Lies That Bind // JJ Maybank x OC Character Fanfic

~1.04~

Ep. 2 - The Lucky Compass

Look, for nine months they tried to get us to believe that our dad's dead. They say that we're in denial. Whatever. Denial's underrated. You should try it. Sometimes it's highly effective, and it's only denial if you're wrong. It doesn't make any sense. Our dad is the last guy who would ever get lost at sea. This compass coming back to us, our father's compass, which was passed down for generations, it's a sign. Our dad's still alive, and we're gonna find him. Nothing was going to stop us at all.

There's something about our father I haven't mentioned. The week before he went missing, he said to us 'Kids. I think I found something. Your Uncle T's gonna come stay for a while. I might have to vanish for a bit.' So he talks about vanishing, and he vanishes. Everyone says he was lost at sea, but... he's still out there. I know it.

It was early in the morning when John B woke me up. He was already dressed for the day, and he was waiting for me. He urged me to get ready to return the scuba gear before Ward could catch us. I groggily woke up and changed.

I climbed into the HMS Pogue and made sure everything was there. If Ward noticed that anything was missing he would come straight to me and ask. Not John B, me. He'd come to me. John B pulled up to Cameron's boat, and I helped him unload the scuba gear. We climbed up the stairs, and I opened the door for him. I shushed him over and over when he stopped in his tracks. He motioned towards the couch, and I followed his gaze. Sarah Cameron was sleeping there, which made our job a whole lot harder. But then again, our job was already harder with the Kooks.

John B slowly moved into the boat, and I made sure nothing made any noise from the scuba gear. However the boards, that was the hard part. They creaked under pressure, and I bit my lip.

"Wheezie shut up," Sarah groaned, putting her hand on her forehead and rubbing her temples.

I held my breath when part of the meter measure hit the railing to the stairs. Loud sound like that could wake anybody up. Sarah gasped and sat up. John B and I both stared at her, and she stared back at us.

"You're not Wheezie. And neither are you,"

"Correct. Yeah," John B panted, trying to play it smooth. "I'm sorry..."

"What are you two doing in here?"

"We're dropping off some scuba gear..." I began, glancing at John B and then at Sarah.

"What...what are you doing here?" John B asked, returning the question.

"It's our boat. It's also the only place with air conditioning," Sarah replied dryly, raising her eyebrows like we were idiots.

"Right,"

"Did you, um... top up the tanks?"

"Uh.. No. No. power's down, so the compressors were off," I answered, before clearing my throat.

"So? You're sneaking onto our boat at 5:00 a.m. with empty tanks?" Sarah asked. 'I'll make sure to tell Ward,"

"No. No, no..." I began, really hoping Sarah wouldn't. Getting on Ward's bad side was not part of my future plan.

"Okay. Okay. Cool, cool," John B played it off. "Just drop these off,"

John B began taking off the duffle bags and the other scuba gear in the middle of the floor. I glanced at Sarah and gave her a worried smile. "Yeah, yeah. In the middle of the room is fine," Sarah groaned, rolling her eyes.