EMERY WAS SKEPTICAL.

the man had just denied them entry to the lighthouse, but once he found out it had something to do with the royal merchant he was welcoming them with open arms? it didn't make any sense to the girl. however, she wasn't going to leave john b alone on his deathbed, so she trailed behind her best friend through the door to where the lighthouse and out onto the balcony.

"i know more- watch your step there- abojt the royal merchant than anyone else in kildare county." the ranger said, emery stepping cautiously to avoid the sports where the floor had rusted through and fallen off.

"holy shit." john b whispered.

"c'mon." the ranger urged. "now the merchant disappeared in the graveyard of the atlantic in 1829." the man told the kids.

"with four hundred million." john b added.

"correct." the man replied gruffly. "you're a bit of a merchanteer yourself, huh?"

"uh... something like that." john b trailed off.

"well come with me." the man said. "i wanna show you something."

"his tone of voice makes me uneasy." emery breathed into john b's ear.

i've been working 30 years up here and the views never changed until two days ago. the point's almost gone now. now, the trick to knowin' where the merchant is-" john b grabbed emery's hand as they crossed over a particularly large hole in the balcony- "is knowin' whether she was on the north end or the south end of the eye of the storm. now, most experts believe that she was on the south end. now, she's on the south end, the bands from the hurricane would've pushed her back out to sea."

emery looked at the man, whos eyes were wide and wild. he looked like he was on harder drugs than rafe cameron.

"but i don't believe that." he said, getting closer to john b, who emery stepped up next to and grabbed his hand again. "uh-uh. i think she was on the north end of the eye. which means the bands would've pushed her..."

"closer to shore." john b finished.

"that's right." the ranger confirmed. "now by my calculations... the royal merchant... is abojt ten miles thataway." the man said, pointing off into the distance towards the water. "come on, come on." he said when john b stopped to shoot emery a skeptical glance.

he led the two inside and stopped in front of a map, taking off his glasses and using them as a pointer. "right here is where the point used to be." he said, pointing at a small peninsula. "my calculations say there merchant's right about there, down about a thousand feet."

"that's what my dad used to say." john b murmured.

"yep." the ranger replied.

"yeah, i- i know this is weird, alright? do you know anything about this?" john b asked the man shakily as he held the compass up. "look, it- it says redfield on the back in my dad's handwriting."

the man's face had visibly fallen, emery looking between her and john b for any sign that she and him were in any immediate danger by the older man.

"look, i don't know why i'm here, but i feel like i'm supposed to be here." john b told the man. "do- do you have anything to give me, or to... where are you going?" john b asked as the man walked up a small set of spiral stairs through a trap door into the glass room that held the light for the lighthouse, john b and emery following closely behind.

"wait a minute. look... look, man, i know this is weird. i just thought, hoped, maybe you would know something about this, alright?" john b said desperately, emery stepping in.

"mr. ranger, we've both been through so much in the last twenty-four hours. we've been shot at, chased, he was home-invaded." emery said, these words catching the man's attention.

"home invaded?" he clarified.

"my rooster was killed. look, man, my dad wanted me to talk to you, okay? so, if there's anything you could think of that would help us, please, just tell us, okay?" john b shouted, emery putting a hand on his shoulder and pulling him back gently.

"john b, lay off!" she scolded, the man raising a walkie-talkie to his face, john b shaking his head pleadingly at the man.

"wanda, i got two kids on drugs up here at the lighthouse. call the police." he told the radio, john b attempting to wrestle the walkie talkie out of the man's grasp, but he ended up accidentally smashing the man's hand into the window.

"jb, what the hell?" emery asked, john b looking up her her pleadingly.

"it was an accident!" he exclaimed.

"we have to go, come on!" emery said, grabbing the routledge boy by the hand and running back to the stairwell, the two running as fast as they could without being tripped. once they got to the bottom of the stairs, emery shoved the door open just in time to see the twinkie driving away.

"are you kidding me?" she breathed as the sirens in the distance got louder. "this way, come on!" she told john b, pulling him behind her by the hand as they ran as fast as they could, legs and lungs burning all the while, the sirens fading slowly as they made it to the beach, slowing down only when they thought the lighthouse was a safe distance away from them.

"hey, look. you've- you've got to admit, that was kind of promising." john b tried. "i mean, my dad, the royal merchant, the ranger, the royal merchant. i mean, coincidence? i don't- i don't think so."

"john b, that old hermit's entire life had been dedicated to knowing about shipwrecks." emery said, beginning to get annoyed with whatever wild goose chase the boy was on, but also feeling terrible for him.

"okay, but the royal merchant?" john b asked.

"that's the only thing this island has going for it, john b, it's local lore!" emery exclaimed. "and redfield is the most common name in kildare county, it could mean anything. as far as us diving down rabbit holes together goes, this is probably the best one you've ever come up with."

"look, maybe we missed something at the lighthouse." john b suggested. "we should go back!"

"john b, you broke a window with his hand." emery said softly, a pained expression on her face.

"it wasn't on purpose." john b deadpanned, emery grabbing his face. "i mean, you believe me, right?" he asked, his voice beginning to tremble slightly.

"john b, i think there might be some concocting going on." emery admitted gently, john b closing his eyes and leaning into her hand.

"ems..." he trailed off.

"i get it. okay? i've been there everyday, i get it. you miss your dad, we all do. but whatever this is isn't helping." emery said quietly, john b opening his eyes and looking at her in a transfixed manner. "but why would he put a clue on that compass?"

"he knew it would come back to me!" john b exclaimed. emery wordlessly pulled the boy into a hug, which he melted in to as his arms gently snaked around her waist.

"you have to pull yourself together." emery mumbled. "and i'll be there, i'll help you. but this isn't going to help you."

john b slowly pulled away from emery, but before she could process what was happening, john b's lips were on hers.

it took her a second to process it, but she kissed him back after a moment, john b pulling away in surprise, more with himself than emery.

"what's that all about?" the girl asked.

"you- i- i'm- shit. i'm- im sorry." john b began stuttering, emery grabbing his shoulders gently.

"it's okay." emery breathed, the sensation of euphoria still filling her body.

"i'm an idiot." john b mumbled, emery grabbing his shoulders and turning his body to face her.

"jb, it's okay." emery stressed with a smile, john b shaking his head.

"im just so worried about my dad, and the dcs, and i just- i can't breathe sometimes." he rambled, emery's smile fading to a look of concern as she gently cupped the boy's face, making him look at her.

"i actually enjoyed it." she said quietly, john b's eyes widening.

but before their moment could escalate much further, a siren sounded right next to them, both teens turning to see shoupe standing outside his police cruiser.

"routledge!" he called. "i got you, son. now how about you just be chill and not make me chase you."

emery grabbed the compass out of john b's back pocket and put it in the front pocket of the hawaiian patterned button down she was wearing so it wouldn't be taken from john b. shoupe escorted both teens to his squad car, emery squeezing john b's hand reassuringly.

"i really did enjoy it." emery whispered, john b smiling at her.

"me too." he admitted in a murmur, running his thumb over the girl's knuckles gently.

AMELIA BAILED THE TWO OUT.

emery and john b only needed one call to the melville woman before she was at the police station bailing the two out of their situation.

"momma, i owe you so much for this." john b told the woman gleefully, amelia rolling her eyes.

"you definitely do, john. by the way, your tux for midsummers is in. if you come by tonight we can try it on, make sure it doesn't need any more alterations." the woman said, emery climbing in the passenger seat of her mother's car while john b got in the back.

"have you talked to peterkin about the custody transfer?" emery asked hopefully. amelia nodded, a bitter look on her face.

"she said if they managed to get in contact with your uncle and okay it on his end we could do it, but until then, there's nothing i can do, kid." amelia told john b disappointedly.

"that's okay." john b said flatly, his previously happy mood- which had been brought up by being bailed out of an assault charge- was suddenly down again.

"i'm not letting them take you." amelia added. "i'll lock you in my basement before i let them take you."

"mom!" emery scolded, but she and john b were both laughing at her mom's antics.

"mills, can you let me out here?" john b asked, amelia turning to emery.

"you going too?" she asked, emery shaking her head.

"i'm gonna go home and shower but i'll be at your house tonight." emery told john b, who nodded, thanked amelia again for bailing him out, and waving goodbye to emery.

"call mara and levi, tell them to come over too, i'll make you guys some food to take to the chateau tonight." amelia told her daughter, as she put the car in gear again, emery quickly texting her best friend and brother. "and tell jj to come try his tux on."

"bold of you to assume he isn't going wherever mara goes." emery retorted, sending another text to mara telling her to bring jj.

"says you!" amelia retaliated, emery rolling her eyes.

"he kissed me today." emery said casually, amelia raising her eyebrows as she turned into her driveway.

"good for you." she exclaimed, emery climbing out of the car and going inside, checking her phone to see that mara had replied to her text saying that everyone was on their way.

five minutes later mara ran into the girl's room, jj and levi right behind her.

"your mom made this lasagna, and it's the shit." jj breathed, leaning heavily against the door frame. "i love that woman more than weed."

"that being said, your midsummers tux is here, and so are our dresses." she told the group, climbing out of her bed and walking downstairs.

"where's john b?" mara asked as emery reached into the linen closet and passed the formal wear bags to the appropriate people.

"he had us drop him off not far from ward's, i think he was gonna try and get some hours in." she explained, motioning for mara to follow her into the guest bedroom the teens had been using for their midsummers related activities since they were kids.

"your mom is actually a saint." mara muttered, unzipping the bag on the dress and letting it fall to reveal the pale blue gown inside, matching colored leaves covering the top and stretching down onto the top of the skirt. amelia had picked both girls' midsummers dresses since they were kids, only asking what color they wanted to match with their date.

emery's dress was revealed to be a similar style, except in light purple. flowers covered the top and were scattered across the skirt, the silk spaghetti straps crossing her shoulders twice before tying corset-style in the back.

"i think i might give you a run for your money this year." emery said to mara as she grabbed her dress and walked into the bathroom, her friend rolling her eyes.

"in your dreams, jj and i are always hottest couple, pope, kie, and ainsley always say so."

after more playful bickering both girls walked into the living room of the melville house dressed. to emery's surprise, john b was in the living room also wearing his tux, but looking incredibly upset.

"when did you get here?" she asked as mara and jj started to show off to each other. he was wearing a white jacket and pants with a shirt the same color as mara's dress underneath. midsummers was the one time of the year besides homecoming mara and emery had ever gotten the two to dress up.

"ward fired me." john b spat, emery frowned and adjusted the boy's collar.

"why would he fire you?" she asked, grabbing the white tie from the arm of the sofa and throwing it around his neck.

"sarah told him about the scuba." he said angrily, emery finishing his tie and putting the shirt collar back to how it was before, still frowning.

"how did sarah know?" she asked, john b sighing heavily.

"she was out there when i brought the tanks back, she promised she wouldn't tell ward i took it." john b explained, emery biting her lip.

"she's just a bitch, john b." emery said.

"and i owe your mom big time, i have to pay her back for my bail and this, and-"

"no you don't." amelia said from the kitchen. "now come in here, let me see!" she called, jj and mara being the first ones in the kitchen, jj popping his collar and posing repeatedly for amelia before spinning mara around, making the woman laugh.

"emery, john b?" she asked, the two walking into the kitchen, john b spinning emery as she spinned him.

"come on, single pringle." mara called to levi, who walked into the kitchen and just spun once for his mom.

"you are so lame." emery told her brother, who threw his hands up in defeat.

"i have no one to dance with!" he called, amelia ushering the kids out of the kitchen.

"go take those off and hang them up before they wrinkle!" she yelled, emery and mara hurrying off the the guest room while the boys went to their guest room.

"i was hotter." mara muttered once emery re-emerged from the bathroom.

"in your dreams." she replied, pulling open the bedroom door, mara waltzing over to jj and emery went to john b, levi on his phone on the couch, undoubtedly texting ainsley.

"mom, who's hotter, me or emery?" mara called into the kitchen.

"i can't answer that, i have to live with one of you!" she called, emery scoffing as everyone started laughing.

"are you saying mara looks better than me?" she yelled offendedly.

"speak your truth!" mara yelled.

"i'm gonna head out." john b sighed, stand up and looking down at emery and mouthing a 'i love you' to the girl, who did the same with a smile.

"let's keep it discreet, please." mara said disgustedly.

"call me if you need anything." emery told the boy, who nodded, taking the pan of lasagna amelia had just finished and walking out the door.

"i love you." jj mocked in a deep voice, emery flipping him off.

"you sound like patrick star." mara deadpanned at the boy, who scoffed at her offendedly.

"so levi, when's you and ainsley's wedding?" emery taunted loudly, levi rolling his eyes at his sister.

"walk me through how your little frosted tipped boyfriend thinks murder is perfectly okay but he draws the line at misogyny." mara added.

"also why is is he just so insufferably annoying?" emery dragged out. "i feel like i'm listening to that one rebecca black song every time he opens his mouth."

"we're good, bro." jj added. "he sounds like his only personality trait is that he holds the shotgun record for his frat house."

"his name is also topper." emery added, looking up at levi. "do better."

"just for you." he replied bitterly.

kens speaks 🪐

this is mostly just bonding shit but whatever

anywho they kissed

idk what else to to say