CHAPTER EIGHT,
the chaos that is our story

THEY WERE SCREWED—at least that's what Jaylene assumed after finally being told how an envelope was the key to clearing John B's name.

Still, despite the fact that she had little faith in their plan working, she had ultimately decided to convince herself that it was crazy enough to somehow work in their favor. Though, for obvious reasons, she would've preferred to not be squished between Pope and Kiara as the Heyward boy steadily pulled into a vacant parking space alongside the curb where the Limbrey residence stood less than one hundred feet away. The structure was difficult to miss given the fact that it reeked of old money that certainly exceeded the generations that Jaylene's family consisted of in terms of wealth.

     She came from an affluent family, but this was far beyond her level of comfort. These were the kind of people she strayed far from, their family history being one she didn't agree with hence why she felt they weren't worthy of the abundance of money signed to their name since the day of their birth. It was hypocritical and she was well aware, but the money to her name wasn't equally as tainted as the one that belonged to the members of the family that had written Pope a letter regarding the Royal Merchant.

     Maybe the Rosewood family was a bit peculiar compared to most families, but their practices from where their money originated weren't inhumane. Their money had been earned the proper way from the beginning and nepotism had taken over throughout the years, but that was a whole other story that she chose to avoid altogether.

"These kooks make our kooks look like pogues." JJ stared in awe at the similar houses surrounding the particular structure they had their eye on. "You sure this is the place, Pope?" He turned to look towards his friend who was sitting in the driver's seat, his gaze set on the residence.

     Pope didn't dare tear his eyes away from the home, feeling uneasy about the situation. "Pretty sure." He cut the engine, his hand on the handle of the door.

     That was all it took for JJ to push his door open, a nod following. "Alright."

     Jaylene furrowed her brows as she watched all three climb out of the car, but she copied the action regardless. She made her way around the truck, joining them in standing behind the spiked gate where Pope held the letter up towards the mansion, repeating the address on it. Everything about the home caused Jaylene to feel uneasy as she listened to JJ's questions regarding the spikes to which the history behind them was made clear by Pope.

     "You know, you don't have to face these people if you don't want to, Pope. We can find another way to clear John B's name." Jaylene assured the boy standing beside her, noticing how anxious he appeared.

     Pope turned to look at her and shook his head in response. "It's the only way." He sighed, taking a few more seconds to gather up the strength to walk across the threshold so that they'd all be standing in the garden of the private property.

     None of them spoke as they walked towards the front door, the eerie sight of such inhumane territory making their skin crawl. If anything, this should've been their last resort to clear their friend's name.

     Pope latched his fingers around the door knocker, slamming the bronze ring connected to the lion's head against the wooden door numerous times when two would've sufficed. They anxiously waited for the door to be pulled open and JJ stated the obvious about how loud that'd been for residents inside of the home to which Kiara deeply hoped that no one was home, anxiety of her own creeping up with the passing seconds.

     When the door was suddenly pulled open, all four looked up in surprise, stumbling back slightly. A dirty-blonde-haired man stood there, body leaned up against the doorframe with his eyes narrowed at the teenagers.

     After a while, he grinned, pointing a finger in Pope's direction. "You must be Pope." He assumed.

     Jaylene turned to look at JJ and Kiara to make sure she wasn't the only one who didn't have a good feeling about the unknown man standing in front of them and surely enough, both teenagers had their own suspicions about him circulating in the back of their minds.

     Pope didn't confirm nor deny that he was in fact the recipient of the letter, deciding to answer the question with another question. "Are you Mr. Limbrey?" He inquired, sounding more nervous than he typically did.

     "Ms. Limbrey was expecting you yesterday." He corrected, the coldness lingering in his tone capable of being detected miles away.

     Pope stumbled on his words, his stomach churning. "Oh. I'm . . . I'm sorry. My car broke down on the way up here." He apologized.

When JJ began to explain that the carburetor had stopped working in the middle of nowhere, the brunette beside him glared daggers at the older man in front of them, deciding that biting her tongue wasn't necessary anymore.

Jaylene rolled her eyes at the man's evident tactics he was using in order to intimidate Pope, more agitated that they were actually working. "He doesn't owe you or her an apology. Maybe if she'd provided transportation with the shitload of money her family made off of owning slaves in the past like the white pieces of trash they clearly are, he would've been here right on time." She motioned towards the three-story home, well aware that it was once a slave headquarters. It disgusted her to think that she was standing on the property. "Given Ms. Limbrey's family history, she isn't really the person to be making demands these days, is she?"

     Renfield wryly chuckled at the Rosewood girl once he realized what family she was affiliated with. He recognized her from the articles that surfaced online from almost a year ago and the ones from recently. She was a troublemaker with a death wish and he'd grant her just that if she continued to take swings at him. "She was, uh, real upset when you didn't show up." He turned back to Pope, ultimately deciding that he didn't want to start an argument with the brunette.

Kiara spoke up before Pope could, her usual snarky attitude towards entitled individuals having been drowned from her body as the nervousness took control. "We tried to call, but there's no number on the invitation." She quickly explained, stuttering slightly. "We got here as fast as we could."

The second she finished talking, Renfield cleared his throat, shooting Pope a pointed look. "She also expected you to come alone." His tone was cold and dry, one that let the other three teenagers know that they weren't wanted.

Jaylene bit so far down on her tongue that the metallic taste of blood filled her tastebuds, a cold look directed at the unbearable man leaning on the doorframe. If she had the strength required to swing at him to wipe the cocky look from his stupid face, she would've.

"These are my friends. They helped find the royal merchant too. I—" Pope began to explain, shortly after getting cut off.

"The instructions were explicit. Your friends can stay outside." The man flashed the three a dismissive look, further provoking the brunette.

"We're kind of a package deal, man," JJ spoke up before Jaylene could get the opportunity to say anything.

"JJ. It's okay. I got this." Pope gave his friend an appreciative look followed by an assuring nod. "I'll be good."

"Yeah. We'll be right here." Kiara smiled slightly at him, her body more tense than before which indicated that she no longer had any faith in this going smoothly.

Pope maintained a smile on his face, momentarily locking eyes with Kiara as he spoke in a low tone, discreetly handing her the keys to his father's truck. "Keep the car running."

Jaylene watched him squeeze her hand ever so slightly, her eyes traveling towards Kiara to give her a telling look to which the curly-haired girl looked in the opposite direction. She shook her head in quiet disapproval, waiting by the doorstep alongside the other two as Pope stepped forward towards the entrance of the house, the door shutting slowly behind him.

     The walk back to the truck was quiet, though Jaylene had countless things she would've liked to say, but she restrained herself from doing so until they were away from the eerie property.

     Once she was comfortably sitting beside Kiara with her gaze set on the mansion nearby, she scoffed at the two, forcing them to shake away their own nerve-wracking thoughts that were prying deep into their brains. "Really, guys? That was Pope walking into a death trap!" Her voice rose, her head shaking in disapproval. "Do you seriously think that a fucking Limbrey is gonna help clear John's name without expecting something in return?"

     "Don't really have other options to choose from." JJ scoffed at her, a part of him refusing to admit that she was right because that would mean they'd assisted Pope in walking into grave danger.

     "Their values are much different than the kooks you're used to, JJ. There's snobby and then there's people like the Limbrey's." Jaylene sighed, realizing that her frustration wasn't going to help them now. "Trust me, they want people to think they've strayed away from their family's past, but that's far from the truth."

     "He'll be okay. It's Pope, alright?" Kiara played mediator between the two, though her tone wasn't convincing in the slightest.

     Whatever. Jaylene stared out the passenger window, drowning out the voices around her until she felt her mind begin to drift further and further away from her body until the sound of her ragged breath faded in, the sight of her bloodied fingertips clearer now as she stared down at her shirt where John B had his signature bandana pressed against the gunshot wound, clear panic coursing through his veins as he watched it rapidly absorb the blood that continued to leak from the pierced skin. She felt like her body had been set ablaze, a pained gasp erupting from her lips at the pressure applied to the wound.

"It's gonna be fine, okay? You're gonna be okay, Jay." John B frantically spoke, hoisting her upright with his own hands tainted with her blood that continued to escape from the open wound despite his best efforts to stop it.

Jaylene used all the strength left in her deteriorating condition to nod in response despite how little faith she had in that being true. She didn't want to freak him out any further, especially if this was going to be their last moment together. They'd had a good run together and for that she was thankful.

"What the hell is the matter with you? You've fucked us completely!" Ward fumed with anger that shook the entirety of the island, the harsh words piercing directly into whatever heart Rafe had left as his face was pressed further into the asphalt, zero remorse present in his body.

     "Does that look voluntary?"

     Jaylene shook away at the memory that she barely remembered and adjusted her blurred vision, focusing on the scene playing in the nearby garden where Pope was being roughly shoved into the obstructed greenery by Renfield. Her stomach twisted in anger at the residents of the home, her top teeth sinking down into her bottom lip.

     "That would be a negative," JJ responded, his eyes narrowed in the direction that they'd all turned towards.

     "Come on."  Kiara scooted closer to Jaylene as a way of signaling for them to get out of the car.

     Before Jaylene could explain how that wouldn't be a good idea given the fact that they were unaware of their intentions with Pope, JJ beat her to it.

     He placed a hand on Kiara's shoulder to stop her. "Wait, hold on, hold on." He instructed. A short pause followed as he kept a close eye on the trio and the direction they were heading in. "They're going into the alley."

     "Go around back?" Kiara questioned in a hurried manner, panic taking control along with the realization that Jaylene was right.

The truck came to life, keys jingling in the ignition as JJ tried his best to be as subtle as possible to avoid suspicion from the two blondes who had led Pope away. They continued along the streets of South Carolina, all senses on alert with Kiara and Jaylene keeping an eye out for the Heyward boy who seemed to have disappeared.

     "Where did they go?" Kiara worriedly questioned after a few seconds of driving and no sight of Pope.

Jaylene felt her pulse in her temples, her breath caught in her throat at how quickly everything had taken a turn. She should've known this wasn't going to work out in their favor, it never did.

     "What if they went underground?" JJ, as per usual, turned to his conspiracies which caused Jaylene to arch her brow up. "Because in C.H.U.D., when they took people down into the se—"

     "JJ, I am going to say this once and for your own well-being, let it stick, alright?" Jaylene snapped her head in his direction, shooting him a pointed look. "No one, and I mean no one, understands your movie references. Not to mention they don't make any sense!"

     "Quality films, Rosewood!" JJ argued, momentarily taking his eyes off the road to ensure she could see the look of disbelief on his face. "Not that you'd know a thing about it. What did you watch growing up? Barbie?!"

     "Oh, that is just downright misogynistic! And even if I had, that was a top-quality show compared to the garbage you call quality television!" She snapped, rolling her eyes in annoyance at him.

     "Top quality? Top quality?" He burst out laughing in response. "You call—"

     "Focus, you two!" Kiara snapped at the two, reminding them that now wasn't the time to get into silly arguments.

     "You kiddin', Kie? She came at me!" JJ defensively argued, taking both hands off the steering wheel to hold them up in defense before placing them back.

     "JJ," Kiara spoke sternly, signifying just how serious she was being.

     "Right. Sorry." JJ apologized, turning his full attention back to the road. "Did you see him?"

     Kiara shook her head in response, anxiously tapping her fingers against her thigh. "What do you know about them? The Limbrey's?" She asked Jaylene, hoping that she'd have something positive to say to ease her anxiety.

Jaylene hesitated. She knew that there wasn't anything good to say about them, let alone the history that haunted them. Did she know Carla Limbrey personally? No . . . but her grandparents did. And given the fact that Samuel Rosewood, the most bigoted person in the freaking world who put wealth over anything, had something negative to say about her, told her everything she needed to know.

"Never trust a Limbrey." Was all she said, the sentence alone sending chills down the curly-haired girl's spine. When she went to say something else, she heard what sounded like rustling nearby, the sound easily capturing her attention once she realized where it was coming from. "Hey, hey, J, stop!" She raised her voice, her body moving slightly forward as the blonde slammed on the brakes.

The Carrera girl and Maybank boy shared a confused look, wondering what had prompted her to send out the order, but the second they heard the grunting and watched Pope's upper body appear from behind the brick wall in an effort to make his getaway, the two understood.

"Hey, keep the truck running!" JJ instructed the brunette by the passenger seat, well aware that she wasn't in the condition to be playing hero in this scenario.

Jaylene nodded in response, taking over Kiara's spot once she followed behind JJ. She could feel her heart beating rapidly, the pain from her wound nonexistent due to the adrenaline rushing through her body. The argument she had with her brother last night found its way into her mind, the realization that she was once again playing Russian roulette with her life as though she hadn't nearly died back in Nassau. It was supposed to be a wake-up call to quit getting tangled in absolute mayhem, but it clearly wasn't sufficient.

Without such a form of distraction, she was scared of what she might end up doing.

Before she could sink into her thoughts, she was forced to turn towards the wall JJ had parked near, watching as the three teens jumped over it with Pope rushing towards the driver's side with evident pain rushing through his body. When they all crammed into the car, her mouth gaped open at the taser in Kiara's grasp, afraid to ask what had happened back there because she'd feel even guiltier for allowing Pope to walk in there all on his own.

"Scoot over!" JJ instructed Pope who pushed the side of his body against Jaylene's in order to make room for the blonde to squeeze into the passenger seat.

They spoke over one another, everything sounding like gibberish to Jaylene who couldn't tear her gaze away from the taser. She hoped it hadn't been put to use on the boy squished beside her; the thought alone made her furious. It was only when the proximity between the truck and an olive green vehicle was made clear to her that she snapped back into reality, her focus on Pope who repeatedly told JJ that they were driving on a one-way street, and Kiara who urged him to turn left.

Jaylene's heart beat rapidly in her chest at the awful driving that would certainly give her whiplash once it was over. "Hey! JJ, Watch out!" She shouted, the sight of a vehicle heading straight at them causing her eyes to widen.

"Turn! Turn Right!" Pope slammed his hands on the dashboard, urging his friend to turn the wheel to avoid an accident.

     When Jaylene turned to look at JJ, she shook her head in disapproval at the grin on his face indicating this was the most fun he'd had in a long time. "Are you fucking smiling right now?!" She scoffed in disbelief, her body pushing against Kiara's at the sudden turn he finally decided to make onto the nearby street, running the stop sign in the process.

"C'mon, live a li—"

"JJ, look out!" Jaylene felt her heart drop to her stomach at the blurred sight of an individual crossing the street, watching as the truck missed them by a few inches.

"Oh my god!" Kiara shouted at what had nearly happened, her hand on the exterior of the car with her eyes widened.

"Get out of the