aria mimicked the wave of his hand, "Like you dropped out of college and killed a cop?"

Rafe gave her a roll of his eyes, walking out of the kitchen as Aria hurried, her coffee dripping on the floor as she jogged behind him, "Why the hell are you following me?"

"I told you, we're going to the Bahamas with you." Aria said back, walking down the steps while he missed each one.

Ward and Gage turned when they saw the pair, a form of nostalgia hitting both of them at the sight of the pair walking out of the double doors. It brought back the memory of when they ran through the doors and complained about the sand in their eyes when they were younger. They both did a fair share of things when they were younger, plenty that were alarming as was.

"Sorry, bud." Ward said to Rafe,
opening that back door. Rafe gave a look of disbelief, looking back at Aria as she walked before him and hoped in the back. Rafe huffing and getting in soon after while Ward and Gage took the front. Rose stared worried out of the window. Not only was Gage terrifying and would bring a side out of Ward, Aria herself most definitely wasn't going to be any form of Saint for Rafe.

"Wanna play Ispy?" Aria asked Rafe, slumming back in the seat as the red flannel hung off her shoulders in the slightest, the white tank underneath worth staring at if his mind wasn't occupied.

"Do not speak for me." he waved her off, leaning his head back against the seat and adjusting his hips in the seat.

"Fine by me." Aria rose her hands, doing the same he did and lifting her hips to change positions in the leather seats.

•

kylie speaks

the rest of the chapters
are gonna be a lot more
interesting and longer but
i wanted to go ahead and
get the cringe meeting again
out of the way because i hate
writing those ew.

incase any of you were curious
about aria.
scorpio sun, leo moon, aries rising.