WILDFLOWER ↳ JJ MAYBANK | 5

five.

June sat on the boat with a frown, her stomach in knots as she looked at the water. The ceremony of their finding had left her feeling elated, like she actually earned something, but the strange man's proposal to find treasure had presented itself at the perfect time, when their debt had overwhelmed them, and they were looking for a miracle. So here they were, on their way to Goat Island to meet a random man who said he knew about Blackbeard's treasure.

She felt nauseous, knowing the path they were going down. She knew this path like the back of her hand. Treasure, danger, strange old men...it all was too familiar for her. A part of her life that she had left in the past. That she'd tried to leave in the past. This was her own personal nightmare. But she would never forgive herself if something happened and she wasn't there...so she forced herself to go, and she was regretting every second of it.

"Do you guys know anybody who's been here?" Kie asked, sitting on the edge of  boat and looking towards the group. June turned her head to her, biting at her nails as she shook her head. "Cause I don't."

"Nope."

"Hey, Sarah, you must know somebody who's been here, right? I mean like, all kooks, they...they know each other. They go to the same  parties. June come on." Pope said, both June and Sarah looking at him like he was an idiot.

"Are you kidding me? You've heard the rumors right?" Sarah said, June nodding along to the words. She knew about Goat Island...nobody came over there after the stories.

"Oh yeah, about the daughter. I mean, that she drowned with her baby? That's what I heard." JJ said, Kie the next one to speak, pushing her hair  behind her ear.

"I heard that too, but I heard that she was possessed first or something."

"And then I heard that was all bullshit because...what?" Pope said, Cleo quick to speak now that there was new info about this island.

"Okay. Why are we doing this again?"

"We need the money." Pope and Sarah both said, June letting out a sigh before he spoke.

"Or you could just take the money I'm offering and we don't have to go to possession island." She said, pulling her legs to her chest as she shrugged.

"So you heard the possession story too?" Kie asked, June nodding her head as Pope was quick to shut her down again.

"No. Stop bringing it up." He said, June rolling her eyes and settling in her spot a bit more.  They approached the dock,  a man standing by the shed, all of them straightening up a bit more to look at him as they approached.

"This place has been around for 200 years, and they still don't have a single road that doesn't go underwater twice a day." Pope said, looking at the man and the dock  as they approached.

"You check in and you don't check out." Kie said, all of them going silent as they approached the dock, the man coming down and watching them. Poor held the ropes, handing them to the man as JJ spoke.

"Afternoon sir." He greeted, all of them now standing as they approached the dock. He didn't grab the rope yet, watching all of them with a weary look, a chill going down Junes spine as he spoke.

"Welcome to Blackstone." He said, turning away and walking off with his shovel. Pope looked back at them all, all of them sharing the same perplexed look before they started to climb from the boat, JJ holding his hand out to pull June off of the boat. He fronted the group, all of them following after the man.