Agape || Rafe Cameron

Chapter Three

Sarah turned hastily to Ward, who was helping himself to get some salad in the center of the table, and pretended to remember a fictitious oversight from the day before as she rushed onto the yacht, which was gently swaying to the rhythm of the Kildare Bay waves. Her sandals clicked on the shiny wood, recently polished and renovated.

"Hey," she called out as she reached the lower deck, where the Pogue was getting ready to load the diving bottles. "Are you spying on us? Planning your revenge?"

"Tell your dad I finished fixing the hull instead."

He climbed onto the HMS, eager to escape the conversation he already loathed.

"Your eye looks pretty messed up... are you okay?"

His tone dripped with irony, and the Pogue didn't take long to respond, clearly unamused.

"Very funny." He took a loud breath. "Topper won the first round. But I'll get the next one."

"So it's just going to be a reign of terror on the island now?"

Sarah trusted Lyn's judgment about her friends. However, she sometimes struggled to understand them and what drove them to hate the Kooks. She wished the two sides of the island could get along and that her soulmate wouldn't have to hide her true identity.

"Can we stop this conflict between Pogues and Kooks? It's really stupid."

"Easy for you to say when you're a Kook." John B pushed the throttle, eager to wrap up this tumultuous conversation. An electric tension hung in the air as they each tried to mask their irritation with a calm tone.

Sarah left the boat's deck, exasperated by the kook's continuously arrogant attitude.

He was certain she could never understand the qualities that Lyn saw in him.

The young guy, on the other hand, couldn't quite figure her out either. Sometimes she sided with them, and the next moment she was hurling insults at him.

And as he thought about it, he was grateful to fate for making him a Pogue.

He didn't have to orbit around the Kooks' private circle, let alone deal with them on a daily basis. His friends were far more enjoyable than those privileged snobs disconnected from reality.

✧•*•°•*•✧

"Seriously, John B? You only grabbed empty bottles??" Kie criticized, her voice tinged with disappointment as she quickly checked the oxygen levels.

Lyn bit her lip, feeling foolish for suggesting this idea that was clearly going south. Her days with the Pogues were still new, and despite their strong friendship, she still had this fear of not doing enough. Or on the contrary, of doing too much.

"Does anyone even know how to use these?" the curly-haired girl continued, looking at each of her friends sitting heavily on the boat.

The Kook shook her head.

Pope reminded JJ of the dangers of this mission, as he rambled on in his usual fashion. The leader stood up, a hint of frustration in his voice as he announced his intention to go explore the wreck, which he did just a few minutes later.

Only the brains of the group remained at the helm, while the other three anxiously stared at the water's surface, evoking a sense of déjà vu from the previous day.

The air was calm, and the sun was about to take its final bow of the day, casting the marsh in its familiar orange hue. However, a piercing siren suddenly pierced what they might have called a nearly problem-free day.