CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:
GIVE IT ALL
(episode nine: the bell tower)

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FOR THE SECOND DAY in a row, Haven woke to sirens. Running on fumes with only an hour of sleep, it took her a minute to figure out what the sound meant. Where was she? Why did her back hurt so much? With bleary eyes, she rolled over only to come face-to-face with a snoring Arden. She shot up with a gasp. They were at The Wreck. John B, those sirens...

"Did they stop?" she asked Pope and JJ as she forced herself up and over to where they were peering out the door. Each step took every bit of energy she could muster, each word thick with pure exhaustion. Both boys flinched at the sudden question before relaxing when they noticed Haven with her hair looking like a bird's nest on her head and her eyes blearily blinking at them from behind her glasses. JJ was the one who answered her, Pope just reaching out to gently flatten her hair around her shoulders.

"No, they kept on going," he sighed, not quite relieved but something. "But he's pinched for sure, man."

"I don't know," Pope argued. "They wouldn't still be patrolling if they caught him."

"Let's hope."

Haven was beginning to really hate that word. It was one big fucking joke on her.

"You know, we were in that car," a voice piped up from behind them. Kie. Beside her was Arden rubbing sleep out of her eyes, her mouth drawn open in a yawn. "They're probably looking for us, too."

"Well, if we're going to be outlaws, we might as well help John B," Pope declared, with a surprising amount of determination.

Haven's brows furrowed into a frown. Maybe it was the lack of sleep talking, but she didn't know what to make of it. "I'm not following..."

"Me either," JJ added with a scoff. "So, what? We're going to find him before they do?"

"I thought that was always the plan," Arden pointed out as she lifted JJ's arm up and dropped it around her shoulders. He smiled at her softly before averting his eyes back to Pope as the boy marched past them stubbornly. "Whoa, Pope, hold up."

"I'm gonna go get gas for the boat," he muttered, refusing to look at them.

Something had changed in him again now that everyone was awake. Haven didn't like it. She followed after him as the others exchanged a wary glance between themselves. She needed to see him, to say one last thing before he went. Any of the pogues splitting up lately felt like signing a death sentence, and Haven would be damned if she said nothing the last time she saw Pope Heyward, her new boyfriend, as free as this.

"Hey, please be careful," she implored, grabbing hold of his arm and turning him around gently to face her. Pope sighed, a hand ghosting over the one that still gripped onto his sleeve. "I'm not trying to be an overprotective girlfriend here, but I also don't want to see you locked up."

"I know," he muttered as he let her go. Even though his lips twitched at the mention of the word girlfriend, he couldn't bring himself to smile at her. The sober dawn of morning had brought them way back down to reality. "I'll be safe, I promise."

"Well, seeing as you promised," she chuckled softly, taking a step back and gesturing to the door.

But of course, Arden stepped in before Pope was able to storm away again. "What's happening here?" she cooed, sharing an intrigued smirk with Kie while JJ just shook his head at her. "Has the ship sailed? I heard the word girlfriend..."

"If that's what you want to call it," Haven shrugged with a bashful grin.

Finally, Pope smiled too, pleased at the sight of red flushing in his girlfriend's cheeks. Though just as quickly as the look came, stone cold harshness snapped back into place, prompting Haven's face to pale as she followed his gaze to Kie. Stupidly, she'd allowed herself to think that Pope and Kie were okay again after that heated exchange the night before his interview. So much had happened, and even with Kie breathing down his neck about the weed, Haven had just assumed there was no more bad blood between them. It seemed Pope, now completely sober and feeling the low of his high, disagreed.

"Meet me at the dock at three," he snapped towards JJ, who stood up properly at the cold tone of his voice. "Don't be late."

Kie's eyes narrowed as they watched him leave, the door slamming shut behind him. Before she could psyche herself out, she hopped down from the counter and followed after him, causing the others to reluctantly follow too. Haven watched from the porch where she and Pope had sat the night before as Kie reached out for Pope at JJ's dirt bike, preventing him from leaving them just yet.

"Okay, what is your problem?" she snapped, and Haven immediately knew she had messed up. Kie was usually the mediator, but more and more lately, the old version of her that Haven admired so much had faded. She wouldn't get anywhere with Pope using that kind of attitude, and Haven had a feeling Kie knew it too.

"No problem, Officer," the boy spat and shook her hand off him. Kie wasn't Haven, her touch was scalding. "I'm just doing my job."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" she sighed, her jaw clenching as Pope just scoffed and mounted the bike. He revved the engine louder and louder as she struggled to find the right words, a sick smirk tugging at his lips. "What was that?" he asked as the bike roared again. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you."

"Pope, I'm being serious—" Another roar. "I'm trying to talk to you."

Pope just laughed and shook his head, kicking off and speeding down the road, out of sight but not out of mind. Both Kie and Haven watched him leave with differing looks on their faces — Kie angry, Haven worried. It didn't matter if he was sober now, Haven wasn't sure she'd ever be able to see him behind the wheel of a car, boat, motorbike — it didn't matter what the vehicle was, she'd always see the reckless side of him that damn near got them killed.

"Well, that went swimmingly," Arden sighed as Kie marched up the steps with a pout.

"I don't know what you expected, Kie," Haven said as the girl in question dropped into a seat opposite them. "You've been on his ass for days now."

"Yeah, for good reason."

Haven just shrugged. "Still been on his ass."

"Well, what do I do?"

"Look, it doesn't matter right now," JJ intervened, eyes flitting above Kie's head as a chopper formed in the sky. A moment later, the shudder of it's engine tearing through the air caught up with it, prompting the others to snap their heads up in fear. "But that does."

"Who the fuck is that?" Arden murmured.

Reinforcements.

Another reminder that the clock was ticking. They didn't have time to be worrying about Kie and Pope. John B needed them, and fast.

"Come on then," Arden said as she stood to her feet, dragging JJ along with her despite his half-hearted protests. "We've got a getaway boat to steal."

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

"SO YOU AND POPE finally made a move," JJ smirked as Haven sat beside him at the counter. Kie and Arden were busy ransacking the cupboards for non-perishable food that John B and hopefully Sarah (if she showed up as John B believed she would) could take with them aboard The Phantom. Kie was busy scolding Arden as the pregnant girl stole some of the food for herself, leaving Haven open to JJ's teasing much to her annoyance. "Who kissed who?"

"I don't kiss and tell," she sneered, prompting her cousin to laugh harder.

"So it was you then."

"Actually, it was Pope," she admitted after a moment's hesitation, nodding slowly as JJ's eyes lit up with mirth. Was there really any point in keeping things from him? He would eventually just force Pope into telling him how it went down. "While Kie was talking to Sarah last night, he drunkenly confessed his love to me."

"And that was why you were all mopey in the car ride here?" he finished for her.

"Mopey isn't the word I'd use, but yes."

"Well, you two seem good now," he pointed out. "So something must've happened to get you past the mopeiness."

"Again, I don't kiss and tell," she retorted, then blushed as he let out a cackle that caught Arden and Kie's attention.

"Ooh, what are we giggling about?" Arden smirked as she wandered over to them.

"Haven and Pope," JJ said despite Haven frantically shaking her head at him.

"Ah, our newest couple," she sighed blissfully. "So how'd it go down?"

"She says she won't kiss and tell," JJ wriggled his eyebrows teasingly.

Arden's eyes went wide. "Haven, you better have been safe—"

"Oh, my god," Haven cried. "It wasn't like that—"

"Can we get back to the problem here?" Kie grumbled as she joined Arden, the conversation falling short as she slammed a heavy box weighed down by food onto the counter. "Is this going to be enough food for them?"

"I mean, for a couple of weeks," JJ shrugged. "And that's all they need, so..."

For a moment, no one said anything. There was an awkward tension in the air that Haven didn't understand. Kie was refusing to meet her eyes, Arden and JJ just looked confused, which left Haven to struggle in the middle of everything. She wished Pope was there, no matter how different he seemed, too. But he wasn't there, and they were still running out of time. So they gathered themselves together again and made their way outside to put the box in the back of Kie's car, onto phase two of their plan, only to be stopped by two of the last people they wanted to see.

Kie's parents.

"Where have you been?" Mrs Carrera demanded as she stormed up to Kie with a fearsome glare. Her husband stood back just watching them, brows furrowed in a combination of concern and anger.

Kie immediately wavered under her mother's stare, gesturing absentmindedly at The Wreck behind them. "I-I'm fine, I slept here..."

"Well, we were up half the night, scared to death, lookin' for you. Were you even gonna tell us?"

"I'm telling you right now," Kie stammered as JJ slammed the boot of the car and lead himself, Haven and Arden over to the warring mother and daughter. Haven wanted nothing more than to turn around and hide out in the restaurant until Mr and Mrs Carrera were gone, but she forced herself to stand there, at her friend's side, with Anna Carrera's glare darting over all of them.

"Alright, what the hell are you four up to?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Anna, but we gotta go," JJ murmured when Kie just stayed silent.

"No, absolutely not—"

"Mum, I'm sorry," Kie breathed out, finally stepping forward to gently guide her mother away from the car.

Haven took the opportunity to quickly file into the backseat, JJ disappearing on the other side of the car to hop into the passenger seat. But even through the closed door, Haven could still hear Mrs Carrera's raised voice.

"Kiara, have you heard what's going on?"

"Look, mum, I'll explain later," Kie huffed, but her mum didn't budge.

"Have you seen the storm coming in? This is not safe—"

"I'm sorry, mum, but I have to go."

"No, Kiara, these cops are armed!"

"Mum—"

"You are going to get shot!"

Through the shouts, Haven noticed Arden lean through the window and murmur something into JJ's ear before slipping away to cross the road. Haven almost went to follow her, but at the shake of JJ's head and Mrs Carrera's voice now screaming as Kie opened the driver's side door, Haven thought it best to keep her mouth shut. If JJ wasn't worried about wherever Arden was going, it couldn't have been that bad.

"I am not letting you do this!"

"Mum, John B needs me," Kie yelled back with just as much anger. "Look, I understand, I'll be careful..."

"No, no, no," the older woman shook her head. "You need to stay right here."

"I'm sorry," Kie just said before slamming the door in her face and locking it before she could attempt to open it. She had tears streaming down her face now, and she hadn't even noticed that Arden wasn't in the back with Haven, she just wanted to get out of there. "I'm sorry."

"Kiara, this is not safe," Mrs Carrera started sobbing as the car slowly backed out of the drive. "Stop, please—"

They were gone before she could finish her next plea.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■

THE SIGHT OF JJ's house in front of them had disgust twisting up in her gut. JJ stared at the barren walls, the decaying yard, like he was already in prison. Haven couldn't deny that she felt the same. She'd pushed it aside the first few times she'd found herself at the Maybank residence, but this home — for the lack of a better word — had an eerie feeling to it, like once you walked through that door, you'd never come back out. And even though they were there for a reason, Haven felt like she was giving up on JJ by letting him go again. She could see it on his face, the exhaustion of phantom shackles holding down his wrists.

"Home sweet home," he murmured, huffing at the irony of it all.

Haven and Kie watched as he hung his head low, the latter slowly leaning forward to meet his eyes. "Do you want me to come with you? 'Cause I'll come."

"Nah—"

"JJ, it's okay if you—"

"No, Haven," he cut in, a soft edge to his voice that had her sitting back in defeat. "This will only take a second."

That thought didn't make it any easier to bear. Haven moved to sit in the passenger seat as JJ bounded up the porch steps. For a moment, he hesitated, prompting Haven to freeze with her hand on the open car door. But as she started towards him, he smiled, and disappeared inside like a memory fading to mist.

"I should go with him," she grumbled as she reluctantly took the seat beside Kie. "If Luke's around..."

"He'll be alright," Kie insisted, like she was trying to convince herself too. "He has to be."

Silence followed. Haven couldn't decipher the tension in the air. It wasn't uncomfortable, nor was it soothing. It was just... silence. Cold, empty silence that Haven despised. She was sitting with Kie, JJ just metres away from them, and yet she felt like the only person left on the planet. Loneliness had come knocking and Haven didn't know how to keep fighting it off.

"Are we okay?" she asked suddenly, swallowing thickly when Kie frowned at her. "I mean..."

But in all honesty, Haven didn't know what she meant. Did she mean her relationship with the pogues, who were scattered across the island like pigs for slaughter? Or did she mean her and Kie, the distance between them that was emotional rather than physical. Nothing had felt right since that night on the boat, when Kie cornered her with I used to like you, too. Even now, as she searched for signs of understanding in the furrow of Kie's brow, in the way her lips flattened, Haven felt like Kie was just another ghost in her life.

"Are we okay?" she repeated into the quiet.

"I don't know," Kie admitted, followed by a sigh. Haven sat back in her chair, refusing to meet her eyes even as Kie's soft, warm ones traced her features like hers had moments prior. "Things aren't the same anymore."

With the pogues or with them?

Haven thought of Pope's face that morning, and decided it was both.

JJ's eyes were teary when he returned. Neither Kie or Haven questioned him as Kie started up the car again and Haven moved into the backseat. They just gave their best attempts at a smile as JJ held up a chain with what Haven presumed to be the key to The Phantom hanging from the end. That was enough. Kie quickly reversed out of the drive, and they left the Maybank residence and all its demons in the dust.

But Haven couldn't shake the feeling that they followed them, her and JJ especially, all the way to the garage that Luke housed his boat in. She wouldn't come to realise how right she was until push came to shove and Rafe Cameron pointed a gun to her head with his finger on the trigger.

Only then would it hit.

Bang!

Just like a bullet.