RIVER | JJ MAYBANK

TWENTY FOUR

MERCHANT

"Come on baby girl, I'm gonna teach you." JJ said, he grabbed River's waist and pulled her in front of him. He placed her hands on the wheel, and his hands over hers. "Good, stay there." He smiled.

River took her eyes off the front of the boat and looked up to JJ. JJ's eyes flickered to her lips. Her stomach flipped. She didn't miss the way his eyes glanced at her lips.

"Alright, JJ, Pin it here." John B said to JJ. John B smiled softly noticing that the blonde boy was teaching River.

"Roger that! X marks the spot." JJ said, snapping back into reality. River moved out of the way as JJ stopped the boat.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. To going full kook." John B said as he held the drone. River didn't miss the way Popes eyes flickered to her. John B lowered the drone into the water.

River stood beside Pope as they tried to search for the Royal Merchant in the water. "The fish are so pretty." River mumbled, tugging on the sleeves of her-John B's-jumper. John B had been so kind to give the girl his jumper once he noticed her shivering. Even in warm weather, she managed to be freezing. It was baffling to the five.

"Not what we should be focusing on." Pope chuckled as ever so slightly he moved the dial.

"They're pretty." She shrugged ignoring Pope.

"Alright JJ, we're right over it. Ten seconds northwest." John B shouted.

"Got it! Ten seconds northwest." JJ shouted back.

"One hundred feet!" Kie informed.

Pope gasped once he saw the large fish. "What? What, what?" John B rushes to the screen and River burst out laughing.

"It's nothing." Pope played it off, but River was in hysterics. John B groaned and walked away. "Sorry. I thought—"

"Don't do that to me man." JJ shouted looking behind him. He smiled at River. Her laugh was so beautiful. One of his favourite sounds. "Baby girl, you're in charge."

"My bad. I just thought I saw-" Pope looked at River who cut him off.

"A mermaid?" She suggested laughing, she placed on hand on his shoulder. "Oh Pope, it was a fish." She whispered so the others didn't hear.

"Shaddup." He whispered back. "And to quote The Hobbit, 'down, down, to Goblin Town. Down, down, you go, my lad.'" Pope quoted.

River wasn't sure how long they'd been there now, but it felt like hours.

"Four hundred feet." Kie shouted, drawing a line on the side of the boat with chalk. "The tides turning." She said as they heard a clap of thunder.

"Hey JJ?" John B said, as he looked at the monitor.

"Yup?" JJ nodded.

"Ten seconds easy. Right south-south east."

"Copy that."

"Do you think we'll find anything?" River questioned, ignoring John B and JJ as they shouted back and forth to each other.

"I don't know." He paused. "I'd like to hope so." Pope admitted.

"I have a bad feeling." River uttered. "I don't think we're gonna find anything." She didn't want to tell John B, but something didn't feel right.

"700 feet!" Keep shouted.

The wind was picking up and the thunder was getting louder. "Should we turn back?" River questioned looking up to the black clouds, feeling slightly anxious at the sudden weather change.

"We've come too far to head back now. JJ. Hold it steady." John B shouted over the loud rumbling.

"Okay. 900." Kie shouted.

"JJ, were gonna turtle in this storm man." Pope shouted to JJ.

"920!"

"Crank it north by northwest! Ten seconds!" John B shouted.

River looked at the screen. "There's still nothing." She looked to Pope. "We're not going to find it."

"How we doing?" John B questioned both Pope and River .

"Almost there." Pope cut in before River could say anything.

"John B there's too much current?" Kie shouted as she struggled to hold onto the wire and keep it in place. "We're gonna lose it!"

"South, southwest JJ. Hard!" John B ignored Kie.

"JB, we need to go home. We can come back-" River walked up to the boy and looked into his brown eyes.

"No." John B snapped at River. JJ turned and faced the pair. John B never snapped at River.

"Look, JB if we fucking die on this boat looking for this stupid gold that we're probably not gonna find, that's your fault." She prodded his chest angrily. She took a deep breath before going to join JJ. "Fucking jerk." She mumbled.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked, concerned for the girl.

River nodded with a smile. "I just hope this isn't all for nothing."

"Half speed. Steady at this bearing JJ." John B shouted. River watched anxiously as Pope and JB started at the screen. "Steady here JJ. Quarter speed alright."

"You see anything?" JJ shouted. He watched as River stared at them all, but she was too stubborn to walk over there and see what they had found.

"It's the royal merchant." John B said in a whisper,

SHOCKED AT WHAT HE HAD FOUND.