❝ rule number five: never be seen with a pogue ❞
The war between pogues and kooks continues to rage as a storm of emotion brews between sides, putting loyalties to the ultimate test.
As romance blossoms, treasure hunts unfold, and lives hang in the...
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HURRICANE AGATHA LOOMED on the horizon, promising destruction in its wake. The Outer banks were a frequent target for catastrophic weather, and Matilda despised each storm just as much as the last. The bellowing winds and onslaught of rain always transported her back to a time in her childhood when she felt utterly powerless and abandoned.
Matilda had grown up quickly, forced to be self-reliant from a young age. Her father was always away working, and her mother seemed more interested in her own pursuits than in raising a child. She was never willing to trade in lavish getaways for parent-teacher interviews. In hindsight, it was painfully evident that her parents had gone to great lengths to avoid each other's company, leaving Matilda caught in the crossfire.
One night, as a storm brewed over the Outerbanks, the atmosphere crackling with anticipation, the little girl's fear reached its zenith as darkness descended. The power succumbed to the storm's wrath, plunging the house into an abyss of blackness. In that moment, Matilda was stripped of her precocious maturity, reverting back to the vulnerable eleven-year-old she truly was. No longer the girl who navigated her way home after school, cooked her own meals, or possessed the knowledge to change a simple lightbulb. Instead, she found herself alone as the storm outside intensified, echoing through the desolate house.
Six months had passed since her mother's departure from the Outer Banks, leaving a noticeable void in the family. Despite her father being physically present, he seemed to be lost in his own world since her mother walked out. That night, as the storm raged outside, she couldn't help but worry about her father's safety– the man most likely The Cove with his permanent accessory of bourbon in hand.
By the time Victor Shoupe arrived, heart racing in concern for the his niece– the storm had reached its crescendo. And Matilda, she had already sought solace under her father's bed covers as she watched the lighting dance across the night sky through tear-filled eyes. The deafening sound of hail assaulting the house drowned out her soft sobs.
