𝟏𝟎𝟏. 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝟏𝟎𝟏

motion sickness ──── phoebe bridgers

☀︎ 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

𝖧𝖨，𝖨'𝖬 𝖳𝖤𝖠𝖢𝖧𝖨𝖭𝖦 𝖠 𝖢𝖫𝖠𝖲𝖲 𝖢𝖠𝖫𝖫𝖤𝖣 "𝖧𝖮𝖶 𝖳𝖮 𝖦𝖤𝖳 𝖪𝖨𝖣𝖭𝖠𝖯𝖯𝖤𝖣 𝟣𝟢𝟣"．First, visit a man who, for the sake of our class, we'll call Groff. Go to him as you need help with hiding after you committed property destruction and a little bit of arson. Secondly, after having a tough conversation with him, get chased by all the people who hate this Groff character. Thirdly, just as you're about to escape, discover a big family secret thanks to damn Groff and get caught by those said men. And finally, here you are, kidnapped.

Hope you enjoyed my class. I shall never be teaching another one again, thanks.

We're being taken over the ocean in the tiniest boat I've ever sat in, me squeezed in between JJ and Groff. Before me is a man we're each familiar with. How Groff knows him, I don't know, but JJ and I know him as he tried to kill us twice── once underwater, and again, above water, on the pier. He also, on top of that, kidnapped Cleo and killed Terrence. Now, he's finally caught up to us again, finally having the chance to kidnap us.

Which, in itself, is just fucking funny if you think about it. Sitting here, letting my mind digest all that's happened lately, is giving me the impression that I── that we, JJ and me── have unbelievable Karma. Seriously, who did we piss off in another life? Why are we being punished?

If I could turn back time, I wouldn't let us be here in this life or death situation, but I'm not Cher. I have no control over the past nor do I have any choice but to sit here and accept whatever form of punishment is going to be handed out to us.

Whatever the punishment is, I hope it's Groff that gets the brute end of it.

We wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him. Since being snatched by Lightner and his army of obedient minions, we've been sitting in tense silence, waiting for our fate. JJ's hand has been covering mine, attempting to keep us both calm, though it's virtually impossible with this bastard staring at me.

I look to the gold rings sitting on my ring finger, pushing at them with my thumb, choosing to let myself believe that we will get out of here alive because I have a boy to marry. I have a boy that I am in dire need to call my husband. I have a boy who I'm desperate to travel the world with. I have a boy who I'm wanting to have an entire future with.

That dream I have of getting married, of travelling the world, of having a family with the boy beside me can't come to a horrifying end on a boat with a bunch of men and his father── my future father-in-law. I literally feel sick at the thought.

I need to believe that we'll make it out of this alive. I need a slither of hope to hit me upside the head.

Though, the thought of getting out alive seems slim at the moment, especially when we have no way to contact our friends. We don't have phones. Mine's back at the house and JJ's is long lost. So, on that note, we're completely screwed.

The teeny boat we're currently on is pulling up to a larger boat. I bite back a laugh, the size difference between the boats being comical. One of the minions from the mother boat ties our baby boat to it so we don't drift off, and I suppress another laugh at the thought of this large boat being the mother and our tiny boat being the baby.

Ah, my mind is not a good place to be in the midst of a crisis. She takes nothing seriously.

"Let's go. Move your ass. Come on." Lightner moves Groff first, shoving him harshly which, I won't lie, I take great pleasure in watching.

I only enjoy watching it for a second though as I'm the next to be grabbed, my body being dragged straight off the tiny boat and pulled onto the larger boat. "Come here."

"Get off her!" JJ fights, another man going to grab him which I do not approve of.

"Hey!" I try to rip my arm free from this man's grip, needing to go to JJ. "Let him go!" I shout, looking over my shoulder to see JJ being pulled much more roughly than I am. "Let me go!"

"Shut up," the man chews out, gripping my arm tighter.

"Oh, you shut up, you bastard!" I'm shoved harder this time, my legs literally nearly tripping over themselves as I fall in step with Groff and JJ. As I walk by Groff, I scowl at him, seriously wishing I could turn him into a pile of ash as he is the reason I'm not celebrating my engagement with a lot of sex right bow.

Yes, I'm thinking about sex whilst getting literally manhandled by gross men. Sue me. I can't help it, not when my fiancé is right here looking just about perfect. I'd give just about anything to be caught up in one another, rolling around in our bed, happy and in love. We just got engaged and we've barely had a second to breathe. How is that fair?

I think I hate Groff.

We're pulled towards a room filled with pipes and wires. "Get their asses in there," Lightner demands, throwing out orders to his good, little minions who obviously obey, pushing us down to the ground.

I lift myself up, looking forward to find Groff being shoved in here with us. "Take this." Lightner throws Groff his suit jacket that he had taken off whilst on the boat because being cooler was supposedly more important than living.

The giant door is then shut, locking us in this dark room that is only lit up by the scattered red lights. JJ immediately pulls himself off the floor, going to try the door but we all know it ain't going to budge, not from this side anyway.

"Don't bother," Groff says, but JJ doesn't offer him a response, instead moving to check below in case there's a hidden exit or something. Though, let's face it, they're not going to lock us in a room that we can just get out of. "It's useless."

"God, can you just shut up?" The words fly out of my mouth before I can swallow them.

"We're locked in," Groff offers, stating the obvious.

"No shit," I breathe out, literally wanting to pull my own hair out.

"Okay." JJ blows out a breath, visibly angry as he looks up to Groff from down below. "Can you just tell us what the hell is going on?" I want to go and calm him, try and ease his mind as he's trapped in here with the man that abandoned him when he was just a baby, but I'm too ticked off to move a muscle. I instead stand still and stew in my frustration. "One of those guys was after the amulet, I know, so who are they?"

Groff sighs, looking down at JJ whilst placing his jacket down. "Mercenaries," he answers. "From North Africa."

"My God, he actually gave us a real fucking answer. Was that so hard?" I shake my head, turning away from Groff before I literally lunge at him. I think he wants to lunge at me too based off the way he's scowling.

I think my mouth is going to get me killed one day, especially with the way Groff looks at me, obviously annoyed that he's locked in here with me of all people. Yeah, tough shit. Life ain't fair. I'm about to marry his son, so he better get used to seeing my face as I ain't going anywhere. I've been here, and I shall be here for the rest of my life.

Am I hating on him too much? Should I give him more of a chance? Hmm. No.

"Mercenaries," JJ repeats slowly. "Fantastic. Great." He runs a hand through his hair. "And what the hell do they want with you?"

"They think I stole from them," Groff replies, offering no further information.

JJ raises his brows, head tilted. "And did you?"

Groff scoffs. "I was trying to help them," he insists, and I let my eyes roll in response. JJ's head shakes, looking away from Groff, and I feel my heartstrings tug upon seeing him so lost in his head. "It was only── It was a misunderstanding. Related to your mother, actually," Groff tells. "It's tangentially, in a way, going back to the Genrette family about three-hundred years. If you look at the Blackstone and the entire heritage──"

"Okay, can you stop... lying to me!" JJ interrupts, his tone louder than I had expected. "Okay? You're overcooking it, man." Staring up at his father, JJ's eyes narrow. "Did you know that you do this thing when you lie? You speed up."

Groff's brows furrow. "Do I?"

"Yeah, you know how I know that?" He points to himself, sucking in a sharp breath. "I do the same thing." As I've seen JJ lie several times in the past, I know how he acts when he lies, and it is similar to Groff.

"Huh," Groff breathes out, chin jutting as he nods along slowly.

"And everything you've told us is a lie," JJ continues. "The ghost, the curse. Why did you do that?" Groff sits down on the steps that follow down to the bottom where JJ paces back and forth, trying to figure everything out, trying to string together the puzzle pieces. "Because you're trying to throw us off the scent of what you're actually after," he states, looking to Groff.

"You and Wes both," he replies, and I throw my middle finger up from behind him.

JJ leans back against the stair railing. "Yeah."

I look at Groff and JJ from above, recalling something I remember Wes saying to us. "Wait..." Both JJ and Groff look up to me. "Wes said he actually saw a ghost."

Groff shrugs, laughing lightly, turning away from me. "A little... a little theatre," he replies. "A mannequin. White dress. Rattling the chains, that sort of thing." I never believed there was a real ghost, but I now understand why there was a white dress hanging off a mannequin in the shed.

I lean against the railing up top, staring at the back of Groff's head in disbelief, surprised he'd do such a thing to his father-in-law. Though, I would love to scare the shit out of him in the same way as I genuinely feel sad for Wes. He believed in this curse, believing it had taken his daughter, believing it was coming for him when it was just Groff scaring him. For what reason, I don't know.

Although, whilst I stand here, Emory's words cross my mind. "It can't be a fucking coincidence that his entire family is dead..." is what she had said after discovering that her father was Chandler Groff. Then, I believed it was a farfetched theory to think that Groff had something to do with his wife and father-in-law, but maybe she really did have a point.

But, if he is responsible for the death of his wife and father-in-law, could that mean he may want to harm JJ and Emory? I mean, they are technically his family in the blood kind of way, I don't know. On top of Wes and Larissa being dead, Emory's mother is also very much dead which, again, is suspicious if you think about it.

He wouldn't hurt his own children, would he?

I shake my head, finding I'm going a little too into my head. Come on, I barely know the guy. I'm not certain he actually had anything to do with his wife and father-in-law, it's just a theory that Emory reminded me of.

JJ hums, bringing me back to this reality we're in. "Not bad for a Kook."

"Oh, thank you."

JJ chuckles, lifting his shoulder in a shrug. "I would've done the same thing. Maybe a little fog machine or somethin'," he jokes.

Groff laughs in response, and my face scrunches. "Fog machine..." he drawls, eyes searching JJ's, and something shifts in the room, I swear. I feel something spark. I feel something change in that single moment, and then I feel my stomach turn, and not in a good way.

They're bonding... I think. It's hard to tell.

I don't know if that's a good thing. Based off the drop in my stomach, I doubt it's a good fucking thing, but listening to myself hasn't always gone smoothly in the past, so I have to ignore the shift in the air between JJ and Groff.

"Apples and trees, I guess," JJ utters.

"Right. Apples and trees," Groff repeats, offering JJ a smile that has my skin itching.

Fucking apples and trees.

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𝖨 𝖫𝖤𝖠𝖭 𝖬𝖸 𝖧𝖤𝖠𝖣 𝖠𝖦𝖠𝖨𝖭𝖲𝖳 𝖩𝖩'𝖲 𝖲𝖧𝖮𝖴𝖫𝖣𝖤𝖱，𝖬𝖸 𝖳𝖧𝖴𝖬𝖡 𝖢𝖮𝖭𝖳𝖨𝖭𝖴𝖨𝖭𝖦 𝖳𝖮 𝖳𝖱𝖠𝖢𝖤 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖱𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖲 𝖮𝖭 𝖬𝖸 𝖥𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖤𝖱．I find that, when I spin the rings, I feel just an ounce lighter as I let my head take me to happier thoughts── to thoughts of walking down the aisle, of JJ looking edible in a suit, of being married and getting to call JJ my husband.

I'm going to be a Maybank which, thinking about now, sounds cool. Hello, Brooklyn Maybank has a nice ring to it, I think.

My happy thoughts get replaced quickly as there is currently a man pacing before us, looking awfully stressed. JJ is tense under the weight of my head which worries me, though I think I know why. Just like Groff, JJ also has a tendency to pace back and forth when he's stressed and in need of some miracle. Hell, Emory does the exact same thing too, having done it the night she discovered who her father actually was.

Speaking of Emory, I know I need to vocalise what I know. To Groff or JJ, I don't know, but I need to say something as hiding this secret is beginning to eat at me. I'm the only person, other than Groff, that knows about JJ and Emory's relation. It's seriously bothering me that JJ doesn't have any clue what's bouncing around in my mind. Then again, I shouldn't be the one to tell him, but it's unclear is Groff will actually confirm it.

It's been shy of twenty years since JJ and Emory were abandoned by their biological father, there only being a six month difference between the two. All this time, on top of not truly knowing that their fathers weren't theirs biologically, neither of them knew that they had a sibling out there. I genuinely wonder how they'd react to knowing that, to knowing that they've been related all this time whilst getting to know each other, whilst being friends, whilst living under the same roof.

Although, if we don't make it out of here alive, I'll never get to know.

I need to get out of here. Like I said, I have priorities. I have an engagement to properly christen. I have a wedding to plan on top of being thrown into another hectic treasure hunt. I have to get started on the rest of my life, not remain trapped on a boat with a bunch of mercenaries.

Remaining close to JJ, I slide my hand against his knee, his body still tense. I know he must have so many things to ask, so many questions that he actually wants answered by this man before us, and I want to help him get those, I just don't know how cooperative Groff will be.

"How am I alive?" JJ's voice is barely a whisper, making me think he's saying it to me rather than Groff who continues to pace back and forth.

I lift my head from his shoulder, my hand still on his knee. I look to him. "What?"

"How am I alive, Brooke?" Groff's footsteps come to a slow as JJ's tone raises ever so slightly. JJ is now speaking to us── Groff and I── despite him just addressing me. "If Larissa drowned on that boat, how am I alive? How did I survive?"

"You were never on the boat," Groff replies simply, making it seem like the obvious answer. I mean, I guess if JJ had been on the boat, he likely would've died as he was only a baby. "I made it up." He offers no further explanation which, given everything we've seen lately from him, I'm not all that surprised.

"You made it up?" JJ scoffs, looking down rather than across at the man who sits opposite us. "You made all that up just because you couldn't be bothered to take care of me on your own. You just dumped me on whoever and went away. That's real nice."

Groff sighs, sounding frustrated when he has no right to be. JJ is allowed to be mad. He's allowed to ask these questions. He's allowed to demand answers. He's allowed whatever he wants, and he is going to get it, and I am going to help him get those answers.

"It's not as simple as that, JJ. Will you please try to understand?"

"Understand that you abandoned me?" My lips part, agitation dripping off me. I'm angry and upset for JJ. He doesn't deserve this. "And only came back when you needed something."

"Okay──"

"Yeah, I understand that."

Groff holds his hands up, attempting to defend himself. "If you want to hold that against me, that... that is your right. But, from the moment I saw you, JJ, I knew I needed t-to tell you the truth."

"Hm." I drop my head, dragging my tongue across my lip. "Wonder if you thought the same when you saw Emory." I barely say those words, not entirely sure I want JJ to overhear that truth just yet when he's confronting Groff about his abandonment. Though, when I lift my head again, I catch Groff looking directly at me. Something passes between us── a silent understanding of sorts that confirms that I know another secret he's biting back, and that I will let it unleash if he isn't careful with how he talks to JJ.

Also, from the moment he saw JJ, he wanted to tell him the truth? Really? He only told JJ the truth when it benefited him. He needed our help and saw that we were getting away, that's why he told him. Now look where helping has gotten us, locked up because of mercenaries who hate Groff.

He abandoned JJ to benefit himself and he only told JJ the truth to benefit himself. So far, all I'm getting from this guy is that he's a narcissistic ass.

"But why leave me?"

The loaded weight of that question presses down on my chest, bringing a newfound wave of pain to me because sitting here, as perfect as ever, is a guy who, for his entire life, has always given a hundred percent of himself to everybody, never asking for a single thing in return. Then, when the time matters, a man who should be offering JJ the answers he deserves can't even give him a percent. It's not fair. I hate to know how much this is affecting him, knowing I can't do a single thing to ease any of the upset he must be feeling.

"Why?" He exhales a heavy breath, eyes flicking from me to JJ, noticing that JJ is looking down and not at him. "Will you look at me? Look at me." Slowly, he lifts his head ever so slightly, his eyes boring into Groff's from across the space. "Back then, when your mother died, I was in no shape to take care of anyone. I-I thought it was for the best."

"So the best was the Cut? With Luke?" His head shakes, not accepting that that was his best and only option. I don't believe that was Groff's only option either, but just an excuse. "Wow. That's a high bar."

"I screwed up. I know that. I'm sorry." Little too late for apologies, is it not? "It's what I do." Oh, here we go with the self-pitying act. "I-I don't think things through."

Once again, when comparing JJ and Groff, it can now be said that neither of them think things through, that they're both a little reckless and that can lead to large screwups. Though, JJ has never done anything on par with Groff's choice to abandon his own son, so let's not put them on the same level.

"But I've spent every day since then trying to figure out how to f-fix it," he continues, but I don't see how anything is fixed when this is where we currently are. "That's why I came back."

JJ scoffs, denial drawn all over his face. "No, no, no. You came back for the treasure, and that's the truth. Don't even try."

"I came back to find you," he insists, his voice wobbly. "I came back to help you. You're my son, JJ. We're a family." My eyes widen, finding that to be a little too forward when he barely knows his son. "T-That crown they're after, that is our birthright. That is our legacy. We are so close. I think they have the key to finding it on this boat. And I came back to get it. For both of us." Groff then looks at me, eyes flitting down. I don't need to look to know exactly what he's got his eye on, I already know. "And now... for Brooke too."

JJ gazes at me, hand sliding across my left one. "Yeah," he breathes out, moving his own thumb against the set of rings.

"W-When did..." Groff inhales, forcing himself to smile when he exhales. "Correct me if I'm wrong, there was no ring when I met you."

I glare into the eyes of my soon to be father-in-law. "No. No, there wasn't."

A dry laugh leaves him, his head bobbing along. "Well, congratulations." He doesn't sound all that happy, not in the way one would be happy if they just discovered their son was engaged to marry. Then again, he probably didn't expect me to exist in this... family as he so wrongly called it. "I-I guess, welcome to the family, Brooke."

I can't help it, I have to react to such a comment. A laugh slips past my lips, my head shaking at such a ridiculous notion. A family? That's what he wants to call this? Is he insane? "'Welcome to the family'," I mutter, head falling forward into my hands. "'Welcome to the family', that's what you say?"

"I-I don't──"

I lift my head from my hands. "Isn't there somebody else you should be mentioning when you talk about this... legacy?" I push out, speaking over Groff. "About this... family?"

Groff's eyes widen, my words processing in that head of his. JJ, on the other hand, appears confused by my snap comment. "Brooke, what are you..." JJ's eyes cut to me, but I continue to glare at the man sitting across from me.

Groff's lips purse, his jaw tense as he looks right back at me. "You know," he voices, swallowing.

"Know what? What's going on?" JJ asks.

"You wanna tell him or should I?"

"Tell me what?"

Remaining silent, I continue to look at Groff, attempting to intimidate him. With the way he watches me, it seems that he is trying to look threatening. Though, if we're going to be "family", he should know that I don't cower away, especially not in this case, not when the situation involves JJ and the truth. "What the hell is going on?" In my peripheral, JJ is looking at me, wanting me to explain, though it really can't be my place. "Brooke?"

Groff opens his mouth, looking like he's about to explain why I already have a very large disdain towards Groff and why we're glaring at one another in such a menacing way when we barely know each other. Though, of course, the door above is finally cracked open to reveal Lightner who just had to crash the party now.

He steps into the room and looks down at us. "Showtime, boys."

"And girl," I chew out.

Ignoring me, Lightner tilts his head towards the door. "Come on."

Before we move away, JJ and I share a look. I can see that he wants me to remain close to him and not get myself killed, while another part of him wants me to explain what the hell Groff and I were silently discussing. I pull my eyes off him first, feeling too guilty to stare into those eyes when I hold another truth from him. I want to tell him, I do, and if we make it out of this, I swear I will now.

We begin to climb the steps up, JJ ahead with me and Groff behind him. Groff reaches over me, going to pat JJ on the back like a father would, though it's a little too late for him to start pulling the father card. "It's okay, son," he assures, earning a glare from me as we move up the steps.

The moment we're outside, I find that the sun has gone down again, my days all now seeming to roll into one long one. We're then grabbed by the minions quickly, forced to walk alongside the ship where we're taken to the deck of the ship.

I feel as though I'm being led to walk the plank, is that ridiculous?

A woman steps into view, looking at each of us. I don't recognise her, but she's got some kind of connection with Lightner who has, shockingly, fallen silent now. Ooh, is she his boss? Ha. He has to follow somebody else's orders. "Who are you?" I ask, speaking first, and that single question results in a machete being placed against my chest. Motherfucker.

"The name's Dalia," she replies, a British accent evident. "Nice to meet you." She doesn't offer any kind of smile, not that I expected one. She doesn't seem like the type that smiles.

I huff out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah, you too."

"We're not here for you and loverboy here." She gestures to JJ who attempts to fidget against the tight grip on him, but the machete is pressed harsher against his chest. "We're here for him." Dalia trains her eyes back on Groff who also tries to fight.

"I don't like you, Chandler," Dalia begins.

"You and me both, sister." The grip burns my wrists, trying to make me keep quiet, but I'm seriously terrible at biting my tongue. Like I said, my mouth is so going to get me killed one day.

Dalia clears her throat, refocusing back on Groff who is glowering at me, obviously agitated by me. I smile innocently, going back to listen to Dalia. "But this you brought on yourself," she continues. "You was just a grifter rotting away in a lockup in Tangier. We come on in and get you out. We welcomed you in like a brother. Yeah, you knew Blackstone, but we had the captain's log. We got you out of jail. We offered you a share." She holds her knife up, pointing it in his direction. "Did you smile on your good fortune? No. You faked joining us. You stole from us. You took the captain's log and kept it for yourself. When we sent our man in to retrieve what you took, you killed him." My mouth gapes, eyes flitting to JJ who suddenly stops fighting, processing Dalia's words. "You left him to rot in the dunes. You killed one of our own. You know the punishment."

If I didn't trust Groff before, I certainly don't now. He's a killer. Whether he acted out of self defence or not, he's still a killer. I recall Emory's words again about Groff potentially being the one who killed her mother. Is she right in saying that? Is there more to Groff that we aren't seeing? He only said he stole from these mercenaries, not that he killed one of them. He's a fucking liar.

"I didn't kill anyone," Groff states, but I don't believe him for a second. "I was helping you. And I found something. Found something new. You should be thanking me."

"Should I? Oh. Thank you, then. Thank you for your help," Dalia responds, speaking sarcastically.

"I've been fixing your mistakes!" Groff snaps, leaning towards Dalia like he wants to discuss something with her.

"Enough!" The man holding Groff pulls him back, trying to keep him away from Dalia. "He's a liar. Hand me a machete."

Am I about to watch another father die before my eyes? Geez.

"Wait, wait. You don't understand," Groff chokes out. "I-I had nothing to do with Omar." He leans forward, this time speaking too low for JJ and I to hear which, in itself, is suspicious. Before, he was yelling and fighting. Now he's whispering and hiding. Why?

I try to listen, I really do, but I can't hear a damn word. I just stand there, completely confused. I peer at JJ, a sinking feeling in my stomach that he's saying something bad── saying something that will impact us rather than him.

When Groff is forced back, Dalia spins around to face us, and for the first time today, I'm actually afraid. I don't know these people, only knowing that Lightner is responsible for killing Terrence and nearly killing me and JJ. These people aren't good, not in any way, so I am afraid, and I hate admitting it. "Hey, Blondie." She moves towards JJ, and while I try to tug my hands away, fighting won't help me in this case. "Do you know this joker? Is he a mate of yours?"

Looking to Groff, we find him shaking his head in a silent no, obviously not wanting us to mention anything about his relation to JJ. We just pull our eyes off Groff, looking to Dalia. "No," JJ replies. "Not really. No."

Dalia clicks her tongue. "What's your game, then?"

"Got no game... in this," he speaks, also not knowing exactly what to say that'll get us out of this alive. "We were just running an errand for him."

I nod, offering as much help as I can muster up. "Yep."

God, aren't I helpful?

"So if you could just drop us back off with our friends, that would be appreciated." JJ nods firmly, speaking as politely as he can. "It's one of those situations of wrong place, wrong time."

I manage to free one arm, though my other arm is still squeezed in the man's grasp. "Hm." Dalia's eyes skim over to me, dropping down to the hand I've broken free. "Wait." The man holding me stops trying to grab my free arm as Dalia walks to me and snatches my left hand.

"Let her go!" JJ fights, shifting and twisting to get away from the man holding him, but it's no use.

"Aw, how sweet," Dalia mocks.

"Don't talk to him," I spit, wanting to keep her attention on me rather than her focusing on my fiancé.

Dalia huffs out a laugh, looking down at the rings that decorate my ring finger. "Nice rings," Dalia comments, her thumb moving over the gold. "How can two kids like you afford something like this?" She holds my hand up high, showing it off to everybody that surrounds us. I hear a few laughs and whistles, and if I had any power in the world, I'd hit this British bitch across the face. "Engaged, huh?"

I swallow, maintaining eye contact. "Yep."

"Little young, aren't you?" She shoves my hand away, letting it get pulled back behind my back by the minion holding me. I clench my fists, afraid somebody will try and steal the rings from my finger if I'm not careful, and I can't have that.

"When you know, you know," I utter, feeling JJ's eyes on me.

"Ain't that so?" Dalia laughs, turning away from me and looking to Groff. "What should we do with you three then?"

"Let us go," I counter, my mouth speaking before my mind catches up. "Us..." I tilt my head towards JJ, not personally caring what happens to Groff. "Let us go."

Dalia hums. "Why? You got somewhere you need to be? Something you've gotta plan?"

"Yes, I do. I was thinking a summer wedding," I bite out, smiling innocently in an attempt to mask the fear biting at me. "What do you think?"

"Brooke." JJ's worried that my mouth will get me killed too, but rather me than him, I say.

Dalia looks away, observing her crew. "Didn't I promise we'd avenge Omar?!"

"Yeah, that's right!"

"Didn't I say we'd come back for Groff's head?!" Dalia aims her knife at Groff again, much to my satisfaction. His head on a stick wouldn't be so bad, let me tell you.

"Yes!"

"We have the scroll. And soon we'll have the crown, won't we?"

"Yeah!"

"And more money than any of us have ever seen!"

"Yeah!"

"God, get a new word," I snide, wishing to free my arms from this vice they're stuck in.

"But first..." Waving her knife in Groff's direction, she speaks again, "Justice. They're all liars. Kill them!"

Looking to JJ, we share the same fear of being killed on this freaking boat. "Wait, wait, wait!" Groff shouts, attempting to help out, but it's a little too late for that shit. Instead, knowing I'm about to die, I close my eyes and hope for a fucking miracle.

I need some kind of hope. I need to believe I'll get out of this── that we will get out of this alive. I need to believe that our life doesn't end here, that we'll get the future we deserve.

"What the hell?" I open my eyes, catching Lightner staring out toward the marsh. I follow his gaze, seeing that there's a fire out on the marsh. How, I don't know, but I'm starting to wonder if I cast some kind of spell when praying for a miracle.

"Who is that?" Dalia questions, also following Lightner's line of sight.

"Who's out there?"

Is it John B? I mean, I quite literally prayed for any kind of miracle, and my brother appeared, our twintuition strong. I'm not absolutely certain it's him, but a large part of me knows that he's out there, likely with the others too.

I hope they've found us. I don't know how they would've, but I really hope they have. I really hope that's John B out there.

"Identify yourself!" Lightner yells. "You have ten seconds to explain yourself, or we start shooting!" he threatens, and I become more fearful that, if my brother is out there, he'll be shot. "Five more seconds!"

Suddenly, a Molotov lands right at the deck of the ship where we stand, resulting in loud bursts of screams and panics. A fire sparks, creating chaos the moment it begins to spread. I watch as a man literally catches fire from below, shocking me. I then catch Groff shoving the man holding him, encouraging JJ to do the same to the minion grasping him.

Following their leads, the minute the guy holding me lowers his machete and loosens his hold on me, I elbow him as hard as I can. He stumbles back, hitting the wall. "Brooke!" I turn away from the chaos, finding JJ who pushes his hand into mine and drags me away.

Pulling open a door, he shoves me inside first, following behind me as we attempt to escape the madness that is just outside on the dock. Although, despite escaping the fire, we're still stuck on a fucking boat we don't know anything about. We don't know where to go nor where the safest place is to escape.

Suddenly, we rush around a corner and come face to face with another guy holding a machete. He lifts it, going to attack, but he doesn't get far as JJ yanks me right back into him, pushing me behind. He then charges at the man before us, pressing his arm that holds the machete into the wall, squeezing tightly until he releases the weapon.

Stepping forward, I kick my foot into his knee, knocking him down so JJ can throw a punch to his jaw, subsequently knocking him out and shoving him away just as another man comes swinging around the corner with another machete.

I've got a serious feeling of deja vu right now.

Although, unlike last time, I'm not falling off a ship. Shit. Did I just jinx it?

I kick my foot at the man charging towards us, surprised when I actually cause a slither of damage. He slips against the floor, falling down as a result of my lame kick. JJ grabs the back of his shirt, forcing him up and off the ground so he can punch him. He then shoves him away, knocking him over the stair railing.

JJ breathes heavily, pushing his hair from his face. "Woah," I laugh, moving to him. "Are you okay?"

JJ nods frantically, hands holding my arms. "Yeah, are yo──"

"Brooke!" My head snaps up, a familiarity connected to that voice calling out to me. "JJ!" My gaze meets JJ's, the two of us realising who that is.

Moving away first, I rush towards the voice. "John B!" I scream, needing to get to my brother who could be getting killed as I waste time running. Racing down the steps, JJ and I barge into the kitchen below to find John B being held back in a headlock, a mercenary strangling him.

I look around, searching for anything to attack this bastard with. My eyes spot a fire extinguisher, and I don't even hesitate, I just grab ahold of it, storm up to the guy and whack him in the head with as much power as I can grasp, and I knock the mercenary straight down.

John B spins around fast, snatching my wrist tightly with a kettle in his other hand, looking ready to attack. "Hey!" I shout, afraid I'm about to get smacked by my brother with a kettle. "It's us!"

"What are you doing?" He drops the kettle, immediately pulling me straight into his arms in a tight, crushing embrace that has me choking for air, but I don't care. He's here. My brother is here. He's safe. I'm safe-ish. We're all safe.

I lift my arms, hugging him back and feeling immensely better. "What are you doing?" I laugh, burying my head into the crook of his neck, so unbelievably relieved to be in his protective warmth.

"Hey, we gotta go!" JJ shouts, hand sliding up my back.

"I know!" John B and I yell, separating.

"Get out!" John B is shoved forward, me tucked in between him and JJ as we rush to leave the kitchen, needing to get off this boat desperately.

"Are you wearing a ring?!" John B shouts over his shoulder, moving up the steps first.

I think I heard what he said though I'm not fully prepared to tell him why I'm wearing a ring in the middle of a literal life-or-death situation. "What?"

"Are you wearing a ring?!" he repeats, louder this time.

"Uh..."

"We don't have time for this!" JJ yells from behind me, the three of us at the top of the steps. JJ picks up a machete from the ground, seeing he can use it in case we run into trouble which, knowing us, we will crash into trouble.

The minute we're crowded together, John B grabs JJ by his shirt. "Did you propose to my sister?"

"Yes!" both JJ and I answer. "Now let's go!"

"But──"

"Let's go!" I shove my brother ahead, insisting he run towards the next door.

We barrel into the room, spotting a man chasing after us from down the hall. "Hey, John B. Lock it!" JJ demands, though John B doesn't turn the lock the correct way. "Not that way!"

"Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey!"

"Thanks for the lesson, B!"

The door is locked, blocking the man from getting inside, and we move away quickly, spotting a place we can escape from. "Hey, it's clear over here. Let's go."

"Hold on." JJ spots something upon the table. "Grab that tube."

"What's that?" I ask, watching John B retrieve the tube from the table. He opens it, revealing the scroll.

"That must be the scroll that Sarah saw," JJ states, hand on my back as he guides me towards the door with John B following.

My eyes widen. "Really?"

"Holy shit."

"Hurry up!"

We charge outside only to be greeted by another mercenary. "Oh, no. Oh, a machete," John B chimes, moving to get up the ladder. "Come on, B!"

Reluctantly, I follow John B, but I keep an eye on JJ from down below as he fights with the mercenary. "Come on!" I shout, panic rising in my chest as I watch him. "JJ!" He slams the man's head against the metal ladder, knocking him out flawlessly.

Well, that was hotter than I expected.

God, what is wrong with me?

"Come on, let's go!"

JJ slots the machete between his teeth as he moves to climb the ladders with us. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" he shouts, voice muffled by the machete.

We reach the top of the boat, peering down to see how high up we are. "Oh God."

"You got a plan B, John B?" JJ asks, pulling the machete back into his hand.

"We got one option," John B comments, swinging his leg over the railing.

"Yay," I utter, going to follow my brother.

JJ also follows, the three of us standing on the very top edge of the boat. "Screw it," we each say before we fling ourselves off the boat, plunging straight into the water below.

We're met by Sarah and Kiara who guide the HMS Pogue towards us. John B hands off the tube with the scroll before Sarah pulls him up, all the while I'm brought up onto the boat by Kiara. "I am so happy to see you." JJ lifts himself up, and Kiara moves to go back to steering as we need to get out of here ASAP.

"Go! Punch it, Kiara! Hit it!" JJ yells just as the mercenaries begin to extinguish their anger using their guns. "Ah shit! Go!"

"Here I go!" Bullets continue to fly in our direction, though we don't stop for a moment, we just let Kiara swing us into action, steering us away from the mayhem.

"Ah, shit!"

I'm shoved down by John B and JJ, my body hidden from potentially being shot. "What is that?" I hear Sarah ask, looking over at me as she also lays down, hiding from the bullets.

I raise my left hand, breathing heavily, something of a smile evident on my lips. "Oh, yeah."

Her mouth gapes. "Oh, my God!"

"You got engaged?" Kiara asks, looking over at JJ and I as he moves to sit beside me, his breathing just as heavy. "When?"

"Are they following?" John B asks, ignoring us.

"John B!" Sarah hits her husband's hand. "Your sister is getting married!"

"Sarah, we're being shot at."

She scoffs. "And?"

"I think we're out of range," JJ defends, peering up to see that we're good... for now. The gunshots have resided the further Kiara drove away, and now I think we're safe.

"Okay. I got the scroll. I got the scroll," John B tells, lifting it up.

"What is it?" Kiara asks, taking it from him to check it out.

"That leads to the Blue Crown," JJ confirms.

"Who cares!" Sarah snatches my left hand, going to observe the ring on my finger. "Oh, my God. Look at this ring, John B!"

John B shakes his head, eyes closed as he processes the fact that I'm engaged. "I can't believe you proposed to my sister. When the hell did you propose?"

JJ laughs, hand falling upon my leg. "Hey, brother-in-law," he toys, earning an intense glare from John B.

He points a finger at JJ threateningly. "No. There's no 'in-law' yet."

Sarah pulls me into her, bringing my head to rest against her shoulder as she hugs me. "You're getting married!" she cheers, squeezing me so unbelievably tight.

I look to JJ, my smile big. "We're getting married," I exhale, relieved that we made it out alive and that we will be getting the future we deserve. I raise my hand, taking his. "Happy engagement, baby."

He huffs out a laugh, seeming to be just as relieved despite all we just went through. "Happy engagement, Sunny."

I guess I should now teach a class called, "How to get away from mercenaries 101".

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❀ soph speaks

god this chapter sucked like i was not in any kind of state to write this

i just got bored at the end lol

thankyou for reading!