AN: Okay, so here's that sequel to Scattered Wrecks that I promised! Wow, I can't believe I'm getting this out on the same night that its predecessor ended, that's a first for me.
ANYWAY, this first chapter is kind of short, it just kind of sets things up for us to give an idea of what's going to be happening and where they are in relation to when the epilogue of Scattered Wrecks left off, and where they're going now. Also, Graverobber commits a bit of a felony at the end, but then again, that's just Graves for ya. XD
Also, the title for this one comes from the same place that the title for the last one did, which is the book Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. This story's title comes from the following quote: "It's another sin. Worse than all the other ones, which are immediate, violent and hot...It's the eighth deadly sin. The one God left out, Hope."
Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since twenty minutes ago when I posted the epilogue of Scattered Wrecks. I still own absolutely nothing. Except Natalie and her kids, I own them. So...I sort of lied, I do own something lol.
Shilo took Graverobber's hand as she stepped off the boat. It had dropped them in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and Graverobber had told her that he had a specific destination in mind for them, though he wouldn't say where, insisting that they wait until they were off the boat before he tell her, and she had decided to humor him. Graverobber thanked the captain of the boat, then took Shilo's hand and led her away from the harbor and down the street.
"So what's the plan?" she asked.
"We're gonna go visit my sister," he replied.
"You mean Natalie? But I thought you said she dropped off the face of the planet after your mom's funeral."
"Okay, so that might not have been entirely true. She disappeared after the funeral, and a few months later, she contacted me to tell me she was on the mainland, and she was sorry for abandoning us, but she just couldn't stay on the island anymore, she had to get away, escape it all. We've had on-and-off contact through the years. Her husband had something Repo'd a few years ago, and so now it's just her and her kids. Kyle's ten and Rosella...She would have turned six just last month. They live in a beach town a few hours down the shoreline from here called Cape Fear."
"Well that sounds like a pleasant place to live," Shilo remarked dryly.
He laughed. "I know, doesn't it just?" he said.
"So how do you plan on getting us there?" she asked.
"Why, we're going to drive, of course," he said, flashing his wicked grin at her.
Shilo frowned in confusion. "But...we don't have a car. Where exactly are we going to get one on such short notice?"
"Honestly, Shilo, you should know me better by now!" he exclaimed, then looked around before leaning in to whisper in her ear. "I know how to hotwire. We're just gonna find one, throw our stuff in, and take off."
"But that's stealing," she whispered back.
"Not if we're rescuing it from impoundment."
"You just have this all figured out, don't you?"
"What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I couldn't even take care of my girlfriend?" he asked, and then gave her a quick peck on the lips before taking her by the hand as they kept on down the street.
"Oh, and by the way," he said after a few minutes, and pulled something out of his pocket, flashing a grin as he showed it to her. "I grabbed my cell phone as we were leaving, so we can still talk to everyone back home any time we want. Actually, you know what, hang on, I'm going to call Nattie and let her know we're coming her way."
He punched in a phone number, then put it to his ear and waited. After a moment, the answering machine picked up and told him to leave a message.
"Yo, Nat, it's Allan," he said. "Just wanted to let you know that due to a series of rather complicated events that I will explain to you at a later date, my girlfriend and I have been kicked off Sanitarium Island, in a manner of speaking, and we are as of this moment, on the mainland. We're in Cape Hatteras, we're planning on coming to you, and I just wanted to give you a heads up so you don't die of shock when we show up on your doorstep in a few hours. Anyway, tell the kids they're finally gonna get to meet their kickass uncle, and I will see you soon. Bye."
He hit the end button, then looked at Shilo. "What are you giggling over there for?" he asked.
"'Tell the kids they're finally gonna get to meet their kickass uncle?' Really?" she said.
"Well, I've never met them, and since I am, after all, the King of Kickass..."
"You're an idiot, you know that?"
"Yes, but I'm an idiot that you love."
"For some unfathomable reason."
"Your dad would kill us both for it. It'd be kind of...Romeo and Juliet-ish."
"Oh my God, you realize that it lasted like three days and about six people died, right?"
He shrugged. "Shakespeare's not my area of expertise, it's Jem's, remember?" he said simply.
When they reached the impoundment lot (which was found after about thirty minutes of wandering around, getting lost, and following directions that Graverobber had gotten from a lady in a grocery store parking lot), Graverobber told Shilo to wait for him on the outside, then proceeded to climb over the fence. Once he was inside, he found an old pickup truck that didn't look it was going to be claimed any time soon and, upon finding that it wasn't locked, climbed into the cab and began working his magic.
After ten minutes of standing outside the fence and nervously looking around, worrying she'd be caught and told to leave, Shilo heard the sound of an engine on the other side of the fence, and a moment later, the pickup came crashing through the gate. Graverobber rolled down the window. "Quick, grab the bags and throw 'em in the bed, then hop in!" he said, and she quickly obeyed.
"Buckle up, kid," he said as she climbed into the passenger seat, "it's gonna be one helluva ride."
So there ya have it! I wonder what Nattie will be like? Oh, wait, no I don't, I already know, I'm the author. THE REST OF YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO WAIT AND FIND OUT, MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! :D