THE rest of the night was a blur to Eden. 

She caught her breath at some point, in between the Chateau collapsing in on itself and the fire department showing up. By then the house was already burnt to a crisp—it was all wood. It had always been a fire hazard. Didn't affect them until now. 

 Sirens still echo in her ears. The fire department put out the majority of the fire, though it had already eaten everything up. Ultimately it died down to little licks of flames, still stuck to the crisp and charred wood. 

The Pogues just sat and watched.

In the early morning, the Chateau was nothing more than a corpse. The flames had licked up everything but a few wood beams of support—though even those were still peeling off and falling, weak. Small flames remain, crackling and whatever wood they can feed off of. Nothing that remains is salvageable. Just burnt.

The firefighters tried, but everything was burnt away. Everything in John B's room, all of Eden's belongings that lived there, drawings and photos, bracelets and letters. Old and silly trinkets that held stupid sentimental value because the Pogues were like that. All of Big John's studies. 

Gone. Burnt to ash in seconds. 

 The Pogues still sat in a row in front of John B.'s headstone when the sky turned from navy to light blue. For the past few hours, they've been staring at what used to be their home. Loss weighed their hearts down heavily.

The Bexley estate was Eden's house, but the Chateau had always been her home. She slept there more than her own, and had a whole drawer dedicated to herself in John B.'s dresser. She cooked for the boys in the kitchen, kept her Coconut Redbulls in the fridge. Her first drink was there, her first high. She could always be herself in that house. Laughter bounced through the walls, engraved in her memory. 

Everything that made her who she was inhabited that home. She's loved it for so long.

The Chateau had been everything to all of the Pogues. It was their place, a safe haven after a storm, somewhere where there was no Kooks to shame them. They were just the Pogues there. And now here they sat, watching it burn.

"Could've been a faulty electrical wire." Pope breaks the silence, grimly.

As he spoke, a higher scaffolding fell down into the grass with a crunch. Eden looks down at the grass, frowning at the sound. 

"Place was all wood." Kiara lets out, gaze empty as she stares ahead. "A tinder box."

"Thing just went up." Cleo's expression is unwavering. "Boom."

"Verdict's in, man." JJ glances up at the bright blue sky, which doesn't match their feelings in the slightest. It's a horrible contrast to the black soot covering their faces and arms. "Whoever's up there? Does not like you." Sarah shoots up from where she'd been laying her head on the Routledge's shoulder, and the Maybank clears his throat. "I'm sorry."

"So, now we're broke and homeless." Eden remarks, far from happy. She doubts her father will let John B. and JJ both stay in her room. The offer was still open for Sarah, too. She can't not let them live with her now, though. "Cute." 

They were going to South America today. Eden thought it was wrong of them to move on so fast, given the fact that the Chateau was John B.'s true home. Everything he ever had was gone—he had no clothes, no bed, no shelter. 

Then again, what choice did they have? Big John was waiting for them, depending on them. There was no time to sit and wallow over the Chateau, as meaningful as it was. Though, what was there to lose now? There wasn't anything without their house—they had to be all in, now.

JJ grabs a beer bottle from beside him and chucks it at the debris. It breaks against the wood, shattering into hundreds of shards in the matted grass. Kiara can't find the strength to chastise him for littering. John B. puts his head against his knees.

Eden gets onto her feet, brushing off her knees. "Well, if we're going to South America today, we should get washed up."

The Pogues quietly agree and everyone gets up, trudging over to the dock. There's no showers or sinks to use, so they're left with the marsh as their source of water. The walk feels longer than it is.

Reaching the dock, they all silently begin to clean off their soot and sweat covered skin with palms full of salt water. Eden's sure she smells like burnt wood, but it's not like she can run into the house and grab a different outfit. 

Once they're all decently cleaned off, the group just lounges. A storm creeps in on them from overhead, threatening rain.

"Sarah, when did you say the pilot was getting in?" John B. speaks up for the first time all morning.

"Probably like an hour?" Sarah offers, "I mean, once he's here, my dad say's we can leave whenever we want."

From against the railing, Pope states, "Okay, well, as much as I would love to ghost my parents again, I can't." 

"My dad already asked me when this is going to turn into what my mom was doing, so, I don't think I can just run off to South America this gold shit without telling him, either." Eden pipes up, feet swaying from where she sat atop the railing.

"Pope, Ed'—we're talking about El Dorado, here." JJ moves from his position of leaning off the rail to face the two teens who had spoken. "Can you like— just, like, slip out the back, maybe?"

Kiara offers him a sarcastic smile. "Great advice."

"I mean, it always worked for me. How to avoid unpleasant circumstances 101. If there's a problem, you don't want to face it, turn that face and keister around and walk the other way." 

Pope hopped off the railing, "I'm not doing that, okay?"

"I just want you to be there, dog." JJ sighs.

"I'm gonna be there." the Heyward reassures, "I'll meet you guys at the airstrip in an hour?"

John B. nods, truly not minding the Heyward's decision to talk with his parents. "Yeah, we'll see you there."

"Okay, one hour, Pope." JJ warns, "Not a second later."

Eden sighs, "We won't leave without you, Bubs."

Pope nods and starts walking down the dock. Cleo is quick to pad her boots after him, "Think you should let me talk, Pope. Think your mom kinda likes me."

"I don't think it's gonna be pleasant for either of us."

The two teens walk down the dock, side by side. 

Eden pushes herself off of the wooden rail, Converse thumping against the dock. She glances at her remaining friends, "If any of you guys want a home when we get back, I guess I have to spill to my dad, too."

"I did like how soft your bed was." JJ remarks. 

Eden rolls her eyes, before coming over to her best friend. His head was hung low as he listened to his friends disperse. His usual confidence is nowhere to be found, and she can see the exhaustion, the hopelessness etched into his posture. After all, just how much more could they lose before it was too much?

 She could tell he was hurting, and she would be too if she'd witnessed her home burn down like that; a home that was so much more than just a house. 

"I'm sorry." the Bexley places a hand on his arm in solace, though it's little. She's about to go back to her two story home that's never been in bad condition and is always a shiny white. "You know you're crashing at my place until we re-build the Chat."

The Routledge doesn't vocally reply, but he offers her a stiff nod.

"I'm gonna take a stroll back to the shack. For old time's sake." JJ straightens, strolling away from the group towards what's left of the house. "I always wanted to go to South America. Great surf, cheap weed."

John B. murmurs, "Yeah."

"See you in an hour." Eden exhales, her gaze lingering on John B. as his stares off and away from his people. She wants to say more, to tell him that things will get better, but she knows how hollow that sounds right now. Instead, she simply squeezes his arm one more time before stepping back, giving him space to process.

Before she turns fully, she spares Sarah a look, almost asking her to watch over him. She trusts the Cameron to take care of him now that she can't. The blonde girl offers a light nod, understanding—not like she was planning on leaving her boyfriend to suffer by himself, anyway. 

"See you guys on the tarmac." JJ fully turns, beginning to walk off the dock.

"Ed', wait up." Kiara pushes herself off the dock, the Bexley doing as she asks and halting in her steps. "I guess I'll go pack some stuff and break the news to my parents." She pads off towards Eden, who already knows what the Carrera is going to ask. "Walk—"

"Yes, I can walk home with you." Eden offers a light smile, stepping in time with the curly haired girl. "Do you want help telling your parents? I don't know if I want to get in the middle of that, but..." 

"Oh, you don't, but yes. Please." Kiara replies, thankful to have someone willing to help convince her parents. They're not letting her go either way, but she likes the support. "I just need to do something real quick..." 

Eden watches as the Carrera jogs up to the Maybank, a little ahead.

"Hey, Jayj, wait. Hey. Um...." The two Pogues stop in the middle of the dock, turning to face each other. Eden stops too,  not wanting to intervene. "Just, uh, last night, you were....you were saying something? Before the fire?"

They both look uncomfortable. Kiara's wringing her hands together and JJ seems to be trying to look everywhere but at the Carrera. 

"I'll tell you what." JJ finds the strength to look her in the eyes, offering a small smirk. "I'll tell you on the plane."

"Mm." 

"Just to make sure you get on."

"Right."

"Right." 

JJ starts to walk off. Eden comes up beside the Carrera, watching the two amusedly.

"I'm gonna hold you to that!" Kie calls.

Lowly, the Maybank chuckles, "I'm sure you will." 

"So glad you're not stalling." the Carrera rolls her eyes.

She watches as JJ walks off, looking rather displeased with the brief reply she'd received. 

Eden looks between the two. "Are you gonna tell me what's happening between ya'll or..."

"Shut up." Kiara starts walking forward again, the Bexley following after her with a small smile.

Eden helps Kiara scheme a way to win her parents over, an unlikely outcome already.

The two try to come up with something on the long trudge back to Figure Eight, the slow shift from wooden shacks to shiny mansions giving them a short bit of time to conspire. Little would change Mike and Anna's minds, but they had to try. Everyone had to get down to South America one way or the other. 

"I mean, I'm practically an adult." Kiara offers, pacing back and forth in her driveway. 

"You're still seventeen." Eden shakes her head, knowing the Carrera's. "You're dad will pull that card."

The Carrera points her fingers at the Bexley, sputtering. "I'll...I'll never ask for anything again." 

"I mean, lying could be the way to go." 

"Yeah, no, you're right. I cannot promise that." Kiara wrings her hands together, brain wracking hard for a simple excuse as to why South America must happen. They've already threatened her with wilderness camp and therapy—she has to offer something decent. "Oh, wait—I'm gonna write an essay about my experiences with the Indigenous tribes in South America, and then I will use that to apply for college."

Eden shrugs—it was better than nothing. "That's not half bad." 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah." the Carrera rushes, before biting her lip, mustering up whatever courage she can find. "That dog's gonna hurt." 

There's a click of a car door.

Both Kiara and Eden look to the bottom of the driveway, where a truck sits. A man climbs out of it, dressed in a uniform of kinds. The side of the truck reads 'Kitty Hawk; Adventure Therapy'. 

The name is familiar to Eden. She's heard tales from JJ and his cousin, Ricky, who got sent there when he was in middle school. Kitty Hawk—renowned adventure therapy camp for 'troubled' teens. Or, as the Bexley has learned, a place where parents of all kinds send their children after minor inconveniences to 'fix' them. 

Just the place Mike and Anna would want to send Kiara too. 

"Hey, Kiara." The man from the car crosses around his vehicle, walking towards the two girls. Kiara tenses at once. Eden decides to make the first move, grabbing the Carrera's hand and walking towards the house. "Hey, come back."

Eden starts bee-lining for the house. She has a bad feeling about all of this. They're safer inside, even under the wrath of Anna and Mike. She sends the older man a side eye as she pads up the stairs. 

"I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna talk to you."

Sure. 

Whether or not he's here on Mike and Anna's bidding, Kitty Hawk is somewhere Kiara can't afford to be right now.  Not with South America on the line. 

"Uh, no thanks!" Kiara offers, voice kinder than it normally is as she tries to politely shoo the man off.

"Kiara, it'll just take a second—"

"Fuck off!" Eden keeps her voice polite, pushing the Carrera for the door. 

"Stranger danger." Kiara remarks, reaching for the door knob. She jiggles it lightly, but there's no click signaling an unlocked door. Eden anxiously taps her foot, glancing back at the man, who was still walking towards them. Eerily close. 

Eden grits. "Kiara." 

"Hey!" Kiara knocks on the door, more manic than normal. "Dad? Uh...mom?" 

The door opens and the Bexley is ready to shove her friend inside when another man branding a Kitty Hawk uniform walks out.

He towers over both girls. Eden's nails dig into her palms and she staggers back slightly.

Kiara quickly asks, "Who are you?" 

"This can go one of two ways." The man steps out of the Carrera house, voice deep. 

One of two ways. Eden's assuming the first is they take Kiara quiet, or the second is they take her screaming. 

Eden's planning a third before she can truly think it through. In a split second, her mind is taken back to when her and Kiara saved Jimmy and swam up to the beach, where Singh's guards were closing in on them. She'd pushed the Carrera down, sacrificed herself to make sure that her friends stayed safe. 

She's sure JJ will kill her if Kiara is taken under her watch. She doesn't mind doing it again.

"Fine." the Bexley steps forward, head hanging low as if she were sulking. She brings it up, looking at the Kitty Hawk man. "I'll go."

Kiara's eyes widen, "Ed—"

"Just go, Eden." Eden's head whips around to look at Kiara, sending her a tight gaze. Let me do this. Tell the others. "It's okay. I've known they've been coming—Mom and Dad kept warning me about this Kitty Hawk place."

Kiara hisses, "Eden, stop."

"I'll go with you, sir. There's no point in fighting." the Bexley feels weird acting like she wouldn't be thrashing in any other scenario. "But, promise me my friend Eden will be let go?"

The man looks between the two girls, unsure. "You're Kiara Carrera?" 

"Do I need to show my ID or something?" Eden snaps, voice dropping with an attitude to hide the fear that hid down within her. "Let's get this over with." 

The tall man steps forward and grabs her arm. The other man from the vehicle comes forward to grab her other one, hauling her down the stairs. Kiara is chasing them down the stairs, eyes wide in a panicked haze.

"Wait, what are you doing!" Kiara screeches, "Eden, you can't—"

"Wait!" Another voice pierces the driveway, and Eden whips her head around to see Anna Carrera running after the Kitty Hawk workers, eyes darting between her daughter standing alone and a different girl being pushed into the truck. "What is this? Sir, she isn't—"

Eden is pushed into the back of the truck. Anna and Kiara's voices become muffled, though she isn't sure whether that's due to being inside of the vehicle or because of her own emotions pushing through.

"Ma'am, stay back." 

 "She isn't Kiara! That's not my daughter!"

Either the Kitty Hawk men aren't listening, or they truly don't care who's in the back of their truck, because they simply ignore Anna's cries and hop into the driver and passenger seat. Eden looks out the window, staring at Kiara.

Kiara looks confused, mouth ajar as she tries to figure out why Eden was saving her again. Anna's eyes are widened in absolute horror, staring at the daughter that wasn't her own.

The truck starts and Eden Bexley is dragged away from the Carrera's home in seconds.

She hopes Kiara tells the Pogues she's been kidnapped again. 

Kitty Hawk is perfect for those who don't like to look into details.

The grass is green and freshly mowed. Girls of all ages stand in gardens and on the grounds, dirt rubbed onto their skin and hair pulled back as they shoveled and planted. There's painted rocks decorating the place. The sun casts a pretty orange gleam on the water that sits right outside the perimeter.

Eden was eerily silent for the whole drive, but so were the guards. Hands locked around her biceps, they led her through the grounds of Kitty Hawk.  The Bexley was spared glances by hundreds of girls dressed in green and gray uniforms, the same scowl plastered on each of their expressions.

The two guards lead her to an older woman; one of the counselors, she introduces herself as. Eden half listens as the woman leads her to an office and hands her a Kitty Hawk t-shirt and a pair of green shorts—something about rules, something about no visitation, something about no cell-phones, and something about this being for the better good.

Eden knows Kiara would be throwing a total fit if she were here. It hurts her to act like the Carrera without including her quick tongue and eye rolls.

After being forced to change into the uniform, Eden is sat in a chair facing the camp counselor. To which she sits, now. 

"Thank you for putting on our uniform." The counselor offers a small smile.  

"Yeah," Eden stiffly nods, slightly slouching in her chair. In all reality, the material of the t-shirt is irritating. Voice flat, she adds, "Super comfy." 

"Well, Kiara, the good news is, we have a name for your condition." The counselor hears the sarcasm dripping from Eden's tongue.

 The Bexley supposes she'll have to get used to being called Kiara for the next.....however long she's here. God, she didn't know how long she'd be here—how long she'd be trapped away for reasons she didn't have, pretending to be someone else. Trapped without her friends. Trapped from her dad, who had no clue what happened.

She can't believe she let herself get taken away from her dad again. Did the guilt she felt on Poguelandia mean nothing? Tom had no idea that she took Kiara's place, that she was at adventure therapy—that she wasn't coming home anytime soon. 

Eden feels her chest tighten.  "And that is?" 

"ODD. Oppositional Defiant Disorder."

Despite not technically being the one diagnosed, Eden guffaws, "What?" 

"It's consistent opposition to authority."

Kiara opposes her parents, but they were up her ass. Eden can't help but try to defend her friend, "I don't think....I have that, ma'am." 

"As I was saying, consistent opposition."

"That's not opposition, I was just saying—"

"The terminology might sound harsh, but it's a clinical term. And your behaviors fit the pattern. You constantly challenge authority, disregard rules, and show a lack of respect for boundaries." The woman pauses, looking at Eden with a sort of pity. "It's not unusual for kids your age, but it's something that needs to be addressed here."

Eden bites back the urge to snap at her. She's not Kiara. She wasn't here because she needed to be fixed, she was here because her friends were in danger, and she was sacrificing herself to make sure Kiara stayed safe. 

"Now, fortunately, it's very treatable with medication."

Eden isn't taking meds she doesn't need, that's for sure. "I'm not taking medication for something I don't even have."

"See that? That right there? Your reaction?" The woman sends Eden narrow eyes, as if a point has been proven. "You just confirmed my diagnosis."

The Bexley doesn't mean to dig Kiara down a deeper hole than she could be in, but Eden can't help but fall out of her act. She doesn't want meds—she's not getting doped up on something that she didn't even need.

"Okay, yeah, I'm opposing you right now but I have a right to say no." 

"Kiara, we want to help you with this. Your parents sent you here for a reason. They want what's best for you, and entrusted us to help you with this ODD." The woman tries to reason, though it does nothing to calm Eden—Kiara—down. "The medication will help you grow—"

"My parents—" the Bexley begins to scoff, before remembering that she had to act like Anna and Mike did know what was best for her. She can't say anything about her dad. Lowering her tone, Eden crosses her arms. "I'm not taking something I don't need. You're not shoving pills down my throat. Sorry."

"We can help you with this." The woman states, "You just have to work with us."

Eden doesn't say anything.

"Now, I'd like to go over the rules with you again." The counselor starts up again, staring hard into Eden to try and get through to her. "Here at Kitty Hawk, patients will not be allowed to contact the outside world for the first six weeks of their stay."

A month and a half alone at Kitty Hawk. Eden can't help but feel her chest tighten further at the thought of not being able to contact her friends for almost two months—that she won't be able to to tell them she's okay, to see if they get Big John back or not. She prays Kiara will tell them what she's done. 

Maybe she's being pathetic, but Eden Bexley has been with her friends constantly for the entire summer. She spent a month on an island with them. If the Pogues didn't have attachment issues before, they certainly did now. 

She prays her dad finds out. That he doesn't think she disappeared again—that maybe he comes to save her, to tell Kitty Hawk that they have it all wrong as much as the mistake is her fault. Her choice. 

Anna and Mike just have to show up and tell the counselor that Eden isn't Kiara. They wouldn't just leave her to rot in a place she's not supposed to be in, right? 

"Patients will not be able to use their phones. Patients will work to be diligent and polite. Patients will be expected to get to work on time. Be awake by 6:00 a.m and asleep 9:00 p.m. Failure to adhere these rules will result in time in the reflection cabin. This is all in the patient's best interest."

Patients best interest. She wasn't the one who was supposed to be here. 

The rules the counselor lists off start to blur together as they go into one of Eden's ears, and out another. Each sentence digging deeper into the pit of dread settling in her stomach. Six weeks without contact. Six weeks trapped in a camp she wasn't supposed to be at, with problems that weren't hers.

Who knew if Tom would even come find her if he found out. He probably thought she deserved to be here, to get carved back into shape. She hasn't been a perfect daughter in any way.

She can't breathe.

The panic that's been bubbling under Eden's skin since she realized the true extent of what she's done comes in a hot and unexpected flash. A hand reaches for her sternum, shaking ever so slightly. Breathe. 

Eden can't have a panic attack in front of these counselors who she doesn't know. God, she needs her friends. She needs JJ; she needs John B.

The Bexley slowly stands up, slightly hunched as she holds her hand over her chest. She needs to get out—she needs space. 

The counselor pauses in her rules, noticing the action, her narrowed eyes scanning the Bexley. "Yes?"

"I—" Eden cuts herself off, feeling her throat tighten, fighting against the rising panic that threatens to choke her. Her voice is rough, almost painful. "I need a minute." 

"Is everything all right, Kiara?" The counselor's tone is too soft, too patient, and Eden wants to scream that she's not Kiara. She's not the girl they think she is; she doesn't belong here. But she doesn't. Not now. Not with everything on the line.

"I just... I need to go to the bathroom." Eden forces out, painfully so. 

The counselor watches her for a beat, then nods, her lips pursing. "Right behind you. But, please hurry back. We have a lot more to go over."

Eden barely hears her. She awkwardly shuffles towards the door behind her, her steps uneven as she fights to keep her breathing steady. 

The bathroom door slams shut, and Eden doesn't even bother to lock it, hands too shaky. She leans against the sink, closing her eyes and gripping the edges tightly, trying to steady herself.

Get yourself together. 

Why is she freaking out? She could have let Kiara get taken; she made this choice for herself. The only one responsible for this mistake is her. She knew what she was doing, pretending to be Kie, and did it anyways. Why is she crying now?  

You knew what you were doing. You chose this. You're doing this for your friends. Stop crying. Stop panicking.

But no matter how much she tells herself that, it doesn't help. Her chest tightens even further, the weight suffocating her. Her hand moves to her sternum again, pressing hard as if she could push the panic away. Her legs feel weak, and she sinks to the floor, her back against the wall.

Eden curls into herself, her breathing shallow and uneven. She wants to scream—to tell them all she's not Kiara; that she's someone else, someone who doesn't belong here. She wants her friends, though knows none of them will be happy with her when she gets out. Her dad certainly won't be either. 

You're doing this for your friends. She tries to remind herself. You're doing it for the people you always do it for. 

There's a sharp knock on the door startles her, and she flinches, wiping her eyes furiously. Barely a second later does it click open to reveal the counselor, who frowns as she finds her patient on the floor, chest heaving shakily.

"Kiara?" The counselor draws, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Eden wipes her eyes, though her words are more separated than she expected, coming out in staccato gasps. "I just—I just needed a minute."

"You're not fine," The counselor says calmly, closing the door behind her. Her tone is gentle but firm, the kind of voice meant to soothe while taking complete control.  It's only then does Eden zero in on the pill and glass of water in her hand. "I can see you're overwhelmed. That's perfectly normal, especially on your first day. It's a lot to take in."

"No—" Eden lightly sobs, trying to turn her head away. "I don't—"

"Cooperation is key, Kiara." The counselor bends down, holding out the medication towards the teenager. "Relax, honey. This is going to help calm you down and make you feel better." 

Eden stays stubborn. "I don't want it."

"Stop resisting, Kiara. We're only trying to help you."

Eden feels a knot form in her stomach, her heart racing faster, but she's too worn down, too exhausted to fight this. She doesn't want to feel this panic anymore. She just wants it to stop. She wants everything to stop.

At the show of no resistance, the counselor holds the pill up to the Bexley's mouth, pressing it against her lips. Eden can feel her resistance weakening, her body too drained, too tired to keep struggling.

She swallows.

In seconds, Eden feels herself growing tired. Her chest feels tight, but it's different now. The panic is gone, replaced by a dull, pressing sense of numbness. Her figure slackens against the sink, eyes set on the counselor, who looks almost proud of herself. 

Eden tries to keep her eyes open, to hold onto consciousness, but it's too much.

mara's misc!

.....yeah!

um you can all thank kensie for begging for me to swap out kiara for eden (who am i if not ruining every jiara moment for jjeden). all she does is beg me for jjeden and you know i can't say no to her (except actually making jjeden cannon).

that being said this chapter is also an apology to kensie for leaking her snap to this app not once but twice!!! my bad bro. 

i've had little motivation for this book since obx4 dropped for obvious reasons. i'm trying hard to push out chapters, but seriously my ass is kicked, especially now that i've gotten back into writing for my st4 book. that being said, i'm also unsure on how i even want to write the s3 finale with who eden will be with and what not so......i'm trying.  my goal is to be done with this book by end of january or february if possible and hopefully get done with s4 by the time there's an announcement over s5.

anywho, happy new year!! this year has been so so so good to me when it comes to writing for eden and obx. i managed to complete almost two entire seasons, which is just crazy. the motivation i've had is insane.

i appreciate everyone who's read and commented. i'm so excited to finish this story off in 2025 with s4, as sad as it's gonna be. big thanks to mvybanksss for being the co-author atp (i'm not gonna yap about her any more, PLEASE check out the book of our best quotes that i published) and GhostWriterGirl-1 for commenting always and being my biggest supporter. i love both of you to the moon and to saturn forever <33

hope you enjoyed <3 see ya'll in the new year!!