"Hit it, boys! We're goin'! Recon mission." JJ exclaimed as the door opened at the old lighthouse.

            But before anyone could get out, John B got between them and the door, holding a hand in front of him, carefully saying. "Yo, uh— so, uh, I think I'm gonna do this one by myself— tonight."

            Maggie couldn't be more pleased. Thunder was rumbling outside, and to stand on top of a lighthouse during a storm was not something she'd want to do. Kiara rolled her eyes, sitting back in her seat next to Adriana.

            John B watched all their disappointed reactions. "What?" He asked.

            "Nothin'." JJ replied, but anyone could hear that was him saying there most certainly was something.

            "I don't want to spook Sarah with the peanut gallery." John B explained.

            "I just don't understand why we're involving her at all." Kiara mentioned again.

            Maggie looked through the window to the old lighthouse. "I just don't understand why we have to do this at a high point such as a lighthouse. Not even mentioning the fact that it looks like it would break down if you drop a teeny tiny twig on it."

            "Kie, we're not involving her, okay?" John B assured his friend. "It's— it's just, uh, like a— a business meeting... thing. Look, once we get what we need, we cut her loose, all right? Plus, we need the map."

            Kiara had to make sure. "Promise me nothing's happening between you two." She begged of him.

            "Nothing is happening, Kie."

            "I'm being serious," Kiara said yet again. "This isn't about you, and this isn't about us. This is about her. Dude, she's gonna get inside your head. Just promise me nothing's happening between you guys."

            John B nodded. "I promise."

            JJ, Pope and Maggie made comments about how believable it was. Everyone knew it was sarcasm, even John B, but he was not interested in saying everything again. "Anyways, um... I'm gonna take care of business."

            "You're gonna take care of that business. So well." JJ repeated in a knowing tone.

            "We'll just sit here," Pope complained to a leaving John B. "In the hot–ass car. While it's lightning."

            Once John B was gone, Adriana leaned in towards Kiara just the slightest bit. "She's already gotten into his head, hasn't she?"

            "Yeah." Kiara absentmindedly nodded with a flat smile.

            "Okay," Adriana leaned back. She started fiddling with her rings. "So what now?"

            "We wait." Maggie sighed.

            They waited in the car for a few minutes. JJ started telling the rest about his encounter with Rafe, Topper and Kelce when Maggie heard someone yelling not so far away.

            She put her hand over JJ's mouth to listen closer, but JJ pushed her hand off of his mouth. "What the hell, Mags, I'm—"

            "Shut up," She cut him off. "Listen."

            Everyone was silent as the same voice yelled again. "Please, somebody help!"

            They got up from their seats as fast as they could to run towards the screaming voice, the one that sounded like Sarah Cameron, the Kook princess. She sat down on her knees next to a body that looked too much like John B's.

             Sarah was huddled over the body, crying hysterically. "Sarah! What happened?" Pope yelled when he saw it was indeed his best friend.

            "I don't know what to do. He needs help," Sarah sobbed. "Topper shoved him."

            JJ asked where Topper was, but Maggie sat down next to Sarah. She checked his pulse. "He's still alive."

            "Oh, please, please, please get help," Sarah cried. "I don't care who. Just call someone."

            Pope ran back to the van, to get someone on the line. Kiara yelled after him. "Pope, hurry!"

            Maggie stepped back. Kiara and Adriana were holding onto each other for dear life. Adriana might not have a bond with John B, but Kiara sure did. She wanted to be there for her. When Maggie came closer to JJ, he hugged her from behind.

            He, too, needed someone to be there for him as he slowly watched his best friend die. Sarah stayed next to John B, talking to him.

            Maggie felt JJ tense up, waiting for Pope. Maggie hugged him back, whispering. "He'll be okay," Then she repeated it, only this time lower. " He'll be okay." This time she wasn't sure she was assuring JJ or herself.

            Thank God for Pope's fast running. But also, thank God for John B's strong bones. Apart from a concussion and a broken wrist, there was nothing on him. He'd been extremely lucky for falling in a right way.

            He was in a coma for about a day. The Pogues weren't allowed to visit him, but Sarah communicated with them ( not Kie ) about his state. After coming back home, John B shared that he was staying at the Cameron's, in Tannyhill.

            Obviously, Kiara was not happy about John B lying, and Maggie said she told him, but the subject was quickly brought back to the gold. Despite falling, John B had gotten the map, meaning they could continue their search.

            The Pogues searched for landmarks that were the same, since the coast had changed, and found a possibility. They decided to give Battery Jasper a try.

            They drove the Twinkie to the grass field that was called Battery Jasper. There was nothing suspicious there.

            "We're in Battery, right here," Pope pointed at the place on the map. "So if this is parcel nine, than it's somewhere northeast of here."

            Kiara pointed northeast. "Somewhere over there?"

            "Over there?" JJ asked confused. "Guys, that's not Tannyhill, that's a subdivision."

            "Tannyhill Plantation used to be the entire island," John B explained. "It got sold into smaller pieces over time."

            Maggie tilted her head, looking out into the distance. She shielded her eyes from the sun. "Proves how far you can get with just knowing your island, I guess."

           "I could never," Adriana replied as she walked back to the van. "My mind's like a sieve."

            "Well, luckily mine isn't," Pope smiled. Adriana started leaning against the van. He looked down at the map again. "So we're just looking for an old stone wall."

            They got back into the van, driving to the place Pope pointed at. Pope gave John B directions which eventually leaded them to a big, unattended house.

            "Not the Crain house." John B groaned.

            Kiara and JJ walked further towards the house. "Are you kidding me?" She looked to her blond friend for guidance.

            "Worst–case scenario," JJ said.

            Maggie went to stand next to him. Adriana followed her and took her place glancing up at the giant house next to Kiara. "What's wrong with this house?" Maggie asked.

            "Oh, right, you two probably don't know," JJ exclaimed. "I heard that Mrs. Crain buried her husband's head on the property."

            Adriana blew a raspberry, yelling. "Bullshit!"

            She ran inside the garden, Kiara shouting after her to stop. When she didn't, Kiara went after her. Maggie and JJ looked at each other, and sing–songed in unison. "Whipped!"

            They went further, after Kiara and Adriana. "Which stories did you hear?" JJ asked Kiara. Kiara loved scary movies, so these sort of things should've been fun to her.

            "The one where she killed her husband with an axe and that she's been holed up ever since," Kiara told him, looking around the group. "On certain nights, when the moon is full... you can see her in the window." She made a ghostly gesture and twirled around to tease JJ, who thought it was real.

            "No, Kie, it's not funny, 'cause it's all true," He replied. "I swear to God, guys, this is all real. I knew Hollis. Jeez!" The blond fell back into Maggie, getting scared because of a statue.

            Maggie mockingly rubbed his arm and comforted him. "Woah there, big boy, be careful or the statue might bite you." She squeezed his arm, making him flinch again.

            "That's not funny, Mags!"

            "Wait, you knew Hollis Crain?" John B asked, getting back to what JJ said.

            JJ told him a story about how Hollis Crain was his babysitter. How she saw her mother washing her hands in a bloody sink. How she found her father's head in the outdoor restrooms. If Maggie had to be honest, she didn't believe one bit of it. It felt a tad too... made up.

            They sneaked through the gardens until a point where John B signaled everyone to crouch down. "So here's the plan," He started. "We need to look for the weat near the water like it said in Denmark's letter."

            "Okay, like, what kind of water? Like, pond water?" Pope questioned.

            JJ chuckled to himself before adding. "Bong water?"

            "Gross, J."

            Pope, Adriana and Kiara gave him grossed out looks, but John B just went on about his plan. "No. It— it just said look for water, okay?"

            "That's the shittiest secret message ever." Kiara complained.

            Adriana raised her hand, whisper–yelling. "I second that."

            Kiara whispered back. "Why are we whispering?"

            "I don't know."

            She grabbed Adriana's arm — which was still raised — and dragged her along as she walked towards the bushes. "You wanna complain a little more, Kie? Nobody said it was gonna be easy." John B replied before going the same way.

            Pope turned to JJ. "We'll search the northeast quadrant," referring to him and Maggie. "You search the northwest quadrant."

            "The decapitation quadrant," JJ whispered to himself. "Hey, no way I'm going to the decapitation quadrant by myself! I want Maggie."

            "Fine, have her," Pope pushed her back towards JJ. "Start making out for all I care."

            "Oh, how you pain me, Popsicle," Maggie dramatically laid a hand on her chest before going back to JJ, skipping past him while humming to mock him further. He called her back, trying to silence her. "Since when are you scared, Maybank?"

            She stopped skipping and turned her head back. Maggie's voice lowered. "It's not me, is it?"

as u could've probably guessed i had a MASSIVE writer's block so this is me trying to push through it. sorry for a shit chapter