The Secret of Us

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The Outer Banks had been left with scattered debris and with the lingering scent of salt and wet earth. With the light of the new day, the damage from the previous night became pretty apparent. Shingles had been ripped off the roof, and broken branches were littering the Cut, but this was the norm.  Nothing they weren't able to clean up. Another storm and another challenge they just had to tackle.

Mason was still half-asleep, his head slightly pounding from last night's whiskey when John B's obnoxious voice jolted him awake.

"Alright, people let's rise and shine now!" John B was already up and moving, clearly having more energy than everyone else. "We've got things to do."

Mason groaned, "Does it possibly involve some coffee?"

"Coffee's for the weak, Maybank. We're heading out," JJ chimed in, nudging Mason's foot with his boot. Mason cracked one eye open, meeting JJ's wide grin. How the hell was JJ up before him? He will never know.

"You being up this early means two things. You're planning something stupid or it's too early. Which one is it?" Mason muttered, pushing himself up.

"Both," Pope interjected, coming into view. "John B wants to check out the marsh. He said he saw something last night after the storm."

"And I take it we're all following along?" A tiny smile pulled at Mason's lips as he sighed. If the Pogues were skilled at anything, it was getting involved in things they probably shouldn't and he understood this was one of those things.

John B, Pope, and Mason quickly gathered anything they might need. After Mason freshened up, the group made their way to the dock where the boat was. The boat itself was nothing special—just another fishing boat that had probably seen better days. They piled in, the early morning sun casting shadows across the marsh as they set off to get Kiara.

Within an hour, the group was out in the water, the boat gliding across the marsh. As JJ drove, Mason sat in the front seat and leaned back, his brother's crazed laughter piercing the quiet morning air. John B stood beside Pope, pointing ahead like some kind of explorer, guiding them ahead like an explorer.

The marsh was quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos of the storm last night. The only sounds were the hum of the motor, the occasional bird chirping, and the gentle splash of the water against the hull. The air was thick with humidity, and the scent of the marsh—salty, earthy, and raw—filled their lungs.

"Over there" John B called, gesturing towards a cluster of reeds. "I swear I saw something out here"

"Like what? A ghost?" Kie asked from her seat, eyebrows raised.

"No, like a boat" John B shot back, giving her a look. "And not just any boat—a real one. No boat is supposed to be out during a storm."

Mason bit his lip, glancing back at Pope, who gave him a shrug.

JJ cautiously steered the boat toward the clump of reeds, and sure enough, there it was. The boat was fully swallowed by the water.

"Holy shit," JJ breathed, cutting the motor and letting them drift closer. The boat creaked as they approached. The scene felt almost eerie, the abandoned boat sitting under the water among the marshlands as if it had already been forgotten by the rest of the world.

"Is there a body down there?" Kie asked as the boat got closer.

"Only one way to find out," John B said, slipping his shirt off before jumping off the boat. Not even a minute passed and everyone followed behind.

"Hurry up, Pope!" Mason shouted before diving into the water to where the boat was submerged. In no time the group swam to the boat quickly inspecting it. Mason felt as if he recognized the boat from somewhere. The thought was pushed behind his back when he felt the oxygen run out in his lungs and swam up.

"You guys saw that, right?" JJ asked, shaking his head

To get his hair out of his face.

"Yeah," Pope said smiling at everyone.

"A new one of those is 500 Gs, easy," JJ said, the group was now beginning to swim back to the boat. The group began to climb onto the boat.

John B seemed to be on a mission when Pope asked, "Do we know whose boat it was?" Mason shrugged in response.

"No but we're about to find out," John B replied, pulling the boat's hanker out of its storage.

"Dude it's too deep" Mason frowned, and he exchanged a look with Kie. Telepathically asking each other if John B was being for real right now.

"Oh, for the weak and feeble, M." John B groaned, feeling the weight of the hanker.

"Well, I'm not resuscitating you. I'm just making that clear up front." JJ said, standing in front of John B. "It's fine" John B replied as he walked to the edge of the boat.

"John B," Kie said, a worried look on her face as she stared at John B. It seemed that Kie and Mason were the only ones taking this situation seriously.

"Diver down fool," Pope said smiling, saluting John B. John B copied Pope's salute, "Diver down" he repeated.

"Yeah, he is," JJ said, pushing John B into the water without any warning. Everyone rushed to where John B had fallen. Patiently waiting for his return.

What felt like forever, John B had finally emerged from the water. "Dude, that took forever," Mason said, putting his hand out for John B to take.

"Any dead bodies down there?" asked Pope while Mason pulled John B up on the boat. All his friends gathered around the male.

John B let out a low whistle, "Found this motel key" He held up a motel key, its plastic tag reflecting the sunlight.

Mason frowned, "We should probably report the crash to the Coast Guard." Kie let out as she stared at the boys with concern.

"Maybe we can get a finder's fee. We wouldn't have to work all summer." JJ said, turning on the engine and turning and driving back to land.

Mason couldn't help but feel like there was more to it. John B had seen this boat during the hurricane. And who in God's green earth would get on a boat willingly during a Hurricane? What also didn't help was the fact that the boat looked so familiar.