'i mean it's obvious, right? a family heirloom. what better place to hide a message? he had to know it was gonna get back to one of us, right?' john b asked.
'yea. it's possible.' kie nodded.
'it could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels.' pope said.
'bro, you know how i process my sad feels. dank nuts and the stickiest of ickies that's how i do it.' jj said.
'i'm not concocting, ok? our dads trying to give us a message.' john sighed.
'if it helps you believe, john b.' kie whispered.
'look, i- i don't need a therapy session, ok? i'm not trippin out.' john b said.
'it's ok to trip bro, but-' jj began.
'our- our dad is missing ok? missing.' john b yelled. 'you don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened.'
'you just wake up every morning wondering when the fuck he's coming back, ok? he's out there somewhere.' ivy's voice slowly broke as she spoke.
'it's been almost a year.' kie said.
'hey, he could have been kidnapped. that's definitely a possibility.' jj said.
'yea, could be in a soviet sub getting interrogated by the kgb somewhere.' pope added.
'absolutely.' jj agreed. 'uh, or atlantis.'
'jj. look, what do you think the message is?' kie asked.
'redfield.' john b said.
'the lighthouse. dad's favorite place.' ivy looked out the window, reading the sign as they drove past.
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john b parked the twinkie a few feet from the fence. pope, jj, and ivy climbed out of the back, while kiara and john b got out of the driver and passenger side doors.
'alright, here's what's gonna happen. you're gonna post up and look out for bogeys, ok?' john b told jj.
'wait, why me?' jj asked.
'because you're not coming.' pope said.
'why?' jj asked again.
'look, jj. there are independent, and dependent variables, and you're an independent variable. we don't know what you'll do.' pope explained.
'shut up. shut up pope! just shut up!' jj yelled.
'listen to me for a second. just listen!' john b said. 'pope, v, you stand look out with jj, ok? if we get split up, we meet back at jj's house.'
'what.. no, i'm coming with you.' ivy protested.
'look, v, you're staying here.' john b said.
'john b this is about dad! he wasn't just your dad. he was mine too!' ivy yelled.
'and i promised dad when he left that i would protect you! alright? i have no fucking idea what's up there or what we'll run into, i can't loose you too.' john b yelled back.
