The Lighthouse
The Twinkie parked outside of the lighthouse and all four of them climbed out to take a look at the lighthouse that John B insisted could be a clue to his dad's disappearance.
John B prepared himself for what he was about to say because JJ would probably argue with him, but he had already made a decision on his way here. He didn't want to put JJ in danger again. He had no idea what they would be walking into. She'd been through enough today.
He turned toward her, hoping she wouldn't fight him on this, "Right. You're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?"
She would be safer with the Twinkie. Being lookout was a good enough excuse she might not think twice about it, he thought, not really believing it.
"Wait.. why me?" She asked, confused and not wanting to be separated from John B. John B never leaves her behind. They're a team.
John B struggled to find answer but was saved by Pope. "Because you're not coming."
"Why?" JJ asked, a little hurt.
"There are independent and dependent variables. You're independent-"
"Shut up," JJ said angrily and not understanding a word Pope was saying. It sounded like bullshit to her.
"We don't know what you'll do," Pope said, in words she could understand.
That hurt. They didn't trust her? Was she that much of a nuisance? Her father's voice rang through her head. Worthless. Stupid. Unwanted.
She started to argue, but John B interrupted their squabbling. "Shut up! Listen to me for a second. Pope you stand look out with JJ. Okay?" That was already been part of his plan but JJ had argued before he could finish. "If we split up we meet back at JJ's house." JJ's house was the closest, even though he loathed any of them going near that house. Before JJ could argue anymore, he turned on his heel and walked toward the lighthouse.
"Fine," Kie muttered, not quite understanding what just happened, but she followed behind John B.
JJ stood there glaring at John B and Kie's backs, but what could she do. If her presence was that much of a liability, then she didn't want to be in the way. Worthless. Stupid. Unwanted. It hurt to feel like her best friends possibly felt that way about her though. Her father. Her mother. Hell the whole island. And now maybe her best friends too.
"Well, I'm gonna work on my merit scholarship essay and I'm trying to keep felonies to a minimum," Pope said, tearing JJ away from her spiraling thoughts.
"Alright, will you just shut up already," JJ snapped at him, not in the mood. He stopped talking, but neither one of them reentered the Twinkie. Instead JJ pulled out her hackey sack she'd found in the Twinkie on the way there to distract herself with as they kept watch for any trouble and waited for their friends to come back.
John B and Kie entered the lighthouse and looked up into the tower that seemed to go on and on. It was dark, but not so dark that they couldn't see.
"Remind me what we're looking for again," Kie said, awed.
"We'll know it when we see it," John B replied. His voice echoed back at him, eerily.
"Okay," Kie whispered as she turned to follow John B up the winding staircase that led up the tower. The lighthouse is a bit spooky, if you ask her.
The sound of creaking metal and the occasional flapping of wings filled the empty space as they climbed. The stairs led to a closed door. John B knocked 3 times. Nothing.
"Nobody home," he muttered to Kie with disappointment, but then the door opened. An older large man with glasses stood in the doorway and stared at them with a 'What do you want' look. He assumed the man was the lightkeeper.
"Um.. we're here for the lighthouse," John B said when the older man didn't say anything.
"The lighthouse is closed," the man said, already beginning to shut the door on them.
"Um…" Kie said awkwardly.
"Actually, we.. we aren't here about the lighthouse," John B said with a raised voiced, hoping the man was listening. "We're here about the uh.." He hesitated before deciding to just fo for it, "The Royal Merchant."
The door reopened. "Then you came to the right place," The man uttered.
Silence. Then the man turned around and motioned for them to follow him outside onto the balcony that circled around the top of the light house.
"I know more.. Watch your step there," he said as he stepped over the entry of the door. "About the Royal Merchant than anyone else in Kildare County."
"Holy shit," John B mumbled as he briefly admired the view. JJ would've loved this, he thought guiltily.
"C'mon," the man motioned them to keep following as he led them around to the A few feet to the left of where they'd come out.
"Now the Merchant disappeared in the graveyard of the Atlantic in 1829," The man spouted.
"With four hundred million," John B added, to show that he's tracking.
"Correct," the man nodded, looking directly into his eyes. "You're a bit of a Merchanteer yourself huh?"
"Uh.. something like that," John B said, not knowing how much he should share. They don't know this man.
"Well follow me," the man said, excited. "I wanna show you somethin." The man turned and led them around to the other side of the lighthouse. "I've been working 30 years up here. The view never changed til two days ago. The point's almost gone." He extended his hand out towards the where the sea touches the land. "One more storm like that, it'll take the lighthouse. I'll go with her."
The man was quiet for a second at that, then continued, "Now the trick to knowin' where the Merchant is is knowin' whether she was on the north end or the south end of the eye of the storm. Now most experts believe she was on the south end. Now, she's on the south end, the bands from the Hurricane would have pushed her back out to sea." He looked back at John B then. "But I don't believe that. Uh-uh. I think she was in the north end of the eye."
The man chuckled. "Which means the bands would have pushed her…"
"Closer to shore," John B finished, thoughtful. Maybe he should have paid more attention to his dad's ramblings.
"That's right," the man smiled. "Now, by my calculations, the Royal Merchant.." the man pointed a section of the ocean near the shore, "is about 10 miles thataway."
John B briefly looked at Kie as he considered everything they'd just heard. The man waved them to follow back through the door into the lighthouse. "Come on, Come on."
He led them into an office-like area and walked over to a map of the island. He removed his glasses and used it to pint out a spot on the map. "Right here is where the point used to be. My calculations say the Merchant is right about there, down about 1,000 feet."
John B stared at the spot the man had pointed to and recognized it as the same area his father had predicted. "That's what my dad used to say."
"Yup," the man said, knowingly.
He must recognize who I am, John B thought, how else would he know who my father is?! I never told him my name. He decides to risk it as he starts to pull out the coMoses He needs to know. "Yeah, I- I know this is weird alright? Do you know anything about this?"
The man doesn't respond so John B continues hoping the man can tell him anything. Anything at all. "Look it- it says Redfield in the back.. in my dad's handwriting. Yeah, I don't know why I'm here, but I feel like I'm supposed to be here. Do you have anything you're supposed to give to me or to-"
The man turned around, looking nervous, and started walking away. John B followed desperately. This man has to know something. "Where are you going?!" John B called after him as he followed the man up a ladder and through a hatch that led to the very top of the lighthouse. "Wait a minute. Look.. Look man, I know this is weird. I just thought, hoped, maybe you would know something about this, alright "
"Sir, you won't believe what he's been through in the past 24 hours. I mean, threatened, shot at, home invaded.." Kie added her support as she followed behind a John B.
"Home invaded?" The man muttered anxiously.
"My rooster was killed," John B added as he remembered JJ's heartbroken face. It was those men's fault. He felt even more desperation for answers now and it resonated in his voice, "Look man, my dad wanted me to talk to you, okay? If there's anything you could think of that would help us, please just tell us!" He grabbed the front of the man's shirt and pushed him back slightly, "Look man, please!"
"John B," Kie tried to calm him down. He was going too far.
"If you know anything, just- just-"
The man pulled out a walkie talkie and pressed the talk button, eyes staring right into John B's as he spoke into it. "Wanda, I got two kids on drugs up here at the lighthouse. Call the police!"
Damnit! John B tried to wrestle the radio away. "No no no no no!"
"Let go!" The man cried out as he struggled against John B. Glass broke as John an accidentally jarred the man's hand into the window. Shit.
"What are you doing?!" Kie cried, not liking how out of control John B was getting and wishing JJ had come with them after all. She was better at knowing what to do when John an was like this.
"It was an accident okay," John B said, frustrated. How did things escalate so quickly? And no clue about his dad to show for it!
"John B, we've gotta go," Kie pleaded, already climbing back down the ladder to leave the lighthouse before security could arrive.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," John B cried to the man as he hurriedly followed behind Kie. "Oh shit."
They rushed down the stairs as fast as they could.
JJ snd Pope were tossing the hackey sack back and forth when they heard sirens in the distance. They were coming closer, so they booked it into the Twinkie ready to bounce as soon as John B and Kie made it down.
The police car pulled into the lot and Pope called it. They had to go. John B and Kie would have to escape on foot. What use are they if they're all busted, Pope reasoned to himself.
"What are you doing?! We can't leave them!" JJ yelled at him angrily. He ignored her as he kept driving, headed to JJ's house.
"It was too late for them to make it to the Twinkie, JJ, we would've all been caught," he finally said when they were in the clear.
"You don't know that," JJ bit out, "What happened to never leave a Pogue behind?!"
"We don't. They'll escape, I know it," Pope said, hoping he sounded confident.
JJ just turned away from him angrily and looked out the window, chewing on her lip nervously as she worried about John B and Kie.