Paradise on earth

18. The Cross

You had a headache. The events of last night had you tossing and turning. The illicit fight, the key is taken, you consoled Pope as best you could as he let his tears flow freely and the sobs wrack from his throat and into his crossed arms- you rubbed his back and let him rant. You feared he was close to his breaking point if he wasn't already.

All of you had hardly slept, talking through the night about the new game plan- there was none- you were all sleeping in unintentional shifts, sprawled around the porch til daylight. You had all come to the conclusion that it was over, there was nothing left to be done even with Denmark Tanny's diary.

The key was your only true lead. 

That was until Sarah Cameron walked into your screened patio where you all lay like dead flies.

You whistled lowly at the sight of her, "Look what the cat dragged in."

"Shouldn't you be on Figure Eight with your little group of polo players?" John B taunted her. "Or did you break up with Topper?"

She smiled sarcastically at him, "We're just friends."

"It seems like you have a lot of friends, Sarah Cameron." Your brother continued as she walked a little way from him between where JJ was leaning against the metal that attached the screen and Pope who was sitting on a recliner chair.

"Yeah, and it seems like you've got some of your own too," She must have seen John B with the girl who had invited him to the bonfire. "I'm here for Pope."

Pope gave her a confused face.

"I found the island room."

The five of you instantly perked up, the words she had just spoken had revived you all with hope.

Immediately, the six of you hopped into the Twinkie and rode out to Tannyhill.

"Guys listen to this!" Pope calls for attention holding the stack of paper that were copies of the diary. "The diary says the cross holds the most holy relic in all of Christendom, the garment of the savior."

"So wait, it's saying there's a holy garment inside the cross?" Kie peeks over his shoulder to look at the paper.

"Yeah, it says the garment is capable of healing the sick from any malady."

That must be what Limberey was after this whole time, you thought, that delusional bitch.

"'If only I may touch his garment, I shall be made well'" JJ quoted from who knows where. You side-eye him from your seat, the rest of your friends equally as bewildered by him. "What? I went to Sunday school."

"That's why Limberey is desperate to find it, she wants it to heal her," You said. "What else does it say?"

"'Many feel that we have sinned to steal such a sacred thing and God will strike his vengeance on us'" Pope recites.

"Thing is, God did have his vengeance..." Kie pursed her lips.

"He sent a hurricane to sink the ship, only Denmark survived," Pope says solemnly.

~~~

Sarah directs you all around the mansion, guiding you all through several corridors to a room that you believe to remember is where Ward took his meetings. The room was completely different now, the fancy wallpaper was torn off, and a mural of a town was painted on the walls of the room.

"It's the island room," Sarah gave him a pleased smile. "It has to be."

Pope walked into the room and written all over his features was pure awe "This has got to mean something."