Now or Never ⇀ John B Routledge [1]

v. troubled times

The world was calm for the first time in days as Ashtyn allowed the slow rocking of the Camerons' yacht relax her in her restless state. Birds that had returned after the storm could be heard chirping in the distance, and the brunette couldn't help but smile at how serene the world could be.

Since the day she was born, Ashtyn had been surrounded by bustling city life. Life had never been so calm and the young brunette didn't know if it gave her anxiety or not. She was in an unfamiliar place; hiding from her parents and family friends with the help of Sarah Cameron.

A part of her questioned why?

What was the point of her impulsive decision to come to Kildare?

Yes, she wanted to see Luke and make sure he was okay after the storm, but it's not like Agatha was the only tropical storm that's rolled through since he ran off. He's a lot stronger than Ashtyn, so how could he be her main excuse?

Her mind wandered back to two days ago, replaying the memory of her mother's repetitive kicks to the torso as she laid vulnerable on her bedroom floor. It wasn't uncommon to get a slap across the face if she or Luke did something that angered her, but never once had she inflicted such wounds on her before.

Just being reminded of that night made the sixteen-year-olds ribcage hurt, the deep bruises pressing into the hardwood floor she was currently sprawled out on. Ashtyn was terrified to see what her mother would do if she learned of her daughter's whereabouts.

She'd earn more than a few kicks to the ribs for this stunt...

Her haunting thoughts were cut off by the sound of a boat creeping closer in the distance, the engines hum echoing through the calm marsh area as she pulled her blanket closer to her chin. The tension left her shoulders when she no longer heard the motor running, but before she could fall asleep something metal collided with her head.

"Fuck..."

"What the fuck?" She flinched, hand shooting to the top of her head as her eyes found John B standing in the doorway. A nervous smile was on the boys' face as he stared back at the girl, two metal tanks in hand while scuba gear was slung over his shoulder.

His hair was windswept, telling Ashtyn that he pushed his boat to get here before any of the Cameron's could wake up and catch him in the act. His signature button down was undone and the purple bruise on his eye had gotten darker overnight.

Sarah groaned from her spot on the nearby couch, sliding her eyes open to glare at the unwelcome boy. "What's going on?"

"I uh..." John Routledge was good at two things, creating plans and convincing his friends that they were a good idea. Lying though? That's JJ's specialty. "Just returning this uh- gear and tanks."

"At," Ashtyn's eyes grew wide at the time flashing on the small kitchen stove, "Five in the morning? Really JB?"

"Did you at least top the tanks off?" Sarah knew he hadn't, finding entertainment in watching him squirm under her harsh glare.