ISSUES II outer banks

parcel 9

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone."

❥

"Excuse me, where do you live now?" Kie and I are working at the wreck while the boys stop by. Well, we're more cleaning up and talking but Kie couldn't stop complaining about yesterday. "Tannyhill."

"You're seriously living with Sarah Cameron?" "Well, better than getting put into a foster family", I tell her while filling the glasses with water and coke so I can bring them Pope and JJ.

"The only reason why I'm living there is because her dad helped me, got it? And as Iz said, it's way better than a foster family where I would be now without Ward's help."

"Does that mean you're a member of each club automatically?" "No, Pope."

"And those golf karts which they drive around everywhere, do you get one?" "Do you get one with a sweatervest or do you have to buy them seperately?", Pope jokes. "As if you wouldn't love it", I giggle imagining Pope in the country club with a sweatervest.

"You promised me that you're not dating her." "Admit it, she's got you wrapped around her finger", JJ adds. 

"Guys, what's so bad about it? Why can't he just be with her?", I groan feeling annoyed. This topic will probably never stop. As if John B asked for living with the Cameron's.

"If you want to hang out with her, fine. But just so you know already, I won't hang out with her."

"Is she here with us?", John B retorts, "No, so. It would be better if you'd concentrate. We've got the map, right?"

"That guy must have been high when he draw it." "The coastline has changed."

"We need landmarks that haven't changed." Back to our favorite topic, finally. "Old fortifications?" "Battery Jasper."

❥

"The Crain house." "Should that be a joke?", Kie asks worriedly. We all know about that house but no one likes those stories.

"We're deep in the shit." Not even JJ is amused. "I can't believe it. Why exactly here?"

"I've heard Ms. Crain has buried the head of her husband on this property."

"JJ, can you like not do scary things for once?", I hiss at him remembering how he was barking at the snake at the graveyard and scaring everyone.

"Why? You like it anyways, don't you?" That boy can be lucky that Kie thinks that I'm the one who's in love with him and not the other way around. 

"This makes me feel as if we run into Freddy Krueger", I mutter. You might have noticed, adventures on the property of dangerous people is not my type of thing. 

"Why, have you met him? Is he fun to be around? Drank some tea together?", JJ jokes around so I roll my eyes and notice John B slapping JJ's head. "You're making it worse, dumbass."

"Yeah, boys, you know who owns this house, right?", Kie joins the conversation but is the first one to step onto the parcel. "Oh yeah, I know it."

"To be honest, I don't believe all of those stories", John B says a little too loud so Pope tells him to be quiet.

"What stories have you heard?", JJ asks Kie. Oh how I wish I wouldn't have to listen to it. This shit scares me already. But well, no one would have handed us the gold easily.

"That she killed her man with an axe and doesn't leave the house since then. And in certain nights at full moon, you can see her at the window", Kie jokes around making JJ a little scared now.

"That's not funny because all of this is true. I swear it's all true, I know Hollis. Shit!" "JJ, that's a statue. Don't wet your pants", I chuckle now.

"You might take it off when that happens." "Ew."

"You knew Hollis Crain?", Pope wonders. "Yeah." "Man, where do you know her from?"

"She was my babysitter, man. She told me everything, the whole truth about her mother and what happened in that house. As a child, she heard about all of those stories that her mother killed her father, that she would be a killer. Hollis didn't believe it until that one night."

"Which night?"

"In which she remembered. When Hollis was six years old, she heard her parents fight. So she went downstairs and saw how her mother washed her hands in the sink which has been full of blood. She said that she cut her finger. On the next day, Hollis heard that her parents seperated. But then she noticed something. The mother went into the living room, constantly in and out, in and out with plastic bags. Weeks passed and then Hollis went to the outhouse in the garden and when she sit there, she looked down and down there in all that scat, she sees the head of her father who looks directly into her eyes."

"Man, what bullshit are you saying there?", John B throws his head into his neck.

"I swear to god, man." I have to admit, even though I'm really scared of every little bad thing that could happen, I don't believe JJ. This is way too surreal. So I follow John B who walks closer to the house.

"Did she call the police?"

"She didn't have time.. Wait, wait, stay here!" JJ holds us back by our shoulders. "What?" "Do you really want to do this? Iz, you're frightened by every little thing."

"JJ, seriously, we've got better things to do than listen to this story. We have to search for the gold", I snap at him because we're losing time. "Thanks, Izzy, I knew I could count on you."

"She's an axe murderer and you've got a plastered arm." "I don't care if she's an axe murderer, okay? We've got nothing to loose, right? Are you coming with us?" "Let's go."

❥

"Come, here's the plan. We have to look for the wheat close to the water. That's what the letter said."

"Sure but which kind of water, a pond?", Pope asks. Good question, I haven't thought about that yet. "Well water", JJ suggests.

"It wasn't that clear but look for water, okay?" "That's the most stupid secret message", Kie mumbles and goes first.

"Kie, why are you complaining? No one said that it's going to be easy."

"I'll search through the north-east quadrant and you and Iz through the north-west quadrant", Pope tells JJ and I but my companion isn't amused. "That's the quadrant of decapitation."

"Let's go, pussy", I laugh and grab JJ to the other side of the property.

"Hey, no need to attack me", he retorts and furrows his eyebrows, "Since when are you so brave?"

"Where's the problem with me being brave?" "It's a problem when it involves you and John B flirting."

"When have we been flirting?", I wonder and can't help laughing. "Just right now. You wouldn't even go surfing with me but you can run around here with him", JJ argues.

"I think 400 mill is enough to be brave for once", I snap, "Sorry that it happens to be when I stand next to John."