John B's house is different in every way from my house on The Cut. This house actually feels lived in, like a family has come together here either in the past or present. My house reminds me of a display home, something decorated for show only. 

    But, it gets boring here when we're not running around looking for clues. John B and Kiara went to surf but I declined their invitation, not wanting to be a a third wheel to my brother. So, out of boredom, I pull my phone out of my pocket and turn it on, using the little battery I have left.

    The first thing I notice is a text from my Mum, the sight making my heart swell just from three simple words.

    Please. come home.

    I can't tell if she's inviting me in secret or if she talked to Linus and convinced him. Either way, I'm more than happy to be in the same house with her again. I feel wrong being in this house and not being able to know how my Mum's doing with that monster in the home with her. I always feel like her protector

    Just as I ready myself to reply, a text from Rafe appears as a notification at the top of my screen. 

    I did it because of you. Those pogues have it coming

    My eyebrows bunch into a furrow, confusion overcoming me at his vague words. What did he do? Dread fills me at the mention of Pogues, my mind scrambling through every possibility. 

    As if on queue, the door of the Chateau swings open, Pope and JJ entering in a hurry before they see me and straighten up, making themselves relax. 

    I push myself to a stand, inspecting both of their incriminating faces, "Something happened. What is it?"

    "How the hell do you know? Are you psychic?" JJ asks, reaching his hand out slowly as if he could physically touch my 'psychic powers'. 

    "Dude," Pope sighed, slapping his hand away.

    "Rafe texted me," I inform, holding my phone up next to my face, "Tell me what happened,"

    "Topper and Rafe jumped me, told me to stay off their side of the island," Pope admitted, dropping his head as if he has something to be ashamed of. I take in his appearance, noting the slightly visible injuries on his complexion. 

    "Are you serious?" My jaw drops, my chest tightening in rage over Rafe's actions. 

    JJ laughs bitterly, nodding to himself before turning to Pope with the same expression, "Well, don't you worry. We got them back. This is war,"

     "I literally told you not to tell anyone," Pope sighs in frustration, holding his arms out in defeat. 

    "What did you do?" I push for further details, my eyes flicking between them both.

    They look at each other as if they're mentally discussing if they should tell me or not. This lasts a while before JJ turns to me with a proud smile, "Sunk Topper's boat,"

    "Jesus Christ," I think out loud, pinching the bridge of my nose as I rack my brain for a solution. I drop my hands, grabbing my few items and stuffing them into my pockets, "I'll be back,"

    "Where are you going?" Pope asks as I brush past them.

    "To talk to Rafe," I reply without looking back, jogging down the steps to my sage green bicycle. 

    Pope doesn't deserve to go down for sinking Topper's boat and neither does JJ especially after Rafe and Topper started it in the first place. As much as it makes me sink, Rafe claims whatever he's done is for me. So, if I have to swallow my pride and sweet talk him into letting it go, then I will. Hell, maybe it'll even sweeten Linus up when I come home so I don't have to deal with too much of him at once.

    I know the path to the Cameron house like the inside of my eyelids. It doesn't take me long to get there on my bike, considering I can take all the shortcuts I've discovered over the months. I stash my bike in the front yard, trying to remain calm as I approach the house and walk inside. Thankfully, none of the other Cameron members are in the house to greet or distract me. But, the blaring music upstairs tells me Rafe is home. 

    "Rafe!" I call out, slowly skipping the stairs up to Rafe's bedroom. I approach the familiar door, pushing it open to reveal Rafe sitting in one of the chairs in his room, a glass table in front of him as he clears a bump off the surface.

    He hears me enter but doesn't bother to give me any acknowledgment besides the brief flick of his eyes. He reaches over, turning his music almost all the way down. "Want some?"

    "No... thanks," I trail off, closing the door behind me as he stands from the table, walking over to his bedside table and shuffling around with his things. "I wanted to talk to you,"

    "Oh, now you're interested in a conversation?" He smiles bitterly, turning to look at me with an unfamiliar look in his eyes, one of slight hatred.

    "That's not fair, Rafe," I sigh, moving to where he sits and crouching in front of him. I try my best to act kind and sympathetic with him. It's not too hard, a part of me has a soft spot for him from all the times he chose me when no one else would. "Talk to me,"

    He scoffs, looking away from me for a second before peeling his eyes back to me, "I've been trying to,"

    "I know, I'm sorry," I reply, leaning forward to clasp my palm against his cheek. I feel his jaw clench under my touch like he's forcing himself to resist leaning into me. "I heard what happened,"

    He scoffs once more, shaking my hand off and standing up, almost pushing me as he does so. I rise to a stand, following him as I clamp a hand against his shoulder to once again regain his attention. He turns around quickly, shoving my hand off of him as he gets close to my face, "You ignored me for days and now you only want to talk to me because of that dirty pogue? I knew-"

    "Don't call him that," I cut him off, unable to stop myself from defending Pope's name. Even though I don't know him much, I know he's a sweet boy and deserves someone to defend him when he's not around.

    His eyes search my face, his jaw muscle ticking, "And here I thought you were only sleeping with that Maybank kid. I guess he was just the pogue that was on rotation that night,"

    My jaw drops almost cartoon-like at his words. The obvious slut shaming over something that isn't even true almost re-wiring my brain. I stare at him in shock, "Are you kidding me?"

    "Linus told me he found him in your room with you. Shit, the phone call confirmed it but I just didn't expect you to give it up to anybody-"

    His words spark an anger in me that almost immediately has me lifting my hand, slapping him across the cheek hard enough to have my palm stinging. My eyes widen in shock at what I just did, his face showing the moment he realises too.

    "I didn't do anything with any of them, Rafe. I can't believe you'd trust Linus's word over mine," I almost plead, needing him to be the Rafe I first bonded with all those months ago. 

    "They've changed you-"

    "No, they haven't," I shake my head, once again resting my palm on his cheek to try and rub my thumb in comfort. "Why does everything have to be about Pogues versus Kook?"

    "It's clear which side you've chosen. What makes you think I'd want your hands on me after you let a pogue have you?" He spits like venom, grabbing my wrist from his face and holding it tightly in his hand, "They held a gun to Topper's head-"

    "After Topper tried to drown John B-- my brother!" I cut him off, shouting as I furrow my eyebrows, realising how tight his tunnel vision has gotten. "Something you started in the first place, Rafe!"

    "You're defending them?" He shouts, dropping my hand without moving an inch, his face mere centimetres from mine as he stares at me in anger. "You act like you're one of them now. John B wouldn't give you the time of day a week ago, okay? I did! I did everything for you,"

     "Yeah, you're right," I laugh, "But not for free. Everything you did, you expected something from me in return! I felt obligated to do whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted it. I wanted to be your friend, Rafe. That was never good enough for you,"

    "I know this is an unfamiliar concept to you, Phoebe," He begins, squinting his eyes and lifting his hands up to his head, "But, friends don't sleep with each other. Don't act like everything was one-sided,"

    "You're right," I nod, pressing my lips into a straight line. "Maybe... maybe some part of me felt something for you but that's long gone now. The Rafe I knew would never slut-shame me based on a lie," 

    He shakes his head, smiling with venom laced in his teeth as he turns his back to me and leans on his dresser, his back heaving. He stays still for a second before he turns quickly, an object leaving his hands as he tosses something across his room. I don't dodge fast enough, the blurred object hitting me on the face, right under my eye. I gape, holding my hand up to the fresh cut under my eye. 

    My eyes meet his, something in him so different to when I first met him, I clench my jaw, biting back my anger as I chew on the inside of my lip.

    He looks like a wounded child as he looks at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, "I... I didn't mean to,"

    "Yeah, you never do," I bite in anger, holding my arms close to me as I make my way to his bedroom door, "I am done trying to reason with you, Rafe. You're impossible. Don't text me again,"

    He doesn't say anything, standing in his room in silence as I exit and jog down the stairs before leaving the house in under a minute. I can't get out of there fast enough as I grab my bike and take off, away from the house. 

          Surprisingly, the first place I went to was John B's house. The place has become like a second home to me, something warmer than the home I actually live in. I feel like I can be myself here instead of the image I'm forced to keep up on the other side of the island. 

    I make sure to keep my white sunglasses over my eyes around them, not having the energy to explain the cut on my face to them. The wind nips at the skin on my face as JJ steers the boat into slightly unsteady waters. I look to the sky, noticing the grey tinge indicating a storm.

    "All right, JJ. Pin it here," John B calls, JJ almost immediately following the instruction.

    "Roger that! X marks the spot," JJ calls back. They tested the drone yesterday and now, it's time for the real thing. Despite the slightly uneasy weather, it's time to try to finish what Dad started.

    "All right, Ladies and Gentlemen," John B starts, unwinding the cord from the drone and holding it up over the edge of the boat, "To going full Kook,"

     I smile behind my sunglasses, the phrase reminding me of JJ's plans for his share of the gold that he told me about when we broke into my house right before we were chased out.

    John B lowers the drone into the water, passing the yellow cord off to Kiara so she can slowly thread the device into the depths. I move to stand in front of the screen displaying what the drone sees, holding my arms close to me in an attempt to keep myself warm.

    Kiara lowers the drone further and further down, the only thing on the screen being all sorts of fish. 

    "All right, JJ, we're right over it. Ten seconds Northwest," John B calls out another instruction, his eyes zoned onto the tablet in his hand displaying a red dot and the outline of a boat. 

    "One hundred feet!" Kiara calls out, the red piece of tape marking the depth becoming visible. 

    My heart feels like it's pounding in my chest, the anticipation of what we might find raising the organ's rhythm.

    "And, to quote the hobbit, 'Down, down, to Goblin Town. Down, Down, you go, my lad'," Pope comments, his eyes glued to the screen in front of him despite it not displaying anything of interest.

    "You're such a nerd, Pope," I tease, leaning down slightly to get a better look at the screen through my shaded glasses.

    "Four hundred feet!" Kiara calls once more. The boat begins to sway more, thunder booming in the background the further down we go, "The tide's turning!"

    "Hey, JJ?" John B calls, watching the red dot as it beeps on his tablet, "Ten seconds easy, alright? South-southeast,"

    "Copy that!"

    "JJ, twenty seconds mid-speed, all right? South?" John B instructs once more.

    "Copy that! Aye, aye," JJ calls, sounding like some sort of pirate. 

    I turn over my shoulder, dark and scary-looking clouds catching my eye. I turn back to John B, noticing the worry on his face, "Those clouds don't look good, JB,"

    "We better hurry up, then," He replies, anticipation clear as he holds the tablet tightly in his hands.

    "Okay, 700 feet!" Kiara informs, thunder booming once more before she immediately follows up with, "900!"

    I feel the boat rock, the incoming storm making the waters more unsteady the longer we stay still. I steady myself on the boat, turning to JJ as I shout, "JJ, be careful! We'll turtle in this storm,"

    "Crank it north by northwest! Ten seconds!" More instructions fly from John B's mouth. He turns to Pope beside me, his eyes flicking to the other screen, "Pope, how are we doing?"

    "Almost there," The raven-haired boy responds.

    "John B, there's too much current! We're gonna lose it!" Kiara shouts in distress. John B turns to me, no words sharing between us before I step away from the males and join Kie's side, latching onto the cord and helping her keep it steady. 

    John B shouts out more instructions that I can't make out from this distance, the wind deafening me as the cold yellow cord agitates the skin of my palms.

    Kiara begins to shout out more numbers the further the rope falls from our hands, the number getting closer and closer to 1000.

    "I'm at the bottom!" I hear Pope shout, my attention turning over my shoulder to watch them for a reaction.

    Kiara and I let go of the cord, it no longer needing to be threaded down as we almost run to the screen in eagerness. I stand next to John B, peering over his shoulder with my eyes glued to the screen.

     I need Dad to be right, I don't want him to be another crazy treasure hunter who lost his life with nothing to show for it. At least his legacy will be finding the gold, even if he had to die to do it.

    "Oh, good god," Pope breathes, his voice almost a whisper.

    "It's the Royal Merchant," John B speaks, a dopey smile on his face as a shipwreck slowly appears through the darkness of a thousand feet. A warmth spreads through my chest, a smile overcoming my face at the sight before me.

    John B wraps his arm tightly around my shoulders, shaking me slightly in excited laughter. 

    He did it. We did it.