sunkissed ✯ jj maybank

vi. cursed

"no compass comes with this life , just eyes."

--

i throw my head into my hands. i haven't had a break from relentless questioning for what feels like the last hour.

"for the last time , i don't know. we were under duress , we weren't taking little mental polaroids to report back on." i groan.

"but why do they want the compass ?" kie asks.

pope nods. "it's a piece of shit. couldn't pawn it off for five bucks if you wanted to." he turns to face john b. "no offence , i know it's in your family an' all-"

john b stands up suddenly , putting a finger up to silence pope. "the office."

pope wrinkles his nose. "what ?"

he points. "my dad. my dad's office." he walks towards the front door , looking for something in his pockets. "he always kept the office locked because he was worried about his competitors stealing his royal merchant research." we all follow john b inside , to his dad's office. "we used to laugh at him like he was gonna find it. but now that he's gone , i've just kinda -  i just left it as he kept it."

kie nods comfortingly. "right , for when he gets back."

john b gives a small smile. "yeah."

john b unlocks the door to the office , and we all step inside. i look around the office. it's quite dusty , as it hasn't been used for awhile. there are piles and piles of books and papers around the room.

pope looks around in amazement. "i've slept over here like six hundred times , and i've never once seen this door open." 

john b takes a bulletin board off the wall and puts it on the table in front of us. "here , look." he points to a photo pressed down with a thumb tack. "there's the original owner."

i peer down at the photo and read the inscription aloud. "robert q. routledge , 1880 to 1920."

kiara points at the picture. "there's the lucky compass , right there."

john b touches the back of his neck. "actually , he was shot after he bought it. then the compass was shipped back to henry. henry was killed in a crop-dusting accident when he had the compass. after he died, the compass was given to stephen. stephen had the compass with him when he died in vietnam."

"let me guess - he died in action , right ?" jj guesses.

"sort of .." john b shakes his head. "well , actually - he was killed by a banana truck."

i raise an eyebrow. "a banana truck ?"

"in country. well , anyways. after that , stephen passed the compass down to him. my dad , big john." he touches a photo of his father.

"huh. seems like there's kinda a reoccurring theme here." i murmur.

pope nods in agreement. "yeah , dude , you have a death compass."

john b sighs , clearly exasperated. "i do not !" he says , trying to defend himself.

jj elbows him. "oh my god , bro. what if it's like - cursed , and finding it's way back to you or something ? you have to get rid of it."

john b wisely ignores jj's suggestion. "look , my dad always used to talk about this compartment in here. soldiers would use it to send secret notes." he clumsily tries to slide the compass around , before dropping it.

i snort , and swiftly pick it back up. i try and unscrew the back of the compass , and it works. i pass it back to john b , looking in astonishment.

john b squints at it. "that wasn't there before." he says , tapping the compass. "it's my dad's handwriting."