Fragile Hearts | RAFE CAMERON

Nine | F I R S T M I S S I O N

Once my shift ended I met up with the Pogues in the parking lot and I hopped into the Twinkie, a beat-up van that somehow managed to simultaneously look like a Twinkie and also a total mess. The Pogues were sprawled out inside.

"Hey guys," I said, plopping down onto the floor with my backpack, sending a ripple of movement through the van. "So, my mom told me the reason John B and I were separated is because Johns main focus was finding treasure."

"Big John," JJ corrected, "We call John Bs dad Big John because we don't want to get the names mixed up."

"Okay... well, I need to find Big John and ask him why I haven't gotten a single call from him in my eighteen years of life and why he has a copy of my birth certificate." I ran a hand through my hair, feeling the frustration bubbling up.

John B started the engine and put the Twinkie in gear. "Alright, maybe once we find the treasure, we find our dad. Who knows, maybe he found it."

"And abandoned his only son? I don't think he would do that," Kie added, her voice betraying a hint of doubt.

"Well, he abandoned his daughter, so who knows," JJ mumbled, gazing out the window.

The words hung in the air. My mom had been vague about the details, just mentioning that John B's dad had been a "free spirit" in pursuit of a "forgotten history.".

"I just..." I trailed off, feeling a wave of sadness wash over me. "I just want to understand. I want to know why he left. Why he didn't even try to contact me. Was I a mistake? Did he not want me?"

The van fell silent as the pogues exchanged worried glances, each trying to find the right words.

"Hey," John B finally said, his voice soft. "We're here for you. Whatever Big John's reason is, it doesn't change the fact that we're a family, and we're all going to find him together."

"Yeah," Pope chimed in with a rare look of sincerity. "This whole treasure thing is just a detour. We're gonna find your dad, and we're gonna have all the answers we need.

I looked out the window, watching the trees whiz by as the Twinkie sped down the highway. The sun dipped below the horizon, casting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and pink. It was a beautiful sight, but I couldn't help but feel a knot of anxiety in my stomach.

"Where are we going now?" Pope asks.

"We're getting on the internet because only rich people have electricity right now." JJ says, stepping out the van, he leads us inside the building. "This way."

We follow him through a kitchen JJ nods his head at the guys there as we made our way through.

"See how they got their back up generators going?" JJ says looking up at the lights, "Kooks don't miss a beat."

We go into the computer room and huddle around a computer.

"Hey, hey, hey, my dads map." John B lays out the map on the table and Pope puts in the coordinates. "Alright boom continental right there."

"Okay well if it's off the deep ends it's nothing gonna be much of a treasure is it?" Pope says.

John B scoffs.

Pope zooms in on the coordinates that leads to a spot in the ocean. We all look to each other weighing out if we are able to go there.

"Is that doable or something." Kie says.

"Yeah totally doable." JJ confirms.

"Okay, will we be taking your personal submarine?" Pope says sarcastically.