𝐽𝑈𝑆𝑇 𝑁𝑂𝑇 𝑌𝐸𝑇 / JJ MAYBANK

𝟸𝟿

HOLLY CRAIN

"Emmi, Emmi, Emmi!" John B shouts as he rushes into the chateau.

"Fuck, JJ, put your shirt on!" I whispers and hold out his shirt, which he quickly puts on.

"Ward Cameron offered me a place to stay!" he says excitedly.

"Wait, what?"

"Yeah, he said I could stay at their house. And I guess he included you too."

"You think?" I question.

"Yeah well he didn't say anything about you directly, but surely he means both of us. Why, you want to come, don't you?"

"Actually, I'd rather stay here."

"But that's a great offer! Besides, you can't stay here you'll have to go into foster care." explains John b.

"Yeah, but not if they think I'm going to live with the Camerons like you do. They wouldn't know I'm still here." I suggest.

"But-"

"I just can't live there. I can't, JB. Okay?"

JJ directly knows why I don't want to stay with the Cameron's, even tho it's a great offer. I just can't live with Rafe. It would be the worst thing for me to live with him.

"Okay." he nods slightly. "JJ?"

"Huh?"

"Don't you dare let anything happen to her or I swear to you-"

"It's all good, bro. I'll take care of her." JJ smiles at me.

"Yeah but not too much." warns John b JJ, by the way he looked at me.

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"I'm sorry. You're staying where?" Kiara goes to the counter at the Wreck to put down some plates.

"Tannyhill." replies John b, leaning over the counter.

"So you're living with Sarah Cameron." Kiara walks over to the table where the two guys and I are standing, and puts down some drinks.

"Okay, look, the only reason I'm living there is because her dad bailed me out, right? And it's way better than foster care, which, by the way, is where I was about to go if Ward didn't-"

"Hey, so like, do you have a membership to the clubs now?" asks Pope curiously.

"I don't know, Pope." sighs John b, as he tries to sit down, with his broken arm.

"what about those little golf carts they drive around? You get one of them?" JJ takes a sip of his drink.

"Does it come with a sweater-vest or do you have to buy one of those on your own?" questions Pope.

"Look, you promised." says Kie, completely ignoring the two boys. "You said you weren't with her."

"Bro, just own it. She got you." interrupts JJ.

"Look, if you wanna hang out with her, that's fine. But I'm letting you know now that I'm not doing anything with Sarah." notes Kie.

"Do you guys see her here? No, right. Okay. A little focus would be fantastic. We've got the map, right?" says John B, placing the map in front of Pope.

"It's out of whack cause the guy was ganja'd when he drew it." explains JJ.

"It's cause the coast has changed." I improve on him.

We haven't talked since last night. John b picked us both up in the morning, and there has been no way since. But it's weird between the two of us, very weird.

"So we just have to look for landmarks that haven't changed." Pope clarifies.

"What about the old forts?"

"Battery Jasper." Kiara points to the place on the map.

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What we have determined so far is that they need to look for an old stone wall. And we're looking for it now, by bus.

"Okay, so the road should split up here. All right, you're gonna take a left." says Pope as John b turns left.

"That looks like a stone wall to me." says JJ as John b stops the bus in front of an old stone wall.

"This is it." We stare at the house, then get off the bus.

"Not the Crain house." sighs John b.

"Are you kidding me?" Kiara looks around in horror.

"Worst case scenario." replies JJ.

"Why'd have to be here...of all places?" sighs Pope.

"I heard that Mrs. Crain buried her husband's head on the property." JJ looks seriously over at Pope.

"Look, you guys know who's house this is, right?" We walk onto the property, through the garden.

"Oh, yeah. No, I do." mumbles JJ.

"Honestly, I don't really believe the stories of this place." admits John b.

"That makes two of us." I sigh. JJ walks over to Kiara.

"Which stories did you hear?"

"The one where she killed her husband with an axe and that she's been holed up ever since. On certain nights, when the moon is full.... you can see her in the window." Kiara stands in front of JJ and makes 'creepy' movements with her hands in front of JJ's face.

"No it's not funny, cause it's all true." JJ turns around.

"Oh shut up." I mumble.

"I swear to God, guys, this is all real. I knew Hollis." says JJ as he turns around and sees a statue. "Jeez!" he clenches his fists and holds them up to the statue like he's going to punch it.

"Not JJ, being scared of a statue." I say quietly, but JJ has heard, and nudges me lightly on my shoulder.

"Wait, you knew Hollis Crain?" questions John b.

"Yeah, dude."

"Dude, how do you know Hollis Crain?"

"She was my babysitter, man. She told me all about it. Told me the truth.... about her mother and what happened in this house."

"The babysitter you had a crush on?" John b chuckles.

"No, I mean yeah, but that's not the point. So-"

"You had a crush on Hollis Crain?" I giggle.

"Hear me out, all right? So as a kid, she heard all the stories that her mother killed her father, and... she was a murderer and all. Hollis didn't believe it. Until that night."

"What night?" asks John b curious.