THE FERRY WAS CLOSED.

pope came back looking frantic and climbed into the drivers seat of kie's car, clutching a white piece of paper in his hand.

"okay- so- uh-"

"can you slow down before you have an aneurysm?" mara commanded.

"they're closed, and there's this." he said, passing the paper to kie, who grimaced. she passed it back to jj, who showed it to emery and mara.

"you gonna tell him, or am i?" emery asked, holding her hands up for rock paper scissors with mara.

"tell me what- what is that?" john b asked, clearly beginning to panic.

"well, this is a great framer of you." jj said nonchalantly, passing the paper to john b.

his face was on a poster with 'wanted' written across the top in bold, along with a twenty-five thousand dollar reward for the routledge boy.

"i'm gonna get this put on a flag and hang it on your porch." mara said sarcastically, passing the wanted poster to john b.

"so basically the whole island is looking for john b right now?" ainsley asked, emery nodding and biting her lip.

"i can call my mom. she can get us a boat and some money, or maybe give john b an alibi- something!" emery exclaimed, pulling her phone out of her pocket and clicking on one of amelia's missed calls while the rest of the group tried to figure out a solution. her mother picked up on the first ring.

"emery? where are you? are you and john b okay? is he arrested?"

"mom, slow down, me and john b are fine. i'm with jj, mara, pope, kie, ainsley, and him." emery explained, john b grabbing her arm to pull the phone towards him.

"hi, mom!" he called, jj's head snapping toward him.

"no, no, that's actually my mom!" jj retorted. "hi, milly! emery and i know your secret!"

"jj!" emery snapped, pulling her phone back to her ear.

"emery, you know he didn't shoot the-"

"mom i was there." emery cut her mother off abruptly. "i know for a fact rafe cameron shot peterkin. that's why were calling, we need john b off the island and you have the means to do so."

"i cant, baby. i'm not home right now."

"where are you?" emery asked in exasperation.

"i'm on the mainland trying to convince them to call john b in for questioning before labeling him as a murderer."

"tell her he's too pretty for prison." mara suggested.

"jj?" pope asked suddenly. "does your dad still have that boat? that cigarette boat, the phantom? the one he used to race.

"maybe." jj replied unsurely.

"you could get right up the coast no problem." pope added.

"what are you guys planning?" amelia asked, emery sighing.

"can i just put her on speaker? it's my mom, she's not gonna snitch." emery deadpanned, everyone nodding quickly as emery switched her phone over to speaker.

"okay, what have you guys come up with?" amelia asked, ainsley leaning over his seat.

"jj's dad's cigarette boat is looking like the best option right now." she said, but amelia was quick to protest.

"luke will kill jj if he takes that boat, he loves that boat more than he loves jj."

"mom, you say that like it's hard." jj deadpanned.

"in case you didn't hear the first time, jj and i know you're twins and that you're his mom, by the way." emery added.

"getting the boat won't be easy, pope." jj continued the conversation. "i don't know where the keys are."

"the surf's running from three to four." kiara pointed out.

"jj, as your mother i'm telling you not to take that boat."

"where's our boat? why isn't it here?" emery asked.

"it's been at the house is nassau for months, emery,
you know this."

"wait- where?" john b asked, sitting up before mara and emery shoved him back down.

"holy shit- i forgot i was rich and we have a house in nassau." emery breathed. "mom, where are the keys at for the house?"

"why do you need the keys for the nassau house- emery, he can't flee the country."

"what other option does he have, milly?" mara asked, amelia staying quiet.

"give me a couple hours to talk to the cops. in the meantime, try and find a boat, only- and i cannot stress this enough- take the phantom if you have to."

"okay- why aren't we moving, what's going on?" pope shouted suddenly, emery biting her lip.

"okay, now that you know i'm alive and we have permission from you to steal my dad's boat i have to go before pope drives us into the ocean." emery rushed out, amelia barely getting out her 'i love you' before she had hung up.

"pope, you're parked on the side of the road." mara pointed out.

"hey, kie's car is on here! and so is emery's!" john b exclaimed suddenly as he reread the wanted poster.

"wait- what?" emery asked, snatching the poster from john b and reading where her car was listed as a possible mode of transport for john b. "if they take my honda accord because of you i'm gonna beat your ass."

"hey! that's him!" someone said from outside the car, a pre-teen boy outside the car pointing though the window. "that's the guy! we get twenty-five thousand dollars if we find him!"

"kid! i'll give you six hundred dollars right now to keep your mouth shut." emery snapped, but the boy continued to yell and point at the car.

"pope, we got a snitch." jj announced.

"pope, get out of here!" mara yelled.

"pope, turn the frickin' car on!" kie demanded, pope finally doing so as he pulled forward into the car in front of them, slamming into it hard and sending everyone flying forward.

"pope, back up!" ainsley demanded, but pope. continued to pull forward, shoving the car in front of them forward before he turned, gaining lots of speed in a short period of time. emery gasped, falling back into the seat that was laid all the way back as pope sped forward, john b leaning the seat up so they could be aware of their surroundings.

"pope slow down!" mara screamed, the heyward boy swerving the car every direction across the road.

"pope watch out!" emery yelled.

"watch out! pope!" kiara yelled as pope hit a
row of mailboxes.

"oh my god!" pope yelled happily as he laughed loudly.

"pope!" john b shouted in fear as he clung onto the
open window like his life depended on it, his other arm wrapped protectively around emery's waist.

"i'm living my best life now!" pope exclaimed from the driver's seat, ainsley holding onto kie's seat desperately.

"pope, i should be the last one to say this but you are not okay to drive! stop!" jj yelled. mara hadn't been able to find her seatbelt, so his arm was across her chest, keeping her from flying out of her seat.

suddenly, pope hit the brakes, hard, sending everyone jerking forward in their seats as the car came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road.

"john b, get out." pope said, john b's eyes widening.

"he's right, we'll draw the cops, you run." jj said.

"shit." john b breathed, emery grabbing her phone from the floor as john b opened the door, intending to follow him out of the car.

"no, you're staying." john b deadpanned.

"no im not." emery argued, john b shaking his head.

"emery, ill be fine. stay with the others, get me a boat. keep in touch with your mom, you're not going."

"you're not leaving alone." she protested.

"emery's right, jb." mara stated.

"guys, we're wasting time." ainsley said quickly.

"both of you, go. i'll get the rig and meet you at the dump tomorrow, okay?" jj assured the two, john b looking around the car and back at emery, who was still firm on her decision.

"fine, come on." he muttered, starting out of the car.

"three o'clock tomorrow at the dump!" jj shouted as emery climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind her as she and john b took off running towards the tree line on the side of the road, the car skidding off behind them. they ran all the way to figure eight, and by that point, it was starting to get dark.

john b and emery ran across streets and over fences, through back yards and behind bushes until eventually john b pulled emery into an open garage. he quickly found the light switch, turning the lights off and then shutting the door, pulling emery under a table with him where they watched the door close, both teens breathed heavily.

when the door finally shut, john b sighed heavily, leaning back against the wall and groaning. emery's throat burned and her whole body ached, her lungs pleading for air that wasn't found in a labored gasp which made her throat feel raw.

"shit." the girl choked out, gripping her side that had a stitch in it. "shit."

john b didn't say anything, just pulled his knees to his chest and sighed shakily.

"we're in kelce's house, by the way." emery said, john b's head snapping towards her.

"why didn't you say anything?" he asked in bewilderment.

"would it have stopped you?" she asked, john b not replying as he leaned his head against the wall again. the cool pavement felt good on emery's skin, a considerable upgrade from the stuffiness in kiara's car.

suddenly, the the garage door rattled, emery and john b gasping as they sat upright, a police radio could be heard outside. as someone banged on the garage door, john b slid out from under the table, pulling emery with him as he ran for the door out of the garage, into a brightly lit home.

they waited for a second and were greeted with silence- maybe the people home hadn't heard them? however, they both frozen when they walked into the kitchen and were greeted with kelce himself sitting at the island eating a bowl of cereal, his head turned, and as his eyes fell on the two, he slowly stood up.

"hey, man." john b muttered, holding his hands up."

"john b? emery?" kelce asked, clearly confused and slightly scared.

"kelce, just listen." emery started. "just listen to us, we're not gonna hurt you."

"just listen to me for a second. relax." john b said, slowly moving towards kelce.

"what're you guys doing here?" kelce asked, eyes wide.

"i'm sorry. i didn't mean to-" john b started, but kelce cut him off.

"man, i know what you did." kelce stated.

"he didn't do it, kelce, i was there." emery replied, kelce looking at her for a moment and back at john b.

"please listen to me." john b said, kelce moving closer to the kitchen counter.

"get out of my house!" kelce shouted, john b shaking his head.

"i didn't do it. just listen." john b tried, emery grabbing his hand.

"i don't think he cares, jb." she breathed, kelce reaching behind him and grabbing a knife, emery stepping in front of john b.

"kelce, just put the the knife down." john b said, kelce holding it in front of him threateningly.

"kelce, put the knife down." emery demanded firmly, but kelce was walking towards them.

"you just invaded the homeland, bro." kelce threatened. "i'm warning you, man."

"put the knife down." john b said again, he and emery slowly backing away from kelce.

"you need to get the hell out of my house right now- hey!" he shouted as john b and emery turned on their heels, sprinting away from the boy. kelce followed after them, john b going into the first room he found, which, just as their luck had it, was the laundry room. john b locked the door, kelce rattling the knob but stopping suddenly.

"kelce?" john b asked after a couple of seconds, but he was greeted with silence.

john b tried the knob again, but it wouldn't turn. he began to panic, hitting the door repeatedly as emery pulled at her hair with her hands.

"hey, man- hey, hey hey!" john b pleaded, but kelce wasn't having it.

"you're in the house of pain now, bro. you hear that? i got you. i got you, man." kelce taunted, john b backing away from the door.

"fuck." he breathed, emery motioning towards the dryer. "what about it?" he whispered.

"i've been over here before with levi. there's a duct there, we move it, we get out." she pressed, john b immediately moving to help her with the dryer. when it was moved, they pulled the vent off. just in time for topper to show up out of nowhere and begin questioning a- at this point nonexistent- john b. they ran out the back yard and jumped over the fence, running down the road.

"hey- hey, you going to the church?" emery asked, john b nodding. "i'll meet you there, okay? five minutes, that's all i need."

before john b could say anything, emery had run around the opposite end of the house, practically sprinting to tannyhill. she ran up to the side of the house, grabbing ahold of the gutter and pulling herself up. what she didn't expect to see when she got to the rooftop outside sarah cameron's bedroom window was for mara to already be sitting there.

"emery?" mara whispered, the girl pulling herself up.

"sarah." she whispered. "please, please tell me you're not telling the cops it was john b."

"her dad told the cops she wasn't there. neither was rafe." mara breathed. "why are you here, what's going on? is john b caught."

"no, no, he's not. come with me." emery breathed, motioning for mara to follow her, both girls looking at sarah, who's eyes were wide. "i'm sorry sarah, no one wanted you to get drug into this."

"it's okay." emery could barely hear the girl's whisper as she gave mara and emery a small smile, the two girls sliding down the gutter and running across the backyard of the cameron estate, over the wall, and towards the church.

"he's up here, come on." emery muttered, pushing the door open and starting to climb the ladder to the bell tower, mara right behind her as she opened to trap door slowly. when she pushed it open, john b was standing there, trembling, pointing a candelabra at the open trap door threateningly, which he dropped once he realized it was just emery.

"hey." she breathed, climbing up the ladder and pulling john b into a hug, which he gladly accepted. "i brought a friend."

john b looked over her shoulder as mara climbed into the bell tower, giving him a small smile. she pulled the trap door shut, standing up and looking the boy up and down.

"you okay?" she whispered, john b nodding.

"yeah, yeah i'm good." he muttered. the door rattled again, all three teens heads snapping towards it. as it opened, a face that no one wanted to see appeared.

topper.

"why are you everywhere?" emery gritted, topper standing up as mara and emery stepped in front of john b, who topper looked ready to kill.

"what're you doing here, top?" john b shouted, grabbing the candelabra again, but there was no shakiness in his voice.

"hey, just take it easy, man." topper tried as he stepped up into the bell tower.

"don't fucking move." john b gritted.

"let me- i just need to talk to them, please." topper said, looking between mara and emery. "this isn't smart, is it, meeting up with a fugitive like this?" he taunted.

"topper you have no idea what you're talking about." mara protested.

"oh i don't?" he asked. "i know he killed sheriff peterkin." topper fired.

"i was there, topper." emery protested. "it was rafe."

"no it wasn't." topper said, his defensive demeanor suddenly falling.

"peterkin was trying to arrest ward and jackson because they killed big john and rafe shot her." emery said firmly. "i watched it happen, topper. my dad was a killer, and peterkin was shot for doing her job."

"guys, he's brainwashed you!" topper protested. come on, snap out of it- hey everyone! he's up here!" topper shouted, suddenly grabbing the rope
and ringing the bell repeatedly.

"shut up!" john b yelled, reaching forward and grabbing topper by the jaw. "shut up, topper!"

"topper, grow the hell up and knock it off!" mara demanded.

"alright." topper breathed.

"you done?" john b asked.

"i'm sorry." topper choked, emery and mara breathing heavily as they attempted to silence the bells. "mara, i warned you about these pogues, didn't i?"

"he's innocent!" mara said firmly.

"who did it then? was it really rafe?" topper asked, looking at emery now.

"how many times do i have to explain this to you?" emery yelled. "i saw it with my own two eyes, topper."

"no." topper whispered, a flash of denial taking over his expression.

"why would i say lee's best friend did it if it wasn't true? it's not like it'd be the first time he tried to kill someone because they made him a little upset." emery added, topper's face falling.

"john b, the cops are coming." emery whispered as a police siren echoed in the distance.

"why are you even here?" mara asked topper.

"topper." emery said suddenly. "this is your chance to make it up to me."

"what're you talking about?" he asked.

"you wanna make up for covering for rafe last time he tried to kill someone? you wanna be a better person?" she asked, topper slowly nodding. "swap clothes with john b and go out there when the cops show up. give us time to escape, don't blow our cover, and i won't tell the cops you knew about rafe the first time when i tell them what he did two years ago. because you bet your ass it'll be in my testimony."

topper looked around the room, before nodding, pulling his shirt off and swapping clothes with john b. when they were dressed, mara pulled the trap door open, a wave of smoke and heat entering the tower.

"oh shit- the place is on fire!" emery exclaimed, everyone rushing down the ladder. topper went for the front door, watching and waiting for the others to go out the back before he walked out the front.

they had made it out. and topper was on their side.

kens speaks 🪐

this chapter is all over the place and shitty as hell so it'll probably get rewritten but until then i'm sorry