𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐘𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊, 𝗃𝗈𝗁𝗇 𝖻 𝗋𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗅𝖾𝖽𝗀𝖾

7: 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜

Y/n had crouched beside the Routledge boy, helping him take his scuba gear off. She didn't notice the boy's hazel eyes on her, a smile on his face as he watched her help him.

"Hey, guys?" Kie calls, catching their attention. "Guys, bogey, two o'clock."

Y/n and the boys follow her gaze, all of them now watching as a boat continues to drive forward in their direction, getting closer and closer. Inside the unfamiliar boat, two men stood side by side, their hardened gazes seeming to be on the five teenagers as they stood in the HMS Pogue.

"Do you recognize that boat?" Pope questions.

"I've never seen it." Kie responds.

"What are they doing back here? The marsh is closed." Y/n says, reminding them.

"I don't know. But let's not stick around and find out." JJ replies.

"JJ, get the bowline." John B instructs as he steps towards the wheel, pulling Y/n with him.

"Yeah." JJ nods, doing as told.

"Should we wait on them?" Pope asks.

"No, we're not gonna wait on them." John B denies.

"Are you joking?" Kie questions, staring blankly at Pope.

Pope goes over to the stern, turning on the boat in an instant as JJ finally gets the anchor all the way up and out of the water, just as John B starts to drive, Y/n right beside him.

"I don't like the look of this." Y/n murmurs.

"Are they coming for us?" John B questions.

"Maybe they're fishing." Pope suggests.

Driving faster than before, John B makes a turn to their right, driving into the marsh as they five of them all rant things to one another. Y/n hadn't even realized to put her hand on John B's until he raised his palm upwards, holding her hand while also driving.

"Hey, guys, they're following us." Kie calls to them.

"This can't be good." Pope mumbles.

"Dude, you gotta go faster!" JJ exclaims. "Gun it!"

"I'm going!" John B responds, exclaiming.

John B continues to drive faster, the men right on their tail. All of a sudden, a gunshot rang through the tense air, making four out of the five friends duck. John B was quickly to grab Y/n by the shoulders and push her down to the floor, JJ also pulling her down into his arms with him.

As the bullets continue flying through the air in their direction, the Maybank girl frantically glanced around from inside the HMS Pogue, trying to search for something. Soon enough, her e/c eyes landed on a net just slightly in front of all of them. Shifting in her brother's arms, she felt the older boy tense as he looked down at her, not liking what she was doing.

The next thing JJ knew, his little sister practically ran out of his arms and stumbled towards the net. Both JJ and John B watched her with wide eyes, both boys wanting to grab her and pull her down with them.

"Get down, Y/n!" JJ screams.

"Y/n, get down now!" John B screams as well.

The Maybank girl ignores the two boys, stumbling past them, Pope, and Kie as she throws the net into the water, watching the men drive over it, continuing to go after the teenagers, but their boat stops, as does their engine. As soon as they were out of sight, Kie, Pope, and JJ all rise to their feet while John B continues to drive. JJ quickly pulls his little sister into his arms, hugging the life out of her as them, John B, and Kie cheer while Pope just stands there with wide eyes.

"That was insane!" Kie laughs.

As he drove, John B occasionally glanced back at Y/n, sometimes meeting her eyes. He wanted to leave the wheel and pull her into his arms, but didn't as he was the one that drove. Eventually, after minutes, the Pogues made their way off the HMS Pogue and onto the docks, the four following John B, watching him kneel down, opening the bag.

"What do you guys think it is?" Kie asks.

"Gotta be money or something, right?" John B responds.

"That or a couple of keys with street value to the low- to mid-mils!" JJ exclaims.

"Can we please just open the bag?" Pope exclaims in annoyance.

"Wow, Pope." Y/n whispers.

"That's a rare outburst of emotion from you." John B adds.

"Okay. You guys are literally killing me with anticipation." Pope continues. "Just open the bag. We almost died over this."

The four all watch as John B pulls a small black bag out of the bigger duffel bag, a canister then being pull out of the small bag. Y/n crouches beside the Routledge boy, watching him unscrew the cap of the canister, twisting it upside-down, a plain old compass falling into his palm.

Instantly, hers, JJ, Pope, and Kie's excitement all washed away once they realized they went through cops, John B almost drowning, and being shot at, all for a compass they didn't even know who it belonged to.

"Oh, wow. Yeah. That's about right. Good job, everybody. We found a compass." Pope says sarcastically.

Y/n pinches the bridge of her nose, getting to her feet, going to her brother's side as JJ pulls his baseball cap off, ruffling his blonde hair. The two siblings share a curious look after noticing John B continued to stare at the compass, faint smile sitting on his face.

"Dude, what? It's not worth anything." JJ states, sharing a glance with his sister.

"This was my father's." John B whispers in reply, not taking his eyes off the compass.

Y/n watches as his smile widens upon the mention of his father, hope coursing through him that there could be a possibility to find his father. The four friends all glance at one another with frowns laying on their faces, all not wanting to ruin the moment that he found something of his father's.