Depths

Redfield Lighthouse

Harli zones out the window from the back seat as John B races down the highway explaining to the others where they're headed to. All Harli can think about is the mess that they've gotten themselves into. The hole that they've dug themselves keeps getting deeper and deeper. She's just as curious to find out what truly happened to their father, but she can't help but think that everything they're doing isn't worth it. It's bound to catch up to them, and where will that leave them then?

Before she realizes it they've arrived at Redfield Lighthouse, their dad's favorite place. The five Pogues pile out of the Twinkie and stare up at the old and weathered lighthouse that looks like it's seen better days. The worn and weathered paint, the missing bricks and the rusted roof look like it's barely holding the place together.

"Okay, JJ, you stay here and post up for bogeys." John B instructs the blonde haired boy.

"Why me?" JJ complains.

"Okay, there are dependent variables and there are independent variables. You're a dependent..." Pope lectures before JJ yells at him to shut-up prompting an argument to break out between the two boys.

"Okay, enough!" John B breaks up the two boys in front of him. "J, I need you to stay here." John B instructs him, looking passed him at Harli who's looking up at the lighthouse with a worried expression, nerves still rattled from their near death experience. JJ turns to see her disheveled face and nods slowly at John B. "Pope, you stay with them and yell if anything goes down. If we get split up we meet back at JJ's."

"Alright, let's go." Kie pulls the tall brunette from his position and starts walking towards the lighthouse ahead of them.

"I'm going to work on my scholarship essay, keep the felonies down to a minimum." Pope states as he walks towards the Twinkie, earning an eye roll from the blonde that pulls a hackysack out of his pocket and starts tossing it about.

Harli walks over to a shade tree to sit underneath to wait for the two in the lighthouse. Staring down and pulling blades of grass from the ground Harli is transfixed on the earth in front  of her. She almost doesn't notice that a body has come to sit down beside of her. After a few moments of silence JJ looks over to her, mouth opening to speak, but the brunette opens her own mouth before he can. "I'm fine, J."

"Are you?"

"Yeah, I mean why wouldn't I be?" Harli drips sarcasm. "I mean, we've found my dad's mysterious missing death compass, about got killed by two square groupers, and now we're on a wild goose chase for what?"

"Why didn't you say anything to John B?"

"Like he would've listened to me? You know how he is, J." Harli turns her head, meeting JJ's eyes with her own.

"Li, I don't want you involved in any of this."

"I'm already involved, J. I can't turn back now. I can't leave John B alone to fall deeper down this rabbit hole." JJ looks at her for a few minutes before turning back to face the lighthouse in front of him, resting his head against the trunk of the tree. Harli lays her head over on his shoulder "I'm scared, J." He grabs her hand and squeezes it before letting it rest in his lap, fingers intertwined.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." He reassures her. "You or John B."

*****

Sitting at JJ's wondering what happened to the two Pogues they left behind was not how they expected to spend their afternoon, but after they heard police sirens sounding down the dirt road racing towards them they had no other option than to leave their friends behind and hope that they made it out in time. Despite Harli's protests to leave her best friend and her brother behind the boys convinced her that they'd be no help to them if they were all in jail. So, despite her better judgement she let boys lead her back to the Twinkie and took off, leaving the two remaining Pogues behind.