One Stupid Thing

1:10:39

This investigation for Sheriff Peterkin's murder has taken over the whole island. The SBI, along with the Kildare County Sheriff's Department, have set up a crazy looking base camp on the edge of the island. White pop-up tents litter the area and hundreds of different vehicles are parked randomly. Between the scene in front of me and the distant thundering of the approaching storm, my senses are at an all time high. All this for John B. Who'd have ever thought?

Shoupe parks and opens a door for us. "Follow Plumb to that tent. Hold on. Wait for your friends," he sighs. Pope, followed by Kiara, me, and then JJ file out of the car. So many sights and sounds hit me all at once and it makes me feel woozy.

"This way. Come on," Plumb says, not bothering to slow her pace for our convenience. Shoupe takes up the rear and in a single file line, we are lead into a tent.

"Right to your left here," Shoupe instructs us.

"Right here," Plumb reiterates, gesturing to some chairs.

"Sit down. Don't move. We got a lot to talk about," Shoupe tells us sternly, then turns to an armed SBI agent. "Keep an eye on these kids."

None of us say a word. We are too scared to. I feel myself zoning out and staring into oblivion from overstimulation.

It feels like we are waiting days before we hear any word of John B and Sarah. The eerie sounds of sirens and thunder interrupt my melancholy thoughts. The guard still stands before us. His large assault rifle is held in his hands at the ready. JJ keels over and puts his head in his hands. I reach over and rub his back comfortingly.

Three bright yellow figures enter our tent. Shoupe is in the lead, followed by Plumb and another male officer I recognize. The four of us stand in wait for the news. The officers remove the hoods on their rain jackets, but their faces do not give me any ounce of relief.

"Did you find them?" Pope asks desperately.

Shoupe shakes his head. "No."

"So, they got away?" Kiara looks around at us all, her expression lifted from the new sense of hope.

Shoupe avoids our prying gazes and searches for the proper words. "We, uh... we lost them. I'm sorry." Any hope we had just slipped through our fingers.

"You lost them?" Pope questions. "What do you mean you lost them? Like, they're gone? What are you talking about?"

"They took an open boat into a tropical depression, Pope," Shoupe explains.

"So, they're dead?" Kiara asks flat out. My heart thuds in anticipation and I feel limbs shake.

"We don't know," he replies.

"You drove them straight through the storm, man! Are you kidding me? Come here, man!" JJ completely loses it, going for Shoupe and grabbing his collar. "I'm gonna kill you, you bastard!"

"JJ! Stop!" I cry. The other officers peel him off of Shoupe. The other male one detains him and holds him back. "JJ, please!"

"He didn't kill anyone, and you know it!" Pope yells at Shoupe.

"We're still looking for him, all right?" Shoupe responds. He is surprisingly calm.

"Pope, Pope, just stop. Please stop. Please," Kiara sobs. I feel the lump in my throat drop down to my stomach. Sarah can't be gone. She can't be. Tears threaten to fall from my eyes.

Four people enter are tent. But none of them are who I had hoped it would be. Mr. and Mrs. Carerra rush over to Kie. They embrace her in a giant family hug and she falls apart. Pope's parents aren't far behind. He clutches onto his mother like his life depends on it and continuously apologizes to his father.

My legs feel weak, my head and heart are pounding, and my ears are ringing. Everything feels like it's going in slow motion. I can feel my legs give out beneath me. My emotions have drained any energy I had left, but before I hit the ground, someone catches me and pulls me into their strong arms. I'd recognize them anywhere.

I bury my face into JJ's chest. This can't be real. Sarah's can't be gone. She's not dead. This whole thing is a nightmare and I'm going to open my eyes and be safe in bed at the Chateau. To my dismay, when I open my eyes everything is still as it was. JJ's body jerks as he sobs into my shoulder. His hard exterior, broken. Neither of us had expected anyone to walk through that tent door and comfort us. All we have is each other.

We both lost someone we deeply care for. John B was as close to a brother as JJ would ever get and Sarah hadn't just been my sister, she had been my best friend too.

Life gives. It gave me the Pogues and the thrilling adventures we went on together. But life also takes. It took away the only person that made Tannyhill feel like home and my Kook past has died with her. I am a Pogue now. Through and through. Not even my father can change that.

I open my eyes to find myself in my bedroom at Tannyhill. My back aches. I guess it got too used to sleeping on a different bed. I agreed to come home to Tannyhill, but only because I didn't really have any other options. Legally, it is my home and my father and Rose are my guardians. Not even the storm could change that.

Everything feels empty without Sarah and John B here. John B was the superglue that held the Pogues together. Now, it just feels strange.

Sometimes, when I feel lonely, I will go up into Sarah's room and read a book like I used to. If I close my eyes, I can almost feel her beside me.

Every day I go out and hang with JJ, Kie, and Pope. With everything that happened, we needed each other. 'Trauma bonded' is the term Kie used. Of course, I can't tell my dad that, so instead I tell him that I am at Scarlett's, healing and sharing stories about Sarah to keep her memory alive. I guess he is too wrapped up in grief to really pay attention to the details.

Every wall is covered in pictures of her. I hear her laugh and talk. I see her in the clothes I've borrowed from her, the characters I read about, and the sunsets she loved to take pictures of. She's all around me and I hope that she is looking down at me from wherever she is and is proud of me.

I never thought I'd ever feel how it feels to lose someone dear to you. This is why I hate storms. Yes, they give, but they also take. They took my sister from me.

——
Honestly will always be proud of how this season wrapped up so neatly. The 'storm' being foreshadowed since the very first part is just *chef's kiss* and I hope you guys loved this season as much as I did.

~Season 2 Coming Soon~