𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 47.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐀𝐍'𝐒 𝐓𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐒 𝐒𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐋𝐘 ceased on the perfectly paved driveway, coming to a graceful halt at the end. In front of the vehicle, stood the ever-beautiful TannyHill mansion with it's long white columns, flawless trimmed outdoor ferns, and grass cut to perfection. In the summer gleam, there was suddenly a different light to it. Maybe it was the nervousness inside my stomach, or the sunlight casting down onto the mansion at a perfect angle, or the simple fact that the residence in front of my eyes could quite possibly be my new home.

"You got everything?" John B broke me out of my small daydream, as his hand placed itself on my forearm, resting over the cup holders.

I looked away from the Cameron house with a blink, "Yeah, pretty sure," I nodded, glancing over his shoulder to my backpack— which was stuffed with as many clothes I could fit.

"Okay," his face relaxed into a soft grin, looking at me directly. "And you're sure about this, right? This is what you wanna do." He wasn't trying to back me out of it, just asking for clarification.

"Yeah, I'm sure," my voice was quiet, but somewhat confident. I calmly smiled at him.

The night before, I had nearly stayed in the hot tub for an hour, with the Pogues. By the time we had finished talking, the tips of my fingers were wrinkly, and my pyjamas were completely soaked as I had fully immersed myself into the warm water. I didn't care if my clothes were ruined, or if the ends of my hair were wet— I had made it clear that I wasn't going to leave until Jj was okay, or at least better than before.

I had even surprised myself with how comforting I seemed to be, from previously having no experience with friends, or dealing anyone remotely emotional for that matter, back in New York. I just did what felt right. After a few long minutes of hugging one another, all jumbled together in the centre of the tub, we had separated. But it wasn't okay to leave Jj in there alone, and so the three of us had stayed, and even sat down in the water alongside him. For a while it was quiet, and sad.

That moment had changed a lot of things for me. For starters, Jj and I had never been that close to one another, let alone hugging in a hot tub in the middle of the night. I had never really thought about our friendship being that good. But as we stood there, his tears falling on my shoulder, I couldn't help but think about it. Although we had never said it before, since the beginning, I considered Jj closer than a friend— more like I brother— except I had never thought about it that way. But the second I saw him break down, I knew.

First he'd been gone for nearly a week, which was worrying enough for all of us, but he had shown up at the Chateau in the middle of the night after days. I couldn't refrain from hugging him tightly, even though we had never hugged one another before. And then, the second I realized something was wrong— it was almost an instinct to comfort him, even if it meant jumping into a tub. As well as wanting to be a good friend, it was the least I could do for him after he had helped me keep the secret about my parents— I owed him.

I had also never been that close to Kiara or Pope before. It was a weird night. For once, Pope had actually ignored the differences between the two of us, he put that aside to help Jj. In that moment, I had fully realized how true their friendship was— and now I was apart of it too.

The rest of the night after that consisted of lots of talking, less about Jj's situation, a lot of joking to take away from the sadness, and multiple hugs. After a while, Jj was getting better, and half-returned to his normal self, and because he was still intoxicated, there was a lot of fooling around. They asked about my parents, and so there was a moment where I told them about Danny and Cecile, since the three of them were quite interested, as we sat in the jacuzzi. I felt like I could tell them anything— like we had known one another for years.

The night ended with a less-exciting conversation, a very short one, finally about Jj. I didn't ask about his dad, but soon enough I had put the pieces together, and it made my heart hurt tremendously. I thought about what Daryl had said about Jj's father, and now it was making sense. My grandparents weren't comfortable around Jj because of his dad. Jj didn't say much, only talked about how he showed the thirty-grand to his father, and it didn't end the way he had expected. We didn't push him too much for any more information.

While the three of them had been making their way inside, I had turned off the jets, and turned off the generator, causing the neon lights to dim away, enveloping the outdoors in a darkness. As Pope had settled himself onto the futon sofa, I had gladly offered Jj and Kiara to sleep in the room, even though it was where I had been staying. They both seemed a tad awkward to go for it, but I insisted. The two of them stayed in John B's bedroom, while I resulted in whacking Pope with a pillow for him to push over on the futon.

John B was home by ten the next day, as promised. He had waltzed into the Chateau, completely unaware of just about everything that was going on. Since everyone had still been sleeping— an aftermath of being up past four in the morning— no one heard him shuffling between rooms, looking from me and Pope on complete opposite sides of the sofa, to Jj and Kiara in his bed. He woke me up first.

"Charls, Charls," he had casually shaken my shoulders slightly, his voice low and quiet, "Charlie, wake up," he had whispered softly.

Soon enough, I had opened my eyes, to see him leaning over me. With a confused look, and after a few moments, he had asked me why I was on the couch, and why his two best friends were in his bed together. Trying not to wake Pope, I stood up, told John B about what had happened while he was gone, in a quick summary. He assured me that he would talk with Jj later.

But before anything else could happen after that, I had looked over his shoulder and into his bedroom, as the door stayed open a crack. A sudden smile had rose to meet my lips, along with a small gasp. When John B had narrowed his eyebrows, I had simply gently turned his shoulders around, and lowly pointed inside the room, where Jj and Kiara laid together, her head moving to place on his chest. I had almost exploded with happiness, but held it in as I leant my head on the side of John B's arm, the two of us smiling cheekily.

Now, I was sitting in the driveway of Sarah's house, my bag of clothes sitting in the back, and John B beside me.

"Just— I don't know," John B sighed out, "Be careful, alright. This isn't exactly a transparent situation."

I softened my facial expression, "That's why I'm just testing the waters," I let out a small giggle, trying to lighten the mood.

A small grin met his lips again, and he rubbed his hand over top of mine. "And remember, you still have to, like, talk to your grandparents too,"

"Yeah," my teeth latched onto my bottom lip. "I'm getting there, you know."

With a reassuring smile, he placed his other hand on the side of my cheek, his fingers trailing behind my ear, delicately pulling me in. He kissed me twice, simple but slow.

"Thanks for everything, John B," I said meaningfully, grinning, when he pulled away.

"Of course," he shrugged, smiling as well.

With a sigh, I pushed open the passenger door and hopped out, walking around the front. He watched me casually, as I grabbed my backpack from behind his seat, slinging it over my shoulders.

"I'll see you tomorrow, maybe?" I asked him, standing close outside his window.

"No I have that fishing trip with Ward," he said, more quietly, and with a roll of his eyes he jerked his head back slightly to motion at the house. "We cleaned the boat this morning, and now we're goin' out tomorrow at first light." He told.

I realized, and nodded. "Yeah. Well I'll be here— maybe you can come and say bye or something," a tiny laugh spilled past my lips.

"Yeah sure," he agreed.

"Bye," I leaned in, quickly pecking his lips, and he kissed back.

"Adios," with two fingers, he raised them up to his temple, and signed off as a goodbye. "Be safe, Charls."

I giggled to myself as I stepped away from the van, making my way towards the front entrance of Sarah's home, hands holding onto the straps of my backpack. I waved back to him, letting him know that he was okay to leave now. He smiled once more, and then turned the wheel, driving out of the wrap-around laneway.

As I turned my head back around to face the home, my eyes suddenly skimmed over a shadowed figure in the window of the room right next to the entrance.

It was someone, peeking through the half-open blinds, maybe watching. But right as I took a second look, my heart sort of skipping, it disappeared.

I didn't think much more of it as the front door flew open.

"Hi, Charlotte," Ward seemed delighted to see me, a tad bit confused.

"Hi," I forced a happy smile, stepping up the front stairs.

I could tell he didn't know what to say, as he stood tall in the open doorway of his house, his arms crossed over his chest. We were both thinking the same thing, though, and I barely had to say a word for it to be clarified. But, I did.

"Can I, um," I sort of choked on my words, "Stay here, maybe? Like, for a few days?" I asked, my voice delicate. "I should've called or something—"

His face softened, and he uncrossed his arms, "Yes, of course, sweetheart," he smiled, and put his arm out.

"Okay, thanks," I breathed, feeling a weight of relief wash through me.

He placed a hand on my shoulder, like a father would do, and I stepped into the familiar home. He closed the heavy door behind us, guiding me inside.

"I'm so glad you turned up," he said, sounding happy, "We've been really worried about you after you ran off like that, few days back,"

I glanced up at him, keeping my face neutral, "Yeah, sorry about that," I admitted, "I just, like, I had to talk to my grandparents before anything else."

"It's alright," he assured, tapping my shoulder. "And I apologize for, you know, coming on too strong with that last proposition." he said, sounding truly sorry.

"That's okay," I forced a small laugh.

"Here, why don't you stay in the guest room down here," he offered, as he stopped walking beside an open door down the hall, next to the stairs. "Or, you could stay with Sarah, your choice."

I looked into the room, at the huge bed with large antique posts, and a colourful bed spread. The windows were open, which caused a breeze to flow through, ruffling the thing white curtains, and there was a large brown cabinet along the far wall. It was a cute room, that I certainly wouldn't mind staying in for a while.

"Where is Sarah?" I asked, after the mention of her name. I stepped into the room, still holding the straps of my backpack.

"Upstairs." He said, standing in the door, "She hasn't really left her room after the last time you were over," he explained shortly, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I felt my heart sink, as I slid the bag off my shoulders, letting it fall onto the mattress.

"I'm sorry, again, about all that," I said, meaning it.

He waved a hand through the air, shrugging it off. "I, um, I just have a question for you, real quick," he said suddenly, rubbing his beard.

"Yeah?" I asked, sort of growing nervous at the sudden change in mood.

"I can't help but remember when you were collecting one of the plat maps from my office," he said, "And I can't help but notice that you and, um, that you and John are fairly close," he slightly smiled at the last part.

I swallowed the air in my throat, feeling my stomach tighten.

"I just— I just need to know, does he have anything to do with that?" He questioned, "He still chasing after lost treasure like his old man?" he said the last part a little softer.

I could barely think of anything, "No, he's not," I shook my head. "Like I said, you know, I'm a bit of a history buff, and wanted to learn more about the island. That's all." I shrugged.

"Okay," he nodded, seeming happy to hear my response. "I'll tell Sarah to come down," Ward chuckled, now dropping the subject.

I didn't say anything as I plopped myself onto the bed, feeling my body sink into the comfortable mattress, my hands trailing along the soft covers. I listened as Ward called for his daughter, and there was a small moment of silence after his words echoed off the walls of the quiet home, before loud steps were heard coming from somewhere upstairs.

As the footsteps ran down the flight of stairs, my anticipation was building.

"Charlie!" Sarah practically squealed, drifting past her dad in the doorway, and running straight towards me.

Even though everything was rocky, and clearly not transparent just yet, Sarah and I were still related, and I missed her. She was also my best friend.

I stood up when I saw her face. Immediately she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me in tightly. I wrapped my arms around her back, smiling hard.

"Hi," I mumbled, onto her shoulder.

"Hey," she replied.

"I'll leave you two," Ward grinned at us, before turning around and stepping out of the room.

"I'm sorry for, like, running off like that," I instantly apologized, right when I pulled away first. I looked down, sort of feeling embarrassed. "I know it scared you."

She looked at me, "I get it," she said. "It's alright," a small laugh fell past her lips.

"You sure?" I looked at her with an uncertain face.

"Yeah, of course," she shimmied my shoulders with her hands.

"Okay," I let out a small giggle.

"So, why are you here?" She asked, casually, as she sat down on the bed, "In this room,"

I sat down next to her, preparing to say the words. "I'm, um— I'm going to be staying here for a bit," I said.

Her face lit up with excitement, lighting up the whole room, "Really? Are you shitting me!"

"No," I couldn't help but laugh, enjoying seeing her happy. "Only for a few days though, I don't want my grandparents worrying."

"Yeah, yeah, of course," she nodded, understanding.

"This is fuckin' crazy," I couldn't help but say, as I looked around the room.

"Insane," she agreed, throwing her head back in laughter.

I laid down on my side, propping my head up with my hand, and she followed my actions.

"Like, are we actually, sisters," I said the word with an odd tone, still not believing it.

"Right?" She sighed, happily. "And Cecile Collins is my mother, like, I'm her child," Sarah gaped.

"Are you sure you're not mad at me for that," I asked her, seriously.

"For what," she hummed.

"For, you know, not telling you about my parents," I said, quietly, while tracing my finger along the bed cover, fidgeting, "This whole time,"

"Dude, of course not," she looked at me dumbly, "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me!"

I chuckled.

"First— my dad tells me that my best friend's parents are the actors in my favourite movie, like, ever, and then he tells me that one of them is my real mom?" She gawked.

"How did you react when he told you," I asked, dropping my voice, "You know, about your mom?"

Sarah's face only fell a little bit. "At first I didn't believe him. Cause, you know, you can't just not tell your daughter about her mom for her whole life, and expect her to believe you when you explain that it's Cecile Collins." she spoke calmly.

"Yeah," I mumbled. That's how I felt when Sarah told me we were sisters.

"But after a while, it started to make sense. The necklaces, Rose, everything," she said, "He only had one picture to show me, of the two of them, apparently our mom never liked being photographed." she shrugged nonchalantly.

I knew that was a lie. As Daryl had said it, when I left my grandparents house, 'Ward erased every record of her on the island'. My mother was an actress, of course she liked to be photographed.

"And when it started to make sense, I was, like, ready to just run over to your house and tell you straight away, but he wouldn't let me. So that's why I waited four days." She explained.

"And what about Rafe?" I asked, my eyebrows narrowed. "He's my half-brother too, what did your dad tell him?"

The room went quiet as Sarah looked down at the bed. Something was off.

"Sarah, what is it?" I slightly sat up, looking at her. "Did something happen to Rafe?" The last time I'd seen him was Midsummers.

"Ward he— my dad kicked him out," Sarah said, her lips folding into a tight line.

My eyebrows shot up to the ceiling.

"Something about drugs, or owing money to a dealer," she shrugged, upset, "I don't know. Rafe's fuckin', like, addicted or some shit."

"Addicted?" I questioned.

"I don't know, my dad didn't say much to me and Wheezie," she told. "Rafe's somewhere else right now, I don't know where. But yeah, the three of us are siblings," she grinned widely at the last words.

I didn't quite know how to feel about that part, the part about Rafe. I also hoped that Sarah had no clue about the drug money that Jj had stolen.

"I'm happy you're here, Charlie," Sarah smiled up at me, genuinely.

"Me too," I smiled back. Honestly, I was still half-and-half.

"You wanna sleep in my room tonight? We can watch a movie," she sat up, genuinely excited.

"Sure," I laughed out loud.

"God, A Night In Paris is gonna be so fuckin' weird now," she huffed, and stood up from the bed. "How did you survive that shit, with both of your parents in it," she glanced back at me.

"I don't know," I said, with wide eyes.

She guided me out of the spare bedroom, and soon, the two of us were walking up the stairs, side by side.

I thought about what Ward had asked, about the gold and John B, and their fishing trip in less than twelve hours. I bit down onto the inside of my cheek.

✰༄✰

𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐲

𝐢 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞

𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚

𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨 🥺

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