THE next morning, Eden Bexley woke up to a pounding headache and John B.'s leg draped over her lap.

"Shit." Eden lightly groaned as she opened her eyes, gaze squinting as she tried to process everything. She could hear the scribbling of a pencil, soft breathing from one direction, soft snores from the other, the crinkling of cans being thrown away. 

She'd fallen asleep at the Chateau.

She has a hangover. 

She has a geometry test today. 

"Shit." Eden groans yet again, lying her head back down as she recalled the fact that she indeed had a test—a test in which she'd done little studying for and was currently not in the right head space for. The girl closes her eyes again and resists the urge to let out another whine of annoyance; Eden Bexley was not a morning person, to say the least. 

"Good morning to you too, Eden." 

The Bexley opens her eyes and lifts her body to see Pope sitting at the kitchen table, notebook splayed out in front of him as he scribbled down different equations, shapes, and definitions down—it wasn't unusual to see Pope being productive in the early morning hours, let alone studying.

"Pope, please tell me I'm dreaming about this geometry test." The Bexley stares at the Heyward, expression weary as she ran a hand through her hair—it was knotty and strands fell in the wrong direction from whatever position she'd been lying in, but that was the least of her problems right now.

"It's a reality. And it's happening in—" Pope looks up from his notebook and taps his phone screen, "—about an hour."

"Fuck my life." Eden huffs, lying her head back against JJ's shoulder, where she'd ultimately fallen asleep last night. She can hear the rhythmic sound of his breathing, feel his chest lightly rise and fall with each breath—unlike her, the Maybank boy is still asleep, rather dead to the world as he cradled a beer can in his grasp.

From the corner of the room—where she was picking up discarded beer cans and solo cups full of different alcohol and soda variations—Kiara sarcastically chimes in, "Believe me, Eden, when I say I gave him the exact same phrase."

"I told you guys to study." Pope shrugs innocently. 

"Like we've had all the time in the world to do that?" 

While wanting to stay in bed, Eden ultimately forces herself to sit up, eyes scanning for her phone—she has no clue where it ended up after ordering pizza. Met with no sight of the device, the Bexley decides she might as well get up and get ready; she only had an hour before she'd have to get up, and she looked like shit to say the least.

Keeping her on the couch was John B.'s bare leg, one draped over JJ's figure—right beside Eden's head—while the other found refuge in her lap. Eden's face crinkles in slight disgust, and she doesn't bother being gentle as she pushes him off of her. 

Looking down at the boy—John B. was lying opposite of JJ and Eden, head dangling off the edge of the couch. He had a solo cup wrapped around one of his hands while his other arm clutched a Cheez-It Snap'd bag—Eden can't even fathom how he'd fallen asleep.

Eden rolls her eyes at his state—leave it to John B. Routledge to find a way to sleep in any position—and sits up, allowing the morning sun against her skin. She stretches with the room she has, before getting up, making sure to give John B. a decent shove upon the shoulder as she did.

Running a hand over her face, Eden crosses into the kitchen, Pope outstretching his hand to reveal an Aspirin as he proceeded to indulge in his notebook, as if he already knew the headache she was feeling. 

"Someone came prepared." Eden wryly smiled, taking the pill thankfully. "Thanks, Bubs."

Pope curtly nodded, "No problem."

The Bexley snatches an empty glass off the kitchen counter, filling it up with water before popping the pill into her mouth. Downing it with the liquid, Eden feels slight relief knowing at least one of her problems was already on the way to be solved.

"You guys eat breakfast at all?" Eden sets the glass back down at the counter, eyes shifting between the two awake teens for an answer. 

Pope and Kiara make a brief moment of eye contact before shaking their heads. 

Kiara shrugs nonchalantly, "I was just gonna have some leftover pizza or something."

Eden nods, eyes glancing at the cabinet. When at the grocery store, she'd bought a pancake mix, and while she wasn't entirely in the mood to cook, it would be a nice gesture—besides, she was hungry. 

So, walking over towards the cabinet, the Bexley suggests, "I could make pancakes." 

"Really?" Kiara's face seems to light up at the thought, and Pope seems on board with the idea of having something other than nothing for breakfast, too, as he looks at the girl unexpectedly—it might do him good to eat before the test, rather than take it on an empty stomach.

Besides, Eden's pancakes were good—no Pogue could deny that.

"Sure." Eden shrugs casually, opening the cabinet to grab the pancake mix she'd picked up at the store a few nights back. She had enough time, and her friends seemed happy—why not?  "It won't take me too long, and I think we deserve an actual breakfast before the test." 

"Eden Bexley, you're actually my wife for this." the Carrera grins, clearly thankful that she wouldn't have to eat cold leftover pizza but instead warm and fluffy pancakes made by one of her favorite people. 

The Bexley smiles and starts preparing the mix, listening to the light snores of JJ and John B. and the aimless chatter of Pope and Kie as she stirred and poured. It was slightly calming, Eden can admit—after many days of being forced awake to run, days without a sense of normality, cooking for her friends felt normal. Routine. 

Given Eden had made breakfast for the group for the majority of her life, it didn't take her long to prepare the food at all, having everything set and ready in less than a half hour. Finding a washed plate in the cabinet, the Bexley set the platter she'd made upon the island beside Pope with a warm expression.

"Enjoy." Eden states, Kiara smiling in appreciation as she joined Pope at the table, while the Heyward pushed his notebook out of the way to eat. She returns to the cabinet to grab two more plates and plastic utensils for the teens to use, handing them over as well. "I'm going to change, wake Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb up when you're done, please."

Pope nods, "Will do." 

Eden heads off towards John B.'s bedroom, closing the door as she enters.

 After being dunked underwater and enduring a splash fight with the Routledge, Eden had been left drenched and had changed as soon as she entered the Chateau. She ended up in John B's Smokey the Bear t-shirt—which hung lower and looser on her figure than it did the boy, given their height difference—and a pair of bathing suit bottoms she'd dug up from her section of the dresser—yes, she had a side to John B.'s dresser.

Once again looking through John B's dresser, Eden manages to snatch a white button down with green leafy designs, pairing it with a white tank top and a pair of ripped jeans—while it was still warm in the OBX, it wasn't summer anymore. 

While in his room, the Bexley also takes the time to brush through her hair and apply the usual waterproof mascara to her lashes, adding some pep to the always apparent bags under her eyes, before returning to the kitchen. 

As Eden enters the kitchen, she's quick to see that Pope was already beginning the task of awakening the two boys upon the couch. 

"Hey. We gotta go to school, man." Pope stands a few feet away from the couch, holding a tower of taped beer cans out towards John B., lightly hitting the cans against the sleeping boys cheek in an attempt to wake him up. "We have a geometry test in thirty minutes."

Slowly but surely, John B. gets up, clearly dazed as he sits upwards. Pope moves over towards JJ—who'd be more of a challenge to wake up—and Eden comes over to the Routledge boy, bending down to grab his crewneck, which had ended up discarded on the floor. 

"Good morning, sleeping beauty." Eden chimes sarcastically, handing him his crewneck. Eyes closed, John B. takes the clothing and begins to put it over his head. "Go get your shoes and your bag and let's pray that you actually have your books in it." 

John B. let out a soft huff, "Ed'." 

"You slept thirty minutes longer than me, be grateful." the Bexley replies, eyes catching hold of Pope, who was currently slapping JJ's head back and forth in an attempt to awake him, met with no avail as the boy's head limply fell from side to side. "I'll get you an Aspirin in a minute. Now, let's go."

"Get up! JJ." Pope meets no avail to waking the blonde and turns to look at John B., "Is he alive?"

The Routledge rubs a tired hand over his eyes and mumbles, "I don't know..."

"JJ—"

Eden crosses around the ottoman to get to where JJ was, "I got him, Pope. John, get your shoes—flip your sweatshirt around, it's backwards." 

"Oh." John B. let's out another mumble as Pope practically shoves him towards the kitchen to get his backpack. 

"Thank you, Eden." Pope huffs, passing right by the Bexley to grab JJ's bag from Kiara—the girl standing awkwardly in the middle of everything, "Hey Kiara—Ah! We're going this way."

Eden leans down and places a hand on JJ's arm, lightly shaking him just as Pope had done, "Hey, J, rise and shine. Seriously." He doesn't move and she does the same action more forcefully, patience wearing thin. "JJ, seriously. Get your ass up." 

Eyes closed and voice thick with sleep, JJ gave a sign that he was awake by muttering, "Five more minutes." 

"You got your five minutes, and now we're gonna be late." The Bexley replies sternly, wrapping an arm around his bicep to try and pull him up. "Pope has your shoes and your bag, up and at 'em, J."

"Eden." JJ whines. 

"JJ." Eden sarcastically whines back.

Kiara, watching both scenes of Eden struggling to get JJ up and Pope hauling John B. like an toddler towards the door, looks between her friends and states, "Um.....I will meet up with you guys later."

"Sounds amazing." Eden replies, managing to haul JJ up with a tug. Noticing this, Pope offers out a hand and the Bexley doesn't hesitate before pushing the Maybank towards him. Gripping on to John B. by the elbow and JJ by the back of the neck, the Heyward boy attempts at getting them outside.

 JJ pushes away from Pope's hand, fumbling towards the open pizza box sitting upon the table, "I'm starving. I need some pizza—"

Pope yanks him back towards the door, "No, you missed breakfast." 

Eden slides past the two boys to meet up with John B. at the door, holding it open for him, "I made pancakes and everything."

 "Mom made pancakes?" John B.'s voice slightly perks up.

"Yeah, and you missed it. Get in the back of the Twinkie." Eden replies, gently pushing him out the door. 

"Okay, I got it, I got it, I got it!" JJ is forced out the door next, a slice of pizza in his hands, with Pope filing out afterwards to make sure both of them make it to the car in their sleepy hazes.

Eden grabs the bottle of Aspirin from the table, as well as her book bag from beside the door, sending a final wave to Kiara, "Bye, Kie." 

Kiara gives a small salute in return and the Bexley heads out the door, readying herself for the geometry test.

"Bonfire?" 

After taking their geometry quiz—in which Eden's sure she did okay on, rather than great, and is sure John B. and JJ failed due to not only their lack of being in school the past week but based on their expressions towards Pope when the tests were handed out, insistent that they were not let known about the test—and getting through a few hours of school, Eden regroups with the boys  and the group of four began to walk through the courtyard, using their lunch period as a talking period instead.

Instead of a geometry test, the main topic of discussion was now the annual bonfire, which had rolled around in the OBX. Before the test started, John B. had received an invitation from a fellow student.

Given she was Eden Bexley, Eden had been made known of the bonfire—she too had been given an invite by Sean, which she happily accepted. A bonfire seemed like a decent way to let loose, and who was Eden to not go to a party? 

"Well, I think she meant to give it to me, so we're all good there." JJ continues, holding the note that John B. had received in class. "We're definitely going—Eden, what do you say?" The boy turns to look at her, a pair of sunglasses covering his blue gaze.

Eden shrugs, "I got one from Sean, so I'm going regardless."

"Sean, of course—"

The voice of Mr. Sunn cuts the Maybank off. 

"Ah, Mr. Heyward, Mr. Routledge, Miss Bexley, Mr. Maybank—" All four teens look over at their history teacher as he beckons them over, Mr. Sunn patting each student on the back or shoulder as he leads them into his class. "Just the men—and lady—I wanted to see."

JJ pulls of his sunglasses and sends Mr. Sunn a smile, "Wish I could say the same."

"I have a question of an historical nature for you gentlemen. And Eden." Mr. Sunn continues, leading the four into his classroom. Eden followed Pope and John B. with a confused expression, unsure on what their teacher wanted from them—if he wanted to teach history, he could wait until they were actually in his class.

Eden offers a smile, "Lay it on us, Mr. Sunn."

"I digitize documents for the Maritime Museum, and in return,  I've been given access to the archives." Mr. Sunn hurries over to one of the cabinet's in his classroom, unlocking it, "And I found....this."

The man pulls a silver box out of the cabinet and brings it towards the teens, to which Pope blankly comments, "A box." 

"More than a box." Mr. Sunn brings it to his desk, and the Pogues all follow.

"That's a good start."

Mr. Sunn opens the box to reveal a bagged up item, and switches his light on for easier view. Pope's hands curiously hover over the object, and the man approves him to examine it, "Go ahead, Mr. Heyward." As the Heyward picks it up, he cautiously reminds, "Uh...be careful with that." 

Pope takes the item out of the bag, "Whoa." 

Eden's brows furrow as she realizes what she's looking at—a diary. It's leather bound and is clearly old, but the Bexley can tell what it used to be. Looking up at Mr. Sunn, she states, "It's a diary, yeah?"

"Correct, Miss Bexley." Mr. Sunn nods in her direction before continuing to explain, "The author's unknown."

Pope unravels the small knot keeping the diary sealed and opens the book. Eden's breath slightly hitches as she takes in the small design written on the first page of the book—a wheat symbol. A symbol that had led them so far in the gold mission; a symbol that meant too much to not mean anything now.

John B. makes eye contact with Eden as he sees the wheat, "Whoa." 

"And this—" Mr. Sunn comes around to hand them another item, "—is a sample of a Denmark Tanny letter." He sets down a sheet of paper on the desk in front of the teens, stating, "Compare the handwriting."

John B. picks up the letter and holds it up near the diary, Pope flipping to find a page full of writing. Eden peers over at the diary, letting out a chuckle of disbelief as she notices the mere replica the handwriting's were to each other. "Well, shit." 

"Language, Miss Bexley." Mr. Sunn chimes, sending her a small side glance before the man returns to the diary, "It's nearly identical." 

There's a moment of silence before Pope speaks up, "This is Denmark Tanny's diary." The boy seems amazed, not only because this could help them, but because this was his history, in a sense.  He flips through a few pages, stopping at a drawing of a captain and a ship, "Guys, it's Captain Limbrey."

Pope sits down atop a desk, and Eden moves next to him, reading over the ancient cursive ink etched against the paper. Having had to learn how to decipher handwriting as bad as JJ's and as good as her mother's—as well as learning cursive herself when she was young—the Bexley was quick to read off a date, "August 6th, 1829 is written in here. That's—"

"—the year the Royal Merchant went down." John B. finishes her words, catching on quickly.

Mr. Sunn looks between the four teens, noticing their piqued interest—though, he obviously didn't know why they were so invested in this certain history. "I thought you all might find this interesting."

Pope doesn't look up from the diary, "Thank you so much for this."

Mr. Sunn leans towards the Heyward with a knowing expression, "It's important to know your own history."

Eden slightly tilts her head at the comment which had been targeted at Pope—how would Mr. Sunn have known about Pope's Denmark Tanny connection?  She looks over at the man, who seems to be leaving the room, as if he hadn't just said such a thing.

 "Oh my God." Pope's sudden exclaim brings Eden back to the diary, the boy explaining as everyone turns to him curiously, "It's the Cross of Santo Domingo."

His comment captures the attention of all three other teens, Eden leaning closer to Pope, JJ peering over her shoulder, and John B. coming over to the Heyward's other side to get a look at what the boy was talking about.

"Holy shit." the Routledge breathes.

"It was on the Royal Merchant." Pope explains, looking between all three teens. 

Eden let's out a sharp exhale—they'd just gotten themselves into something deeper, hadn't they? 

After finishing the school day with the diary on mind, the Pogues all regrouped at the Chateau to catch Kiara up on what they had discovered, as well as simply discuss what had been found out.

"Guys, this is from Denmark's diary." Pope skims through one of the photocopied diary entries, reading the writing off to his friends, "August 15th, set sail from Port-au-Prince on calm seas. Came up on Spanish ship San Jose on fire. The entire deck was aflame. And we could hear the screams of men trapped below. The Spanish captain cared about only one thing, his valuable cargo." He eyed the Pogues, "The Cross of Santo Domingo and countless bars of gold."

Eden placed her head in her hands, "Of course."

"Once the cargo was on board, we went to help the crew, but Captain Limbrey ordered us to pull bayonets and not to any of the Spanish crew on board." Pope proceeded to narrate the entry, voice firm as he spoke, "He robbed them and left them to die."

JJ flicked his lighter, lightly scoffing, "So it didn't go down off Bermuda."

"And it was a Limbrey." Kiara adds, unimpressed, "Stealing shit again."

"Guess being greedy runs in the family." Eden remarks, thinking to how instead of wordlessly helping free John B., Carla had requested they hand over the key of Santo Domingo first.

"This diary proves that both the gold and the Cross of Santo Domingo were on the Royal Merchant." the Heyward boy states.

JJ's voice suddenly perks up, "Why didn't we find it in the well, then?" Everyone looks at him, and the boy sits upright to speak his point, "I mean, if Denmark was able to get this, like, bedazzled cross off of the Merchant to shore, why didn't he just hide it with the gold?"

"It would have been too big." Eden shrugs, looking back at the blonde behind her—the two were sharing the patio couch. "I mean, you said it yourself, J, it's a giant ass cross. It would have been too big as well as too obvious to hide in a well with the gold."

"You're right." Pope nods in agreement and acknowledgement, "He had to hide it someplace else."

Kiara questions, "But where?"

"Right before he was hung, Denmark said he buried the treasure at the foot of the angel." Pope explains, though he seems to be the only one understanding his words.

JJ's brows furrow in confusion,"Wait, I thought this was about the key."

Kiara nods along with JJ, "Right. So what's the connection?"

"'The path to the tomb begins in the island room'." the Heyward recites the phrase he, Eden, and Kiara had found within the dust, fiddling with the key in his grasp.

The Carrera leads her head back, slightly annoyed that they were still missing a piece to this puzzle—a piece that could finally answer everything, that could lead them so much further. "But what is the island room?"

"You know what helps me figure shit out?" JJ enters the conversation once more, standing up rather quickly.

"Oh, boy." John B. sighed, knowing what was coming—he'd known JJ long enough to know what was about to come out of his mouth, "Here we go."

Eden sends him a sarcastic smile, "No one asked, JJ."

"Smoking beers and drinking weed." the Maybank ignores the snide comments from his friends and continues, a grin growing on his face as he aimlessly continued, "The ideas just pour out of me. If we just sit here and try to figure this out, we're gonna get nowhere. But if we get creative and go to this bonfire tonight, maybe we get somewhere."

"Leave it up to JJ to turn a serious conversation in his favor." The Bexley comments, slightly rolling her eyes at his words. The bonfire was practically a rite of passage—Pogues and Kooks alike showing up to a singular party to simply party. It was the first party of the school year and it was unlike anyone to skip, let alone JJ Maybank of all Pogues.

Kiara shrugs casually, having no obligation to going, "Well, I just got disowned by my parents, and I'm an official member of the I-have-nothing-to-loose-club."

JJ turns to look at the Heyward, "Pope?"

Pope sighs, "We're so close—"

"Look, look, think about how much you could think if you just gave your brain a rest." JJ crouched down to Pope's level, Kiara leaning her face in her hand with a smirk, eager to get Pope onboard.

The group all leaned towards the Heyward boy, growing smirks on their faces as they awaited his final answer. John B. taunted him by holding the taped-can stack towards his face, teasing him in favor of the bonfire.

After a brief moment—whether it was because he generally thought JJ's idea wasn't half bad, or to simply get everyone off his back and the beer cans away from his face—Pope gives in with a low, "Okay, fine."

The group let's out a collective cheer and hurries up.

"Eden, no need to finalize the decision today, because you've already been invited by Sean and there's no backing out." JJ stands up, walking off towards the house, "Okay, wait, we gotta shot-gun before we go—"

Kiara raises a brow, "Sean? Weren't ya'll just a summer thing?"

"J, get me one too!" Eden yells towards the blonde before nodding at Kiara, "We were, but he's clearly still feeling friendly. Not like I care though—if he's looking for a hook-up at the bonfire, it's not happening. "

John B. grimaces, "I don't even want to think about that."

"Enough thinking about Eden, more shot-gunning." JJ returns to the group, throwing out cans to each teen.

The group respectively shot-guns, the Bexley smiling as she feels the first drops of alcohol run through her body. 

mara's misc!

i low-key hate this chapter but womp womp i'm not gonna fix it for shit

somehow i still managed to cough up 4000+ words even tho half of it was literally filler that i despise writing 

on another note tho this is chapter 50???? um wtf???? how did we get here??? it makes me feel old for some reason but good for me for hitting this milestone and good for you guys for sticking with eden and me for 50 chapters <333 heres to fifty more :)

next chapter is the bonfire tho??? coming from a future mara who has spectacularly written four chapters in advance be ready bc it's a fun one (take that as you will). 

anyways i'm updating for my very good pal kensie as per usual <3 someone convince miss girl to write because she has 0 motivation and desperately needs to do so.

also apologizing in advance bc the next few chapters are like really long for no good reason. i'm talking like 5000-7000 words (and if you don't think that's long my goal is literally like 3000 words). idk how it happened but it did.

hope you enjoyed <3 see you back with fifty one!