"What is this worlds problem?" Bali asked out loud as she picked up trash off the beach, "You know, animals live on this beach, they don't know any better as to what to eat and not to eat."

"Yup, I hear you." Kelce hummed, though he hadn't truly been listening to her.

"What if it was the other way around and animal had to take care of us? What if we didn't know the difference between a hot bowl of noodles and gatorade bottles? We'd at least hope the animals wouldn't leave their g-" Bali began before her cousin shoved a bottle her way. The smell was extremely strong, "Jesus, are you planning on making the whole island go into a coma with that?"

"Just take a sip and stop worrying about gatorade." Kelce waved it at her, "Cmon, little cousin."

"By a year." Bali said as she took the cup, "Though you wouldn't be able to tell personality wise, you still act like you're fresh out of sixth grade."

Kelce laughed as Bali chocked on the drink and pushed it his way, "Some smack talk you've got going on."

Bali wacked his arm in return.

"Yo, you look thirsty." Kelce called out as he saw Sarah and Topper walking over. Bali rolled her eyes at the sight of Topper, who seemed perfectly fine and dandy. Sarah saw and made it a mental note to apologize for the other night as soon as possible.

"So, I have plans, can you guys do the rest of this on your own?" Bali sighed in annoyance, "As if you were doing anything in the first place."

"Plans? What plans?" Topper asked her in almost disbelief. Bali was also the tag along for Sarah. She wouldn't do anything spontaneous, rarely would she follow through with Sarah's dangerous adventures. She'd been a side kick, the side character in the movie while Sarah was the main character. Topper knew that, he also knew that Bali didn't do much aside from head to the book store or stare at the beach house down the road.

"I have plans with your mom actually, Top." Bali said as she nodded his way, "It's getting pretty serious, I'm surprised she didn't say anything."

Kelce laughed at his cousins words while Sarah tried to hold hers back, Topper stared at her in disbelief. Bali waved as she threw the bag of trash away and headed through the hot sand, that was burning the bottom of her feet.

"Hey, has JJ came in?" Bali asked as she walked into the hotel, knowing today was his work day. The clerk pointed toward the back, not bothering to make eye contact.

"Not like my mom gave you this job or anything." Bali mumbled as she headed toward the back, "JJ? Are you back here?"

Rustling came from the computer room, making Bali turn in and find JJ along with his three best friends. Her face fell and she pulled a much more serious one, "Oh, hello, everyone. Welcome to my humble home."

"Ugh, sorry." John B apologized as he looked at Pope and Kie on the computers, "Everything is still down on our side of the island and we really needed wifi."

"Oh, go ahead, I don't pay the bills." Bali waved him off with a tight lipped smile. She looked JJ's way, earning a wink, "Um, what are you guys working on?"

"School project." Pope said quickly.

"In the middle of summer?" Bali asked. Kie slapped Pope with a look of disbelief.

Kie looked over at the girl rocking on her heels, "We're looking at coordinates."

"Attempting too." Pope mumbled.

Bali looked at Kie again as she gave a forced smile, "Having trouble moving them."

"Oh, well you just have to-" Bali began, nodding toward the computer. They all looked back at her, making her stop talking and flush. Pope moved out of the way as she gave a shy smile, creeping forward, "You have to hold down the mouse and the arrow at the same time. These are weird computers."

"Could you just-" John B began, looking at the coordinates on the map and waving them her way. Bali nodded her head as he began reading them to her, "34, 57, 30, north. 75, 55, 42, west."

Bali used her pinkie to hit the enter button.

"She's a genius, a genius." JJ said in amazement.

"Boom, continental shelf right there." John B said as he leaned past Bali to point at the computer screen.

"Well, if it's off the deep end, it's not going to be much of a treasure hunt, is it?" Pope asked. Kie looked toward Bali immediately and saw her mind was racing with questions but was avoiding asking.

"Hey, Bal, didn't you have that community service thing today?" JJ spoke up, catching her attention.

"I left early, wasn't really in a Topper mood." she said before realizing he'd been trying to get her to leave, "Oh, jesus, i'll go. I'm so-"

"No, you stay." John B said as he caught the back of her shirt and pulled her back around, "We might need more coordinates."

"Okay." she mumbled and rocked on her heels with a tight lipped smile. JJ felt guilty suddenly, walking over and making it seem like he'd been looking at the screen but actually rubbing her hand with his finger tips.

The faint sound of a voice came down the hall, putting JJ in a slight panic. Bali sensed it, walking out and poking her head down the hall, "Hey, Johnny! Is that Randy with you?"

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked her in disbelief.

"Oh, hey there Bali, how are you?" Johnny called down to her.

"Good, just catching up on some summer reading. Did you know that there is a company that turns dead bodies into ocean reefs? Pretty crazy isn't it, I just read about it. I read a book a while back about reefs and it said that they-" Bali began before she was cut off.

"That's really interesting, it was great getting to talk to you." Johnny cut her off, "We've gotta get back to work."

"Completely understand." Bali nodded with a wave, "Have a good rest of the day."

Bali waiting until they walked outside to face JJ, "They won't come back down here again for quite some time."

"What was that?" Kie asked with a odd look.

"Boring people with the books i've read, works every time." Bali said back with a shrug.

"Genius." JJ said again with a grin her way.

"Shit, it's on the high side. Only nine hundred feet." John B said with enthusiasm as he looked at the computer screen.

"That's not too deep." JJ cut in.

"Is that doable or something?" Kie questioned his way.

"Yeah, totally doable." JJ hummed with a nod of his head.

"Will we be taking your personal submarine?" Pope asked him in disbelief before looking at Bali, "You have one of those too?"

"I'm afraid not, no." she said back.

"How do you know this, Mr. Dive Master?" John B asked JJ in disbelief.

"The salvage yard." he said back with a grin, "They got a drone that can drop 1,000. It has a 360 camera and everything."

"What if it's eaten?" Bali asked with a alarming look.

"Can't, it's massive." JJ said back with a snap of his fingers, "It's for, like, deep dives and stuff. It's exactly what we need."

"And can your dad get his grimy little hands on that?" John B questioned him. Bali looked at JJ once again.

"Well, my dads grimy little hands got his ass fired. I guess the salvage captain frowns on showing up shit faced, turns out." JJ shrugged. Bali used her only leverage in the situation, her shoulder brushing his in hopes he'd feel her affection without making it obvious she'd meant to do it, "But the drones there. It's in the impound yard out back."

"How much did you say was on the Royal Merchant again?" Kie asked as she looked John B's way.

Bali's eyes bulged from her head, "The Royal Merchant!"

It reminded JJ of the time she shouted hi to him for the first time.

"Oh my god, can you- keep it down?" John B asked in disbelief as he held a finger up to her, "Jesus. 400 mil."

"I think I should go." Bali spoke up again, "Before i'm a accomplice and made a suspect when you all end up dead."

"Very smart idea, take me with you." Pope said as he gave her a begging look.

"Bali, thanks, seriously." Kie said over her shoulder.

"Yeah, seriously. Anything you need, I got you. Just do me and favor and-" John B began before Bali cut him off.

"My lips are sealed." she said back, nodding his way, "I hope you find what you're looking for."

John B gave her a smile as Bali headed back in the hallway. Feet ran after her in the process of her leaving, when she rounded the corner, the figure behind her had his hands on her arms and pinned her to the wall. JJ let her see it was him before kissing her suddenly, holding the sides of her face. Bali placed her hands on his waist and pushed her lips harder onto his.

JJ pulled back, "You were so hot in there with all that coordinate stuff, and getting those weirdos out of the hallway."

Bali grinned as she pushed against him, "You think so?"

JJ leaned down to kiss her again, his hands on either side of her and pressing into the wall. Bali hummed, making him pull back, "Did you not plan on mentioning you're on a treasure hunt?"

"I was gonna." JJ defended himself as she gave a eyebrow raise, "After I got my cut."

Bali hummed and balled the front of his tee shirt up in her hands, "You'll be carful out there? With your... ocean drone? Don't fly off the boat again, or get caught in the motor."

JJ cracked a grin, "I'll be safe, captain."

Bali leaned over and peaked his lips one last time before he was sprinting back toward his friends.

•

kylie speaks

and let the adventure
begin.