( CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE )
WHENEVER YOU GO, I'LL GO

✧

THE WINSLOW GIRL FELT . . . pretty good at this precise moment. Nothing out there looked good compared to the paradise she imagined in her head. No, in fact, she didn't imagine it. She was lying in John B's arms, her head buried in his neck while her hand was placed on his heart where she hear it beat at a perfectly stable rhythm that made her want to go back to sleep. She had slept with the boy who . . . loved her. Eden had only been repeating these words in her head since last night and this morning. It felt good to finally be able to think about something other than the murder still fresh in her mind, or Caden, or Rafe. She finally had the power to just stare at the Routledge boy and repeat those words to herself, and then all her bad nightmares would go back to bed.

It was still difficult for her to believe it. It must have taken them two years, a game of fake dating, a treasure hunt, a murder, becoming fugitives, for them to finally admit their feelings towards each other. But she didn't regret anything they had gone through together to finally get to this point. If it hadn't been for this treasure hunt . . . No, correction : if it hadn't been for that letter hanging on her door when she got back from the Boneyard, none of this would have happened, and she never would have had the courage to go back to John B for a second time. So yes, Eden believed that everything was happening because it had to happen.

Of course, Eden had some tough times in the early days. She was lost in her family, her not-really-boyfriend was a real manipulator, she didn't like her life, she didn't feel up to what was happening to her. She often thought about ending it before it became too much to bear. And one thing she was certain of was that what happened was only the beginning of something much more serious. But, she didn't regret at all having taken this route in her life. Going back to the Pogues, going back to John B was probably one of the best decisions she had made in a long time. She was finally herself, back in what she called home one day. She was back with her favorite people, even though she knew that this whole war between these two tribes in her life had just started. She was very well aware that by returning to the Pogues, her life would be completely turned upside down. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. But . . . she was there.

    There had already been this hatred between Pogues and Kooks for longer than she could remember. And nothing was going to work out for the best. In the only months she was on Figure Eight's side, she knew how their world worked. There was no in-between. It was either them or nothing. And Eden, she chose nothing, then she left for the side of the Cut. She knew what to expect now. Rafe was going to be completely furious when he would see her take John B's side. Eden's friends — Drea and Josie — were going to be either absolutely against her, or accepting of her choice. Either way, the group of Kooks was over for the girl, and she was going to have to live with the consequences. But at least she had him.

    She was with the right person who would help her find comfort when she hated the world around her. He was the boy who drew stars around her deepest scars.

    John Booker Routledge was the best thing that's ever been hers. And she was going to keep him this time.

Shortly after waking up, Eden sneaked around the house for fear of being seen through the windows despite the slim chances, she did it anyway because she was completely on guard, having slept with just one eye open. She didn't sleep much, her gaze always wandering through the window every time she heard police sirens. They had calmed down a bit around three in the morning, but she still hadn't managed to fall asleep. Compare to John B, who seemed to have had a pretty good night, as he only woke up twice with a start, the voices of men waking him up.

    So, Eden was now fully awake. Her eyes made their way towards the beautiful sun rising in the sky as police cars drove by repeatedly. She had this knot in her stomach, telling her that everything would end well, but she didn't actually know how it was going to end. She had this voice in her head that assured her that she and John B were going to end up on a heavenly place with JJ's boat, and that they were going to be able to rebuild a little life far from the dangers while things calmed down. But her other voice, the one that haunted her in the worst moments, told her that nothing was going to end well. That John B was going to end up in prison, and that she was going back to her crazy family and not possible to live with now. She couldn't go back into this house, and live under the same roof as Yasmina. She just couldn't do this.

    "Good morning." A voice spoke behind her in a sleepy, deep morning tone. Eden smiled, then turned back to John B who rubbed his eyes with his clenched fists, a frown settling on his face. She joined him on the mattress, falling to her knees beside him. "Did you sleep well?"

    Eden shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Not really. But you did. You slept like a baby, you lucky." She complained, making a face at him and she got a sincere smile from him, illuminating his facial features which were still asleep. "Are you ready for the big day?"

   He paused for a moment, hesitating on his answer, and he quickly went over the other options that were running through his head, but none ended well compared to simply running away. "I mean, do I really have a choice?"

    Eden gave him an apologetic look, pressing her hand on his arm, and she already felt him tense. She should have known that this day was going to be very worrying for him, just as it was for her who had not been able to sleep, having turned all the possibilities over in her head. "Look . . . we didn't have much time last night to talk about what was going to happen. And I just want to clear a few things with you."

    "It's simple." He assured her, sitting back, his long legs stretched out in front of him on the still not so comfortable mattress. He turned his face towards her, meeting slightly distressed eyes and a strain in her breathing. "Hey, everything's going to be okay, all right? I'm joining the crew at the dock at three O'clock. I'm taking JJ's boat, and . . . Mexico?" Eden let out a snort, catching a smile from John B. "I'll take that as a yes. For once, you agree with me."

    "John B, there's just something wrong with your plan." She pointed out to him, blinking to try to make him understand without speaking, but he remained confused. She shook her head, exasperated that she always had to explain everything to him. "You only speak to the I, as if you were all alone in this."

    "Yeah, because it is just me." He replied, completely in denial of what Eden was trying to convey to him without saying too much, but he looked totally out of it at the moment.

And she could understand why. He was only a teenager after all, and he was preparing to leave an island to save his life from the hell he shouldn't even have to escape. Eden ran her hand over his cheek, taking his eyes between hers. "John B, I'm coming with you."

He blinked more than ten times in less than five seconds. He was stunned by what she had just told him, as if he didn't want to believe it. "Wait—what?" He paused, fixing his eyes at her. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am." She told him without hesitation, delicately passing her second hand on his other cheek so that he clearly looked at her. She bit her lip, a little anxious about his reaction. "John B, there is no way I'm going back into that house with this family. And there's no way I'm gonna leave you alone in this situation. If you go to Mexico alone, you won't even know how to do the difference between a cop or a simple nice person. You will always be on your guard, and I . . . I can't just let you go without knowing if you're okay or dead."

"Are you serious, Eden? Like, really serious? You know that I don't know how soon I'll be back, or how things will turn out there." He reminded her, wanting her to be one hundred percent sure of this decision that had no going back. She nodded several times, a beaming smile that brought her whole being to life. He placed an extra strand of her hair on Eden's face behind her ear as she dropped her hands from his cheeks. "Are you — for real — coming with me?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm coming with you." She told him, moving a little closer to him. She sighed with her eyes towards the ground, and looked back up at him afterwards. "I'll go wherever you go, John B."

    John B delicately and gently passed his warm hand over Eden's cheek, and he examined every feature on her face. Going from her little dark circles forming under her eyes to her cute smile when she didn't know what else to do in those moments. He would have taken a photo of this moment, this second when she confessed to him that she would come with him, and kept it until the end of time in his back pants pocket.

Maybe he shouldn't feel like this, or maybe it was the most normal thing in the world for him given what was happening to him right now with the police and the murder, but when Eden confirmed to him that she would be with him, he felt this sudden relief in his chest. That lump in his throat when he woke up and that he'd had since yesterday, it was finally gone. Knowing that someone would be with him, other than his voice in his head, he was more than happy not to find himself alone in another place where he was the stranger. And above all, knowing that it was her, Eden Winslow, it brought a smile to his lips without even being able to stop himself. She was the person he wanted by his side and no one else, because no one else knows how to calm him down like she does. No one knows how to make him smile by just looking at a sunset. No one can make him dance in the middle of the crowded square. Nobody does it like Eden does.

    The Routledge boy wasted no more time, and placed his lips on hers, catching a breath from Eden. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of his mouth against hers, and it felt weird. Not bad weird, but good weird, yet . . . It was still disturbing for her to think that she had told him how she felt, and to be able to kiss him without necessarily being afraid of being rejected. Being able to kiss him without doubting herself or if she was doing something wrong. She deepened the kiss by running her fingers through John B's curls of hair, taking in every tender movement of the kiss, while he ran his other hand over her waist.

    "Wait—" John B cut the kiss abruptly, his brown eyes dropping to the floor, earning a frown from the girl. He cleared his throat, then he too had a confused look on his face. "Do you . . . do you want to go see your brother before you leave? After what he did last night, maybe he deserves to know what you're going to do."

"Are you really defending my brother after the beating he gave you?" Eden questioned, a little smirk on her face.

    John B shrugged, pouting his lips. "Well, he kinda saved my life. If he didn't help us, I'd probably be in jail already." He declared, and he found a big smile now drawn all over Eden's face. He let out an awkward laugh, not understanding. "What? What did I say?"

    "I don't know. It's just . . ." She let everything hang in the air for a few seconds before finally continuing, "You still appreciate him after what he did to you. I don't know, I find it too simple. I mean, with Rafe, it was always very strict and always about ego when something went wrong with other boys. But . . . you still see the good in what he did to help."

    "Yeah. I'm not like those Kooks, Eden." He affirmed, taking a look filled with sweetness and love from her, almost making him blush. "But, I don't fully appreciate him for giving me those hits in the ribs, I still suffer from it."

    Eden laughed at his face. "Aw, you suffer from the hit of my brother?" He shook his head, seeing that she was making fun of him, giggling at the face he was throwing at her. "Do you want a kiss to stop your suffering?"

    "I mean, I wouldn't say n—"

    He was suddenly cut off by the lips being placed on his again, catching a grin from him, leaving Eden all smily as she felt his reaction covering her lips. They moved in perfect sync, taking every sweetness the other could offer, and sent it into the heart to keep it forever and always. She shifted slightly from his embrace, keeping her puff of air from landing on his neck as he let his head fall onto her shoulder. She affectionately slipped her fingers through his soft hair, feeling as if she wanted to offer him all of her love for him.

    They stayed like this for a few minutes, sometimes being interrupted by police sirens passing close by. She felt John B shiver every time he heard these noises, as if it was already a repeating nightmare in his head. She massaged his hair at the same time as texting Noah on her phone which she had taken the time to go look for in the house ( which was in the other room that Caden was probably using ), and she had managed to see a response quite quickly. He was with Drea at her house. She sighed lightly. She didn't really want to see her friend, knowing that she would probably have to explain everything. But she had to talk to her brother, inform him of what she was going to do with John B tonight.

    "Okay. So, Noah is at Drea's. I'm just going to go see him for a few minutes, explain, and come back. It'll only take an hour, are you gonna be okay?" She questioned him, her eyes fixed on his, and he nodded so as not to worry her further. "Are you sure? Because I can not go—"

    "Eden, go ahead." He ordered her in a calm tone, grabbing her by the face. She moved her eyes from each eye, but he remained quite convincing. "I'll be okay. You have to go, okay? And if it gets too complicated here and the police show up, I'll be at the dock at three O'clock, all right?" She didn't answer, and only nodded. She suddenly felt anxiety swelling inside her, taking up all her space to breathe. "All right?"

"All—All right." She stuttered, then they stood up at the same time, helping each other. They faced each other, and Eden stared at John B for a moment, now fully aware of what was going to happen in the next few hours. "I'll be back, I swear—"

Her promises caught wind when the two teenagers heard a car door slamming, accompanied by police sirens too close to the house for it not to be here. John B's eyes widened. He left the girl standing in the middle of the room, not moving an inch while he approached the window hidden by a curtain. He pushed it slightly to the side, then against what he wanted, two police officers were in front of the residence, ready to intervene.

The boy suddenly turned towards her, completely alarmed by the situation. "Shit. We have to leave."

"What?" She jumped, and he completely ignored her as he passed by him to look out of the window that overlooked the back of the house. Eden rolled her eyes, and looked around the outside where she saw what was happening. "Shit. We have to leave."

"I know, that's what I just said." He scoffed, turning his head only half way, showing his boredom on his face. She raised her eyebrows, crossing her arms at this reaction. "There's only water out there. What do we do?"

Eden left this last interaction behind her, far in her thoughts, and approached John B and the other window where he was staring. She sorted through what could help them escape, but nothing could really rescue them. There was only water with a dock, and an old boat too conspicuous to appear unnoticed. Eden's chocolate brown irises finally came across something good. "Have you ever paddled?"

"Yeah. On a surfboard." He took the time to justify, and Eden raised her shoulders, making him understand that this information had no importance for her and her plan. "You have an idea?"

Eden nodded. "Maybe. Follow me."

    The boy didn't even think to argue, and followed her through the house, the knocking on the door from the police making them run even faster. Eden rushed to the back door, and let John B go first before following him. She showed him the paddle boards leaning on the dock, and they only exchanged a nod before walking quickly towards their emergency door : paddle boards. Eden heard the window being broken inside the house, which made her hurry even more.

They threw the boards into the water without thinking more about it, not even knowing where they were going to go, then lay down on them. Eden lowered her head, afraid of being seen, then began to follow John B who was moving his arms in the water to move the paddle forward. She was just following him, having no idea where they were going to end up. But Eden went no matter where he went. Despite the weird feeling still alive in her throat, she didn't stop following him.

    Although she had decided to come with him, what she had also decided was to put her life in danger — something she has done dozens of times before — but now it went even further. There were the police, people from the island who were looking for him for murder. The Kooks, and even the people from the Cut, and everyone on OBX were going to try to get him and win the damn amount of money. Even while talking to herself, trying to reassure herself and not turn around, it was putting her whole life in danger for him. But despite this feeling, there was another one that made her feel good and scared overall.

    She wanted to do it. She was scared, of course. If she didn't love John B so much, she would have gone back to her corner a long time ago and wouldn't focus her entire life on him. But . . . even at that, come to think of it, would she even have been capable of letting him go far away without ever having news of whether he's alive or slaughtered? If he's in a safe place or facing death threats? Would she have managed to get away from his warming hand? No. No, she wouldn't have been able to. So this other version of seeing it seemed crazy to her, but it's what kept her brave and confident. She was in love, and in love, we do the craziest things just to feel the person's hand for even half a second. Love is scary, she was completely aware of that. But it's what gave life, it's what made a dark life even more fun and exhausting at the same time. John B was fun and exhausting. She needed him like that, too.

    Precisely at that moment when his name echoed in his troubling thoughts, John B called out to the girl who was still moving her arms in the water, pushing forward the paddle board on which they had been lying and perhaps swimming . . . thirty/forty minutes. She had lost all sense of time even though her phone was in her back pocket. John B had placed their backpack on his board, straight in front of him so it wouldn't fall into the water.

"You okay?" He asked as he stopped swimming, completely out of breath from all the distance they went through without ever stopping. His throat dry, he coughed lightly.

She nodded without saying anything, also stopping to sweep her hands in the cool water of the day, and then she placed her head with her wet hair on her arms placed on the board to calm her heavy breathing. "What about you? You good?" She said, turning her face towards him, hair falling down her face out of breath.

He smiled for no reason at her beauty, and finally replied, "Yeah. I'm fine."

    Eden remained silent letting her forehead fall on her forearms, letting exaggerated breaths escape her and she slowly calmed her heart which was jumping in her chest. She always had trouble controlling her breathing while exercising, and sure enough, for the past few days, that's all she was doing so she was always catching her breath as if her life depended on it.

    "Do you think they'll be able to steal the boat? We only have a two hours left." Eden added after raising her chin towards him, finally calming by the beating in her chest and in her neck.

    John B jerked his head to the side, looking ahead. "Well, JJ's involded, so . . ." He moved his vision from the void to smile at the girl. "Yeah. Don't worry, you know him."

    She nodded, snickering too lightly for it to be considered real. She didn't have the strength to play out of tune as new police sirens went off in their ears. John B cursed under his breath, then without a word exchanged, they started swimming in the water again. He and Eden had gone through the marsh, thinking they would have less chance of being seen, but really, there wasn't really any place where they could manage to go unnoticed.

    She moved her arms forward twice before stopping, seeing that John B was heading in another direction that they were supposed to be heading towards. "John B, what are you doing? I thought the boat ramp was this way, right?"

    He stopped his movements in turn, and leaned his head forward, not daring to look at her immediately, knowing what he was going to say was just about to pissed off the girl. She waited a few seconds and he finally moved, parting his dry lips to explain. "Look, Eden, I've gotta go home."

    "What? You kidding, aren't you?" She sighed, moving a lock of her wet hair from her forehead, and leaning on her elbows. He shook his head. "John B, it's suicide. You're heading straight into the lion's den. There will be cops everywhere." She totally disapproved, changing position again, and knelt down on both knees.

"Yeah, and so what?" He grumbled immediately after these words, also getting on his knees, running his hand through his wet hair. He could see in her eyes that she didn't like the idea, and he understood, but he still had to go. "Look, I—I don't want you to come. It's too dangerous for—"

"What do you mean I'm not coming? And why do you need to go home?" She questioned him without stopping until he answered.

"The gold from Crain's house. It's at the Chateau." John B declared, and Eden already pulled her eyes away from him. "My dad's been looking for that for years. It's all I have left of him. I gotta get it. And we're gonna need the money."

She argued, "You'll get caught. That's not a good idea, John B."

"That's why I'm telling you not to come with me, Eden." He stated sternly, placing his brown irises on her worried and questioning face. "Look, I want you to go to the dock and join the others, we'll meet up—"

"No. We're not going different ways. You know how it ended last time." She reminded him, adding more in her tone in hopes of changing his mind. "I've been locked up in my house, and you've ended up playing between houses. We're not being separated anymore. I'm coming with—"

    "You're not coming with me, Eden!" John B exclaimed, and she kept her eyes fixed on him, biting her cheek to keep from getting angry at this stupid choice that could ruin their entire plan. "Listen to me, please. Go to the dock, and wait for me there. I'll come back."

    "No—"

    "Yes. Go to dock, all right? I'll come back for you. But if we don't have money, we can't go anywhere." He continued to justify himself as best he could, but she was stubborn too. She had this desire to follow him, because she had the feeling for a moment that it wouldn't end well. "Do you understand? It's better for you. It's too dangerous, and I don't know what they're going to do when they see you with me. Like an accomplice? I don't know, and I can't put you in more danger than you already are."

Eden swallowed without saying anything more, and he didn't place a kiss on her forehead, brushed her hand, or whisper a little sweet word to reassure her. He only left his side, and left the Winslow girl in the middle of the marsh on a paddle board that seemed to be sinking in deep water, but in fact it was only her worried heart that was becoming too heavy to bear. She stared at him for minutes until he completely disappeared from view, and closed her eyes, cursing. She had no idea where to go even though he had specifically told her to join the dock with the others who would arrive sooner or later. She took a second to look around, and without thinking about it anymore, she lay down on her stomach and dipped her hands in the water to walk towards her friends who waited for them to see them leave.

She just hoped that all of this wasn't for nothing.

__________________

She was thirsty as ever. Her arms were dead tired, and her eyes could no longer open completely in the face of the sun which had been beating down on her entire face for too long. Gray clouds had formed in the distance in the sky, and Eden was afraid that it was a bad storm heading straight for them, which could complicate things for her and John B during their future escape from the island.

She stopped for two seconds on her board, her stomach completely flattened while she took beautiful gulps of air into her dry and starving mouth. She hadn't eaten anything all day, and the tiredness in her muscles showed more and more as she swam. She pushed her hand to her forehead as if to ward off the heat surrounding her, but everything remained as it was. She wished she had the courage to jump into the deep water, but something stopped her. She was still a little afraid of water after Thomas' disappearance. She had never completely recovered from it.

"Eden Winslow?" Someone called her name near where she was, and she thought for a second of seeing one of her friends. She turned her head, but her hope was dashed when she saw Drea Alfieri's parents standing on a rich boat with other people she couldn't even place. "Whoa, whoa. Sweetheart, is that you?" The mother added, insisting while seeing that Eden looked away, trying to swim away from the boat without saying anything, but the board was moving towards them against her will.

"Oh, hi, Mrs. Alfieri." She simply greeted her, giving all of them an uncomfortable smile at the situation she was in.

"What are you doing here?" Mary Alfieri asked, as the girl slowly walked towards them, trying to look as normal as possible. "Do you need help?"

    "No. No, no, no. I . . . I'm just taking a nice ride on my paddleboard." She informed them, kneeling on her board which moved a little at this movement, making her afraid of falling.

    Drea's father, Mike, reappeared towards Eden which was now completely next to their boat. He passed her a bottle of cold water, and she didn't even think before grabbing it delicately so as not to cause suspicion, and took a large gulp without depriving herself. "Are you aware that there is a big storm heading straight for us?" Mike Alfieri informed her, causing her to look away with the water bottle stuck between her lips. "You can't stay out."

    After her sip, she asked them some more, "Are you sure? A big one?"

    "You don't know?" Mary sighed, and she earned a shake of head from Eden who was still taking sip of water in her mouth. "This is gonna be really crazy. Get in the boat. Yasmina would never forgive me if we left you. I insist, honey."

Eden lowered her face as she heard Mary's words leave her mouth. As if Yasmina was even a little worried about her daughter's life. She declined without being rude. "I'm okay. I have to go, someone is waiting for me."

"We insist." Mike cut her off sharply in her tracks, and simply put his hand around her arm to start pulling her in. "Get in the boat."

"You have no choice, you're coming with us, Eden." Mary grabbed her hand, and didn't listen to what the girl said. "Come on, Drea will be happy to see you."

"I assure you, I'm okay. I have to . . ." And she didn't speak any more when she felt herself being lifted into the boat by Mike Alfieri without her being able to say anything more.

Eden then abandoned the idea of ​​joining the boat ramp where the four other people she wanted to see before leaving, and completely boarded their white boat, which was quite well equipped for the number of people they were at the moment. The woman brought her a blanket after examining her with her eyes and seeing little shivers on her arms which caught the cool wind of the storm which was heading towards them. She gave Mary a little smile, then looked down at her hands that remained on her trembling knees.

She remained in her bubble while the adults, living on Figure Eight, around her talked about the magnificent big storm that was going to hit the island tonight. She bit her lip as she thought about the plan they had planned. They could always go on the other side of the storm, so they probably won't face it. But, would it work? They would first have to go unnoticed in front of all the police patrols and the tents they had placed for this affair. That's what she had just heard from one of the adults. This was no longer just a story for the Outer Banks cops to deal with, now there was the SBI as well. This sent deep worries to Eden. It was getting crazier than they could have imagined.

    The Winslow girl raised her chin when she heard small rumbles of thunder coming from the large gray clouds which were moving closer and closer towards them. She stood staring at the scary sky that seemed to be against her and John B since it gave them a storm the evening they were supposed to leave. She decided to take her phone out of her back pocket when an idea crossed her mind. If John B had the right to go find something to connect with a person he loved more than anything, Eden would have the right to go see his brother one last time before a long time after all? She didn't even think about it for two seconds before sending him another text message.

EDEN
Go to the Outer Banks dock. I'll be there in thirty minutes.

__________________

Eden almost jumped from the boat when Mike stopped the engine and the boat took a moment to come to a complete stop. One of the other men on board disembarked and went to hang a rope to hold it in place while all the guests fought their way out. When it was her turn, she took the time and respect to thank Drea's parents for bringing her back ( even though she was still angry about being taken away by force ) and they smiled sweetly at her. Despite what Mary had claimed, Drea was nowhere where the Winslow girl went. And she was almost happy. She didn't really want to see her and have to explain everything. Eden only wanted to see her big brother so that she could then join John B as quickly as possible.

She walked on the wooden planks all around the dock, her feet dead tired even though she had managed to nibble a few strawberries on the boat. She sniffed her nose without making too much noise, her head turning from left to right in the quest to see Noah somewhere among all the boats placed on the calm water. He hadn't responded to her since she sent her message so she was afraid he hadn't come. But all her worry went away when she saw him talking to a blonde, standing there tapping on a phone. She smiled to herself, then without even shouting his name, she rushed towards him with long strides.

    Noah and Sarah Cameron turned their heads at the same time, and both of their eyes lit up like rays of sunlight. Noah only had to take two big steps before Eden jumped into his arms, clinging to his neck. It was rare to see siblings hugging each other, it was something they wanted to deny loving, but deep down, when Eden felt her brother's arms around her, she felt completely safe. But, another thing is certain, the hugs never last too long because they don't like to admit to enjoying each other's contact. Eden was the first to leave his arms, wiping a tear from her cheek before he realized it was a happy tear to finally see him.

    "I'm sorry for changing the place. Drea's parents saw me swimming in the marsh and they took me by force, I—"

    Noah stopped her by taking her by the shoulders, a smile on his face. "That's okay. I couldn't answer, I thought that, maybe, the police was tracking my phone. But you're here now." He murmured more for himself than for her. "Do you want to go home?"

    This question completely stopped her body in a freeze without her being able to answer him. So he didn't understand what it meant when she left the burning church with John B? Eden turned her irises towards Sarah who gave her a reassuring smile that gave her a little courage to tell her brother what she was about to do, which meant : leaving with the boy she loved at Mexico without going back.

    She breathed heavily, her chest rising more and more, but she finally took a deep breath to regain her composure. Noah looked at her with a beautiful smile and eyes so innocent that it hurt her heart. She finally blinked, coming back to earth, and lowered her head. "I'm not coming home, Noah."

The hands on her shoulders fell to the ground as quickly as a gust of wind, and Noah's smile faded so quickly that she wished she had imprinted it in her memory to remember it. "What do you mean? I know it's complicated with mom, but we can work things out. I'll be with you all the way."

"No, it's . . . It's not quite about that." She replied softly, her throat dry again even after downing two bottles of water in a row. She scratched her forehead, trying to find the right words, but there really weren't any other than the complete truth. "Listen. I'm going to . . . I'm going to leave for a while. Maybe two weeks, two months, or even two years, I don't know."

"What do you mean, you're going to leave?" Noah broke down, a frown forming on his brows, then he looked to Sarah for some sort of support, but she said nothing. She was aware of their plan, she was also aware that Eden had already made her choice to go to John B, you could see it in her look of forgiveness. "Eden, where are you going and with whom?" She didn't answer right away, and she saw the trigger that Noah had just had in his head. He shook in disapproval. "No. No, he doesn't need you. John B is a fugitive. Eden, you can't—"

"I'll come back one day, okay? I promise, Noah. But . . . For now, I have to go with him.
I—I love him." She confessed sincerely, which made Sarah let out a happy gasp as Noah's eyes widened. Eden made a snicker in her sigh without meaning to, and her brother stared at her. "I know it sounds crazy, but, when I tell you he didn't do anything, it's real."

    "Does he love you?" Noah questioned, his look more than serious like she's never seen him before, and she understood that he just wanted to make sure that it wasn't a bad joke on John B's part and that it was all a plan to get himself free.

    Eden nodded without even thinking. "Yes. He does, I have no doubt."

    Noah moved his head up and down without saying anything for a moment, and without him even realizing it, a tear fell down his cheek. His sister lowered her face, not liking to see him cry. "Shit. I'm getting emotional." He grumbled, running his hand down his cheek to wipe away the tear as Eden chuckled a second time. He looked up at her, and for some reason, something in his heart urged him to say a few words to his sister before she left. "You know I love you more than anything, sis? I love you more than that damn John B."

    "Maybe you should debate this." She joked, shrugging her shoulders.

    He refused. "No chance. I love you more than anything in the world, and I want you to know that, okay?" She didn't respond as he took a step towards her, and placed his hands on her shoulders again to hold her in place and listen fully to his words. "I know it was never easy between us, that mom did atrocious things that made you hate us all, but I always loved you. You're my little sister, I will always protect you now. I know I've been screwing up my role for years, but I get it now. I will always be on your side when it comes to mom."

Eden saw no other way not to cry in the face of his words, so touching that she took them deep into her heart. "Promise me you'll be there when I get back. I'll need you so I don't get into another mess."

Noah's lips finally lifted in a new smile mixed with the pain deep within him. "I'll be there. For you, but also to kick John B's ass."

Eden gave him a childish punch on his shoulder, earning an exaggerated reaction from him which made her laugh completely. She looked from him to Sarah Cameron behind him who seemed like she had been running miles for days. She passed by her brother's body, and took a few steps before being placed in front of the blonde who seemed about to burst with every passing second. She didn't think, and took her in her arms as well, choking back the tears that Sarah fell onto Eden's skin.

She too had accumulated a lot of things over the past few days, and they had not seen each other since the murder on the tarmac. Eden felt her best friend trembling with tears in her arms, and she tightened her hold on her. "Hey, you're okay. Everything's going to be fine." She assured her, and the words she had said to Peterkin came back to her head suddenly, but she erased them by closing her eyelids. "I've got you, Sar."

"I'm so sorry about everything, Eden." Sarah whispered, wiping all the tears from her face, and brushed away strands of hair that were too annoying. The Winslow girl smiled at her as the blonde had done rather to comfort her. "John B doesn't deserve to go to jail, and you don't deserve to be put in this mess with my brother. He tried to kill you, my dad kidnapped you. I—"

"Hey, listen to me." Eden called quietly as she bore her eyes into hers. She placed her hands on her arms, and stared at her for a long time. "While I'm gone, stay at the Chateau. Stay with the Pogues, go to Kiara's, but find yourself a place to stay safe, okay? I don't know where me and John B are going to end up, but stay alive, okay?" She asked her strictly, and Sarah nodded, now stopping crying. "Nothing is your fault, get that into your head, Sarah. I put you in this mess, I'll get you out of it when I get back."

    "It's not yours. It was me who insisted on being part of your treasure hunt. You warned me, but I wanted to get out of my bubble. I made this choice, you didn't do anything wrong. Get that into your head, Eden Winslow." Sarah repeated her words, which made her friend smile despite all the sadness of the situation. "I'll find a place to stay, and I'll try to get the charges against John B dropped. Count on me, Ed'."

Eden passed by and pressed her lips together to keep from crying. "You're my best friend," she began, and Sarah nodded silently. "I'll love you forever. Whatever happens, know that you're my best friend."

    "And you're mine." She replied before showing her her little finger. Eden lowered her eyes to her finger, and squeezed it with her little finger in turn. "Forever."

    "Forever."

    And they melted again in a big hug to deliver all the love in the world in their friendship towards each other. Eden bit her lip, taking into account that these were the only two people she had managed to say goodbye to. Pope, Kiara and . . . JJ weren't going to get any goodbyes from her even if she had already prepared all the words she had to say to them. But she couldn't, so she still counted herself lucky to have seen her brother and Sarah again before leaving.

Leave . . . Leave . . . Shit, she had to leave!

She jerked away from Sarah, her palms on her shoulders as she turned to her brother. Noah looked at her, confused. "I have to go. I have to join, John B! What time is it, Noah?" He didn't move, so she exclaimed. "Noah! What time is it?"

    "Oh, yeah, that's my name." He finally noticed, and the two girls silently judged him. He took out his phone, and told her, "3:05 p.m."

    Eden's eyes widened like a fish, realizing that John B was probably already at the dock with the others and that he had certainly not waited for her, the police were looking for him everywhere. She passed her hand over her forehead, and looked from one person to the other. "Love you, guys! I'll see you in a while!"

    Noah and Sarah yelled at her at the same time to be careful while she was already running away from the dock to get to the marsh as quickly as possible. It was almost certain that he was going to take this path. But he had to wait for her. He had to.

    He had to.

authors note: One chapter left, what the hell?? I can't even believe this book finally arrived at an end. I worked so hard, and what, there's only ONE chapter left before book 2. I can't believe it.

This chapter had me crying at the end. The Winslow siblings have my heart for multiple reasons, but surely because they always look for each other no matter what!! 🫶🏻

Love you all and take care of yourself until next time . . . See you soon <3