'Why do people do the things they do?'

It was early morning, and Tyler was still in Mase given that Topper and Sarah hadn't left that night. He was walking along the beach, the waves lapping over his feet, the sand soft on his skin.

'I never thought it was that complicated.

You do what seems right, in the moment.

When I first met Elora Easton, I thought she was a complete bitch. I didn't think for at all about how much of a dick I was, getting close to her for fun, kissing her on a whim and then leaving her to rot, right after her father died.

I never thought I'd end up falling in love with her. But the heart wants what it wants.'

He'd had his suspicions about what Sarah and Topper had done last night. He'd seen them, sleeping too close to each other with her head on his chest. He'd seen the way they looked at each other.

He felt angry at her, for flat out cheating on John B. But he also couldn't say anything, because he'd done the exact same thing to Elle.

'And now, after everything that's happened, it just doesn't seem so simple.'

𔓘𔓘𔓘

"Ty? Hey!"

"Hey, Kie."

The Carreras were having an anniversary party tonight.

Tyler knew because he was attending, with Topper and his mom. He didn't want to go, because he knew Kie was going to be there, but he also kind of had to, otherwise it was off to Kansas for him.

Sarah and Topper had been ordering breakfast at the Wreck, and he hadn't wanted to be around them. So, not being very hungry himself, he'd gone for a walk on the docks.

He hadn't expected to run into Kie, who was carrying a box of random things, shoving it into the boat.

"What are you doing?" Kie asked, frowning slightly as she looked at him. "I saw Sarah and Topper in there, are you with them, or...?"

"Yeah, and I don't really wanna be, if I'm honest," Tyler sighed.

"Why not?" Kie frowned. "Did something happen?"

"I don't know," Tyler shook his head. "Anyways, what are you doing?"

"About to go drop off supplies for my parents' anniversary party tonight," Kie answered, jumping in the boat and beginning to ready it, looking back at him. "But I wanted to ask you, uh... what's going on with you? Was it bad, going back?"

It was horrible, worse than you can imagine.

"It was fine," Tyler forced a smile. "She's, uh... she's convinced me to come back home, and go back to the academy."

Kie nodded, frowning slightly. "What?"

"I know," Tyler nodded. "It's a miracle."

"And Elle?" Kie frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. "What does she think of all this?"

And there it was.

The question he didn't want to answer. The question that he hated with all his heart.

"We, uh... we actually broke up," he said, biting his lip.

Kie looked at him in disbelief. "What?"

"I know, uh... I know it's unexpected," Tyler sighed. "But she didn't agree with it, and, uh... we weren't headed in the same directions, so... yeah."

He knew he wasn't convincing her. He knew it, but-

"Tyler, that's-"

"Ty! Kie!"

Sarah's voice cut through the tension as both Tyler and Kie turned to the girl, who was running down to join them. "Listen, Topper and I were just getting breakfast-"

"It's none of my business," Kie announced.

"Breakfast, that's it! Tyler was gonna join, and you should too, if you want to!" Sarah said.

Kie chuckled slightly, jumping out the boat again and standing next to Tyler. "Breakfast?"

"Yeah, breakfast," nodded Sarah.

"Yo, Kie!" Topper shouted from the top of the dock, waving his hand.

"Yo, Top!" Kie shouted unsurely, almost mocking him, and Tyler would've laughed if he wasn't going through it.

Topper walked down, Sarah hissing to Kie. "I had nowhere to go last night. Cleo's at Pope's, I couldn't find JJ or Elle, John B and I got into, like, a thing, like- he took me to Mase, Ty was there too, and-"

"Okay, so you bring him to the middle of the Island Restaurant on a Saturday?" Kie asked.

"Kie, what's up?" Topper grinned, reaching the group. "Random, right?"

He held out a fist as an invitation for a fist bump and Kie blanked him. Tyler scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Look, I'm just gonna go," Kie said. "I don't wanna impose. Gotta help my parents set up for their party tonight."

"I'll come with you," Tyler said instantly.

"What? You can't," Topper said.

"It's still in Figure Eight," Tyler shrugged, looking at his brother darkly. "And I wanna leave, Top, so just let me."

"Okay," Kie nodded, the both of them jumping into the boat.

"You know what? I'm gonna go too," Sarah said, jumping into the boat.

"Wait, wait what? Our food's literally just coming out right now," Topper frowned.

"Topper, I-I'm leaving. I'm going with Ty and Kie," Sarah said, turning back to the boy. "But thank you."

As she darted forward and kissed his brother on the cheek, Tyler knew for a fact that something had happened between them last night.

And as Topper walked off and Kie turned the engine on, she just looked at the two of them, laughing awkwardly and asking. "What are you two doing?"

And fuck, he'd be damned if he knew.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

"So, walk me through it one last time," JJ said as he and John B sat in the front of the Twinkie and Elora struggled with a feeling of loneliness as she sat in the back.

John B had filled them in on what he'd found out in the past few days, and now they were on the way to a dead man's house to find out where they'd taken Big John.

"Okay, right there," John B tapped on a point on the map JJ had in his hands. "That's where they're taking him, that's the sight of the idol."

"You pointed to just South America, you know that, right?" JJ checked, frowning.

John B swallowed, nodding. "Yep."

"Wait, so you don't actually know where he is?" Elora asked.

"Listen, that's why we're going to the professor's house, alright?" John B protested. "Look, he was at the site!"

"Okay," nodded JJ. "So happy we have the map, then."

"Ecstatic," Elora sighed, her eyes suddenly going wide. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold up! We're going to a house with a fucking dead body in it?"

"Wait, what the hell?!" JJ shouted.

"Yeah, that's where we're going," nodded John B.

"And if the cops show up, you understand that that makes us look like we murdered him?" Elora demanded.

"Yes, I understand that, Elle," JB nodded again.

"Okay," JJ nodded, biting his lip. "Just making sure."

Elora sat back and rolled her eyes. To be honest at this point, she was willing to do whatever it took to get her mind off Tyler. So she might as well help John B find his dad whilst she was at it.

When they Twinkie stopped at an old house they all jumped out, running up to the door. John B opened it slowly, and they all sneaked inside.

The house was... interesting. It was quite modern, yet filled with loads of old trinkets, maps and other things. John B led them into the living room, looking in shock at the table as he did.

"His body's gone," he said, shaking his head. "Sowell was right here."

"And Sowell was the...?" JJ frowned.

"The professor," John B explained.

"Right, okay, no, I know what happened," JJ said. "They've already been here, John B. They sent in the sweepers and now probably decontaminated this whole room, so there's probably nothing left, we should get out-"

"Maybe there's something," Elora corrected him, speaking over him.

"Okay, so what are we looking for, then?" JJ demanded of her.

"I don't know, ask JB!"

"Anything that has to do with an archaeological dig," John B answered.

"Well, that narrows it down," Elora rolled her eyes. "Thanks for that jackshit, John B-"

"I'm trying, Elle, okay?" John B sighed.

"Okay, anything, frickin anything," JJ said, beginning to poke around about the house.

Elora followed his lead, going to look in a few boxes in the corner of the room, sighing as she began to pick out random stuff-

"Wait, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, don't leave your fingerprints, Elle!" JJ said, wiping down the places she had touched. "This is a live crime scene."

"Suck my dick, JJ," Elora rolled her eyes, but just because she saw his point.

"You're welcome?" JJ raised his eyebrows. "You know what? Actually, I think I'm gonna go look in the kitchen, alright? No one ever checks the fridge."

"Yeah, go for that, man," John B said, looking at something on the other side of the room.

As JJ left, Elora turned to him, asking. "So you were here? When, y'know, Sowell was..."

"Killed?" John B raised his eyebrows. "Yep. We were right here," he looked down at the table. "And he was talking about the idol, and the gnomon, and..." his eyes went wide. "Telemacatl."

"What?" Elora asked, as he seemed to spring awake, striding round the table and picking up a piece of paper from underneath the mantle.

"Wha-? JJ!" She called, urging the other boy from out the kitchen. "JJ!"

"Hmm?" JJ came back through, chicken thigh in his hand.

Elora rolled her eyes. "Fuck off, it's not snack time."

"You know what? I feel very judged right now. There's an entire bird in here that'll just go to waste, alrig-?"

"Entire bird? That's a thigh, J-"

"-it's not like I'm stealing it, no one else is gonna eat it-"

"Oh my g-"

"-and I haven't been able to eat anything since-"

"Elle! JJ!" John B's incessant shouting caused them both to turn to him.

"You found something?"

"Yeah," John B nodded, holding up another bit of paper. They both rushed over to him, seeing it was a newspaper clipping, which John B quoted. "'Local expedition team departs for South America'."

"And one of these guys is Sowell?" JJ asked.

"Right there," John B said, pointing to one of the men in the lineup on the picture. Then his eyes widened. "Holy shit."

"What?" Elora asked.

"Neville."

"What?" JJ said it this time.

"Neville," John B repeated. "The last thing Sowell said before he died was Neville."

"Neville?" Elle frowned. "Is that one of these g-"

"Right there," JB pointed at the name at the top of the paper.

Neville Persaud

"Neville Persaud," JJ repeated. "Expedition guide..."

His and Elle's mouths fell open and their eyes widened as they turned to John B.

"So Sowell said five people on the expedition, right?" JB nodded, his voice getting louder.

"Right."

"Well, three of those people died, which leaves us with two," John B stuck up two fingers.

"Sowell," JJ put one down.

"And Neville," Elora finished, pointing at the finger still pointing up. "He's the last one standing."

"Yeah," JB nodded. "I think Sowell was telling me to warn him. Cause Singh'll be coming for him next."

"We need to find Neville," deduced JJ.

John B smirked, nodding. "Let's do it."

"Hell yeah," Elora said, smirking, cracking the first smile since Tyler. "Let's do this shit."

𔓘𔓘𔓘

"Alright, Sarah. It's time to come clean."

Tyler, Sarah and Kie sat outside the Carreras, backs against the wall and legs splayed out in front of them. They were sat on cushions Kie had managed to get from inside, all three of their moods pretty bleak.

"What happened last night?" Tyler asked Sarah, looking at her. "You and Top?"

"Oh god," Sarah looked down at her hands.

"Listen, I know I'm an amateur and you two's 'girl talk' and shit, but... just tell me," Tyler sighed, looking between her and Kie. "Tell us."

"Okay, right, it's actually so embarrassing," Sarah sighed. "He caught me slugging beer at the Tiki Bar."

Tyler chuckled slightly. "He never told me that bit."

"Hey, I'm not judging," Kie spoke up, holding her hands up.

"I wouldn't blame you if you were," Sarah told her with a sigh.

"And then we all went to Mase, us and some others and you, obviously, Ty," Sarah nodded at the blonde boy.

"Yep," Tyler sighed, biting his lip.

"And...?" Kie raised her eyebrows, looking sideways at the blonde girl.

"I kissed him," Sarah said, closing her eyes for a second and shaking her head.

Tyler and Kie both nodded, having suspected as much. Tyler looked down, not even wanting to think about Elle right now but being unable to keep his mind off her.

Sarah looked down, asking both of them. "Do you hate me?"

Kie shook her head. "Hate's the wrong word."

Tyler looked at her, sighing. "So you and John B are just done?"

"What, like you and Elle are?" Kie shot back,  but there was no bite in her words.

Tyler sighed, looking out at Figure Eight instead of back at her. "I don't wanna talk about that, Kie."

"You still love her," Kie said. "It's pretty obvious, Ty."

"Well, we're headed in separate directions," shrugged Tyler. "I can't be with her anymore."

"Well, in terms of John B, I... I don't want to be finished," Sarah changed the subject, seeing that Tyler didn't want to linger on Elle for too long. "Like, since the island, everything has felt so abnormal, and it just felt nice to do something normal again, and I, like... I'm a mess. I feel like such a mess."

"Join the club," Tyler gritted out, looking down at the ground. He couldn't tell them why he was feeling that way, but he could at least tell them that.

"I think we're all a little messed up," Kie said wisely, her voice low. "You two, me, JJ. He stole a money clip from my dad, you know, and I'm still pissed about it. He's just pretending he doesn't care, he won't even talk to me. I'd rather argue about it."

Tyler nodded, wanting more than anything to talk to her about Elle, to get everything off his chest.

But threats of being shipped away from OBX still lingered in his mind, and he knew that if he did say anything, that's what was coming for him.

So, as Sarah's phone pinged with a message and she checked it out, he looked at Kie, smiling slightly. "Thanks for letting me join in on the girl talk."

"No problem," Kie chuckled. "But just so you know, Ty, I think you're being an idiot."

"Yeah," Tyler puffed out a sigh, looking out over Figure Eight. The place he hated, and the place he called home.

I think I am too.

𔓘𔓘𔓘

The Twinkie rolled throughout fields of growing weed and crops, and only came to a stop outside an old warehouse where loads of people were milling about. JJ was driving, and the other two had no idea what was happening, besides the small pep talk he'd given them along the way.

"So let me get this straight," John B said as they jumped out. "So, because you know a guy with the same last name as Neville, you think they're related, that's your master plan?"

"Right, okay," JJ said. "How many people do you know with the last name Persaud?"

"Absolutely none, but that doesn't mean this dude's related to Neville," Elora pointed out.

"Just listen, Elle," JJ said wisely. "I met a guy here last summer with my cousin cause we were doing the growing business, yeah? Last name Persaud. Or wait, was it Percett?"

"Fucking hell, Jayj, if you've got this mixed up-"

"No, no, no, no, wait, I know Mr Persaud, alright?" JJ told them. "Trust me, it's cool."

He turned to the guy nearby, asking. "Hey, uh, Mr P, right?"

"Heyyyyyy!" The guy grinned, his face splitting into a smile.

"Yeah, I told you," JJ turned to Elora and JB for a second. "What's going on, man?" He grinned at the man. "Yeah, hey, so we're looking for- we're looking for Neville, is he still here?"

"Nah, nah, he's out there," the man pointed to their left. "Been holding up near Doe Creek."

"Doe Creek?" JJ asked.

"In his houseboat," nodded the man. "Way, way back."

JJ turned to John B and Elora, biting his lip.

"Well," Elora muttered to JB, rolling her eyes. "Looks like we're looking heading up the Creek."

She waited for a second before adding an afterthought.

"Without a boat."

𔓘𔓘𔓘

"Why'd you ever doubt me, dude?" JJ asked as they waded through the creek, cold water lapping up Elle's shins.

"This idea was a little far fetched is all I'm saying," said John B.

Elora scoffed. "You say far fetched, I say full on batshit."

JJ shrugged. "Alright, so we're looking for... a houseboat."

It didn't take them long to find one, moored just about twenty metres up from them.

"That looks like a houseboat," JB commented. "You think he's there?"

Elora sighed. "There's only one way to find out."

"Yeah," JJ nodded, cupping his hands to his mouth. "NEVILLE! HEY-"

"Dude, stop it!" John B yelled, shoving his hands over his mouth.

"Dude, what?!" JJ hissed.

"He thinks people are trying to kill him, Jayj, he's hardly going to come out and say hey," Elora rolled her eyes.

"Ah, okay," JJ realised. "It's probably a death trap."

"Yeah," nodded John B. "Unfortunately, we don't have any choice."

The three of them nodded, all knowing what they needed to do.

The water was a shock to Elle as she dove in first, her hair getting wet and her clothes sticking to her body. She swam through the water, John B and JJ right beside her, as they made their way to this houseboat.

When they got to the ladder, she was still leading, and so climbed up it with as much strength as her numb arms could muster. The boat was nice, and filled with things that made it seem homey.

"JJ, keep it down," John B whispered as he came up behind her, their last friend making a bit of sound on the way up.

Elora looked at John B, who motioned her to advance. Inside the boat there was a small kitchen and living area, and as she was looking around, John B pressed a hand to the stove.

"It's warm," he hissed as he withdrew his hand. "He's still here."

They all nodded, remaining vigilant as they walked back out, JJ sighing. "Maybe he split when he heard us coming-"

"DEVILS!"

"Elle, MOVE!"

In a flash, a man ran round the side of the boat. A man that was armed with a machete, and very flighty. He swung, almost hitting Elora as John B darted forward, punching him. Neville drew his elbow back, clocking JJ in the face as he went for another strike-

"Neville, STOP! We just wanna talk!" John B yelled, holding his hands up to stop him.

But Neville didn't listen, wrestling with JB, pushing him back.

"JOHN B! Tripline, tripline!"

They tripped, alright. They toppled right over, the both of them, and into the inside of the boat, scrabbling about, the machete coming up-

"No, no, no-"

"Urgh! Let him go!" JJ latched onto Neville's neck, getting him in a headlock, pulling him off-

"Stop, stop, stop! We know Professor Sowell!" John B shouted.

"Who gave you that name?" Neville demanded in a snarl, still on top of him.

"Let him GO!" Elora yelled, getting in a good aimed kick to the side.

"You were in Orinoco last year!" John B shrieked in desperation. "With five other people, right?!"

"How do you know that?" Neville demanded, still struggling against JJ.

"Let go, let go!" John B shouted.

"Let it go!" JJ joined in. "Let it go!"

In a flash, JJ had grabbed the machete, and was hauling Neville upwards, threatening him with it. "We're on the same team, home dog, okay?"

"Look, we don't wanna hurt you, but we need some information," Elora crossed her arms. She took the machete off JJ. "Put it down."

"Jesus," Neville shook his head.

"Look, we were just with Sowell yesterday," said John B. "He, uh... he didn't make it."

Neville looked at him, frowning at all three of them. "He's dead?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry," John B whispered.

Nevilled was breathing shakily as they let go of him, shaking his head. "I'm the last one left," he murmured.

"Too right," Elora nodded.

Neville walked down the boat, taking a seat on a small bench at the side. He looked down, shaking his head, his lips moving but no sound coming out.

"That's why we had to get to you before they did," JJ said. "If we found you, they can too."

John B nodded, opening up the paper he'd retrieved from Sowell's. It was a drawing of a weird stone thing, with three pillars abd a circular stone in the centre. "I just have a few questions. Solana, you've been there, yeah?"

"That is a place of evil," Neville said with no hesitation.

Elora frowned, not knowing where this was going or what was happening.

"That stone piece right there," John B said, pointing to the circle. "Me, my dad and someone else found the thingy that goes in the centre."

"The gnomon," said Neville.

"Gnomon," repeated JJ. "What's a gnomon-?"

"Hey, I got it, I got it," John B told him, turning back to Neville. "Listen to me. Now, there's some bad men who've taken my father to this place, and they're gonna kill him. So, I need your help to find this place, Neville."

"No," Neville shook his head, standing up. "No, no, no, no. The curse has already done enough!"

"No, look, it's not a curse, okay?" John B sighed. "I understand that it's dangerous but I need your help."

But there were more pressing issues, as Elora heard the faint revving of an engine in the background.

"Wait," she said, but JB continued to talk. "Wait, John B-"

"What, Elle? I told you, I got th-"

"Shut the hell up!" Elora shouted, planting a hand over his mouth. "And listen."

And as the boat fell silent, everyone heard it.

"Neville, how much traffic do you get on this river?" JJ asked wisely.

"NEVILLE! NEVILLE PERSAUD!"

Clearly, there wasn't often a lot of traffic.

Cause as they looked out the window, the boat next to theirs was filled with two men. One of whom had a gun pointed directly at them.

And he didn't hesitate to fire.

"Argh!" Yells tore from the three teens' throats as they ducked, the glass in the window shattering and falling all over the ground.

"Jesus!" John B cursed as another bullet came through, the three of them curled up on the ground, desperately trying to avoid getting shot.

The bullets didn't stop there. They came again and again and again, shattering glass and causing dust and other things to fall around them.

"Get the anchor!" Neville screamed at them from where he was crouched in the living area. "Let's go!"

Elle, John B and JJ sprinted for the exit, needing to get off the houseboat. However, the other boat was watching them, so they had to do it carefully.

They were as quiet as they could be as they sneaked round, Elora going first and slipping down the ladder, back into the water.

"Round! Go round!" JJ, who had the machete clenched between his teeth, furiously tried to communicate.

"Neville?" They heard one of the men shout up on the boat. "I know you're in here."

Elora's heart was beating like crazy as she, JJ and John B got round to the back of the other boat, crawling aboard it. She motioned to JB that she could do this, her eyes caught on the keys.

She couldn't help but smirk slightly as she slowly crept up, sliding the keys out their slot and-

Click-

"Shit-" Elora cursed as one of the men noticed her, turning and clicking his bullet into place. Elora grunted, furiously grabbing onto the gun and beginning to shove back, needing someone, anyone to-

"Urgh!" The man grunted as JJ came up behind her, giving him a hard shove into the water where he splashed down, the keys going with him.

"Fuck!" Elora yelled, just as there was a collosal BANG! from inside. Neville was clearly giving the guy on his boat a runaround.

Elora just watched as John B jumped back on board, following him without a second thought.

She saw a gun on the ground, clearly having. been dropped, and grinned, reaching for it-

"No!" The man shouted, grabbing the gun in the second before she could reach it.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait!" John B shouted as both of them threw their hands up.

The man grinned, pointing the gun directly at them. "Not this time, my friend. Uh-uh. Down."

Elora and John B looked at each other and then began to lower themselves down, down to the grou-

"URGH!" JJ grunted as he climbed back up the ladder, grabbing the man by the back of his trousers and flinging him into the water. He jumped aboard the houseboat again, the machete still between his teeth.

"JJ, machete!" Elora shouted, and JJ chucked it to her.

"Cut the line, cut the line!"

Neville had turned the engine on, they could hear the revving. All they needed to do was cut the anchor line and they were free.

Elle felt satisfied as she slashed straight through the anchor line, allowing the boat to drive away.

"This isn't over!" One of the men in the water yelled as they got out of there.

And just by looking at them, Elle knew it wasn't.

"You owe me an anchor," Neville told her when she came back inside.

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'll take that as a thank you for playing one third of a part in saving your life."