Mistakes//JJ Outerbanks

23| "are they....?"

"Ward Cameron, do you hear me?"

"Yes. Yes, son, I'm right here. I'm right here. Please bring her back, okay? We'll work it all out when you get home." Ward begged as he leaned forward. The officers exchanged hopeful glances as we once again waited for a reply.

The reply we got wasn't what I was expecting to hear.

it was better.

Now there are not two but three people who are accusing Ward of killing people.

"You killed my father, and you framed us for a murder we didn't commit!" John B yelled in anger.

I looked over at the officers and raised my eyebrow to show them I wasn't lying. "And my mom," I said to the officer.

"You took everything from me!" John cried out through the radio and it brought tears to my eyes to hear how broke his voice was. How much this situation has affected him.

"You took everything from me. But I'm still here. And I swear to god, Ward, I will come back one day to take what's mine. So, you listen to me alright? I'm coming for you."

The look on Ward's face was the only thing that caused me any joy from this situation. He was called out in front of dozens of officers. The radio clicked off and Ward glanced back at the officers nervously.

"We've lost their radio signal, sir." A man said over the radio. I backed away from the table in shock as the officer took the radio from Ward and talked with the officers. If their radio signal is dead then they could've been taken down from the storm. They could be dead.

"Those are kids out there! Don't stop looking" Shoupe told them and he glanced back at me with a solemn expression.

"You don't go anywhere. We're gonna need to talk to you" he barked at Ward.

Someone was finally questioning him. After this entire time, the first time they decide they need to question him as a suspect is when John B and Sarah could be dead.

That's what this world has done to us. You always believe the hotshot, millionaire with a "perfect" family and life over the teenage boy who lost his father and is practically a homeless child.

In theory, all Americans charged with a crime are, so far as the law is concerned, equal before the bar of justice in every American court. This is guaranteed by the "due process" and the "equal protection" clauses to the Constitution, and the inspiration comes from the Bible: "You shall do no injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor."

But, I guess that doesn't apply to John B or the rest of us.

The officers took me back to where my friends were and took me out of the handcuffs. I told the Pogues about the radio conversation and how they could possibly be dead. We all tried to have hope but, I felt like we had just been defeated.

All the hard work and dedication we put into finding the gold was taken away in less than a day.

Even if they survived the storm it would never be the same anymore. It'll always be Pogues for life but all the things we screwed up to find the gold would still be gone and we'd be worse than before. Pope's scholarship has gone down the drain and our relationships with our families have too. Pope's dad was furious when Pope took oil for the Phantom from his place. Then Kie drove away from her mom while she begged her to stay and not leave her.

Then there's JJ. What's gonna happen when his dad finds out the Phantom is destroyed? What about paying off his restitution? We lost everything.

We sat for almost an hour before the officers from the boats came in. They didn't have John B or Sarah with them.

We all stood up as Officer Shoupe approached us, who were all more than ready to shake him for answers. We'd been waiting for over an hour of silence and growing dread. But when the man hesitated and the lines on his face deepened, I froze in my tracks. Yet, I still asked, "Are they..." Then the words sunk down into my chest at the pitiful shake of his head. The "I'm sorry" that followed choked the breath from my lungs, and suddenly I was on the ground.

What did he say? They're really gone?

I clutched at the gold cross hanging from the chain around my neck. It pressed white-hot against my skin. A present from my mom. Each gasp tore down my throat and my mind raced even as my thoughts got lost in the commotion of the storm and JJ's screams.

We were all so happy and excited not even two days ago. Eager to get the gold out of the well. We watched the sunset with them, laughed when John B spilled his beer at a joke JJ had said. Oblivious to the nightmare we were about to endure.

No. They couldn't be gone. Not when they promised they'd fight, dammit! I pounded the cold grass and hissed a breath through clenched teeth. But the strength left me, even as I tried to stand. My throat held back something between a sob and a shout when JJ grabbed me and we sobbed together. I had to see them. I won't be able to believe they're really dead until I can see their bodies and say a proper goodbye.

It felt like a dream.

"He didn't kill anyone, and you know it!" Pope cried out the officers.

John B didn't kill anyone nor would he ever. Especially not Peterkin.

She helped him so much and she actually cared about his dad's case. She looked into it and figured it out all on her own.

Susan Peterkin was what the law was supposed to look like and she died for it. She wanted justice and Rafe took that victory away from her as if she was the one who murdered four people.