𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒, 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐬

THIRTEEN| fallin' for sarah cameron

THE five Pogues sat around a fire at Rixon's Cove, adrenaline still rushing through their veins from the great escape they'd just managed to make.  

Eden, despite the home situation she now found herself in, regretted nothing. Instead of suffering next to her mother, sipping flutes of champagne to get her through the night, she was now sitting next to her friends, smiling and laughing just as they always got her to do.  She wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

As JJ tossed a log into the fire they had going, Pope spoke up, "Hey, guys," he took a seat on a fallen log, just as everyone else had done, "So, like, my dad's already going to kill me.  So, what's this mandatory meeting about?"

There was a beat of silence and John B. looked over at his blonde friend, sending small finger guns his way—as John B. usually did.  Meeting eye contact, JJ replied, officially starting the meeting he'd deemed mandatory, "Might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed."

"You ready for this?" John B. asked.

"Yeah." Kie replied.

Eden nodded, "Spill the beans."

At their words, the Routledge did as they'd asked and finally brought up what he'd found out, "So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant."

Pope let out a groan, annoyed that he'd gotten himself in trouble just to hear more on the gold, "Oh my god.  Here we go with this again."

JJ eyed his friend, "No.  Alright, wait. Hear him out, alright?"

"It's been here the whole time." John B. admitted with a small, knowing smirk, looking between his friends, "It's on the island."

Both girls looked at one another, Kie speaking up, "Are you serious?" as her friend nodded in response, she exclaimed, "Oh my god."

Pope, who'd been the most weary of finding the gold to begin with, folded his hands together, bringing them to his lips, "I'd like to voice my skepticism."

John B. stood up, "I'm sure you would, Pope, but can I please present you with my evidence, sir?" He stood in front of everyone as if he was getting ready for some class presentation, which he almost was. 

"Proceed," Pope waved his hand.

"Alright. So, in my backpack, I have a letter from Denmark Tanny—" John B. started, only to get cut off by confused looks and voices coming his way.

Eden raised her brows, "Am I supposed to know who that is?"

"Denmark Tanny was a slave that survived the Royal Merchant wreck. Check this out."  At the end of his sentence, John B. handed his friend the letter in which he'd been speaking on, allowing her to get a good look at it, "Okay, slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad, he found he complete manifest.  That was his big discovery. So, Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom."

Eden handed the letter over to Kie, who snatched it.  John B. was right; Denmark Tanny was indeed a passenger upon the Royal Merchant.  As the letter got passed around the group like a note in class, John B. continued, "After that, he bought his farm. Drumroll please, because that farm is...."

All four participated, slapping their knees in rhythm to mimic the sound of drums, all curious of where his farm could possibly be on the island.

"Tannyhill Plantation."