----
"Pope, stop!" JJ shouts as the boy pushes through the bush. Without any hesitation, the rest follow him towards the casket. They watch as Pope looks down at it, face full of defeat.
"Cecilia Tanny," Pope reads, "Denmark Tanny's wife. He wasn't talking about the cross. He buried her at the foot of the angel."
"The true treasure," Liv gasps, looking up at the tree.
"His wife," John B adds. Pope bends down to the floor, shoulders shaking as he begins to cry. The pogues surround the casket, also crouching down to Pope's level.
"Denmark was hung for burying his wife," Pope says, "Now they defiled her grave."
Pope wipes his tears away, reaching into the casket and grabbing something from within. Sarah also grabs a golden ring and laughs softly.
"This must have been from Denmark. Her wedding ring."
"We can't leave her like this," Pope cries, shaking his head.
"We wont," John b says and the others nod. They lift the top of the casket and place it back on as Pope collects some flowers to put on top. Soon enough it was back in the ground, dirt piled on top, covering it.
"I just don't get it. I mean, you guys saw the map," Pope splutters, "He hides his gold so no one finds it for 170 years. And then he sends a message to his son Robert to come here to his mother's grave but the message never gets to him. Denkmark wanted him to find the cross. I know we're in the right spot. It just feels like-"
"Like we missed something?" JJ interrupts, walking over to the tree with a shocked expression on his face. He climbs on top of the twinkie and Liv follows soon after.
"That looks like-" JJ starts pointing to a whole in the tree.
"The painting in the island room," Liv finishes.
"It's worth a shot, right?" JJ says, looking down at the rest of them then looks at the blonde girl behind him, "Go for it!"
"Me?" Liv asks, shaking her head, "Not a chance!"
"You do it!" Sarah shouts from below.
"Sorry, I went into the storm drain so..." Liv shrugs.
"She did go into the storm drain."
"Yeah," JJ sighs, "No, I'm gonna do it. It's just..."
"He's scared," Liv says, watching the boy hesitate.
"I'm not scared, dude," JJ says.
"You seem scared."
JJ finally puts his hand in and mutters, "There's something in here. Wait!"
The boy started screaming, being dragged further into the tree. Liv shouts, grabbing and trying to pull him out. Suddenly, JJ stops, bending over, laughing.
"Asshole!" Pope exclaims.
"I got all of you with that one," He laughs.
"You're a dick," Liv sighs, pushing the boy and running a hand through her hair.
"Wait but seriously, there's something in here," JJ says and pulls out something, quickly handing it to Pope.
"HMS Royal Merchant," Pope reads as JJ climbs down, snatching the telescope from his hand.
"There's something on the ends," Liv calls out, sitting on the roof, legs dangling off the side.
"An inscription right there," Kie points.
"Look at that shit."
"'You've come this far. Do not falter. The cross is on the Freedman's altar,'" Pope reads, "Freedman's alter! The cross is at the church!"
"Holy shit," Liv gapes.
"What are we doing here, guys?" JJ exclaims, "Let's go!"
----
"Ah crap the tide!" Pope curses as the Twinkie hauls to a stop. The tide had come in even more, refraining them from going any further.
"How deep is that?" Kie asks.
"I dunno. The roads gone."
"The tide rose a little bit faster then I thought it would," JJ says.
"No shit," Liv mutters under her breath as John B mocks JJ, "Just a little bit."
"Uh, John b, how high are the spark plugs?"
"They're good. We are fine," John B shrugs.
"How high are they?" JJ repeats, more sternly.
"Oh um," John B says, looking out the window, "Just above the taillight."
"Ok so that's, what, three feet?" Pope says.
"It can't be three feet deep," Liv says.
"Then what's the problem?"
"Not a problem. No, we're good," JJ calls out, not really believing it himself, "She'll make it."
"Ladies and Gentleman, fasten your seat belts. Hold onto something. We're going into hyperdrive."
"I'll say a quick prayer," JJ jokes, closing his eyes.
"Three, two, one," John B counts and he drives into the water. But just before they reached the end, the twinkie goes off the road, barely missing a large tree on the side.
"Oh, shit!"
"No, no, no, no, no," John B exclaims.
"I think we miscalculated," Pope points out.
"I knew I should have driven," JJ says, earning a smack in the head from Liv.
----
"Okay maybe we can walk from here," Pope shrugs.
"What? And leave the Twinkie?" John B hissed, "The tides coming in."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Sarah asks.
JJ quickly answers, "Not stay here."
"I can take my dad's truck," Kie calls out.
"Kie, are you sure?" Liv asks, knowing what her dad was like.
"How much worse can it get, you know?" She shrugs.
"We need something to pull her out with," JJ adds, "There's the winch at the Chateau. That's, like, two miles."
"If you're gonna do it, let's go, okay?" John B says.
"Tide's coming in. Twinkie's going underwater."
"Hey, stay safe," Kie smiles, walking over to Liv and giving her a hug before following JJ.
----
"How long does it take to go two miles and back in a car?" Pope exclaims, "I feel like they are taking a minute. Should I go look for them? Should I go find them and bring them back?"
"Pope, you've got to chill man. Give them a sec," Liv calls out from the top of the twinkie.
"Dammit! Every time! Why do we got to send JJ and Kiara, the slowest people on earth?"
As Pope continues to rant on, Liv turns to see Sarah and John B looking at eachother and Liv turns back around, feeling awkward.
"Okay, so here's something I think we could do," Pope says, "We can find something to leverage the Twinkie and you can drive it out."
"Let's do driftwood," John B says.
"Driftwood will work," Pope nods, walking through the water away.
"You know what I am gonna go with him," Liv says, jumping off the twinkie and into the water.
"Hey guys, nothing smaller than three feet, alright? Big pieces!" John B shouts.
"Gotcha yeah."
----
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...
