024
knocking on past's door

The wooden box bounced in the truck bed as Topper sped down the empty road. The group switched seats so that now, Bianca, JJ, and Cleo sat in the backseat of the truck, behind Topper and Sarah while Kiara and Pope held onto the cross.

"Shit," Topper cursed, glancing over his shoulder at the wreckage. "They definitely called it in."

"Top, Top!" JJ reached forward between the front seats. "Turn here! Turn-"

"Don't- okay, don't touch the driver, man!" Topper pulled away.

"JJ, sit back," Bianca warned, her arms crossed over her chest. It was the first thing she spoke to the boy since their argument, other than tense silences and heated glares.

JJ ignored her, however, and continued, "Topper, just turn around. Turn around!"

Sarah slapped his hand away, "Stop! He said don't touch the driver!"

JJ reared his head back, "I'm trying—"

"It's a liability," Topper interrupted.

"Then go faster!" Cleo bit back.

"If I go faster, that's going to draw attention, you know?" Topper waved his arms around.

"Yeah, I feel like that ship has sailed at this point," JJ turned to face the massive wooden box in the truck bed.

"No, Top, don't go faster," Bianca sat up straighter, pushing herself forward in the middle seat to be heard.

"What?" JJ scoffed.

"The cross isn't attached to anything–" Bianca tried to explain.

"You guys are a nightmare," Topper glanced into the backseat. "Do you argue about absolutely everything?!"

"Every rasshole thing now put the pedal to the metal, boy!" Cleo finally snapped.

"Maybe put it a little bit!" JJ yelled over the engine. "You're going sixty-five!"

"Let's just go faster," Sarah nodded quickly.

"Alright, alright, screw it! Let's-" Topper threw his arms up in exasperation and slammed his foot on the accelerator. "Here we go!"

Bianca's throat tightened, feeling the truck shudder as it cut through the wind. She wrung her hands together to stop them from trembling at the thought of her car crash earlier that day. She kept her gaze trained on the floor in an attempt to block out the spinning scenery outside.

"There you go, that's what I'm talking about!" JJ cheered as the truck picked up speed.

Suddenly, the wheel hit a bump causing the passengers to lurch forward with it. Topper's car skidded to a halt when they heard the wood scrape the back and land with a heavy thud on the pavement behind them.

"Hey!" Cleo shouted. "Shit, man!"

"Stop," Pope panted breathlessly, slamming his fist on the top of the truck roof. "Stop, stop! We lost the cross!" Immediately, he jumped off to assess the damage.

"Great work, Topper!" JJ scoffed before throwing the door open.

"You guys told me to go faster!" Topper protested and followed the others out.

The air was filled with curses as the group gathered around the wooden box. Bianca was the last to exit the truck on shaky knees and also the last to notice the contents when Pope lifted the lid.

"What the hell?" Kiara breathed out, gaze widening at the three tires filled with some kind of white sand.

"Shit..." Pope trailed off, his heart sinking. "It's fake."

Bianca's lips parted at the amount of effort they went through, only to be played again. Someone must've gotten to the cross first or knew they were coming for it. Maybe it was a decoy in replacement of the real cross which was already halfway to Wilmington, she didn't know.

Bianca glanced over at JJ who was already watching her as he pulled the cap off his head. The muscle in his jaw ticked. Two letdowns in one night.

Pope got to his haunches, staring at where his cross should've been, "We stole a fucking fake."

"Of course, we did," JJ tore his stare away and began pacing behind the others. "Of course, we stole a fake."

"Pope, I'm so sorry," Sarah pursed her lips.

As if realizing his loss, Bianca took a step forward and crouched down beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder in support, "This isn't the end, Pope. We're going to find it."

JJ was next to place his hand on his best friend's other shoulder. It wasn't till the sirens in the distance grew nearer did the group let out strained sighs, knowing they couldn't stay here for long or risk getting caught.

"Y'all hear that?" Topper turned with widened eyes before backing away to his truck. "Okay, I can't be here. My grandfather's a judge."

JJ rolled his eyes but followed nevertheless, "Dawg, would you relax? They're not gonna think some dude in flip-flops is part of a robbery, okay?"

"Oh, yeah, with the crate sitting right next to my truck," Topper shot back sarcastically. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

Bianca slowly rose to her feet as Kiara came to stand beside the Heyward boy, "Pope, we gotta go."

"Are- are y'all comin'?" Topper called over his shoulder, getting into the truck.

"Pope, we gotta go," Cleo whispered harshly before reaching down to place both hands on his shoulders. "Pope! Pope, we gotta go! We gonna find it! We gonna find it later," She pulled him away from the empty crate. "We gonna find it. Come on. Come on."

"Pope, we gotta go," JJ told him with more urgency this time. "B, come on, get in the truck," He held the backseat door open for the girl who glared at him before getting inside.

The Pogues sent a lasting glance at the crate before driving off. The atmosphere turned somber after that, half of them were weighed down by disappointment while the other half tried not to break out into an argument again.

The group took one of the last few ferries back to the mainland, each step more exhausting than the last. Topper dropped each of them home, with a little convincing from Sarah and they left with half-hearted farewells.

Bianca was the last to be dropped home, considering she only lived a couple of streets down from the Thornton boy. Just as she was about to get out of the passenger seat, he stopped her.

"Hey, Bianca," Topper piped up before she could slam the door shut. "Um, if you need anything just, uh- just let me know."

"Thanks, Topper," Bianca eyed him wearily. She wasn't sure where he was going with this, "And thanks for helping us out today. You didn't have to do that."

"I know," Topper rubbed the back of his neck as he stared out the windshield. He glanced back over to the girl, "I didn't just do it for Sarah, you know?"

Bianca's hand hovered over the truck door and swallowed thickly. She didn't think her mind could handle any more revelations tonight, especially when she couldn't remember the last time she slept for more than two hours.

Topper took her silence as a sign to continue, "Look, B..." He trailed off with a sigh. "When you were with Rafe... I wasn't exactly the most stand-up guy," He ignored her sarcastic scoff. "And I know we're not really... friends anymore? I guess we haven't been on the same side for a while... but I want you to know that I'm here for you, alright?"

Bianca's eyes finally flickered over to Topper who was watching her with the utmost sincerity. She couldn't find a single tell which made her think he was lying. There was so much conviction in his tone, that she almost, almost believed him.

"I didn't see it before," Topper nodded, pursing his lips. "But you were always there for me too."

Bianca held his gaze for a moment. She wasn't sure a friendship with Topper was salvageable at this point in her life. She could barely find the energy to get out of bed let alone rebuild something that was long gone.

She also didn't want to be another tick in a box to serve someone else's guilty conscience. So with that, she pushed the truck door shut, "Goodnight, Topper."

"Night, B," Topper called after her, waiting for her to enter inside before driving off.

Bianca wasn't sure what she was expecting when she stepped in through her front door but it wasn't her mother sitting on the couch in the dark. The woman flicked the lamp on, lighting the room in a dull amber hue and causing her daughter to gasp in fright.

"Mom!" Bianca whispered harshly, clutching her heart in hopes it would slow down. "What are you doing up? It's late."

Lydia rose to her full height, still adorning a midi dress as if wearing pajamas in the privacy of her own home was a crime, "Precisely," She arched an eyebrow. "You told me you'd be home hours ago, Bianca!"

"Sorry, we- we- something came up," Bianca stuttered, unable to find an excuse.

"Something came up- right," She scoffed humourlessly, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, then explain to me why I got a call from the insurance company informing me that your car was towed, not to mention it's a complete wreck!"

Bianca felt her heart drop, "Um..." She swallowed thickly. "It was an accident?"

"Bianca, you crashed your car!?" Lydia screeched, no longer able to keep her voice down. "It hasn't even been a week since you've been back!"

"It was an accident, Mom!" She pleaded hoarsely. "I promise!"

"And why don't I believe that?!" Lydia scoffed, running a tired hand over her face. "God, this is all my mother's fault for letting you go see that boyfriend of yours. I swear, if she wasn't here-" Her head snapped up. "Hold on, is this part of your silly little treasure hunt?"

"No- what?!" Bianca's eyebrows drew together, trying to keep up with her mother's ramblings. "This has nothing to do with that! You didn't even ask me if I was okay!"

Lydia rolled her eyes, "Oh, please, Bianca. Spare me- of course, I know you're okay otherwise you wouldn't be asking me to let you go steal some kind of religious artifact off a moving train. I mean, seriously-"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Bianca cut her off. She was grateful it was dark, she didn't want her mother to see the hurt on her face, "I'll get a job and I'll- I'll pay for the repairs—"

"I don't care about the money, Bianca," Lydia shook her head dismissively. "I care about the fact that you're coming home way after midnight!"

"Oh, my bad, did you want me to carry out a planned robbery in broad daylight?" She reared her head back.

"Don't give me that, alright?" Lydia sneered and took a stride toward the girl. "I have allowed you to run amuck with these Pogues for too long. I am so good to you and you're still so ungrateful for everything I've done for you!"

"How am I ungrateful!?" Bianca gaped, her heart wrenching.

"I'm trying to keep you safe, Bianca," Lydia pinched the bridge of her nose with a heavy sigh. "I'm trying to keep you out of prison since you're so hell-bent on going down this dangerous path. You can't come back from a criminal record!"

"Oh my god, I'm not some juvenile delinquent who snorts cocaine or- or spray paints walls in some weird back alley or something!" Bianca threw her arms up in exasperation.

"Are you sure?" Lydia arched a pointed eyebrow. "Because those kids you hang around with? Do exactly that."

"Okay- Kiara did that once, and she was right about it!" Bianca protested fervently. "Rafe did murder Sheriff Peterkin!"

"You know, Kiara's parents want to send her to wilderness therapy? Anna dropped off the brochure for it by our house today," Lydia reached around to the glass coffee table and lifted the pamphlet. "It's for troubled teens. You are so lucky I'm not sending you there too!"

"Lucky? Mom, do you even know what they do to kids there?" Bianca scowled. She heard the horror stories but bringing it up wouldn't convince her mother, "So what? Now, I'm a troubled teen. I need some kind of psychiatric help, is that it? You might as well just lock me up in rehab again just like Dad did. At least then you can keep me safe from those dirty Pogues, right?!"

"Don't you see, Bianca? They're criminals, and now, they're turning you against me too," Lydia let out a noise of frustration from the back of her throat. "I'm on your side here-"

"Doesn't feel like it when you're threatening to send me to boarding school!" Bianca argued, pointing at the pamphlet still in her mother's hand.

Lydia followed her gaze before scoffing. She lifted the brochure and ripped it in half, right down the middle, "I was never going to send you there. It wasn't even an option," She threw the paper back onto the coffee table. "This is what I'm trying to say, Bianca. All I want for you is to have a normal life. Be friends with whoever you want, date who you want to date but just don't lie to me, please. All I want is for you to be safe."

Bianca stared at her mother in front of her and tried to recognize the features of herself in the woman but drew a blank. She wasn't sure what resemblance they shared but the thought that she could be anything like her mother made her gut twist.

Bianca's shoulders slumped, unable to carry them any longer. The exhaustion hit her like a freight train. She couldn't keep this up anymore. She couldn't keep pretending like she could stay standing by herself. She wasn't going to win. Not with her mother, not with the cross, and never with her father.

"I'm sorry," Bianca whispered, her eyes trained on the floor between them. She wasn't sure if she was apologizing for crashing her car or for everything else.

"Don't apologize," Lydia's glare softened. "But tomorrow, you will do as you promised and go to school. That was the condition, Bianca."

Oh fuck. She almost forgot about that, "...I know," Bianca trailed off.

"Okay, then," Lydia eyed the girl carefully, watching the fire in her simmer. "Goodnight."

Bianca waited for the woman to head back up the staircase, "Goodnight."

Only when she heard her mother's bedroom door click shut did she finally allow herself to breathe. To stop pretending.

Tears welled in Bianca's eyes, the room around her suddenly feeling like a shoebox rather than the mansion of a home she resided in. Her throat tightened in pain, the kind she knew she couldn't hold back any longer. She needed to talk to someone, to tell someone who understood. Some who had been through this. And been through it with her.

Bianca's feet were carrying her out the front door before she could stop them. She was on auto-pilot, blinded by the moonlight illuminating the street ahead of her and delirium from her lack of sleep. A small part of her knew walking the streets in the middle of the night was beyond dangerous, but she didn't care.

It seemed like the past was something Bianca Prescott could not escape. Every time, she thought the past had something to tell her. Something maybe she should listen to. Should strain to make out its whispers.

Every time, she thought there was something in it for her. Something to understand, or make sense of.

She should've known better. The past would only drag her backward and down, have her snatching at whispers of wind, and the gibberish of trees rubbing together, trying to decipher some code, trying to piece together what was broken.

She should've known better. The past was nothing but a weight. It built up inside her like a stone.

She heard the past speaking to her, felt it tugging at her back and running its fingers up her spine. Somehow she landed on Past's doorstep, her fist hesitating over the door.

She knew the best thing to do— the only thing was to run. No one dared tempt the past. And yet, against the better judgment of the last, sane part of her, she knocked.

"Bianca?"

Rafe Cameron stood at the front door of Tannyhill, his eyebrows furrowed in utter confusion. While her name felt foreign to his tongue, his mind spun with familiarity. The boy had spent the better part of over a month thinking of nothing but Her.

Actually, he was expecting someone else. Anyone else. He thought his presence in her life was no longer welcome. He thought she never wanted to see him again. But here she was. Rafe couldn't believe his luck.

Bianca let out a shaky exhale, her eyes darting everywhere except his, "You cut your hair."

Rafe blinked in surprise, "My... Oh," He trailed off. "Yeah."

"Um," Bianca crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her arrival. "It looks good."

This time, Rafe's gaze narrowed, studying her shaking frame. She seemed herself, and yet, completely hollow all at the same time. Maybe it was the darkness but her eyes lacked the burning flames that were usually there when she looked at him.

She appeared thinner, weaker, almost. Her shoulders were hunched, head no longer held high.

Rafe pursed his lips, "Why are you here?"

He had a right to be suspicious. She put him in prison once before. He wasn't going to fall for her feeble act again.

Not to mention, he just came back from melting the cross. It didn't help that some of the residual smoke from the fire had wafted inside. Rafe also knew the fake cross, the one he and Barry hid in a wooden box labeled 'CAMERON DEVELOPMENT' was stolen mere hours ago.

"I just-" Bianca squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as if it pained her to admit it. "I needed to see you."

Rafe's adam's apple bobbed, and maybe he was just weak but all his suspicions melted away, "I- uh, I've been meaning to see you too."

And it was true. But between everything with the cross and Ward on his ass, Rafe neglected the one thing he truly returned home for. The boy made a promise to Bianca before she jumped off the Coastal Venture which he intended to keep. He rather die before he let something happen to her.

Rafe cleared his throat, "Get in here, it's freezing outside," He opened the doorway so she could step forward. "Did you walk all the way here?"

Bianca hesitated for a moment, staring at the spot on the ground where stone changed to wooden tile. She wasn't sure what it was, but stepping through felt like the point of no return. If she entered, she'd be betraying the Pogues— betraying JJ by going behind their backs.

But then Rafe's hand was on the small of her back, ushering her inside, into the warmth of Tannyhill. Here, the wind no longer whipped at her skin and the numbness of her nose slowly faded away. Maybe it was colder than she realized.

Bianca's resolve melted into a puddle at her feet, "I only live a couple of streets away," He knew that.

Rafe was talking but his words went over her head, "That's not the point, B. You shouldn't be walking alone in the middle of the night. What if something happened to you?"

Bianca refrained from telling him that he once left her on the road in the middle of the night after a fight but something else caught her attention, "It smells like smoke in here," She turned around to face him. "You smell like smoke."

"Yeah, that's, uh- my bad," Rafe rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with an excuse for the remnants of soot staining him. "I didn't have a chance to change, I-"

Bianca frowned, "Since when do you smoke?"

Rafe's shoulders sagged, glad he didn't have to come up with a lie himself. Bianca was always better than him at that anyway, "Uh- got into a pack of dad's cigars- hey, don't look at me like that, alright?" He played along. "It was a one-time thing."

Bianca's eyes narrowed but she didn't question it. Maybe, if she wasn't struggling to stay on her feet, she would've remembered that Ward didn't smoke cigars, never did. He was always against smoking but instead, the girl nodded and took his word for it.

Rafe's hands were still stuffed into his pockets, "You're shivering," He stepped toward her. "Go grab something warm from upstairs."

The authority in his tone made Bianca stand a little straighter. Some part of her, the flight-or-fight instinct, refused to let him boss her around any longer, even if it was for her own good, "No thank you, I'm okay."

Rafe rolled his eyes, "I meant something from Sarah's room," He scoffed mockingly. "Besides, I don't think your little boyfriend would appreciate it anyway."

A frown etched on Bianca's lips at the way he addressed JJ. She knew she didn't need Rafe of all people's validation but the girl she used to be, the insecure, weak one that always came out when she was around him, kind of wanted it.

Rafe eyed her with nonchalance, "You know where it is," He nodded toward the staircase before walking over to the bar to pour himself a drink of Pappy Van Winkle.

Bianca turned on her heel to head up to Sarah's room. She could hear the top of the bottle being popped open, and glasses clinking together.

Bianca had barely taken a couple of steps up before black spots were dancing in her vision and she reached out to steady herself on the banister. She blinked them away before her ex-boyfriend's voice stopped her again.

"Speaking of..." Rafe poured the liquor into his glass. "Does he know you're here?"

"No," Bianca's grip tightened over the banister, desperate to find her voice. This time, she was confident when she answered, "And it's going to stay that way."

Bianca didn't wait for Rafe's response, and she didn't need to. She could already tell the boy was smirking to himself while pouring that drink.

That same, sly smirk, however, fell when another knock resounded from the front door. Rafe dropped his glass on top of the kitchen counter rather abruptly. After everything going on with Bianca, he almost forgot about his other visitor.

And so, while she trifled through Sarah's belongings upstairs, Rafe stalked toward the door. This time, he only opened it halfway.

"Hi," The short-haired brunette greeted cheerily, still adorning her all-white uniform. She headed straight here after her late-night shift, "How-"

Before she could get another word out, Rafe was inching the door closed, "Hey- now's not really a good time."

The girl reared her head back, letting out a humorless scoff, "But... you invited me here."

Rafe winced, "I know, I know-"

"I just clocked out for the night," Her eyes turned to slits. "This was your idea-"

"I know," Rafe swiftly interjected, leaning against the frame with a pleading look. "And I promise I'll make it up to you but something came up and-"

"Rafe?" Bianca's airy voice called from the living room.

Of course. Of-fucking-course, she had to show up right then of all times. Rafe almost had the urge to hit his forehead against the door. Repeatedly.

The brunette's gaze hardened, her eyebrows furrowed, "Who is that?"

Before Rafe could lie, or tell the truth, he didn't know, she shoved past him and strode into Tannyhill. The boy barely had time to process, "Sofia- Sof- wait, wait- let me explain, I—"

Sofia halted, as did Bianca, now adoring a pair of grey, fleece shorts and one of Sarah's oversized t-shirts. They held each other's gaze for a moment too long, not knowing what to say.

"Oh...I'm sorry," Bianca glanced over at Rafe. "I didn't realize..."

Rafe quickly shook his head, eyes wide, "No- it's not-" He wasn't quite sure who he was reassuring but he knew whom he wanted to stay. "Sofia was just leaving."

The girl, Sofia, whirled around to face Rafe with an accusatory glare, "Excuse me?" Her lips curled into a scowl.

"No- that's my bad," Bianca interrupted quickly, shaking her head to diffuse the tension. "I didn't know- I can go- I'll just-"

"No!" Rafe protested at the same time Sofia did.

"No, it's fine," She huffed in a tone that told Bianca it definitely wasn't fine. "Rafe's right. I was just leaving."

Bianca's eyebrows drew together as she watched Sofia back away. Her footsteps were silent as she followed the brunette onto the front porch, bypassing a very distressed-looking Rafe.

"Well, for what it's worth," Bianca piped up, holding the door open while the Cameron boy hovered behind her. "It was nice meeting you, Sofia."

The older girl seemed to soften at her words, shoulders sagging as she paused on the porch steps. A small, resigned smile etched on her lips, "It was nice meeting you too, Bianca."

Sofia's eyes flickered one last time to Rafe, expecting him to stop her, to say goodbye— something. But all he did was give her a half-wave. She scoffed, turning on her heel to head back to her car without another glance back.

author's note. hihi what did u guys think of the chapter? i didn't even plan for b to meet sofia but u guys really wanted it lol <3 anywayz more rafe next chapter ! also pls can they start filming obx4 soon im almost finished writing this book lol