Good Days •Rafe Cameron•

Gold

My arms and legs were sore from breaking my fall last night. I buried my face into the cushions of the couch that I slept on.
The Château was quiet this time of day. Only the soft clucking from the chicken coop filled the empty house.
I turned my body over coming face to face with Pope. His eyes were closed and his lips were slightly parted as small snores left his mouth. Carefully, I lift my body up from the couch searching my surroundings. My locs cascade down my back and over my shoulder. JJ laid sprawled out on the recliner. His hat covering his face blocking the sunlight from the lopsided blinds.
A quiet shuffling came from the hallway as John B entered the living room. He was shirtless, only wearing a pair of short and his brown locks were matted from sleep.
He walked into the kitchen grabbing a glass and filling it with water from the sink. "Morning." I say softly, but loud enough for him to hear.
He jumps out of skin, not noticing that I was in the couch. "Phoebe, when did you get here? I thought you were at home." He asked, walking over to the couch. "I decided to sleep over with you guys." I lied. He nods.
"So you ready to get Kiara and Sarah?" I asked the Pogue. "Yup." He smiles. "Trust me, they're probably braiding each other's hair by now." He smirks.
A light laugh leaves my lips. "Okay let me wake the boys." I say, nudging Pope in the shoulder.
"Get up." I say, nudging him harder. "Ugh...what time is it?" Pope asked. He blinked several times before fully opening his eyes.
"Almost 7." I say, getting up from the couch to wake up JJ.
"You, J!" I say a little louder, knowing that he might need some help waking up this early. "JJ, get up. We gotta get Kie and Sarah." I flick his hat off his face.
JJ groans as the light shines in his face. "It's too, early." He whines. "Hey, Pope coke and help me get the boat out." John B says, walking out into the porch. Pope follows his friend disappearing out the door.
I wait for the two boys to be out of ear shot before turning my attention back to JJ. "I wanted to thank you for last night." I whispered.
JJ shrugs his shoulders. "It's no big deal." He sighs. "I mean, it is a big deal. You hanging with Rafe and all. But you know what I mean." He says, standing up from the chair.
"And you're not going to tell-." I start but JJ cuts me off. "I already told you; I'm not snitching." He smiles.
I pull my friend into a hug; reaching up to wrap my arms around his neck. "Thanks." I say. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get all emotional on me now." He says pulling back from the hug. He takes my hands examining the cuts.
"You should probably gets those cleaned up soon." He said, tracing the line of scabs that followed my life line. "Yeah, probably." I smile softly.
"Hey, you guys ready?" Pope suddenly asked, swinging the porch door open. I immediately pull my hands behind my back covering scabs.
"Yeah, sure." I smile nervously, rocking back and forth in the balls of my feet. Pope glares at me. His eyes move between JJ and I before heading back outside to the boat.
JJ and I quickly join John B and Pope out back. I pull up my dress, careful not to trip over and twigs as I head out to the dock.
Pope helps me onto the boat. "Thanks." I mumble under my breath. I take a seat next to John B as I watch him back the boat up into the marsh.
After a half and hour of driving we finally reach the boat where Kiara and Sarah are sitting on the ledge.
Both of their feet swing back and forth as they watch us get closer. "Did you forget your keys or something!" John B calls out, jokingly.
"You gotta admit it's kinda funny?" John B smiles. "John B." Kiara says, rolling her eyes. "Uh, what's that?" He asked. "Mastermind, huh?" Kiara said, leaning closer to the edge of the boat. "I'm always planning." He smirks. "Some patriarchal bullshit." Kiara points out.
"Yeah, that sucked." Sarah agreed. "You still love us though, right?" JJ asked, looking up at the two frenemies.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sarah says. "We're both gonna get you back when you least expect it." Sarah smirks, crossing her arms over her chest. She looks over to me. "No you, Be. I like you." She smile's brightly at me.
"Aww thanks." I pout my lips putting my hands over my heart. "I like you, too." I say.
"So did you guys, you know...?" Pope trails off. "Reconcile our differences?" Kiara asked. Sarah shakes her head. "Mm-mm. Not even close." She answers.
"But we're...willing to work together." Kiara smiles. "You know what? That's a victory!" John B says, helping the two girls onto the boat.
"I'm so glad you two are friends again." I beam pulling them into a hug. "Frenemies." Kiara corrects me. "Oh, whatever." I roll my eyes, giving them one last squeeze before letting go.
"Woogidy-Woogidy-Woogidy." JJ and Pope say as the tickle each other's hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The six of us headed out to Mrs. Crain's house in the middle of the night passing by old trees as the Twinkie drove through the cut.
"You got rope?" John B asked, listing off items we might need for the heist. "Got it." Pope says. "Grappling hook?" John B asked this time. "No grappling hook. We're not Batman." Pope says.
"Pulley?" John B says. "Check." Kiara said, clicking her tongue. "Dark clothes?" John B asked, looking back at his friends attire.
I sat in the back seat with my locs pulled into a ponytail. I wore black jeans and an oversized black sweater.
"Check." I list off. "Alright, we're ready." John B smiles pulling the Twinkie in front of Mrs. Crain's house.
"Let's go get rich, guys." JJ demands pulling the slide door open. "Hell, yeah." Kiara smirks. "Wait, wait." John B says stoping is from leaving the van.
"I wanna say thank you, guys. Seriously. It means a lot to me that you're here tonight." John B says, smile at his friends.
"Always." Kiara chuckles softly rolling her eyes. "Of course, man." Pope pulls his friend into a hug. "All right, we done with this circle jerk? Can we do this?" JJ asked, holding the rope over his shoulders.
"Fuck yeah we can." I say, hopping out of the van. "Let's get that wheat in the water." Pope demands. "Weed? I'm up for weed." JJ teased. "I said wheat." Pope rolls his eyes turning his flashlight on.
Sarah hands me a flashlight turning hers on in the process. Kiara, Sarah, and I walk up to the stone wall. "After you." Sarah says, helping Kiara over the wall. She then helps me pushing up the vines.
I crawl over the edge landing softly on the grass. The six of us lay low as we begin to walk behind Mrs. Crain's house. I look up at the old Victorian home. The moonlight almost making it look like something out of an old vampiric movie.
As we walk closer a huge flood light turns on; illuminated the front porch. "Shit." I curse jumping behind a bush along with the rest of the Pogues.
"Go, go, go, go." Pope pushes us closer together in a circle. "Flashlights." Kie warns. We quickly shut the lights off.
"Okay, so she had motion sensor light." Pope states. "We could, uh...move really slowly, maybe?" JJ suggested. "What?" Kiara pouts her lips, glaring at JJ. "Yeah, that's not how it works, buddy." Pope says .
"Oh, shit. Let's throw a rock at it." John B says, grabbing a rock off the ground. "John B, that's the stupidest thing I've heard in my life." I scold the boy.
"What!" Pope rolls his eyes. "Yeah, that's a really good idea. Let the axe murderer know that we're here." Kiara says, sarcastically. "Throw a rock at it? Seriously?" Pope asked. "You have a better idea?" John B snaps.
"Literally anything but that." Kiara shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah, moving slowly is looking like a better idea than that, John B." I sigh.
"What about the breaker? In the circuit box on the porch." Sarah suddenly speaks up. "We used to play hide-and-seek here as kids. And if we were brave enough, we'd go all the to the porch. I've seen it." Sarah explains.
"No, no. You're not going in the house alone." John B says, shaking his head. "Watch me." Sarah sassed. "Crain chops people into pieces." JJ points out.
"If you believe that, but she's like what, 85?" Sarah asked. "Yeah, something like that." John B says. "She's probably barely still kicking." Sarah says.
"Be and I'll go with you." Kiara says, taking my hand. "Okay." Sarah smiles. "Fine we'll wait for your signal." Pope says.
"Okay, cool." The three of us slowly walk past the boys up to the house. Kiara and I hold on to each other as we follow Sarah.
"She must have a generator plugged into the main power supply." Sarah said, walking up the back steps to the house. She cut her flashlight on to better see her surroundings.
We finally make it up to the top stopping in front of an old metal rusted box attached to the house. "That's it right?" I asked, pulling on the handle of the metal box.
"I has to be." Sarah says. I pull the door open, only to be invited with a whole bunch of wires. "What is this? Where are the breakers?" Kiara says, stepping forward.
"Shit, look!" Sarah says, flashing the light up the house that follows a long wire into the house. "Fuck, it's inside." I groaned.
Kiara slowly opens the metal door that leads to the kitchen of the house. The old rusted metal squeaks loudly.
"Oh thank, god." Sarah sighs. "It's open." I smile in relief following my cousin inside. Moldy wood and old newspaper instantly hit my nose as I cut my flashlight on search for the breaker.
"Hey." Kiara points to the ceiling were a wire went along the paint. "Yeah, yeah." Sarah smiles following the wire into the next room.
"There it is." I whispered. A large rectangular grey box sat mounted on the wall. Sarah shines her light on in allowing Kie to see the switches.
She chooses the bottom switch slowly turning it off. The light illuminating from the outside finally goes black making it even harder to see.
"Okay, so the boys are probably headed to the basement-." I'm suddenly cut off by the Lou's creak along the old hardwood floors.
Sarah shits off the flashlight pulling Kiara and I against the wall. I begin to hear shuffling and heavy breathing coming down the stairs.
"Oh, shit." Kiara panics. "It's late, Leon. Too late." I hear an old voice with a raspy cough approaching us.
"Who the fuck is Leon?" I whispered standing as still as possible. Kiara puts her hand over mouth. And that when I see her.
Mrs, Crain. With here Snow White hair and ghostly complexion walking past us with a iron tool used to maintain a fireplace.
"I can hear you, Leon. I've been waiting all night!" The woman screams. "Go!" Kiara shouts. The three of us take off.
I split up from Kie and Sarah running into a sitting room looking for a way out. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." I huffed in annoyance trying to push the window open only to find it screwed shut with old rusty nails that loo like they've been there for decades.
"Phoebe, come on." Sarah pulls my hand. "This way." She says. We find Kie in the kitchen crouched down in front of a locked door.
Mrs. Crain swings her metal stick vigorously trying to hit Kie. She misses every time due to her being blind.
"Kiara this way!" Sarah says taking her hand with her right pulling us into another room. We shit the door behind us, But Mrs. Crain swings the fire poker through the door.
"Shit!" Sarah screams. "This way!" She runs underneath a small door. "It goes underneath the house."
The three of us slide into crawl space before making it to the basement. "Guys!" I shout, running over to the boys.
"Mrs. Crain. She's up there. She tried killing is with a fire poker. We gotta get the fuck out of here." Kiara demands catching her breath.
"We locked her in the parlor, but we've got to go." Sarah explains. "She might be blind but the bitch can see." I said, turning my flashlight on to better see Pope and JJ.
"Where's John B?" I asked, pointing the light down the well. "Yo, John B!" JJ shouts. "Time to come back up man." JJ says. Pope and JJ begin to pull the rope.
"John B, come on." Sarah says, looking down the hole. A faint shout from the well echoes back up to us.
"What did he say?" JJ asked. "JJ, Pope, Kie!" John B shouts from below. "Come on we got to go." Sarah and I begin to pull the rope.
"John B, get back on the rope. We're gonna pull you up buddy." Pope shouts. Kiara, JJ, and Pope join Sarah and I. The five of begin to pull the rope.

BOOM!

"Aahh!" I shout dropping the rope. "What's happening?" JohnB shouts. "Hide." Pope says, running under a wooden plank in the corner. I join the boys as Sarah and Kie hid behind a woo den barrel.
"She can't aim for shit." Kiara says.

BOOM

John B struggles up the well lifting his whole wait over the stones. "John B, go." Pope shouts helping his friend.
Sarah and Kie run out. JJ and I follow behind with Pope and John B on our tails. We finally make it outside.
The six off of quickly hop over the wall piling into the Twinkie. JJ starts the car up, hit the gas and speeding out the hell out of here.
I finally take a good look at John B. "What the fuck!" I scrunch up my nose in disgust. He's covered head to toe in mud and sewage.
"Are you okay?" JJ asked, looking back. "I'm good." John B breathes. "I think I'd known if I'd been shot." Kiara pants, checking her chest for wounds.
"You don't hear the gunshot if you get hit." I say, catching my breath. "You look disgusting." Pope laughs. "Yeah, you smell like ass." Kiara agrees.
"What the hell just happened?" Sarah says, clutching her heart. "That bitch is possessed." Kiara says. "That's bitch can't aim." Sarah adds.
John B pulls something out of his pocket wiping off as much dirt as he can.
"What is that?" I say, in disbelief when I realize it's a bar of gold. "No, you didn't." JJ, hollers looking back again to see the gold.
"Holy Shit! Holy Shit!" Kiara and I scream in excitement at we witness the miracle in front of us. "Wait, wait. Guys we're gonna be rich." Kiara says, realizing the outcome.
"Full Kook, Baby." I smile patting JJ on the back. "Come here, Be." John B laughs pulling me into a hug. "No, no, no!" I scream. I'm immediately covered in dirt.
"Say: I told you so!" John B laughs. He locks my head in his arms giving me a nugi on my head. "Fine!" You told me so."