𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐲 - 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐄 - 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐓

"I mean, it's obvious, right?" John B asked as they drove down the road in the van. Before he spoke up, the van had been quieter than it ever had been. "A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message?" Kie sat in the passengers seat as John B drove, JJ sat quietly in the back, Willow just stared at nothing, and Pope was observing the compass. "He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?"

"Yeah, it's possible," Kiara told him.

"It could also be possible that you're conducting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels," Pope spoke up.

"Bro, you know how I process my sad feels. Dank nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it," JJ said.

"I'm not concocting, okay? My dad's trying to give me a message. Willow, you believe me, right?" John B asked.

"Dude, she's checked out," JJ told him. He scooted from his seat to where she stared as everyone continued their conversations. "Willow?"

"Why is this happening to us?" Willow whispered. "A normal summer would've been nice."

"It's okay." He wrapped her in a hug. "We'll be okay."

"If it helps you believe, John B," Kie told the boy in the drivers seat.

"Look, I-I don't need a therapy session, okay? Look, I'm not trippin out."

"I am," Willow said.

"It's okay to trip, bro," JJ told him.

"Look, my-- my dad is missing, okay? Missing. You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning wondering."

"It's been almost a year."

"Hey, he could've been kidnapped. That's a possibility," Willow tried to help.

"Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere," Pope said.

"Absolutely," JJ agreed. "Uh...or Atlantis."

"JJ," Kie scolded. "Look, what do you think the message is?"

"Redfield. Redfield Lighthouse. That's my dads favorite place," John B said as they drove past the sign.

"Right. You're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, okay?" John B told Willow, JJ, and Pope as they all stood outside the small fence surrounding the lighthouse yard.

"Wait... why me?" JJ asked.

"Because you're not coming," Pope said, stating the obvious.

"Why?"

"There are independent and dependent variables. You're independent. We don't know what you'll do."

"Listen to me for a second!" John B shouted when the two boys started arguing. "Pope, you and Willow stand lookout with JJ. Okay? If we split up, we meet back at JJ and Willow's house."

"Great," Kie said, turning and heading off with John B.

"I'm gonna work on my merit scholarship essay, and I'm trying to keep felonies to a minimum," Pope said, wandering back to the van.

"I don't wanna hear arguing from either of you," Willow said. "So, either make up and make out or stand 20 feet away from each other at all times."

Willow played with a rubix cube in her hand as her feet dangled out the drivers side window. She dragged her feet in and sat up quickly when she heard the sound of sirens coming down the road.

"Fuck!" Willow hissed as she fumbled with the keys to start the van while JJ and Pope ran and jumped in just as Willow had the engine started and her foot hovered over the gas pedal.

"Go! Fucking go, Willow!" JJ shouted and finally her foot pressed down hard and they took off down the road, leaving John B and Kiara behind.

"Take a seat guys," Ward told John B and Willow. Willow was extremely happy that John B was okay after hearing he had been arrested. The two now sat in front of Ward Cameron on his boat. "Who dotted your eye?" His question was obviously aimed at John B.

"Surf--surfing accident," He lied.

"You've had a very hard year, John. You too, Willow. A very hard year. I feel like I've done what I could to help you guys. Would you agree with that?"

"Yeah. Yes, sir," Willow said, John B mumbling his agreements as well.

"I told you guys that you could always come to be if you needed something. Is that true?" Ward asked.

"Yeah. I mean, you said you'd help me with my DCS case," John B mentioned.

"I need you to answer a question, and I need you to be straight with me. Did you guys take gear off the Druthers yesterday?"

Willow sighed, mentally cursing Sarah Cameron.

"Yes, sir, we did," John B said after a pause. "Look, we're not thieves, okay? It was two dollars worth of air. Stale. You don't want your daughters..."

"John. It's the principle of the thing. I cannot have employees that I cannot trust. I don't want to do this but you made me have to do this. I have to let you guys go."

"I'll meet you back at the house," Willow muttered as the two left the boat. She had spotted exactly the girl she wanted to see.

"Hey, Willow," Sarah greeted as Willow walked up to her. "What's wrong?"

"'Your secrets safe with me'?" Willow asked.

"What secret are-- Oh, that secret."

"John B and I just got fired because of you. And I know you can't imagine that, but some people need jobs so they can eat." Willow's voice was threatingly low as she spoke. She had never felt so angry at someone who wasn't her father. Sarah and let her down right when Willow had started to trust her. Willow smacked the bag of chips out of Sarah's hand before turning to storm off.

"What the fuck?" Sarah shouted.

"You are exactly who people say you are, Sarah Cameron!"