She was the first person he trusted with his secret. His safe place.
He was the first guy she let all the way in. He could ground her when nobody else could.
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"𝐓𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, �...
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"So here's the plan. We need to look for the wheat near the water like it said in Denmark's letter." John B says as we peek through the bushes.
"Okay, like, what kind of water? Like, pond water?" Pope asks.
"Bong water?" JJ giggles at himself.
"JJ, stop." I say lightly smacking him.
"No, it- it just said look for water, okay?" John B tells us.
"That's the shittiest secret message ever." Kie points out as she moves through the tall grass.
"You wanna complain a little more, Kie? Nobody said it was gonna be easy."
Pope turns to JJ. "I'll search the northeast quadrant, you search the northwest."
"The decapitation quadrant." JJ points out frantically.
"I'll come with you." I tell him.
"Oh yes, because putting my girlfriend in danger too makes me feel so much better."
I roll me eyes at him, urging him to move forward. We search everywhere in our quadrant but come up with nothing. A couple minutes later John B calls us all over to where he was.
"Hey! Psst! Hey, come on. It's the only place we haven't looked."
He was crouched in front of the small door that lead to the cellar. The door was maybe 2 feet by 2 feet. I crawl in after my brother. It was dark and eery and it reeked of mildew.
"Down came Mrs. Crain and cut off all our heads, up came the sun and dried up all the blood." JJ sing to the tune of Itsy Bitsy Spider.
Pope looks at JJ with a stern look "Can you stop?"
"See any water?" Kie asks as we move further.
"Um, no." I look around the room.
"Another dead end?" Kie questions, bummed.
JJ walks over to the pipes that were near the ceiling. "There's not even water on the pipes." He runs his hand along the thick black pipe.
"There's no water here." Pope states.
"Not a dropamino." JJ agrees.
"Know why we didn't find it?" Kie asks sarcastically. "Bad karma."
"Oh boy." I mumble.
"You know, we had a good thing going. And then you decided to rope in Barbie, and now the trail's gone dry. Coincidence? Probably not."
"This is exactly why I didn't wanna tell you about Sarah." John B says in her face.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
"What the hell's the deal with you two?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? Is it because I kissed you? Is that the problem?" Kie slaps my brother across the face. The slap makes a really loud noise.
"Oh!" Pope says shocked.
"Oh, shit!" JJ says at the same time as me.
"Stop treating me like I'm some girl that's obsessed you instead of your best friend who's actually trying to look out for you."
"Did you, uh, hit me?"
Kie holds her hand up, her palm facing my brother. "Skeeter."
"Skeeter?"
"Yeah, you see it?"
"Yeah." John B slaps her back.
"Okay, John B!" I say with condescension.
"Where's your proof?" Kie demands.
John B holds up his hand like Kie did. A large mosquito was smashed in the center of his palm. "Skeeter."
"Yeah? There was probably one right there." Kie smacks him again.
John B smacks her too. "There's one there too."
"Really? You saw that?"
Pope shushes them, trying to keep them quiet.
"On your forehead."
"You're dead. That's it." Kie announces. "Today's the day you die."
Mosquitoes swarm around the basement. The bugs crawl on us and bite us, leaving itchy red bumps. I swat at them.
"These things are a freakin' swarm." Pope rubs his head, trying to get the bugs away from him.
JJ shushes the group.
"Why are there so many mosquitoes in a basement?" Pope wonders.
"Dude. I know, seriously. Tiny vampire bats, just leave me alone. Oh, my gosh! Okay, can we leave? 'Cause I'm already itchin' to leave."
"Wow, hilarious, J." I retort.
I watch Pope as he wanders around the basement. He stares at the floor while tapping it with his foot.
"P, what are you doing?" I whisper to him.
He waves me over. "Look." He grabs a small pebble and drops it through a crack in the floor. We listen to it clank down. The sound of a splash echoes up. I look up at him.
"Holy shit." I mumble with a smile. I stand up quickly. "Guys, guys! Come help us move this."
Everyone moves to pick up all the wood and debris the covered the floor where we were standing.
"Guys! Guys!" Kie says.
"Guys, I know. Yeah. Sh. Sh." Pope urges.
"She's probably right up stairs." Kiara states.
We lift some of the wooden planks that were over the hole that the pebble was dropped down. As we move the planks, it reveals a deep well in the ground.
"Well, well, well." Pope says.
"That was a good dad joke." JB tells him. He squats down getting a better look down the well.
"They built this part of the house right over it." Kie points out.
"This is where she hid the bodies." JJ mumbles.
"Oh, dude, come on." Pope begs.
"Stop!" Kie says exasperated.
"No, I'm serious." JJ confirms. "It was never an outhouse."
"She probably doesn't even know it's here." Kie says.
"So.." Pope starts. "We found water." He look up at John B.
