Gold Digger// JJ Maybank- OBX

seven

SCARLETT SAT in the back of the van, silent as she listened to her friends talk about the compass. While she was arguing with her dad, John B had had a realisation about the word in the compass. Redfield wasn't a name. It was the lighthouse. Scarlett moved her head, leaning against the window and watching the trees drive past them.

"I mean, it's obvious, right?" John B asked. "A family heirloom. What better place to hide a message."

Pope held the compass in front of his face. "Maybe Lottie should take a closer look at her necklace. See if there's any hidden messages on it." He looked over his shoulder at her, not getting any response from the zoned-out girl.

"He had to know it was gonna get back to me, right?" John B continued.

"Yeah. It's possible." Kiara said. She looked over to Scarlett, sending her a worried look. "What's wrong?" She mouthed, catching Scarlett's eye. Scarlett simply shook her head and continued to stare out of the window.

"It could also be possible that you're concocting wild theories to help, you know, deal with your sad feels." Pope said. "Remember the time when Lottie's rabbit died and she believed that theory that it had just run away with it's rabbit soulmate?" He laughed, reaching over and nudging Scarlett's leg slightly.

"This is nothing like Lottie's old rabbit." John B said, glancing at Pope through the rear-view mirror. "But, that was a nice theory. Shame that fox ate it though."

"Bro, you know how I process my sad feels." JJ said, leaning back in his seat. "Dark nugs and the stickiest of ickies, that's how I do it."

"You're just born different." Scarlett muttered, moving her body slightly so she could rest her head on his shoulder. Which was much more comfortable than the cold window.

"I'm not concocting, okay?" John B defended. "My dad's trying to give me a message. Maybe Lottie's mom is doing the same."

"If it helps you and Lottie believe, John B." Kiara said.

Scarlett sat up straight, pulling the necklace out from under her shirt. "You see this, right here?" She asked. "My mom never let it out of her sight. She's alive. I know it. I can feel it in my bones that she's not gone." JJ lifted his arm, wrapping it around her shoulder. He pulled her body into him, letting her rest her head against his chest.

"Look, I- I don't need a therapy session, okay?" John B said. "And I'm sure Lottie doesn't either," He glanced at her through the mirror. "At least, not right now." He turned his focus back on the road. "Look, I'm not trippin' out."

"It's okay to trip, bro, but-" JJ started.

"Look, my- my dad is missing, okay? Lottie's mom is missing." John B continued, cutting off JJ. "Not dead, missing. You don't know what it's like to have the person closest to you vanish and then have no idea what happened. Just wake up every morning wondering."

Every eye in the van fell on Scarlett. "No, he's right. It sucks. But I still have Maisie..." She let out a sigh, "and my dad. JB doesn't have that. There's a huge difference between just losing one family member and losing the only one you have left." She shook her head and wiped away the few tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"It's been almost a year." Kiara whispered.

JJ interlocked his fingers with Scarlett's as he began to gently run his fingers through her hair. "Hey, they could have been kidnapped." He suggested. "That's definitely a possibility."

"Yeah, could be in a Soviet sub getting interrogated by the KGB somewhere." Pope added, playing along.

"Absolutely." JJ agreed. "Uh... or Atlantis."