"So, this is what we're doing, huh? We're just sailing out. We just left him! How are you okay with this?"
Looking up at JJ pacing the deck, Coral sighed, "Because I know my brother. If there's a way, he'll find it."
Stopping his pacing, he turned to look at her, "That simple?"
"Pretty much," she responded, shrugging, "You should know by now us Pogues are pretty damn resilient," she said, giving him a small smile.
"This isn't funny, Coral."
"She knows that!" Kie defended, "We had to leave, or we'd all be zip tied in the back of a pickup."
"Look, I still have Fenton's phone. I already texted him that we had to leave," Coral told him, holding up the stolen phone.
"So we wait for him," Pope decided, "And that was fast," he said as the phone in Coral's hand started ringing.
"It says Portis."
"Portis? That's John B," JJ said, snatching the phone from Coral and answering it, "Yo! Dude is this you?"
"Speaker! Put it on speaker, JJ!"
Glancing at Coral, JJ brought the phone down hitting speaker, "What do you need us to do? You need us to turn around?"
"No, no, don't do that," John B answered through the phone, "Look, it's way too hot here. You gotta get out of here. Go back to OBX."
"OBX?" Coral questioned, "How are you getting there, JB?"
"Coral? Coral I," he began before his voice got distorted.
"What? JB? We can't hear you."
"Here, let me try," Sarah said, grabbing the phone from JJ, "John B, are you okay?" she asked, moving around the deck trying for better reception.
"Yes. I'm fine. Everything's good. Listen."
"He's fine," she told them relieved, "Thank God. What happened?" she questioned John B.
"I found," he began before his voice got distorted again.
"John B!"
"Get out…here. I'll meet … Kildaire," John B's distorted voice came through the phone.
"Kildaire? When?" Sarah asked not getting an answer back as the phone call ended, "Damn it!"
"Kildaire. How's he getting there?"
"He'll find a way," Coral responded to Kie.
"You guys think he found his father?"
"He's been missing for almost a year," Pope responded to Cleo, "Sorry Coral."
"It's okay," she replied, "It was hard to hear him and the phone cut out."
"Should we go back?" JJ questioned.
"No, we couldn't hear much, but I heard him definitely say go on, and that's what we should do," Coral told him.
"I agree with Coral," Sarah nodded, "We keep going like he said."
"Well, it's a long way back to the OBX," Pope commented, "I suggest we take turns at the wheel."
"Coral and I got first," JJ volunteered, already standing at the wheel.
"So you sure you didn't tell him where the diary is?" JJ asked, squinting at Coral who now stood at the wheel steering the boat.
"Of course not. What do you take me for, a moron?" she responded, slightly offended, "I told him I'd seen it, but I didn't tell him where."
"Alright, no need to get snippy. I know my Babygirl can lie like a rug," he teased, blowing her a kiss, "Okay, so the diary we have leads to a 500 year old treasure that no ones ever found?"
"You're a dork and pretty much," she responded.
"I'm in. It's kind of like my best option at this point, so…definitely beats geometry class. I mean I don't even know what'll happen when we get back to the OBX. Nothing good, I can tell you that."
"Shit is going to suck," Coral agreed.
"I got restitution. No job. We got no parents. Yeah, arrows are going to be coming in hot."
"Yeah, shit, it's only October, but we've missed so much school we'll probably have to repeat this year. I'm hoping Anna and Mike let me get my job back, I kind of ghosted them. I do have what was left of the squirrel fund and my bar of gold still hidden in my room though," she remembered.
"Well, there's no way Raz is letting me back at the country club. Maybe I can get something down at the marina at Guffy's."
"You know, whatever happens, we're gonna handle it together. Like we always do."
Nodding, he wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her slowly, "You know it occurs to me that someone has a birthday in a few days. What do you want to do to celebrate?" he asked.
"Nothing really," she replied, shrugging.
"You're turning seventeen. We need to do something," he countered.
"Well, we already basically took an island vacation for the last month. What could possibly top that?" she laughed.
"Hey. Just wanted to let you guys know that we should probably stop for gas," Pope called up from the deck below.
Stepping away from Coral, JJ looked down at the boy, "And some food!"
Pushing the boat as far as they could JJ steered them into a slip inside a marina off of St. Kitts, "I think this is Basseterre," Cleo said, squinting at the lights coming from the city beyond the harbor as she and Pope jumped to the dock to tie up the boat.
"Exactly how many towns in the Caribbean have you been?"
"Terrance got around," she answered Pope, shrugging.
"Alright, the goal is food and fuel. Any ideas?" Kie asked.
"I got food," Cleo announced, "Come on Gray Pipe, let's teach ya a new skill," she said, gesturing for Pope to follow her down the docks.
"Guess we're on fuel," JJ declared.
Pursing her lips, Coral glanced at Kie, "I think this might be a job for the girls," she stated.
"The girls?" Kie questioned, "You mean as in the girls," she laughed, motioning to her breasts.
"Exactly. I'm thinking, stranded damsels in distress should get us the fuel we need to get back home."
"No, no, no. I just got you back," JJ interrupted, "If you think I'm gonna let you out of my sight," he started to say before Coral interrupted him.
"JJ, I'll be fine. I'm with Kie. No one on St. Kitts is trying to kidnap us, and someone has to stay with the boat," she told him, kissing him quickly, "We'll be back," she said, winking before she and Kie grabbed up two empty gas cans and headed down the dock together.
"You know I'm the last person to complain when you use your girls to get your way, but even I don't feel this is very feministic!" he called watching the two girls disappear into the city.
"Feministic?"
"JJ speak," Coral replied as they turned down a street on a search for a gas station.
"I mean he's not wrong. This is kind of gross."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Coral responded, shrugging, "So, this thing with Pope and Cleo," she trailed off glancing at Kie.
"What about it?"
"Well, I don't know. One minute you two are like hooking it up, and the next he's showing some definite interest in the new girl. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't bothering you."
"It's not," Kie replied quickly before sighing, "I mean, I'm the one who said no, so I can't be angry with him when he moves on."
"But it would be normal human behavior to be," Coral countered.
"Yeah, but it wouldn't be Pogue behavior," Kie responded, "I'm really fine with it. I'm glad he's not being normal obsessive Pope. Anyway, whatcha think?" she asked, motioning to the gas station across the street.
Pursing her lips, Coral assessed the situation, "I'm thinking we go straight to the attendant," she responded, jutting her chin towards the store where she could see a boy around their age sitting behind the counter.
"Okay, explain to me how you left here with two canisters but came back with three."
Smirking at JJ, the girls set their gas cans down, including the extra the attendant had given them, "Do you really want to know?" Coral questioned.
"Well now I kind of feel like I need to know."
Scrunching her face, Coral hummed, "I don't think you do."
"Oh, I definitely need to know now!"
"Relax, Kie did the heavy lifting this go around. She had that guy eating out of the palm of her hand."
"Like taking candy from a baby," Kie laughed, "Alright, I made my contribution. Someone else can deal with all that," she said, waving to the gas cans before heading down below deck.
"Where's Pope and Cleo?"
"Don't know. They came back, dropped a bunch of shit off, and then took off again," JJ told her picking up two of the gas cans.
"Should we be concerned?" Coral asked as she followed him with the other can.
"Nah, Cleo'll keep him safe," he responded dismissively, "I was thinking we should hole up here for the night. Even if any of them slept while we drove doesn't mean it's safe."
Setting her can down Coral glanced around the darkened harbor as JJ began pouring gas into the tank, "Probably a good idea," she agreed.
"I was hoping you'd say that. I already claimed a room for us down below. Set up a little picnic down there with some of the food they brought back," he told her, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
"You know we can't do that. Been over a month since I took my birth control and we have no condoms," she reminded him.
"You couldn't get him to throw them in with the gas?" he whined.
"I think Kie was more focused on the gas than you getting some," she responded, rolling her eyes.
"Fine, it'll still be nice to sleep on a bed though," he conceded.
"I slept on a bed last night," smiling widely at him.
"And where did your little buddy, Rafe, sleep?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes at her.
"Is that jealousy I detect?" she teased, "Relax, he slept on the floor," she told him when he glared at her.
"He better have," he muttered, "You never did say what you did to him," he reminded her as he finished filling the gas tank of the boat.
"I kind of shoved him overboard," she revealed, "And then stole his boat."
Laughing, he kissed her forehead, "That's my girl," he said with pride, "Why don't you go down below. I'll wait for Pope and Cleo and join you after I tell them the plan of staying docked for the night."
Nodding, she leaned up kissing him quickly before heading down below.
"Damn. I didn't think I'd ever see this place again," Coral breathed out as JJ steered the boat towards the Chateau. After leaving St Kitts they'd traveled as far as they could before dropping anchor and spending another night on the water. Anxious to get home, Pope had risen early and had started for Kildaire before the sun had even broken the horizon.
"Who's boat is that?" Kie questioned, squinting at the unfamiliar boat tied next to the Pogue.
"Maybe it's John B," Sarah said, hopefully.
"Well there's no room at the inn," JJ stated, motioning towards the dock.
"You guys are gonna have to jump," Pope said, taking the wheel from JJ, "We'll dock down at the marina at one of the slips."
"I take it you're heading home?"
"I predict unpleasantries at the Heyward household, but I gotta let them know I'm alive," he answered.
"I too need to do the parental thing," Kie said, grimacing at the thought of going home.
"Do you think we'll see you again?" Coral questioned.
"Honestly, I have no idea," Kie responded, "So, on that note, I love you and happy birthday if I don't see you for the rest of our lives," she said hugging Coral.
"Thank you and I love you too."
"Wait, how do you know what day it is?" Pope questioned.
"I was playing games on that phone Coral stole and saw the calendar," Kie responded.
"I'm in the same boat as Kie so happy birthday if I never see you again."
Laughing, Coral hugged Pope and Cleo before getting ready to jump to the Chateau dock with Sarah and JJ as Pope steered the boat as close as he could. Making the leap, they turned and waved to the others.
"Home sweet home," Coral smiled, taking JJ's hand as the three walked up the dock towards the house.
"Someone's on the porch," JJ whispered, taking note of someone lying on the porch couch.
"It is John B!" Sarah exclaimed before taking off running the rest of the way.
"How did he get back here before us?"
"That speedboat at the dock is a bit faster than the catamaran," JJ responded as they walked up onto the porch.
"Sarah. He's alive. My dad's alive."
Stopping at her brother's words, Coral sucked in a breath, "What?"
Looking up, John B smiled in relief, "Coral Bug, I found him," he told her as he got up from the couch, "It was him. Calling us home," he said, hurrying across the porch and grabbing her up in a hug.
"John B, no one is here," Sarah spoke up.
Letting his sister go, he turned back to Sarah, "Yeah, he's right inside. Come on," he said, taking Coral's hand and dragging her inside, "No, no, he was right here," he said, pointing to the pull out couch inside, "I swear to God he was."
"JB."
"No! Look, I promise he's here," he said as JJ and Sarah followed them into the living room.
"John B, dude, no one is here except us," JJ said, wrapping his arm around Coral.
"He's here," John B insisted, "Dad! He must be outside," he said before hurrying back out to the porch. Kicking the screen door open he ran out into the yard yelling for their dad.
"I think he's finally lost it," Coral whispered to JJ watching as Sarah followed her brother outside.