Head Over Heels - 𝖩𝖩 𝖬𝖺𝗒𝖻𝖺𝗇𝗄

16 | ℝ𝕠𝕪𝕒𝕝 𝕄𝕖𝕣𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕟𝕥

｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟﾟ･｡Chapter 16 ｡･ﾟﾟ･･ﾟﾟ･｡

The next day dawned and the five teenagers were much more prepared for the task at hand. A white boat glided across the ocean, carrying them towards their destination, as JJ followed Big John's instructions based on what they had discovered the night before. Countless adults had searched for the Royal Merchant over the years, but none had come even close to finding it. However, thanks to Big John's guidance, they now had a real chance of succeeding.

As the boat sailed towards their destination, John B had already assigned tasks to each person. He and Pope would be responsible for monitoring the boat, while Kiara would control the drone's tether. JJ would steer the boat, and Frankie would be stationed next to him, providing assistance with directions, since the two worked better together. They soon arrived at the location where the Royal Merchant was believed to be.

"All right, JJ. Pin it here." John B instructed.

"Roger that! X marks the spot." JJ responded, bringing the boat to a halt as he turned the wheel. John B and Pope already had the drone out and were watching the friends intently. They began lowering the drone into the water as they all looked on.

"All right, ladies and gentlemen. To going full kook." John B declares, watching the drone disappear underneath the water as he carried on lowering it down.

Frankie stared down at the GPS letting out a soft sigh as she looked up and over to the blonde. "Alright, J. Ten seconds northwest."

"Got it! Ten seconds northwest." JJ repeats, moving the wheel to match up with directions.

"One hundred feet." Kiara spoke out.

Pope leaned closer to the screen, intently watching the drone's feed. He let out a gasp, pulling back in surprise before explaining that they had only spotted an octopus that had become caught on the camera. Recollecting himself, Pope refocused on the task at hand, muttering a quote from The Hobbit while continuing to control the drone's functions.

"400 feet." Kiara announced to the group, marking a tally on the side of the boat with the chalk. Thunder began to rumble in the distance, causing Frankie's head to snap up in surprise. They hadn't anticipated a storm appearing while they were out at sea. The water became increasingly aggressive as the sky grew darker, the wind picking up speed.

"The tide turning!" Kiara spoke out.

Frankie looked back down at the digtail map, holding it tightly. "Ten seconds easy JJ. South-southeast."

"Copy that!" JJ responded, turning the wheel into the direction of where it needed to go.

"20 seconds mid-soeed, South." Frankie instructored the blonde.

"Copy that! Aye, aye." JJ replies, "Keep the tether out of the prop!"

"I'm trying!" Kiara responded.

"JJ, keeping going!" John B states, ignoring the thunder rumbling in the background again.

"Is that good?" JJ asked, looking down at the brunette.

"We're good!" Frankie looked up at JJ, nodding her head.

As Kiara announced their descent to 700 feet, she marked another tally on the boat's side, and the storm continued to approach. The waves became more ferocious, causing the boat to sway from side to side, forcing some of the teens to struggle to maintain their balance. The tether moved back and forth at a rapid pace.

"900 hundred!" Kiara announced.

"JJ, we'll turtle in this storm." John B states.

"920!" Kiara announced again.