chapter 32.
whatever it takes.

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The wharf is bustling with locals and tourists alike. kiara tightens her 'borrowed' scarf. "this has gotta be it, right?" josephine surveys the marina, crossing her arms. "looks pretty wharfy to me."

"all right, groff was on hollis's boat, so look for something fancy." jj reminds. he rests his hands on his hips, looking over his sisters head to scan the docked ships.

"i don't know about no fancy boat, but that's terrance's boat." cleo recognizes, pointing across the wharf. "the one on the right."

"are you sure?" pope asks. she nods. "i grew up on that boat, i'd know it anywhere."

"you can see the singe marks on it, pope." john b gestures to the ship, evidence of their molotov cocktail permanently engraved in its siding.

"if his boats here, the corsairs are here."

josephine tightens her jaw. she turns to look up at her brother. "which also means groff's here."

"and the one who killed captain t." cleo's face is stone and jo never wants to be on the receiving end of that anger. "no lights; weather sats not turning." pope squints. "not seeing any motion."

"my vote is we go storm the fort, see if we can use anything." jj suggests, heading towards the boat before the others get a chance to respond.

"woah, woah, not you." pope insists, stopping the blonde. "they know what your face looks like! somebody else needs to do it."

"i'll do it." jo raises a hand. john b immediately pushes it down. "preferably someone who's last name isn't maybank."

for the first time, jj agrees with this statement. he points at his sister. "no, anybody but you, no."

josephine huffs, about to argue just as sarah pipes up. "i'll do it."

"what?" john b tilts his head. "hey, maybe..."

"i'm fine." sarah insists. "i can do things."

"i believe you, i believe you! i just—" john b back tracks in a hurry; he never wants her to think he's underestimating her, but the girl is pregnant.

"they don't look what i look like." sarah argues, stepping away from the group. "i can do it, i'll do it. it's fine."

"okay, i'm coming with you." john b decides. he turns to the group. "you guys keep a lookout, we'll storm the fort."

"got it!" jj nods. "jo, you're with us." he snaps his fingers to josephine before spinning to pope and cleo. "we go high, y'all go low."

the couple nods and the teens split into their separate groups. josephine follows jj as they climb to higher ground atop an abandoned fort. retired canons line the roof, protruding through breaks in the stone half-walls. 

kiara is the first to speak, slicing through a thick but comfortable silence. "hey, did you know that supposedly, if you find the blue crown, you get a wish?"

jj hums. "is that what they say?"

"it's the legend." kie shrugs. "let's hear it, what's your wish?" jj pauses, thinking thoughtfully and jo rolls her eyes. "don't say a truck."

"all right, then." he cracks a smile at his sister. "what's your wish, then?"

"that's the thing about wishes; can't tell you or it won't come true." josephine smirks, throwing up a shoulder. she couldn't tell him she already got her wish; to be with him. she couldn't risk jinxing this by saying it aloud. joey has a lot more to lose than the rest of the group seemed to think; their motto's literally 'nothing to lose.' (nothing to lose but each other; which is everything.)

"right." jj looks at josephine as though he knows her true wish, understands it. "if you believe in, like, jinx's and shit. i say, speak your truth."

"fine, then. what's your wish, other than a truck?"

"to save poguelandia." jj answers with finality.

"yeah, good one." kiara hums in agreement. "if we could make it like it was, that's the dream."

josephine watches her brother watch his girlfriend, wearing an expression she's never seen on him. he was in love with kiara carrera and it made joeys stomach hurt. not all bad, though. he notices his sister staring and snaps out of his trance. "or i could go for truck. new suspension, led rack, rims. make it look like a spaceship."

"you could, but you'd have to pick." kiara teases. josephine feels as though she's intruding. "it's not a genie, you only get one. better make it good."

"hmm." jj hums thoughtfully, spinning to overlook the wharf. after a moment, josephine nudges his side. "got your wish yet?"

he looks down at his little sister, mimicking her girlish tone. "that's the thing about wishes, j. if i tell you, it won't come true."

"wow." josephine scoffs, rolling her eyes. "now you listen to me."

kiara playfully punches the boys shoulder. "you really not gonna tell us?"

"it won't come true!"

"well, if you give us a hint it's not the same—"

"wait, wait." jj shushes kiara, pointing to a man making his way through the wharf. "see that guy? that was one of the corsairs that kidnapped me and brought me onto his ship."

kiara's tone turns serious. "he's definitely headed towards the boat."

"shit." jj curses, racing to an abandoned canon atop the fort. he begins banging against its metal just as speakers begin to blast an unfamiliar chant in arabic.

jo furrows her eyebrows, looking around in confusion. "uh, what is that?"

"it's the call to prayer." jj sighs in defeat. kiara shares his discouragement. "they're never gonna hear us!"

josephine gets an idea, backing towards the forts entrance. "jj, you're not gonna like this, but he'll recognize you."

"what—are you kidding me, jo?" jj shakes his head, following after her. "no. it's way too sketchy right now."

"yeah, he's definitely armed." kie adds. "no way."

undeterred, jo spins around to tells the teens her plan with force. "i'm going. you guys stay here." she heads down the forts walkway. "hold down the fort—literally." the blonde rushes through the wharf, tracking down the corsair and purposely bumping into him. "oh, i'm so sorry!"

the man spins around, looking angry. "what do you want?"

"i'm sorry, but i'm a little lost." jo lies innocently. "i'm looking for a pirate statue...do you happen to know it?"

"murad." the man nods. "the barbarian."

"yes!" josephine exclaims in relief. "how did you even know that? you're so smart." she playfully puts a hand on the man's arm, wishing she could see her brothers reaction.

up on the fort, jj watches through binoculars as his sister brushes up against the corsair. he scoffs. "oh, hell no." kiara reaches for the boys shoulder as he turns, ready to bolt into the wharf. "jj, she's got this. look." she nods back below, where jo is still successfully distracting the man.

"listen, i have to go."

"oh, i don't wanna bother you, but i was just wondering if maybe you could show me around?"
jo smiles sweetly, lowering her scarf to reveal bright blonde hair. she doesn't miss the way the corsair eyes her up in down and she ignores the sick feeling rising in her stomach. "i'm traveling alone, would you mind showing me one more time?" the man nods reluctantly and jo turns to the right. "okay, so, i go to the entrance... then i make a left, you said?"

"no, go to entrance and make right." the corsair repeats, growing visibly impatient. he turns away, about to walk off when josephine lunges for his arm one last time. "i'm so close to getting it, if we can just..."

"i have to go!"

josephine ignores this. "okay, so go through the entrance of the medina, and then take a left."

"right! you go and make right." the man growls frustratedly. he lifts the bottom of his jacket ever so slightly, revealing a gun in his waistband.

jo pales. "oh, okay. nice talk, then." the corsair rushes off, noticing john b and sarah emerge from the boat. "motherfucker." josephine curses, turning to the fort and waving at a watching jj and kiara.

"frick!" the blonde boy shouts, grabbing kie and rushing into the wharf. jo has her hands on her head when they reach her, anxiously gripping her hair. "i tried, i tried!"

"i know, i know, i know!" jj reassures, rushing past. kiara stands beside josephine. "be careful!"

"what is he doing?" jo hisses to the older girl just as a gunshot goes off. she flinches, turning at the sound just as the corsair collapses. jj stands above him, wielding an oar. she smiles brightly, flooded with instant relief. "holy shit, he just smacked that guy!"

"yeah, yeah, come on!" kiara urges, grabbing the child's wrist and pulling her ahead. they meet jj down on the dock. "jayj, you good?"

"yeah, i'm fine." jj reassures, carefully scanning his girlfriend and sister for any physical injuries. "you two okay?" kiara nods, still gripping joeys wrist. "yeah, we're good."

pope rushes over to the trio. "guys, come on! our covers blown, we gotta go!" josephine notices a missing body. "uh, where's cleo?"

jj looks around, calling out. "cleo?"

a sudden honking sounds and tires screech as an old jeep careening around the corner, cleo at the wheel. she slams on the breaks and shouts to the impressed teens. "let's go! come on, guys!"

"how did you get this?" pope shouts, sprinting to the vehicle.

"i stole it!" cleo answers obviously. "hurry!"

sarah and john b race by as jj grabs josephine's arm, pulling her to the car. "come on, jo, get in!" he helps the shorter girl climb up before following, reaching a hand down to kiara. the brunette sits down with a huff, urging cleo. "go, go, go! drive!"

cleo presses the gas pedal all the way down and the teens speed off, leaning the marina lots more chaotic than they had found it.

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"Cheese on bread!" cleo curses as the teens stop for gas and service in the next town over. "if one more engine goes out on me, i'm gonna be the one blowing it up next time."

jj cracks a smile, looking to his sister sat beside him. her face is scrunched up tight, thumbnail biting into flesh. he sighs, silently covering her hand with his own. "sarah's gone to get food." he gestures to a small vendor behind the vehicle.

josephine shakes her head. "not hungry."

"bullshit."

"j-"

"you haven't eaten since the boat, josie. i don't give a fuck about diseases or hygiene or what ever the hell it is that makes you afraid of eating." he drops her hand and hops from the car. "i'm gonna fill up, and you're gonna eat." he rounds the vehicle, heading to retrieve a gas can to fill the jeeps tank.

"don't call me that!" josephine rolls her eyes at the nickname but doesn't argue; she knows she won't win. she never has with jj. the blonde leans over the seats in front of her, listening in on the other boys conversation; pope is gesturing to a spot on a map. "putting together all those photos you found, it looks like they're going to agapenta. it's a straight shot, too."

josephine clears her throat, peering over the boys shoulder. "define straight shot, pope." john b nods, looking up at the girl. "yeah, how many miles is a straight shot, exactly?"

"a hundred kilometers, give or take? about sixty two miles." pope estimates. "we can definitely make it there...can't guarantee we're gonna make it back, but we definitely can make it there."

"how optimistic of you." jo scoffs, hopping from the vehicle and finding kiara arguing with jj as he tips a holds a gas nozzle to the jeep.

"i mean, you don't think it was a little dangerous just running up on him like that?" kiara chastises. "what if he had just turned? he was, like, actively shooting a gun—he was holding the gun."

jj shrugs nonchalantly. "not anymore, though." he turns, revealing the weapon tucked in his waistband.

"really? jj, this is what i'm talking about! you know, your lucks gonna run out one day." kiara rolls her eyes, disbelieving of his stupidity; jo isn't too shocked.

the eldest maybank approaches the man working the gas pump and jo spins to the brunette. "okay, what the hell was that?"

kiara stitches her eyebrows together. "what was what?"

"your lucks gonna run out one day?" jo scoffs. "like that's ever stopped him. you better not have just jinxed his ass."

cleo slams the hood of the car down, signaling she had finished its service. "she's ready for the road!" pope stands up, calling out to sarah and john b conversing by the vendor. "hey, let's go! quit lollygagging." jo makes a face. "lolly-what?"

sarah hands each teen a plain flatbread and jj practically throws josephine hers. "eat." the younger girl rolls her eyes, but brings the bread to her mouth nevertheless. she'd been in the desert three days now and her wound is healing. eating one new food wouldn't change that.

one day, your luck is going to run out.