"HEY GUYS, SO, like my dad is already gonna kill me. So what's this mandatory meeting about?" Pope asked
"Yeah, speaking of fathers, I'm sure a lecture is waiting for me," Amelia said as she sat on a log next to JJ.
JJ and John B exchanged a look "Might as well tell him, man, before we're gaffed", JJ said, drawing in the dirt.
Amelia looked at JJ "Gaffed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
JJ looked at her "Dead. Caught, all the same. Mils"
"Oh," Amelia said, nodding as John B's voice broke through "You ready for this?" John B asked as Amelia and Kiara glanced around at the boys
"Yeah," Kiara said, nodding.
John B moved his gaze to Amelia "Mils?"
"Yeah, always," Amelia said, nodding.
"So, the gold never went down with the Royal Merchant", John B revealed as he glanced at his friends.
"Oh, my god. Here we go again with this," Pope said
"No. All right, wait. Hear him out, all right?" JJ defended from beside Amelia
"It's been here this whole time," John B revealed. "It's on the island," he said as he glanced between Amelia and Kiara.
"Are you serious?" Kiara asked "Oh my god"
"For real?" Amelia asked "Holy shit"
"I'd like to voice my scepticism," Pope said, intertwining his fingers.
"I'm sure you would, Pope", John B said, standing up "But can I please present you with my evidence, sir?"
"Proceed," Pope said with a dismissive wave.
"All right. So, in my backpack," John B began as he shuffled through his bag "I have a letter from Denmark Tanny", John B said, standing up.
"Who the hell's that?" Kiara asked
"Yeah, I'm wondering the same," Amelia said, leaning forward.
"Denmark Tanny was a slave who survived the Royal Merchant wreck," John B. Informed. "Check this out," he said as he unfolded the letter.
"What?" Kiara said
"Here you go," John B said, giving Kie the letter "Okay, so slaves weren't mentioned as crew members on the ship, but my dad. He found the complete manifest. That was his big discovery. So Tanny used the gold from the Merchant to buy his freedom"
At that moment, someone whistling filled Amelia's ears, and she glanced up to see Kiara offering her the letter without hesitation. It was a small thing, but Amelia caught it -- a gesture of trust that didn't need words.
Amelia's eyes roamed over the letter, efficiently skimming the words on the paper before passing it to Pope.
"After that, he bought his farm", John B concluded "Drumroll, please, because that farm is..." John B began.
The sound of slapping knees filled the air as anticipation ran in everyone's veins. Amelia's heart rate quickened with excitement.
"Tannyhill Plantation" John B revealed
"Tannyhill?" Kiara said
Amelia tilted her head "Tannyhill, JB?"
"Yeah." John B nodded "So after that, he used his money to free even more slaves, and then he sold a shit-ton of rice, which pisses off all the white planters, and then they decide to lynch him." He said, his glance moving to Kiara before returning to the group.
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TROUBLE | JJ Maybank
FanfictionAmelia Cameron was born into the privileged world of the Kooks, raised amidst wealth and the kind of luxury most could only dream of. But despite her family's fortune, Amelia never fully embraced the life that was expected of her. Living on the isl...
