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The fire crackled softly in the center of the circle, casting a golden glow upon the five friends huddled around it. Shadows flickered across their faces as the distant hum of cicadas filled the cool night air. Annabelle nestled closer to Kiara on the rough log they shared, seeking warmth against the evening chill.

"Hey, guys, so my dad's already gonna kill me. What's this mandatory meeting about?" Pope asked, lowering himself onto a vacant spot.

John B and JJ exchanged a loaded glance, an unspoken conversation flashing between them. Annabelle caught the look and frowned, suspicion stirring in her chest. John B mimicked a pair of finger guns at JJ, prompting a heavy exhale from the latter.

"Might as well tell them, man, before we're gaffed," JJ declared.

Annabelle choked on her own breath. "Before we get what?"

The two boys ignored her, their gazes shifting between their friends as the weight of their revelation settled over the group.

"You ready for this?" John B finally asked, his voice steady with anticipation.

"Yeah," Kiara answered for all of them, nodding resolutely.

A moment of silence stretched between them, thick with expectation. Then John B spoke,

"So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant."

At the mention of the infamous shipwreck, Annabelle's posture slumped slightly. Pope released an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Oh, my God. Here we go again with this."

"No, alright, wait. Hear him out, alright?" JJ insisted, shooting Pope a warning glance.

John B leaned forward, his voice charged with conviction. "The gold has been here the whole time. It's on the island."

Annabelle's gaze flickered between them. "Are you serious?"

"Oh my God!" Kiara exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.

"I'd like to voice my skepticism," Pope interjected, arms crossed.

"I'm sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?" John B countered, rising from his seat and standing before them like a lawyer about to make his case.

Pope waved a hand dismissively. "Proceed."

"Alright, so in my backpack," John B rummaged through his bag before triumphantly producing a fragile-looking piece of paper, "I have a letter from Denmark Tanny."

"Who?" Kiara asked.

"Denmark Tanny was a slave who survived the Royal Merchant wreck," John B explained, handing the letter to Kiara, who immediately began scanning the words in the firelight. "Check this out."

"Okay, so slaves weren't listed as crew members on the ship," John B continued, pacing slightly as he spoke. "But my dad—he found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery."

Annabelle watched as Kiara's expression morphed from skepticism to intrigue. Lips parted, brows raised, she stared at the letter as though the inked words were revealing a long-buried secret.

"So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom. After that, he bought his farm. Drumroll, please..." The group responded by rhythmically slapping their thighs. "Because that farm is..."

"Tannyhill Plantation," John B declared.

"Tannyhill?" Annabelle repeated.

"Yeah." John B nodded, his excitement building. "So after that, he used his money to free even more slaves, then sold a ton of rice. Which, of course, pissed off all the white planters. So they decided to lynch him. On the day they were coming to get him, he wrote a farewell letter to his son. And in the last line, he left a coded message about where to find the gold."

Annabelle leaned forward. "Where?"

"Harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water," John B quoted  "Except—there is no wheat."

Kiara and Annabelle exchanged confused glances. "What?"

"You see, wheat is code for gold," John B clarified, a glimmer of triumph in his eyes. "Check this out."

He moved towards Pope, who had taken possession of the letter, and shone his flashlight onto the corner of the page. Annabelle shuffled closer, eyes narrowing as they landed on a small wheat symbol embedded in the parchment's surface.

"The gold is in parcel nine, near the water," John B reaffirmed.

An excited laugh bubbled out of Annabelle before she could stop it. Kiara, mirroring her enthusiasm, let out a delighted gasp. The doubt she had moments before was rapidly changing, replaced by a flicker of hope.

"All we need is an original survey map of the property, and we've found the gold!" John B practically sang, his joy infectious.

With a triumphant whoop, JJ leaped to his feet, striding over to John B and lifting him clean off the ground.

"Dude, it's like King Tut!" he shouted.

"Fire! You're near the fire! You're gonna burn!" John B yelped as JJ embraced him tightly.

"I'm so proud of you right now," JJ declared, setting his friend down.

"Thank you," John B smiled.

"You two wanna kiss while you're at it?" Annabelle spoke, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

John B turned to her, lips pursed in a teasing pout. "Why? You jealous?"

Annabelle chuckled, shoving him lightly.

"Hey, so guys?" Pope interjected, drawing their attention back. "What's the plan?"

"Good question," John B said, his tone shifting into something more serious. "Sarah Cameron's coming tonight."

Cameron.

Annabelle's body stiffened. Next to her, Kiara mirrored the reaction—though hers was laced with something sharper, something bordering on anger.

"Wait, hold on... Sarah? Why Sarah?" Kiara demanded, her voice edged with clear aggression.

John B stammered slightly, tripping over his own words, scared to step on Kiaras toes.

"This is gonna be good," JJ muttered under his breath.

"Sarah—sh-she got me into the archives in Chapel Hill yesterday, and that's where I found the letter." John B's gaze flickered nervously between his friends, searching for support as Kiara's expression darkened, her posture tensed as if she was ready to throw fists at any moment.

"You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?" Kiara's face twisted in genuine disgust. Annabelle couldn't blame her—she was just as shocked.

Before John B could defend himself, JJ interjected.

"He was mackin' on her."

Annabelle exhaled sharply, confusion clouding her mind. "What?"

"I wasn't—"

"You were totally mackin' on Sarah Cameron," JJ smirked.

"I wasn't macking on with her, okay," John B raised his voice slightly. "I was using her for access."

"There was access, alright," JJ quipped, making Annabelle grimace.

"Did you tell her about the treasure?" Kiara asked, eyes narrowed.

"I was trying to get into the archives," John B defended himself.

"Is that a yes?"

"I left out key details," he admitted.

"Yo, what? You let a Kook in on our secret? What about Pogue's life? What about the T-shirt company, bro?" Kiara spat.

Annabelle felt herself involuntarily sinking deeper into her seat, her mind drifting back to a certain Kook she had spent time with just hours before.

"I was just using her for information," John B insisted.

"Why don't I believe you?"

"I'm trying to make us filthy rich here," he said, his voice calmer now. "Okay? So that we can pay off a boat or send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies. Look, you guys know me. Do I look like the type to fall for Sarah Cameron?" He laughed as if the very thought was absurd.

"Do you want us to answer that, or...?" Annabelle asked 

"Look, you don't know her yet, John B," Kiara spoke up. "I do. You can't trust her."

"Her boyfriend and brother did hit me in the back with a golf club," Pope added, making Annabelle sink even further into her seat.

"Topper and Sarah are different human beings. Not to mention Rafe and Sarah—I mean, come on," John B argued.

"What did she do to you, exactly?" JJ asked Kiara, the one question Annabelle had hoped they wouldn't ask. The group's attention snapped to Kiara, watching her face shift.

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

"This is a bad analogy," Annabelle interrupted, hoping to stop Kiara before she spiraled further.

"John B, listen. Whatever we find, she's going to try to take," Kiara warned, locking eyes with him.

---

The van was oppressively silent, the awkwardness evident. Kiara looked like steam was about to erupt from her ears as they pulled up near the Hawk's Nest.

Pope and JJ moved to open the doors, but John B stopped them before they could step out.

"So, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself."

Kiara cringed, rolling her eyes in irritation. Annabelle bit her lip to keep from making a comment.

"Really?" JJ raised a brow.

"What? I just don't want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery," John B explained with a quick shrug.

"I just don't understand why we're involving her at all," Kiara snapped. Annabelle remained silent, caught in the middle. She couldn't side with John B without risking catching Kiaras fists but she also couldn't entirely blame John B—knowing that whatever was happening between him and Sarah was probably eerily similar to whatever was happening between herself and Rafe.

"Kie, we're not involving her, okay?" John B sighed. "It's just like a—a business meeting."

JJ raised his joint to his lips, making a few inappropriate gestures that caused Annabelle to stifle a chuckle.

"Look, once we get what we need, we cut her loose, alright?" John B assured them. "Plus, we need the map."

"Promise me nothing's happening between you," Kiara demanded.

"Nothing is happening, Kie," John B shook his head with a sigh.

"I'm being serious," she pressed. "This isn't about you. This isn't about us. This is about her. Dude, she's going to get inside your head. Just promise me nothing's happening between you guys."

"I promise." The words hung between them, the storm outside echoing the tension in the van.

After a brief silence, John B cleared his throat. "Anyways... I'm gonna take care of business."

He exited the van, leaving Pope and JJ to jeer after him. The four friends remained inside, time dragging as they sat in uneasy quiet, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Wait, do you guys hear that? Kiara spoke up, everyone in the van, going instantly silent, listening to the thunder outside. Annabelle immediately heard what Kiara had heard earlier. A faint scream or more like a cry for help. The two boys in the car were quick to rush out of the van at the sound, followed by Kiara and Annabelle.

Running outside, Annabelle felt her chest tighten and her blood run icy at the sight before her. John B lay on the ground looking almost lifeless in the sand as Sarah sat hunched over him. The horror of the sight made the James girl instantly quicken her pace, speeding past her friends before falling to her knees next to John B.

"John B..." She gasped, her eyes examining his body for any visual injuries.

"Sarah, what happened?" Pope's panicked voice asked.

The Cameron girl looked up, allowing the moon to illuminate the tracks of tears, streaming down her face. She drew frightened breaths as she looked at the group around her. "I don't know what to do." Her voice quivered as she sobbed back her cries. "He needs help. Topper shoved him."

Annabelle's heart pounded violently at the mention of Topper.

"Where the hell is he?" JJ asked, his clenched fists a telltale of what he wanted to do if he caught a glimpse of the boy.

"Please, please, please get help," Sarah pleaded desperately. "I don't care who—just call somebody!"

Without hesitation, Pope spun on his heel and sprinted toward the van, where they had all left their phones.

Annabelle's trembling hands hovered over John B's neck, her breath catching in her throat as she searched for a pulse. The moment she found it, a fractured sob of relief tore from her lips, her body sagging. Before she could collapse, she felt strong arms pull her upright, guiding her back onto her feet. Instinctively, she turned into the warmth, burying her tear-streaked face into the chest of whoever had steadied her. The familiar scent confirmed it was JJ. She clung to him, her sobs muffled against his shirt as his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"John B, stay with me," Sarah wept, her voice cracking as she pressed a desperate kiss to his lips.

Annabelle was too consumed by panic to even register their kiss, her mind solely focused on the boy lying motionless before them.

𝟐𝟏𝟐𝟐 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
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𝐀/𝐍
It's been a while. I've had so so much in school it's been unbelievable I hope I can understand. I'll update again soon, tomorrow or the day after that.

and next chapter is about to be CRAZY. y'all are not ready. there's a reason for the title