𝗠𝘆 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 ⇉ 𝗝𝗝 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸

Don't Want Them

"Don't touch that!" Ari slapped JJ's hand away from the intricate control panel that operated the underwater drone.

"I'm trying to figure this out." Pope glared at JJ before refocusing on the screen, where John B and Kie were making goofy faces.

"God bless geeks, Pope. Seriously, man. What would we do without you to handle the drones?" JJ said, strolling to the end of the dock. Ari playfully slapped his chest.

"Technically, it's not a drone. It's an ROV—."

"Shut up. Shut up. It's too early for that right now." JJ interrupted Pope.

"Aww no, keep talking, Pope. I think it's cute." Ari smiled warmly at him, causing him to beam back at her. Behind them, JJ rolled his eyes in jealousy.

"Hey, once we get footage of the wreck, we'll take it to a lawyer in town and file a formal claim." John B said, swimming around in the water.

"It's such bullshit. Why do we have to do that?" JJ looked at Pope and Ari, frustration evident in his voice.

"Well, there's maritime salvage law." Pope pointed out, stepping closer to Ari.

"Yeah, you can't just go to the ocean floor and scoop a bunch of stuff up." Ari explained, directing her words more towards JJ.

"I know, I know. Lawyers aren't cheap." JJ muttered, shaking his head.

"As soon as they see the footage, they'll work for a cut." John B said confidently.

"How do you know all that?" Kie turned to look at John B, curiosity in her eyes.

"Because my dad said it like, a million times." John B shrugged nonchalantly.

"Yeah, that's fair." Kie tilted her head, glancing back at her other three friends.

"This tether is really long. In crazy weather, it could get pushed around." Ari stated, helping Kie and addressing John B.

"Then we'll go at dead calm." John B said, not even glancing at her as thunder rumbled ominously in the distance.

"At slack tide?" Kie asked, wrapping a towel tightly around herself, her eyes searching the horizon.

"So now, we just gotta wait around for the right weather." Pope added, his gaze joining the rest of the group as they looked up at the darkening sky.

"Today is not that day." Ari stated, her voice firm as another roll of thunder echoed, emphasizing the foreboding atmosphere.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧.𖡼

"You boys get these groceries over to Figure Eight. Get straight back here when you're done. No fishin'." Heyward instructed, passing the bags to JJ and Pope.

"I'll make sure they do their job, Mr. H." Ari said with a playful salute and a warm smile.

"I'm driving the boat, just letting you know." She added, pointing to the boys before confidently walking to the front.

"Doesn't even look like the storm hit there." Pope observed as they cruised past the pristine Kook houses, untouched by the recent weather.

"That's because of the generators." Ari explained, glancing back at the boys with a knowing look.

"And then they say the juice will be out all summer at the cut." JJ muttered, eyeing the luxurious homes with a mixture of envy and frustration.

"Lucky to be a Kook." Pope stated, his voice tinged with resignation.