EDEN once again found herself trying to get her dad on her side.

Ever since getting back on the island, the Bexley hasn't really been there with her father. There were the brief mornings where they would eat breakfast together—but those were usually silent.  She hasn't given him anything in return to what she's all asked of him in the time she;s been back home.

She's sorry, but she can't stop. 

Currently, the Bexley paces around her kitchen, a hand running through her hair in a matter of stress. After watching John B. get taken away by Shoupe, Eden had requested to JJ that she be taken home to try and see if she can beg her father to convince the sheriff to lay off the warrant for a mere day.

John B. needed to get down to South America. And everyone listened to a Bexley. 

The Maybank had done so, telling her that he would go back to the Chateau instead—more than likely to come up with another half-baked plan to get John B. out. Eden can only hope it's nothing like appendicitis. 

So, Eden entered her house alone and found her father to bombard him with the entirety of John B.'s situation—minus a few details. 

"Dad you have to try and help him." Eden starts to plead after explaining the whole ordeal. She didn't mention why exactly the Routledge needed out of the warrant, but she hoped her father would understand. "I know he messed up and the warrant is necessary and whatever but he wasn't himself. He was upset and it just happened—Topper pressing charges is just insane!"

Tom stands leaning against the island, watching his daughter with a solemn expression. "It's not insane, Eden, it's how the law works. I understand that John B. is a good kid and that he was provoked to an extent, but he kept hitting Topper after he was down. I saw it happen. Everyone did." 

Eden's frustration deepens as her father speaks, and she stops pacing to face him directly. She knows she looks stupid, whining like this. And she knows her father is right—the Thornton's pressing charges isn't completely out of line considering what Topper's face looked like afterwards—but she can't let John B. go down like this. Not when they're so close to finding his father.

"Topper was asking for it. I mean, he stole his girlfriend. Imagine if Ward just took mom like that—" Eden closes her mouth when she realizes how bad the comparison was, given that's truly what happened between her parents—Ward and his problems got in the way and stole Isla. "John B. was honestly in the right for clocking Topper like that. And I know he did do wrong but, Dad, he can't go to jail right now. And you're the only person Shoupe might listen to about this." 

"Eden, Sheriff Shoupe is doing his job. He's following out a rightfully filed out warrant from the Thornton family." Tom sighs, putting two fingers on the bridge of his nose as he sighs. He's not sure how much longer he can say yes to all of Eden's asks. He's let her do things, he's opening his home to one of her friends—one who has little nice things said about him, may he add—and she hasn't given him much to work with in return. She's gone to therapy, but she's still running away. She hasn't gone back to school. 

"Okay, but you can talk to Shoupe. Maybe make him lay off the warrant for a day? Or a few?" Eden knows this isn't how the law works in the slightest, and certainly not when it comes to Kooks and Shoupe.

"Eden, I can't just talk to Shoupe—"

"Yes, you can!" Eden exclaims, "Everyone listens to you, Dad. You're a Bexley." 

Tom straightens slightly, watching his daughter with a careful gaze. "I think we can both agree that I've been rather lenient with you, yes?" His words hang in the air for a moment, and Eden manages a stiff nod. "I mean Anna and Mike have kept Kiara on lock down. But I've tried to understand and I've let you adjust in your own ways. I've let you run around with your friends. I let you go to Wilmington. I haven't forced you into school yet. I could be doing all these things, but I haven't." 

Eden knows her father has been good to her—she knows he could be like Mike and Anna, keeping her locked down and away from the Pogues. He has no reason to be doing all of this, yet he is. And she's totally abusing it. 

"You're a good person, Eden. You always want to help, and that's a good thing. I'm glad that you're trying to help John B. right now." Tom continues, trying to soften his tone. "But I mean it when I say this is out of my hands."

"Dad..."

"Angel, you're trying to convince the wrong person. I didn't make the warrant; Shoupe didn't either. The only person who can retract the warrant is Topper or someone in the Thornton family." the Bexley man finishes firmly. "I'm sorry."

Eden's face tightened with a fresh wave of frustration as her father continued. It was like talking to a brick wall. She could feel herself straining to stay patient; she knew her dad was straining to do the same with her. Still, she couldn't stop. She couldn't let John B. get dragged into the system—not when Big John could be dead. She couldn't watch him lose his dad again.

"We just need a day. One day." the Bexley makes a final attempt at pleading with her father for him to try and do something—for fucks sake, he had Shoupe on speed dial. He could try. "He needs to stay out of the warrant for one day so we can finish off the gold hunt—"

"How much longer until this turns you into your mother?"

Tom didn't mean for it to come out, or as harsh as it did. He just can't lose another person to the gold—certainly not his daughter. The one person left in his family. His lips immediately thin and he stares at her, hoping she says something.

Eden squeezes her eyes shut at the comparison. This was the second time this week she's been compared to Isla. She can take it from Big John but hearing the words fall from her dad's lips can't help but sting just a bit more.

She was better than Isla. She was trying to be better.

The doorbell rings before any other words can be said. 

The Bexley turns around and walks for the door before her dad can even bother apologizing—does he needs too? Truly, he wasn't wrong. Eden was acting like her mother, trying to get her way. Digging herself further into the gold. 

Eden opens the door, letting out a breath. Her eyes catch hold of three of her friends—Kiara, Pope, and Cleo. Quickly does the girl step outside on her front step, closing the door behind her to offer privacy to whatever conversation they were here to have. 

She rocks on her heels. "Hey."

"Hey, girl." Cleo draws, scanning over the Bexley's face. She can see the frown lines. "This a good time?"

Pope nods. "We only need a second."

Eden furrows her brows, "What's up?" 

"Do you still have that picture you took at Singh's? The one of the painting?" 

"Uh, yeah." Eden hands reaches for her back pocket, grabbing the phone she'd stolen from Singh's guard. She truly wasn't sure where her real phone was—it wasn't on the top of her mind to get a new one—so she had kept the guard's phone just in case. "Why?"

Pope snatches the phone. "Thanks."

Kiara frowns, "That was rude." 

"Could have at least answered my question." Eden agrees as the Heyward opens the device, fingers moving quickly to find the image of the painting. "Why do you need the picture?"

"For something Cleo found, actually." Pope states, the curly haired girl beside him smiling brightly at the recognition. His eyes don't leave the phone as his hand grabs something from his pocket, handing it over to the Bexley. "Here it is. It's a letter Denmark Tanny wrote to his daughter." 

Eden takes the letter and briefly scans over the calligraphy filled paper, browned with much age. 

"We found it last night." Cleo proudly gleams. "Family heirlooms and thingums."

"We think we found a connection to the idol." Pope concludes, before flipping the phone around to show off the picture of the painting. His free hands pulls out another paper and Eden looks it's full of different ancient glyph's. "Look, check this out. See the king sun glyph here?"  the Bexley looks at the glyph Pope's finger hovers over and nods. "It matches the one in the painting at Singh's house."

"I mean, Singh was into all kinds of ancient shit. His house was full of it." Eden replies. She believes that Pope and Cleo figured something out, but they didn't have time to be half-sure about something.

"These are different. These glyphs are Kalinago, which has never been deciphered." 

Cleo adds, "Never ever."

Eden slowly nods. These weren't just common glyphs. 

"Some people believe the captain of the San Jose actually found somebody who knew how to translate these glyphs because he found El Dorado." 

"What John B and Big John were talking about." the Bexley recalls the story the Routledge's had told the Pogues when they returned from their father-son adventure. "The priest that talked to Denmark Tanny on the Merchant." 

"Exactly." Pope firmly confirms. His fingers click the phone and the letter simultaneously  "Every glyph that is in this letter is in the artifact. This isn't just some random Rosetta stone for Kalinago—" 

Even if the picture is far from being realistic and isn't the best quality, Eden can still recognize the glyphs hidden within. She looks up at the Heyward with slightly widened eyes at the realization they've been waiting for. 

"It's a translation key." Eden connects the dots, feeling a little bit happier than she had moments before. "It's a key for the idol."

Cleo takes hold of the glyph paper. "And we can use this to save Big John."

"God, why did John B. have to be taken in." Eden groans, head dropping back as she looked into the sky like it held the answers. They finally had something that could help Big John and he's not here for it. Perfect. 

Kiara's brows furrow, "What do you mean 'taken in'?"

"Topper pressed charges for what happened last night. Shoupe found me and the boys out in town and took John B. in with a warrant." Eden explains the current situation, watching as Cleo and Kiara's faces fell whilst Pope's grew frustrated. "I tried to talk to my dad to see if he could get him out of it all, but the only people who can drop the warrant is the Thornton's."

Kiara huffs, "And that's not happening...."

"Can anyone in this group stay out of trouble for five minutes?" Pope looks rather annoyed, stuffing the letters back into his pocket. He hands Eden back the phone. "We don't have time to waste with Big John's life on the line."

"Text JJ. Tell him to meet us at the Chateau." the Bexley decides that the best they can do is wait at the Chateau and hope for the best. "Maybe he'll turn up."

Later in the night, Sarah texted Kiara to tell her that John B. was on his way home. 

The group had already been conversing at the house, lightly chatting to ignore the bigger problems they had looming. JJ had shown up at his own text from Kie, and had been caught up on the idol translation. 

Eden found it odd that Sarah was the one to tell them that the Routledge was coming home. Had she done something? With what courage, the Bexley isn't sure. Did John B. let her? She saw how hurt her best friend was and doubted he'd let Sarah back into his heart as easily as he had when they broke-up after Ward's death.

Though, Sarah and John B. had always been different from any kind of love Eden's ever seen. They always found a way back to each other, wrong as it was. 

Night had fallen and the sky was a dark navy. The water lightly swayed in the small breeze that had settled in the air over the course of the last few hours. The fairy lights strung around the tree twinkled against the dark night, presenting a lighthearted atmosphere.

Kiara, Cleo, and Pope were all standing near John B.'s grave, aimlessly chatting—Kiara was probably spilling about her parents. Eden's sure they're more than upset with how their anniversary turned out last night.

Meanwhile, Eden has retreated to sitting with JJ in the hammock, the two teens silently passing a joint between one another—it was habit at this point. 

"Hey." A voice cuts through the quiet chatter and the five teens look back to see Sarah Cameron jogging towards them."Thanks for waiting."

"Of course we waited." Eden couldn't help herself—she had to make a comment. Staring daggers at the blonde, she retorts, "Some of us know a thing or two about loyalty." 

Kiara's smile falters—Eden's sure she would have gotten an elbow to the side if the girl was next to her. Pope clears his throat. Cleo looks down at her shoes, noticing the tension. JJ tries to hide his smile at the Bexley's unwavering stare; he knew it well, and he knew no one wanted to be looked at with it. 

 "Um..." Sarah looks uncomfortable. She clears her throat and shakes off Eden's stare, looking back. "Look who decided to come home."

Eden loses her sour expression and earns a smile as she looks at the house. Right as Sarah speaks, John B. steps through the back door and comes into view. Hands in his pockets, the Routledge sheepishly walks down the stairs, heart swelling at his friends all waiting for him. Waiting. 

Kiara chuckles, "Hey." 

Cleo proudly smiles. "Welcome back."

"Whoa." Pope does a once over on his friend. "Good to see you, man."

JJ steps forward, shaking his head in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me."

Eden doesn't know how he's back to them, but she's glad. "You're a fuckin' cockroach, dude."

The brunette boy joins the group. Pope, Cleo, and Kiara stay a few inches away from Sarah. Eden moves closer but to the Routledge, not the Cameron. JJ doesn't walk towards them at all and strays by the hammock.

Sarah looks them all over. Will they ever take her back?

"I have something I want to share with you guys." Sarah admits, face stoic. "I can get us down to the Orinoco."

Shit. 

"The Orin—" JJ sputters, "Wait.."

Pope's eyes are saucers. "Are you serious?"

Sarah can't hide her smile. "Yeah."

Eden, JJ, and John B. can't find a way together but somehow Sarah Cameron can solve all their problems with one sentence. The Bexley purses her lips, "With what plane?"

Sarah doesn't make eye contact with her. "My dad's gonna let us use his plane."

There it was. A catch to a otherwise perfect plan.

JJ's brows furrow. "Ward?"

"Your dad?" Pope confirms, also unsure.

Sarah nods. "Yep."

"Ah." 

Eden bites her lip, fingers moving to mess around with her bracelets. Her mother was almost connected to Ward at the hip; they were always doing something together. If Ward was flying them out she couldn't help but fear that Isla would be with him. Waiting to see her. 

The Bexley's sure she'll have a panic attack on the spot. Some kind of trauma response. She can't afford that. 

"We lay low tonight, then wheels up first thing in the morning." the Cameron reveals the deal she'd made with her father earlier. Her doe eyes finally stray over to the Bexley and she adds. "I made him promise that he would keep Isla away, Eden. She won't be there." 

Eden let's out breath she didn't know she was holding. Sarah made him. He had to listen to his daughter, right? A little bit of anger over Sarah disappears at the thought of the Cameron still thinking of her, even after what she had said.

"Okay, that's a lot to process." Pope lets out, surprised with the news. He thought they'd be scraping their way to the Orinoco, hands and knees. "Your dad actually helping us."

Sarah nods, "I talked to him. He'll do it."

Cleo looks at the group, who had experience with Ward unlike her. She had only heard stories on Poguelandia—bad ones. "So we're trusting Ward now?"

Kiara looks at the Cameron, giving her a reassuring nod. "Trust Sarah." 

Eden isn't sure that's the best reply, given Sarah's most recent betrayal—JJ raises a brow, too, just as unsure of Kiara's words—but all is forgiven when it comes to treasure, it seemed, when it came to the Pogues. Everyone ended up a team again when it came down to it.

"Alright!" Cleo cheered.

Pope is onboard. "Well great, that's all I needed to hear."

Kiara runs a hand through her curls, "Okay." 

"But, wait, I also just have one more thing to say. Um..." Sarah quickly interrupts the handshake between Cleo, Pope, and Kiara. Her words come out slightly stiff, but the Cameron knows she owes them something. She knows they know. "Since we've gotten back from the island, I've done some things that I've regret." She looks back at John B. "A lot." 

For a moment, the two just stare at one another. Longing. 

Kiara awkwardly clears her throat. 

"Yeah, uh...." John B. trails off, deciding to give his own input. Sarah had fucked up, but he had lied to them all. They were un-rightfully forgiving to him and he hadn't really apologized to anyone other than Eden. "I feel....I feel like we've all done a thing or two that we regret."

For once, the group stays silent, all recounting on the things they've done. 

"And I don't...." Sarah starts again, struggling to find the right words to fit her mind. She missed her friends. She misses how easy it was on the island. "Poguelandia, guys. It's all I've been able to think about. We were all together on that island and it was a good thing, and I don't want to ruin a good thing. And I—I just want to know, are we still all in? Are we still all together? Because I am."

Eden misses how easy it used to be with the Pogues. She really does. All she wants is for her best friends to be back together, really together. Ever since they got off Poguelandia, it feels like they haven't been like that—Cleo and Pope were off doing things together, Kiara was being held down by her parents, Sarah was struggling, John B. was being taken away by his father, JJ was trying to help. 

They started the gold mission together. It was right they ended it that way, too.

The Bexley scuffs her foot against the grass, looking up at Sarah. She isn't apologetic, exactly. She'll never be sorry for how she reacted to finding out the Cameron cheated. But, there's a hint of the forgiveness she's willing to give in her eyes as she locks gazes with the blonde.

Sarah made mistakes—she wasn't the perfect Kook princess everyone expected. But she always tried to fix them. It's what separated her from Rafe, who ignored them, or her father, who dug himself deeper into them. The Cameron always did the right thing and fixed them.

Eden can admire that.

She steps her Converse against the grass and pads over to where Sarah stands, wrapping her arms around the slightly taller girl. She wasn't going to forget, but she supposes she can offer out an olive branch and forgive. 

 The Cameron weakly smiles, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. She wraps her arms around Eden a little tighter. "I'm sorry."

"I'd say me too, but God, you deserved that." 

Sarah manages a chuckle. "I know you aren't."

Kiara sharply exhales, because if Eden can get over something, the rest of them certainly can. She comes forward and joins the hug, the Bexley smiling as she feels the Carrera's figure join her and Sarah's. She missed her girls.

"We pon road!" Cleo exclaims, grinning from ear to ear. 

Sarah pulls away from Eden and Kiara with a giggle and immediately clutches the newer Pogue in an embrace. "I love you."

"I still can't believe you got that plane." Pope remarks, like a child in awe. 

"I know!"

"That's actually insane."

The Heyward and Cameron embrace, and before long the five  all stand together in a line, arms thrown over each other's shoulders and around waists. Eden stands on Sarah's end, leaning into the blonde's side.

"Let's go get Big John, alright?" JJ joins his friends before looking off to where John B. stands to the side. The rest of the group does the same.  "What do you say there, shit bird?"

The Routledge stays quiet, contemplating. There's a soft smile creeping onto his face at the sight of all his friends together. His family. 

Pope announces, "I think this deserves a woogity."

"A big woogity." Eden muses, before tilting her head to the side with an unimpressed expression towards John B. "Dude, if you don't come over here right now, your bracelet privileges are forever revoked."

Kiara cringes, "Now that's a threat."

"You in?" JJ asks, as if it's truly a pondering question. 

John B. acts as if he's truly deciding as a smile creeps up his face, the Pogues all rolling their eyes and groaning at his actions. 

Cleo ushers him over, "Come over here, funny man!"

"We don't bite." Kie remarks.

John B. finally joins the embrace, fitting in-between Eden and JJ. Arms rest on shoulders and sides lean into sides. Eden is squished right into her brother, but she feels more secure than ever. Safer than ever. Right here, with her family. She never wants this feeling to go away.

For a moment they all just sway under the fairy lights. 

Pope exclaims, "Now we woogity!"

"Oh, we're really doing this, aren't we?" John B. isn't sure what he's gotten himself into, but he knows it'll be okay if he has them. It always is.

"It's too late to back out." Eden shrugs teasingly. "If not, I would have by now."

"Nah," JJ drawls, giving her a knowing look, though there's a lopsided smirk on this lips. "You could never leave us, Ed'."

"I wish." 

The Pogues had fucked her life over in every way, it seemed, but Eden knew she'd never leave. No matter what, they were all in this together. Always. 

At the declaration of a new mission, the Pogues decided it was fitting to throw a Pogue Style party. 

Bottles of beer were being passed around. Joints were in-between fingers.  The light sound of a ukulele bounced easily in between the aimless chatter of the group of friends. 'When the Lights Are Low' softly plays in the background of their conversations. Everything was peaceful, okay. The peace before the storm, Eden's sure.

The Bexley sits at the small island, joint easily rested in between her two fingers. Cleo and Pope sit with her and play with dominoes, Cleo questioning everything about the situation. Kiara sits on the couch, tuning and lightly strumming her ukulele, curls falling in front of her face as she leaned forward to look at the strings. John B. had disappeared to his room without a drink—the Bexley took it as a sign that he needed a minute. Sarah had left the main room with two beers for his room, and Eden really decided to give them a minute. 

"So what kind of plane is it?" Cleo asks, setting dominoes down on the table in front of her.

"Well, it's Ward's." Pope replies, picturing the private jet they were about to fly in. It was something rich. "So I'm guessing it's something lit."

"That's what I'm talkin' about. Flyin' private, baby!" Cleo smiles brightly. She'd never had nice things in her life—she'd never flown in a plane, either. She turns to Eden, setting her chin down in her palm excitedly. "Tell me, rich girl. What's it like?"

Eden didn't expect the question and straightened up, blowing out the weed she'd inhaled. With a teasing smirk, she asks, "Is that profiling?"

JJ brushes past the table, setting down a fresh beer in front of the Bexley—she didn't ask, but she isn't complaining. "Don't act like you fly commercial." 

The Bexley rolls her eyes at the Maybank before returning to Cleo, "Doubt Ward will supply us, but you get seats that go back sometimes. Full ass meals depending on where you're going. Free WiFi." She shrugs. "That's my first class experience."

"I can get by the free stuff." Cleo states, still smiling.

Eden likes seeing Cleo so laid back and unguarded; awestruck like a child. She knows that she's the toughest in the room, and the Bexley is more than glad to see her fitting into the Pogues so easily. 

"You think we can trust this Ward thing?" the Maybank asks, starting up his own conversation with the Bexley. Ward has given them no reason to trust him over than Sarah's word, which meant little to the blonde after what she'd done to his brother.

"Mm, probably not." Eden shrugs, honest. She's sure there's something up Ward's sleeve, maybe up her mother's as much as it sickened her. "But it's the best chance we have at saving Big John, and I can't afford to see John B. look like a kicked puppy again, so..."

She felt sick at the thought of her mother being there, but for John B. she'd risk it. 

"You know we won't let your mom near you, if she's there." JJ's voice loses it's light playfulness, instead shifting to more serious so she could see his point. As much as he knows she's trying to keep it together, the Maybank can see the fear of seeing Isla again slipping through the cracks in her facade.

"I know." Eden stiffly nods, trying not to think about what could happen tomorrow. She has her friends to back her up, and that's all that matters. 

"Oh and Ed'?" the Maybank returns. 

Eden leans back to look up at the blonde. "Yes, J?" 

"Uh, I'm sorry for the whole money-clip situation." JJ gruffly apologizes, almost embarrassed to be doing so. "You were right. It wasn't smart. And I didn't mean to go off on you."

Eden offers him a light tipped smile. She appreciated the apology for how he snapped, but it wasn't her father's money he'd stolen. "I appreciate the apology, J, but you know I'm not the one you should be apologizing too." 

"Yeah," the Maybank admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "Guess I just thought it'd be easier starting with you."

Eden nods, but urges him towards the curly haired girl sitting on the couch. She's high, eyes more half lidded than usual. She's more likely to accept his apology now of all times, and Kie always had a soft spot for JJ. "Go talk to her."

The Maybank lets out a sigh but listens

He sets down his beer next to hers and trudges over to speak with Kie. Eden grabs the bottle the blonde got her and twists the cap open, taking a sip as she looks off towards the kitchen. Cleo and Pope had gotten up during her and JJ's conversation, giving her a fabulous view of the disastrous kitchen.

Her eyes are quick to catch hold of a reflection behind the window. 

 Behind the pile of unwashed dishes in the sink is an orange glow peeking in the window, flickering. The Bexley sits her beer down, brows furrowing as she stares ahead at the sight. There's a crackle. The air filtering in through the open window suddenly starts to smell crisp. Burnt. 

Eden almost spits out her beer. Her chest tightens in a horrifying realization. 

"Oh my—fuck." She almost stumbles out of her seat at the island. The flickering grows brighter, so does the crackling and the horrible smell. JJ and Kiara both look at her, confused. 

JJ is quick to stand up, brows furrowing. "You okay, Ed'?"

Eden just points at the fire. As if she's doing anything. "There's a fucking fire!"

The room seems to go quiet for a second. Kiara and JJ both stand up, cautiously walking towards the Bexley. The Maybank's eyes lock on the orange glow outside, which grew stronger by the minute, crackling and melting the glass beside it.

"Yeah, that's a fire." JJ states. His voice doesn't quite shake with fear, but there's a sprinkle of it. The Chateau is wood. All wood. 

Eden whips around, unable to truly process the fact that the Chateau is burning. "Did you think I was joking—"

JJ cuts her off, arms reaching to shove her and the Carrera forwards. "We gotta tell 'em. Tell em', tell em'!"

The Bexley is on autopilot, feet scurrying around the corner to her best friend's room. Kiara darts for the other direction with JJ, towards where Cleo and Pope had departed together. 

The Chateau was burning. Her home was burning. 

"Hey, fire!"

"Guys, guys, guys!"

"Pope!"

Eden doesn't knock on the Routledge's closed door, hand fumbling against the handle as she bursts in. At the click, John B. and Sarah immediately shoot up from his bed —the Routledge is shirtless and Sarah's down to just a blue bra.

 Any other day, the Bexley would have started gagging at the sight but the house is burning. 

"I'm sorry to be a cock block, but there's a fire!" Eden offers a tight explanation of why she'd interpreted, eyes wide as she looks between her friends and the kitchen, waiting for JJ and Kie to round up the others.

John B. looks at her, confused. "What?" 

"Your house is burning, dude!" the Bexley can't help but drawl, before running back to the kitchen with an echo of, "Get your asses out here!"

"Fire?!" Sarah echos, running after her. "Wait, what?!"

"Wait, Eden, what are you talking about?"

Entering the living room again, JJ is dragging Pope and Cleo to the center of the room. "Come on, get outta there!"

Kiara cries, "The house is on fire!"

Now covered with clothing, John B. and Sarah enter the room, panicked. The Routledge feels his heart sink as her enters the living room, an orange glow illuminating onto him. 

Eden lets out a gasp as she looks to the side, seeing the fire growing bigger and more threatening outside. It's crackles taunted her ears. The burnt air makes her lungs feel disgusting. 

"Oh, shit!"

Sarah runs for the door, John B. immediately stopping her, "Sarah, get away from the door!"

"Ow!"

Eden eyes dart around for a cell phone, fingers twitching with the urge to dial three familiar numbers. She recalls leaving the stolen phone from Singh's on the table and dashes to grab it, thumbs immediately clicking to dial. 

"Stay in the middle!" Cleo is quick to grab onto the Bexley's arm, pulling her into the middle where everyone else stood.

John B. stares at Eden like she's lost her mind. "Who are you calling right now?! My house is burning!"

"9-1-fucking-1!" Eden snaps back, her voice shaking as she presses the phone to her ear. Her other hand shoots up to cover her opposite ear, trying to drown out the crackling of flames and the chaos erupting around her.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"Hello? Can you hear me?" Eden rushes.

"Yes, I can hear you, ma'am. What's the emergency?"

"There's a fire!" Eden yells, her chest tightening as the heat presses in on them. The smell of burnt rubber and plastic fills the room, suffocating her lungs. The Bexley moves her hand against her sternum, pressing against it in a helpless fight against her own anxiety. "The house—my friend's house is own fire!"

"What's the address of the emergency?"

"Shit—John B.!" Eden's mind blanks in the heat of the moment. She quickly thrusts the phone at her best friend. "Give them the address!"

John B. takes the phone automatically, his face pale as he stares at it. "Uh... uh, yeah. Ma'am—" he stammers, his mind swimming with the realization of what's happening. His home, the place that's been his safe haven, is burning right before his eyes.

 Kiara grips the roots of her hair, panicking. "Oh my God."

Eden takes a step back, the overwhelming heat and panic clawing at her chest. The smoke starting to pile into the home doesn't help. She tries to blink the sting in her eyes away, backing against the table for support. It was too hot. There was too little air. 

"Ed'," JJ's voice cuts through, sharp with concern. He can see what's happening and he's by her side in an instant, gripping her arm. "You gotta get out of here. You can't breathe in this shit—come on."

Eden shakes her head, trying to catch her breath but failing. "I—no, I'm fine—"

"Eden, go!" Cleo's voice snaps from across the room, her eyes wide with worry as she takes in Eden's state. "He's right! You're gonna pass out if you stay in here!"

JJ doesn't wait for more arguments. He wraps an arm around her shoulders and starts guiding her toward the back door, ignoring her weak protests. Eden stumbles along with him, gasping for air as the acrid smoke grows heavier.

"We all have to get out of here." Pope calls out, following for the door. "There's no time for anything!"

"We have to do something!" Sarah pleads. Sickening cracks echo every few seconds, windows shattering at the flames. Wood peels at the heat. It's clear the Chateau won't last much longer against the fire. 

"The smoke will get to us before the fire." Cleo chokes on the smoke billowing in through the cracked windows. It's thick, infiltrating. A disease spreading throughout the home, which buckles and groans under the stress. "Get out, now!"

Back near the kitchen, John B. clutches the phone tighter, the operator's voice breaking through his haze. "Sir? I need the address to dispatch emergency services."

His throat tightens, and not because of the smoke.  All he can think about is losing everything—the memories, his father's things, the life he's built here. His entire life is burning away in this moment and deep down he knows there will be nothing worth saving left in mere minutes, even with the fire department coming. He's about to lose everything he hasn't already. 

His silence stretches, tears welling in his eyes.

"John B.!" Sarah's voice jolts him out of it, her hand landing on his arm. "Tell them the address! Now!"

Kiara hoarsely screeches, "John B, there's nothing we can do!"

"Get out of there, man!" JJ rasps, throwing his head back.

Her urgency finally snaps him out of his daze. He rasps out the address, his voice shaking, before handing the phone to Sarah. The Cameron puts it to her ear, answering questions as she forces her boyfriend out. 

The Pogues pile out into the backyard, coughing and covered in soot. They all stumble to John B.'s headstone, watching as the house they all called home resolved to nothing but ash. 

mara's misc!

i'm literally only updating this for kensie

for my birthday, my parents told me i'd be getting a new phone and today me and my dad went out to get one. right now i have a google pixel 6a, but i ended up getting the iphone 16 bc i wanted to make the brand swap. BUT since i did, transferring everything takes longer and since i have 12,111 photos that need uploaded, i'm currently sitting at 25 hours until my phone is set up.

BASICALLY that means i have a solid day until i can use my phone, since i can't get out of the transfer screen. 

i'm actually crashing out guys and so is kensie. i'm a screenager and i've been phone less for about 6 hours now and what do you mean i still have a whole ass day. i have snap on my computer but it's not the same and i can't carry it around it's just not cute at all like I NEED MY PHONE BACK.

like me and kensie can't text before i go to bed because i don't have a phone to text on WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO. WE'RE STRUGGLING HARD YOU GUYS

kensie i love you i love you i love you i'm sorry my phone is taking a day to transfer but just keep thinking about how we can facetime now (rip our google meet days)

but hey i built a wicked lego set today so yeah i get pretty productive without a phone 

anywho back to the chapter, watching the chateau burn made me sad like i'm not sure how topper really got away with this bs??? wdym he's just walking around like he didn't burn someone's entire house down????

hope you enjoyed <3 see you back with chapter 77!!