JJ and a Routledge

Sarah the Spitting Cobra

We were all gathered around a campfire. The five of us, it felt perfect. Especially since I think Kiara likes me now. I could definitely get used to that. JJ, John B, and I had planned to somehow get Pope and Kiara here during or after Midsummers, and it worked. 

"Hey, guys, so my dad is like, already gonna kill me. So what's this mandatory meeting about?" Pope asks while sitting down. JJ and I are on one side of the fire while Pope, John B, and Kiara are on the other.  I shiver lightly at a gust of wind, which leads to JJ pulling me into him for a hug. 

"Might as well tell him, man," JJ smiles, rubbing my arm. 

"Before we're gaffed," I add, and I see Kiara's face of concern. I meant it as a joke but it definitely was a possibility. People were willing to kill for this gold. 

"You ready for this?" John B looks at Pope and Kiara, who were basically on the edge of their seats, which was making JJ and I laugh. 

"Yeah," Kiara says in an obvious tone. 

"So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant." Everyone goes quiet at his words and Kiara and Pope don't believe a word. 

Pope rolls his eyes, "Oh my God, here we go again with this." He was about to get up to leave, I don't know where he was planning on going, but JJ stopped him by putting his hand out. 

"No, wait, all right, hear him out," JJ glares at Pope, and Pope sits back down. 

"It's been here the whole time." John B continues. "It's on the island." 

"Are you serious?" Kiara says in shock. "Oh, my God." She laughs, finally she believes, now our only problem is Mr. SATs. 

"I'd like to voice my skepticism," Pope states raising his hand and making me snort. 

"Oh my God, here we go again with this," I mutter to JJ who does his best to hold in his laugh. Pope gives us both a glare which makes us both straighten up. 

"I'm sure you would, Pope." John B grunts. He gets up and walks over to Mr. Smarty Pants. "Can I present you with my evidence, sir?" John B gestures to him, and Pope looks annoyed at fuck. 

"Proceed." Pope waves him off. 

"All right, so, in my backpack..." JB digs into his backpack. "I have a letter from Denmark Tanny." He shows it to all of us. 

"Who the hell's that." Kiara peers at the paper, but it was still folded up.

"Coral, would you like to take that one?" JB smirks at me, and I nod in agreement, before continuing. 

"Gladly. Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck." Pope still looks a little skeptical and I was about to continue when my dear brother interrupts me. 

"Check this out." John B unfolds the letter and shows it to Kiara. I give him a glare, waiting for him to finish."Here you go. My bad, Coral, continue." 

I sigh and shiver again, due to the fact I scooted away from JJ's warmth when I began talking. "Slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but John B's dad found the full manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom." Kiara whistles and hands the paper to Pope. "After that, he bought his farm."

"Drumroll please." John B smiles. "Because that farm is... Tannyhill Plantation." 

"Tannyhill?" Kiara questions. I could tell it was starting to make sense in their brains. 

"Yeah, so after that he used his money to free even more slaves and then he sold a shit ton of rice, which pisses off the white planters, and then, they decide to lynch him. So on the day they were coming to get him, he writes a letter to his son as a farewell, and in the last line of that letter, he leaves a coded message about where to find the gold." John B rambles on and it made me realize how exciting this was for him. Maybe it was about going full Kook but I think it was about continuing what his dad started. Taking what his dad should have earned.