----
Something prods at Liv's face, awakening her from her sleep. She pushes it away, rolling onto her side, head hitting someones chest. The object hits her again but this time she grabs it, flinching out the sound of cans falling onto the floor.
"Pope!" She shrieks, sitting up with a yawn.
"We have to go to school."
"Aw my head," She groans, trying to ignore the wave of nausea hitting her as she stands up.
"Get up, JJ," Pope slaps the boy's cheeks trying to wake him up.
"Hold it," Liv stops him and quickly jumps on top of the boy, making him sit up with a groan.
"Get off my, Liv!" He pushes her onto the floor but like she intended, he gets up off the bed. Pope hands her a brown paper bag full of lunch and she grins, "Thanks, dad."
"You coming, Kie?" Pope asks.
"Uh... I will meet up with you guys later," Kie says and Liv kisses her cheek before following the boys out the door.
"I'm starving," JJ moans, "I need pizza."
"No you missed breakfast," Pope says, dragging JJ out the door. But the boy slips out of his hands, running back into the Chateau.
"I got it!" JJ shouts in triumph grabbing a pizza but before he could put it in his mouth, Liv runs past and snatches it. JJ chases her into the twinkie and takes back his pizza with a glare.
----
"Glad you can join us, Mr Routledge," Mrs Williams smiles, handing him a piece of paper.
"It's good to be back," He grins.
"Lick-ass," Liv whispers at him, earning a glare from the lady infront of her.
"Just in time for your first quiz," She makes her way past John B to Liv, dropping the quiz on her desk. Liv looks down at the test, mouth open as her eyes scan the page.
"A test?" Both John B and Liv hiss at Pope.
"I told you we had a test!" Pope whispers back.
"No you didn't," John B says.
"It was the first thing I said to you-"
"I am going to kill you, Heyward!" Liv groans, sitting back with a huff.
----
"Bonfire?" JJ says, looking at John B's note, "Well, I think she meant to give it to me, so we're all good there. We're going."
"Woah, I guess the girls are digging the ex convict vibe," Liv scoffs.
"Mr Heyward, Mr Routledge, Mr Maybank, Ms Cameron! Just the people I want to see," Mr Sunn exclaims as they pass his classroom.
"Wish I could say the same," JJ grins.
"I have a question of an historical nature for you gentlemen," Mr Sunn grins, " And woman."
Once the four of them were inside the classroom, Mr Sunn states, "I digitize documents for the Maritime museum and in return, I've been given access to the archives. And I found this..." He pulls open the cupboard and reaches in.
"A box?" Pope queries as he watches Mr Sunn travel back towards them.
"More than a box."
"That's a good start."
"Go ahead, Mr Heyward," Mr Sunn nods, taking off the lid. Pope grabs the plastic bag within it and pulls out a notebook, "Be careful with that."
"Woah," Pope gasps.
"It's a diary. The authors unknown," Mr Sunn explains. Pope opens to the first page and the pogue's breaths are taken away as they notice the wheat symbol. "And this is a sample of a Denmark Tanny letter. Compare the handwriting."
They oblige, holding up the two objects, looking from one to another. The two handwriting's... they matched.
"It's nearly identical."
"This is Denmark Tanny's diary," Pope says, unable to withhold the shock in his voice. He turns to the next page and points to the picture, "Guys, it's Captain Limbrey. August 6th 1929."
"That's the year the royal merchant went down," John B points out.
"I thought you would find it interesting," Mr Sunn grins.
"Thank you so much for this," Pope smiles softly, still staring at the diary in his hands.
"It's important to know your own history," Without another word Mr Sunn walks out of the room.
"Oh my god," Pope exclaims, "It's the Cross of Santo Domingo." The other three pogues walk over to him, peering over his shoulder.
"Holy shit."
"It was on the Royal Merchant."
----
"Guy's this is from Denmark Tanny's diary," Pope calls out, "August 15th, set sail from Port-au-Prince on calm seas. Came upon the spanish ship San Jose on fire. The entire deck was aflame and we can hear the screams of the men below. The spanish captain cared about only one thing... his valuable cargo, the Cross of Santo Domingo and countless bars of gold. Once the cargo was on board, we went to help the crew, but Captain Limbrey ordered us to pull bayonets and not to let any of the spanish crew in board. He robbed them and left them to die."
"So it didn't go down off Bermuda," JJ says, playing with the lighter in his hand.
"And it was a Limbery stealing shit again," Kiara adds.
"What a surprise," Liv sighs.
"This diary proves that both the gold and the Cross of Santo Domingo were on the Royal Merchant."
"Why didn't we find it in the well then?" JJ asks, "I mean, if Denmark was able to get this, like, bedazzled cross off of the merchant to the shore, why didn't he hide it with the gold?"
"Because it was too big," Olivia answers, turning her head towards Pope.
"You're right," He nods, "He had to hide it someplace else."
"But where?" Kie adds.
"Right before he was hung," Pope says, "Denmark said he'd buried the treasure at the foot of an angel."
"Wait, I thought that was about the key?" JJ points out.
"Right," Kiara agrees, "So what's the connection?"
"The path to the tomb begins in the island room," Pope recites.
"But what is the island room?" Kie huffs.
"You know what helps me figure shit out?" JJ calls out, sitting up.
"Oh boy," John B sighs.
"Here we go," Liv adds with a roll of the eyes.
"Smocking beers and drinking weed," JJ says, "The ideas just pour out of me. If we just sit here and try to figure this out, we're gonna get nowhere. But if we get creative and go to this bonfire tonight, maybe we'll get somewhere."
"Well I just got disowned by my parents," Kie says, "and I'm an official member of the 'I have nothing to lose' club."
"Pope?"
"We're so close," Pope answers, shaking his head.
"Look, look, think about how much you could think if you just gave your brain a rest."
Liv and Kiara lean in, trying to pressure an answer out of him.
"Ok," He finally says and Olivia jumps next to him, patting him on the back.
----
YOU ARE READING
❛Pinky Promise❜ - Kiara Carrera
Fanfiction❛You know when you're drowning, you don't actually inhale until right before you black out. It's like no matter how much you're freaking out, the instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until you feel like your h...
