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𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗘𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗬 𝗧𝗪𝗢
a surprise visitor

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・・・・☆・・・・☆ ・・・・

"First things first. Gotta take care of Terrance," Cleo spoke monotonously as she stabbed her knife into the wood of the porch. It had now been dark out and the Pogues had been sitting around, trying to figure out what to do next.

"Of course," Sarah replied sadly.

"Can't just leave him here. It won't sit right on my conscience."

"Cleo's right. We gotta do something about Terrance. And then we have to get the hell out of here. All right? Road trip," John B spoke, walking over to JJ.

"What?" JJ said.

"Road trip to where?" Kiara questioned.

"John B and I were talking. We think the North Star and the Half Moon Battery is referring to Charleston," Pope explained.

"If we get to Charleston before them, we have a fighting chance," John B added.

"What?" Kiara breathlessly said.

"Don't you think we should think on this a little more?" Kyla spoke up, seeing how shaken Cleo had been and how everyone else had been after having to hide a dead body for the cops.

"We have no other option," John B argued. "What-what are we doing?"

"What do you mean, 'we don't have any other option'?"

"The zoning notice, Kie. We're gonna lose Poguelandia," John B reminded her.

"John B, they killed Terrance. We're in way, way over our heads."

"I know, Kie, but we have no choice. Dawn patrol." John B got up and went over to the blonde boy. "Hey, JJ? Get the Twinkie up and running by dawn."

"All right."

"The rest of us will do right by Terrance. We'll be back here about 0700 hours. First ferry leaves at 8:00. Let's go to Charleston. Okay with that, Cleo?" John B asked.

"In Charleston, we could find the man who killed Terrance," she answered, looking at her knife before she sharply brought it down back into the wood. "I'm good with it."

And so when dawn hit, the Pogues — without JJ since he was fixing the Twinkie, and without the Craft siblings since they felt awkward going with them — got Terrance's body and wrapped him up to bring onto the boat and toss him into the water.

After Cleo was done saying her goodbyes, they drove the boat back to their home to find JJ no longer there. "Hey, have you guys seen JJ?" Kyla asked the siblings, who had been sitting inside the whole time.

"Uh, no, thought he was working on the car?" Alex answered.

"Well, yeah, he's supposed to be but he's not there," Kyla told them and they both furrowed their brows.

"Hey, Ky! Come here!" She heard John B yell so she walked back outside following by the siblings, seeing Sarah holding a piece of paper.

"'She's topped off, had to run an errand, go on to Chucktown without me. Catch up with you later, JJ,'" Sarah read aloud. "Since when does JJ ever run errands?"

"Since never," Kiara shook her head.

"Okay, what the hell? I'm calling him," Kyla said, pulling out her phone and pressing on his contact name. The phone buzzed a few times before it went to voicemail.

"Anything?" John B asked.

Kyla began to shake her head, growing a mix of worried and angry. "Went to voicemail. He never misses my calls unless something's up."

"Great. So what are we gonna do now?" Pope asked.

"He said to go. We should go," Cleo said, clearly wanting to take revenge.

"You guys can just go without me. I'll hang back and...if we can, we'll catch up with you later. Plus, I can keep the shop open," Kyla told them.

"Might as well," John B agreed. "Yeah."

"I'll stay back with you, Ky. Don't want to being here alone," Kiara told her sister, walking up next to her and rubbing her arm comfortingly.

"Actually, can we stay back, too? Not sure if we're qualified enough for this and I don't want to get in your way?" Alex spoke up and Rhi slowly nodded next to him.

"Honestly, that's better. I was kinda worrying about what we were gonna do with you two," John B admitted, pointing awkwardly at them.

"Yeah, I didn't know what we were gonna do either," Rhi agreed.

"Glad we figured it out. Now, let's go," Sarah quickly said, wanting to get this over with. And so, the four of them left while the other four stayed back and kept the shop open.

Kiara and Rhi left to go fishing together since they needed to more bait for the shop. They took the boat out into the water, waiting around until they got a buttload of fish.

"So, are you enjoying the OBX so far?" Kiara asked, rocking her body back and forth awkwardly.

"Well, the surf day was good. Until the Kooks ruined it," Rhi answered and Kiara nodded, pursing her lips. "But I wasn't expecting any of this."

"Yeah, which I am really sorry about, by the way. We didn't know this shit was gonna happen. We should have, but we didn't," Kiara apologized.

"No, it's okay. I mean, I'm always up for an adventure. Maybe not with dead bodies, but an adventure nonetheless." The girls both chuckled. "My brother, not so much. He's been a bit of dick about it, I feel like. And it's clear he and JJ don't get along."

"Well, I don't blame your brother for wanting to get out of here. I would, too, if I was dragged into this mess. And yeah, about the whole JJ thing..." Kiara trailed off. "I feel like he thinks your brother has a crush on Kyla."

"You think so?"

"That he has a crush on her? Oh, I don't know. But I think that's what JJ thinks. And he tends to get pretty protective over her," Kiara explained.

"Yeah, I see that. I love them together, though. She would always talk about him back at school. It was really cute," Rhi revealed.

"Oh, she did? Did you ever talk about your boyfriend to her?" Kiara subtly inquired about, looking back down at the net for a safety net (not pun intended).

Rhi let out a laugh. "I do not have a boyfriend. No, I've just been partying and whatnot. You know...hookups," she shrugged.

"Oh, yeah? Me too, kinda."

"Really? Yeah, sometimes it's hard to just find one person so you kinda have to go get through others. Some people judge, but I don't really care. You only live once, am I right?" Rhi spoke.

"Exactly. YOLO," Kiara agreed with a smile.

"Yeah, so no boyfriends or girlfriends for me yet. Still waiting."

"Or-or girlfriends?" Kiara caught, blinking rapidly for a second.

"Yeah. I'm bi. Could you not tell?" Rhi asked. "Geez, I really need to hook up with another girl again soon. It's been too many guys lately."

Kiara started to laugh, even though it had gotten a little loud. "No, no, it's just...I'm kinda gay."

"Kinda?"

"Well, I am. I am," Kiara nodded, silently cursing in her mind for being so awkward.

"Huh. So that's why Kyla wanted us to meet," Rhi realized with a knowing smirk.

"She never told you I was a lesbian? 'Cause, I mean, I am out. I've been out of a while now," Kiara voiced.

Rhi slowly shook her head. "No. But I mean, I kinda had a feeling in the way she was telling me about you."

"That's weird. She never really said a lot about you," Kiara said to her.

"Oh, I told her not to really say anything. I like making my own first impressions," Rhi told her with a sly grin and Kiara began to smile back at her, liking this girl's personality a lot. "So what do you think of my first impression, Kiara?"

Kiara let out a shaky breath, her face growing hot. "I...I like it. I like it a lot. And also...you can call me Kie."

Meanwhile, back at the island, Kyla moved her way around the shop, making sure everything was in order while also trying to reach JJ at the same time. However, he hadn't been answering any of her texts or calls and she was beginning to grow extremely worried.

She then heard the bell ring, signaling someone had entered. "Hi, can I help you?" She asked without looking up from her phone.

"I don't know, can you?" The man answered and Kyla immediately looked up, realizing that it was Rafe. She sucked in a breath, her stomach dropping at the sight of him. He smiled, "Hey, Ky."

"What...what are you doing here?" She asked, trying to keep her composure. Alex had just left to go make himself something to eat and she had no idea when he was coming back, and Kiara and Rhi were busy trying to catch some fish...she was alone.

"Uh, yeah. Do you — What, you don't think I'm just a customer coming to shop at my local surf and bait store?" Rafe asked her as she made her way behind the counter, trying not to get near him. "No? I'm just looking for my sister."

"She's not here. And if she was, she doesn't want to see you, Rafe," Kyla told him.

"Well, she's my sister, okay? I can have a little chat with her if I want," Rafe pointed out in annoyance before he turned away. Kyla looked down and noticed a pocket knife underneath the counter so she quickly took it, trying to hide it in her hands just in case she had to use it. "Oh, it was a really-it was a really nice performance yesterday at the break. That right hook. Phew! Didn't know you had that in you."

"You know, everyone keeps saying stuff like that, but after all the times you and Tara tried to come after me and my friends, I had to learn to defend myself," Kyla replied back, tilting her head to the side. Rafe laughed at that. "What's funny?"

"You know...Tara. Haven't seen her in, what, like a year?" Rafe tried to remember, looking up in the air while he nodded. "Yeah, somethin' like that.

"Yeah, she got sent away to this place that tries to help young girls with their problems. I got sent there with Kie, actually, when my parents were done with us and I coincidentally saw her. And guess what, she tried killing me again, how about that? I mean, did your whole relationship with her just revolve around wanting to hurt me or something?" Kyla questioned.

Rafe's eyes widened a bit. "You got sent to the same place she's in?" He asked and Kyla nodded. "Well, shit. I thought I was trying to help you guys by sending her there."

Kyla furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about?"

"You really think the Thornton's would just send their daughter away to some camp without someone above them telling them to do that? That family fucking thrives off licking the asses of people richer than them. I had to tell her mom what a fucking psycho she was and she decided to finally send her away," Rafe explained and Kyla's mouth parted in shock, not knowing that piece of information whatsoever. "Thought I was doin' everyone a favor. Guess not. Well, maybe now."

"You did that?" Kyla asked, trying to process.

"Well, I just told you I did, didn't I?" Rafe replied a-matter-of-factly.

"But...but I thought you loved her," Kyla slowly said, still gripping onto the pocket knife since she wasn't sure what game Rafe was playing at or if he was even playing a game at all.

Rafe laughed again. "You know, Ky, I was on coke the whole relationship with her. Yeah, I might have hooked up with her right before I got with you but...I was a dumb guy then. It also felt weird 'cause I was 19 and she was barely even 17 when we started dating and...yeah, I knew her before I was adult but...still felt weird."

Kyla furrowed her brows. "That's the reason? Because of your ages? You know, that's still legal here," she pointed out, finding his reasoning to be suspicious.

"Oh, did I forget to say she was a psycho bitch who would only ever bring you up during our entire relationship? It was like...she wanted to be you. Yeah, I don't know how I forgot that part," Rafe told her and Kyla nodded awkwardly, knowing that explanation made more sense. "No one could ever be you, though, Ky," he added after a second.

Kyla tensed up a bit at that, not knowing how to reply. She knew Rafe had a new girlfriend and he seemed to have liked her a lot, so she wasn't sure if this was flirting or if he was just trying to get under her skin. "Yeah...So, you dumped her and sent her to this camp without her even knowing you're the one behind it?"

Rafe kept his gaze on her for a few more seconds before he nodded, going closer to the counter which made Kyla slowly open the pocket knife. He leaned over the counter, which made Kyla back up a bit. "Pretty much. You know, I'm not your enemy. I'm actually on your side here, Ky."

"Oh, really?" Kyla replied, not buying it.

"Yeah. I-I actually came here to try to help. Heard this place is on the chopping block. So, take this. It's my business card." He pulled out his business card, handing it to Kyla. "Tell Sarah to hit me up. I think I can help."

Kyla looked down at the business card sending him a look as she placed it in her back pocket, which caused him to lean further on the counter. "You know, I haven't forgotten when you and your sister ditched me in Barbados. You really did me wrong, Ky."

"Did I? Do I have the count the times you did me wrong?" Kyla bit back, narrowing her eyes at him.

Rafe laughed. "I knew you were gonna say that. Which is why, I've forgiven you. We're good. Like I said, I'm not your enemy."

"What are you, then?" She dared to ask, keeping his eye contact.

"I don't know, you tell me," he replied with a small smirk, holding the eye contact as well.

They stayed there for a few seconds before Alex barged in, pointing at Rafe and yelling, "Hey, get the hell away from her!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rafe said, holding his hands up and backing away from the guy. "I'm just a customer, man."

"Alex, we're good," Kyla told him, not wanting him to blow things out of proportion since it was clear Rafe wasn't going to do anything.

"No, Ky, we're not good. This is your ex that tried to kill you, isn't it?" Alex pointed out.

"Now, hey, hey, hey, I never tried to kill her. It was my ex that tried to kill her. Get it right," Rafe corrected him and Alex just shook his head at the audacity.

"Actually, you tried to drown my sister and I in a storm drain, remember?" Kyla reminded him, raising her brows.

"Oh, shit. Okay, Tara was the one that came up with the idea, though," Rafe pointed out, holding up a finger.

Kyla just scoffed at him before she looked back at the Craft boy. "Alex, don't worry about it. He was just leaving, anyway," Kyla told the ginger boy, growing frustrated. Rafe then began to laugh, trying to cover his mouth. "What, Rafe?"

"Now, this...this is juicy. Does JJ know?" Rafe questioned with an entertained smile.

Kyla furrowed her brows. "Does JJ know what?"

"About your little boy toy," Rafe clarified, gesturing up and down to Alex. Alex gave him a bewildered look, growing embarrassed all of a sudden.

Kyla scoffed at him. "You know, just because you're a cheater, Rafe, doesn't make everyone else around you a cheater."

"Oh, I wasn't saying that you're cheating. No, I was saying how he wants to be your boy toy," Rafe clarified once again. "Ain't that right, what was it, Alex?"

"No. No, that's not true. Kyla and I are just friends," Alex told the boy, poking his tongue into the inside of his cheek.

"Uh-huh, sure, dude," Rafe said as he tried to pat him down on the shoulder, but Alex quickly moved away out of fear. "Jesus, Ky, what the hell did you tell this man about me?"

"I told him enough. Now just leave," Kyla said to him, shaking her head in defeat.

"Alright, fine. I'll let you and your little boy toy be alone. Don't worry, I won't tell JJ, though," Rafe said as he held a finger up to his lips before promptly leaving with a laugh.

Kyla let out a frustrated sigh when he left. "God, I can't with him. Literally, do not listen to a word he says. He's just trying to get under your skin."

Alex nodded, praying that his face hadn't gotten beet red. "No, yeah, I know. But, uh, about the 'boy toy' thing—"

"Don't worry, I didn't believe him. He just says things to say things, I swear. He's not okay," Kyla replied, continuing to shake her head.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, good," Alex said as he looked down, licking his lips awkwardly.

authors note!
i was so excited to write that rafe
scene idk why i just think him and ky's
scenes r just so dramatic and juicy
hehehe but anyway he clocked alex
hard like let's be real here, he's my diva
king LMAOO remember to
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