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𝐓he group had spent their lunch period in the library the following day, searching the shelves high and low for any data on the sewage system blueprints.
Marlowe nearly found herself slipping into a light slumber while the others went on about the presented information. She hadn't tasted the sweet relief of sleep all night. In fact, she hasn't slept properly for weeks. So, safe to say, last night had understandably taken a toll on her.
Despite having learned that John B and Sarah are alive, her head wouldn't stop churning. In the midst of the night, she'd been thinking.
Thinking about her sister, of their lack of communication during the past few days. Thinking about her blond best friend, the boy she's known for almost all her life, and what Kiara had said back in the car.
Then, she thought about Gavin. She analyzed the scenario, rewatching it behind her tightly closed eyelids. It didn't hit her until later that she'd actually watched a human being die. His life was taken from him, and he was taken from the people that love him. The vision of his potential wife, possibly children, being delivered the news of his passing had torn at her insides.
Now, they've arrived at the drain in question, positive that the gun should've flushed out on the northern side.
"It should've gotten washed into the gully," JJ gestures to the storm pipe in front of them. "So, if it got flushed out from this drain, it would've been pushed out to, like-"
"Somewhere in the trash," Marlowe answers stiffly, eyeing the garbage floating in the muddy water.
He snaps his fingers at her. "Correct."
"Oh my God." A frustrated sigh comes from Kiara. "People who use plastic should be shot."
Marlowe rolls her eyes to herself, sitting down on the edge before lowering herself into the murky liquid. "A bit over the top, don't you think?" she voices, nose scrunching at the sensation of standing knee-deep in trash-infested water.
"Not when it comes to this, Mar, no."
She only hums in return, focusing on the water at her feet in search of the weapon.
JJ joins Marlowe in the water, reaching for an abandoned fishing net. "Okay, personally," he starts, a certain degree of smugness in his expression. "I love plastic. Use it every day. Love the stuff."
The curly-haired rolls her eyes. "Hopefully, you recycle it and don't just let it flush into the ocean."
"I thought you'd say something like that, so..." Pope reaches for his back pocket, revealing a roll of black plastic. "Trash bags."
Kiara's taken aback, delightful shock soaking her features. "Did you just proactively protect the environment?"
"Maybe..."
Marlowe's left staring blankly between her two friends, lips parting as she awaits the moment they're gonna break eye contact.
Beside her, JJ's bearing the exact same expression. "You want us to leave you two alone, or what's goin' on?"
