ISSUES 2 II OUTERBANKS S3/S4

poguelandia

"A place we call home."

❥

"Poguelandia, it's ready!", JJ yells happily as he throws his flag into the air and ties it around a tree. "Yeah!", the girls and I call amused. "Looks great", I chuckle as JJ gets back to us and throws his arm around my waist, "I'm just excited to see when they save us."

"Save us? From where.. paradise? No one's getting me away from here. Not in a million years", JJ replies easily, "Look around. We've got everything we need right here." "Like we've dreamed of", I smile remembering those moments back on the cut when we were talking about sailing away. JJ nods smiling, "Exactly. Us in paradise, baby."

"What's up with you two?", Kie interrupts our conversation, "Ready to provide some food for the family?" "Yeah, let's kill something." "You can choose another definition", Kie argues and I chuckle hearing them discuss as they leave and I go help Sarah with the sun protection made from leaves. I drift back to my thoughts.

We're here on a lonely island. Ever since we've got lost here, I wonder what my life would look like if my family and I were together now. If I hadn't left Rafe for my friends. If Sarah and I were with out families. If we'd never gone treasure hunting. Where are my parents now? Is Ward alive? What about Anna and Christian? Does anyone even miss us? Many questions but no answers. Not as long as we stay here on this lonely island.. Well, Poguelandia.

"John B, you're the next one", Sarah states, "Truth or Dare?" "Okay, truth", John B announces and Sarah throws our hat made from leaves over to him. "It's getting exciting", Kie adds. "If you could turn back time.. What would you do differently?", Sarah asks.

"Uh.. Take the gold before Ward got it?", JJ suggests whereas Pope suggests to hide the cross in a better place. "Tell Shoupe to fuck off earlier", I shrug. "Maybe not insult Ward as a murderer." "Steal one or two bottles of rum when we jumped off the boat", John B adds. "Yeah, why didn't you do that?", JJ exclaims. "I don't know. Maybe because I was fighting for my life", John B answers as Kie and I giggle.

"I would have looked left and right before crossing the street", Cleo tells us making us laugh. "That was my fault. I'm sorry", John B apologizes half-jokingly. "Who's the next one?" "Iz, Truth or dare?", John B asks me. "Truth", I answer knowing that his questions is going to be about figure eight and the life of a kook.

"So.. Well, if you could now.. immediately go back to your home.. you know be the kook princess again, daddy's little girl and as disgusting as it is.. Rafe's girlfriend. Would you do it?" All of them look at me interestedly but JJ's look feels like he looks right through me. "No way, yes and no way." I'd love to be daddy's little girl again. It was a lot easier when I was younger.

"Same here", Sarah admits pointing to me with her lips forming to a grin. "No way!" "But taking a shower would be great", I laugh. JJ smiles at me proudly so I through the hat in front of him. "JJ, truth or dare?" "Excuse me.. You still ask? Haven't you learned anything about me?" "Alright, the big jump", I shrug knowing that this is what he enjoys.. danger and adrenaline, "No one's done it."

"There he is, guys", John B announces and we mock JJ claiming that he wouldn't do it. This is giving me a major throwback. Back when it all started.. last summer at the new houses.. JJ walking around the new roofs, John B and I drinking beer, Kie complaining about the society. It was easy. Well, life on this island is easy its own way. We call JJ and run over to him after his magical jump. "This is how I expected it to be", JJ smiles when we eat our fish for dinner, "Freshly caught."

I wake up when I hear people screaming around me and open my eyes slowly. I take JJ's arm around my hip and lay it next to his waist and run over to John B and Sarah. "Guys, wake up", I tell them realizing what's going on. There's an airplane. Home's near. Outer Banks, we're coming home.

While Pope and Cleo burn the wood that we've built for exactly this moment, the others and I try to catch attention by shouting and waving our hands to make the airplane turn around. It does. It worked. "He's flying towards the lagoon", John B exclaims making us run there. JJ and I stop in front of it for a moment. This is exactly what he wanted. His friends, him and I on an island. Just us, surfing, waves, peace.

"Come, let's go", JJ nods towards me taking my hand. If JJ can leave this all behind, everyone can. We're going to go full kook someday when we get the cross and the gold back and then we'll have our own island. "Hello there", the pilot greets us.

"Hey, we get away! Finally, we get away from here", Pope yells excitedly. "Who do we have here?" "Just some castaways", John B explains unsurely. "Well, I drop this from my shopping list", the man jokes making me furl my eyebrows. I've spent a month on a lonely island. I just want a shower and some food, not a bad joke. At least we're getting away from here. "I've got the right thing for you", he announces, "Two things that you need on a lonely island. A first aid set and rum. Catch it! What's your story? Sank a boat?"

"No, jumped off one. It was her dads", John B corrects him. „Let me tell you, fathers-in-law.. they're a unreasonable demand." "He's saying it to the right people", JJ mutters next to me probably remembering how clear my dad was about him disliking JJ. "It's over now. I'll get you away from here. Welcome to the flying fish, my name is Portus and I'm your pilot today." Bye, poguelandia", I whisper before getting in.