CHAPTER EIGHT:
FULL KOOK
(episode two + three: the lucky compass + the forbidden zone)

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HAVEN LEAPT INTO THE air in fright at the sudden voice coming from behind them. The pogues shot around frantically, only to come face-to-face with a giggling Arden who'd used their panic from the snake to sneak up on them.

"Ard, we've got this handled, okay?" John B muttered distractedly. "Just go back to the van."

Arden rolled her eyes. "What, are you gonna make Kie climb in there? Haven? The girls who are terrified of snakes? I don't care about... whatever the fuck it is you're doing, John B. Quite frankly, I don't want to get involved, but what other option do you have?"

She smirked as he shot her a frustrated glare. "I hate when you do that."

"Hold up," Pope exclaimed as Arden made her way over to the door. "We're seriously not going to let Arden go in there, are we?"

"I think it's too late now," Haven sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she watched her friend search for a good grip on the vines growing over the door. "Once Arden sets her mind to something, she's not going to give in."

"She's right," the girl in question winked down at them.

However, it was at this moment that her foot slipped, a sharp squeal cutting through the air as she almost dropped to the ground. JJ quickly shot forward to grab her knees, supporting her weight in the air despite her huffs of frustration.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" he snapped. "Jesus, Ard, just — just let me help, alright? Get down."

Staring at him in confusion, she did as he asked and allowed him to lower her to the floor. JJ looked her over to make sure she was unharmed before nodding to himself and pressing his back to the stone door. Haven suppressed a shudder. She didn't know how he was so comfortable near the crypt after seeing a frigging snake come from inside it.

"I'm gonna give you a boost, alright? I've seen it in the movies several times."

"If you drop me, I'll kick you on the way down," Arden warned as she lifted her foot for him to grab and boost her up.

"Alright, on three," he said but Arden ignored him as she pushed herself up, JJ clearly struggling under the sudden added weight. "Okay, nevermind, just forget about three."

It took her a minute of trial and error before she eventually disappeared into the crypt. Haven waited nervously for a sign of life from the girl, which she received in a dramatic gasp and her demanding for someone to hand her the flashlight 'before the snakes got to her.' Haven just sighed, shaking her head as she took the torch she'd somehow ended up with to hold through the hole, "If my hand gets bitten off, Arden, you're giving me your's."

"Yes, ma'am."

Another long moment of silence passed in which the others exchanged a wary glance. They weren't used to Arden being so quiet, even in serious situations like this. Taking one for the team, John B stepped closer to ask, "You alright in there, Ard? You got, like, a heartbeat and everything?"

"A heartbeat?" she chortled. "I'd need a heart for that, JB."

John B rolled his eyes. "Hilarious, Arden. Just tell us what you see."

"Darkness, John Routledge, darkness."

"Apart from the obvious."

There were sounds of shuffling as Arden moved something aside before she gasped and released a sharp squeal. JJ was the first to step forward, pure panic in his eyes as he shouted out her name, but the tense moment didn't last as her squeal eventually developed into hearty laughter.

"Arden, I'm going to kill you when you get out of there," Haven growled as she clutched her chest in fright. She should've known Arden would pull a joke like this, but for some reason she hadn't expected it.

"Oooh, kinky."

"Arden Kim!"

"Alright, alright, I'll stop it," she sighed in surrender. "Someone help me out of here. I think I hear hissing."

"Leave her in there," Kie deadpanned but was quickly shut down by JJ holding his arms through the hole for Arden to grab onto. Haven stepped back to give them room, sharing an eye roll with Kie as they watched Arden coo at JJ's worried face. It was only a matter of time before they got back together, 'Rafe Cameron's baby' be damned.

Once she was situated safely on the ground with no snakes in sight, she reluctantly stepped away from JJ and passed John B a large white envelope with the words 'For Bird' scrawled across the front in writing Haven recognised from Big John's research. While the others muttered in disappointment, slow to recognise its importance, John B held it close to him with a frown. It wasn't gold but it was something his dad had touched, something left for him to find. It was worth just as much as any gold, if not more.

"This is from my dad," he murmured as the other's quickly went quiet.

But in true pogue fashion (or, maybe just true John B and friends fashion) the sound of an approaching vehicle stopped them from seeing what was inside the envelope. JJ was the first to see the vehicle, blowing out a puff of smoke before gasping and choking on the residue. "Code red, code red. Square groupers, square groupers!"

That was enough for them. John B lead the way into hiding behind the crypt, JJ bringing up the rear as he struggled to keep his blunt safe. Haven just rolled her eyes, latching onto his wrist and dragging him to the ground beside herself and Pope. She refused to let him die because he didn't want to waste some weed. Hell, she'd buy him more if he just valued his life above the substance for a second.

"It's the guys who robbed your house," he hissed to John B as he not-so-subtly peered around the corner.

"How do you know?" Haven asked, feeling the beginning of a cramp in her thigh and cursing to herself. "Can you even see who it is, JJ?"

"Are you really doubting me right now, Haven?" he scoffed before groaning and ducking back around the corner. "Shit, homie's got a gun."

"Oh, screw this," Kie exclaimed. "I'm not dying in a graveyard."

"At least they wouldn't have to move your body far," Arden chirped, rather unhelpfully, in Haven's opinion.

Pope leant around her to frown at Arden, unable to fight the urge to correct her, even in a life or death situation. "Actually, the coroner would need—"

"That doesn't matter right now," Kie cut them off with a scowl. "Let's get out of here."

Well, it looked like they were running for their lives again. Who needed the gym when they could just run from men who wanted to kill them? Haven groaned at the sight of the tall fence they were going to need to climb, sparing once last furtive glance in the direction of approaching flashlights before following Kie up and over. She barely managed to land on her feet when she dropped down on the other side. Had it not been for Kie instinctively grabbing her arms and steadying her, she would've eaten dirt and that wouldn't have been a pretty sight, to say the least.

By the skin of their teeth, they made it into the Twinkie and were out of there before the men could reach them. Pope might've lost his shorts along the way (Haven didn't ask and frankly she was already struggling enough as it was not to blush at the sight of him, thanks for that Arden) but they survived another face-off with death. Halle-freaking-lujah.

And of course, JJ commemorated their return to the Chateau with a mouldy peanut butter sandwich. Haven watched in disgust as he excitedly lathered up the pieces of stale bread, unable to believe that she was related to such a gross teenage boy. Pope couldn't seem to believe it either, for he took one look at Haven in the corner then JJ bouncing around with his sandwich and shook his head.

"That bread had mould on it three days ago," he said.

JJ just shrugged at him cluelessly. "I'll just pull off the bad parts. Plus, mould is good for you. It's just a natural organism."

"It's a good thing you're pretty," Haven rolled her eyes.

Not long after, John B and Kie made their way into the living room with the envelope from Big John. Arden had fallen asleep on the way home, leaving JJ to lug her body into John B's spare bedroom as she was out like a light. Haven knew she needed it, though. They all did. Arden didn't even know what they were looking for, Haven could only imagine how freaked out she must've been.

"So," she said as they took a seat around the dining table. "Moment of truth. What's in the envelope?"

"I still think it's gold," JJ grinned.

They all turned to him in disbelief. "You think there's four hundred million dollars inside that envelope?"

"What," he shrugged sheepishly as he took a bite into his sandwich. "It could be." He barely got the words out before he was retching in disgust, mouth wide open to reveal chunks of the mouldy bread he was clearly regretting eating.

Haven cackled at him. "That's what you get, JJ."

"Anyways," John B rolled his eyes at their friend before turning to smile nervously at Haven, repeating, "Moment of truth."

And with everyone's eyes on him, he opened the envelope. Much like they suspected, there was no gold inside. John B slowly pulled out a map of sorts, staring at it in a mixture of wonder and confusion. Why had his dad left him a map of the Outer Banks?

"Look," Pope gasped as he leaned over his shoulder. He pointed down at the map where there was a black X marked over a particular spot. "X marks the spot."

"So, we're the Scooby Doo gang now?" Haven frowned, prompting everyone to turn to her. "What? Someone has to be the Arden in the group while she's not here."

After observing the map for another minute, John B decided to look into the envelope one last time in case he missed anything. That was when he found it. Buried at the bottom was a sleek black voice recorder. Everyone stared in awe (though granted, Kie had to tell JJ what it was) but John B most of all. What would he hear when he pressed play? His dad's voice? Or something else entirely...

"Dear Bird—"

"Who's Bird?" JJ cut off the recording before it could really begin.

"What an important question," Haven scoffed, glaring when he leaned forward to flick her on the ear.

"That's what my dad called me," John B cut off whatever he was about to retort with. Both cousins went quiet, even JJ knowing it wasn't the right time to be messing around. Hesitating, John B pressed play again.

"I hate to say 'I told you so' but, I told you so. And you doubted your old man. I suspect at this moment, you're filled with guilt and self-loathing over our last fight, but don't kill yourself just yet, kid. I didn't expect to find the Merchant either."

The silence between each sentence felt like it lasted for a life-time. John B's eyes had clouded over at the sound of his father's voice, a sound he hadn't gotten to hear in almost a year. What he would do to bring his father home. Haven didn't know how she'd react if her dad left her something to listen to. It would hurt every time it played, but at least she'd never forget his voice. Was that how John B felt?

"You were probably right to call me out. I wasn't exactly the father of the decade. But what can I say, kid? I could smell the barn. Now hopefully, we're listenin' to this in our brand new sugar-shack down in Costa Rica livin' off passive investments and pullin' on permits. If not, and you find this for less than optimal reasons, well, that's what the map is for. There she is, the wreck of the Merchant. If somethin' happens to me, finish what I started. Go for the gold, kid."

And so it was beginning.

"I love you, Bird, even if I didn't always act like it. I'll see you on the other side."

The recording went quiet. John B dropped it to the table with a clatter, tears streaming down his face as reality seemed to hit him. If something were to happen to me... Was that an admission that Big John was truly dead? Had John B lost his father without even getting to say goodbye? Their last exchange being a fight? Haven really felt for him. As he hunched over the table with his head in his hands, something told her she needed to do something. If that was her listening to her father say an 'I love you' for the last time, there'd be nothing worse than sitting alone. And so she stood up, ignoring the confused eyes on her as she circled the table to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

It might not feel like it, but we're never really alone.

Beside them, they heard JJ and Kie arguing but neither of them paid attention. Haven just held John B tighter, for as long as he needed her to.

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AT SOME POINT, THEY made their way outside to sit on the jetty. Arden was still knocked out so it was just Haven sitting with the pogues, curled up at Pope's side listening to Kie strum the ukulele. John B was awfully quiet after his breakdown but at least he was there, and the fresh air seemed to be doing him some good.

"How much was it again?" JJ asked after a while. He was skimming stones across the water, brows furrowed in thought.

No one said anything at first, then Pope spoke. "Four hundred mill."

JJ nodded at that, skimming one last stone before clapping his hands together eagerly. "Alright, let's talk about the split."

"Is now really a good time?" Haven frowned with a not-so-subtle glance at John B's back.

He just waved her off with a grin, "Now, before we say 'evenly' may I remind you that I am the only one that can properly defend us from those groupers who were after us." He picked up his gun out of nowhere, Haven flinching before turning to glare at him. Did he have to carry the damn thing everywhere they went? She'd noticed it in the graveyard earlier, too. "Look, protection? Not cheap, okay?"

"But you haven't trained," Pope scoffed. "You've done zero training."

"Youtube, bro," he shrugged. "That's at least a five percent bump right there."

"Bullshit," Haven huffed but once again was silenced by him raising a finger to her lips. "If you don't remove that finger, Maybank, I'll bite it off."

"Yikes, no need to be so aggressive, Kook Queen." That fucking nickname again. "Anyways, any objections?" Kie and Haven raised their hands in unison but JJ pretended not to see them. "Didn't think so."

"I didn't know it was possible, but you get more annoying when you're high than when you're sober," Haven grumbled.

"I can't hear you," he sang.

Sighing at the two, Kie turned to Pope and asked, "What are you gonna do with your eighty mill, Pope?"

"Pay for college in advance. And also textbooks. Those are expensive."

"What about you, Kie?"

"Yeah, what does a socialist do when she's rich?"

Kie chuckled at the boys, a shy smile appearing on her face. Haven smiled too; she had a feeling she knew what Kie would say. "I just wanna make a double album. About OBX, the pogues. You know, the way Catch a Fire is about Kingston. Record it at Marley studio, Peter Tosh producing."

"Peter Tosh is—"

"Dead," she finished playfully. "Yeah, I know, Pope, but the spirit of Peter Tosh never dies."

"Alright then," he mumbled before reaching out to nudge Haven's arm. "And you?"

Haven didn't even think before answering. "I want to go to Brazil." At their surprised looks, she continued. "That's where my father was from. He was adopted by an American couple when he was five, but he found out that his biological family were born in Brazil and always wanted to go back and see them. He didn't get the chance to, so I'll do it for him."

Kie smiled at her softly. Like Haven, she'd also known what her friend would say. "I think he'd love that, Have."

"I know what I'll do," JJ said after a moment of silence. "I'm gonna get a big ass house on Figure Eight and go full kook."

"You're gonna go full kook?"

"Yup," he nodded. "I'm gonna get a marble statue of myself, and then I'm gonna get a koi pond."

"I'm never visiting," both Haven and Kie said, surprisingly in unison. As JJ gaped at them in shock, they turned to each other and laughed. "Jinx."

Before it could get too quiet again, Pope looked over at John B. He was still silent, his beer almost empty as he continuously sipped from it. Like JJ, he was looking for comfort that only the bottom of a beer bottle seemed to provide. Haven pursed her lips, nudging Pope and prompting him to look at her warily. They both knew he needed something to bring him back.

"What are you gonna do, JB?"

He seemed to think about it for a second before sighing and plastering on a thin smile. "To going full kook."

"Oh, dear god," Haven sighed as the others cheered and repeated what he said. "I'm not visiting you either, dude."

He just laughed, eyes brightening the slightest bit as his friends welcomed him into their circle. Haven watched them for a moment with a smile before blushing as Pope brought her closer and into the conversation. Maybe, just maybe, she'd found a place here. She hoped her dad was proud.