"They're a bunch of fancy people. They've had three governors in the family." Kie spoke as they drove to Limbreys the next morning, riding in the fixed truck, "They've run Charleston for, like, three hundred years."

"These Kooks make our Kooks look like Pogues." JJ spoke as he looked down at Bali under his arm, "You're still fancy though."

"No, this place is massive." Bali said as she looked at the Limbrey mansion, "Imagine how big it feels when you're inside."

JJ gave a snort, "That's what she said."

Bali slapped his arm as she looked up at the mansion, glancing toward Pope, "This is it?"

"Pretty sure." Pope nodded with a inhaled

"All right." JJ announced, getting out as Bali climbed out behind him, "Fat city, for sure."

Bali held her hand out, letting him take it as Kie and Pope joined them infront of the gate.

"Twenty-Seven Kings Street." Pope spoke as he stared.

"Talk about home security." JJ nodded toward the spikes at the top of the fence, "Those spikes to keep people out?"

Kie gave a sigh, "No."

Bali gave a worried look toward JJ as he took his hat off, putting it backwards on her head before grasping her hand again.

"The slave quarters are over there." Pope said as he looked deeper into the fence, "Those spikes were keeping people in."

"You think they'd take them down by now, human decency." Bali said as she rocked on her heels uncomfortably.

The gate opened for them as the four slipped in, walking up to the large doors. They were neatly cleaned and had gold handles. Pope gave a weary expression before raising his fist and knocking a few times. The door swung open as a man with dark eyed and a horrible scruff stared at them. His eyes scanned them before staring at Pope, "You must be Pope."

"Are you Mr.Limbrey?" Pope questioned nervous like.

"Mrs.Limbrey was expecting you yesterday." he spoke bitterly. Bali rocked awkwardly as she bit the inside of her mouth, JJ squeezing her hand when he noticed.

"Oh... I'm- I'm sorry. My car broke down on the way here." Pope stuttered over his words.

"Carburetor blew up in the middle of Nowherevillie." JJ saved Pope quickly with a nod.

"You can call Mr.Stanley Shallinken if you want, he fixes us up." Bali said as he stared at her, making Bali clear her throat with a tight lipped smile, "Or not, up to you, completely cool if you don't wanna."

"Yeah, she was real upset when you didn't show." He ignored Bali and looked back at Pope with a raise of his brows.

"We tried to call but there was no number on the invitation." Kie spoke with a nod of her head, "We got here as fast as we could."

"She also expected you to come alone." the man, yet again, ignored everyone but Pope.

"I mean, these are my friends. They helped find the Royal Merchant too. I-" Pope began to explain.

"The instructions were explicit. Your friends can stay outside." he rolled his eyes with his answer.

"We're kinda package deal, man." JJ nodded his head respectively.

"JJ. It's okay. I got this." Pope nodded his way as he swallowed, "I'll be good."

"We'll be right here." Kie reassured him.

"Well, i'll be back in no time." Bali said, "That book store down the road is kinda calling me. Want anything?"

"Pick randomly for me." Pope gave a nod as Bali smiled back, "Keep the car running."

As Pope walked in, the trio headed back to the car.

"Don't let anyone jump you." JJ spoke as Bali grabbed her wallet from the glove box, "If they do, knock em right here. Remember when I taught you?"

"Yes, JJ." Bali gave a grin, grabbing a  few of Conners missing posters, "I'll be back. I've gotta grab Devil All The Time and get Pope one of my favorites."

"Which is gonna be what? One Of Us Is Lying? Little Woman? They Both Die In The End? Red, White, And Royal Blue?" JJ listed on some of Bali's favorite books, a raise of his brows.

"You can remember that but you can't remember to recycle?" Kie asked in disbelief.

"He has to now that he lives with me." Bali said as she nodded toward Kie, "And I've got him using our fridge instead of bottles of water."

"About time, thank you." Kie huffed.

"Probably One Of Us Is Lying. He kinda reminds me of Bronwyn." Bali nodded as she looked back at the house, "I don't like the feel of this place."

"Yeah, me neither." JJ agreed, "Be on the look out if we show up to grab you."

"Will do." Bali said, leaning over to peak him on the lips. Kie made a gag from the front seat, "Y'all want anything?"

"All good." JJ called as he watched her walk off down the streets of Charleston, leaning out the window, "Love you."

"Love you." Bali called back over her shoulder.

JJ fell back in the seat, "I need your help."

Kie looked over with a state of disbelief, "No."

"I don't know where to take Bal on a date." JJ gave a crazy look, "I mean, she's definitely been everywhere and I don't wanna bring her to some beat down alley to eat tacos."

"You guys have never been on a date?" Kie asked in disbelief, "You've been together for a year and a half."

"Not a public one, just private ones no one has been around." JJ shrugged his shoulders as he turned to look at her, "I just don't wanna take her somewhere and it not feel like a actual date."

"Have you even gone on a date before?" Kie questioned as JJ shook his head. Kie sighed, "Why do I have to do everything for you? Just bring her to the wreck, pretend to pay and i'll just put it on my tab."

"Okay, yes, that can work." JJ snapped his finger, "What should we do after that?"

Kie gave a shrug, "Take her to the movies?"

"What, in Kook waters?" he asked in disbelief.

"I don't know, what does she like?" Kie threw her hands up.

"Reading, writing, the stars, when I take her out on the boat." he listed on, "We've already done all that though."

"Then just try and think of something new. Shes not gonna care." Kie shook her head, "She's super into you, she told me so."

"What? Does she talk about me?" JJ grinned.

"Enough." Kie waved him off, her eyes setting on Pope walking out of the house with Limbrey and Redfield, a pleading look thrown over his shoulder.

"Welcome to Buxton Books." the lady at the front called as Bali walked into the book store. She had short black hair and looks to be in her late thirties, "Anything you need help with?"

"I'm okay, thanks." Bali gave her a smile, looking over the books. She inhaled, letting the smell of books over take her nose. Bali's finger tips ran over a few books, looking for the exact two she was looking for. The book store was oddly large, indicating she surely would find it in no time. Bali hummed as she looked over the books. The lady at the desk looked over, taking notice of the sage and white sundress she wore with a pair of sandals. She couldn't help but think the backwards hat on her head clashed with her outfit.

Bali found The Devil All The Time in no time, flipping it open.

"I love that one." the lady spoke up, no one else in the store and desperate for conversation, "Did you see the movie?"

"It was phenomenal. I'm a big fan of Tom Holland's acting." Bali said as she put it under her arm, "Is the book just as good?"

"Better." the woman smiled.

"The books usually are. I hate when the movies are completely different then the books, it ruins everything." Bali spoke honestly, scanning the shelves for One Of Us Is Lying. In any other situation, she'd feel awkward and say something weird or out of place. But over the last few months, she'd been thankful enough to grow more confident in herself to manage to control what she said most of the time. Not to mention she'd felt comfortable in her element.

"I agree." the woman nodded as Bali grabbed the final book and walked toward the check out, "This is all?"

Bali looked at the half price book on the small desk near the front. She found one.

"Looking For JJ." Bali read the title, "Have you read it?"

"I haven't. But Anne Cassidy is an amazing author." the woman spoke as Bali looked at the book, "Have you read any of her books?"

"I haven't . My boyfriends name is JJ though." Bali gave a small smile, adding the book into the two. The woman began scanning the three as Bali remembers, digging in her wallet and taking out the folded missing poster, "Um, you haven't seen this boy, have you?"

The woman looked up as Bali showed her the missing poster, Conners poster.

"He looks familiar." she said back with a odd look, "I'm not positive though. How long has he been gone?"

"Early august." Bali nodded, "No one knows anything, we haven't had any leads."

"I'm not sure if it was him but a boy that looked similar came through late September. He said he was heading home and the ferry stopped through here." the woman said back as she stared at the poster a second, "He was headed back to ... what was it?"

"Duke University?" Bali asked suddenly.

The woman blinked, "Yes, exactly."

"Did he say anything? Anything you can remember?" Bali asked quickly with a nod.

"He didn't say anything at all, and he wore a hood. That's why i'm not too sure if he was him." she said back with a nod, "But he was in a rush and paid with a hundred, didn't let me give him any change."

"What was he getting?" Bali asked, the woman gave a shake of her head as a I don't know, "You can't remember?"

"I'm not sure." she said honestly, "But I know he got it from the left corner under the M's."

Bali hurried over, leaving her books. She looked over the many books, the many authors with M names. They all had twist and thrillers, nothing that Bali would be able to suspect he got.

"The Moonlight child." the woman gasped, "That's what he got! Three of them."

"Moonlight child, moonlight child." Bali spoke as she scanned over the books, grabbing hold of it when she spotted it, "He grabbed three, you say?"

"He did." she nodded.

Bali grabbed the first book, looking through the book quickly.

"What are you looking for?" The woman called back to her.

Bali ignored her, looking at the second copy as she held one under her arm. The second was just the story as well. Bali grabbed the third, flipping it open quickly. She blinked at the writing on the inside, the familiar hand writing from the many love letters she'd get in seventh grade.

North of the Academy, right at the stop, down the flower path.

-Conner

"Did you find anything?" the woman called. Bali noticed the second page, the dedication page, missing, torn.

"Nothing." Bali said back, brining the book over as she placed the first two copies back on the shelf, "These four is all."

The woman scanned her final book as a loud honk came down the road. Bali frowned her eyebrows, looking out the large window and seeing Hayward's truck speeding down the road, JJ laying on the horn while Kie hung out the window and was waving Bali over.

"Thank you so much, keep the change." Bali said quickly, grabbing the three books and throwing a hundred on the desk, just as Conner did.

•

kylie speaks

conner, homie, you
leaving clues behind?

but the causal love you🥰