𝓓𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓫𝓵𝓪𝓶𝓮 𝓶𝓮||𝖩𝖩 𝖬𝖺𝗒𝖻𝖺𝗇𝗄

↳ 002. 𝓗𝓾𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓬𝓪𝓷𝓮 𝓐𝓰𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓪

The Outer Banks. Paradise on Earth. Or, at least, that's what they say. Here? You've either got two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. Over there's Figure Eight—the land of the Kooks. So, guess where we don't live. We're from the Cut, where people make a living bussing tables, washing yachts, and running charters. The natural habitat of... drumroll, please... the Pogues. That's us. Pogues, pogies, the island's throwaway fish, bottom of the food chain. Downside? We're ignored and neglected. Upside? We're ignored and neglected, so we do what we want, when we want.

First up, there's JJ. My partner in crime since third grade and the wild card of the group. He's as local as they come. Comes from a long line of fishing, smuggling, and causing a little chaos wherever he goes. Best surfer around—not that I'd ever tell him that. He's a mild kleptomaniac and a future tax cheat, but he's got my back, and I've got his. Simple as that.

Then there's Kiara, or Kie. She's like my sister, the one who'll call me out in a second if I'm out of line. She's the rich kid with a foot in both worlds—saving turtles, vibing to Marley, and, yeah, she's already planning on a turtle tattoo. Her family owns The Wreck, which practically prints money during tourist season. Kie's parents? They adore me, invite me over all the time. The boys, though? Let's just say they don't exactly make the guest list.

Next up is Pope, the brainiac. He's a finalist for this big scholarship and, let's be real, he's the reason our group has any intellectual credit at all. His dad, Heyward, is a local legend—if you need anything on the island, Heyward's your guy. Pope's got his own quirks, but he's a Pogue through and through, weirdness and all.

And then there's John B. My twin. My other half. He's the stubborn glue holding this crew together. We live in this little fish shack on the marsh—our Château, as Dad called it. Dad vanished nine months ago looking for a shipwreck. Everyone else might think he's gone, but not me. And until I see a body, I'm not signing any papers. So, it's just me and John B, living the Pogue life, holding on, and not giving up. Routledges don't quit.

Oh, and then there's me—Josie Brooke Routledge. Lover of turtles, surfing, and every mystery this island has to offer.

Josie and John B sat in the stiff chairs, each trying to claim the small bag of chocolate in the middle. As Josie popped a piece into her mouth, John B lunged for the bag, trying to grab it from her.

"Hey! Get your own!" Josie snapped, swatting his hand away.

"Oh, come on! Just one!" he pleaded, attempting to reach around her.

"Not a chance! You think I'm just gonna let you steal my chocolate?"

Their playful bickering escalated into a full-on tug-of-war over the candy until a woman cleared her throat, her patience wearing thin.

"John, Josie, it's come to our attention that you are both unemancipated minors... living on your own." The woman said, sitting down and taking her glasses off.

John B scoffed. "No... No. No." He awkwardly laughed, trying to brush off the accusation. Josie rolled her eyes and shoved a piece of chocolate into his mouth to silence him. Then she shot the woman a challenging look. "Who said we're living on our own? Did you pull that out of a hat or just make it up?"

The social worker ignored her. Everyone knew that Josie was the smarter twin who also had the most attitude.

"I need honesty to help you. That's what we want, right?" she said, folding her arms.

"Yeah. We're being honest." John B said, looking confused.

"Okay, then when is the last time you two spoke to your uncle?" The social worker asked, raising an eyebrow.

John B looked at his imaginary watch. "Uh... 34 minutes ago."

"When's the last time you saw him?" she pressed.

"Two hours and—" Josie cut him off. "Forty-three minutes ago"

The woman narrowed her eyes at the twins, clearly not believing a word they said.

"John, Josie, we're gonna come out there tomorrow to talk to your uncle. If he's not there, we're gonna move forward with foster care. I want to assure you, we're gonna find you a safe and loving home." She said, her tone dripping with condescension.

Josie exchanged a glance with John B, her expression hardening. "Safe and loving? That's rich coming from someone who doesn't even know us. If you really want to help, why not just leave us the hell alone?" Josie then stood up took her twins arm and walked away with him.

🌊P4L🌊

The twins stepped outside, dodging the chaos of people running around. Josie spotted her friend Tessa and walked over. "Hey, Tessa, what's going on?" she asked, glancing at John B, who stood beside her, looking equally curious.

"Didn't you guys hear?" Tessa replied, her eyes wide.

"Tessa, if we knew what was happening, why would I ask you?" Josie shot back, annoyance creeping into her voice. Tessa pulled out her phone and showed the twins the news.

"Hurricane Agatha continues its steady march towards Kildare Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina..." the reporter announced on the screen.

"Holy shit." The twins exchanged alarmed looks, realizing the storm was hitting the same day DCS was supposed to do their assessment.

Josie quickly took out her phone and dialed a number. "DCS, can I help you?" a woman's voice answered on the other end.

"Yeah, I think we're probably gonna have to reschedule," Josie said, a smirk forming on her lips.

🌊P4L🌊

Later, Josie was sitting on her bed when John B barged in, surfboard in hand. "Hey Jo, we're going surfing. You coming?" he asked, excitement in his voice.

"Are you crazy? Normally, I'd never say no to surfing, but dude, there's a storm!" she retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"Come on!" John B urged, undeterred.

"Sorry, but no. You have fun out there, and don't get yourself killed," she replied, crossing her arms defiantly.

"You're loss," John B said, shaking his head before closing the door behind him.