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''Let's pretend we're out here... fishing.''

''Mimi, we don't even have fishing rods.''

''Then we're fishing spiritually, JJ. Improvise!''

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WE WERE GATHERED outside the Chateau, the sunlight was soft, making everything look calm—almost too calm for how messy things had been. Kiara was strumming her ukulele, humming along lightly, and I joined in with a few words. I felt myself relax a bit, scrolling absentmindedly on my phone. I loved these moments at the Chateau; John B's place had become my own little safe haven with Dad gone all the time. Being here was like finding the family I didn't have at home.

Just then, John B came out, looking frustrated. He looked over at all of us before announcing, "Look, I'm calling it off. All right?"

Kiara's strumming slowed as she and the others glanced over.

"Peterkin said if I stay out of the marsh, she'll help me with DCS," John B explained.

JJ scoffed from his perch on a table nearby, where he was idly tossing rocks into the grass. "And you believed her?" he challenged, eyebrows raised.

John B's jaw tightened. "Yes, I believe her, JJ."

"An actual cop, John B? You believed a cop?" JJ threw another rock.

"All I gotta do is stay out of the marsh for a couple of days, and she'll help me out," John B insisted, his voice louder now, almost pleading for us to get it. He shot a glare at JJ. "And it doesn't help that you were the one shooting a gun."

"Facts," I chimed in, not even looking up from my phone, although a smirk played on my lips. Honestly, sometimes I couldn't believe the things JJ did, even for him. John B and I used to spend afternoons scrolling and laughing at random things on his porch, and now here we were, dealing with marsh secrets, cops, and guns. Not how I imagined spending my usual afternoon.

JJ leaned forward, looking straight at John B. "You know what I should've done, man?"He asked. "I should've just let Topper drown your ass."

John B rolled his eyes, arms crossed. "Yeah, because Topper was gonna drown me?" he shot back sarcastically.

JJ's lips curled into a smirk. "Sure looked like it," he countered, standing up and crossing his arms.

John B snorted, "Funny."

JJ stepped closer, his expression more serious now, almost as if he was studying John B. "I mean, have you looked in a mirror recently?"

John B huffed and squared up to JJ. "Tell me some more. Come on," he challenged.

Frustration bubbled up in me. "John B, he would've drowned you. And guess what?" I shot him a pointed look, pushing myself up from my chair and moving closer to the two of them. "He'd probably get away with it too."

"They always win, don't they?" JJ muttered, more to himself as he leaned an arm against a post, looking out at the empty space beyond the yard. "Kooks versus Pogues. They always, always win!" His hand balled into a fist, and he slammed it against a buoy, sending it swinging back and forth.

"Look, it's okay!" Kiara's voice cut through the tension.

JJ whipped around, eyes blazing. "No, it's not okay, Kie! It's not. They don't want us going down into the marsh because there's something valuable down there." He fixed his gaze on John B. "And you know it, man. I know you do. And I understand why you don't wanna go," he said, looking over at Pope, "'cause you're the golden boy. You've got too much to lose."

Pope stayed quiet, his eyes cast downward, and JJ turned his attention to Kie. "And you—well, you're already rich as hell anyway. Why would you bother?"

Kie's expression soured, and she shook her head, clearly annoyed but holding her tongue.

JJ then looked over at me and John B, his tone shifting. "But us three?" He meant me, himself, and John B. "We got nothin' to lose. We really don't, all right?"

John B opened his mouth to respond, but JJ cut him off.

"And I know it didn't use to be that way for you," JJ added, his voice softer now.

John B tensed, turning away, his face a mix of something I couldn't quite read. "I don't wanna talk about this. I don't wanna talk about it." He tried to shove past JJ, but he blocked him.

"So that's it?" JJ pressed, refusing to let it go. "John B, listen to me. I have a plan." He was relentless, grabbing John B's shoulder. "Trust me, okay? You got the key to Cameron's big boat, right?"

John B looked at him with a sigh. "No, dude."

"There's scuba gear on that boat," JJ continued, undeterred. "We just borrow it, then we go down to the wreck this afternoon. That's what's gonna save you, man." He threw an arm around both John B and me, pulling us into a close huddle. "You don't see rich kids going into foster care, do you?"

I shook my head, trying to wriggle free. "I'm not doing this, JJ,"

JJ grinned. "Oh, sure, Mavie. You're afraid of spiders, so I really don't see you stealing anything without shitting your pants."

I narrowed my eyes=. "I will kill you, JJ," I replied through gritted teeth, ready to make good on my threat.

JJ raised his hands, pretending to back down, his smile widening. "Okay, okay, all right. Was 'piss yourself' the wrong choice of words?"

I didn't hesitate, lunging forward and giving chase. JJ darted across the yard, laughing like a maniac as he ran, weaving around the bushes and old furniture scattered across the property.

I could hear the others laughing as I chased JJ across the Chateau lawn. It was these moments—the stupid, wild, reckless moments—that reminded me why I loved these guys.

Eventually, John B caught up with me, grabbing my arm just as I was about to corner JJ around the other side. "Mave, just calm down," he chuckled, keeping a firm hold on my shoulder as I fought to suppress a grin. "You can murder him later."

I huffed, crossing my arms but deciding to let it go, at least for now. "Fine. But I'm holding you to that, John B." With one last glare at JJ, who had ducked out of view, I turned back toward the porch, where Pope and Kie were lounging.

Dropping down on the porch steps, I pulled out a stack of cards from my pocket and spread them out. "Anyone fancy a game of cards?"

Pope looked at me with a raised brow. "Wait a minute—you don't even know how to play cards, Mave."

I shrugged, a smirk creeping onto my face. "Yeah, I know."

Pope rolled his eyes, but I could tell he was amused. "Then why on earth do you want to play if you don't know how?"

"Just wanted to see how long it would take you to catch on." I grinned, leaning back against the porch rail.

Pope laughed, shaking his head. "That's such a you thing to do."

Kie joined in with a giggle, her laugh echoing around us.

After about twenty minutes, John B and JJ returned, making their way down to the dock where the HMS Pogue was moored. They'd managed to drag over the scuba gear John B had swiped from Ward Cameron's boat, and as they set everything down, I wandered over with Pope and Kie to inspect their haul.

Kie gave the tanks a once-over and frowned, lifting one of them. "Uh...this one's empty." She shot a look at John B. "You took empty tanks?"

"Okay, that one's empty," JJ admitted, holding up another. "But this one is a quarter full. That's enough for one of us."

"Love it when a plan comes together," Pope muttered, shaking his head with a sarcastic smile.

Kie sighed, crossing her arms. "Does anyone actually know how to dive?"

John B pointed to JJ with a smirk. "Diving's kind of a Kook sport, so..."

Pope piped up hesitantly, "I... uh... I read about it?"

I couldn't help but raise my voice dramatically. "Oh, great, Pope read about it. So, basically, someone's gonna die," I quipped, throwing my hands up in exaggerated despair. Pope gave me a long, exasperated stare, his mouth pressed into a firm line.

JJ shrugged. "Look, y—you put the thing in your mouth and breathe. How hard can it be?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, arms crossed. "Then go for it, JJ. Be our test subject."

Pope shook his head, giving JJ a pointed look. "Well, actually, if you come up too fast, nitrogen gets in your blood, and you get the bends."

JJ leaned forward. "Bends like... bend over and—" he started with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.

Pope cut him off. "The bends kill you, JJ."

JJ froze in the position, his face falling. "Right." He stood up straight, brushing off his shorts like he hadn't just been flirting with death.

John B stepped forward. "I can dive. I'll do it."

JJ looked relieved and nodded. "Yeah, you can dive. I'm totally cool with that."

I caught JJ's eye and gave him a death stare. "You're only saying that because I told you to be the one to go."

He just grinned, completely unfazed. "Oh, absolutely."

Kie's suspicious gaze shifted to John B. "Since when can you dive?"

John B shrugged, brushing off her question like it was no big deal. "It's fine. I'll handle it."

Pope began scribbling something on a block he'd pulled out, his face dead serious. "Let me do some calculations real quick," he mumbled, furrowing his brows as he mapped out a timeline.

Kie rolled her eyes, hands on her hips. "You serious, Pope?"

I smirked, crossing my arms. "If you die, I'm not fishing your body out of the water, just so you know."

JJ grinned, giving me a thumbs up. "That's so supportive of you, Mimi."

"Anytime, Towhead," I shot back.

Pope, finishing his calculations, pointed to the water as he spoke. "The boat's about 30 feet down. At that depth, you'll have about twenty-five minutes before needing to surface." He tapped the block for emphasis, making the situation sound way more official than it actually was.

"Twenty-five," John B mumbled, more to himself than anyone else.

The plan was barely a plan, and we all knew it.

Pope continued to explain, using his fingers to count it out. "Which means you need to make your safety stop at about... ten feet. Alright? For two minutes."

John B nodded, though his brow was furrowed. "Yeah. Ten feet, two minutes. Got it."

Suddenly, Kiara whipped off her shirt and dove off the dock, slicing through the water with a clean dive. The rest of us just blinked, caught off guard. John B stumbled over his words, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Uh..."

Pope looked just as confused. "What was that all about?"

JJ chuckled, shaking his head in admiration. "I don't know, but I liked it. A lot."

I smacked JJ on the back, and he flinched. "Ow! That hurt!" he protested, rubbing his shoulder and giving me a wounded look.

"It was meant to," I replied, shooting him a glare that only made him pout more, his lower lip sticking out like a sulking child. He cleared his throat, trying to act like he hadn't just been scolded.

"Yeah, uh," he continued, recovering his composure, "when you're down there, look for the cargo hold." He held up a small key and showed it to John B. "You stick this thing inside, twist, and pull. Got it?"

John B glanced down at the key in JJ's hand. "Stick it in, twist, and pull," he echoed, his voice low as if committing the steps to memory. Just then, Kiara surfaced, shaking water out of her hair.

"Yeah," JJ nodded, glancing back at her before returning his attention to John B. "My dad used to move weight back in the day."

Pope, still holding onto the gauge, smirked. "Who didn't?"

Kiara pulled herself back onto the dock, water streaming off her as she took a deep breath. "Hey! I tied my T-shirt to the anchor chain about ten feet down. That's where you'll need to do your safety stop."

John B flashed her a quick smile. "Cool" He replied, earning an eye roll from me. I mean, really, a little more gratitude wouldn't kill him.

Pope stepped forward and held up the air gauge, explaining it as simply as he could. "Just... keep an eye on this. It'll tell you how much air you've got left and how much time you have. You need enough air to decompress properly. You get too low, and it's game over."

John B shifted, turning his face toward Pope. "Okay, so... how much do I actually need?"

Pope's lips tightened. "Unclear. Basically? Breathe as little as possible."

JJ grinned, hands making a circular motion in the air. "Zen. Think Zen, you know?" He made an exaggerated show of inhaling deeply through an imaginary mask.

Pope crossed his arms. "Look, if we get caught in the marsh, it's over for us. So, better get a move on while you can."

John B took a deep breath, nodding as he muttered, "Copy that." He was trying to keep his cool, but I could see the hint of nerves underneath. Kiara stepped forward, and without a word, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, her face softening with a shy smile. John B looked genuinely taken aback for a second before glancing down, a sheepish grin tugging at his mouth.

Watching them, I felt a little pang—a mix of amusement and genuine happiness. I didn't know Kie was crushing on him, but seeing it play out made me smile. They might deny it all they wanted, but something was clearly there.

"Diver down?" John B broke the silence, glancing around with a small grin as he adjusted his mask.

"Diver down," Kiara replied. She stepped back to give him room, her eyes lingering on him as he readied himself.

With one last breath, John B tugged the mask over his face and leapt off the dock. The splash was quickly swallowed up by the gentle waves lapping at the HMS Pogue, leaving the surface calm and undisturbed once again.

As we waited, I felt an uneasiness creeping up inside me, like a tension twisting in my chest. I glanced around at the others—Pope was staring intently at the water, JJ was trying to play it cool, and Kiara was absentmindedly gripping the edge of the dock, her knuckles white. 

''Shit. Guys,'' Pope muttered, his gaze flicking toward the flashing lights approaching behind us. The faint but unmistakable sound of sirens trailed across the marsh.

''That's the police,'' Kie exhaled as we exchanged glances, each of us stiffening in place.

''Oh, you've got to be kidding me,'' Pope whispered under his breath, casting a quick look around for any escape route.

''Yep. That's the police,'' JJ stated.

''Just act frickin' normal,'' Kie whispered, eyes darting nervously.

''Right, totally,'' I replied, rolling my eyes. ''Let's pretend we're out here... fishing.''

JJ let out a short, incredulous laugh. ''Mimi, we don't even have fishing rods.''

''Then we're fishing spiritually, JJ. Improvise!'' I shot back.

The patrol boat drifted closer, and Pope straightened up, putting on his calmest face as the officer nodded to us. ''Evening, officers,'' he greeted, keeping his tone smooth. Pope was the one to handle this; he was the quickest thinker under pressure.

''Evening,'' Deputy Shoupe replied, looking at each of us through narrowed eyes as he held out a rope. ''JJ, tie it off.''

JJ's smirk faltered as he took the rope, securing it quickly before stepping back.

''How you kids doin'?'' Shoupe asked, his gaze sliding over our faces as if he could already sense trouble. ''You know the marsh is closed?''

JJ shrugged, giving him his best clueless expression. ''No, we didn't know.''

''Why—why's it closed?'' Pope asked.

Shoupe adjusted his sunglasses and glanced over his shoulder. ''We're conducting a search out here. Boat went down. Seen anything?''

Both boys shook their heads quickly. ''No, nothing,'' JJ responded. ''No boats.''

The officer's gaze sharpened slightly. ''Where's your friend you always hang with? He here?''

Kiara jumped in. ''He's working,'' she said casually, folding her arms and leaning against the side of the boat.

Shoupe nodded, though he still looked suspicious. ''Mind if I take a look around your little boat?''

Pope didn't hesitate. ''Yeah, hop aboard,'' he offered, waving his hand as if this was just some friendly visit. ''Go ahead and check her out.''

Shoupe stepped onto the boat, his weight creaking the boards as he surveyed everything in silence. ''You got another one of these?'' he asked, holding up a life jacket.

''Yeah, yeah, of course,'' JJ replied, stumbling over his words but managing to keep his cool. ''It's, uh... it's in the hold.'' He pointed toward the small storage compartment, giving Kiara a sideways glance as she shot him an encouraging nod.

''Show him,'' she prompted.

JJ opened the compartment, pulling out the life jacket with a grin.

Shoupe seemed satisfied enough, looking around one last time as he walked toward the front of the boat. ''All right,'' he finally said, glancing back toward his patrol boat. ''Beautiful day, isn't it?''

JJ gave him a lazy smile. ''Sure is.''

''Very beautiful,'' Pope murmured under his breath, glancing around at us, and I felt a laugh rise in my chest, but I swallowed it quickly.

Shoupe's gaze lingered on us before he climbed back onto his boat. ''Let us know if you see anything out here,'' he instructed, already turning away.

''Will do, will do,'' Pope responded, his tone polite as the patrol boat's engine started.

''We'll be gone soon, sir,'' JJ added, raising a hand in mock salute.

Shoupe just gave us a sharp nod. ''Yes, you will.'' And with that, he pulled away, the sound of his engine fading into the distance.

As soon as he was far enough away, we all leaned forward, staring anxiously into the water.

''He's gotta be out of air by now,'' Pope said.

And then, just like that, John B's head broke the surface, gasping as he pushed his wet hair out of his face. ''There he is!'' JJ grinned, tipping his cap back. ''Jesus Christ, dude, don't scare us like that.''

Pope exhaled in relief, leaning over to help him back onto the boat as I reached over, grabbing his arm to steady him. ''How'd it go down there? Did you find anything?'' I asked, catching his eye.

He laughed breathlessly, holding up a bag. ''Did I find anything?''

JJ's eyes went wide with excitement, a grin spreading across his face. ''That's my boy!''

Kiara leaned forward. ''You okay?'' she asked, her voice soft.

''Yeah, I just... ran out of air,'' John B panted, still catching his breath. I reached over to give him a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, relieved but silently hoping he'd be more careful next time.

Kiara's eyes narrowed, her attention shifting to something over my shoulder. ''Hey, guys? Bogey, two o'clock.''

All of us turned instinctively, our gazes landing on a small boat speeding toward us. Two men, both watching us with an intensity that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

''What?'' JJ's posture stiffened as he turned to see what she'd spotted.

Pope squinted, tilting his head. ''Do you recognise that boat?'' he asked, his voice low.

Kiara shook her head. ''Never seen it. What are they doing here? The marsh is supposed to be closed.''

I watched as JJ's jaw