"There it is, Angel Oak." Kie looked out the window of the twinkie, sitting across from Rio as she let her put bobby pins in her hair.

"Oh, shit. Tides coming in." John B spoke up as he looked at the water puddle down the dirt road.

"Wait a second, look." Pope pointed to the tire tracks, "They already came through here. Those have to be Limbrey's tire tracks. Guys, we gotta go."

"What do you think, chief?" JJ looked toward John B.

"I'm thinking it's looking a little dicey." the curly haired boy said back, "Rio? You gonna pay for the twinkie if this goes south?

"Mhm." she looked over from Popes side. "And look good doing it."

"Okay, clearly, they made it. No?" Kie suggested.

"In a two-wheel drive? I don't know about that." JJ shook his head, looking out the window.

"Why are y'all acting like you're not gonna do it anyways?" Sarah spoke up from the back, trying to hold back her smile, "Like, when have y'all ever done the safe thing?"

"She's got a point." John B nodded as him and JJ looked to each other.

"Speed is your friend here, okay?" JJ nodded, turning back in his seat.

Rios heat flew around, hitting Popes as they both yelled out in pain and rolled over.

"Cmon, bro, punch it. Speed is your friend." JJ encouraged. "You're throwing my people around back there."

"It's gonna slide." Kie spoke up, holding onto the side of the van with one arm. Rio held onto Pope tightly. his other hand attached to JJ's seat.

"Not to put any more pressure on you, but if you don't make it through, we'll be stuck here forever." Pope leaned up toward the pair in the front, pulling Rio with him.

The twinkie made it through the mud puddle, gliding easily on the dirt road again. The group sighed in relief, cheering slightly. Rio whooped. "To live another day!"

"All right, so word to the wise, definitely know that gators nest back here, so keep your eyes peeled, okay?" JJ spoke up, holding his hand out to help Rio out before doing the same to Pope.

"You don't want to be Pat Womack. She had her calf chewed off by a gator, right? You know that, right?" JJ continued on.

"That's actually not true." Kie commented back.

"Pat Womack was injured in a car accident, but I hear you." Sarah shrugged, pushing branches out of the way as they walked in a line after Pope.

"Okay, just living ignorance. But like, she had her calf chewed off by a mama gator. I know that for a fact." JJ hummed, turning to look back at them.

"I'd rather get my calf chewed off then my hand." Rio said honestly as she reached back for Popes hand, taking JJ's too as they were carful on a sloppy part of the path.

"Why?" Pope looked oddly.

"Because what if he gets my right hand? I can't finction without my right hand." she held her hand up oddly. "But, I do have very nice legs, it'd be a shame to see it get chewed off."

"I think you could still pull it off." JJ said honestly.

"You're right." she nodded her head.

"Wait, I see something." JJ spoke up as he hurried toward the water, grabbing a stick and hitting the water.

"Right. Wake them up. That's smart." Sarah nodded her head.

"I was just making sure it wasn't a gator. That's all, all right?" the blonde boy held his hands up in surrender.

the sound of moving trucks and excavators were heard, making them all hurry over and duck behind one of the bushes.

"I don't see shit!" Rafe called as the group all looked from behind a bush. Rafe, Limbrey, Renfield, and construction workers digging up dirt at the foot of the tree, "You sure this is the right spot?"

"That's Rafe?" Rio frowned her eyebrows, hadn't seen him before. "I pictured him to kinda be poor looking."

"You should see the company he keeps." Sarah rolled her eyes.

"It's there. The garment will be in the cross, and the cross will be at the foot of the tree." Limbrey announced. By the look of Rafes face, she's said this enough times to annoy the shit out of him.

The crunch that echoed through the air had Limbrey yelling, Reinfield and Rafe standing close by as the construction workers jumped down into the hole, "They got the cross? What do we do? What do we do?"

Rio and Pope both rubbed his shoulders.

"What can we do?" John B asked him with wide eyes.

"We're going back! It's not over!" Limbrey called as she got to her feet, clutching her crutches. It didn't take long to load up again, the trio leaving the open casket laying there as they drove off.

Pope began walking forward as soon as they walked off. JJ followed, "Pope. Pope, wait. Wait! Shit."

"Pope." Rio gapped, running after him quickly.

Pope stared down at the casket, rotten bones on the inside as he took deep breaths, "Cecilia Tanny, Denmark's wife. He wasn't talking about the cross. He buried her at the foot of the angel."

"The true treasure." Kie frowned.

Pope gave a small cry. Rio frowned, leaning down and hugging him. JJ did the same from his other side, his arms going around the both of them, "Denmark was hung for burying his wife, and now they defiled her grave."

Pope reached down, pulling a small pin from inside of the grave. Sarah did the same, a small ring in her palm as she smiled, "This must have been from Denmark. Her wedding ring."

"We can't leave her like this." Pope frowned as he looked at his friends.

"We won't." John B promised. Him and JJ grabbed the casket lid, laying it back over and shutting it tightly. Sarah placed a few flowers she found on top as John B hammered the nails back in.

Rio wrapped her arm around Popes waist and JJ did the same after standing up. "She'd be thankful for you Pope."

"Rios right." the blonde agreed. "At least, we are, anyways."

"JJ's right." Rio agreed

"I just don't get it. I mean, you guys saw the map. He hides his gold so no one finds it for 170 years." Pope ranted on as the group stayed near the tree, "And then he sends a message to his son, Robert, to come here to his mother's grave, but the message never gets to him. Denmark wanted him to find the cross. I know we're in the right spot. It just feels like-"

"Like we missed something?" JJ's voice caught their attention, heads turning to see he'd been looking up at the tree, "Come here."

"Be carful." Rio sighed as she looked up at him. Kie held Rios shoulder as she crawled up with him.

"JJ, don't do anything crazy." Pope sighed.

"Hang on, hang on." he waved him off, "That looks like-"

"The painting in the island room." Kie added in as she looked at the hole in the tree.

"It's worth a shot, right?" JJ spoke up with a shrug, "Go for it."

"No chance." Kie gave a stupid look.

"You do it!" Sarah scoffed from the ground.

"Sorry, I went in the storm drain." Kie said back.

"She did go in the storm drain." Pope sided with Kie.

"Yeah. No, i'm gonna do it. It's just..." JJ trialed off as he pulled his sleeve up some.

"Come on, babe." Rio encouraged him. "You got this."

"He's scared." Kie whispered.

"I'm not scared, dude." JJ scoffed in disbelief with them.

"You seem scared." Kie laughed.

JJ slowly reached his hand into the tree, getting closer before letting out a shout. Rio and Pope panicked, heading for the twinkie immediately. Kie yanking on his body while John B tried to climb the twinkie. JJ began to laugh, relaxing as everyone gave looks of disbelief.

"Real original." Pope scoffed.

"The Boy Who Cried Wolf is gonna come back and bite you in the ass soon." Rio shook her head in disbelief.

"Wait, there's seriously something in here." JJ shook his head, digging deeper before retracting his arm with a golden and maroon trinket.

"Let me see it." Pope reached up. Rio took JJ's hand to help him down, grasping his waist to steady him, "HMS Royal Merchant."

"Give it to the captain. Here we go. It's a spyglass." JJ yanked it open, peering through the peephole.

"There's something on the end." Kie nodded, their eyes moving toward the little writing.

"An inscription right there. Look at that shit." John B looked down at it. " 'You've come this far. Do not falter. The cross is on the Freedman's altar.' It rhymes!"

"The cross is at the church!" Pope announced as his face lit up.

"What are we doing here, guys?" JJ called out with wide eyes.

"Come on!" Pope encouraged as they got back into the van.

"Someone should really write a book about us." Rio jumped into the twinkie. "Or write a movie. I nominate Simone Ashley to play me."

"Michael Jordan." Pope pointed out.

"Let's go back in time, abducts DiCaprio, and let young him play me." JJ hummed with a nod. "Yeah?"

"Yeah!" Rio cheered. "Pope, Michael Jordan isn't a actor."

"But, I love Michael Jordan." he gave a pout.

"Aw, how can you saw no to that face?" JJ pinched his face and looked at Rio. "Don't crush his dreams."

"If we can go back in time, we can also make MJ a actor too." Rio smiled at the boys, a genuine smile, one that looked differently then before.

•

kylie speaks

HER LITTLE MOMENT
OF REALIZATION