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''Stop smooching, the house is on fire!''

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THE FADING SUNLIGHT cast warm, golden hues over the Chateau. The air smelled faintly of salt from the distant ocean, mingling with the earthy scent of the surrounding trees. The Pogues lounged outside, scattered around the wooden porch and weathered furniture. Conversations overlapped as we waited for Sarah who texted us to come over.

JJ leaned back in his chair, balancing precariously on two legs, flipping a pocketknife absentmindedly. ''I'm just saying,'' he began, aiming his words at Pope, ''if we had just gone after the gold ourselves—''

''We'd all be dead by now,'' Pope interrupted, raising an eyebrow. ''Face it, you're reckless.''

''And yet, here we are,'' JJ retorted with a grin, letting his chair drop back down with a thud.

Kie and Cleo were on the steps, whispering about something I couldn't quite hear, their laughter occasionally breaking through. I was perched on the railing, one foot dangling over the edge, lost in thought.

The screen door creaked, and Sarah stepped out. ''Hey,'' she greeted, her voice cutting through the chatter. ''Thanks for waiting. Um... look who decided to come home.''

She stepped aside, and John B emerged behind her. My heart leapt at the sight of him. Relief and joy bubbled up inside me as I hopped off the railing and rushed to him, throwing my arms around him. ''You're back!'' I exclaimed, squeezing him tightly.

JJ wasn't far behind, practically tackling him with his own version of a hug. ''Welcome home, man,'' JJ grinned, slapping John B on the back.

''Hey,'' Kie greeted warmly, stepping up to hug him too.

''Good to see you, bruv,'' Cleo chimed in with a small smile.

''Whoa!'' Pope exclaimed. ''Dude, good to see you!''

John B looked overwhelmed but happy, his grin widening as he took in the group. ''Good to see you guys too.''

JJ leaned closer to him. ''You gotta be kidding me. Back from the dead again? What is this, your third time?''

John B rolled his eyes but laughed. ''Missed you too, JJ.''

Sarah stepped forward again, bringing the focus back to her. ''I have something I want to share with you guys,'' she announced. ''I can get us down to Orinoco.''

Pope blinked, his head tilting. ''Are you serious?''

''Yeah,'' Sarah nodded confidently.

Cleo frowned slightly. ''Okay, and how's that gonna happen?''

''My dad's gonna let us use the plane,'' Sarah revealed.

That earned a collective confused reaction. ''Ward?'' JJ asked. ''Your dad?''

''Yep,'' Sarah confirmed with a small, resolute nod.

JJ let out a short laugh, shaking his head. ''Ah. Classic Ward.''

''We lay low tonight,'' Sarah continued, ''then wheels up first thing in the morning.''

Pope crossed his arms, still processing. ''Okay, that's a lot to take in. Your dad's actually helping us?''

''I talked to him. He'll do it,'' Sarah promised.

Cleo narrowed her eyes. ''So, we trusting Ward now?''

Kie glanced at her. ''Trust Sarah,'' she interjected.

Cleo nodded slowly. ''All right.''

Pope shrugged. ''Great. That's all I needed to hear.''

''Wait,'' Sarah said, holding up a hand. ''I just have one more thing to say.'' Her eyes shifted briefly to John B, and her expression softened. ''Um... since we've gotten back from the island, I've done some things that I regret. A lot.''

I glanced between them. Kie cleared her throat awkwardly, breaking the silence.

John B took a small step forward. ''Yeah, uh...'' He scratched the back of his neck, his voice quieter. ''I feel... I feel like we've all done a thing or two we regret.''

Sarah's gaze didn't waver. ''Poguelandia, guys. It's all I've been able to think about. We were all together on that island, and it was a good thing. I don't want to ruin a good thing. And I just want to know—are we still all in? Are we still all together? Because I am.''

Kie stood up first, crossing the distance to pull Sarah into a hug. ''Yeah,'' she whispered.

Cleo quickly joined, wrapping her arms around Sarah. ''We pon road!'' she exclaimed. Laughter bubbled out of all of us as I rushed to join the hug, squeezing them tightly.

''I love you guys,'' Sarah confessed.

Pope grinned, stepping forward to embrace her too. ''I still can't believe you got the plane.''

''I know!'' Sarah laughed, pulling him close.

''That's actually insane,'' Pope added, shaking his head in disbelief.

JJ clapped his hands, pulling our attention back. ''All right, let's go get Big John, yeah? What do you say there, shit bird?'' He smirked at John B.

John B hesitated for a moment, then gave in, his grin matching JJ's energy. ''I think this deserves a woogity.''

''How long are you gonna pretend you're not coming over here?'' Pope challenged, gesturing for John B to join the group.

''You in?'' JJ prompted.

''Come on, funny man,'' Cleo urged. ''We don't bite.''

''Much,'' Kie teased with a smirk.

John B finally caved, stepping into the circle as we all threw our arms around each other. 

''Now we woogity,'' Pope declared with a grin.

''Oh, we're really doing this, aren't we?'' John B chuckled.

''We're doing it, man!'' Pope laughed.

As we finally broke apart, the atmosphere felt lighter. Together, we headed for the Chateau, ready to disscus our plan.

John B stood in the center of the room, clearing his throat dramatically to get our attention. I looked up from the corner of the couch where I was half-watching Pope and Cleo argue over their domino game.

''All right, everyone,'' John B began, a rare grin spreading across his face. ''I've got an announcement.''

JJ perked up immediately, slouching into the armchair with his legs thrown over the side. ''Oh great, this oughta be good,'' he teased.

Ignoring him, John B glanced in my direction, his expression softening. ''I talked to my dad before everything went down, and he made a decision. Once we find him... he's going to adopt Mavis. Officially.''

The room fell silent for a beat, the weight of his words settling over us. I blinked quickly, trying to mask how much the announcement meant to me. 

''You mean...'' I started, but my voice faltered.

John B stepped closer. ''Yeah, Mave. You're already my sister in every way that matters. This just makes it official.''

JJ whooped from his chair, clapping his hands loudly. ''Hell yeah! Welcome to the family, Mavie! Official Routledge citizen!''

Kie reached over to squeeze my hand, her smile warm and reassuring. ''That's amazing, Mavis.''

I nodded, a little overwhelmed but managing a smile. ''Thanks, guys. Really.''

John B clapped me on the shoulder before heading off toward his room. ''Gonna get some rest. Sarah?'' He gestured, and Sarah grabbed two beers from the kitchen, trailing after him.

As the door to his room clicked shut, Cleo leaned back from the domino table, stretching lazily. ''So what kind of plane is it?'' she asked, clearly still caught up in Sarah's earlier revelation.

Pope didn't even look up from the game. ''It's Ward's, so I'm guessing something lit.''

''That's what I'm talking about,'' Cleo grinned. ''Flying private, baby.''

They exchanged a conspiratorial look before disappearing into one of the other rooms, leaving the rest of us in the living room. Kie flopped onto the couch, and JJ took their exit as his cue to stir up a conversation.

''So they just went to make out and left us in here?'' he asked, an exaggerated look of offense on his face. ''What, do they expect us three to start making out too?''

I shot him an incredulous look. ''JJ, I don't think that's what they meant when they left us alone.''

Kie smirked, leaning her head back against the cushions. ''How do you even come to these conclusions?''

JJ shrugged nonchalantly. ''It's kind of obvious.''

''No, J, it's not,'' I countered, shaking my head. ''Them doing funny business has nothing to do with us, all right?''

For once, he seemed to take the hint and stayed quiet—at least for a minute. Then his nose twitched, and his brow furrowed.

''Wait. Do you smell that?'' he asked, sitting up straighter.

I sniffed the air, wrinkling my nose. ''Yeah, I've been smelling your disgusting odor for a week now.''

''No, seriously! Fire!'' JJ shouted, jumping to his feet and pointing toward the growing orange glow outside the window.

Panic gripped me instantly. ''Fire?'' I repeated, bolting toward Pope and Cleo's room. ''Stop smooching, the house is on fire!'' I yelled, yanking the door open to find them sitting a little too close for comfort.

Pope barely had time to react before I grabbed his wrist, dragging him along as Cleo clutched his other hand. ''Move!''

Meanwhile, JJ barreled toward Sarah and John B's room, yelling at the top of his lungs. ''Out! Now! Fire!''

''Sarah, get away from the door!'' I shouted as I heard her cry out. She recoiled, clutching her hand where she'd touched the scalding doorknob. John B pulled her away, grabbing something to wrap around his hand before opening the door and leading her outside.

The night turned chaotic as we scrambled out of the house, coughing from the thickening smoke. By the time we reached the clearing, the Chateau was fully engulfed in flames, the crackling fire consuming the wooden structure with a merciless roar. We stood in stunned silence, the heat licking at our faces even from a distance.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

BY EARLY MORNING, the fire had burned itself out, leaving behind nothing but a smoldering skeleton of what had been our safe haven. We sat in a loose circle on the ground, exhausted and grimy, staring at the ruins.

Pope broke the silence first. ''Could've been a faulty electrical wire.''

Kie nodded slowly, her arms wrapped around her knees. ''Place was all wood. A tinderbox.''

''Thing just went up,'' Cleo muttered. ''Boom.''

JJ leaned back. ''Verdict's in, bro. Whoever's up there does not like you.'' He glanced at John B, shaking his head.

''Positive spirits,'' I mumbled sarcastically, earning a faint chuckle from Kie.

None of us moved for a long while, the weight of what we'd lost pressing down on us. 

 Ash still floated lazily around us, clinging to our clothes and hair. Kiara leaned forward, her arms resting on her knees.

''How much you wanna bet it was Rafe?'' she finally voiced.

I stiffened at her words, looking down at the soot-covered ground. I could feel her eyes on me, waiting for a reaction, but I shook my head firmly. ''No. It couldn't be.''

Kiara narrowed her eyes at me, tilting her head slightly. ''How can you be so sure, Mave?''

Her question hung in the air, and I felt the weight of everyone's attention shift toward me. I let out a breath, trying to keep my voice steady. ''Rafe wouldn't do that, okay?'' I insisted, looking up at her. ''I know he's done some terrible things, but this? No. It's not him.''

Pope, who had been sitting cross-legged nearby, leaned back on his hands. ''He's done worse, Mavis,'' he pointed out. ''Way worse.''

I nodded, acknowledging the truth of his words, even though they stung. ''Yeah, I'm aware, Pope,'' I replied, meeting his eyes. ''But think about it. If he was really that crazy and wanted revenge, he would've done it earlier. And differently. Don't you think?''

Pope considered this for a moment, his brows furrowing as he turned it over in his mind. Eventually, he nodded slowly, though his expression still carried doubt. ''Yeah... maybe you're right,'' he admitted, though his voice lacked conviction.

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THE DOCK WAS bathed in golden sunlight, the water around us shimmering like liquid gold. The soft lapping of waves against the wood added a rhythm to our conversation. John B leaned against a post, one hand in his pocket as he glanced at Sarah.

''Sarah, when did you say the pilot was getting in?'' he asked.

Sarah turned to him, shielding her eyes from the sun with one hand. ''Probably like an hour?'' she replied casually. ''I mean, once he's here, my dad says we can leave whenever we want.''

Pope, sitting on a crate near the edge of the dock, groaned softly, rubbing his temples. ''Okay, well, as much as I would love to ghost my parents again, I can't,'' he announced.

JJ, leaning lazily against the railing, smirked. ''Pope, we're talking El Dorado here. Can't you just slip out the back, maybe?'' he suggested, twirling his fingers.

''Great advice,'' Kie muttered sarcastically, sitting cross-legged on the dock.

JJ ignored her, throwing his arms up dramatically. ''It always worked for me! How to avoid unpleasant circumstances 101: if there's a problem you don't wanna face, turn that face and keister around and walk the other way.'' He demonstrated with an exaggerated turn, making Kie roll her eyes.

''I'm not doing that, okay?'' Pope interjected, looking directly at JJ.

JJ straightened up, his smirk softening slightly. ''I just want you to be there,'' he admitted, his voice quieter.

Pope softened too, nodding. ''I'm gonna be there,'' he promised, standing up and brushing off his jeans. ''I'll meet you at the airstrip in an hour.''

John B nodded back. ''Yeah, we'll see you there.''

JJ pointed a finger at Pope, squinting. ''One hour, Pope. Not a second later.''

Cleo, leaning against a nearby post, grinned mischievously. ''Think you should let me talk, Pope. I think your mom kinda likes me.''

Pope scoffed lightly, shaking his head. ''I don't think it's gonna be pleasant for either of us,'' he muttered, heading off.

JJ stretched his arms above his head, letting out a loud sigh. ''I'm gonna take a stroll back to the shack,'' he announced. ''For old time's sake. I always wanted to go to South America—great surf, cheap weed.''

He glanced over at me, raising an eyebrow. ''You wanna tag along? Or you want to go scavenge the remains of your stuff from the Chateau?''

I wrinkled my nose at the thought. ''I don't really wanna scavenge through ashes,'' I replied, hopping off the dock to join him.

The walk back to his shack was mostly quiet, just the crunch of gravel under our feet and the distant chirping of cicadas. When we arrived, the place was a little worse for wear—dusty, with a few shingles missing on the roof. JJ started rifling through his things while I leaned against the doorway, watching him.

''You still keep all this junk?'' I teased, picking up a rusty canteen.

''Hey, that's vintage junk,'' JJ quipped, tossing a battered backpack onto the bed.

The sound of an approaching car made both of us freeze. JJ turned toward the window, peeking out cautiously. ''What the hell?'' he muttered, quickly ducking down.

I mirrored his movements, crouching behind the doorframe. ''What is it?''

''Shit. Shit,'' JJ hissed, his hands fumbling to pack up a few more things.

''JJ!'' a voice boomed from outside. ''Your ol' buddy, Mike. You lost my load. Time to pay up!''

JJ cursed under his breath, grabbing my hand and pulling me deeper into the shack. ''Stay quiet,'' he whispered.

The floor creaked softly under our feet as we pressed ourselves against the wall, trying to stay out of sight.

''All right, we're gonna do this your way,'' Mike called out. ''I'm coming in! Yeah, I know you're in there.''

JJ tightened his grip on my hand, his knuckles white. ''We need to move,'' he whispered.

Before I could respond, he led me toward the back door. We darted out just as Mike stepped inside, his heavy boots thudding against the wooden floor.

''It's gonna be a lot easier if you do it now, JJ!'' Mike shouted as we ran.

We didn't stop until we were a safe distance away, panting heavily as we looked back at the shack. JJ threw up his hands in mock salute, forming double peace signs toward the house. He turned to me with a crooked grin. ''You don't have a signature sign or something?''

''Well, it's not really signature,'' I replied, flipping off the shack without hesitation.

JJ's eyes widened in mock disbelief. ''Did you just flip off my house?''

''Yeah, you're damn right,'' I laughed as we made our way back to the docks.

The dock was still and quiet, save for the faint rustle of the wind through the mangroves and the distant hum of boat engines somewhere out on the water. The salty breeze kissed my skin as JJ and I walked up to rejoin John B and Sarah, who were perched near the Twinkie. JJ stuffed his hands into his pockets, glancing around.

''Dude, where is everybody?'' he blurted, his blue eyes scanning the empty stretch of dock.

John B shrugged. ''I don't know,'' he muttered.

''We should just get 'em,'' JJ declared. ''We should get in the Twinkie, and we should just get 'em.'' He gestured dramatically toward the van, already taking a step toward it.

John B held up a hand, trying to calm him down. ''Just give 'em five minutes, all right?''

JJ groaned, dragging his fingers through his blond hair. Before he could argue further, Sarah pointed out toward the road. ''Guys, there's Pope and Cleo,'' she announced, shading her eyes to get a better look.

I turned, spotting them hopping off the bed of an old truck that had rolled to a stop near the edge of the dock.

''Were you guys waiting for us?'' Cleo called as she approached.

''Yes, we were. You're late,'' JJ retorted, already swinging his backpack over one shoulder. ''Did you actually convince your pops this time, or...''

Pope climbed off the truck, brushing his hands on his jeans. ''Cleo convinced him,'' he admitted with a small smirk.

JJ pointed at Cleo, grinning widely. ''My girl! That's what I'm talking about.'' He walked up to her, performing their signature Pogue handshaker. ''I thank you for being a part of thy crew.''

Cleo chuckled, rolling her eyes playfully. ''Anytime,'' she replied, the corners of her mouth still lifted.

As they exchanged laughs, Pope turned to the group, his brows furrowing slightly. ''Hey, where's, uh... where's Kie?'' he asked.

Sarah frowned, looking at him apologetically. ''I don't know,'' she answered. ''It's gotta be her parents, dude. They've been up her ass.''

Pope nodded grimly. ''They must've said she couldn't come.''

''But she would've texted,'' I interjected. The thought of Kie being held back without a word didn't sit right with me.

Pope glanced down, rubbing the back of his neck. ''We're gonna have to do this without her,'' he muttered, sounding defeated.

''No,'' I shot back, folding my arms. ''Give me the keys.''

John B's head snapped up. ''No, Mimi,'' he argued, shaking his head. ''We can't wait. We need to go.''

I stepped closer to him. ''Well, I'm not leaving without her,'' I stated firmly.

John B groaned, rubbing his face. ''It doesn't seem like a good idea right now,'' he insisted.

''Well, I think it is,'' JJ chimed in, stepping beside me