( CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN )
I'LL BE A FUGITIVE FOR YOU

✧

A POLICE FEMALE stood in front of Eden Winslow who was sitting on the couch, while she was being closely observed by Fred Barrow and Yasmina who seemed to be losing her mind at what she said every time to the lady in a police costume was asking her questions about John B. Her leg bounced while her hands played with the bracelets circled on her wrist. Terry Plumb, the deputy, who was knocked down by Kiara's car door, that Shoupe send, seemed to be losing patience with the girl who wasn't telling her anything about what she expected of her. But Eden didn't care.

During the two hours she was stuck in her room, tormented by wanting to go out but no one coming to open the door, she had thought about everything that had happened since everything started. And, even when she really put everything in place, she found no time when the police believed her and took the side of the Pogues. So, she decided to keep her mouth shut when Deputy Plumb asked her to help them find John B, also thinking that a girl like her shouldn't hang out with that kind of guy. She didn't listen to her, and she was careful not to tear up the sheets on which the woman wrote nothing but nonsense since Eden has not confessed anything essential to the investigation for the moment. And she wasn't going to do it, not until they started taking her seriously.

    "All right . . ." Plumb sighed, clicking the tip of her pen against her notebook that she held in her hand wrapped in a bandage from the damage she had from the blow with the car door. She cleared her throat, scratching her chin as if to contain her impatience. "How about we start again, okay? Where did you go when you left the police station?"

Eden shrugged, pretending to think for a second. "I already told you. We got back to the car, but it was too dark to know where we were going. I guess . . . we just followed where the wind took us." She told her in a way of not giving a damn about what she was asking, a smile clinging to her lips.

Plumb turned to the two adults in the room, silently asking for their help. They didn't move an inch ( they've tried to make Eden understand three times already ) and the woman locked her eyes in those of the young girl who seemed on the verge of jumping on her with her stupid questions. "Look, Eden, I don't have all day. Shoupe sent me here because he's going to shoot your boyfriend right away if he can. Do you really want that?"

"If he shoots an unarmed person who hasn't committed any murder, I think he's the one who'll end up in prison, right?" She questioned, directing towards the adults as well as the deputy's face, discovering her gritting her teeth under the false smiling face of Eden who was trying not to flinch. She laughed, "This isn't really smart, Plumb."

The policewoman did not listen to what she had just denounced, and sat down on the sofa opposite her, now meeting her gaze very clearly, which she could discover was anxious if she paid more attention. She put her elbows on her knees, and began speaking calmly to Eden in an attempt to win over her in this little game, "I know you're a good person, Eden. I've known you since you were young. You had the used to hang out with the wrong people, and you ended up at the police station many times. Don't go back to that." She blinked a few times, and added, "Your father was a great man, so make him proud. Do you really want to protect a murderer?"

    "I unfortunately often protect the wrong people, that's correct, Plumb." Eden affirmed, seeing very clearly in what she was trying to do by broaching the subject of her father. She knew her weak point, everybody knew how Eden cared for her father. It's always something to take to see her fail. But she learned from her mistakes. "But . . . John B's probably the only person who never disappointed me or lied to me. I protect him because he didn't do anything, but even if I say this a thousand times, I have no chance of convincing you. So, I prefer to keep quiet if that's okay with you."

    "That's not. So let's get back to what we were talking about." She reminded her, taking her notebook back in her hands, while lowering her eyes and Eden could finally remove that fake smile on her lips that hurt to have there. "Do you have any idea where he might be trying to hide right now?"

    Eden narrowed her eyes, furrowing her eyebrows into a V-line. "Just like that, I've been trapped in this house for hours. So, sorry to disappoint you, Deputy, but I have no fucking idea where he could be right now. If I knew, I'd be there already, and you wouldn't waste your time on me." She spoke in an almost annoying voice since she didn't answer Plumb's question the way she wanted. "Actually, why are you here? Shouldn't you be looking for him?"

    She smiled, nodding. "I have men on the spot, don't worry, Eden. He's not out of this shit yet."

    Eden moved her leg again despite her tightly closed face so as not to show any expression that would demonstrate that she was a little relieved to know that he was far from the police who are looking for him. She went to speak when the voice in the radio on Plumb's vest began to announce, "John B was actually seen in a green SUV in the ferry parking lot, heading toward Figure Eight with three other teenagers with him. I repeat . . ."

    Eden listened attentively to what the man said on the radio, taking all the information into her memory so as not to forget any of it. But, Plumb turned off the radio, scrutinizing all the features on Eden's face which hid hope in her eyes. But the deputy could only see it if she looked closely, which she did not do and focused on her notebook as large as the palm of her hand.

    "Seems like your boyfriend will try to join you here." She hurried immediately after the radio was turned off, seeing a crooked smile forming on the lips of the girl in front of her. "There is one more question I would like settle down."

Eden ran her tongue over her lips, then raised her hands in the air. "Tell me everything, Plumb. I'm listening."

"What happened to cause you to have all these injuries?" She questioned the Winslow girl, and saw her smile fade into a single wave, which made her frown at this sudden reaction to this simple question. "Did John B do this to you? Did he cut your hand?"

    Eden scoffed badly, staring at her out of the corner of her eye, demonstrating her incrudity in the face of these words. "If I tell you what happened, will you believe me or you're gonna call me crazy?" Plumb closed her mouth, her lips in a straight line, and Eden stared at her hesitating for far too long. She rolled her eyes. "I have my answer."

She turned her head from side to side, trying to avoid her eyes that wanted to find clues in her movements. Plumb continued to play with the tip of her pen, the noise annoying the girl who still bounced her leg unintentionally. "You see that?" The woman spoke suddenly, grabbing Eden's attention towards her. She didn't answer and just raised her eyebrows. Plumb smiled in a weird way. "Your leg. It's been bouncing since I got here." She made her notice this out, pointing with her pen at the girl's knee. "What's got you so stressed, Eden?"

"Nothing. I've always been a stressed girl, even with the simplest things. It's like a bad reflex." She explained, placing her palm on her knee in hopes of making it stop. "Are we almost done?"

"Here's a new sign." The deputy replied, clapping her hands together while Eden looked at her in incomprehension of what she could have done wrong for her to see some lies in her. "You want to end this quickly. Why?"

"Maybe because I just had the craziest two days of my life, and I need some rest, you idiot." She retorted too quickly, delivering the insult in a cold manner that she wouldn't have wanted to use, but annoyance took over. Plumb looked at her in surprise. She hastened to apologize, biting her lip as she did so. "Sorry. It came out on its own. I'm sorry." She repeated.

"Yeah. I doubt you really are." She huffed under her breath, thinking not to be heard but Eden heard it anyway as did Fred and Yasmina still sitting on the couch next to where she was.

    An unsettling silence ensued, and Eden took this time to create a quick plan in her head, looking around where she was. She had to get out of here to help John B, he won't be able to get out of this on his own. He's going to do something stupid sooner or later. Eden doesn't really have many options other than . . . exit through the back door, and walk on foot, then following where the police sirens will take her. She was sincere when Plumb asked her where John B might be at the time. She still thought he was with the other three, but apparently he took the road to Figure Eight. For what? That's what she couldn't understand. So she deduced that they must have separated in the middle of the path. And now, he was alone facing at least thirty police cars scattered all over the island.

That was just what she thought, yet she wasn't sure. So, while Plumb reread her things marked in her notebook, Eden took the opportunity to take a second to close her eyes. Where could John B have gone? He must have been thinking of a place that no one knew ( not even his best friends ), a place that everyone thought they would abandon and would never take the time to look. But, Eden couldn't help but think that he should have gone to a specific place that she would know. She told him she wouldn't leave him again so she had to find him. Help him get out of there. But where had he gone to hide? And that, that was only if the police hadn't found him yet.

Whatever. She first had to get out of the house without getting caught, and stop by Caden's house to see if he was there and ask for his help. Eden would have liked Noah to be at home right now, but apparently, he would have been sleeping away since the moment Eden revealed everything her mother did to her in Yasmina's office. He wasn't there to help her, so she had to fend for herself, but it shouldn't be that complicated. Plumb seemed very lost in her readings, and the adults no longer really followed the conversation between the woman and Eden.

"Okay, I have an offer for you." She announced, placing her notebook on the living room table, and put her elbows on her knees, then closed her hands together. Eden returned to her face, opening her brown eyes and she discovered a face completely tired of persisting with a sixteen year old teenager. "You tell us where he's going, and I'll let you talk to him before they put him in jail. Is that a good deal for you?"

    Eden giggled. "What kind of shitty deal is this, Plumb? Are you serious?"

    She nodded with a small smile on her lips, then she added, "You could tell him by yourself that it was you who told us where he was. Isn't that cool?"

    Eden blinked as she moved on to her next line. Plumb was about to leave, she felt it since she had just offered her this shitty offer, that she no longer had any idea how to gain information from Eden. But the problem was that the girl needed Terry to stay while she ran away. She serve as a distraction in Eden's plan. If she leaves, it'll just be the Winslow girl with Fred and Yasmina, and believe it, she wouldn't have a chance of getting away if she's being watched even when she goes to the bathroom. She needed Plumb in her plan.

    And in less than thirty seconds, while the woman was busy playing with the pages of her notebook, Eden was preparing to start crying. It wasn't complicated, she just had to think about the saddest thing in the world : losing a pet. She put this sad image in her head, and quickly, tears came to her eyes. Hearing sniffles, Plumb looked up at her. She was shocked to see her in this state while she was acting tough a few minutes ago.

"If I tell you where he is, could you not inform him that I helped you?" Eden began, trying to play her role as a sad girl who feels betrayed as best as possible. She wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek, and seeing that the deputy hesitated about what was happening, she hastened to add another layer. "It's just . . . I'm so tired of all this. I just wanted to find a great guy, but it turns out the boy I like is wanted for murder. I'm just so tired of it, you understand? Drugs really make me say stupid things sometimes, I'm sorry. I just don't know what to say right by now."

Her eyes widened, taking in what Eden had just insinuated and admitted. "Your daughter is on drugs as we speak? Did you know that?" Plumb questioned, staring at Yasmina who didn't respond.

    Fred then spoke, moving his head from Eden to Terry, "We only found out today from a good friend. But, she seems fine. Are you okay, Eden?"

    "Yes, I am." She told him, nodding, and stood up calmly. She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and lowered her irises to those of the woman in front of her. "I'll go get a picture of the place, and a map to show you where it is, okay? I'll be back in a minute."

    Plumb pursed her lips together, and said, "Of course. Thank you, Eden."

    She didn't suspect anything, Eden thought and when she turned her back on them, a small smile appeared on her face for her little victory. At the foot of the stairs, she wiped the tears that were slowly trickling down her cheeks, and she ran up the stairs, jumping from one step to the next in long strides. They shouldn't have heard her hurrying, but she couldn't help but be in a hurry to leave this house as quickly as possible. The three adults in the living room paid no attention to how her behavior had changed, thinking it was due to the so-called drug she takes regularly ( according to Ward Cameron ), and waited patiently as she had finally accepted to help them.

    Entering her room, she hurried to pick up the backpack still on the floor. Eden took the time to half-close her door for fear of being caught, and then she quickly put on her shoes and a cap so as not to be seen. She took off the hoodie that Kiara had lent her, and pulled one of her black ones over her head. She pulled the hood over her head, hiding her hair as well. She was ready, she just had to go through the back door and she would finally be able to run to John B. She didn't know how that was going to help him anymore, but apparently, staying here trying to convince them that he didn't do anything, didn't help at all.

    Eden opened her bedroom door again, letting the cool air from the hallway blow into her face. She stepped outside ready to leave when she heard a noise from Bella behind her. She frowned, and turned around to her dog who was looking up at her. She could almost tell Bella was crying. She blinked, pinching her lip. She didn't have much time left before they went upstairs to see what was taking her so long. But, she had no idea how this story was going to end, so she decided to take a few seconds for her beloved dog.

    She crouched down, placed her hand on her furry head, and Bella finally moved her head towards her, a small smile forming. Eden smiled back, showing her teeth. "I'll come back for you, all right? I'll come back, I promise." She whispered, then leaned down to place a kiss on the nose of her dog who responded by licking her cheek. She grimaced, giggling silently. "I love you, Bells." She stood up against her will, sniffling as she stared at her sadly. "Don't do too much stupid stuff."

    And that was the last thing she said to her before finally leaving. Going down the stairs very calmly and silently so as not to be intercepted and taken back to the living room. Eden went behind the wall that divided the living room and the hallway, putting her cap back on her head. She wrapped her hand around the handle, and opened it just a little, enough for her to fit through it with her stomach in, and then she was finally out of the house with a slight wind hitting her face. She batted her eyelashes, looked around for her bike, but she didn't remember until then that it was at the Chateau. She cursed under her breath, the door still open and she saw only one solution : Noah's bike too high for her.

She shook her head, and made a quick run towards Noah's bike leaning against the wall of the house. She scrutinized it, seeing its height, but she didn't think too much about it and jumped on it suddenly. She almost fell, but she hurried to start pedaling, finally gaining some balance.

By the time she left the house, Deputy Plumb, Yasmina and Fred were still waiting in the living room when they saw that she still hadn't arrived after five long minutes. So, Fred decided to go look by himself in Eden's room, discovering that her bag was missing as well as a hoodie lying on the floor. He frowned, hurried down the stairs and discovered the back door still open. He warned the two women who rushed to see, but there was nothing.

Eden had already left to find John B among the police cars.

__________________

It was a complete mess outside. Police cars on every street in Figure Eight as well as a few in the Cut district. People from all tribes in front of houses, trying to find John B and win a nice sum of money. Eden had learned of this when she discovered a poster hanging on a tree, and she decided to drive faster in hopes of finding him before someone tried to kill him for the money. But it was hard for her to find it since it was impossible in this environment in which she was pedaling. People were in a hurry and didn't pay any attention to where they were walking. She couldn't even count the number of people who had pushed her since she left home.

She must have been walking around the Outer Banks for a few hours, eyes wide open so as not to miss John B if he passed right under her nose and she didn't even see him. Now, only the police lights gave light to the streets since the sun had gone to set and the moon was taking its place in the sky. It was good news that it was dark as John B ran around all corners of Figure Eight, looking for a place to hide for the night. But that didn't help Eden who did everything to find him.

When she left the house, she first went to see if Caden was still at the house where she had been put before being forced onto the plane. He wasn't there, and she had no way of texting Josie ( Caden's girlfriend and Eden's friend ) to find out where he really lived since her phone was still in Rose's house. Eden therefore assumed the idea of ​​wanting Caden's help, and turned to the idea of ​​finding John B before the police did.

She still had no idea where he could be at this time, she no longer knew where to put her head with all the police sirens ringing in her ears every second. No one had recognized her yet, and she hadn't seen Plumb on the spot since she left, so she must surely be looking for her where she wasn't. Always with her hood on her head and her cap placed well so that no one looked too closely at her face, she was like a stranger that no one recognized. Even Drea Alfieri who was surrounded by Kooks that Eden knew more or less did not even recognize her. Not that she had tried to talk to her or approach her, but when she turned towards the direction where Eden was being potioned, nothing in her eyes lit up with realization.

    Eden had recognized a few faces since she'd been outside, all looking for John B. Drea was there with Josie, but they didn't really care about what was going on, she was just walking alongside the other people near of them, including Drea's brother and . . . Eden's brother. Noah Winslow was also there, his phone in hand, probably trying to find his sister's rental. But the Winslow girl wasn't one of those people who leaves her location open to everyone. She just never opened it. She hated knowing that people could know where she was with every move she made. And it had its advantages of not leaving it open since no one can find it, neither her nor her phone.

    Eden was still pedaling her bike when she arrived where a herd of police were all surrounded around a house. All the police officers positioned in front of it had a pistol in their hand, ready to shoot at any moment. She frowned, staying aloof from what was happening. She couldn't see much, but she could see Shoupe and his teammate coming out of the house, shouting something she couldn't quite understand, but he didn't look very happy. Eden therefore deduced that he had not yet found John B. That was good news, it meant he was close to where she was now. She looked around, scanning everyone who passed by her, but none of them were John B.

    She huffed in frustration, and started looking around again. She didn't come across John B, but Rafe Cameron and Kelce circling all the cars around them. She stood frozen, maybe thirty seconds, staring at him doing everything to find John B even though he was the person who committed this murder. She bit her lip, and forced herself to look the other way, looking for someone to ask what was going on while she got to this house.

She walked up to a girl, pulled her hood down so as not to look too suspicious or weird, and asked, "Hi. Sorry, but what happened here?"

The girl shrugged, then pointed towards the residence. "He was in this house, but he apparently managed to escape. They say he's heading to Shem Creek. They'll get him soon, that's for sure."

Eden nodded and sent her a kind smile, thanking her. "All right, thank you."

Of course!, she thought, finally realizing where he could be. A place that no one knows except her and him, obviously. She felt stupid for a moment, but that soon passed before she began pedaling towards a forest for the second time. It wasn't too far from where she was, she could get there before the police if she was discreet enough. So she put her hood back on her head, and walked quickly but calmly towards the forest where John B must surely have taken the same path to head towards the church.

She passed between the trees, and a few minutes later, she saw not far from her the church where she and John B had been a few days ago. She decided to abandon Noah's bike near a tree, and to continue walking so as not to be noticed any more. Eden passed through the grass, walking a little faster, despairing at the idea that John B was there, and that she could finally have him in her arms.

Arriving at the foot of the church, she stopped for a moment, looking where the bell was placed, seeing no silhouette between the wooden planks. She hoped so hard for him to be there, then she entered the back door of the old, rotten wooden building. She swallowed hard, afraid of knowing how it was going to end when she open this trapdoor. Eden took the time to remove her hood from her head, and slowly walked towards the ladder that led to the bell tower. She took a deep breath, then slowly climbed the ladder.

"Please be there." She muttered to herself, ready to push open the wooden trapdoor, her eyes half-closed in fear of finding no one.

But he was there. With half-squinted eyes, Eden saw him with a large candle jar in his hand, ready to attack the wrong person who could have entered here before Eden did and arrest John B for good. She let a sigh of relief escape from between her lips, a small smile settling on her lips as he let his fake weapon fall to the ground.

    Eden entered the bell tower square completely, and ran towards John B who had not yet said a complete sentence, only stuttered since her sudden appearance. She put her arms around his neck, and he hugged her waist with his shaking arms. "I thought I would never find you." She grumbled into his neck, eyes closing to enjoy the feeling of his body finally pressing against hers.

    "You weren't coming back. We didn't know what to do, I'm sorry." He explained in a breathless breath, feeling her body beating super fast against his. He freed himself from her embrace, put a lock of her hair behind her ear and examined her. "Are you okay?"

    She nodded, responding simply as she couldn't believe he was finally in front of her after hours of trying to find him. "Are you?"

    "Mh-mh." He made a noise, assuring her that he was fine without speaking. "Why didn't you come back? Did Caden do something to you?"

    "No, um, he wasn't there. And Fred decided to lock me in my room. Then the police came to question me. And I—I managed to leave. " She told him, taking her cap off her head and letting it fall to the ground. She looked up at him, breathing short. "I couldn't convince them, John B. I couldn't do it. I'm sorry."

    "Hey, it's okay." He told her by cupping her face between his two hands, and he locked his gaze with her eyes filled with vulnerability. "Look at me. It's okay, all right? We'll get through this."

    She moved her head, agreeing what he was saying even though she was very unsure if they could get away from all this shit. She ran her hand through her hair, finding that her hand was shaking. "Everyone is outside, they're all looking for you. It won't be long before they—"

Her sentence was cut off when the two teenagers heard noises coming from down the ladder. John B placed Eden behind him, his arm placed in front of her body. The girl put her hand on the muscle of the Routledge boy's arm, and waited with stress for what would happen next. Against all expectations, Noah Winslow stuck his head through the trapdoor, shocking Eden who stood there with her mouth ajar. John B ran his hand through his hair, frowning as he didn't quite understand what Eden's brother was doing here.

She was the first to speak, taking a step towards her brother with an angry look. "What are you doing here, Noah? Did you follow me?" He said nothing to his sister, and entered completely, letting the trap door slam behind him. He looked around with his eyes wide open as if he was angry with someone. "Noah." She snapped him from his mind which seemed totally lost. "Get out of here. Now."

"You think I'm going to leave you with him? Eden, go home." Noah declared, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw his fists clench as if he was ready to attack. Just as she was about to say something, he added in a rough voice, "Not very smart to join a fugitive in the middle of the night, sis. You've really lost control."

Eden scoffed, daring the voice. "Oh, I've lost control? What about your little best friend?"

While John B kept a protective hand on Eden's waist, fearing that things would get too bad between the siblings, Noah noticed but didn't pay too much attention. He was more concerned with what his sister had just said. "What about who? Rafe?" He questioned, disturbed by the words she insinuated without explaining anything. "Who cares about Rafe You're hanging out with a murderer, do you realize that?"

    "And do you realize it's John B?" Eden exclaimed, looking for his eyes, but he only focused on the boy behind her. "You've known him since we were five, Noah. You know damn well he would never do something like that."

    "Eden, everything has already been said. The whole island is looking for him." Noah informed her of something she already knew about. He ran his hand through his hair, which was completely messy compared to usual. "How can you be so sure he didn't do it? He probably went crazy after his father died, just like you did." He said, making her blink at what he had just spat in her face. She took a step back, and Noah noticed his mistake. "Look, I just want to protect you, okay? Come with me. Let him deal with this shit by himself."

    Eden refused instantly, shaking her head from side to side. "I'm not going anywhere with you, Noah."

    And in a few seconds, she saw her brother's face turn into something she had not been facing. Jaw clenched and eyes dark, he was ready to start a battle just to bring Eden home. He growled, and grabbed her arm forcefully, which made her gasp out in surprise.

    John B got his hand away from her, and pushed him against the wooden wall, getting him away from Eden who stared at her wrist where her injured hand was. "You don't touch her, man." He hissed through his teeth, his eyes dark at how Noah had just acted with Eden.

    Noah retaliated by landing a good punch in the boy's face, which made him step back against the strength he was using. Eden took a step back watching the fight, surprised at how her brother acted against someone innocent. But what shocked her even more was that Noah had known John B since childhood, he considered him a brother before. And now he was sure he was a police murderer.

    "You won't drag her into your problems, John B. I can assure you." He let him know, sighing under his breath before he gave him another punch in the ribs.

    The Routledge boy let out a grunt of pain, and pushed Noah back towards the wall, punching him in the nose as well. In all the movements, the boys caught on the rope attached to the sound of the bell which rang all the times they touched it. Eden's eyes widened, not knowing what to do.

    "John B." She alerted, looking outside where the police sirens were starting to get closer and closer. She swore, and turned to John B who didn't listen to anything she said. "John B!" She screamed now, catching the attention of the two who stared at her in surprise, each staring at different places on her face, but it was nothing serious. She took a deep breath, and pointed to the wooden window, "They're here."

John B left Noah to go take a look out the window, noticing police cars coming around every corner. "Shit. We gotta go, Eden." He informed her, grabbing her hand in his.

"You're not going anywhere." Noah stood in front of the two teenagers, blocking the way so that neither of them could leave. He ran his finger under his nose where a little blood was flowing from the blow John B had given him. He pointed his irises at his sister's, and swallowed. "Why do you want to protect him so much?"

"Because he didn't do anything. He's innocent." She spoke up, her voice shaking as she tried to be convincing.

"So . . . So who did it? Huh? Who did it if it wasn't him, Eden?" He asked with the little patience he had left with this whole scene before him.

Eden took a moment to calm herself mentally, biting her lip, feeling bad. Noah was close to Rafe, he was probably one of his best friends, she knew it was going to be a shock, but she had to try. "Rafe."

"Why do you keep bringing Rafe into this, what did he do to make you hate him so much?" Noah said, changing the subject, but Eden continued to explain without paying attention to what he was asking.

"I was there, Noah. It happened on the tarmac, okay? Sheriff Peterkin was trying to arrest Mr. Cameron, and Rafe shot her." Eden explained, her gaze lost in that of her brother who seemed to begin to calm down, his features softening. She sniffled, her head moving ever so slightly. "Why would I lie about murder?"

Noah couldn't help but not want to believe it, the truth pushing its way through his thoughts. "No. Don't lie to me, Eden."

"I'm not lying to you, Noah!" She shouted, taking a step towards him, seeing him completely confused. "I'm your sister, I wouldn't lie to you about something like that. And deep down, you know John B would never do that."

    "You've been hiding so much from me all your life, Eden. How do you expect me to believe you?" He grumbled, eyes closing and opening as if to control something he couldn't let out. "Why didn't you ever tell me anything about mom?"

Eden raised her eyes to the ceiling, preventing herself from looking at him because what his eyes showed was sadness but also disappointment. He was disappointed that she never told him what their mother did to her, and he blamed himself. Eden finally understood why he had come here. He wanted to protect her for all the times he failed to do so with Yasmina.

"Because I was ashamed. And I'm sorry, maybe I should have told you, but that's not the problem right now." Eden told him, returning to his face and she saw him bite his lip, running his hand over his forehead. "I get it, Noah. You want to protect me, but . . . I have to protect someone, too."

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there all the times you needed me, Eden." He confessed, scratching the back of his head.

Eden shook her head, causing a light, weak smile to appear on her pink lips. "It's okay. You're here now. But we really have to—"

"Eden, the church is burning." John B noticed, the scent soon heading into all their nostrils, making them all realize what was happening. "We have to leave."

"How can I help you?" Noah said, surprising Eden and the boy, the latter having hit John B a few seconds ago and now he wanted to help them. "I mean it. How can I help you?"

    They looked at each other for a moment, doubting a little. But Eden finally looked at the clothes Noah was wearing, and those of John B afterwards. They were very different, and the Routledge boy would have less chance of getting noticed. This was perhaps their only chance to save some time in their pursuit.

    "Change your T-shirt. Quickly before we burn up here." Eden ordered, moving out of the middle so they were facing each other. She felt Noah hesitate for a second, which made Eden frown, but he finally agreed.

    The two exchanged clothes, and John B now had a new clean T-shirt on him, and Noah was in those of a boy wanted by the police. "Thank you, Noah." John B whispered, showing a tiny smile on his pressed together lips.

    The Winslow boy didn't answer, then he turned to his sister at the back of the place. He came closer to her, wrapping his arms around her in a warm, protective hug. "Be careful out there, sis." He whispered in her ear. "I don't know what you're going to do, but come back, okay?"

She assured him, nodding, and moved away from him to approach John B who was holding the trap door wide open, Eden's backpack hanging firmly on his shoulder. She was the first to go up the ladder, discovering the church completely on fire. She hurried away when she saw the damage, and when she reached the bottom, she warned John B to start going down. Noah was next, and contrary to them, he headed towards the main entrance which shocked Eden.

"I'm gonna cause a diversion." He told her, and she looked at him silently as if to ask if he was sure. "Go ahead. And be discreet."

John B thanked him again, then passed his hand through Eden's to wake her up from her freeze. She started walking again, and followed John B out the back door to where she had arrived a few minutes ago. They left in silence, hearing multiple people talking, as well as Shoupe shouting at a boy to get on his knees, probably Noah since he was wearing John B's clothes. She had a moment of worry for her brother, but when they were finally ready to run, the two teenagers away from their childhood church which was burning.

Eden took a second to stare at the old building catching fire before her eyes, and it was as if a part of her was gone all at once, the smoke carrying her memories away from her. She didn't take any more time, and also moved far away, looking in the darkness for an idea of ​​where to hide. Everything was going up in smoke, but at least Eden was with John B again. He was finally with her. And she counted herself lucky for that.

authors note: And... This is the end of the episode nine, let's get into the last one!! I really hoped this chapter was good, I know it was kinda rushed at the end, and we've not really gotten much John B & Eden's moment, but this is coming in the next chapters!!

Did anyone had the idea that Noah was the one that was going to go in the church?? Ummm, I don't think so hihii. I really hoped you could understand what Noah wanted to do by protecting his sister <3 I love Noah even with his flaws, he's just a lost bae 🥲

And there's something in the next chapter that I think you guys are gonna love me for... Just saying 🫣

Don't be a ghost reader, please guys. Seeing your comments are telling me if this is still good, or just some of your theories!!

Love you all and take care of yourself until next time . . . See you soon <3