𝟎𝟏𝟏.          𝐫𝐮𝐧, 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝, 𝐫𝐮𝐧

dog days are over ─── florence + the machines

☀︎ 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

𝖶𝖤 𝖠𝖱𝖱𝖨𝖵𝖤𝖣 𝖠𝖳 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖢𝖧𝖠𝖳𝖤𝖠𝖴 𝖠𝖥𝖳𝖤𝖱 𝖣𝖱𝖮𝖯𝖯𝖨𝖭𝖦 𝖮𝖥𝖥 𝖮𝖴𝖱 𝖥𝖱𝖨𝖤𝖭𝖣𝖲．We're disappointed that we didn't find what our dad wanted to find, but we can't give up. We won't give up. I feel like I could crash right about now, so when John B pushes open the door to the Chateau, I'm ready to jump straight into bed and sleep for the next week.

I come to a crashing stop when I find Cheryl── our DCS worker── sitting at the table. "Hey, guys."

John B sighs loudly. You know, Cheryl, it's kind of a bad time for a check-in."

"Not a check-in. We're here to take you both."

"What?" I look to John B, he looks back at me, and we both have that look about us. As kids, whenever we didn't want to do something, we'd take one look at each other and devise a plan without saying a damn word. His eyes are telling me to run, and my eyes tell him the same thing. We need to get out of here. Now.

Cheryl clears her throat, and we both look back to her. "Today? Really?"

"It's just for a few weeks until the hearing."

"No, no, no." John B shakes his head, not loving that idea. "Cheryl, look, we are not going into foster care, okay? We are not gonna go be a part of your little system."

A police officer steps up behind me, and I jerk forward, surprised to see such a... large man. I look him up and down, shaking my head because there's no way in hell that he is manhandling me. "Guys, this is Deputy Thomas." I take a step back, and John B pulls on my arm, moving me to stand behind him. "He works with juveniles for the sheriff's department."

I scoff. "Juveniles? We are not──"

"Look, I know Uncle T is down in Mississippi working at a casino," Cheryl interrupts, looking towards us. "He hasn't been here in months."

"What?" John B looks to me, and I nod, moving back because, luckily, we have──

"I wouldn't advise doing that, Brooklyn."

"Why? Is Mr. Big Head going to get me?" He steps closer, and John B steps back, arm out in front of me. "Right, well, I guess I'm staying!" There's no point in trying to run, not when this guy will just chase me. He likely has more stamina than me which means I'll just be dead before I even hit town.

John B steps forward, darting one way to try and sneak around the officer, but he follows his movements. John B huffs out a laugh, his head shaking. "No, see, that's my nightmare right there. Look, I-I── We want emancipation."

I sigh, head falling into my hand. "John B."

"What? W-We can get emancipation. We──"

I lift my head, staring at him. "There's nobody here but us. We cannot get emancipation because there's nobody to get emancipation from." Cheryl peers over at me, and she looks somewhat impressed that I actually know that. Bitch.

"Uh... asylum, then," John B speaks, and I can see that he's really trying to grasp at any kind of straw here, but it won't work.

"On what grounds?"

"O-On solid grounds. On holy grounds."

"I cannot be related to you," I utter under my breath, but he hears me loud and clear.

"Look, I feel r-real prosecuted right now by you and..." He peers over at the police officer. "especially Mr. Big Head over here." I snort a laugh, pleased that nickname seemed to stick.

Never mind, I can see how we're related.

I look to Mr. Big Head, and I pull on John B's arm. "He's staring at us," I whisper, scowling right back at him.

"What are you lookin' at, bro? What're you gonna do? You gonna tase us?" If that wasn't a possibility, I'd totally laugh, but I am a little afraid that he'll pull out a taser.

John B steps forward, attempting to run again, but he's stopped once again. When he tries again, I feel a little embarrassed to call him my brother. He can't seriously try to run off, not when this guy is, like, inches taller and much larger than him.

When he tries again, the Deputy grabs ahold of John B, wrapping an arm around his neck. On instinct, I charge forward, picking up the nearest item which, well, is a box of cereal. "Get off──" I chuck the box of cereal at him, and it pours out when it hits his arm, but it doesn't do any damage. Why would a cereal box do any damage? "Get the hell off him!" I rush forward, digging my nails into the Deputy's arm, scratching at him to release my brother.

I then realise I'm hurting an officer of the law which, in a way, does make me a juvenile, but I don't care. I need to help John B.

"Cheryl, get your dog off my brother!"

"That's enough!" Cheryl yells, now standing up.

The guard frees John B, and I fall to the ground, hand on his shoulder as John B struggles to catch his breath. "Okay, I give up."

We're then sent to our rooms to pack, and as I stuff everything I love into a backpack, I find myself reminiscing over the simplest things.

The T-shirt that belongs to JJ is stuffed into my bag, and I find that it still smells like him. The photo I have of us from the third grade when we met is placed in the bag. Even as kids, he was much taller than me. In the photo, I stand with my head pressed against his shoulder, his arm around me as we beam at the camera. I smile because we're just kids, smiling because we're told to by the teachers. I'd do anything to go back to those days.

I pick up the rock── yes, a rock── from my bedside table, grinning as I stare down at the one-eyed grey rock. In the fifth grade, we made "rock friends", whatever that is. JJ stuck two googly eyes on the rock and drew a wonky smile in marker pen, but now there's only one eye as the other fell off years ago. This might be one of the greatest gifts JJ has ever given me, and I still cherish it much like the bracelet around my wrist.

Tucked away on my dresser is all the cards I've ever received on my birthday. Cards from Kiara, from Pope, even from JJ who only ever made me a card using whatever he could find. For my fifteenth birthday, he wrote a message on the back of his shirt, cut it out and handed it to me. Every year, on mine and John B's birthday, John B and I do this thing where we gift the other something creative── and by something creative, we mean something that doesn't cost a penny.

I have a wide collection of silly, handmade gifts from my brother over the last ten years, and he also has ten years worth of uncreative gifts from me in his room. For our sixteenth, he gifted me a fishing pole that he made using twigs and branches from outside. It would've been a great gift if I didn't break it because, ten minutes after receiving that gift, I snapped it accidentally── not be fishing, no. I sat on it.

I find the snapped-in half fishing twig, and I smile at the memory. We laughed it off, and Dad actually took us fishing with real rods because, no offence to John B's craftsmanship, the fishing rod he gave me was not very practical.

I sit down on my bed, pushing two pairs of shorts into my bag. I look to my bedside table again, and I find a picture of Dad. Both John B and I have photos of Dad, but this one is my favourite. It's not just of Dad, it's of the three of us.

Dad had set up the camera that was about fifteen years old── no joke── and I remember him rushing to sit down on the boat. He placed his arm around me and John B, pulling us close as we stared forward at the camera, smiling brightly. I think John B and I were seven or eight in this photo, but I can't be too sure.

I love this photo. I love Dad. I love John B.

I miss Dad a ridiculous amount, and I know that he'd hate to see us being taken away from our childhood home, but we can't help it.

I wish I could fit my entire room into a bag, but  sadly, I can't fit my entire room into a bag.

Instead, I have to pack clothes and minimal photos, and leave behind a whole room full of memories.

I step out of my room, backpack slung over my shoulder. I don't say one final goodbye to my bedroom because I think it would make me cry. John B's room is across the way, and I spot him standing with Cheryl, holding a photo of our dad.

"See this, Cheryl? Do you know who this is?" Cheryl looks away, knowing who that is. "Yeah, it's our dad. And do you know what he wanted? He wanted me and Brooke to stay here, at home, together, and you're taking us away from home.  You understand that?"

"It's the law, John B."

"The law," he scoffs, shaking his head as he turns away to continue packing.

Cheryl steps out of his room, bumping into me. I glare at her, silently wishing I had the power to turn anyone and everyone into ash, but I don't. I just sidestep her, moving out of the home Dad created for us. I can't say goodbye, not to my childhood home, so I rush out of the house without batting an eye. I don't want to cry, not over something I'm confident I will see again.

We need to get out of this situation.

We're put into the back of the cop car, and this feels like we're going to prison. In a sense, we are going to prison. I mean, foster care, especially at this age, is just a place where we will be trapped until we're thrown out at eighteen. Why would anyone want that?

John B and I would be more than likely separated due to the fact that nobody would want twin sixteen-year-olds. In sixteen years, John B and I have been each other's best friend, confidant, and person. We've been practically inseparable from the get go. I mean, we shared a womb, people. He's the only person I've known since, well, birth. I can't imagine being separated from him, not even for a second.

I'm staring out the window, unsure on how I feel because this feels a little too close to the end── and I don't mean "the death" end, I just mean the end of the summer fun. While we didn't find any gold, it was enjoyable hanging out with my friends and brother, searching for something Dad was trying to find. I don't want that to be over.

John B claps a hand over mine, snatching my attention. I look at him, and we speak once again with our eyes. He's telling me that we'll be okay, and I believe him. I think he's also silently telling me that he has a plan.

I nod back at him, and I watch as he pulls out a picture of Dad from his bag. He rolls down the window ever so slightly, and the plan becomes clear to me. We drive down an open street, the wind blowing through the window. John B holds the photo up, keeping it close to the cracked window.

John B lets go of the photo, and it catches in the wind, flying out of the window. John B peers to me, nodding. Game on. "No, stop, stop, stop," John B begs, tapping his hand on the door. "Please stop! My picture! It's the last picture of my dad. Please."

"Not gonna happen, kid." Bastard.

It's time for the Brooklyn Routledge begging now. Enjoy hearing it, people.

"Come on. Stop the car," I plead softly. "It's his last photo of our dad. Come on." I smack my hand against the car seat, emphasising my point. "Please stop the car. Just for a second."

Just for a second so we can escape.

"Please," John B adds, pleading voice.

"Pull over," Cheryl mutters, sighing loudly.

"You want me to pull over?"

"Just pull over." She doesn't want to pull over, we know that, but she's fallen for our Routledge charms── we are charming, aren't we?

"Thank you," we both say.

Deputy Thomas pulls over, and he climbs out, obviously not wanting us to check. The photo is way up the road, so we know he won't be able to find it. We peer through the back window, looking at a helpless Thomas.

John B nudges me, prompting me to pick up my bag and unbuckle my seatbelt because he has something else planned. "Cheryl, can I please help him look?" John B sighs loudly, and if I could, I'd tell him how proud I am of him right now. "Please?"

"He's got it."

"This idiot," I utter, looking over my shoulder.

"He's not looking in the right place. It's gonna get trashed." God, isn't my brother good at lying? "Cheryl, please."

"Please, Cheryl." Now I'm begging because I really, really want to leave. "It's his final keepsake of our dad. Are you really gonna let that happen?"

She sighs, and even her breathing sounds agitated. We're definitely adding years to her life, she must hate us. She peers over her shoulder, looking to us, and I grip my bag tightly. "Make it quick."

The doors click, unlocking, and I share one final look with John B. We nod at each other, push open our doors and say a quick, "Thanks, Cheryl" before we make a run for it. We turn around, waving our hands as we walk backwards down the street, quickening our pace as we yell out, "Later, Thomas!"

We then turn away and run down the road, pulling our backpacks on our shoulders as we sprint down the road, running away from Cheryl and Thomas who will definitely be on the lookout for us, but we don't care. We just keep running.

We jump over a fence, take a turn around the corner and onto another road, and once we're far enough away from them, we take a breather. John B takes my shoulders. "We should split up."

I nod, thinking that would be smart. "Yeah."

"I'll, uh, call you when I'm somewhere, okay?" He takes a step back from me, and I take a step back from him. "Stay safe, alright?"

"You too."

I salute him, he salutes back, and then we turn away and run in opposite directions.

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"𝖧𝖮𝖫𝖸 𝖬𝖮𝖳𝖧𝖤𝖱 𝖮𝖥 𝖥𝖴𝖢𝖪!"

I'm knelt over, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath because I just ran a good, oh, I don't know, three miles. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but I ran for at least five minutes. And let me tell you, I ran for five minutes too long. I've come to realise that I'm not very fit, but it's not like I spend three days a week at the gym. I can't afford a gym membership, can I?

I ran to JJ's house because he was the first one to spring to mind. I knew I couldn't return home, so I had to either run to JJ, Pope or Kiara, and JJ was the one I thought of first── sorry Kie and Pope.

Anyway, I'm here, I'm sweating, and he hasn't even noticed on account of him shooting a──

"You're shooting a teddy bear?" I stand up, hands on my hips as I watch him shoot another bullet, hitting the teddy bear square in the centre. That poor, defenceless bear. "You're a cruel boy, JJ Maybank. You oughta be shot."

I don't mean that, obviously, but that poor bear doesn't deserve to be shot at.

"JJ!" I wave my arms, but he still doesn't notice, and he continues to shoot. He's wearing headphones that, well, block out the noise── the noise being me. "Hello!" Another shot is fired, and I flinch, wishing I had noise cancelling headphones. "Oh, you──"

I charge forward, already running on fumes, and I yank his headphones down which was very stupid of me, but I didn't really think. JJ jumps, surprised, and he raises the gun, accidentally hitting the trigger, but it just misses me, instead creating a hole in the tree behind me. My heart jumps, literally missing a beat, and not because of the running I just did.

Note to self, do not bother somebody who is shooting a gun.

"Jesus, Brooke. Are you crazy?"

I scoff. "I'm sorry. You're the one holding a gun!" I yell, very agitated as I pull his headphones off entirely. "Are you crazy?"

He stares at me for a long moment, and I stare right back, not really in the mood to argue about who's craziest because, if we add all the points, I am probably the most crazy. Actually, I'm not too sure. Maybe we should figure out who's crazier.

Maybe it'll work out in my favour.

The headphones fall around his neck, and he places the gun down much to my appreciation. "You're sweating," he says which I don't appreciate him noticing never mind saying out loud.

"Oh, yes, I'm just so hot for you, I'm sweating," I deadpan, and JJ smirks. I've obviously just boosted his ego.

"Well, I'm honoured. How about we──"

"Don't finish that sentence," I interrupt, holding my hand up. Some ridiculous part does want him to finish that sentence, but he can't. "I'm sweating because I just ran for miles to get away from DCS who tired to take me and John B."

JJ nods, reaching for his beer. "So you're not hot for me?" I scowl at him, and if looks could kill, I swear. "Just kidding. So DCS finally caught you?"

"Yep." I sit down on a tree stump, head falling into my hands. "We decided to separate because if one gets caught, at least the other doesn't, right?"

He reaches for another beer, holding it out to me, and I take it. "Smart."

"I've now realised how unfit I am." I crack open the beer, and I take a very long swig.

JJ huffs a laugh, leaning forward on his seat. "I think you're plenty fit, Sunshine."

I choke on my beer. "Thanks, J."

"Why are you shooting that thing?" I ask, pointing to the gun that has caused many problems in the past, and will likely only cause more problems in the future. "And why, oh why, are you shooting a harmless teddy bear?"

"I can't practise on real people, that would be dumb."

"Oh, yeah, that would be dumb, but look at that poor bear." I wave a hand to the helpless, slouched over teddy bear. "He's so cute. Where'd you find him?"

"Outside some restaurant. Think a kid dropped it."

I snap my head over to him, mouth agape. "JJ, a child is missing their bear. You stole a child's bear?" I smack my hand against his knee, mortified that he'd do something like that.

"The child shouldn't have dropped it."

I shake my head, tutting. "I'm disgraced by you, Maybank."

"If you really want the bear, Sunny, I'll tape it for you."

"Him," I correct. "Not it. He is a person too."

"I'm very sorry, Sunshine."

"C-Can you show me?" I look past him, my eyes on the gun. I don't know why I'm asking, but every part of me wants to know how to use a gun correctly.

"Show you..." How to kiss. Ha! Aren't I funny?

"How to use the gun," I answer, and his eyes widen. When he first used the gun, I was pissed and terrified, but now I'm not so afraid. I trust JJ, I always have, and perhaps using a gun for a little protection wouldn't be so... bad.

He clears his throat. "Uh..." He stands. "Sure."

I stand up, and JJ pulls off the headphones, holding them out to me. I place them around my neck, moving to stand in the place JJ stood previously. "Okay." He picks up the gun, sliding in a few more bullets.

I watch him carefully. "So you just..." JJ's hand wraps around my wrist, my hand opens and he places the gun in my hand, wrapping my fingers around the grip of the gun. "You need to stand..." He slides a hand across my back, and my body jerks forward, surprised by his touch but I don't pull away.

His hand slides down, resting on my hip. He turns my body, sliding his leg between my legs to separate my feet. He leans forward, chest pressed against my back, and I inhale sharply. He takes my other hand, resting it on the grip of the gun next to my other hand. He lifts my finger, hovering it over the trigger. "Okay."

"Am I shooting ready?"

"Probably not." His voice is close to my ear── so close that I wish I hadn't asked a question. His ears practically brush against my ear, and I feel my body tense. "Do you feel ready?"

Ready for you? Always.

Okay, that was very inappropriate. I'll stop.

I clear my throat, and JJ's hand slides across my stomach for a quick second. He turns me a final time, keeping me securely on the ground with his hands on my hips. Bastard. I hold my breath, hands squeezing the gun. His hands leave my hips for a second, and he raises the headphones, placing them over my ears.

Just before they cover my ears entirely, he leans close to me to whisper.

"Shoot, Sunshine."

His voice against my ear. His body pressed into my back. His hands on my skin. It's all too much. I now might be sweating because of him.

The headphones cover my ears. He steps back, taking his touch with him. I pull the trigger on the gun, not aiming for anything in particular because I ain't shooting that poor bear. The bullet flies through the air, moving over the bear and hitting the tree behind.

I breathe out a laugh, finding that to be far more exhilarating than I thought it would be. "Oh, my God." I laugh again, pulling the headphones off my ears. JJ steps up behind me, his touch returning as he grasps my shoulders, shaking me excitedly.

"Nice one, Sunshine."

I place the gun down, spinning around to face him with a wide, thrilled smile on my face. He's still holding my shoulders, and I find that we're much closer to one another than I thought we would be. I stare up at him, breathing heavily, my face full of joy. "I-I shot a gun," I breathe out.

He stares down at me, fingers digging into my shoulder blades. "Yes, you did, Sunny."

"I can't believe I just did that. I shot a gun."

"You didn't shoot the bear."

"I was never going to shoot the bear, J. He's a poor, innocent bear."

JJ scoffs, eyes rolling. "Your heart is too big."

I smack my hand against his chest, and it lingers. I press it against his chest, his heart pounding against my hand. "It's only big for you."

"And stuffed bears," he grumbles.

"Well, they..." I exhale, pressing my palm against his thumping heart. "have hearts."

"No." He swallows, and I watch his Adam's apple move, mouth slightly agape. "They're stuffed bears, Sunshine. They don't have..." My eyes raise, finding his to be staring right back at me. "hearts."

"Y-You do." My hand slides down, and he reaches his hand up to take it, surprising me. "You have a heart."

"I'd be dead if I didn't have one."

We're too close. We're too──

"JJ! Brooke!" My head snaps away from JJ, and JJ frees my hand which I'm disappointed about. We look to see Pope, and we find him to be running towards us. "They know," he breathes out, hunched over and panting.

"What?"

"They know," he repeats.

"Alright, chill, bro. Alright?" JJ steps away from me, and I finally exhale the breath I didn't realise I was holding. "They don't know shit."

"Topper knows I sunk his boat."

"How do you know they know?" I ask.

"Because Rafe and Topper posted outside of Heyward's and mad dogged me." He's pacing up and down on the spot, a flurry of panic overwhelming him.

"Will you calm down and get a grip, man?" He grasps Pope's shoulders, forcing him to stop panic pacing. "They don't know shit."

"They have cameras. They could've seen me."

"There was no power, Pope. How could they have seen you?"

"It's Figure Eight. They got generators." His breathing is ragged and panicked, his head shaking. "They don't give scholarships to kids who vengefully sink boats. It's not a good look on my transcript."

"Enough with the regret, bro!" JJ snaps, surprising me. "They caved your face in." The mark is still prominent on his head, and he's still wearing a cap to try and cover it. "They hit us, we hit them. It's the law of the jungle." I step forward, standing next to JJ. "Now if any Kooks come up to you and ask if you had anything to do with it, you walk up to 'em, look 'em right in the eye, and..."

"Deny the living shit out of it," Pope finishes.

"That's right."

I look to JJ and we both say, "Deny, deny, deny."

"But just for safety, we don't go anywhere without protection." He points to the gun that rests on the tree stump. "Right?"

How have we become this?

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❀ soph speaks

AH brooke & jj . . . intense, no?

anywho,, thanks for reading!!