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 ''I can't read cursive.''

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KIARA AND I got ready for school together, which felt weird, honestly. I wasn't used to having someone like her—a Kook girl—in my space again, let alone someone I trusted. It was still strange to me, but Kiara didn't act like most Kooks. 

We walked to school together, side by side, and I couldn't help but glance at her a few times. She was wearing my clothes, which fit her perfectly, as if they were hers all along. Seeing her in them made me feel... I don't know, proud, maybe? I was always insecure about my fashion choice, and she wore them with no complains.

History was first on the schedule, and while most people hated the class, I didn't mind it. History was kind of my thing. The test we had today wasn't even hard; I'd spent enough time studying to have most of it memorised. I was in the zone, answering each question without much effort, when suddenly the classroom door opened.

A man in a suit and tie stepped inside, his polished shoes clicking against the floor as he approached the front of the room. He had a stiff air about him, like he didn't belong anywhere near a high school, let alone in our classroom.

''Can I help you?'' Mr Sunn asked, looking up from his desk.

The man adjusted his tie and glanced around the room before settling on Pope. ''I'm from the Vanderhorst Foundation. I need to speak with Mr Heyward.''

The mention of the foundation immediately caught my attention, and I exchanged a confused look with Kiara. Even Mr Sunn seemed uncertain, but he nodded toward Pope. ''We're in the middle of a test right now, but go ahead, Mr Heyward.''

Pope hesitated, staring at the man for a moment before getting up and following him into the hallway. My pen hovered over my test paper as I tried to focus, but it was impossible. Every one of us was craning our necks, trying to make sense of what was happening.

Less than two minutes later, Pope stormed back into the room. He dropped into his seat without a word, gripping an envelope in his hand.

Kiara leaned over, whispering, ''Okay, what was that?''

Pope glanced back at the rest of us before holding up the envelope. It was sealed with gold wax, and even from a distance, I recognised the wheat symbol pressed into it. My stomach flipped.

''Is that... the wheat symbol?'' I asked, my voice low.

''Yeah,'' Pope confirmed.

Across the room, JJ froze mid-air as he was folding his test paper into an airplane. He dropped it, eyes wide as he hissed, ''What the f— uh, fudge?''

I couldn't help but smirk at his failed attempt to censor himself, especially with Mr Sunn glaring at us from the front of the room. ''Yeah, exactly,'' I whispered, adding, ''What the fridge?''

Thankfully, Mr Sunn didn't say anything, turning his attention back to his desk. The rest of us exchanged quick glances but kept quiet, returning to our tests as best we could.

The second the bell rang, Pope shot out of his seat and bolted for the door. I barely had time to grab my bag before chasing after him, Kiara and JJ on my heels.

''What is this, a game of tag?'' JJ grumbled, struggling to keep up.

''I spent the entire year on the bench! Slow down!'' I called out, but Pope didn't even look back.

We followed him all the way to the library, where he finally stopped at a computer desk. JJ threw his hands up dramatically. ''Am I gonna have to beat you with your protractor? What's going on?''

''Are you gonna tell us, or do we just keep guessing?'' Kiara demanded in a harsh whisper, all of us shushed immediately by the librarian nearby.

Pope finally turned to us. ''That guy was from the scholarship committee.''

He paused, pulling the envelope back out of his bag and opening it. JJ snatched it from his hands before anyone else could react.

''Read it,'' Kiara urged, folding her arms.

JJ stared at the letter blankly for a few seconds before handing it to her, whispering, ''I can't read cursive.''

Kiara rolled her eyes, smoothing the paper out on the desk and squinting at the neat, looping handwriting. '''Dear Mr Heyward, I am reaching out because I have material evidence that can exonerate John B. Routledge. It is of vital importance that you come and meet with me, in person, at my offices at 27 King Street, Charleston, at 8:00 p.m. sharp tonight. Please come alone. Regards, C. Limbrey.'''

''Charleston?'' JJ repeated, his brow furrowed.

Pope nodded, pacing in front of the desk. ''Yeah. But it's an eight-hour drive, plus the ferry.''

''So we'd have to leave right now,'' Kiara pointed out.

''We have a free period,'' I offered, though my heart was already racing. I'd never skipped school before, but for John B? School didn't matter anymore.

''What's 'material evidence' even mean?'' JJ muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Kiara rolled her eyes. ''It means they can clear John B.''

''Then we're going,'' I said firmly.

''I gotta tell my mom,'' Kiara sighed. ''Look, if we get it this time, we are not giving it to Shoupe,'' she added firmly.

''Oh yeah, that's common sense. We trust nobody,'' I mumbled, crossing my arms. 

We were all crowded around Pope, who was furiously clicking away on the computer. His eyes darted between the old letter and the website he'd just pulled up.

''What'd you find?'' JJ asked, leaning over Pope's shoulder. 

Pope hesitated before answering. ''I'm not sure, but I think whoever this Limbrey person is, they might be related to the captain of the Royal Merchant,'' he said, pointing at the screen. He read aloud from the biography he'd found.

''So what, another dead end?'' JJ asked.

''Not yet,'' Pope replied sharply, grabbing his bag and the letter. ''Come on. We need to move.''

Our first stop was Heyward's, where Pope retrieved his dad's truck. None of us had any idea how he'd managed it, but when we saw the truck waiting for us, the why didn't matter. JJ whistled low as he climbed in the back.

''So how'd you get the rig, Pope? I know your old man didn't just let you have it,'' JJ teased, his trademark smirk in place.

Pope rolled his eyes but didn't miss a beat. ''I undid the intake valves on the carburettor. Made it start pinging.''

JJ raised an eyebrow. ''And now you're just gonna take it to your cousin Jeff's house. Just gonna get it fixed.''

''Crash overnight,'' Pope confirmed with a shrug.

JJ's smirk widened as he settled in. ''I think I'm rubbing off on you, Pope. Lying to your old man, stealing his truck... Kinda sounds familiar.''

Pope shot him a dry look but didn't respond.

JJ held up his hands. ''All right, that's a sore subject. My bad.''

Pope turned to glance at me and JJ in the back. ''I'd say we've got about 18 hours before he absolutely loses his shit,'' Pope said matter-of-factly.

JJ and I both nodded in agreement. ''As long as we get it back before then, I think we're good,'' I said.

Our next stop was Kiara's house. She'd gone inside to talk to her parents, leaving the rest of us outside to wait. At first, things seemed quiet. Pope sat on the hood of the truck, scrolling on his phone, while JJ leaned against the side, picking at his nails.

But then the shouting started.

Kiara stormed out onto the porch, her mom hot on her heels. ''I'm not going to boarding school!'' Kiara yelled.

''They're not my people!'' she added, turning to face her mom.

I leaned back crossing my arms. ''My dad not giving a shit about me comes in handy now,'' I muttered under my breath. ''Too bad he didn't leave anything behind.''

JJ snorted from his spot. ''Yeah, like the fastest boat and car would come in handy right about now,'' he quipped.

Kiara's mom wasn't letting up. ''Kiara, listen to me. You wanna go, then you can go. But if you don't come back at the proper time, then don't come back at all!'' she screamed, her voice shaking with anger.

JJ stepped out from the truck, waving at the Carreras like he was greeting old friends. ''Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Carrera!'' he said brightly, raising his hand in an exaggerated wave. ''It's good to see y'all, Mr. and Mrs. Carrera.''

I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Pope poked his head out of the window, trying to smooth things over. ''Hi, uh, ma'am, sir. I... I promise to have her back at a reasonable hour. Safe,'' he added, with a nervous laugh.

Kiara glared at him as she stomped toward the truck. ''What are you doing?'' she snapped, climbing into the seat next to Pope without waiting for an answer. Her fingers were trembling as she buckled herself in, but her jaw was set like stone.

JJ hopped into the driver's seat, shaking his head as he started the truck. ''Drama much?'' he muttered.

As we drove off, Kiara crossed her arms tightly over her chest ''This shit would be so much easier without parents,'' she muttered, staring straight ahead. My stomach twisted a little at her words, but I didn't say anything right away.

I glanced over at her, then back out the window. ''At least yours care,'' I murmured.

JJ glanced at me. ''Hey, don't start getting all sentimental on us, Mavie,'' he said.

I shrugged, looking back out at the road. ''Noted,'' I mumbled.

Kiara turned to me sharply, her expression softening just a bit. ''They just don't get it.''

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

KIARA WAS STILL fuming. She wasn't one to let things go, and after what had happened with her parents, she was clearly on edge. 

"My parents are so paranoid of me being a Pogue like it's the worst thing that could ever happen," she muttered, glancing over at me. "I mean, your mum was a kook—"

I didn't even look at her. "Yeah, but then she died, and we became Pogues. Such a great example," I replied, my voice dry.

Kiara winced at the words, but she didn't apologize. She never did when she made things awkward. "I didn't mean it like that," she mumbled.

"Save it," I said, turning my head slightly to avoid her eyes. It was easier that way. Kiara wasn't the only one in the back of this truck with baggage.

JJ was sitting on top of the cab, looking perfectly content as he rolled a blunt between his fingers, his legs swinging in the air. Of course, he didn't let a long ferry ride stop him from getting high. He didn't care about the smell, the fumes, or anything else—he was always in his own world.

"Hey, I heared they got good weed at boarding school, though," JJ said, his voice carrying over to Kiara's earshot.

Kiara shot him a glance but didn't let herself get pulled into his joke. "I'm not going to boarding school," she said. "They're gonna have to kidnap me, tie me up, and throw me in a van if they want me to go."

Her stubbornness didn't surprise me. She wasn't the kind of person who would just give up and play by the rules.

The conversation shifted when Pope leaned against the side of the truck, his brow furrowed as he scrolled through his phone. "Hey, Kie, have you tried hitting John B back on that number yet?" he asked.

"Like, twenty million times," Kiara replied. "Some random lady at a hotel keeps answering. It's so annoying."

I looked over at Pope. "So he stole someone's phone," JJ added, sounding completely unfazed. "I don't think there's any point in calling that number anymore."

"Right," Pope agreed with a sigh, rubbing his eyes. "But until we hear from them again, we've got to clear his name. This letter's our best bet right now."

"Right. Stay on task," JJ said, handing the blunt to Kiara with a grin. "That's why I love ya, Pope."

Kiara stood up, blunt in hand, holding it out to Pope like an offering. "What Pope are you gonna be today?" she asked, her lips curving into a mischievous smile.

Pope looked at the blunt, then at her, and shook his head. "I'm good. I'm gonna try and focus."

"Good Pope. Boring Pope," Kiara sighed dramatically, sinking back down onto the truck bed.

"And you?" she asked me, turning to face me.

"Just gonna be the normal Mavis tonight," I replied, shrugging slightly.

Kiara didn't comment, but I knew she didn't expect anything different. I was always the one who stayed in the background, not really stirring the pot. I only smoke when things get really bad and I need to keep my mind foggy to stop thinking about it.

The ferry finally docked, and we didn't waste any time getting back on the road. Pope took the wheel, Kiara sat next to him, and JJ and I squished in the back. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it didn't matter. We had a mission.

As we drove down the highway, the truck hummed along, the noise filling the quiet air. Kiara was once again holding the letter up, reading it for the hundredth time. "Guys, I've read this thing like a thousand times. It makes no sense," she said. "I mean, the Limbreys own, like, half of Charleston. What do the Kook kings of Charleston know about a murder on Kildare Island?"

"And why Pope specifically?" JJ added. He turned around to face Kiara, his fingers tapping against the window. "That's the other creepy thing. You know?"

Kiara read the letter again, her brow furrowing as she scanned the words. "'Please come alone.' That's hella sus."

"I was thinking the same thing," Pope agreed. "I think it's because—"

Before he could finish, the truck started to sputter, and the smell of burning rubber hit the air. Smoke poured out from under the hood, thick and black.

"Pull over!" Kiara shouted immediately, her voice laced with panic. "That's a lot of smoke, even for your dad's truck!"

JJ rolled up the window quickly, coughing as he tried to avoid inhaling the smoke. "Pope, I got sensitive lungs, man!"

"That's called being close to getting lung cancer because you smoke every day," I said, though I quickly helped him clear the smoke out of his face so he could breathe easier.

The truck veered off the road as Pope tried to pull over, but the smoke clouding the windows made it hard to see. The tires skidded as he slammed on the brakes, and the truck bounced across the rough terrain.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Pope muttered, his face pale as he cut the engine. He jumped out of the truck, not waiting for any of us.

Kiara was already moving, pushing open the door. "It's gonna blow up," she said.

"No, it's not gonna blow up," JJ said quickly.

We all rushed out of the truck, breathing in the fresh air, far away from the smoke. Pope popped the hood open, and more smoke billowed out, making everything smell worse.

JJ went to grab a part of the wheel that had come loose when the truck went off-road. "You probably unhooked the radiator, Pope. I haven't seen this before. You knocked the entire hubcap off!"

"You might wanna reschedule your meeting tonight, Pope," JJ joked, though the look on Pope's face made it clear he wasn't in the mood for jokes. I shot JJ a disappointed look, but he just smiled at me like it was nothing.

"Plan B?" Kiara suggested. "We could, um... public transportation. We could hitchhike. We could rent bikes."

JJ sighed, assessing the damage. "Yeah, it's the radiator."

"My dad's gonna kill me," Pope said quietly, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Yeah, he might. He might," JJ said, though the lack of any real comfort in his tone didn't help.

"He will," I corrected, crossing my arms as I stared at Pope. It was the truth, even if it was a bit harsh.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

WE SOMEHOW ARRIVED at the mechanic. JJ jumped into the tray of the truck, looking frustrated. He'd obviously just come from the mechanic's, and whatever he'd been told wasn't good.

"So, turns out this isn't gonna be cheap," he grumbled, kicking his feet against the side of the truck.

Kiara walked over towards Pope who was still speaking with the mechanic.

''Are you okay?'' I asked, taking advantage of the fact we were alone.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" JJ replied, his tone defensive.

"I don't know, just checking if your brain isn't fried from the amount of weed you smoke," I answered dryly, raising an eyebrow at him.

"To my defence, I don't smoke that much weed," JJ mumbled, giving me a cheeky grin.

"Yeah, you do," I shot back.

"Yeah, I do," he agreed with a laugh, running a hand through his messy hair.

"'Bout time," JJ said, looking over at the mechanic. "What's the damage?"

"He's gonna work on it now, and hopefully be done in an hour. Kiara paid," Pope told us, summing it all up.

The mechanic had been slow, and the air in the garage had been thick with the smell of grease and burning rubber, but we'd finally gotten the truck sorted, and the bill was hefty. By the time we'd paid and left, the sun was beginning to dip low in the sky. We didn't have much time before it got dark, so we drove, aimlessly at first, looking for somewhere to stop. Eventually, Pope pulled off the highway.

We ended up in a quiet, empty field just outside of town, far enough from any eyes that it seemed like the safest place to crash for the night. The wind picked up slightly, rustling the leaves in the distance. It wasn't exactly a luxurious stop, but it was peaceful, and we needed that more than anything right now.

The truck doors slammed open one after another as we all climbed out. Pope went straight to the back of the truck and fiddled with the latch, lowering the tray. Kiara gave him a nod, and together they started pulling out the blankets that were stuffed behind the seats. I grabbed mine and folded it in half, watching as JJ stretched his long limbs and yawned, his tousled blonde hair falling into his face.

We spread the blankets out on the back of the truck, trying to make the hard metal surface a little less uncomfortable. Kiara climbed into one corner, tucking herself in with a sigh, her eyes already fluttering closed. Pope slid in next to her, trying to make himself as small as possible to avoid encroaching on her space.

I hesitated for a moment, looking at the blanket in my hands. I didn't want to lie too far from the others, not after everything that had happened. The idea of being alone made my skin prickle. JJ was closest, sprawled out lazily next to me. His eyes met mine for a brief second, and his lips curled into that mischievous, lazy smile I was so used to by now.

''You're gonna steal the blanket again, aren't you?'' I asked, my voice dry, but I didn't really mind.

He let out a low chuckle, rolling over so his back faced me. ''You know it.''

I pulled the blanket over me and settled in, doing my best to ignore the discomfort of the cold, hard metal beneath me. But JJ, of course, didn't waste a second. The moment I started to drift off, I felt the blanket being tugged from my body, slowly but surely, as if he was claiming it in his sleep.

''JJ!'' I mumbled, trying to hold on to it, but it was no use. He was already fully wrapped up in it.

''Good night, everyone,'' Kiara's voice drifted across the truck bed.

''Night,'' JJ muttered from