"And lastly, that's Madison, or Mads, my little sister who is also trying to climb up the broken lifeguard tower. We're only a year apart. When she's not doing some odd job for extra cash she is on the HMS Pogue with the rest of us. Most loyal perso...
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Madison was once again in the backseat of Kiara's car, staring out the window watching the scenery pass her by ignoring the concerned glances from Pope in the front seat. It was easy at night to let the demons win, let the darkness consume her, but in the day, in the sunshine that warmed her skin, it was a little easier to forget the monster she was turning into. She used her finger to pick at the skin around her thumbnail, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself by chewing at it like she normally would. She had promised JJ she wouldn't run off, and she didn't plan to, but sitting in the back of the car left her feeling almost claustrophobic.
She rolled the window down, letting the breeze wash over her face in an attempt to slow down her mind but as Pope peeked at her over his shoulder again she couldn't help but snap, "Are you waiting for me to like spontaneously combust or something? Stop fucking looking at me! I'm fine!"
Kiara turned the radio on in the car to cut the awkward silence after Pope muttered a quiet 'sorry' and JJ put his hand on Madison's thigh, his thumb rubbing back and forth trying to keep her calm and remind her that he was there. He leaned over to whisper in her ear, making sure that their conversation stayed between just the two of them, "Baby, take a breath." Her head whipped in his direction so fast he almost flinched at the glare. He tightened his grip on her leg to keep her grounded and he watched as her face softened even if it was just the slightest bit and if it was anyone else they would have missed it. "You know how Pope gets. He just can't help himself sometimes but I have a good feeling about this. We're going to get the gun that Rafe used and we're going to bring John B home, okay? I know you promised no running off but I'm also going to need you to try and keep it together for me too."
"He's looking at me like I'm a mental patient," Madison harshly whispered back motioning to Pope who was doing everything he absolutely could to make sure his eyes stayed forward. "I know I pulled some shit. I know I messed up," her eyes landed on the bandage JJ had put over her cut from the night before as she tried to ignore the urge to pick at it. "But, I really need everyone to stop looking at me like I'm going to shatter into a million pieces at any second. I'm trying, okay? I'm really fucking trying."
JJ didn't dare chance looking to the front seat to see if either of them heard her outburst but if they did they were at least smart enough to pretend they didn't. "I know you are and you're doing really good, and you're not going to shatter, you're not going to break, I've got you."
"Yeah, alright," she gave him a quick kiss in hopes that it would make him feel better and maybe assure him that she really was trying. She then took a deep breath, readying herself for her next question. "Okay, Kie, how do you know where the gun is again?"
Kiara glanced at her in the rearview mirror, her eyes meeting JJ's for a second trying to figure out what the best way to answer was so she didn't set Madison off. "We saw Ward drop it and with all the water from the rain it got washed down the drain."
