-3-

You can't understand the Outer Banks without understanding the boneyard. It's kinda like a three-layer burrito. There is us and the other working-class derelicts from the cut. Then, there are the Kooks, the rich second-homers. They're mostly from poncey-ass boarding schools, just rich trustafarian posers. John B and JJ would call them 'our natural enemies'. And then, there are the Tourons. Totally clueless. Here for a week on vacation with their families. Chum for the sharks.

Stella watches as JJ and John B try  and fail to flirt with some of the Tourons. She looks around at the others when one of the Tourons catches her eyes, she smiles but  is quickly  distracted by the sound of someones whiney voice. Topper.

"Sarah! Sarah, be careful, okay?" 

"What is she doing here?" Kie asks, having heard Topper too. 

"Be nice." Stella teases, taking a sip of beer. She scoffs, but turns her attention away from the two kooks.

"I just don't get it."

"Neither. Sarah's too good for Topper."

"You know that's not what I meant Stells." 

"I know." She smiles at Kie.

Once it got dark out, Stella joined Sarah and Topper around the fire. The conversation was smooth sailing and civil until Topper decides he wants to leave.  Stella didn't mind too much, the beer had gone to her head and she wanted to go find that Touron from earlier.

"Let's go" Topper reaches out for Sarah's hand just as JJ walks over whistling. 

"How you doing?" John B joins in too. Both of them were completely wasted at this point. 

"Bye" Sarah waves at Stella, ignoring John b but getting JJ's attention.

"Hey Sarah, Sarah can I interest you in a tasty Milwaukee beverage?"

"No, thanks"

"Come on. Is it not fancy enough for you?"

"No. We were just leaving-"

"Hey you know what? I'll take it. Thank you man. I appreciate it" Topper interrupts. 

"That's nice, but I didn't ask you. Now if you said pretty please, maybe but you didn't"

"Oh, pretty please"

Stella didn't want to be involved in the petty argument, so she bid goodbye to Sarah and went to 'talk' to the cute Touron. By doing so she missed out on the drama that went down, involving JJ, a gun, Topper and John B almost drowning. Kiara had to update  her after she'd  climbed through her window during the early hours of the morning. Well first she scolded her for waking her up, and then questioned where she was  but eventually Stella got all the details. 

Stella was grateful Kiara had told her otherwise she would have no idea what Topper was on about when she overhears him talking to Kelce and Rafe. 

"... I making it a little project of mine"

"Project? Didn't know you were into the arts Topper" She teases walking up behind them.

"Hello Estella, What are you doing here?" Rafe sneers, looking to girl up and down.

"Im not here to see you that's for sure." She crosses her arms.

"Yo, is that Sarah?" Kelce points to the girl Stella was here for. She was talking to a little girl, before climbing toward one of the boats.

"What's she doing?" Topper mutters.

"Watch her fall and make a big drama out of it." Rafe sighs.

"Hey, there's 14,000 volts in those wires" Someone yells from the house. Sarah shrieks as she loses her balance slighty.

"Hey Sarah, be careful" Topper yells.

 "She's fine, calm down" Stella tuts.

Rose comes over, equally as panicked as Topper, "Sarah get down now!"

"Rose, clam down. I'm an athlete. I got this."

"She just wants attention" mutters Rafe. 

"Well clearly it runs in the family" Stella look Rafe up and down.

"You're kidding me? Get- Oh my... No" Rose exclaims as Sarah starts shimmying. 

"Sarah that's not funny" Topper states, as Stella laughs, earning a nudge from Rafe . 

She glares at him, as he whispers "Little fried Sarah."

"Rafe, your sister's crazy man." Kelce points out.

"Again, it must be something that runs in the family." Stella tease, still watching Sarah climb into the boat. She knew Sarah would be fine, and found everyone's reaction highly amusing. 

" I see her" Sarah tells the girl, just before stumbling and screaming.

 Topper rushes forward. "Sarah! Sarah!" He yells as  Rafe and Stella follow him

Sarah holds up the disconnecting wire. Stella lets out a laugh, "She got you Topper."

"Topper, you should see your face" Sarah also laughs. 

"Yeah. Okay, yeah. Im sorry that I care. All right, Guilty."

"Congrats, pussy, you're officially her bitch." Rafe pats Topper on his back.

 "She has you wrapped round her finger." Stella adds.

"What are you still doing here Stella?" Topper takes his anger out on her. "Pretty brave, consider what your friend did last night."

"Oh so that's what you were talking about before." She gets defensive. "Your poor little ego got bruised, we can't have that can we?" 

"Just leave" Rafe pushes her arm. 

Uh, no i'm here to see Sarah, my friend, you can leave Rafe."

"This is my house." He tells her, as Topper and Kelce walk away from the two of them.

"Really?" Stella opens her mouth in shock, "Well shit, I had no idea. This is really-"

"Shut up Estella."

"Make me."

He scoffs, walking off. Stella mockingly waves, "Bye then, you will be missed... not."

After he left her sight, she look around for Sarah, who' disappeared. Stella, walks toeards the house until she finds the Cameron sat on the roof.

"There you are! I have to say I really enjoyed your little drama piece." Stella chuckles, climbing next to her.

"You seem to be the only one." She sighs.

"What's up?" Stella nudges the girl. 

" Topper. He knows about John B sneaking around the Druthers."

"Wait slow down, what? Why was John B here?"

"He was returning scuba diving gear, any particular reason why?" She turns to Stella..

"Mmmh no, no idea whatever it was, i wasn't involved" Technically Stella was  tell her the truth.

"Okay" She wasn't convinced. "But Topper isn't happy, i'm worried about what he's going to do next. He was rambling on about how all Pogues are lowlifes and he brought up the gun situation gain."

Stella scoffs, "All that guy has done is talk about the gun, yeah I get it was scary but doesn't he have anything else to discuss?"

"Ugh, I don't know. He thinks i'm going to run off with your gang now. He was like 'First Stella, now John B, which Pogues is next?', honestly it's ridiculous. He's claiming it's because he cares for me-"

"God, that's what they all say. You know, there is a difference between caring for you and restricting you. Just keep an eye out Sarah, I can't say Topper doesn't care but I can say he is easily influenced."

"Yeah don't worry Stells but thanks" She hugs her. "Are you staying over tonight?"

"I can do, only if we don't have to watch married at first sight."

"But it's such a good show!" Sarah exclaims.

"I hate it."

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

"Hey guys...John B this better be good" Stella warns,  climbing into the Twinkie. 

"Yea, yeah, don't worry."

"M'kay."

"You mind if I just relax on this one? It's been a long day, and a lot of weird stuff's gone down. Im just gonna lay low. Oh, did you want a hit of this?" JJ holds up his blunt.

"I keep the signal clear" Pope refused but Stella takes it off him. 

"Thanks."

"Dude, do you understand that your problem is that you don't get creative? If you got creative, then-"

"L-look I know I was wrong about the lighthouse, all right?" John B interrupts. "And pretty much wrong about everything else going on. But I- I was right about one thing, okay? My dad is trying to tell me something"

"You know what I can totally see your dad doing that, he had gotten so far with his work, he wouldn't have disappeared without leaving something. "

"Thanks Stella."

"Hey, love the optimism Stells, really one for positivity but you haven't been dragged around the island all day like some of us." JJ slings his arm over her neck.

"Shut up J, it's not like you had anything better to do." 

"I could think of a few things."

JJ starts to list things he could've been doing, making Stella regret bringing it up. He carries on until it's dark out and they reach their loction.

"That was all your fault." Kie tells her, as they get out the Twinkie.

"I know." Stella sighs.

"Come on" Popes yells.

"Im coming. This place is scary." Kie points out, as they walk through a graveyard. "John B what are we doing?"

"Shut up. Okay you know how you're trying to remember a song and can't remember who sings it?"

"Yeah?"

"So, Redfield. This whole time, I thought it was a place, right? But it's not a place."

"It's a person." Stella realises.

"Voi-effing-là"

"Yep." John B lifts his light to reveal the name on a tombstone. "See my great-great-grandmother Olivia Redfield. That was her maiden name. Help me with door."

"One, two, three." They all try to push it.

"Are you pushing"

"Yeah Im pushing."

"Hold on. I got it."

"This door is like 700 pounds man. It's not gonna budge."

"Whoa, a snake!" The boys jump back. "That's a moccasin, all right. Ye olde Dr. Cottonmouth." JJ starts barking at it.

"JJ, Shut up. Shut up!" Stella yells at him "You're gonna wake the dead."

"They're afraid of dogs. Everyone knows that."

"Yeah. Yeah" She rolls her eyes. Pope and John B look around to try find another entrance, eventually John B gets inside. There was no gold though, just an Fed-ex envelope.

"That's not gold" Pope sighs. 

 "Yeah no shit Pope." 

"Holy shit. This is from my dad." John B exclaims.

  "Code red. Code red. Square groupers! Square groupers!" JJ gasps, hearing a vehicle in the distance.

"Go. Go" Stella pushes Pope as they hide.

"It's the guys who robbed you house." JJ exclaims.

"Do you think it's them?" Kie ask as she pops her head around the corner.

"Homies got a gun."

"Screw this." Kie starts running , they all follow her. Reaching a locked gate, John B jumps over. "Hurry up!" The men have now spotted them. JJ holds his hand out helping Stella over.

"Guys, Im stuck." Pope panics.

"Pope, come on!"

"I got you"

"Wait. you're gonna rip me, you're gonna rip me!"

"You're fine. Come on!" Kie assures him, as we race for the Twinkie. "Get in!"

"Shit that was close." Stella sighs, flopping against the seats. 

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Stella Walks into the kitchen to JJ spread Jam over moldy bread. "That bread had mold on it three days ago." She points out.

"I'll just pull off the bad parts." JJ suggest, and she pulls a face of disgust. "Plus, mold is good for you. It's a natural organism. "

"JJ, Stella." Kie calls us over.

"Hot damn! Let's do it." They crowd around John B as he opens the envelope.

"Holy shit" It was a map.

"Oh. X marks the spot." Pope points.

"Wait, there's something else in there" He pulls out a tape- recorder.

"What's that?" asks JJ.

"It's a tape-recorder, dumbass."

"Dear Bird" John B's dad's voice plays out of it.

"Who's bird?" JJ asks again.

"That's what my dad called me" He continues the tape of his dad explaining the map and apologising for being a shit dad too. The tape ends and John B walks off sobbing.

"Big john- He found the Merchant-" JJ gets excited.

"Can you.. can you please" Kie starts. 

"Not now JJ" Stella tell him, clearly he couldn't read the room as Kie goes over to comfort John B.

"He found it." JJ whispers to her and she nods.