ᴘᴀʀᴀᴅɪꜱᴇ | ᴏᴜᴛᴇʀ ʙᴀɴᴋꜱ

Sixteen

"I can't tell you how grateful we are to receive the Tanny materials from your father." A woman said as she led us to a room. "Of course." Sarah responded with a smile.

"Right up there." She pointed up the stairs. "Thanks." I said.

John B shook her hand and followed us up the stairs. We sat at a table with two boxes. " Down the rabbit hole."

"Here we go." I sighed putting on the gloves that were inside. "It says Denmark used the money he made from Tannyhill to buy slaves and give them their freedom."

"It says over here that he was accused of inciting revolt." I showed them the paper. "This is before the Civil War." Sarah points out.

"That's why they hanged him." John B concluded. "Let me see this." He picked up a box from the box Sarah had. "That's a bible."

"Check this out." He showed us. "Wait these are birthdays," I said motioned the inside cover.

"Yeah, Denmark Tanny, Cecilia, Robert, Lewis, and Abraham. His three sons." She read off. "Yeah wait a minute..."

"Is that a picture of-"

"Gold." John B and I replied in sync. "This is how he bought the land. It's— it's British gold." My eyes widened.

"That's what was on the Merchant," I said and we all looked at one another and let out a contempt smile. "Bingo."

"This is what we found when we first moved in." She said. "Wait what's that?" John B said pointing to what I had in my hand.

"That is the last correspondence," Sarah said. "Wait that's in Gullah, the lost Creole language." John B said and I nodded.

"Can you read it?" Sarah asked and I shook my head then looked at John B. "No. I wish but no."

"So, Denmark finds out that the Posse's are coming for him." John B rambled. "Wait what's the date on the letter?"

"May 3rd, 1844." I said flipping it over to show them. "Wait- that's..."

"The day he died."

"And this is addressed to Robert." Sarah said. "So on the day he dies, he writes a letter to his son?"

"Yeah, in a language only they can understand." I said in thought. "Wait a minute," John B said before taking a photo of it."

•••
We were now on the Ferry heading back home. To say I was distraught about the whole thing I am. I honestly wouldn't return if I didn't have a certain someone that I wanted to see.

"My dad is going to kill me for being out all night, but at least we completed the mission." Sarah said. "Yeah. Yeah."

"You know, speaking of the mission, you're not as bad as I thought you'd be." He said to Sarah making me laugh. "Well, what'd you expect?" She asked.

"Do you want me to answer that?" John B said to her. "I have an idea. Maybe Kook Princess. Bubble wrap queen?"

"Yeah, I honestly didn't expect you to tag along the way you did." I said to her with a smile that she returned.

"Yeah expected more of a rude to waiters at a minimum, type of thing." John B said making me smack him. "Yikes!" She said in a fake offended tone.

"You aren't what I expected either." He said turning with a shocked expression. "Yeah, I thought you were a laid-back, surfer, dude-bro."

Sarah said making me laugh loudly almost tearing up. I started coughing when a lady beside us gave me a look of distaste. "What Sarah?" I said in between breaths.

"I'm being serious." She laughed. "Like I was saying, it turns out you are on a paternal jihad"

"Yeah, I'm just trying to get this letter translated. And also get Sage to JJ before he actually goes insane." He said and I let out a snort.

"I mean hey, to breaking expectations," Sarah said as we clashed our drinks together.

"Salud."

"Salud," I said laughing.

"Sooo, what's it gonna be like when we get back?" That question honestly was expected but it's really what I was anxious about this entire time.

"With what?" Sarah asked. "Everything Sarah," I said.

"No offense or anything but I don't want to be anywhere near your brother." John B shot me a concerned glance as my eye teared up thinking about how he made me take the coke at that party.

"What about- you know- this..." John B said motioning between him and Sarah. "Nothing changes I guess."

"We'll go back to the bubble-"

"Sarah no." I said sternly. "Well your father left you in our care- I mean-" I walked to the ship's railing looking out at the water.

"Wait like Topper back to the bubble?" I hear John B ask her. "Yeah." She said hesitantly.

"And, um. I guess you'll go back to being a...a fugitive." She said. Silence took over us three.

"Had a really great day, though." She said, I turned and glanced at her before shaking my head slowly. "Me too.." John B said.

We arrived back to the deck and silently looked at one another. "So?"

"Sage is coming back with me. If she doesn't feel safe there then I'm not letting her go there." Sarah said and I sent John B a thankful glance.

"You'll be a fugitive too Sage..." I laughed and shrugged my shoulders. "That's fine, you can tell your dad I ran away when we grabbed a bite to eat."

She gave in and nodded.

It began raining and silence ate at us. "Okay so...."

"Yes?" John B asked as we walked down the ramp. "Now that we have returned to motherland..." She said and I nodded slowly.

"We must revert to our real identities, so if you see me on the street—"

"Yes of course, I am a true, uh, professional." John B said in a Russian accent making me smile softly. "It's been a pleasure working with you, comrades." She said shaking out hands.

"Pleasure's mine." John B said. "Wait, wait, wait..." He called out to Sarah. "I'll wait for you up at the Ticket booth." I grin nudging him as Sarah came back.

I unpinned my hair letting it fall down my back. I ran my fingers through it as the rain made me soaking wet.

I leaned on the railing by the booth looking out at the water. I couldn't help the eerie feeling that resonated throughout my body.

I glanced at John B and Sarah sharing a kiss. I softly smiled to myself. John B soon joined my side with a smile on his face.

"So..."

"Don't you dare clown me." He said as we looked down at the boats. "So what now?"