✶ CHAPTER I,
Paradise on Earth.

    It was Summer. And there was no containing Camille Langley.

    Summer was everything to teenagers and young adults in Kildare Island, whether it be from The Cut or Figure Eight, social status did not matter when it came to the season. The cops in the mainland called it the worst of them all, the one time of the year that chaos erupted everywhere all at once. Everyone wants to cherish this time and enjoy it while they can because life goes by in a blink. For said reason, staying still or laying back was not an option.

    It was a young group of wild-spirited teenagers that would live the summer of their lives. This is what they said to each other that first night of summer vacation. They were going to be true to their promise, they would not let a single day go by. This brings us to the under-construction house on the mainland, where said group was drinking beer and playing with the construction site tools. This brings us to Camille Langley.

    She lay on her back, one sweaty arm over her eyes, her hair tucked under her head. Sweat decorated her skin as the sun made her its own, trails tracing maps down her tan skin. The feeling of ice on her chest made her eyes open, spotting an ice cube sliding down her hot skin. JJ Maybank laughed hysterically next to her like it was the funniest thing he'd ever done.

    "Screw you, JJ." She muttered out, grabbing the ice cube and chucking it at his head. "I think you'd enjoy that." He winked at her after swatting the cube before it hit him.

    Camille sat up straight, letting her legs dangle off the edge of the scaffolding she had been lying on. She reached over for the cooler next to JJ and grabbed a cool can of beer. She pulled at the tab, letting the beer at the top drip down her hand.

    "That's what? A three-story fall to the deck?" Pope Heyward estimated, looking up at John B who was balancing on the roof of the under-construction house. "I give you about a one in three chance of survival." He continued.

    "Hm. Should I do it?" John B joked, flashing his eyes at the boy, sticking his licked finger up in the air as if to test out the wind's direction. "Yeah, jump. I'll shoot you on the way down." Pope replied, pointing an electric drill in his direction, to which John B responded with finger guns.

    Camille looked between the two boys with amusement. "Jump. Definitely. I think a corpse would be a great way to start our summer." She followed the joke, tilting her head back and raising the can to her lips.

    John B flashed the girl a pearl-toothed smile, "You're the one who said you wanted this summer to be fun, Cami." He chuckled.

    "They're gonna have Japanese toilets with towel warmers." Kiara Carrera walked out to the deck after exploring the inside of the house, her face dripped in disappointment. "Are you surprised?" Camille quirked her brow.

    It wasn't uncommon for the city's new up-and-coming neighborhood sites to be targeted toward Kooks. Most of the rich folks in the Outer Banks were poisoned by their wealth, this was a known fact. There weren't many who didn't let money eat their brain, but there are plenty who swear they're at the very top; the elites.

    "This used to be a turtle habitat, but who cares about the turtles I guess?" Kiara huffed, looking around as if she were looking for something or someone.

    "I can't have cold towels," JJ commented, making Camille grin. "I thought you liked the cold." She laughed, pulling his shirt and letting a handful of ice cubes slide down his back.

    He quirks at the feeling, quickly pulling his shirt to let the cubes drop down the cracks of the scaffolding. "Owed you one." Camille shrugs, taking a swig of her beer.

    "You're so annoying." JJ looked at her, his lips rolled into a straight line. "Oh, but you like it." She winked, drinking from her can.

    They shortly turned their attention back to the rest, looking up at John B as he began to balance on one foot. "Don't spill that beer. I'm not giving you another one." JJ warned, taking a sip from his own.

    "Oh, shit." John B cursed as a gust of wind slapped against his unstable body, making him drop the can from his hand which clattered on the deck. "Of course you did, like right when I told you."

    Camille turned to look at the dirty blond next to her, "That's the kinda thing that would've gotten you burnt at the stake during the witch trials." She comments making his eyebrows rise.

    "That's an insane thing to say, Cami." Kiara laughs.

    "Yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about that." JJ blinks, looking between Camille and Kiara.

    Pope turns from the handrail to look at the group of friends. "Hey, uh, security's here. Let's wrap it up."

    "Boys are early today."

    "Gary, is that you? Good to see you, man!" JJ shouted as he got up the scaffolding, the girl next to him scoffed looking up at him. "I hope he gets you." She grins hopeful.

     "Like he would do you any favors." JJ bent down hitting the bottom of the can in her hand, the remaining beer splashing up on her, trailing down her skin. "Time to go, princess!" The boy winked at her, going down the scaffolding with the cooler in his hand.

    The group of teenagers ran inside the house, whooping and laughing as they did so, the sound echoing off the walls of the empty building. Camille was the last to make it down following behind Pope as JJ was almost caught by a security guard near the garage. "Not much of a hugger, man!" He shouts.

    "So close!" Camille laughed turning on her heel to run from the guard chasing after JJ.

    JJ, Pope, and Camille headed to the patio of the house, the girl sticking her foot through the cracks of the wooden fence as Pope jumped down, falling face-first on the grass. "Hurry up, princess!" She felt JJ's hands push her thighs, making her lose her balance slightly and make her wobble as her feet touched the ground. "C'mon, Pope!" She exclaimed, bending down to pull the boy by his arm.

    Camille turned around to check on the guard behind them to see how close he was but he hadn't jumped the fence. But doing that only made her slow down slightly, Pope passing her. JJ grabbed hold of her arm, dragging her to the van as he noticed another guard nearing them from the side.

    "Bus is leaving!" Kiara yelled from the van as she held the back door open for them.

    They piled in through the door of the back of the van, JJ practically sitting on Camille's legs after he pushed her inside. "Get off, Blondie." She tried pushing him off. "Y'know, you're kinda comfortable." He grins as he begins to wiggle his body around.

    "Check out Gary gunnin' for a raise!" Pope exclaimed, pointing behind the van to find the guard still running after them. This statement made JJ get off the girl as he peered his head at the open door to tease the guard. "Slow down. Slow down!" He whipped his head to look at John B who was driving.

    JJ grabbed an empty can of beer and held it outside the door. "You're so close! You can do it!" He taunted the guard as he laughed at the sight.

    "He's gonna have a heart attack," Kiara stated, grabbing hold of JJ's shirt to pull him back, which was slightly wet due to the ice cubs Camille had poured down his back. "There you go! They don't pay you enough, bro!" JJ shouted as he chucked the empty beer can at the guard.

    JJ fell back next to Camille as he huffed. "Come on, Kie. That sort of initiative is just begging to be punished." JJ reasons.

    Camille looked at him with quirked brows, the smallest of smiles curled one side of her lips ever so slightly. JJ leans over to her ear, "I knew you found me funny." He said.

    JOHN B (V.O): The Outer Banks, Paradise on Earth. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island.

    All right. This is Figure Eight, the rich side of the island. Home of the Kooks. So, guess where we don't live.

    And then, this is the South Side or The Cut. Home of the working class who make a living busing tables, washing yachts, and running charters. The natural habitat of... drumroll, please... the Pogues. That's us. Pogues, pogies, the throwaway fish. Lowest member of the food chain.

    Okay. So, the downside of Pogue life is we're ignored and neglected. But the upside of Pogue life? We're ignored and neglected. Which means we do whatever we want, whenever we want.

    That's JJ, my best friend since the third grade. He's about as local as they come. Latest in a long line of fishing, drinking, smuggling, vendetta-holding salt-lifers who made their living off the water. Best surfer I know. Just don't tell him I said that. Mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat.

    And that's Kiara, or Kie, as we call her. When not saving turtles or listening to Marley, or getting stick-and-poke tattoos with Cami, she hangs out with us. I'm not really sure why, though. Her family owns The Wreck, this Outer Banks institution. Total cash cow with the tourists. You know, I'm not really sure how her parents feel about us. We all have a thing for her.

    And that's Pope, the brains of the operation... finalist for the Lucas T. Vanderhost Merit Scholarship. And the smartest person I know. Little bit of a weirdo. His father's this legendary character, Heyward. Anything you wanted on the island, Heyward could get it for you. Now, I'm not sure Heyward knew what to make of his oddball son, but it didn't matter. He was a Pogue, just like the rest of us.

    And that one over there who literally has sand in her hair from three days ago is Camille, but we call her Cami. She's the more complex of us. Her dad owns half the things here in the Outer Banks, he's a Kook. Her mom was a Pogue though. Her dad was never really around, so they don't have a good relationship. When her mom died, her dad agreed for her emancipation. Cami moved in with me. I met her when we were both little and she stuck around ever since then; she's my sister. She's a Pogue through and through. She's often giving herself stick-and-poke tattoos, signing up for surf competitions, or hanging with us. She's one of us.

    So, that's my crew. And that's me, John Booker Routledge.

author speaks!

- kind of short but this is introductory so ignore it

- jj and cami immediately >>>

- john b & cami sibling-hood <33

- pope ily the most