Wonderland, JJ Maybank

Chapter Four. Special Ops JJ Maybank!

CHAPTER FOUR . . .
SPECIAL OPS JJ MAYBANK!   

IT WAS ONLY THE CRACK OF DAWN, THE SKY STILL DRENCHED A DARK SHADE OF NAVY BLUE as the sun took its sweet time ascending from below the curvature of the earth and over the water. Birds were beginning to euphoniously sing in the daybreak, the air already relentlessly humid.

     Cordelia hadn't gotten a wink of sleep.

     She was far too excited to rest her eyes.

     Her and Kiara had stayed up excessively late talking and giggling at the shoreline while the tide went out. The girl was an utter blast and seriously cool, Cordelia had decided; a turtle-saving badass with a heart of gold. She'd told her a few big, 'new world' facts the others had neglected to mention, like women being allowed to vote and slavery being abolished. The Edwards girl had squealed so loudly it had woken John B up all the way back at the cave, the boy rushing to them in a half-awake panic. But when he saw Kiara laughing heartily and Cordelia jumping up and down in the sand with the biggest beam he'd ever seen, he merely caviled under his breath and rubbed his drowsy eyes; dragging his feet through the sand all the way back and falling instantly asleep again.

     What had kept her indefinitely awake, however, came after Kiara eventually turned in; not without first telling Cordelia she was grateful to have met her and happy she was with them on the island, though. It wasn't until she finally began to drift off did she remember why the name Denmark Tanny sounded so familiar. He was the Royal Merchant's cook, the man whose diary she had read on one particularly monotonous night during their voyage.

Once she realized she did indeed know him, contrary to how she'd answered Pope earlier, sleep was out of the question.

     She had strolled half the length of the beach over and over, talking to herself and trying vehemently to recollect every little detail of what she'd read. Immediately, the desire to wake Pope up the second she had remembered became nearly unbearable. It had taken everything in her to refrain from shaking his shoulders and screaming his name in glee right then and there. She wanted to tell him everything, and she knew he'd want to hear. But it had been the dead of night, and they still didn't know her all that well, so she had made a promise to herself that she'd act— for once— like a reasonable human being and wait until he woke up on his own to tell him.

     Now that the sky was beginning to lighten, she had hope that moment would be soon.

She returned back to the fire pit, blanketed by ash with flecks of ember still barely smoldering, her arms full of driftwood; the driest she could find. She figured since she wasn't sleeping, she might as well start stocking up on fuel for the fire they would need to cook throughout the day and for the next night. Sitting in the sand, she gently set them down; careful not to make much noise with the pogues sleeping soundly around her. Her head snapped up at the sound of a twig snapping in the woods, the trees and thick brush still shadowy in the fading night. The girl rose quietly to her feet, inching slowly closer until she met the tree line; peering cautiously around.

     If it was an animal, perhaps she should turn back and get a spear; it could be their next meal. She didn't have to debate this long, as JJ was soon stepping out from behind the tree she stood next to— not an animal.

     The boy nearly walked straight into her, looking up from the ground just in time to keep their chests from bumping. "Gah!" he exclaimed, springing backwards and instinctively drawing his hands into taut fists. He let his arms fall lax at his side again and let out a breath when he realized it was just her; the girl never flinching at his dramatic reaction.