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○ 〇 ○

○ 𝟎𝟎𝟖 ○

○ the truth, the whole truth, yadda yadda ○

○ 〇 ○

Juno didn't stop pedalling until she arrived at the Chateau. The familiar sight almost made her pause. She used to come here a lot when she was younger, but then John B and JJ ruined it.

She leaned her bike against a tree, the tyres crunching on the gravel beneath. Juno stood there for a moment just starting. It looked just as she remembered. 

The overgrown grass was in desperate need of mowing. The weather-worn wooden walls, the paint peeling from the surface, starting to yellow in the summer sun. The dirty windows, making it impossible to see whether or not anyone was actually home. 

Juno remembered trying to be their friend. She remembered running around the yard with John B, playing on the tyre swing with JJ, the three of them seemingly enjoying each other's company.

It was almost nostalgic.

Shaking her head, Juno freed herself of the memories and took a deep breath as she walked toward the front door. The boards creaked beneath her, ringing out in the silence of the night.

Juno lifted her hand to knock on the door. She had wanted answers, yet she found herself hesitating. They weren't going to want her there and Juno herself wasn't sure whether she was ready to face them again on their turf.

But the need for answers was stronger than the fear attempting to hold her back. So, steeling herself, she finally knocked.

Juno waited but no one came to the door. Listening carefully she knew that she could hear voices, so she tried again. She knocked once more, harder this time, but still, nothing.

Why weren't they answering?

Glancing around, Juno caught sight of a faint glow coming from the back of the house. Stepping off the porch, she followed the gravel path to the yard. As she walked, the voices started to get louder. 

Peering around, Juno stopped when she saw the source of the light.

The Pogues were home, but they were out on the dock. She could see solar lamps hanging from a couple of posts, their glow reflecting softly on the water beneath them. They were all laughing with wide smiles on their faces, looking like they were having the time of their lives and not experiencing the anxiety she was feeling. 

Juno couldn't help but wonder why they were all awake at midnight. She also couldn't help the jealousy that she could feel, almost like a sharp pinch.

For a moment, Juno lingered in the shadows. She watched them - their careless nature, the bond they all shared. It was similar to what she shared with Sarah, something unbreakable and unmatched.

"Is someone out there?" Pope's voice rang out, his eyes narrowing as he tried to figure out who stood near the edge of the dock.

Taking a steady breath, Juno finally forced herself out of the shadows. She walked out onto the dock, watching the smiles on the Pogues' faces fall as they realised who it was.

"Juno?" Kiara asked, her voice echoing her confusion as she climbed off of the bannister she'd been sitting on.

JJ, on the other hand, smirked as his eyes swept over her. "Well hello, princess. What brings you down from the ivory tower?"

Juno shot him a glare but didn't dignify him with a response. She kept walking until she was standing in the group's circle, each of them eyeing her. The soft lamplight illuminated the determined look on her face as she faced John B. 

"I think that you owe me some answers," she stated, maintaining a steady voice. "Don't you?"

Kiara's brows furrowed as her head snapped toward John B in confusion. "John B, what is she talking about?"

John B shifted uncomfortably under their collective gaze. He avoided eye contact as he reached his hand to rub the back of his neck. "I don't know what she's talking about."

Juno rolled her eyes as her arms crossed in front of her. "Don't play dumb, John B. I didn't risk my life today running from guys with guns just to get stonewalled now."

Finally, she had all of their attention. Even JJ was no longer smirking; the boy was looking at his friend, completely lost for words. Kiara was staring at him, too, trying to decide how to feel.

"Dude," Pope said quietly. "You never said that she was with you today."

John B swallowed heavily as he finally met Juno's gaze. "You shouldn't have come here."

"And yet, here I am." Juno moved closer, her hands moving to her hips. "You put my life on the line, and now those guys have seen my face. They're clearly dangerous, and I doubt they're going to believe that I'm not involved. What happens if they come looking for me?"

John B's mouth twitched as his expression fell. He clearly felt guilty, but Juno didn't have it in her to feel bad for him.

"I never meant to do that to you, Juno," John B said earnestly.

"Well, it's a little late for that, John B," Juno said, scoffing lightly. "So, I think the least you can do is tell me why I was hunted down. What the hell are you lot caught up in?"

Juno could have cut the immediate tension that formed within the circle with a knife. They all exchanged glances, trying to communicate without Juno knowing what they were saying or thinking. 

Kiara clearly wasn't comfortable with her cousin's presence, avoiding eye contact at all costs. JJ ran his hand through his hair as he glanced at Pope, who appeared to be thinking very hard about what their best option here would be. 

John B was hesitant, looking around at his friends to ask for permission or possibly backup. When no one came to his rescue, he let out a long sigh as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, Juno, it's not something you wanna get involved in, okay?" he said, the warning clear in his voice. "It's a lot bigger than you think, and the more you know, the more danger you'll be in."

Juno should've listened to him right then. She should have walked away, gotten on her bike and gone home. But instead, she stood her ground and stared him down.

"Yeah, I'd say that ship has already sailed," she countered. "So, let's hear it."

When no one intervened, John B nodded. "Alright. Well. . . it all started when we found Scooter Braun's sunken boat."

Juno found her eyes widening steadily as John B laid everything out. Every twist and turn of the story unfolded in his words—his dad's disappearance, the boat, the chase through the marsh, the stolen scuba gear, the mysterious compass, the men who trashed his dad's office, and the encounter they'd had earlier that day.

When he finally finished, he exhaled deeply. "So, that's. . . everything," he said quietly with a nod.

"Dude," Kiara hissed, glaring at the boy. "You didn't have to say literally everything."

"Well, I didn't hear any of you stopping me," John B shot back defensively, looking at each of his friends.

Juno leaned against the bannister, her fingers gripping the worn wood as she tried to wrap her head around everything. While it seemed farfetched, it made all of the weird encounters she'd had with the Pogues recently make sense.

She's heard about the Merchant and its treasure before, of course. Every kid who lived on Kildare had. However, she hadn't really believed that it was out there. Now, it felt more real than ever.

JJ waved a hand in front of her face to draw her attention. "You gonna say something, princess? Because you look like you might faint."

Juno shot him a glare, her brows knitted together. "It's called 'processing', JJ. It's where you think for more than two seconds; you should try it sometime," she muttered, not hiding her annoyance. "So, they were after us because of the compass?"

"Information, too," John B admitted, nodding. "But, yeah, mainly the compass."

"Okay. . ." she said slowly. "And where is it now?"

"With Peterkin," he sighed. "I didn't really have a choice."

"So the cops are in on this, too," she mumbled to herself. "This is officially insane."

Kiara rolled her eyes, leaning against one of the posts as she sized her cousin up. "Well, you're welcome to leave if it's too much for you. This isn't exactly your scene."

For some reason, her dismissal stung more than Juno cared to admit. Her cousin always thought that she was so much better than her and that irritated Juno more than a lot of things.

Juno straightened up as she pulled on a smug smile. "Considering that I definitely know too much now, I think I'll stay, thanks, Kie."

JJ let out a low whistle, sounding almost impressed, while Pope looked between the two cousins nervously. Kiara didn't say a word, her jaw clenched in frustration.

Juno took this as her giving in for now and turned her attention to John B. "So, the bad guys don't have the compass, but I assume you wouldn't have given it up unless you had a lead. What's next?"

John B hesitated, glancing around the circle once again, but they all seemed just as confused by her willingness to be a part of this. "We, uh, we have coordinates but they're not that useful right now - we'd need a computer."

"That's why we're going to the hotel tomorrow and we're gonna use one there," JJ informed, arms crossed against his chest.

"Couldn't that get you fired?" Juno asked the boy, recalling that he worked there.

JJ's lips curled into a mischievous grin, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "Aww, have you been checkin' up on me Sinclair? Didn't know you cared."

The girl scoffed heavily, "Please. I saw you there when my family was having dinner. It's not exactly a secret."

"Of course," JJ replied, placing his hand over his heart dramatically. "How could I forget a glorious night of serving the elite? Yes, it could get me fired, but desperate times, princess."

"Or," Juno interjected, biting her lip in thought. "You could just come to my house."

JJ blinked a few times, his grin faltering as he tried to decide whether or not she was being serious. "While I would absolutely love to be welcomed into Sinclair Manour, I don't see how that solves our problem."

This time, it was Juno's turn to smirk, facing his sarcasm head-on. "Well, you might not have power, but we do," she said simply. "And we have internet."

The dock fell quiet for a moment as they all took in what she was saying.

"Wait, are you serious?" Pope asked when Juno didn't start laughing in their faces. "You're actually offering to let us use your place?"

"Yep," she shrugged. "That's exactly what I'm saying."

John B was still not completely convinced. "What about your parents?"

Juno shrugged, "They don't have to know. They should both be at the office tomorrow. The housekeeper might stop by, but, we'll have the place to ourselves as long as we're careful."

Kiara wasn't as willing to trust her as the others, however. "So, you're just gonna sneak us in no strings attached? That's bold even for you, Juno."

The girl rolled her eyes, "My parents trust me, Kiara, so they don't monitor my every move. I know how to be discreet, thanks."

JJ chuckled, his smirk back as his eyes narrowed. "Never thought I'd see the day where Princess Sinclair played host to some Pogues. We're not actually believing this, right?"

Juno snapped her head around to glare at him, "What reason do I have to lie, JJ?"

"You're a Kook - do you need a reason?" he countered, his playful tone now laced with spite. 

"JJ, shut up." John B's expression had softened at this point, not wanting the girl to feel pressured. "Are you sure about this? It's not exactly low risk for you, either."

Juno thought for a moment before nodding. "I'm already in this, John B. Those guys have seen my face, and I'm not exactly in the mood to wait around and hope they forget. So, I may as well help out."

Pope chuckled, shaking his head in pleasant surprise. "Maybe we underestimated you, Juno."

She looked up at him, barely batting an eye as she responded, "Everybody does. I'll see you tomorrow, nine o'clock. Don't be late."

○❂○

When she had returned home Juno had actually managed to get to sleep. It was surprising, really, given everything she had learned that night. Sure, there was a chance those men with the guns would come after her again, but she had her answers—or at least most of them. 

Hell, she'd gotten a whole lot more than she had bargained for. She'd only wanted to know why she'd been chased through the marsh, but John B had spilled everything, offering up details she never would have thought to ask for. The treasure, the compass, his missing dad—it was a lot.

And now, here she was, offering to help them. Why was she doing that? She didn't have to ask the question, she already knew the answer. 

Juno Sinclair was bored.

Bored of the same mundane routines, the carefully curated plans, the suffocating predictability of her life as a Sinclair. The Pogues and their messy, chaotic world were something different, something unpredictable—and that was exactly what she craved.

Just like Juno had told the Pogues, her parents had left for the office early, both of them stopping in to say goodbye. Her dad was leaving the remainder of the yard to the gardeners, which wouldn't take more than half a day to clear.

She climbed out of bed that morning almost eager for the Pogues' arrival. She went for a shower and pulled on an outfit before jogging downstairs to grab something to eat.

Juno almost tripped over her own feet when she walked into the kitchen and saw Sebastian sitting on the bench with a plate of toast. How did she keep forgetting that he had a key?

"Seb, hey," she greeted with a light laugh, trying to shake off her surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Sebastian looked up with a smile, placing the toast back down. "The beach clean up is this morning," he reminded her with a grin, standing up and walking over to her. "Don't tell me you forgot."

She had.

"Right!" she exclaimed with forced enthusiasm, begging her mind to find a way out. She also needed to get him out of there before the Pogues arrived.
"Right, the beach clean up. Um, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it."

Sebastian wrapped her arms around her waist, giving her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

Juno looked up at him, hoping that he wouldn't notice the telltale signs of her lie. "My mum. She needs some help cleaning up her files today."

"That can't wait?"

"No," she responded, trying to keep her tone steady. "She's got an auction coming up, and if we don't have everything sorted, the sale could fall through. It's an important one."

Juno didn't really know what she was talking about, she just hoped that she knew more than Sebastian on the topic.

"That's a shame," he frowned, eyes searching hers in thought. "Okay, you can give this a miss, but you can't miss the party tonight."

Juno immediately winced, like some sort of knee-jerk reaction. "Seb, I-"

"Juno, we never miss these parties. We're not starting now," he said through a sigh. "Besides, Sarah will be there."

The girl took a deep breath before nodding. At least she would have Sarah. "Alright. I'll see you tonight."

Sebastian smiled victoriously before kissing his girlfriend. "I'll pick you up at seven."

Juno watched him leave, the tension in her shoulders only easing when she heard the front door close behind him. For now, she'd focus on helping the Pogues. The party was something she could worry about later.

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(A/N)

I hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it