chapter 31.
are we too young
to burn?

୨୧

ESSAOUIRA, MAR.

Sepsis occurs when chemicals released in the bloodstream to help fight an infection trigger inflammation throughout the body. This can cause a cascade of changes that damage multiple organ systems, leading them to fail, sometimes even resulting in death.

jo inhales sharply as though this reminder brings her physical pain. she guesses it does, in a way.
falling behind the others as they leave their campsite the following morning josephine holds her breath, slowly sliding her left hand from under soiled long sleeve. she risks a glance at the wounded index finger, raising her eyebrows at the site—the wound is healing, not riddled with infection like expected. she'd been so occupied with groff trying to kill her and jj's near death experience that she hadn't been as hyper-fixated on re-opening and clean the wound as usual. it felt freeing, not being such a prisoner in her thoughts.

but all good things must come to an end; healing doesn't happen over night, and josephine knew this better than anyone. she pulls her sleeve back over her fist, concealing the wound. at least until she can find some goddamn sanitizer. because even though the wound is healing, jo is not.

"there it is!" she's jolted from her thoughts hours later when pope gasps, pointing to civilization on the edge of the desert. "that's essaouira." the exhausted teens sigh in pure relief; jo thought her legs might fall off within the hour.

"all right." jj pipes up as they enter the village. "so the plan is locate the warf and find groff, okay? thats all we gotta do." he pauses when they come across a bustling alleyway, packed to the brim with shoppers and locals. jj swallows, glancing at pope beside him. "that might be a little harder than i thought."

josephine shoves her way forward, hand on each boys shoulders as she peers into the crowd. she scoffs. "ya think?"

"let's go!" jj steps down into the street, waving for his friends to follow. "let's go, come on!" he darts into the crowd and josephine subconsciously latches onto popes t-shirt, trailing behind the boy as the trio leads the group.

"jesus christ." the girl mumbles under her breath, cursing her short stature as they elbow through the crowd. she clings tight to pope. "i can't see shit!"

"c'mon, just stick together!" jj shouts back to her, waving off approaching peddlers. "no, that's all right, i don't got any cash, okay?"

"can we stay as a group?" pope calls over his shoulder, struggling to turn around thanks to jo's death grip on his t-shirt. "try to stay as a group!"

"i'm trying!" cleo shouts, fighting to keep behind josephine. kiara, sarah, and john b fall into line behind her with rafe bringing up the rear.

"yo, we gotta get out of these alleys." jj admits as they burst out of the crowd, finding a pocket of emptiness in the busy streets. "i don't know where i'm going." 

jo snorts. "yeah, no shit." he reaches behind his back, flipping off the younger girl. "wait, what's that?" she points ahead towards a large statue resting atop a building. jj squints. "that might be something. come on." he trudges forward, the group following close behind as they near the stone building.

"yeah, i knew it." jj sighs, staring up at the statue from the cobblestone street. josephine rolls her eyes. "no, I knew it."

"hey, that's murat the barbary pirate." recognizes pope, squinting against the mid-afternoon sun. "that's the guy groff was telling us about."

"holy shit, that's him." john b curses, eyes trained on the statue. "he's who made the map to find crown." jj nods, finishing, "which might be closer than we think."

"it's a sign." kiara chimes, gazing in amazement at the art. "yeah." jj shrugs. he's not sure how much he believes in signs; that old statues been there for centuries. he signs nonetheless, turning to his friends. "let's keep moving."

as they pass through a second bustling alleyway, sarah suddenly grows pale and john b guides her to a seat. "what's wrong?" kiara immediately rushes to her side. "what are you feeling, what's happening?"

"nauseous." sarah breathes, chin tucked to her chest. "i'm really nauseous."

jo pauses, crouching in front of the older girl. "she probably just needs food." she suggests to  kiara. "it's been, like, what? two days?"

"yeah, we gotta get her something." john b nods firmly in agreement just as the others join the trio. pope looks to sarah concern. "you okay?"

"no, she's not okay." kiara debunks firmly. sarah shakes her head, insisting, "i'm fine."

"no, she needs to eat!" kiara insists, turning to the others. "we gotta get her something."

"good luck with that, we don't have any money." pope reminds her. cleo shrugs, unswayed. "we can do it the old-fashioned way."

jo smirks, holding up a dirt-smudged hand. "five finger discount?"

"i don't wanna hold up the group—"

"no, we're good." kiara promises the worried blonde. "it's okay, we'll just do it fast, all right?"

josephine pushes to her feet, brushing soil from her knees. "i'll come with. you guys need an experienced thief."

jj scoffs. "experienced? i've been a thief longer than you've been alive."

while josephine didn't doubt that, she'd lived four years where the only way she was guaranteed anything would be if she stole it. foster families loved the checks until they actually had to use them for their foster. she smiles, pulling a dusted wallet from her brothers pocket. "age is just a number. it's the skill that counts."

jj furrows his eyebrows. "what—that's not even mine."

"i know." josephine shrugs, tucking the wallet into her waistband. "i stole it and planted it on you." she brushes past her brother, leading the way. "now come on."

"okay, no." jj protests, trailing close after her. he refuses to be out-thieved by his little sister. "i got my phd in thief-ology."

"all right, i'm gonna go and too and just try to keep a lid on all the bullshit." pope shakes his head at the siblings, following after them. cleo lowers to a crouch beside kiara. "i'll stay with kie and sarah. you go." she nods to john b, who looks hesitant. "go. she'll be fine."

"we're gonna be right here." kiara reassures him. "i promise."

he nods once, rising to his feet and rushing after josephine and the other two boys. jo licks her lips, surveying the busy markets. "got lotsa options."

"yeah, this feels promising." john b hums. he nods to fruit stand down the alley. "let's try over there."

"i'll distract." jo nods to the shopkeeper. john b gives her the okay and she strolls confidently to the man. "excuse me, sir, how much are these mangos?"

"ah, you speak english?" the shopkeeper looks surprised, sparking a conversation in french. jo grows bored fast, not understanding a word he says. she looks around for the boys just as john b jumps to dodge a speeding motorbike. as he slams into the cobblestone, dozens of stolen apples spill from his shirt and onto the street. the man on the bike curses, honking aggressively and capturing the attention of the fruit stands shopkeeper. jj shouts to josephine. "jo, c'mon, let's go!"

noticing she's with the thieves the shopkeeper lunges for josephine. "hey, hey!" she shoves him away, sprinting after the boys. "guys, we gotta go! move!" the teens furiously race through the street, weaving in and out of the crowd until they near the girls.

"okay, i think we lost them." john b pants. "so much for a distraction, jo."

"hey, that was your fault!" jj defends his sister, pointing an accusatory finger at the other boy.

"i had them in my shirt!"

"yeah, foolproof plan, huh?"

"how'd it go?" kiara greets the bickering teens as they approach. "everything smooth?"

john b bends to sarah's level, producing an only slightly bruised fruit from his shirt (the only one he'd managed to salvage.) "so, uh, an apple a day keeps the baby hap-pay."

"you're eatin' for two, now." cleo remarks as sarah takes a grateful bite of the fruit.

"oh, that's all you got?"

pope narrows his eyes at the older boy. "rafe, could you shut up?" he averts his attention to sarah. "you good? feeling any better?"

"mm-hmm. i'll be alright." sarah hums, taking another large bite. jj scratches at the back of his neck. "if you're not gonna finish it, let me know."

"wharfs that way." cleo nods to the right. "think you can make it?" sarah nods. "all right, we should probably get a move on." jj nods just as police whistles begin to sound.

kiara's eyes widen. "uh, are those cops?"

"shit, old man's a snitch!" josephine curses the shopkeeper. pope looks around the group. "yeah, uh, let's get going now."

"double time, double time!" jj chirps. john b hurriedly helps sarah to her feet and they rush down the alleyway.

"you didn't tell me you got caught!" kiara shouts, looking to josephine. the younger girl only shrugs. "you didn't ask!"

"can we chit-chat later?" pope chastises, urging the girls to run.

"where the hell are you guys—hey, what the hell man?" rates voice shouts, freezing sarah in her tracks. she looks back, watching as policemen pull her brothers hands behind his back.

kiara rushes toward her. "sarah, no! come on!"

just then, the shopkeeper spots the guilty teens, shouting in arabic. "oh shit." josephine curses. "come on guys, let's go!"

they take of in a sprint, weaving in and out of locals until the cops whistles fade away and they stop to catch their breath. "okay, i think we're good."

cleo looks around. "i think we lost rafe."

"who cares?" pope scoffs, hands on his knees as he pants. "big whoop." jo takes this brief moment of distraction to sneak off into one of an open apartment nestled amongst the shops.

"yeah, he's not getting outta that one." jj agrees, back against the shops concrete wall.

"yeah, he's on his own. we aren't going back."pope freezes, noticing a missing body. "uh, guys, where's joey?"

"oh, you gotta be shitting me!" jj curses, suddenly alert. he pushes away from the wall, calling out for his sister. "jo? jo!" the others follow suit, looking around the tight street—there's no sign of the young girl.

"she go back down the alley?" john b suggests, turning around to retrace their steps. "i'll go back with you." cleo joins him. she cups her hands around her mouth as she shouts. "joey!"

just as they're about to head back through the alleyway, josephine pops out from an open doorway, cradling a pile of clothing with a lollipop stuck between her lips. "will you guys shut up?"

"jo!" the teens breathe a sigh of relief, crowding around the child. josephine's unfazed by their sudden interest. she gestures to the pile of clothing in her arms. "i permanently borrowed these from that clothesline." she nods toward the apartment buildings lining the street. "we need better disguises, like real spies."

jj cocks an eyebrow. "spies?"

"okay, fine. fugitives." jo deflates. "whatever. just take the clothes before i drop 'em on the street."

the older teens each sport a look of amazement at the child's skill, helping themselves to their disguises. jj smiles at his sister. "okay, maybe you are the better thief."

josephine only smirks, popping the stolen lollipop back into her mouth. she rests it on her tongue, speaking around the candy. "told ya so."