𝟎𝟖𝟓.                                    𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝

ain't no rest for the wicked ── cage the elephant

( you see a lil more of what emory's life looks like )

☀︎ 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

𝖨 𝖲𝖳𝖠𝖭𝖣 𝖨𝖭 𝖥𝖱𝖮𝖭𝖳 𝖮𝖥 𝖩𝖩，𝖠𝖳𝖳𝖤𝖬𝖯𝖳𝖨𝖭𝖦 𝖳𝖮 𝖯𝖴𝖳 𝖳𝖧𝖨𝖲 𝖳𝖨𝖤 𝖮𝖭 𝖧𝖨𝖬．I tell you, there is nothing that gets me more mad than watching a Youtube video, thinking you understand, and then failing to replicate said video.

I've been struggling for the past ten minutes, and all JJ done has watched me fail each time. The more I fail, the more amusing he seems to find it. Don't know what he's laughing at, it's not like he can do it either because he had to ask me.

What do I know about tying a tie? Nothing.

"Baby, you're──" JJ digs his fingers into his collar, sucking in a sharp breath. I hadn't realised I was literally choking him with how tight I'm squeezing this flimsy black piece-of-shit fabric around his neck. Shit.

I groan, dropping my hands, frustration pouring off me. "What do I know about tying a tie, JJ? I take them off..." I pull on the end of his tie, watching the limp knot unravel easily which is not supposed to fall off that quickly. "I don't put them on you, do I?"

"Well..." He flashes me his signature grin that normally has me weak because, hello, dimples, but I feel anything but happy right now. I don't know why, but my skin feels hot and tight. It's annoying and awfully similar to the anxiety I felt two days ago when I met Matilda. "...if you want, we can skip this thing and you can take more off, Sunny."

I force myself to smile, using the fabric of his tie in my hands to ground myself. "Tempting offer, Maybank, but we need to go."

I wish we didn't need to go as a ceremony to celebrate us is the last thing I want to do. I feel sick to my stomach, just about ready to hurl and call it a night. Despite being awake for several hours, I'm already imagining what it would feel like to slide right back into bed tonight. On top of being desperate to go to bed and forget this entire day, my dress feels tight and uncomfortable, and the longer I think about this ceremony, the more my insides twist.

The ceremony is being hosted by the mayor of Outer Banks who finally recognised us for who we are. He noticed us because the Outer Banks Sentinel wrote about us and about how we validated the existence of the City of Gold. I'd seen the mayor on several occasions, never having formally met him, but I can tell that he'd do just about anything to make this town look good even if that involves hosting a ceremony to celebrate us── the Pogues.

I wasn't keen on the idea of being shown off in front of the entire town, but with how each of my friends jumped at the chance, I fell victim to wearing a dress and putting on my best smile.

After all the shit that spiralled because of JJ's snap decision to bet the last of our money, we needed some kind of win even if it was in the form of a snotty ceremony in front of the entire town.

It's fine. It's just a quick ceremony. It'll be over in a flash. I hope.

My skin pricks, my stomach overturning in an unsettling way. "Hey." JJ's voice enters my ears, keeping me from collapsing under the weight of all we now have to do to ensure we don't lose our home. "You okay, Sunny?"

I blink, eyes finding his, and I'm instantly brought into the warmth within the blue of his eyes. I nod, exhaling a deep breath. "I'm okay," I say, chewing down on my lip nervously. "We need to get this tie on you."

If JJ thinks something is wrong, he doesn't say anything which I silently appreciate. Had it been my brother standing before me, I know I wouldn't get a word out before John B concocts all sorts of wild theories about what's wrong with me.

Nobody can figure out what's wrong with me, not my brother nor boyfriend, not even me. I just feel... weird, like I'm living in the body of another as odd as that sounds. Lately, I feel out of place and trapped in a mind that is more consuming than it ever has been. My head is eating at me, bothering me at all hours of the day, and it's pissing me off.

I thought, as stupid as it seems, that after my embarrassing panic attack in front of a six-year-old, I'd magically be fixed, but I've sort of been on edge for the past two days, even more so now that we have a bastard ceremony to attend.

I feel JJ's eyes on me, watching me as I attempt to complete this knot in his tie without strangling him or making him look like an idiot. If I cast a glance at him, I know I'll cave and tell him all the worries I have built up in my head, so I just focus on the task at hand because I hate to talk about what's going on when I don't even explicitly know myself.

I haven't got a clue what I'm doing with this tie, the video I watched earlier not being remembered.

"What are you doing?" I glance over my shoulder, finding my brother to be standing at the door in his own suit and tie── his perfect, well-placed tie that isn't strangling him. Damn him. Don't know where he learnt to fix a tie as Dad was never the suit-and-tie kind of guy, but John B's somehow mastered the skill.

"She's trying to kill me," JJ breathes out, reaching for the fabric and yanking it from my hands before I actually kill him. Accidentally, of course, but still. "Can you do this?"

"But I totally had it this time." No, I didn't.

He brushes past me, heading to my twin for help. "Rewatch the video, Sunny." I roll my eyes, knowing I should probably rewatch the video so I'm better equipped to deal with the tie situation next time he wears a suit. Then again, why do I have to be responsible for him having a tie on?

As I said before, I'd rather be pulling it off.

With my teeth.

Sorry, that was inappropriate.

I step over to the mirror, my eyes dragging over my figure and how I squeeze into this dress. Kiara lent me one of her dresses that she brought from her parent's, and while it's incredibly flattering, I don't fit into it in the way I would like. It's a simple yellow sundress that falls right to my ankles, flaring out at my hips and pulling taut from behind with the strings attached to the corset that covers my chest. It's beautiful, and the colour suits me, but I just feel out of place.

It's a dress that would suit somebody, just not me.

I don't feel so beautiful, not in this. Everything feels wrong, and all I have is this sick feeling deep within my stomach as I continue to stare at myself. I wipe my palms against the fabric, my skin prickling as the hairs on my arms stand. I feel anxious, unbelievably so, and I wish I could just magic it away as I'm unsure why I'm feeling such a way when today is supposed to be a good day.

We're being recognised by the mayor, by the whole town, for our accomplishments and I can't even chalk up a smile.

Come on, B. Just put on a show.

I exhale a shaky breath, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. As my hair is no longer long, I find myself accidentally reaching for hair that isn't there anymore. It's just a habit, I guess. With how frequently I used to tie my hair up, I find that I don't even need hairbands anymore, not with how short my hair is now.

I also find that the only part of me that I seem to admire is my hair. It's not my body or the way I fit into certain clothes nor is it the way my skin always remains smooth and without flaw. No, the part of me that I can stand to look at is my hair, and I don't even know why.

Arms engulf my middle, catching me off guard. I'm pulled into a familiar body who always, without a doubt, makes me feel worth more than I am. His chin drops to my shoulder, his lips grazing my ear as he whispers, "You're beautiful." A jolt rushes down my spine, making me feel warm in the best possible way.

Two words, that's all he said. Two words, and I feel a great deal of better.

My eyes drop, landing on his hands that splay across my stomach. I lift my hands, placing them over his. "Thank you," I whisper back, taking a moment to meet his gaze in the mirror. "You're not so bad yourself."

He's beautiful, but he already knows that as I tell him just about everyday. Then again, JJ tells me the same thing everyday but I can't seem to understand it.

He kisses my cheek, his touch lingering long after he's pulled back. "Well, the tie's on, all ready for you to pull it off later."

I smile, but it doesn't quite reach my eyes, not that I think he can tell. "Good."

JJ's thumb moves in hard, tight circles against my stomach, the feeling like nothing I've ever felt before. I lean back into him, my eyes fluttering to a close as I dream of just being in this moment for the rest of the day. I don't wanna face the entire town, put on a brave smile and laugh. I wanna stay right here, locked in place with the boy I love and who loves me unconditionally.

His mouth drags across the side of my neck, kissing the pulse point that beats steadily, acting as the only thing that ensures me I'm alive. "You sure you're okay? You just seem... upset about something."

"I'm okay," I say, repeating the same words I did earlier. I may not feel like myself entirely, but I'm completely fine. I think I'm going through some kind of blip or something, I don't know, but I think I'm okay.

"This thing won't take long, alright? Just in and out."

"That's what she said," I quip, earning a laugh from the boy who didn't think to make that joke after saying it.

"Wow, Sunny." His head shakes, laughter vibrating off him in waves.

His hands squeeze my hips, his lips pushing another kiss to my cheek before he steps back, double checking he looks presentable which, of course, he does. I've said it before, I'll say it again, this boy looks edible, and I'm the lucky one who gets to have him on my arm.

I spin around, facing him as he holds his arm out to me. "Ready to go, Sunshine?"

I slide my arm into his, stepping towards him. "Let's go, Maybank."

──────────────────────────

"𝖠𝖭 𝖤𝖷𝖯𝖤𝖣𝖨𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭 𝖮𝖥 𝖩𝖮𝖧𝖭 𝖠𝖭𝖣 𝖡𝖱𝖮𝖮𝖪𝖫𝖸𝖭 𝖱𝖮𝖴𝖳𝖫𝖤𝖣𝖦𝖤，𝖠𝖭𝖣 𝖠 𝖦𝖱𝖮𝖴𝖯 𝖮𝖥 𝖳𝖤𝖤𝖭𝖠𝖦𝖤𝖱𝖲，𝖶𝖧𝖮 𝖠𝖱𝖤 𝖶𝖨𝖳𝖧 𝖴𝖲 𝖳𝖮𝖣𝖠𝖸．Locals, who grew up here, and who succeeded where centuries of conquistadors, explorers, and admirals failed. Today, we come together to celebrate these teens, friends from both sides of the island who came together to solve this five hundred year old mystery. Let's hear it for them!"

The crowd sitting before us burst into cheers and applause, rising from their seats as we do. My eyes flit over the crowd, watching from upon this stage at the forced smiles, the half-assed cheers, and the distaste across several people's faces. I know most don't want to applaud the work we've done, that they're here to make an appearance, to be unfailingly good people in the eyes of the island and the mayor who wants to represent us and praise our efforts.

I feel fingers slot against mine, my hand snatched in JJ's as my breathing quickens once again. To know that I'm being cheered is one thing, but to know that a lot of these cheers are fake is another, and my anxiety can't seem to take a rest for the time being.

Most of these people are here because they feel obligated to, because they don't want to look like selfish pricks, but I know most don't wish to be here, applauding us── the Pogues.

Standing in the front row next to a man I don't recognise, but who I assume is Emory's father, is Emory. She chose not to stand on stage with us today, still insistent that she had nothing to do with our victory. Hell, she wasn't even raised here, so she found that standing up here with us would be pointless. However, she's happy to be our biggest supporter in the front row, her eyes constantly on Kiara's.

Behind Emory is Kiara's parents who, of course, keep up the pretence that they like us and what we've done. I know how they really feel, having heard it all when we first arrived back from South America, so I absolutely know that their smiles and applauses are fake.

I spot Pope's parents, knowing their claps aren't fake, not in any kind of way. I know they're proud of us, of their son. Little do they know that we don't have any kind of luck now that the money is gone, but I know they support us unlike other parents.

Squeezing JJ's hand in mine, I span my eyes across the crowd, somebody sticking out to me right in the back. That dread and anxiety that was biting at every inch of my skin doesn't feel so sore, not when I find one of the only people who has ever been able to calm me from that ledge.

Matilda waves at me, and I lift my hand to wave back, laughing a little over the fact that she snuck out just to come and clap our efforts. She likely has no idea what's going on, but that didn't stop her from showing up. She's got the brightest smile on her face regardless of all she's been through lately, and I admire that, finding that we're similar in that sense.

She then points her finger up, and I already know what she means without speaking a word. If I look to the sun, there's a chance he is up there applauding me, applauding my brother. I choose to believe that my father is watching over us, that he's proud of our efforts and that we're standing before the town when he probably knows it's the last thing I want to do.

When I look back to Matilda, she's waving in a way that tells me she's leaving, and I watch the little girl bounce off, likely to go back to her grandmother at home.

I got to see her again, that's all that matters.

Holding JJ's hand, I look to my friends who stand alongside us. I loop my arm around Kiara's who stands directly on the other side of me. She's watching Emory, but the look in her eye isn't one of admiration or appreciation, it's worry, and I can't quite figure out why.

Looking in the same direction she is, I notice the man beside her── her father, I think── is muttering something to Emory, and based on the way her face pales and her applause stops, this man isn't saying kind things to her.

I'm equipped at family difficulties, and this is the definition of that.

The moment we're instructed to leave the stage, we split off from each other. Sarah and John B are whisked to one side, talking between themselves. Pope and Cleo stroll hand-in-hand to talk with Pope's parents, looking glamorous together in every which way. Kiara stands by herself, hovering near Emory as she shares a heated discussion with her father away from the eyes of everybody else. JJ and I, however, decide to share a joint to take the weight off.

JJ passes off the joint to me after he breathes it himself. "I gotta say, you usually turn down having a joint, Sunny."

I lift my shoulder in a shrug, placing the joint between my lips. He's not wrong, I usually decline his offer to share a joint as I don't wish to breathe in any kind of poison, but I really don't care right now. I want to relax, forget this entire day exists, and just have a little careless fun.

I cough, the feeling a little new to me as it's been a while since I've indulged in this. JJ chuckles, reaching for the joint. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes," I scoff, stepping towards him as he leans back into the pillar. "Stop asking, please."

"Just a little worried 'bout you, Sunshine, that's all." I love his concern for me, don't get me wrong, but I am fine. While I've been feeling a little weird lately, that doesn't mean there's something wrong with me.

I slide my fingers up his chest, nails dragging across the buttons of his shirt before I pull at the end of his tie. "I'm fine, JJ, I promise."

Another cloud of smoke falls from his lips before he passes the joint back to me, giving me a smile that I know very well. I smile back, pulling the joint back between my lips, needing to feel something── anything to make this feeling of dread go away.

Before I even get the chance to breathe in anything, the joint is snatched right from my fingers. "Can I have this? Thanks." Emory pulls the joint between her lips, sucking in a sharp puff of air before releasing it with ease. She doesn't pass it on, instead brings it back to her lips quickly. Well, I guess she needs it more than me.

Kiara is following behind her, likely to see what's wrong, but Emory doesn't look like she wants to talk. "Em──"

"Uh, are you..." JJ clears his throat, shaking his head, stopping me from asking.

"Fine?" Emory scoffs, her head shaking frantically as a maniac laughs slips past her lips. "Oh, I'm peachy, B. So, so fucking happy to be related to a man like that." She throws a look over her shoulder to the man who leans over a table with a bottle of whiskey in hand. Inspiring. "Sorry, I'm not actually related to him, but I swear to God, I'm turning into him."

"You're not──" Kiara shakes her head from behind Emory, silencing me again. "I'm sorry, what am I allowed to ask?"

"Oh, you..." She steps to me, chucking the half-finished joint into a glass of liquid that isn't ours, putting it out which I don't appreciate. "You can ask me anything you want, B."

I feel as though I'm walking into a trap given that Emory is obviously not okay, clearly ticked off from whatever conversation she just had with her father... or not father, I don't know. "I thought he was your dad?"

"No, I'm not related to him── not biologically or whatever, but family's family, right?"

Don't I know that to be true.

Picking up a drink from the table that doesn't belong to us, she downs the contents, her face emotionless as something that smells like alcohol burns her throat. She is not doing well, and it's strange to see as Emory is always a character around us. She's always full of life.

I guess family can really take it out of you.

"Hell is other people," she mutters, glaring at the man I assumed was her biological father. I guess, from afar, they don't look all that similar, so she must look more like her mother who, I guess, isn't here.

"What?" I look to JJ, his eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

"Nothing," he breathes out, staring at Emory. "Just something my dad used to say when he was wasted."

"Oh, yeah?" Emory laughs, teeth biting down on her tongue. "Mine too."

"Well, it seems we all have family issues."

"Touché," Kiara utters, sliding a hand against Emory's arm as she looks towards her parents, noticing that they're waving her over. Based on how well I know Kiara, I know she won't go over there, but Emory seems to already be moving, not that I'm surprised. They took her in, after all.

Emory steps away from Kiara. "I'll be back in a second." She rushes off, not giving any of us a chance to check in on her again as she goes to speak with Anna and Mike Carrera.

I turn to Kiara who peels her eyes off her parents and off Emory. "What's up with her?" I ask.

"Well, from what I overheard, her mother is missing." My eyes widen, not expecting that kind of statement. "Em just thinks she's on some kind of bender── you know, just off drinking somewhere and that she'll wash up later, so she's not concerned, just pissed that her... dad, or whatever he is, seems to be blaming it on her."

Wow. Both parents are alcoholics. Huh.

"He's blaming his daughter on his wife missing?"

Kiara sighs, shrugging. "Emory hasn't spoken to either of them in eighteen months, so her dad is blaming her for her mother's downfall."

"They kicked her out," JJ argues, glancing at Emory who puts on an act for Anna and Mike, laughing like she wasn't just about ready to drown herself in the bottom of a bottle, much like her parents appear to be doing.

Kiara shakes her head, obvious worry etched across her face. "Yeah, they did."

"Well, she's not wrong, hell is other people."

Emory's version of hell is likely her parents, much like JJ's version of hell is his father. I'm not sure what my version of hell is, but I don't think I'm able to pinpoint a person to what hell is. Sure, my father wasn't the greatest man or father, but to describe him as hell seems somewhat extreme when I always had somebody else to count on── John B. Emory and JJ never had anyone else other than themselves, so it makes sense they agree on that quote said by their alcoholic fathers.

I lean my head into JJ's shoulder, his arm sliding around my back. "She killed my joint."

I place my hand over his chest, feeling the beat of his heart under my fingertips. "Sorry, babe."

"Hey!" Pope is waving to us, instructing us to join him, Cleo, Sarah and John B at a table with a man who does not look familiar. "Come here."

"Should we──"

"No," Kiara interrupts. "I'll fill her in after."

"That's what she said," JJ whispers for only me to hear and I smack my hand against his arm gently, laughing at his poor time for a joke.

We join the others, gathering around this small table with this complete stranger. "Can we help you?" Pope asks, noticing that this man is holding a briefcase in his hands── a briefcase that he probably wants to show us for whatever reason.

"Yes. I wanted to tell you all it's remarkable what you all did. Royal Merchant, El Dorado, Denmark Tanny. Impressive résumé. Impressive." We know what we've achieved, we don't need it repeated back to us. "I was wondering if you would all be so kind as to look at an item of mine."

The briefcase is placed upon the table before us. "Oh, yeah? What type of item is that?"

"It's a manuscript," he tells, pulling said manuscript out of his briefcase. "I would investigate it myself, but I'm too long in the tooth. I need partners, and you were all first in my list."

Standing here, staring at this old-as-fuck manuscript, there was only one thing that became clear to me. He wants help in another adventure, but I know that I don't want any kind of part in it, not when things are finally on track for us. Sure, we have no money left, but we've got a home and a life and each other. We don't need anything more, especially not another treasure hunt.

When nobody says anything, Pope steps forward, holding his hands out. "May I?"

"I was hoping you would." He hands off the manuscript to Pope, watching as he began to flick through it while we stand behind him.

"Seventeen-eighteen," he utters, reading the date of the manuscript. "This is old." As he flips through, he notices a few things. "Exhibition notes, dates."

"This is a captain's log," John B realises. "This shows the exact position of the ship."

"The exact location where the ship sailed and where it stopped," the man clarifies.

"Who's the captain?" JJ asks.

"Edward Teach," he tells. "Blackbeard."

Around me, I watch as each of my friends smile, finding that their luck is turning around as we may be getting thrown right back into another treasure-crazed adventure. I, on the other hand, feel that sinking dread grow larger in the base of my stomach as I realise what this is.

We're back in the game after eighteen months.

We're back to losses, near-deaths and fights.

We're back.

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❀ soph speaks

emory has mommy & daddy issues but who doesn't???

basically, her mother is missing, her father isn't rlly her father but her stepfather/adoptive father, and she don't get along with either of them yay!

while this story is about brooke, i like having another character to look into so emory's life before she moved to outer banks will be revealed slowly if i remember to stick with it lol

hope you enjoyed this chapter . . .

thankyou for reading!!