Faded Heart

XXXVI. Exile

When I woke, I was greeted by the faint sound of sirens echoing across the island. I groaned as I pulled myself up off the bench only to be hit by a blinding light shining through the windows of the Wreck. After a few moments, I was able to see JJ leaning against the wall, staring out into the water with a concerned look on his face.

"You're worried about him, aren't you?" I ask, making my way towards the blonde. I knew he was worried about John B. The sirens meant that it was getting worse and the search for him was picking up. We were all worried about John B, but I knew how JJ got when he felt like he couldn't help his friends.

"John B's pinched for sure." He says, his eyes never leaving the water in the distance.

"They wouldn't still be patrolling if they caught him." I whisper, trying to do whatever I can to make him feel better. John B was still out there. If the cops had caught him there wouldn't be so many police sirens. The island would completely be silent right now.

"Let's hope."

From the corner of my eye, I see Kiara and Pope begin to move. The two of them were waking up to join our conversation. Kiara pulls herself up from her position on the bench, "You know, we were in that car. They're probably looking for us, too."

I gulped... She was right. We aided John B in running from the police. That was a criminal offense. The police were probably looking for us as an accessory to Peterkin's murder. Once their attention shifted from John B, it would surely turn on the rest of us as well. In normal circumstances, I wouldn't have been worried. Now, without my parents in my life, I knew that if I got caught by the police I no longer had anyone to bail me out.. And even if they did, it was over for me. I would be going somewhere worse than juvie...

Pope stands up, "If we're gonna be outlaws, might as well help John B.

"So, find him before they do?" JJ asks, now turning his attention from the water towards the group.

I watch as Pope stands up and grabs his backpack. He didn't say anything else before heading off toward the door.

"Pope?" I question, trying to stop him from leaving before he can explain to us where he was going. We didn't need another member of the group running off without word of where they were going. We needed to stick together as much as possible. If he was leaving, we needed to make a plan to meet up. We didn't need anyone else getting separated. We were already worried enough about John B, let alone another member of the group disappearing.

"I'm gonna get gas for the boat." He responds. There was something about Pope that wasn't right. He was no longer mellowed out from the weed. Instead, he just seemed angry. He had been that way since we left Tannyhill last night..

My eyes lock with his, "Hey, be careful."

"Meet me at the dock at three. Don't be late." Is all Pope managed to say before making his way out the door. He doesn't even take a moment to look back.

Kiara, JJ, and I share a look. We were all confused about the new personality change in Pope. He was acting like a completely different person. This new side to him was even more concerning than Pope when he smoked. This side of Pope was a complete asshole.

Before any of us could muster up something to say, Kiara makes her way for the door. The dark haired girl chased after Pope.

I sighed before taking off towards the front door of the Wreck as well, JJ following closely behind me. All I could think about was that we didn't need any more drama in the group. We were most likely wanted fugitives and it wasn't time for people to start acting like babies. Everyone needed to remain as calm as possible for this to work out.