"Where the hell were you guys?" Pope hollered as the jeep parked, the pair of lovers jumping out.

"But, please, spare the details." Kie squinted her face in disgust.

"Luke was at the Chateau." JJ spoke, reaching into the back while Bali looked at the floating Twinkie.

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure Conner is in a lot of danger." Bali spoke up, Sarah looking at her oddly.

"Oh, great! While you were having family time with your pops, and you were worrying about your ex, John B got bit by a gator!" Pope yelled, the pair looking over with wide eyes.

"John B, man, I felt that pain." Bali placed a hand on her heart with a look, "My condolences, we better get your a testic shot though."

"Like, for real?" JJ rose his eyebrows.

Sarah pointed at John B's leg, "Does it look like we're joking?"

"Well, we couldn't help that Luke decided to ambush us! I'd not like I voodooed a gator to John B!" Bali got defensive at not only Pope, but also Sarah yelling at them.

"Ugh, and Conner?" Sarah asked with an odd look.

"I overheard his crazy ass dad while getting keys for you. You're welcome." Bali mocked as she dangled the keys in the air, "What the hell even happened?"

"He got bit by a gator!"

"I got bit by a gator!"

"Obviously, I have eyes, Bert and Earnie!" Bali yelled back at John B and Pope, "Did you provoke it?"

"Provoke it?" Kie asked in disbelief.

"Steal one of its babies? John B, you give off the gator snatcher vibe." Bali pointed a finger at him, nodding her head.

"You have gator shoes and you're calling me the gator snatcher?" John B gave her an insane expression across his pale face.

"It isn't real!" Bali threw her arms up in disbelief with him, "I got you my jeep!"

"Can we go back to Conners dad? You saw him?" Sarah asked with an odd look in Bali's way.

"No, he was with my mother, if you have to know." Bali cringed with a shiver, "And they were acting so weird."

"Must be where you get it from." Kie hummed.

"How are you gonna call me weird when you-"

"When I what? Pour cherry flavored stuff on JJ?"

"Okay, Kie, you don't have to kink shame her."

"I'd like to point out that if the both of you ignored Luke and Conners dad, John B would have never gotten bit!"

"You know, maybe being bit by a gator will knock some sense into him."

"Bali!"

"We got here as fast as we could!"

"Oh really?"

"Yes, you smart ass!"

"Fantastic!"

"Shut up!" JJ cut into the five arguing, their eyes turning his way to see him red in the face with an overly stressed expression, "Seriously, guys, I can't take it anymore, all right? Everyone just cut it out for a second."

Bali bit the inside of her mouth as JJ leaned against the tree and began again, "Look, I just helped my dad leave this island for good. Like, he's not ever coming back. He straight up like the Spanish, just, 'Bon voyage.'"

The group shared a silently odd look at his words but choose not to call him out for once.

"All we got, and I know for a fact all I got is you guys, okay? You're it." JJ waved his arms as he looked around at his group of friends, "And I've come too close to losing you, all of you."

He pointed toward Kie, "I mean, shit, you almost drowned! Pope, you were kidnapped. Sarah, you've been shot. John B, you were almost dinner for a freaking gator, bro. And then, my girlfriend, freaking overdosed and could have died before I ever knew her. God knows the amount of messed up I'd be if that actually happened."

Bali gave a sad smile over at JJ as he continued with his speech, inhaling a second, "So, this blaming each other is some Kook-ass bullshit, all right? We don't do that. Okay? We're pogues. Sorry, that was a lot right now."

The group shared a look before they slowly began to applause him together.

"That was really good, love. I think you should be a stand-up speaker." Bali wrapped her arms around JJ as he flipped off his friends, "You care if I use that in my book?"

"Screw you, Bal." JJ smiled as he pushed her head back, "Let's get this damn twinkie out of here."

"God, I know someone who would love this place." JJ looked around at the abandoned and beaten-down church.

"Whoever they are, we are not on the same page." Bali shook her head as she looked around, "I'm spooked, heavily. I feel like some man-baby is gonna come out of the walls with a glass mask."

"We will never watch The Boy together again." Sarah shook her head as she followed Bali in more.

"Okay, you're telling me Denmark Tanny decided to hide the cross here?" JJ asked in disbelief.

"Everyone expected him to hide it somewhere that isn't obvious and he does the complete opposite. Pretty genuine if you ask me. And I would know, on behalf of the geniuses." Bali nodded as she turned toward Pope, "Pope, on behalf of the geniuses, do you agree?"

"Very much so." Pope nodded as he looked around at the church, the wood creaking underneath them.

"Everybody, just spread out." Kie encouraged.

"Okay, well, if I was a cross and wanted to be hidden in an old church, where would I hide?" John B spoke out loud in questioning.

"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.

"God, you read too many of my books, JJ." Bali looked over at him.

"He can read?" Sarah rose her eyebrows.

"Hilarious," JJ spoke with an eye roll.

"I usually gotta read him a little something," Bali whispered to Sarah with a shrug, the pair sharing a cheeky, lovable grin.

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

"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."

"I vote for a sushi and yoga break, regain all sanity." Bali gave a tight-lipped smile, "Woos-a."

"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 like crosses.

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

"Launch me up there, I'll Tarzan it." Bali rolled her sleeves up with a determined smile.

"Yeah!" JJ agreed.

"No one will be Tarzaning it." John B gave the duo a crazy look.

Pope began to climb up on the side of the wall.

"Hey, no!" JJ shouted at him.

"Now Pope's climbing the wall." John B voiced.

"As he does." Bali hummed, her shoulder hitting John B's arm.

"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.

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

"Pope, I have a feeling you're gonna be everyone's favorite character when my book releases. Meaning, do not die. I want you in the sequel." Bali called up to him with a raise of her eyebrows.

"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. He walked around the post in the middle.

"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.

Pope stumbled, Bali moving forward as if she'd been planning to catch him.

"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."

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

"Throw it." he encouraged.

"Everybody watch your head." John B said as they all back up. Bali put a hand on JJ's head and guarded him. Sarah standing under Pope as she tossed it up, watching as he caught it.

"Rock on." Bali smiled, holding her pinkie and thumb up toward him.

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

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

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

"The cross!" Bali yelled.

"It's here." Sarah gasped.

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

"What is that?" Sarah laughed.

"Holy shit!" Kie cheered with a laugh of her own, shaking Bali as she did the same .

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

Pope yelled as his shock and excitement.

"Told you, favorite character." Bali smiled widely.

"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 crowbar came down, JJ blocked Bali as she latched onto his hand. 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.

"Try not to land on your back!" Bali called up to him.

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

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

Pope's 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.

Bali looked to JJ, making sure he was okay, realizing he was doing the same to her.

"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 heavily on the floor. Bali reached to help him up.

"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.

"The crystals." The Pandaros girl smiled at the middle.

"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 keyhole.

"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.

"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 than money, and the worlds gotta know the truth." Pope breathed heavily 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, plus, Rafe will most definitely try and murder one of us." Bali gave a nod of her her, "My bets are on me."

"If Rafe ever murders you, there will be riots." Kie promised.

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 heavyweight, 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.

Pope sat down, looking up with swollen eyes and cheeks.

"He looks like that time I ate kiwis." Bali gapped as she looked at Sarah, "My throat closed up and I was in the hospital."

"Allergic reaction." the Cameron girl nodded.

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

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

"Sarah's right, it's an allergic reaction." Kie panicked

Pope suddenly collapsed.

"Okay, feet up, feet up," Bali repeated, getting Pope's ankles alongside Kie as John B and Sarah lifted his front.

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

"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.

"He needs a doctor!" Bali looked back at JJ as she helped lay Pope in the back, "A shot!"

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

"They're in the ignition!" Kie answered for her as JJ jumped in.

"Cmon, JJ!" Bali called as he started the jeep up.

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

•

kylie speaks

earth science and I are
gonna box soon, so sorry
for my lack of updating.