the question of sarah cameron

"COME ON, MANDATORY MEETING AT RIXON'S COVE," JJ states, patting Kiara and JJ on their shoulders as he begins to walk towards the exit. He whoops in the air, causing Marty to turn her head and abrupt her conversation with Sarah.

"Oh, looks like I have to go," Marty raises her eyebrows as Sarah smirks knowingly. "Care to join?"

"Nah," Sarah shakes her head. "I have to get something for John B and with Ward out of the house, it'll be easy. I'll definitely see you later, though."

"Since when are you friends with Johnny?" Marty crosses her arms, skepticism written across her face.

"Since when are you related to John B?" Sarah counters, copying the brunette's movements.

"Touché," Marty smirks back, before her mouth falling into a flatline. "Listen, uh, I might've been a little harsh with you the other night. I"—

—"No, I'm sorry," Sarah interrupts, reaching out and grabbing Marty's hand. "I jeopardized our friendship that night, besides you look really happy with JJ." She smiles, nodding over to the blond boy.

Marty turns her head, quickly making eye contact with her pretty boy before he salutes John B. She turns back, heat rising to her cheeks. "I am really happy."

"Good. If you're happy, then I'm happy," Sarah answers, pulling her hand away and hugging herself as a sudden chill breeze through the tent. "You deserve to be happy."

"Marty! Kie! Pope! Are you coming or what?!" JJ yells out, urging his best friends to hurry up.

Kiara grins mischievously, nudging for Pope to come along. Her parents try to tell her 'no', but she's already out in the midnight sky without a worry in the world. Pope tears off his apron, shoving it down on the ground, and running towards John B. Heyward Senior begins to yell, but Lola Holland calms him down— reminding him how they were as teenagers.

"That's my cue," Marty shrugs, waving goodbye before she runs towards JJ. Not realizing the longing gaze Sarah bestows on her as she turns around.

He bends down a little, holding his arms out as he catches her. She laughs in excitement as she's hoisted into the air and spun around. Her arms around his neck, her hands dancing in his hair. His arms around her waist, his hands on her behind. He looks up at the beautiful creature in front of him: the moonlight cascading on her perfect skin, giving her a celestial glow. As he slowly releases her, their hands never let go of each other. Their noses touching as her feet find the freshly-shaven grass.

Martha's eyes flick over to his pink lips, his teeth nabbing his bottom lip as his smile grows wider. JJ pushes a fallen strand back behind her ear, his hand swiftly laying on her throat. HIs cool rings coaxed her sweaty skin.

"Why are you smiling so much?" She whispers. There isn't any reason to, no one is around them. Pope, Kiara, and John B were too busy starting up the HMS Pogue in the darkness, they didn't pay attention to the couple in the moon's spotlight. The stars shining and twinkling bright just for them.

"I can't smile now?" He teases, his thumb rubbing on her delicate skin. Her breath hitching in the back of her throat as she felt so hot.

"I never said that," she slightly shakes her head as she looks up at him.

"Let's just enjoy this night while it lasts, okay?" He whispers back, his head leaning down as he pulls her closer. The gentle grip on her throat sends flurries in her abdomen. She nods, kissing him on the lips.

➵ ➵ ➵

CICADAS CHIRP AS JOHN B PLACES ANOTHER LOG ON THE FIRE. The four pogues and one touron huddle around the campfire: John B, at the front, is attending the flames; Kiara, to the left of him, is perching on a nice log; Martha, to the left of her, is snuggling on JJ's lap; JJ is trying to keep his hormones and grabby hands in check; and Pope, to the left of the couple, is contemplating on why they are here.

"Hey, guys," Pope says, yawning as the night chill runs deep through his bones. "So, like my dad's already gonna kill me. So what's this mandatory meeting about?" He finishes, looking over at John B and JJ as he sits down close to the warm fire.

John B eyes over to JJ, finger-gunning him to continue. JJ sighs, his palms lying flat on Marty's bare thighs, the skirt of her dress jumbled up so much that the hem is one second away from exposing her carmen-laced set. JJ's fingers graze dangerously close as they sway.

"Might as well tell him, man," JJ shrugs, his fingernails tapping a beat on Marty's inner thigh. "Before we're gaffed."

"You ready for this?" John B states, causing everyone to turn their head and look at the brunet.

Anticipation killing them all... until Kiara had enough: "Spill!"

"So," he nods, chuckling to himself because of her enthusiasm. "The gold never went down with the Royal Merchant."

"Oh, my God," Pope complains, his head shaking slightly as he rolls his eyes. "Here we go again with this."

"No. Alright, wait," JJ holds out his hand, urging his friend to listen. "Just hear him out."

"It's been here the whole time," John B whispers, his face smiling as he relishes in everyone's shocked face. "It's on the island."

"No fucking way," Marty shakes her head, laughing in disbelief.

"Yes, fucking way," JB retorts, "I'm serious."

"I'd like to voice my skepticism," Pope puts out there, his fingers crossed over one another as he perches them on his knees.

"I'm sure you would, Pope," Johnny says, heaving off his spot on a log and walking towards the pile of wood to retrieve another. "But, can I please present to you my evidence, good sir?" He asks in a horrendous English accent as if he was an attorney standing in court.

"Proceed."

"All right. So, in my backpack," John B states, completely dropping the accent and zipping open his bag, "I have a letter from Denmark Tanny." He stands up straight, holding two pieces of paper.

"Who the hell is that?" Kiara questions, using an available stick to control the fire.

"Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck," he points to the paper in his hand. "Check this out," he flips through the old-looking pages, giving one to Kiara. "Okay, slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad, he found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom."

Kiara whistles over to Pope, handing Marty the paper to give to him.

"After that," John B continues, "he bought his farm. Drumroll, please, because that farm is..."

The group smacks their kneecaps in a fast-paced motion, the sound resembling a drumroll on a snare.

"...Tannyhill Plantation."

"Tannyhill? Wait, I'm sorry, the Camerons' Tannyhill? That Tannyhill?" Marty questions, her jaw-dropping at the astounding piece of information she just received.

"Yeah," John B nods. "So, after that, he used his money to free even more slaves, and then he sold a shit-ton of rice, which pisses off all the white planters, and then they decide to lynch him."

"White people," Marty mumbles, shaking her head as Pope and Kiara chuckle at her wokeness.

"So on the day they were comin' to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold."

"Where?" Kiara whispers back, her grin never dropping.

"Harvest the wheat, in parcel nine, near the water. Except, there's no wheat."

Pope looks up at him, flashlight in hand, his face contorting in confusion and mystery.

"You see, wheat is codeword for gold," John B strides over to his friend, giving him the other sheet of paper. "Check this out. The gold is in parcel nine near the water."

"Wait, I wanna see," Marty says, sitting up from JJ's lap and walking over to Pope. She looks over his shoulder as she reads the letter and the codes.

"Holy shit," Pope states as his eyes switch back and forth between the two sheets. The information is correct.

"All we need is an original survey map of the property," John B walks over to his original spot before turning back around and pointing to Pope, "and we've found the gold."

"Okay, so this might have a small chance of being actually true," Pope declares, his sentence earning him a few words of agreement from Martha.

JJ stands up, quickly walking over to his best friend and hugs him.

"Whoa! Okay, okay, fire! Fire! You're near the fire. You're gonna burn," John B says as he's lifted into the air.

"I'm so proud of you right now," JJ pulls away from the brotherly hug.

"Thank you," JB replies sarcastically, placing his hand on his face in an endearment kind of way.

'That's really sweet of you."

"Okay, so guys, what's the plan?" Pope asks with a bewildered grin on his face.

"Good question," John B answers, finger-gunning to the genius of the group. "Sarah Cameron's coming tonight. She's getting an original survey map"—

—"Oh, so that's what she's getting you. Okay. Got it," Marty says, standing straight up and walking over to JJ, who immediately hugs her from behind.

"How'd you know she was getting something for me?" John B asks.

"She told me," Marty shrugs, her answer short and simple. Her fingers flock over to JJ's hands, her fingernails grazing his bruised knuckles as she traces circles and squiggly lines.

"Wait, hold on," Kiara utters, her eyes practically bulging out of her head in disbelief. "Sarah? Wh-why Sarah?"

Why not Sarah? Like who else is there?

"This is gonna be good," JJ comments under his breath, his eyes watching the tension build as he perches his chin on top of Marty's.

"Uh, Sarah, um she— she got me in to the archives at Chapel Hill yesterday, and that's where I got the letter."

"You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?"

"Yeah, um—"

—"He was mackin' on her," JJ voices, calling out John B and his bullshit excuses.

"I wasn't mackin'," John B sighs, closing his eyes slowly as his lips turn into a thin line in frustration.

"You were totally mackin' on Sarah Cameron," JJ exposes again, his voice changing into a sing-songy tone.

"I wasn't mackin' on her, okay? I was using her for access!"

"There was an access, alright," JJ mumbles under his breath. Marty and Pope chuckle at his untimely joke.

"Johnnycakes, it's okay if you were," Marty says, raising her hand out to show a little sympathy.

"No, it's not okay!" Kiara yells, her voice hurt.

"Why not? I have!" Marty shouts back, without thinking. Fuck, I just outed myself. Hopefully, they don't think that much of it.

"You're different, Marty. He—" she points to a guilty-looking John B— "doesn't get to. Did you tell her about the treasure?"

"I had to get into the archives," John B replies, not really answering her back the way she wants him to.

"Is that a yes?" Her voice is getting more hostile.

"I- I left out key details."

"Yo, what?!" Kiara lifts her hands to her head, not believing the shit coming out of his mouth. "You let a Kook into our secret? What about Pogue Lyfe? What about the t-shirt company, bro?"

"I was just using her for information!"

"Why don't I believe you?"

"I'm trying to make us filthy rich here! Okay, so that we can pay off a boat, or— or, uh..." he points down to Pope... "send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies. Look, you guys know me!"

"Do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?!"

"Bitch! We're related!" Marty smacks the palms of her hands together. "Of course, you are!"

"Do you want us to answer that? Or?" Pope states, raising his hand in the air as if his teacher just asked an important question.

"Just— just, stop. Both of you."

"Look, you don't know her yet. I do! You can't trust her!"

"Her brother did hit me in the back with a golf club."

"First off, you can trust her. And second off, which kinda relates to the first off, she literally helped Peterkin arrest her brother. Never," she points down to Kiara, scolding her, "compare Sarah to that piece of shit ever again."

"What did she do to you, exactly?" JJ turns to look at Kiara, pulling Marty's hands down to her side to try to ease the tension.

"She's like a— like a spitting cobra. First, she- she blinds you, and then—"

"Cut the shit, Kie!" Marty calls out, her temper rising to a new degree. "You don't even have a valid reason! You're just makin' stuff up as you go!"

"No! Listen to me! Whatever we get, she's gonna try to take."

"I don't know which Sarah Cameron you're thinking of, but my Sarah Cameron is nothing like that."

"Maybe you don't know her well enough," Kie sasses, throwing her stick into the dying-out flames.

Marty scoffs. "No, you're right. According to your standards, I don't know her well enough. Even though I'm her best friend," she says sarcastically. "Pardon me," she holds her hands up as if she is getting arrested.

"Why are you still here then?" Kie turns her head, her voice sending daggers through the air, coated with venom from her spit, right into Martha's heart. "Leave."

"What? Kie, c'mon, stop—" JJ tries to defend his girlfriend, holding his arm out in front of her, shielding her from Kiara's accusatory tone.

—"No, JJ! She's not a touron, she's been lying to you this whole time. She just admitted it! She's a fucking kook! Kooks fuck with kooks, pogues fuck with pogues, they don't fuck with each other."

The boys go silent, hesitating to defend their friend. Knowing Kiara's right. They just didn't want to believe it to be true. Marty looks at JJ, his eyes not looking at hers. Her barely-stitched-together heart rips open from one action, shattering once again.

"Fine. I know when I'm not wanted," Marty shrugs off the pain as if her eyes aren't filled to the brim with tears; as if her chest isn't pumping with pain; as if she isn't angry to the bone; as if she doesn't want to scream. She squeezes JJ's hand, nonverbally telling him that she's leaving his grasp.

"You might want to take that cheap-lookin' flower crown off your head, Kiara. You're not really thinking straight," she snaps back, uttering it under her breath as she walks away from the group.

fez speaking!!
lol sorry for the sadness but i love putting you guys through pain. don't worry, there will be an award ;-) sys