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JOHN B GENTLY SHOOK THE GIRLS AWAKE EARLY THE NEXT MORNING.
"guys." he said gently, emery blinking a few times, suddenly registering the pain in her back from sleeping on the bench with mara on top of her, the two girls sitting up slowly. "guys, we're in charleston, get up."
"we're in charleston?" emery asked, turning forward to see the city in front of the boat. they were cruising under the charleston bridge that emery had crossed every weekend for years going to visit her grandparents.
"yeah, that's what i just said." john b said bluntly, running around the boat. "and we're almost out of gas, so where gonna stop."
"i want food." mara whined, holding her stomach where she had been stitched up. "and an ibuprofen."
"we'll get you something to eat." emery assured as john b steered the boat up onto the shore, tossing the anchor down and digging it into the sand.
"you got cash on you?" john b asked the melville, who jumped off the boat, helping mara down as john b grabbed the gas cans he found in the back, carrying them up the shore.
"not exactly." emery replied. "i know where we can get some, though." she added, already starting up the side of the hill that they had left the boat behind.
"i hope you guys realize how lucky you are that you don't feel like you're being stabbed every time you take a step." mara groaned as emery took her hand, practically pulling her up the slope.
"i hope you realize how lucky you are i know cpr." emery replied smoothly, turning down the street and walking into downtown, glancing up at the buildings she and her cousins had ridden their bikes past a million times- winters were never especially cold in charleston, they were often wearing shorts on christmas- and she couldn't help but smile.
even after jackson left, amelia and the kids had remained close with his side of the family, for the sole purpose of them acknowledging that despite jackson being an asshole, emery and levi were still their family.
well, levi was.
it was bittersweet to remember that the people who emery had grown up around, the people who she had called her family in charleston, were of no biological relation to her. they were levi's family, but not hers.
