"Do you think they look pissed off?" JJ asks no one in particular, his sunglass-covered eyes directed towards where the two girls sit beside each other on the edge of the boat. "You forgot your keys or something?"

    "Need a tow?" John B joins the taunting as we get closer to the girls. "You gotta admit it was kind of funny,"

    "John B. Mastermind, huh?" Kie asks, clearly pretending to be mad as she looks down at her feet.

    "I would love to take all the credit but it was all Phoebe's idea," He defends, pointing towards where I sit lazily in the boat.

    "Was not," I mutter a lie, focusing on rolling the blunt in my hands before tucking it away in a ziplock bag with all the other joints. I flick my eyes up at the girls, seeing their close proximity, "Unless it worked?"

    "That's some patriarchal bullshit, Phees. I'm disappointed," Kie pushes herself to a stand, her expression not angry in the slightest no matter how hard she tries.

    "But are you disappointed in me unanimously or individually?" I grin, standing up to lean against the edge of the boat as JJ toses the rope over my head, Kie catching it. 

    "Individually," Sarah chimes in, playfully glaring at me.

    "Hey, what about me? You still hate me?" JB grins up at his girlfriend. 

    "A little. We're both gonna get you back when you least expect it," Sarah crosses her arms over her chest.

    "Watch your backs, guys," Kie shakes her head.

    "Seems like teamwork to me," I push myself up straight, turning to high-five my brother's awaiting palm. "Mission accomplished,"

    "Did you guys, y'know?" Pope asks, interlocking his fingers together.

     "Reconcile our differences?" Kie asks unamused. She turns to Sarah as she shakes her head, both of them denying it, "Not even close,"     

    "But we're...willing...to work together," Sarah hesitates, faking pain at the words. 

    "That's victory," John B nods, satisfied. 

    "Yep!" JJ agrees, dropping his hand down next to Pope's as they wag their fingers together and speak in sync, "Woogity, woogity, woogity,"

    I catch a glimpse of Sarah smiling and turning to Kie, sending a wink her way as they both grin. 

    JJ snaps my attention, holding his hand out in the same motion as he had for Pope, "C'mon. Give Papa some sugar!"

    "Absolutely not, that's so gross," John B protests before I can say anything, pushing me aside just as my fingertips brush against JJ's. John B stands between us, his eyes directed at Kie and Sarah with a lazy grin. 

    "You guys ready to jack some loot?"

                    John B continues to list off supplies on his mental checklist, Pope replying with either a yes, no, or occasional sarcastic comment. 

    "Grappling hook?" John B calls from the front.

    "No grappling hook. We're not Batman," Comes Pope's sass-filled reply. 

    John B ignores the comment and the subsequent laughs, continuing to fire items at us and waiting for a response back.

    "We're ready," John B announces as he pulls the van to a stop. I latch onto the zip of my hoodie, pulling it all the way to the top to conceal me in the shadows. 

    "Let's go get rich, guys," JJ comments, wagging his fingers together as he moves to the exit of the van.

   Before any of us can climb out, John B stops us in the door frame with a serious look on his face, his hood up to cover his head. "I wanna say thank you, guys. Seriously. It means a lot to me that you're here tonight,"    

    "Always," Kie grins softly.

   "Of course, man," Pope chimes in, tapping a gentle hand on my brother's shoulder. 

   John B turns to me now, some of the others piling out of the van beside him as he speaks, his words directed at me, "I know it would mean a lot to Dad to see us working together,"

    "Without me, you'd blow the money on weed and pizza. Dad knew you needed me," I tease, pushing myself to the edge of the van, being the last one to exit as John B slides the door shut behind me. 

   "I am sorry, Pheebs. For, how I acted," He looks around as he speaks, both from awkwardness and shame.

   "Don't worry about it. With a friend like JJ, I'd keep a sister hidden as well," I tap his shoulder, nodding my head towards the house where the others wait for us, "Now, enough of this sappy shit. Let's go get filthy rich,"

    "Oh, that's a Routledge promise," He grins, lifting his hand to clap mine in a handshake before we crouch and join the others. 

    Jumping the small fence, we begin our quiet track through the overgrown ferns and weeds. We put in extra effort to be even quieter than we were before. If we get caught, I'd rather it be in the day when I can see the axe swinging for my neck before I feel it. 

    Just as we near the front of the house, a light aiming right at us flicks on. All of us practically crumble to the ground, harshly whispering about flashlights and other things as we pile into a corner out of sight. 

    My hand covers my chest, my heart slowing down the more I stare at the light in front of us, "Okay, so, clearly she has motion-sensored lights,"

    "We could, uh, move really slowly, maybe?" JJ suggests, looking between us all as if waiting for us to praise his Idea. I make eye contact with Sarah as she screws her face up as if asking 'is he serious?'

    "Yeah, that's not how it works," Pope shakes his head in disappointment.

    "Let's throw a rock at it!" John B adds, eyes slightly wider than usual. I drop my face into my palms, silently groaning as my brain cells deplete. 

    "What?" Pope exclaims, dumbfounded. 

    "That's a really good idea, actually. Yeah, let the axe murderer know we're here," Kie responds in a monotone voice, her words leaking with sarcasm as she stares down John B.

    "You have a better idea?" John B defends, looking around the group.

    "Why don't we wander inside and just kill ourselves with the axe, yknow, save her the trouble?" I snap in a whisper, slapping him on the arm once he flicks my ear in retalliation. 

    "Save the squabbles for a less serious moment, please?" Pope steps in, looking between us all like we've all gone mad.

    "What about the breaker? In the circuit box on the porch," Sarah chimes in, her eyes darting from us to the house, "We used to play hide and seek here as kids and, if we were brave enough, we'd go all the way up to the porch. I've seen it," 

    "No, no. You're not going in the house alone," John B immediately protests, shaking his head at the mere thought of it. 

    "Watch me," Sarah challenges.

    "Crain chops people into pieces," JJ reminds rather bluntly. 

    "If you believe that but, she's like what, eighty-five? She's probably barely still kicking," Sarah reasons.

    "Yeah, kicking people's heads off their shoulders!" I quietly exclaim. no matter how old that woman is, an axe doesn't age.

    "Here, I'll go with you," Kiara offers, sending a small smile Sarah's way before turning back to us. 

    "We'll wait for your signal," Pope nods, no one else objecting as the two girls stand in a bending crouch. 

    "Good luck," I whisper after them, secretly thanking god that it isn't me going into the belly of the beast. 

    "Hey!" John B whispers after them, waiting for the girls to turn around before making heavy eye contact with his girlfriend. My face screws up at the look of admiration, something unfamiliar in my life, "Be safe,"

    Sarah nods, "We will,"

    JJ reaches over, grabbing Pope's face gently and turning the dark-haired boy to face him. JJ squints, trying to look stoic as he mocks, "Be safe,"

    "I'll be so safe," Pope almost immediately catches on, reaching his hand up to emphasise his words, "I'll be safe for you,"

    "Can you guys stop?"John B groans, his head leaning back slightly as I stifle a laugh at his reaction. He holds up whatever pissy weapon he has in his hand, "I'm gonna kill you,"

    "But, how will that keep us safe?" Pope questions.

    "Don't worry, boys. Sarah's knight in shining armour is here," I grin, slapping my hand on my brother's shoulder.  

    He slaps my hand off of him, resulting in me slapping back until we're both going back and forth.

    "Stop it, dick," I warn, hitting him again. 

    "Guys shut the fuck up," Pope reminds. John B and I look at each other, getting one last slap in before turning and peaking through the bushes as the girls disappear through all the overgrowth 

    Eventually, the light in front of us turns off, prompting the four of us to turn and look at each other.

    "Go time," JJ comments, pulling his covering up over his mouth. I pull my own up, all of us concealing our faces.

    We all stand, remaining quiet as we trek through the overgrown weeds and towards the entrance of the crawl space.

   The small area is understandably scarier at night. The sun once provided warmth to the area which made it seem like just a mess, but the cold blue makes it feel sinister and like things are lurking in the shadows.

   I try my best to ignore the creepiness, reminding myself of the possibility of gold beneath my feet. 

    JJ stands with one foot on the edge of the well, readying the rope in his hands as we take our places around him. 

    "Holy crap, you know what this is?" JJ asks, his words muffled slightly by his camo print cover. "It just hit me,"

    "Whatever you're about to say can not be helpful," I sigh, looking down the well as JJ hands the rope past me and to Pope.

    "It's C.H.U.D. Full C.H.U.D," He grins widely. 

    "What is he talking about?" John B asks, both of us sharing a look of utter confusion. 

    "Cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers," He grins even wider, looking between us all, his eyes landing on me. I stare at him blankly, my brows furrowed. "Have you guys not seen that film?"

    "Why would you say that, JJ?" I question, my lips pressed together in slight concern, "Like, actually,"

    He shrugged, that dopey smile still strong on his face, "Reminded me of it. It's actually a good film-"

    "Shut up, shut up," John B chants, shaking his head at his best friend. "All right, how deep do you think this is, Pope?" He changes the subject. 

    Pope leans over the edge, looking down at the darkness below with a sigh of slight fear, "I don't know,"

    John B turns his eyes towards me, looking to me for an answer, "Phoebe?"

    I swallow, turning from him to the well below. Truthfully, I don't know either. The best I can offer is a guess, "The average well is 100-800 feet deep and, unfortunately, this one looks to be on the slightly deeper end,"

    "Woo! Let's get this party started!" JJ exclaims quietly, the rope threading over the thick pipe above the hole. 

    John B steps around Pope, catching my attention as I angle my head to look up at him in curiosity, "You should do it,"

   "What?" I gape, looking between him and the hanging rope. 

   "You're just as a part of this as I am. If you want to, the challenge is all yours," He gestures towards the well.

   I smile softly, my chest warming at the inclusion i've slowly been getting used to. I tilt my head, looking up at my brother, "You don't want to go down there, do you?"

    "I do not," He nods in agreement, "Plus, you're lighter,"

    "So true," I sigh, looking down at the well as I mentally prepare myself. 

    After a beat, I grab the rope from in front of me and pull it closer, holding the looped end in my hand before bending my knee, fitting my reeboks through the loop. Not the most secure binding, but it will have to do.

    "Okay," I nod, stepping up to the raised edge of the well. "It's just like rock climbing,"

    I turn, courage overtaking any fears I might have. I'm not scared of heights, and I have three spotters up here making sure I don't fall.

    The second my back is facing the well in preparation for my descent, my eyes meet the slightly concerned irises of JJ. He holds his hand up in the air, waiting for my palm to clap his as he says, "Be careful,"

   "Will do," I nod, clapping my palm in his and shaking it, my hand squeezing his hard for only a second.

   "You gotta be kidding me," John B comments in disbelief, looking between us as he recounts his mocking from earlier. 

    "Let's get this over with," I nod, reaching my foot back over the edge. My head turns over my shoulder, eyeing my foot as it hovers over the darkness. 

    The boys begin to lower the rope, my body getting lower as I push my leg out, allowing me to slip my last foot over the edge. I suck in a breath, now handing blindly over the dark space. 

   "Do not drop me," I warn, looking down at the darkness. Right as I say that, they drop the rope significantly, making me jolt and snap my head up to them so fast I almost break my neck. "Fucking assholes,"

   I hear them laugh in response, going back to lowering me at a calmer pace. 

   "All right, just keep paying it out nice and slowly, like that," Pope encourages, his voice slightly fading the further I descend. 

    I hold the rope tightly between my hands, my knuckles turning white around the object. My heart beats in my ears, but not from fear. Adrenaline keeps my eyes wide as they adjust to the dimness, slight excitement powering me as I look around the brick structure. 

    What sounds like JJ's voice echoes above, his words ineligible. Within seconds, I feel my body drop a significant distance in seconds, the rope jolting and catching me as if someone lost their grip only to latch onto my lifeline again.

   My mouth hangs open, an unescaped scream tightening my chest as I huff and look down. 

    "Phoebe?" All three call in sync, causing me to look up towards the far-away entrance.

   "You dickheads almost killed me!" I yell, my voice travelling up the wall of the well until it reaches their ears. The subsiding fear makes my voice come out shaky and broken. 

    "You good, P?" John B calls as I try to steady myself on the rope.

    "No! Not dropping me is literally the only thing you guys have to do," I exclaim, blowing out a long breath and looking around my surroundings. "What the hell happened?"

    "Little... technical difficulties," Pope responds, failing to make me feel any better. 

    "Get it together, please! I don't want to die in the Crain house," I respond.

    "Yes, Ma'am," Comes JJ's reply.

    They begin to slowly lower me once more, my free foot pushing off the wall gently as my free hand holds the flashlight tightly, aiming it at every inch of the walls around me. 

    "Keep it coming!" I communicate, aiming my flashlight below me only to not see the bottom. 

    "Hey, we got fifteen feet left!" Pope tells me. "Are you getting close to the bottom?"

    I take a second, aiming my light all around my feet, "I can't tell, it's still pretty dark,"

    "More," I hear Pope instruct the other two boys, my body going lower.

    The darkness clears, some sort of dirty water staring back at me, "Whoa, hey! Stop! I'm hanging over shit water,"

   "Shit water? Like, sewerage?" John B calls down the well.

   "Not exactly, but, just as gross!" I respond, screwing my face up as I eye the liquid.

    "Want us to pull you back up?" JJ asks.

   "As much as I want to say yes... no. Keep going," I cringe, feeling as they continue to lower me. 

    My shoe enters the murky water first, my sock instantly feeling wet and cold beneath until my bare legs join in the sensation. I keep myself from gagging, holding three fingers over my mouth as the rest of my hand grips onto the rope. 

    My body becomes submerged in the thick water, the levels rising to just below my chest, saturating my clothes and skin as I gag. 

    Stupid John B, trying to act all noble and charitable. Stupid me for agreeing to go into this stupid well. 

    "Okay! I'm at the bottom!" I call, holding my elbows above the water line as I release staggered breaths. 

    "How is it down there?" John B asks, his and JJ's heads joining Pope's as they peer down at me.

   "One hundred per cent worse than I thought," I breathe, looking around the water for a sign of anything. 

    "Find any gold?" JJ asked hopefully.

    "I can barely find my legs, JJ," I reply, sucking in a deep breath of air only to regret it when I remember I'm breathing in the same air as the water each time.

    "Need help with that?" He responds, a thud echoing from presumably John B hitting him.

    "Your dedication is admirable, JJ. But, you won't want me when you smell me," I laugh, the unserious flirting helping with my tense muscles.

    "Baby, I'll want you no matter-"

    "Feel around the bottom with your foot!" John B suggests, clearly just trying to cut his best friend off from disgusting him any further. I can't help but laugh gently at the interruption.

    Following his suggestion, I swish my foot around the unseen bottom of the well, cringing when my foot comes into contact with a bump at the bottom.

    "I think I found something," I wince, clenching my eyes shut, "Here goes nothing,"

   I lean down, the freezing water covering more of my skin as I dive underneath. My hand blindly feels around the bottom of the well, my other hand above the water to hold my flashlight up. My hand latches onto something solid at the bottom, my fingers holding tight as I emerge from the water with a gasp.

   Looking down at my hand, my stomach sinks and my lunch threatens my throat as I realise what I'm holding. The lower jaw bone of a human skull.

   I yelp, dropping the one with a splash as I look up and scream, "JJ! Pull me up!"

   "Pull her up, go, go, go," I hear them all chant, panic erupting through them as the rope slowly pulls me out of the water.

    "John B! Pope! Hey, pull me up!" I scream more, my body feeling like it's shaking from the inside out as I cling to the rope like a lifeline. "Hurry!"

    In a panic, I grip the bricks of the well, trying to pull myself up even faster in a desperate attempt to escape whatever sinister acts lay hidden by the water. 

    The brick I'm holding comes loose from the wall, slipping out of my hand and hitting the liquid beneath with a splash. 

    Dust clouds my vision, debris clinging to my eyes but I ignore it as I continue to yank bricks from the wall, a hollow space hidden behind them

    "Wait, wait, hold on!" I call, pushing the remaining obstructions away. "I think I found something?"

    "You okay?" Pope calls, slight fear evident in his voice.

    "I'm okay! Give me a second," I respond, observing the dust-filled space. 

    Bracing my hands on the edges, the dirt sticks to my wet skin. I hold the flashlight tightly, aiming it in front of me. Closing my eyes, I release a breath and mentally encourage myself.

    I've come this far.

    Reaching my arm inside, I latch onto the bumps in the small space and pull myself in. The dirt almost instantly clings to and clogs the pores of my skin, my clothes becoming heavier with the added weight. I let out a small groan, continuing to pull myself through despite the icky feeling.

    "Pheebs? You okay?" I hear JJ call this time.

    I don't reply, focusing on pulling myself through the small entrance. 

    "Phoebe?" John B calls.

    Mud coats my hair and face, and my whole body is covered in aspects of different biomes, all of which are disgusting.

   I reach an opening at the end, my hand extending to brace myself as I reach a large area. My legs fall through, my knees sinking into the dirt as I push my hair away from my eyes. 

    A lump in the dirt in front of me catches my eyes almost immediately, my flashlight illuminating the area as my fingers reach for the buried object underneath. Light reflects off of the golden surface, my thumb rubbing the dirt from the face of the object to get a better look.

   My mouth opens in a small gasp, my upper body falling back to sit on my knees in a slump, the gold bar clenched tightly in my shaking hand. 

    "No way," I breathe, my eyes welling up in slight tears as I smile widely, "We did it, Dad,"

   The wheat symbol imprinted in the gold bar stares back at me like the sun before I lower it, reaching out to smooth dirt away from the rest of the pile.

   What looks like hundreds of gold bars reveal themselves to me, my hands coating themselves in the mud the more I clear away the obstruction. 

    Looking around, piles of gold surround me like the embrace of my father, bringing me closer to him than I've felt in a long time.

    Suddenly, I hear the echoes of shouts of distress. I immediately take this as a sign we need to leave now and shove the gold into the pockets of my wet hoodie.

   I push myself back through the tight entrance, climbing through faster with a wide grin on my face, "I found it! I found the gold!"

    "Phoebe, get back on the rope!" John B shouts, clearly not hearing my words. I shove my foot back through the loop, feeling them pull me up in a hurry all while I smile like an idiot, holding my pocket tightly. 

    I hear Sarah and Kie now with the group, all of them yanking the rope to get me out of the well.

   Suddenly, I see a flash of orange and the sound of a bang. Screams reach my ears just before. I feel myself being dropped again, the rope catching almost instantly.

    "What the hell? Was that a gunshot?" I yell, my heart pounding in my chest. 

    I see JJ tie the rope holding me up to something before they all disappear from view. Seconds later, another gunshot sounds followed by yells.

   Swinging myself forward, I latch onto the bricks and try pulling myself up again. These bricks don't slip from my grip, allowing me to get closer and closer to the edge. In no time, my fingers grip the edge of the well, my head appearing above the edge to see the scene above.

   Mrs Crain stands to the far right with a gun, her blinded vision making it hard for her to aim as she shoots blindly. 

   JJ and John B crouch as they approach me, grabbing one of my arms each and helping me pull myself the rest of the way. My feet hit solid ground once more, John B rushing to shove Mrs Crain into a wall, making her hit the ground. 

   JJ holds onto me, Both of us pushing each other forward as we run for the exit of the crawl space. 

   My heart pounds in fear, but I can't wipe the smile off of my face as we enter the night air and run through the property.

   "Whoo!" JJ exclaims from beside me, John B laughing from his spot right ahead of us.

    We reach the wall, JJ stays behind to watch me climb halfway over before joining me. John B waits on the other side, all of us breaking into a sprint towards the Twinkie.

    "Get in the car!" Sarah yells as Pope yanks the sliding door open for us all to pile in.

    A shot hits the brick wall behind me, dust flying up as I jump into the van, Kie yanking the door shut behind me.

    "Why are we always getting shot at!" Pope yells.

    "JJ, drive!" Sarah demands, fear clearly overcoming her as the van quickly speeds up. 

    "Holy shit!" JJ laughs, turning over his shoulder to look at me in my dirty state. "Are you okay? Are you shot?"

   I shake my head, out of breath. My hand clutches onto my stomach, a dumb smile on my face.

    "You look disgusting!" Pope breathes.

    "You smell like ass," Kie adds with a wince. 

    "All-time Pogue Hall of Fame, baby!" JJ exclaims from the front.

    The others erupt into discourse about what just happened, exchanging comments as I slowly reach into my pocket, my fingers wrapping around the treasure hidden there.

    John B sits beside me, peering down at my hand as if he somehow knows exactly what's in there. I look up at him, his eyes watching mine in anticipation as I smile widely, slowly pulling my shaky hand out of the confinements of my hoodie.

    I hold up the clump of dirt, swiping my thumb across to reveal what lies beneath.

   John B's jaw almost falls open, his eyes glued to the thing in my hand as I pass it over to him. He holds it like it's the most delicate thing in the world, clearing off more of the mud.

    "What is that?" Kie asks quickly, being the first to notice what's being exchanged. Her reaction attracts the attention of the others, all of their eyes almost falling out of their heads.

   "No, you didn't!" Sarah calls with a laugh and a grin.

    "We did it, baby!" I announce, John B breaking out into cheers as he wraps his arms around my muddy frame, shaking me rapidly with the gold clenched in his hands, "We did it!"

    "Oh, my god!" I hear JJ yell in excitement, His hand finding my shoulder as he joins in on the shaking. 

    A chorus of 'oh my god' and cheers almost burst my eardrums, everyone unable to contain their excitement as John B lets me go, some of the mud transferring to his clothes. 

   "Guys, we're going to be rich!" Kie announces in realisation.

    "Like full kook rich!" Sarah agrees.

    "Full Kook! Full kook!" Pope starts to chant, everyone else joining in at the top of their lungs. 

   My throat hurts from the volume, but I don't care. Reaching to my shoulder, I grab JJ's hand and hold it up in the air, shaking it tightly and cheering.