Click!

"You can sleep with the others in here."

Elora's head snapped up so fast she thought she'd get whiplash. She'd just changed out of that godforsaken green dress and into a set of godforsaken satin pyjamas. A matching lilac tank top and trousers.

And at the door was Kie, in a grey version of what she was wearing. She looked scared, but otherwise unharmed.

And as the door clicked shut, Elora ran to her.

"Kie!"

Rafe had fallen asleep about an hour ago, agreeing to take the floor if Elle took the bed. One glance down at him and Kie was incredulous.

"Are you alright?" Elora asked, pulling away.

Kie just shook her head. "Why the fuck is Rafe here? I thought- he said Mr Cameron-"

"Ward, yeah," Elora nodded, her words hushed just in case the boy was listening. "But no, it's Rafe."

They hadn't spoken much since she denied knowing about the diary. He'd mainly paced whilst she sat and theorised. Then he'd fallen asleep.

And now that he was asleep, she and Kie could maybe talk. She'd scanned the room thouroughly for camera's when they first got in, and she knew there were none. However, she couldn't be sure about bugs.

Which naturally made her come to only one logical conclusion; notes. She'd found pen and paper in the room, and as long as they discarded of them afterwards it would be a safe way of communicating without Rafe or Singh hearing.

Kie's first question was expected.

Did you tell him about the diary?

Elora's response was short.

No, didn't tell Rafe either

Why does he want it? He only told me that it led to a treasure bigger than the Merchant?

He told us it leads to the city of El Dorado. City of gold apparently, hasn't been found for 450 years

And why the hell is Rafe here?

Cause he has the cross, and we had the cross, so Singh knows one of us must have it

And are we going to tell him?

Elora hesitated at that one, eyes coming up to meet Kie's as she bit her lip. The brunette looked worried, with wide eyes and a shaking body, and so did the redhead.

Her response was hard to write.

He said we have a day. Just seen him shoot Jimmy Portis in cold blood so I don't think he'll be happy if we don't tell him

Brown eyes met blue eyes in a look of panic and fear.

So you think we should?

Elora took a deep breath.

I think we should wait. See what happens in the morning

Kie nodded. Elora sighed.

She didn't want to give up the diary, or give it to Singh.

But she also didn't want to die without seeing her best friends, without seeing Tyler, again.

So, that night, as she and Kie went to sleep on either side of the comfiest bed she'd ever been in, the notes having been ripped to shreds and flushed down the toilet, she wondered what to do. What was right.

The problem was, she didn't even really know the meaning of that word anymore.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

Elora was first awake that morning.

Kie and Rafe were both still fast asleep as she sat on the edge of the bed, bare shoulders slightly cold. She paid no attention to that, however, because her mind was going at an alarming rate.

A day. Singh had told them they only had a day, which meant that by tonight, they'll have met their fate.

Her eyes flash with the image of what happened to Jimmy Portis happening to her, and to Kie. Yes, they'd been in a few life threatening situations by now, but none had felt as real as this.

None had felt as likely to happen, either.

And as she began to realise that, the more inclined she was to tell Singh about the diary.

They didn't have the real thing, after all. Only a copy. And by the sound of it, Kie had been debating telling him as well.

And she also wanted to hear something from Singh. How he knew her mother. If he was a gold hunter, he'd probably heard of her, but the way he had looked at her, the way he'd sounded when he spoke of her... it wounded like he had known her.

I'm sorry, Kie, she thought, looking back at her brunette friend, still asleep. But I have to do this.

So, before she could overthink this, she got up and headed over to the window, seeing a guard outside it and knocking lightly. "Hey!" She said in a half shout, half whisper. "Hey! I need to talk to Mr Singh! Go get Mr Singh!"

Her knocking clearly awoke Rafe, because next second he was sitting up behind her asking. "What are you doing?"

"Hey!" Elora ignored him, continuing to talk to the guard. "Hey, I need to talk to Mr Si-"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Rafe hissed, running up behind her. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

"None of your fucking business!" Elora snapped, turning round to face him before marching over to the bed and shaking her friend. "Kie! Kie! Kie, wake up!"

Kiara opened her eyes slowly, asking. "Elora? What's going on?"

"I'm talking to Singh," she said, trying to communicate with her eyes what she meant, so Rafe didn't understand. Kie seemed to, however, and nodded.

Elora went to the door next, Rafe shouting after her. "Think for a second! Elle, what are you doing?"

Now everyone was awake, Elora felt more confident, banging on the door. "Hello?"

"Hey! What are you doing?" Rafe demanded.

"Shut the hell up!" Elora yelled, continuing to wrap her knuckles on the door.

Rafe didn't listen, however, and decided to stand way too fucking close to her, staring down at her and murmuring. "You're lying about this diary. You both are," his gaze flickered to Kie. "You know where it is."

"No, we don't," Kie said firmly, getting out the bed.

"You don't?" Rafe raised his eyebrows as Elora ducked past him and went back to the window.

"You wish," Kie quipped.

"Okay, listen, I wouldn't tell me either-""

"Hey!" Elora shouted out the window. "Hey! I need to talk to Mr Singh!"

Rafe walked back over. "But he's never gonna believe that we don't know something, alright? Listen, Singh killed that-"

"Don't fucking touch me!" Elora snarled as she felt his hand on her shoulder, spinning round fast and throwing him off her. Rafe could do whatever the fuck he liked in this room, but he was not laying a hand on her.

"Look around, Elle," Rafe told her as she faced him, panting slightly, eyes narrowed. "Kie and I are the only friends you've got."

"Kie is," Elora snapped. "I wouldn't call you my friend even if I was held at gunpoi-"

The door clicking open caused Elora and Rafe to turn, Kiara already facing it. In came one of Singh's officers, which Elora marched straight up to.

"Hey-" Rafe tried to stop her, but she wasn't having it.

"I want to speak to Mr Singh," she said. "I have something to tell him. It's urgent."

She glanced back at Kie, who was looking at her fearfully yet stoicly. Her gaze flickered to Rafe, who was just looking pissed.

Then the guard nodded. "Yes."

And she was taken from the room.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

She wanted to punch this dude for how roughly he was holding her arm.

"Here," he said, releasing her when they got down to the room Singh had met them in yesterday. The man was sitting at the table, drinking and eating from a selection of food she'd have given anything to see a day ago, but right now she felt like being sick at.

She faced him, body tense.

"I lied."

It was a statement. Only two words. But it could destroy her.

"I know about the diary," those five words confirmed it. "I don't have the original. But I can get you a copy."

Singh nodded, looking down at his food. "I'm relieved to hear you say that, you know," he murmured with a nod. "May I offer you something to eat?"

"I'm not hungry," was her knee-jerk reaction, and it felt right to say it.

"Relax," Singh sat back. "Nothing's going to happen to you now. You're cooperating, and I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable, you know."

I don't believe you.

Elora tensed slightly. "I just want to get you what you want, and then I want to leave."

She also wanted something else, and she knew that if she didn't ask it right now she'd have lost her chance.

"But I also want to know something."

Singh looked at her, small smile crossing his lips. "What is it you want to know, Ms Easton?"

She didn't trust him one fucking bit-

"How do you know my mother?" She spat it out before she could stop herself.

The man before her shrugged. "I met her years ago, you know. Before you were born. We started looking for gold together, before she got picked up by John Routledge and Mr Cameron Senior."

Ward and Big John.

And Carla Limbrey was part of that too, wasn't she? She told me that herself.

"She left me," Singh sighed. "Double crossed me to get away."

Sounds like her, Elora wanted to say, but then again, if she had been in her mum's place, she probably would've done the same thing.

"You remind me of her," Singh finished. "You remind me of why I don't normally trust others."

Elora scoffed slightly, shaking her head.

"So now I've told you that," Singh looked up at her. "You're going to tell me where the diary is."

Elora looked at him, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I know where it is. But I have to go with Kie, just the two of us. No guards."

Please, please, pleas-

Singh's chuckle cut through her thoughts. "But how would I know you'd come back? You know, I need some collateral."

Shit.

That had been her ticket to getting her and Kie out. They could've gone alone, no guards, and escaped.

Collateral... she had no collateral. There was nothing here apart from Kie that she cared enough about to be-

"Rafe's here," the words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them. "Keep him."

"Rafe," Singh stood up, that same sickening chuckle filling the air between them. "How did someone so young get into so much trouble?"

He walked past her, towards the door. She turned to face him, wary.

"Look, I know where the diary is," she said desperately. "And if you let me and Kie go, I promise I can get it to you."

Singh turned to face her, looking very disbelieving. "You know, I built this fortune myself, from nothing. From absolutely nothing. Do you know how that happened Ms Easton, hmm? I can assure you, it was not by being a fool."

Elora kept her eyes locked on his, not moving even as he came closer, not showing how much fear was pulsing through her this very moment.

"The diary holds the key to the ultimate conquest," said Singh. "And that, my young friend Ms Easton, is my destiny. So you need to tell me where it is, or I'm gonna-"

Buzz, buzz!

He was right up in her face, and for a second Elora feared he was going to pull out another pistol, but no. A buzzing phone on the mantle caught his attention and he turned to grab it, opening whatever notification he just got.

It was when he started to laugh that she really got scared, looking up at her.

"Amazing. A text from our friend Jimmy Portis. From beyond the grave, apparently," he walked back towards her, turning his phone round. "It appears has captured your friends."

Elora looked at the text in shock.

It was a picture of John B and Sarah, looking dejected and scared. Below it was a single text.

I got these two

Fear shot through her. Jimmy Portis was dead. So this was undeniably the Pogues, who were unaware of this, faking a hostage swap.

"Ryan!" Singh shouted behind him, turning away from her yet again.

Elora was locked up in fear. The Pogues were clearly trying everything they could to get her and Kie back, but Singh could track that message, and if he knew where they were then he could send men to kill them like he killed-

"Get the big trucks and meet me in the back!" Singh instructed Ryan, who nodded. "Fenton, get Ms Easton-"

"Mr Singh! Mr Singh!" Elora shouted darting forwads. "Mr Singh please don't hurt my friends! Just- just please don't hurt them-"

Even after she was taken ahold of and dragged upstairs she kept shouting, tears in her eyes as she realised that she was in way less danger than the Pogues at the moment.

"Please don't hurt my friends! Please!" She screamed as she struggled against the man holding her, getting hauled away. "Please! Please don't hurt them!"

"That depends, Ms Easton," Singh said, as she reached the top of the stairs.

"Mr Singh-"

"We'll continue our chat later. I look forward to it, you know."

"Mr Singh, please-!"

She was shaking by the time she got thrown back into the room, wiping tears from her eyes and feeling her arms, which would no doubt bruise in a couple hours.

"Elle!" Kie shouted, running at her and hugging her tightly. "What happened? Are you oka-?"

"No, Singh- he-he's sending his men to go get the Pogues- he's gonna hurt them-"

"What?!"

The sound of Rafe's voice made Elora's anger spike, and she turned to him.

"You know, I'm just about fucking done with you!" She screamed at him. "Do I have to remind you of all the shit you've pulled? Of every single fucking thing you've done?!"

She sat down on the bed, Kie still looking confusedly between them as Elora raked her hands through her hair, trying desperately to calm herself down.

"You killed Peterkin," Kiara continued for her, sitting down next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder, keeping her voice steady. "Do you remember that? And everything you put Sarah through."

"Peterkin- I was protecting my father, okay?" Rafe snapped. "I did what I had to do so- don't."

"Peterkin was going to arrest your father for something he was guilty of," Elora snapped, clenching her fists. "You didn't have to do anything."

Rafe sighed heavily, sitting down in a chair opposite them.

"I'm as much of a victim as she is."

"Oh my god," Elora shook her head, chuckling slightly at how he was just justifying it. "You're so fucking deluded."

"Just think about it, okay?" Rafe asked. "What did I get from shooting Peterkin, huh?"

"An ego check," Elora muttered, head in her hands.

Rafe ignored her, imploring to Kie. "Nothing, okay? I had nothing against her, I mean, I-I-I liked her. You think I wanted to make that choice, huh?"

It was amazing to her. How he'd warped the idea of right and wrong within his head. He'd watched Singh kill Portis with fear, yet when it came to him and who he'd killed, he could easily justify it.

"What I did was a gift from me to my father for- for him. And I got screwed because of it, okay? So don't get that look when I say I'm a victim, alright?! I am!"

He raised his voice, and neither Elora nor Kie looked at him.

"I will admit, though..." he continued, not looking at them. "What I... what I did to Sarah... what I tried to do, um..." he stood up, coming closer. "What I tried to do to Sarah, I admit that was wrong. I know that, alright? So, you don't have to remind me."

There were tears in his eyes, and Elora was just looking at him. She would never ever feel sympathetic towards him, but... she could kind of see that in this case and this case only, he was at least feeling a bit of regret.

"She was family, I should never have touched her, you know? But you know, I just... I just lose control," he cried, and Elora shook her head.

"It doesn't make it forgivable," she murmured. "And I still hate you for what you did to Tyler, but..."

She trailed off, as Rafe came to stand before her and Kie.

"Well," Rafe swallowed. "All that I'm trying to say is that I'm not the bad guy that you think I am, alright? And even if I was... you two got no choice. You may not wanna trust me, okay? But I'm your best bet."

"We're each other's best bet," Kie corrected him.

Rafe shrugged. "Maybe. But you're still not getting out of here without me. I got a boat that can get us off the island and I can bet neither of you two do."

And she fucking hated to hear it, believe you me, but it was also true. If they stayed on this island then Singh's men would find her again. However, if they cooperated with Rafe they could get away, back to OBX, even.

And when neither her nor Kie objected, he went straight into planning mode.

"First, we gotta get out of here," he told them. "And it is better if we work together."

Elora was frozen, not wanting to say anything, not wanting to agree but knowing she had to.

Then she heard the sounds of voices outside the window, and trucks. She got up immediately and ran to the window, seeing ten, twenty, thirty soldiers jumping into various vehicles.

"They're leaving?" Rafe frowned.

"They're going to find the Pogues," Elora murmured, turning back to Rafe and Kie.

Rafe sighed. "Sucks for them. That's good for us, though."

Elora hated him. She absolutely fucking despised hi-

"This may be our only shot at getting out of here," Rafe looked from Elle to Kie.

Elora and Kie looked from him to each other.

And nodded.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

"We really going all this way?" Elizabeth asked John as they climbed up into the bell tower.

"Yes. If my son's really here, then he will come, and your daughter with him," was the reply she got.

Elizabeth scoffed. "Ellie's not going to want to see me, you know that, John."

John sighed heavily, turning to look at her. "Well, I think I can talk her round. You've really helped me the past month, Liz, I can tell you that one for free."

Elizabeth nodded, continuing to climb.

She still wasn't overly convinced he could convince her, though.

Elora Easton didn't listen to many.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

"Mr Portis. Do you have Ms Carrera and Ms Easton's friends?"

Tyler froze, the phone threatening to fall out his paralysed hand.

He had been great with this plan up until now, he and JJ working together to create it whilst the others helped wherever they could.

Except now, it was real. Elora was captured, and the possibility of losing her was very, very likely. He'd not really thought of it like that before, always believing he'd get her back.

He needed her. He needed to see her red hair, to pull her into his arms, to feel her body against his. To know she was safe and alive and not going anywhere.

As John B took the phone and began to lay out their hostage swap, he managed to come to, but only due to thinking of her.

We're coming, Elle. I promise.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

"Just get away from us!"

"I'M TIRED OF THIS SHIT, I'M GONNA KILL YOU TWO!"

SMASH!

"AAAARRHH! HELP! HELP!"

Elora was poised next to Rafe Cameron in the bathroom, Kie sticking her leg out to make it visible so the guard would fall right into their trap. She never thought she'd ever be faking an argument with Rafe Cameron, but then again her life had recently taken many unexpected turns.

"Hey, you two! What'd you do?"

Her heart beat faster as the sound of the door being unlocked filled her ears and the guard stepped inside. She knew he'd see Kie's leg and come inside the bathroom, and she also knew they needed to be ready.

"What be this?" He asked as he stepped in the doorway, the barrell of his gun becoming visible.

Rafe turned to Elle, and both of them nodded.

Go.

SLAM!

"ARGH!" The guard shrieked as Rafe slammed the door on his face, knocking his gun out his hand. The Cameron then punched him, knocking him onto the ground as Kie and Elora got free. Elle grabbed his gun and Kie helped Rafe detain the guard.

"Stay down, stay down, you understand?" Rafe snarled as he groaned, writhing about.

"Don't move!" Elora had never pointed a gun on anybody before, and wasn't convinced she could pull the trigger if needed, but she was faking confidence at the moment.

"Huge mistake," the guard told them, his voice slightly muffled as half his face was smushed into the ground. "You'll regret this."

"Hey, gimme the phone," Kie snapped, pulling his phone out his pocket.

"Here, tie him up," Elora was already taking down the drapes, Kie and Rafe working together to restrain him.

"Don't make a sound, alright?" Rafe snarled once they were finished, standing up. "Good?"

Elora's heart was beating like crazy as Kie opened the door, the three of them heading outside. The gun felt like it didn't belong in her hand as Rafe locked the door.

"This way, come on," he directed them along the landing and down a set of back stairs.

On the way, Elora noticed Kie was on the phone, and took her chance to overtake the brunette and shove the gun into Rafe's hands.

"You'll probably have more use for this," she said with contempt as they reached the bottom of the stairs, coming to another door. He stopped moving, taking it and shoving it into his belt.

Elora, meanwhile, was looking at Kie. "What are you doing?"

"I need to take a picture, I noticed something," Kie said.

"Okay," Rafe said, looking back at the two of them. "Come on."

So, whilst Elora and Rafe dashed in the direction of the door, Kie went in the other direction, back to Singh's room. Elora saw her holding the phone up, but didn't decide to ask just yet as she hurried back.

"Come on," she said, guiding her through the door.

They rushed out of it and reached outside, managing to get down to the very outskirts of the property. They peeked through the fence they were met with and saw a straw truck with a few workers beyond them.

"Can you see?" Rafe asked.

Elora nodded, out of breath. "I got an idea. Come on, come on!"

She sprinted back the way not having a clue where the fuck she was going. All she knew was that one of those staw trucks was leaving, and it was their perfect escape.

"Come on!" She shouted as loud as she dared as she legged it across the grass, ducking a fence just in front of Kie and Rafe and leaping onto the back of the truck.

How she managed to haul herself up onto it she would never know, and neither would Kiara or Rafe. Something to do with the adrenaline running through her and how out of breath she was.

However, what she had not been anticipating was the worker in the back of it. A man that stood up as soon as he saw her, his face creasing in anger.

"No! No, no-"

"Urgh!"

Elora and Kie watched in horror as Rafe lunged at the man, slamming him up against the back of the truck. Then he punched him, again and again.

"Rafe!" Kie shouted, her throat sounding choked up as the two men collapsed on the floor of the truck, Rafe kicking the man in the face as hard as he possibly could before hauling him upwards and shoving him off the side of the truck.

"No!" Both Elora and Kie screamed, eyes wide as they watched him tumble down and into the ditch, screaming and yelling.

Elora was panting, shaking her head as she looked up at Rafe, who was no doubt already justifying that possible murder in his head.

She shook her head. "I was right about you."

Rafe sighed, looking at her. "You can never resist an opportunity to dig it in, can you? He was going to-"

"I don't care what he was going to do, you probably killed him!" Elora yelled, standing up on her wobbling legs.

Rafe just looked at her, his lips a thin line. "I did that for us, Elora. For-"

"Don't fucking justify it," Elle snapped. "Just leave me alone."

𔓘𔓘𔓘

Up on the hill inside the church, Big John pummelled the bell with the hammer again, and again, and again.

"Bring it on home, John B," he muttered to the window, looking out at the whole of Barbados through it.

"And you too, Ellie," murmured the redhead stood next to him.