Chpt. 5


John B walked into the house explaining to us about how his dad always kept his office locked because he was worried that people were gonna steal his Royal Merchant research.

We all followed behind him, just listening to what he was saying. He grabbed a key and we followed him to his dads office. He unlocked it and opened the door.

"Ive slept over her like 600 times and ive never seen this door opened." Pope stated. "Mm" Kie agreed.

We all looked around at stuff Big John had hidden away in his office. John B grabbed something of the wall.

"Here, look. This is the original owner, right here" He told us pointing at a photo on the bulletin board.

"Okay. Robert Q. Routledge, 1880-1920, there's the lucky compass right there" I said reading the note.

"Actually, um...he was shot after he bought it." John B admitted. Kie and I exchanged looks. The rooster crowing from outside.

"Then the compass was shipped back to Henry. He was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass. After he died, the compass was given to Stephen. He had the compass with him when he died in Vietnam." John B explained.

"Let me guess, he died in action, right?" JJ asked since in the photo the guy was wearing a military uniform.

"Uh, a-actually he was killed by a banana truck in country" John B replied awkwardly.  I put my hand over my mouth trying not to let out a laugh.

"Anyways, after that, Stephen passed the compass down to him, my dad" John B continued.

"Yeah, you have a death compass" Pope stated. "I do not" John B denied. "You have a death compass" Pope repated rolling his eyes. "Get rid of it" JJ stated.

"Its cursed and it made its way back to you" Pope explained. Kie and I stood there in scilence watching John B pace.

"Look my dad used to talk about this compartment in here." John B told us sitting at his dad's desk.

He unscrewed the back of the compass as I walked over behind him. "What's that?" I asked as he turned the little compartment over. It had the word Redfield on it.

"That wasn't there before" John B replied. He looked up at me with a smile and then around to our friends. "This is my dad's hand writing."

"How can you know that?" Pope asked. "Cuz he does these weird Rs with the-- See it?" John B explained holding it up to show Pope.

JJ walked over next to me and peeked ober my shoulder. "Can I see it?" He asked his friend. John B held it out for JJ and I to get a better look.

"Red--Rout-- No I think that's an A." JJ tried sounding the word out. "It sayd Redfield" I said helping the boy out. He looked at me like he knew the whole time. "Right"

"Okay, well, what's Redfield?" Kie asked. "Besides the most common name in the county?" Pope stated.

"Maybe its a clue" John B remarked. "Maybe its a clue to where he's hiding"

"Okay..." JJ drew out. "A clue? Come on, thats-" Pope started before Kie stopped him by shaking her head.

"But if is a clue, maybe its an anagram?" Pope asked.

"Yes. Perfect. Anagram. You need paper" John B said very quickly as he searched for a piece of paper. He found one and handed to Pope as the rooster crowed several times.

"How can you concentrate with that thing crowing at you all the time?" Pope asked as JJ peered over his shoulder seeing what he was doing on the paper.

"Jada loves the rooster" John B replied. "I love the rooster" Kie said.

I ignored them and stood around Pope and JJ. "Let me think"  Pope stated.

"Seriously, think" I told him. He looked up at me with a glare and then back down at the paper. He said some nerdy words that I definitely don't know what they mean.

"Guys" John B said seriously. We all looked at him and he was staring out the window. "Somebody's here"

We all walked over and saw a black truck in the driveway. Two mean got out and walked towards the house.

"Guys, is that them?" Kie asked. JJ and I looked at each other. Kie clearly noticed us because she asked the same question again. "Is that them?" She asked in a sort of panic.

JJ turned around and put his hands on his head. "John B, I told you. Why does it always--" JJ started but got cut off by John B pulling his shoulder making him turn around to face him.

"JJ! Hey, look at me." John B told him. "Where's the gun?"

"Gun? I, uh, I cant--" JJ said having a hard time focusing.

"Now you don't have the gun, the one time we need the gun?" Kie whined.

"J, where was it last?" I asked the bleach blonde headed boy.

He looked at me for a second. "It was in my backpack, and then--it's on the porch"  He said quickly and ran to open the door.

Kie looked back at me. "You led them here?" She asked. I shrugged my shoulders and let out a sigh.

"John Routledge!" A man yelled from outside. JJ immediately ran back into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Where's the gun?" John B asked.  "They're on the front porch, guys." He replied. My heart started racing inside my chest as the men kept yelling.

"We gotta leave!" Kie said as we heard crashes and thuds. 

Pope turned around, "Guys. Window!" 

JJ and Pope tried prying the window open and John B kept his weight on the door so it was harder to open from the other side.

"Why is it taking so long?" I asked walking to Pope and JJ. JJ turned and was really close to my face. "Its painted shut, okay?" He stated.

Kie opened a drawer in big John's desk and found a knife. "Ok, guys. I got it." Kie said walking to us. We all stood back while Kie sliced the paint.

"Come on, Kiara" JJ said panicky. "I'm going as fast as I can" Kie stated.

"Shh. Be quiet." Pope whispered at the door as Pope and John B were guarding it. One of the men started rattling the door knob. "You better not be in there!" He yelled.

The man started kicking at the door. John B and Pope ran from the door so they didn't get kicked.

Next thing we know the man shoots at the door knob as we get the window open.

JJ jumped out of the window and reached his hand out. "J, come on." I grabbed his hand and he helped me out. "Chicken coop, go!" He told me as John B, Pope, and Kie jumped out. We all ran to the chicken coop and crawled in.

We were all sitting in the coop watching the two men bring out boxes from big John's office and the rooster was going crazy.

"Pope, do something, shut him up" JJ told him. "What do you want me to do?" Pope asked back.

"Pet it, or talk to it. I don't know" Kie whispered.

"You do something" Pope said to JJ.

JJ started kind of chasing it and grabbed it and pinned it to the ground. He thruster it on the ground so hard that it's neck accidentally broke. Kie put her hand over her mouth to cover her cries.

I gasped quietly and a tear rolled down my face as JJ looked up at me. I noticed John B grab on to Kie's hand as she let out quiet sobs. I closed my eyes and tears fell out of my eyes.

JJ looked down at the rooster in his hand and set it on the ground as we all watched the two men leave.

We waited a few minutes after the truck left just to be safe. Then we all crawled out of the coop.

"Can we bury him?" I asked with my voice cracking. John B nodded his head and grabbed the rooster from the coop.

We buried him and sat down by the fire pit. After a few minutes I got up and walked inside to sit on the couch. The place was trashed.  JJ walked in and sat down next to me. "I'm sorry, J" he said grabbing my hand.

I looked up at him with my tear stained face. "Its okay, I don't blame you. It was the only way". He nodded and leaned in and hugged me and I hugged him back. As we released from the hug, he put his hand on my jaw and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. We looked into each other's eyes for a minute.

"Um...Let's go" I said breaking the eye contact. "Uh...ya" JJ agreed.

I stood up and held my hand out. JJ grabbed my hand and I pulled him up. Then he followed me back outside to our friends. When we got outside, John B told us to get in the Twinkie.

"Uh-okay?" I said confused as we walked to the van.

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Like always, John B was blabbering on about the compass to Pope who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"I mean it's obvious right? A family heirloom. What a better place to hide a message? He had to know it was gonna get back to me right?" John B asked.

We all hesitated to say anything. "Ya, it's possible"  Kie finally said from next to me. "It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels." Pope stated.

I rolled my eyes slightly knowing that his comment wasn't helping the situation.

"Bro, you know how I process my sad feels. Dank nuns and the sickest of sickies, tgata how I do it" JJ commented. Kie glared at him.

I looked out the window. It was kind of awkward between JJ and I after what happened earlier.

"I'm not concocting, okay?" John B said after everyone ignored JJ. "My dad's trying to give me a message."

"If it helps you believe, John B" I said looking up to him in the driver's seat. "Look- I don't need a therapy session, okay?" John B said looking back at me. "Look, I'm not trippin out."

"Its okay to help, bro, but-" JJ started but John B cut him off like always. "Look, my--my dad is missing, okay? Missing. You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning wondering."

JJ and I exchanged sort of sad looks. "Its been almost a year." Kie stated.

"Hey, he could've been kidnapped. That's definitely a possibility." JJ said stupidly,  "Yeah, he could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere" Pope said going along with it. I rolled my eyes when JJ believed Pope. "Absolutely . Uh...or Atlantis" the blonde boy stated.

"JJ." Kie said trying to shut him up. "Look, what do you think the message is?" I asked confused.

"Redfield. Redfield lighthouse. That's my dad's favorite place." John B said as we passed the entrance sign to the lighthouse.

We all jumped out of the twinkle and stared up at the tall lighthouse. John B came over to  Pope, JJ, and I. "Right, you're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?" He told us.

"Wait... why me?" JJ asked. "Was gonna ask the same thing?" I asked confused. I looked at John B.

"Because you're not coming." Said Pope. "Why?" JJ asked. "There are independent and dependant variables. You both are independent, we don't know what you'll do" Pope stated,

"I would like to go" I said to John B. "He said you're not going, princess" Pope said to me, which made me mad. I glared at Pope. "What did you call me?" I asked rasing my voice. I always end up bickering with someone no matter where we go.

"I called you, Prin-cess." Pope stated. "Shut up!" JJ yelled to Pope. JJ knows I hate when calls me princess.

"Just listen to me for a second. Pope, you stand guard with them, okay?" John B said.

"Are you sure you want that? We might actually end getting physical" I stated. I saw Kie roll her eyes behind John B.

"If we get split up, we meet back at JJ's house." John B said ignoring me, "Great." Kie stated as the two of them walked to jump the fence.

JJ and I exchanged looks as Pope went and sat under a tree. "I'm gonna work on my merit scholarship essay, and I'm trying to keep felonies to a mininum" Pope told us.

"All right, would you just shut up already?" I asked as I walked to the twinkie and sat down. It was really weird, my stomache was hurting again, but I started thinking about how good a tomato dipped in peanut butter sounded. And I don't even like Tomatoes.

JJ came and sat next to me, "What's up, brownie?" He said. "I hate it when you call me that" I said rolling my eyes.

"I know. You hate every nickname" JJ stated. I let out a laugh, "that's true"

JJ laughed out too. I started to feel like I was gonna puke again. Put my arm on my stomache. JJ looked at me. "You okay?" He asked. "I don't feel good again" I told him.

"That's weird, you should lay back and try to take a nap. You might feel better" JJ requested. I nodded my head. JJ smiled at me and left the van closing the door so I could rest.

I loved the way JJ treated me. No one's has ever treated me like he does. Not even Rafe. I'm so glad that I have JJ in my life. He takes good care of me.

I layed down across the floor of the twinkie and ended up falling asleep. I dreamt of what it would be like if I was pregnant. It was like I couldn't wake myself up to stop the dream.






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