what now? | outerbanks

• forty-one •

Pope

"Oh, well, would you look at who finally decided to show up," Cleo snarks from beside me.
"Good morning to you, too," Kie quickly quips back, plopping down on the sofa in the spot next to my girlfriend.
"Yeah, sorry. A little extra tired, I guess," Sarah jokes, gesturing towards her stomach. She's glowing, despite the sickness I know she's been going through, and I smile at how tough she silently is.
"Lookin' hot, mama!" John B. walks from his spot in the kitchen and wraps his arms around the blonde, kissing her lovingly on the lips.
"Great. Had to go and ruin the moment," I say, cringing, slamming my hand to my knee and getting up to leave the room. JJ walks in from somewhere and sits next to Kie.
I walk to the dining room, grabbing the maps and documents to bring back to the group. I woke up extra early this morning to get a head start, and although I tried my best not to wake Cleo, she voluntarily got up to help me without a complaint.
"Okay, so here's what we know."
    We go over all of the maps, scouring over them for hours. They're weathered and old, so they're hard to read in some spots, but we try our best.

"You mean Adia's Cove? I've been there probably hundreds of times; my dad used to bring us there all the time when I was a kid," Kie says, confused as to why the map calls it something different.
"Well, this map says it's called The Cove of Lost Souls."
"I've never heard anyone call it that," John B. starts, taking the map into his own hands. "Why are these maps different?"
"I guess there's only one way to find out."
"You didn't have enough adventure yesterday?" Cleo asks Sarah, and the girl promptly rolls her eyes.
"I'm just saying, we won't know unless we go out there."
"Okay, but this time, you're staying here," John B. says with a sense of finality, placing a protective hand on Sarah's shoulder.
"John B-"
"No. The two of us are staying here. You four- You guys go."
    Sarah rolls her eyes at her husband, but I can tell deep down that she's exhausted, and that she could use a day off. She doesn't argue any further.
    "Okay, then- JJ, Kie, Cleo, I got some supplies to get in the van, and then we can leave."
    The four of us pack up and say our farewells to the married couple before moving on to our next adventure.
    "And we know where we're going," JJ asks skeptically from the seat behind me.
    "Yes, Jayj. We've all been here like a million times," his girlfriend responds.
    "Okay, so if you've been here a million times, how come you've never found the treasure?"
    "I guess we just weren't looking for it," I mumble, the boy's question genuinely striking wonder in my mind. He's right; what's different about this time?
    We get to the location, and it's a beach I've seen since basically the day I was born. My mom worked at a little shop across the boulevard, so I know this part of town well. It's secluded and empty, so I'm not worried about fighting anyone off for once.
    "Looks like you just go a little down this way," Cleo says, leading us down the beach and near a little swell of rocks and boulders. Kie walks ahead of us all, passing Cleo even with her wide strides and enthusiasm.
    "Kie, slow down!" JJ yells, and it isn't the first time. Or the last, probably.
    "I'm fine! I've been here before."
    When we get to the cove, we all stand there in an even, constant silence. It's been a while since any of us have been here, and it's definitely not in the best shape. A lot of the surrounding rocks are caved in and situated into a perfectly puzzling figure, making the opening small and tight.
    "And we're supposed to go in there?" JJ asks sharply, eyeing me with concern.
    "Not gonna happen," Cleo chirps. I want to tell her she's being negative, but in reality, she's just telling it plain.
    "Another dead end. Great," I huff, kicking at some sand. My back is turned for a few moments, and I can feel the others turn as well, beginning the walk back to the car, but then Kie speaks up.
    "I can fit."
    We all look at her in shock, jaws agape and eyes wide.
    "I really can, look," her feet place themselves carefully step by step along the rocks, and she sets her backpack down when she reaches the opening.
    "Absolutely not," JJ scolds, a parental authority taking over his voice. "You're not going in there."
    "Yes, I am. Someone has to," she argues back, taking one step closer to the cove.
    "Kie, it's called The Cove of Lost Souls, you're not doing this."
    "Watch me." The tanned girl shuffles half of her body into the sliver of an opening, and an amused smile washes over her face as she watches the blonde in his worry.
    "Okay- okay, fine. Then I'm going too."
    "Are you really? Not too scared?"
    "No, I am scared. That's why I'm going."
    And with that, the deal is done. Kie slips in first, and then JJ, the two disappearing into the jagged rocks.
    "What do you think they'll find?" I ask Cleo a few moments after the pair disappears.
"Got no clue. No treasure yet- too easy," she says suspiciously, twirling her usual knife between her fingers. "But, it's gotta be something. Another hint? One step closer."
"More maps maybe," I say dryly, staring into the horizon. She leans forward, her elbows on her knees, and I can tell she's thinking hard about something, but I don't push.
"Are you sure about all of this?" She asks finally, her eyebrows wrinkling in deep thought.
"About what?"
"I'm just thinking, you know, we finally have everything we've wanted," she says, her big brown eyes looking at me with mixed emotions. "We have our own surf shop, have a secure roof over our heads, enough money to go around. Hell, there'll be a baby for all of us to watch over soon. I just think we gotta be real careful with this treasure hunt thing. Can't let it take any of that from us."
"We won't," I assure her, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"You can't promise that, though. This is risky; there's no clear outcome." For the first time ever, I think I hear her voice waver. It's slight, but I can tell that it's genuine worry.
"I will do everything I can to keep you safe, okay? I'm not letting anything happen."