MY EXCITEMENT shortly died after that. Pope navigated the drone through the shipwreck once, twice, three times and there was no sign anywhere of a slither of gold. It was disappointing — we were disappointed and we were basically right back at square one. We might've found the Merchant but without the gold it didn't mean much.

John B signed besides me as I looked at the computer screen, staring at the empty shipwreck, "It's not there." He muttered, "Just pull the drone up."

Thunder rumbled closer to us and I looked up at the clouds, "Shit."

"Look, we can do another pass." Pope said hopeful, "Recharge the battery. We can— we can go back down."

John B walked away from us and I bit my lip, this was a massive kick in the balls for him. His dad gave up everything to find the gold on this ship and he'd found the ship but the gold was no where to be seen.

"We've been through it three times." JJ called back to us, "There's nothing there."

"He's right." I agreed.

"The both of you shut up!" Kie yelled at us.

"What it's true?" JJ rounded.

"The gold could be buried, we don't know!" She argued.

"We wouldn't be able to recover it even if it was buried." I told my friend.

"If it was there it would've been found on the metal detector, okay?" John B told us, "Somebody beat us to it."

I ran my hand over my forehead, the whispy bits that had fallen out of my ponytail caught in my face. We were all disheartened, annoyed, pissed. You name it I think one of us was feeling it. I walked over to the yellow cord and picked it up as the storm continued to roll in.

"What are you doing?" Kie asked me.

"I'm pulling it up!" I yelled, "It's not here and I am not staying here just waiting for that storm to roll in and crush us."

"Mal's right." John B agreed, "We should get out of here."

I started pulling the cord back up which was almost twice as hard as unraveling it. It was wet, the drone was heavy and the tide was constantly changing meaning it was switching directions.

I was annoyed. I was annoyed there was nothing on the ship and I felt sort of cheated if I was being honest. Either someone had beaten us and Big John to it or it was never on the ship in the first place. I tended to bury myself further into a strop when I was annoyed and that was what I was doing now. I was constantly going over the disappointment of not finding anything, the annoyance and it was making me even more angry.

Hell we'd even stolen the equipment to do this and until it was returned we could be found guilty of theft.

I worked myself up that much I started angrily pulling on the cord, yanking it up in big motions. I was too in my head to ask for help at the moment and when I got in my head I became stubborn.

John B sighed and he walked over to me, reaching for the cord, "Mal let me—"

"—I'm fine JB." I snapped, "I can pull a fucking cord out of the water on my own."

He nodded slowly and I caught the third red marker, I only had six hundred feet left to pull up.

The silence between us continued as we stood deflated and it remained that way until I got to the last two hundred feet of cord left to pull up. My arms were burning but I wouldn't stop, I wouldn't turn around and ask John B for help after I fired him down.

A large bolt of lightning cracked overhead and the steady wind started to pick up quickly. It stared spitting, little rain droplets landing on my face as I looked up. The black clouds were right above us.

"That's not good." John B muttered.

"Oh shit." I cursed and turned my attention back the the cord, heaving it up faster than I was before.

"Mally get the drone out of the water!" Pope instructed and I heaved.

"What else do you think I'm doing Heyward?" I snapped. I put my foot on the side of the boat again for leverage.

"Here, c'mon." I heard John B behind me and the cord was being pulled faster.

The wind started getting worse, the raindrops got heavier on our bodies and I started getting nervous. I'd never been nervous at sea before but saying that I'd never sailed through a storm.

The red marker emerged from the water and I nodded, "Last hundred." I noted to John B.

"Okay, just keep pulling."

I nodded to myself. The waves started increasing their strength, they were choppy and they started to rock the boat about. I had a hard time staying on one spot and the cord became increasingly harder to pull. The waves were throwing the drone about and we couldn't control it. I gritted my teeth, pulling it back up was like trying to pry open a locked door. I felt as if I was lifting hundred kilo weights.

The rain continued to drop on us and a wave crashed into the side of the boat, knocking us all to the side. I slipped and hit into the wall but I still managed to keep a hold on the cord.

"Come on Mally we've almost got it!" John B yelled to me over the wind and I put everything I had into pulling the cord.

The waves became more frequent and each one was progressively harsher than the last. I was stood by the edge of the boat, pulling the cord when I could make the drone out underneath the water, "I see it!"

"Good! Keep going." Kie yelled and I noticed she was pulling behind John B.

I gripped to the wet plastic as best as I could and when I pulled the cord didn't move. I furrowed my brows in confusion, tugging and tugging and tugging, "It's stuck!"

"All right." John B yelled to me, "Release a bit back in."

I nodded and I let my grip on the plastic slacken, the cord running through my hands but the tide changed as a large wave crashed against the side of the boat. The change of the tide against the wave collided badly and suddenly I felt my balance gone.

I slipped, the water on the side of the boat taking me out and with my hands still on the cord that was being lowered into the sea I fell.

I fell head first into the water and immediately the waves pushed me backwards and I felt my head crack off the edge of the boat between the side and the bottom. I opened my eyes under water, ignoring the way they stung and I red liquid merging with the water, the yellow cord in front of me started pulling up.

I started seeing stars, my body felt heavy and I looked down to see the drone getting closer towards me. I didn't think I could last that long though. I was a strong swimmer but I stood no chance against my body at the minute. I felt my eyes getting heavier and I grabbed the yellow cord, wrapping it around my arm three times incase I passed out before John B could pull me up to the surface.

I looked up. I hadn't realised how far I had sank but I was nearing the surface, I was almost there and yet my lungs were screaming, my eyes begging me to close them. And just before I did I saw a splash above me and I caught a glimpse of dirty blond hair.

I felt him grab me and I felt him swimming up to the surface. I felt the bitter wind against my wet skin as I was lifted out of the water. I heard them shouting for me, yelling my name. I felt them lying me on the floor of the deck. I felt him pull me against his chest. I heard him talking to me, begging me to open my eyes and then I felt nothing.

It was complete darkness.

• • •

I woke up to a splitting headache. I'd never felt pain like it before. There was light underneath my eyelids and I was hot.. really, really hot. I was tired. My throat burnt, it was sore — I was sore.

Slowly I peeled my eyes open and the first thing I noticed was that I wasn't in my bedroom. I wasn't even in John B's chateau. I didn't know where I was actually. The walls were an ugly off white colour and I noticed a bed opposite me. I slowly moved my head to the side and saw two more beds, all of them empty and looking to my left I saw a monitor.

I was in the hospital but I couldn't remember what had happened for me to end up here.

I groaned loudly, reaching up and running my hand over my forehead but I stopped when I felt a bandage covering half of my forehead.

The door opened and I saw a blonde woman dressed in blue walking in. She noticed me staring at her and she smiled softly at me, walking over to me, "Hi Mally, nice to see you awake."

"Yeah?" I responded, my voice felt heavy, "Can't say it's nice to be awake."

"Are you in any pain?" She asked me, her voice was sweet, too sweet. She walked over to me and I saw her name tag on her tunic, it read Rachel.

"I feel like someone's cracked me in the head with a hammer." I told her bluntly.

She chuckled and she checked the monitor I was hooked up to, "Well you did split your head open."

I watched her flutter around me, "I cracked my head open?"

She looked at me and her brows furrowed, "Yes. You don't remember?"

Come to think of it I don't. I don't remember much. The last thing I can remember is boarding Pope's dads boat, we were going to find the Royal Merchant. Did we find the gold?

"No. I don't."

She nodded to herself, "I'll bring you some aspirin to help with your headache and I'll tell your parents you're doing all right."

"Both my parents are here?" I asked her.

She nodded with a smile before leaving, closing the door behind her. I couldn't of been alone longer than two minutes before I saw my dad walking in. He gave me a soft smile before crossing over to my bed and kissing my forehead, "How're you feeling, kid?" He asked me.

I sighed and closed my eyes, "Like I just got cracked in the head with a hammer."

"Yeah I suppose that's what happens when you fall off a boat and split your head open." He told me.

"I fell of Pope's boat?" I asked him with wide eyes, "How the hell?"

He chuckled lightly, "I thought the same when JJ told me." JJ, where was he? "Turns out you guys hit a storm when you were out fishing and the anchor got caught. You and John B were trying to pull it up and a wave hit the boat, knocked you overboard."

I shook my head in disbelief, "I can't believe I fell off a boat, man."

My dad shrugged, "Happens to the best of us." He told me, "Lucky JJ jumped in after you, you blacked out in the water."

I looked at my dad, "He jumped in after me?"

My dad sat down with a sigh and nodded, "I know, was brave of him but he told me he'd do anything to keep you safe."

I could tell by the look on my dads face he knew where this was going and I think he could decipher exactly what I was thinking too. He was my dad though and I saw it pained a small part of him to see his little girl growing up. My dad had always had a weird relationship with JJ but his and John B's was great. My dad knew JJ was my worst influence but he knew I had the most fun with him and sometimes that fun landed us in trouble but that was life.

So as much as my dad sometimes wasn't a fan of JJ — let's say — there was a large portion of him that liked him.

"You know." He told me, "That rule you guys go by is pretty shitty." My eyes widened a little bit. I'd never heard my dad swear before, "We never had that rule and there was no problems."

"John B thought it'd be good." I responded, "Stop is from ruining our friendships."

He nodded, "But when have you ever stuck to the rules, Mal?"

That was true.

I wasn't one for the rules and neither was JJ so what was honestly stopping us from doing this?

"I've never done anything like this before." I confined, "I don't know what love is, I don't—"

"—Woah." My dad interrupted me with wide eyes, "Who said anything about love?"

I bit my lip. I don't think I was in love with JJ.. was I? How could I tell if I was in love with him? I know I felt different feelings for him, like whenever he grabbed my hand or flirted with me I got goosebumps or my stomach fluttered a little. I liked him, a lot more than what John B's rule covered me for.

"Dad." I sighed, "I don't know what I'm doing."

"You do whatever you want, however you want." He told me, "There's no rules when it comes to things like this. There's no hand-guide or rule book that explains it for you. You do it how you think you should."

I nodded, "I think whatever we did it would be slow." I told my dad, "So we can get comfortable, if you know what I mean?"

He exhaled heavily and sat back in his chair, "I hope I do."

I smiled, "Is he here?"

My dad pressed his lips together before nodding, "Of course he is."

There it was again.. that fluttery feeling. I smiled. This entire thing between JJ and I felt so wrong but yet I'd never been more sure of anything in my entire life. I never thought I'd have feelings for a boy I'd known for half my life. I thought I'd meet a touron who'd whisk me off my feet and out of Kildare Island but that clearly wasn't my fate.

My dad stood up and he took my attention, "How about I go and get him?"

I nodded softly, "I'd like that."

My dad mustered a small smile, his hand on the doorknob, "You know I've dreaded this day since you were born." He told me and I smiled in response. He turned to open the door but before he left he turned back one last time, "I'll tell your mom to get off your back about her setting you up with someone.. you don't need anyone else."

I smiled, "Thank you."

He winked at me and left, closing the door behind him. I took the time alone to try and get my thoughts together. I still couldn't remember the accident so there was that to talk about and then us, I guess.

I sat up, ignoring the way my head throbbed every time I moved and I got myself into a sitting position. I hung my legs over the bed, staring at the floor before exhaling heavily. I felt like shit.

"What- why are you sitting up?"

I looked up to see JJ stood by the door but in an instant he closed it and he walked over to me.

"I'm fine." I reassured him, "I don't like lying down."

He reached me, standing in front of me and grazing the side of the bandage on my head, "I know but your head."

I reached up and grabbed his hand gently, moving it away from my head, "Trust me when I tell you it's all right."

He shook his head, his lip curving into a faint smile, "I don't think I believe you."

I smiled and he pulled the chair over to sit opposite me, taking one of my hands, "You know when that drone pulled you under and I heard John B and Kie shouting you my heart fell out of my ass."
I chuckled under my breath, "I'm being serious Mal, I thought you were dead."

"I don't know wether to be grateful or frustrated I can't remember what happened." I responded, meeting his gaze.

His face fell, mouth open, "You can't remember?"

I shrugged, "I remember getting onto Heyward's boat and then... nothing."

He sighed, running his hands over his face, "I don't think you'll want to know."

"What happened?" I asked him and I saw him hesitate, "JJ—"

He sighed, "We found the Royal Merchant—"

My eyes widened, "—Are you fucking kidding me?" I asked in excitement, "JJ are you serious? We found it!"

He did not reciprocate the same level as excitement as I. In fact it was the polar opposite, I could see by the way his shoulders sagged he was disappointed. The excitement pooled out of me like air when someone punched you in the gut.

JJ took his cap off and ran his hands through his hair before putting it back on, "The gold wasn't on the shipwreck."

I could hardly believe what he was saying. If he didn't look so serious and disappointed himself I'd call him a liar. I'd say he was only messing with me and that he was having me on but he looked truly gutted.

"Someone beat us to it?" I asked him, my words a whisper.

He shrugged, "That or the gold was never on the boat when it sank."

Wow.

I shook my head, at a true loss for words, "So we didn't find the gold." I said, "What-what happened after that?"

"Well naturally you were angry — we all were — and there was a storm rolling in so you started pulling the drone out of the water. You got to the last hundred feet and the storm got worse so John B and Kie started helping you but the drone got stuck. You guys released the cord down a bit but the tide changed at the same time a wave hit into the boat and you slipped." JJ sighed, "We waited to see if you came back up, we waited but Kie saw blood rise to the surface so I just jumped in blindly— I didn't even think but when I swam down you'd passed out but your arm was wrapped round the cord. I had to untangle it but I didn't know how long you'd been without air, I was panicking—"

"—Thank you." I told him sincerely. JJ looked up to me and I could honestly say I'd never before seen the expression on his face. He had quite a poker face to start out with but on the rare occasions he let a slither of emotion slip through. This was one of them occasions. I held his hand, "I'm serious JJ. You saved my life."

"I couldn't just sit there and let you drown." He told me and I saw his eyes twinkle, "I care about you a little too much for that to happen, darlin'."

I grazed my thumb across the back of JJ's hand and grinned, "Thanks buttercup."

• • •

"You got everything?" My mom asked me. She was stood opposite me, the bed I'd woken up in the only thing separating us.

"I didn't have much to begin with." I replied with a short smile. I woke up in a hospital gown, my clothes dripping wet from falling in the water but by the time I was going home they'd dried. I changed back into my shorts and JJ had borrowed me a jumper — I was still cold and not even the humidity outside and in the hospital could warm me up.

My mom nodded. I felt guilty for pulling her away from her preparations, Midsummers was only two days away and I could imagine she still had so much to do before the night. But then there was a large portion of me that was thankful she was here.

I'd grown up the past couple of years thinking my mom didn't care much for me because of the way we argued. Our relationship wasn't the greatest and that led me to believe she only kept in contact with me because I was her only child but I was so wrong.

My mom cared a lot for me and like my dad, she'd do anything for me. If she didn't care much about me — like I originally thought she did she wouldn't be standing here with me right now. I saw that now and I felt horrible for thinking that of my mom. I wanted to put whatever feud we had behind us, turn over a page and start new with my mom. What happened between her and my dad was unchangeable and I accepted that now, she was happy.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled.

My mom furrowed her brows, "What for?"

I placed my hands on the bed and leaned on to them, "For being a shitty daughter, for holding a grudge against you for divorcing dad.." I shrugged, "Just for everything really."

My mom sighed lightly and she sat down on the edge of my bed, "Mal, you're a teenager. I don't blame you for blaming me, I did the exact same when my parents divorced. I blamed my dad for leaving my mother, I just wanted someone to take the anger out on."

"Really?" I asked her softly.

She nodded, "Being a teenager sometimes sucks, hon, you're dealing with a boat load of new feelings and you don't know how to control them so you compensate." She told me, "But you shouldn't feel bad for anything, all right? You're not a shitty daughter."

"Well I kind of feel like one." I grumbled, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Mally you're the best thing that ever happened to me." My mom told me honestly, "And I wouldn't change meeting your dad and having you for the world."

I don't know what came over me but I hugged my mom tightly. I can't remember the last time I'd had physical contact with her but I just felt the urge to hug her. It was an overwhelming feeling as she wrapped her arms around me and I buried my head into the crook of her neck. She rubbed my back and soothed me and I realised how much I'd been craving this type of affection from my mom.

"I love you Mal."

I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut as I felt tears forming in my eyes, "I love you too, mom."

I was too wrapped up in the reconciliation with my mom that I didn't realise we weren't alone until my mom spoke, "Sheriff Peterkin, can I help you?"

I let go of my mom and sat back, turning to the Sheriff with a confused frown. I wiped my eyes quickly as the Sheriff stepped away from the door while nodding, "I was just wondering if I could have a word with your daughter."

I glanced slowly to my mom and saw her frowning in confusion also. Her eyes flickered to me for a second before she looked back to Peterkin, "Why? Is there something wrong?"

"No, no." She shook her head, "Just here to ask a few questions about John B Routledge."

I pressed my lips together in a thin line, what the hell had my friend done now? I swear, you're in hospital for a couple of hours and your friends start falling apart because they've got no one to know and tell you where to draw the line.

"She's been here—"

"—It's all right." I told my mom with a small smile, "I wanna help."

"Okay." My mom nodded, although she didn't seem thrilled, "I'll be right outside."

"Thank you Mrs. Thornton." Peterkin nodded at my mom as she passed her and no sooner did my mom leave, closing the door behind her.

I met Peterkin's brown eyes and nodded, "What's he done now?"

"Well he ran from the DCS earlier on but that's not what I'm here to talk about." She replied, walking towards me.

I frowned, "But you—"

"—I know." She nodded, "But I've a feeling you won't want your mom to know about this."

I watched her as she stood at the table at the end of the bed and narrowed my eyes, "About what?"

She placed a brown file on the table and opened it up, picking a few photos up and placing them down in front of me side by side, "Remember these?" She asked.

I looked down at the photos and swallowed harshly. In front of me were the photos — mugshots actually — of the two square groupers that had attacked John B and I, and I looked away from the photographs.

"Thought you might." Peterkin nodded and she picked up the mugshots to show me two more photographs, "This is them now."

I looked down to the second photos and the sight was horrific. They were both dead, various injuries and missing limbs and I had to turn the photos over. I had no food in my stomach but it was enough to make me feel physically sick, "I don't know what you want me to say, Sheriff." I responded, "But I can say I'm happy that there not around anymore."

She nodded, "Yeah, me too."

"How'd they die?" I asked her curiously, "Shark attack?"

"Looks that way doesn't it?" She asked me and I nodded, "Coroner ruled it a double homicide."

My jaw dropped somewhat, "Someone murdered them?"

"My bet was they tossed them in the water to make it look like they fell. Inexperienced fisherman, hit a bad bout of weather and they payed the price."

I ran my hand through my hair, "Why are you telling me this?" I asked her, "You think I killed them or something?"

"I know you didn't." She told me, "But I know they were after that compass John B had and if they were after that compass they were most likely after the Royal Merchant too.. and you know what's on the Royal Merchant."

I nodded, "Gold."

"Do you seriously believe you and your friends are the only people on this island looking for the Royal Merchant?" She asked me, leaning forwards.

I stayed quiet. I wasn't about to spill my secrets to Peterkin wether she wanted to help me or not. I frowned, "We're not looking for it."

She nodded once but I saw she didn't believe me, "And I suppose you except me to believe you and your friends went fishing on the high side this morning when there's plenty of fish in the marsh?"

I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could, "I'm not sure what you want me to say Sheriff, I can't remember what happened today. I've got amnesia."

"Yeah I heard." She told me, putting the photographs back in the file and closing it up, "If you see John B around tell him to come and have a chat with me. I've a feeling whoever murdered them wouldn't hesitate to do the same to your friend."

She walked out then, leaving me sat in silence with my thoughts. I swallowed harshly, was it a good job we'd fallen off the trail? Not found the gold? Maybe it was because I was starting to believe this was now a whole lot more sinister than I believed it to be.

"And one more thing." Peterkin said again and I looked up to see she'd walked back in, "Don't mention this to any of your friends, this is a homicide investigation now." She told me before walking out and leaving for good.

We were definitely in trouble here.

• • •

A/N; so I know Midsummers takes place the day after this but I've decided to put a day in between it, you'll see why in the next few chapters.