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''Does a boar shit in the woods?''

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THE BONFIRE CRACKLED as we gathered in a loose circle on the beach. JJ slouched on the log next to me, a smirk on his face as he threw a teasing glance in Pope's direction.

''Hey, guys,'' Pope finally spoke up. ''So, like, my dad's already gonna kill me. What's this mandatory meeting about?''

JJ shot him a mischievous look, patting the log beside him as he leaned forward conspiratorially. ''Might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed.''

John B looked at each of us. ''You're ready for this?''

Kie leaned forward. ''Yeah.''

JJ turned to me, a sly grin spreading across his face. ''And you, blondie?''

I returned his smirk, rolling my eyes before answering with a smirk, ''Does a boar shit in the woods?''

JJ's face scrunched in confusion, making me stifle a laugh. ''Wait—what?''

''Yes, JJ,'' I replied, nudging him with my elbow. ''That means yes.''

He raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. ''Yeah, I'm glad you clarified that.''

I chuckled, shaking my head. ''There's no way you actually never heard that one.''

Ignoring our exchange, John B cleared his throat and stood, drawing our attention back to him. ''So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant,'' he announced.

Pope groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically. ''Oh my God, here we go again with this.''

JJ threw him a quick look. ''No, all right, wait. Hear him out, all right?''

John B's eyes darted to Kie, who was watching him intently. ''It's been here all along. It's on the island.''

Kie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. ''Are you serious?'' She looked at John B. ''Oh my God.''

Pope crossed his arms, leaning back ''I'd like to voice my skepticism.''

John B gave him an exaggerated bow, extending his hand as if inviting Pope to witness something grand. ''Yeah, I'm sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?''

Pope gave a reluctant nod ''Proceed.''

''All right,'' John B started, reaching into his backpack with a flourish. He pulled out a worn piece of paper and held it up, the firelight catching the edges. ''So, in my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny.''

Kie's eyes narrowed in curiosity. ''Who the hell's that?''

''Denmark Tanny was a slave who survived the Royal Merchant wreck. Check this out.'' He handed the letter to Kie, who scanned it quickly before passing it to me.

I held the paper gingerly. As I passed it along to JJ, John B continued, his voice rising. ''Okay, slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So, Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom. After that, he bought his farm. Drumroll, please, because that farm is...''

We all slapped our knees in unison, creating a makeshift drumroll.

''...Tannyhill Plantation.''

Kie's mouth dropped open slightly. ''Tannyhill?''

''Yeah.'' John B nodded. ''After that, he used his money to free more slaves and started selling rice. A lot of it. And, naturally, that pissed off the white planters around here. So, they decided to lynch him. And on the day they were coming to get him, he wrote a letter to his son as a farewell. In the last line of that letter, he left a coded message about where to find the gold.''

Kie's face lit up, and she leaned forward eagerly. ''Where?''

John B grinned, unable to contain his own excitement. ''Harvest the wheat in parcel nine, near the water. Except there's no wheat. Wheat is code for gold.''

With a flourish, he shone Pope's flashlight onto the letter. The faded words glowed faintly, as if they were holding secrets meant only for us.

Pope's eyes widened, his skepticism wavering. ''Holy shit.''

John B's grin stretched wider. ''All we need is an original survey map of the property, and we've found the gold.''

It sounded insane, but somehow it felt real, like the answer had been right here all along. Even Pope looked cautiously convinced.

''Okay, so this might actually have a small chance of being true,'' Pope admitted, his tone softening.

JJ jumped up, wrapping John B in a bear hug, lifting him off the ground in one swoop. ''I am a genius! Hey, whoa!'' John B laughed, wiggling in his grip. ''Hello! Fire! You're near the fire, you're gonna burn.''

JJ set him down, still beaming. ''I'm so proud of you right now,'' he declared, locking eyes with him.

I couldn't help but tease, leaning forward with a smirk. ''Okay, now make out.''

JJ rolled his eyes and released John B, shaking his head. ''Very funny, Mave.''

Pope cleared his throat, returning us to the task at hand. ''So, guys... what's the plan?''

I leaned in, resting my elbows on my knees.

''Good question,'' he started, his eyes darting to each of us. ''Sarah Cameron's coming tonight. She'll bring an original survey map...''

Kie's expression shifted instantly. ''Sarah? Why Sarah?'' 

JJ smirked, shaking his head as he muttered, ''This is gonna be good.''

John B rubbed the back of his neck, his voice cautious. ''Sarah, um, she... she got me into the archives in Chapel Hill yesterday. And that's where I got the letter.''

Kie's face hardened, her eyes narrowing. ''You were in Chapel Hill with Sarah Cameron?!'' 

John B hesitated, glancing down before answering. ''Yeah, um...''

JJ, enjoying the tension, leaned back with a mischievous grin. ''He was mackin' on her.''

''I wasn't macking,'' John B shot back.

''You were totally macking on Sarah Cameron,'' JJ pressed.

''I wasn't macking on her, okay? I was using her for access,'' John B argued.

''There was access, all right.'' JJ said with a smirk.

Kie stepped forward, her eyes fixed on John B. ''Did you tell her about the treasure?''

John B shifted uncomfortably, holding up his hands. ''I was just trying to get into the archives.''

''Is that a yes?'' Kie's voice rose.

''I—I left out key details,'' he replied.

I crossed my arms. ''So, you snitched to her about everything?'' I asked.

Kiara's voice rang out next. ''You, what? You let a Kook in on our secret? What about Pogue life? What about the T-shirt company, bro?''

John B ran a hand through his hair, trying to keep his cool. ''I was just using her for information.''

''Why don't I believe you?''

John B straightened upt. ''Look, I'm trying to make us filthy rich here, okay? So that we can pay off a boat, or—or, uh...'' he glanced over at Pope, ''send you to autopsy school to study dead bodies.''

Pope scoffed. ''Do I look like I want to study dead bodies?''

John B ignored him, glancing at each of us as if willing us to understand. ''Look, you guys know me. Do I look like the type of person to fall for Sarah Cameron?''

Pope raised an eyebrow. ''Do you want us to answer that, or—''

''Just—just stop,'' John B cut in. 

Kie shook her head, her face darkening. ''You don't know her, John B. She's a Kook—the Kook. You think she'd choose you over her family? After everything they have?''

Pope nodded, still clearly upset. ''Her brother did hit me in the back with a golf club, let's not forget that little detail.''

John B let out a sigh. ''Rafe and Sarah are two different human beings.''

I let out a bitter laugh. ''Oh, so we should just be besties now after everything her brother's done to us? And to me specifically?'' The memory of Rafe's taunts flashed through my mind, making my fists clench. ''And what about Sarah's friends? You think they don't talk about us behind our backs? They practically have it out for us, John B.''

John B looked at me, his eyes softening. ''I'm not saying it like that, Mave. What did she do to you, exactly?''

Kie cut in, her voice filled with disgust. ''She's like a... like a spitting cobra. First, she blinds you, and then—''

Pope interrupted, deadpan. ''This is a bad analogy.''

Kie shot him a look before continuing, ''Listen to me, all of you. Whatever we get, she's gonna try to take.''

''Look,'' he spoke slowly, trying to keep his voice steady, ''Sarah's not her family. I get that her brother's a complete ass. But she helped me when she didn't have to. She put herself at risk for this.''

Kie threw her hands up, exasperated. ''And why exactly would she do that, John B? Because she's in love with you? Give me a break!''

JJ chuckled dryly, leaning back and crossing his arms. ''Gotta say, this is sounding more like a Romeo and Juliet situation every minute.''

I shook my head, my patience wearing thin. ''You're letting your guard down, John B. And I don't want to see you get hurt—or dragged down because of her.''

''I'm not,'' John B insisted, his jaw clenched. ''I'm just asking you guys to trust me on this. I've thought it through. Sarah's bringing the map. That's all we need.''

Pope sighed, rubbing his temples as if this whole thing was giving him a headache. ''I still don't trust her, man. But... if she's got the map...''

Kiara looked like she wanted to argue, but she bit her lip, clearly wrestling with her own thoughts.

After a long silence, she looked at each of us. ''Fine. But if she tries to pull anything, we're shutting her out. Permanently. And you better be prepared to do that, John B.''

John B nodded. ''I am.''

JJ broke the silence. ''Well, it's a big risk, but... if she messes this up, I'm personally escorting her back to Kookland.''

I laughed despite myself, appreciating JJ's humor even in the middle of this mess. 

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