SEASON 1
EPISODE 3
"Somebody beat us to it."
»»----- -----««
VICTORIA TOOK A LONG slow drag on her cigarette, letting the warmth fill her lungs. She exhaled the smoke in a thin stream away from her friends, her eyes fixed on John B, who was hunched over, anxiously scanning the horizon. He checked their GPS with restless energy, double-checking the map and calculating distances. They were closing in on the coordinates.
"We're gonna find it, John," she said, her voice steady but hopeful, sending another stream of smoke away from the group.
He looked up at her, his jaw set with that familiar, determined look. "I know. We have to find it," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. He turned back toward the map, then lifted his voice. "All right, JJ, pin it here. We're right on top of it."
JJ, perched at the wheel with a grin, gave an exaggerated salute. "Roger that! X marks the spot." He spun the wheel confidently, guiding them directly to the coordinates.
Victoria took one last drag of her cigarette before flicking it into the water. She stood, brushing off her hands, and joined Pope, John B, and Kiara near the edge of the boat. The air was charged with anticipation.
"All right, ladies and gentlemen," John B announced, pulling out the drone with a gleam in his eye. "It's time to go full Kook." He flashed a mischievous smile at his friends, holding the drone carefully over the side of the boat. With a final glance to the group, he lowered it into the water.
Victoria and Kiara leaned over, tracking the drone's progress as it descended into the depths. They watched the rope closely, eyes glued to the markings that would indicate their depth. Victoria's hand hovered near the red tape tied onto the rope, a marker they'd added to track how far down they were.
"'Kay, JJ, we're almost right over it," John B said, glancing between his friends and the map. "Just ten seconds northwest."
"Got it!" JJ's voice called back from the wheelhouse, faint but excited. "Ten seconds northwest, coming up."
"One hundred feet," Victoria announced, her voice cutting through the air. She grabbed a piece of chalk and marked a line on the deck for reference, her fingers smudged with white dust. Kiara nodded, concentrating hard as she continued to lower the drone.
John B moved over to Pope, who was intensely focused on the monitor displaying the drone's camera feed. They watched the screen, eyes wide with anticipation as shadows and silt drifted by, hoping for a glimpse of the Royal Merchant.
Suddenly, Pope's breath hitched, his eyes widening. John B leaned in, his heart pounding. "What? What is it? Did you see something?" He nearly jumped, his excitement contagious.
Pope's shoulders slumped, and he shook his head. "Nah, sorry, man. Thought I—" He looked genuinely disappointed.
John B groaned, frustration seeping in as he pulled back, muttering, "Don't do that to me, man."
JJ overheard the commotion, throwing up one hand while keeping the other steady on the wheel. "Come on, Pope! You're getting our hopes up here!"
Pope let out a sheepish chuckle, then returned his gaze to the monitor. He started humming, then added, "'Down, down, to goblin town... down, down, you go, my lad,'" quoting The Hobbit under his breath.
Victoria turned, raising an eyebrow at him with a look that was half amusement, half confusion. "Really, Pope? Tolkien? Now?"
Pope shrugged, smirking. "Just setting the mood."
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𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐃𝐈𝐄 ¹- jj maybank
Fanfiction: ̗̀➛ 𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 Victoria Miller's world is upended when she learns her life as the Pogue Princess is over. No longer surrounded by her group of friends, she's forced to adjust to a new, unfamiliar reality as a Kook. After a year of her not so...
