「 ✦ AT THE BOTTOM ✦ 」

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𝗠𝗝'𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗗𝗥𝗜𝗣𝗣𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗗𝗢𝗪𝗡 𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗦, wet from the cool ocean water surrounding her. The group of teenagers had just finished testing out a drone that JJ had stolen while his twin was out doing drugs at a party.

MJ fixed her pullover hoodie as she made her way over to Heyward who handed bags of groceries to Pope and JJ. After the drone, Pope had dropped the twins into helping him make deliveries promising to throw them twenty bucks. When the Maybanks hear money they're dead set on getting it.

"You guys get these groceries over to Figure Eight. Get straight back here when you're done, no fishin'. I promised delivery by this afternoon. Rich folks don't wanna wait for you lazy sons of..." Heyward started to explain, as Pope's voice drained him out.

"We'll be done pretty quickly, maybe even stop for a surf trip," Pope said as MJ placed a few more bags on the boat, pushing them closer together.

"I need a surf after everything that's happened," MJ groaned, "Just everything with the compass and now the drone, it's just a lot." She quickly lied, knowing that even with Pope she couldn't tell him what she had been up to.

"I see your point, but if we do find the gold..." Pope led off, interrupted by JJ.

"Are y'all ready for some deliveries?" JJ asked as he sat on the ledge next to Pope, "We're about to make some bank,"

"You know it," MJ grinned watching as JJ twirled a knife between his fingers. Her knife. "Is that my knife?'

"No," JJ said, quickly turning the knife around to hide the carved initials.

"It doesn't even look like the storm hit there," Pope said as he looked at Figure Eight, the houses all lit up.

"That's because they got generators, bro, get used to it," JJ answered, "And then they say the juice will be out all summer at the cut."

"It's nice to be a Kook," Pope mumbled as the boat pulled into the docks.

MJ was quick to climb off the boat, the boys following her lead before separating at the end of the docks.

Eventually, MJ found herself at the golf course heading towards the house of the last client. The sand in her shoes started to rub against her ankles causing an uncomfortable burn. She placed the bag on the ground and bent down to dump the sand out of her shoe.

"Rosemary?" She turned around "to see Topper and Rafe holding golf clubs, "What are you doing here?" Rafe asked with a confused expression on his face.

"I'm helping Pope with some deliveries," She responded as they walked closer, MJ tilted her head to the side as she noticed Rafe had something red across his cheeks. " "You have a little... on your cheek," she said, motioning to his cheek.

He wiped his cheek and looked back at her with an unreadable expression, "You're helping Pope?"

"Yes, I have to make money somehow." She replied as he nodded, "I should get back to work now, see you guys around."

As MJ pushed past the boys, Topper pulled Rafe aside as he picked up on the odd conversation. Rafe had no interest in pogues let alone a Maybanks, so he was fairly confused as to why Rafe and MJ had interacted so smoothly.

"Dude, are you serious?" Topper asked golf club in hand. "A fucken Maybank?"

"You don't even know her," Rafe shot back, defending his actions.

"Yeah, and you do?" Topper snapped and Rafe ran a hand through his hair.

"Shut the fuck up," Rafe snapped.

Even though Topper despised all Pogues with a passion, and that they were dirt under his shoe, he had never seen Rafe bat an eye at a female for longer than one night.

The last time Rafe showed interest in a girl was three years ago and he got bored of her after she gave him what he wanted. Rafe claimed she knew it was a one-night thing, but the girl spent the rest of her summer break obsessing over the kook.

Back at the boat, MJ met up with her twin as he called Pope's name, talking about how much money he made.

The two stepped onto the boat, Pope silent, as he quickly pulled away from the dock. "When I say count me in on all these grocery deliveries, Pope, I mean it," JJ commented as we walked into the little captain's area.

"Pope?" MJ called out softly to the boy when she realized he wasn't speaking.

JJ looked between his twin and his friend a couple of times. "Yo, what happened to your face, dude?" JJ asked as he lifted his hat.

"Jesus, Pope! What happened?" MJ gasped as she noticed the huge cut across his forehead which was still heavily bleeding. She didn't hesitate to move towards him, ripping off her pullover, and dabbing the cut.

"Rafe and Topper jumped me," Pope said, "They said no Pogues on their side of the island." Pope could tell that the twins were fuming with anger, their jaws clenched and eyes narrowed.

Later in the day, as the sun was setting in the distance, MJ sat on the dock alone after being dropped off. The boys had repeatedly argued that they had another errand to run and MJ was dragging them behind. She was offended, of course, but also knew that whatever it was she probably couldn't risk being involved.

Besides, she was still fuming with mixed emotions about the Cameron boy and needed time to cool down and process her thoughts before acting on impulse.

Something the Maybank were known to do.

She changed out of her shorts and kicked her sneakers off leaving her in her bathing suit before making her way down to the beach, looking forward to catching the waves with John B and Kie, who said they'd meet her here.

The speaker in her backpack was blaring her favourite song, 'Oogum Boogum Song' by Brenton Wood as she sped down the road on her dirtbike. Her dirty blond hair flew behind her as the Cut grew smaller and smaller through her rearview mirror.

MJ lived for moments like this, the ability to feel so carefree and alive. She pulled up to the curb and kicked the stand down so her bike wouldn't topple over before climbing off and making her way down to the beach.

Kie and John B waved from the water, both pointing to the board on the sand for MJ. She kept her board in the Twinkie as it was the only logical means of transportation.

She tied the leash around her ankle before grabbing the board and running right into the cool water, diving in and pushing against the board as she paddled towards her friends.

"How's it lookin' today?" MJ asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes, in an attempt to keep the saltwater out of her eyes.

"Pretty killer," John B replied as waves crashed towards their boards.

"Hey, save some waves for us!" JJ yelled from the beach as both he and Pope ran into the water, board in hands.

John B was right, they had found the perfect wave. The air was crisp and the sun was dimming, letting a light breeze illuminate the reef. The first wave came in and hit the reef, followed by the second one which was easily twice its height. The lip feathered in the wind for a few moments, before pitching forward to explode in a foaming mass of white water.

MJ almost forgot about the itching burning feeling in her veins and she started to crave more of whatever she had the previous night.


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The following morning MJ met up with the crew on the boat after JJ woke her up by dumping cool water on her face. He claimed it was very important and that she was going to make them late.

Once on the boat, she found out they were planning on using the drone her brother had stolen. They had all the necessary equipment and were ready to go.

"Okay pin it here, JJ," John B called as they came to a stop in the middle of the ocean.

"Roger that, X marks the spot," He responded from the steering wheel as he turned it with his hands."

MJ stood beside Kie, the wind blowing both of their hair behind them. JJ was busy working the steering wheel, as John B and Pope worked the drone, leaving Kie and Mj to work on the tether making sure it didn't get lost in the water.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen," John B said as he grabbed the drone and brought it over to the side of the boat, "To going full Kook," He said, lowering the drone into the water while Pope controlled the device from a large box at a table.

MJ started to feed the tether into the water as Kie made markings, both watching the distance that the drone was reaching.

As John B called out the directions, the only sound other than his voice was the booming sound of thunder above them. As the wind started to pick up, it made it harder to control the drone and for them to remain focused.

"How we doing, Kie?" MJ asked her, watching as she drew another line on the side of the boat.

"Three hundred feet," She called out as MJ let more of the tether slip through her fingers.

The waves crashed in anger against the boat, causing them all to lose their balance for a few seconds.

"And to quote The Hobbit, 'down, down to Goblin Town. Down, down, you go, my lad," Pope quoted as Kie called 'Five hundred feet'.

"Pope, dude, maybe don't quote old movies and focus on the drone. Have you found anything?" MJ asked as the boat started to rock back and forth.

"Nothing yet, just nothingness, small fish, a scary squid, and more nothingness," He said as he kept his eyes on the screen.

"Hey, hey, hey," She called out nervously, "The tide's turning."

The water started to push them further and further away from their target as John B called out another command to JJ. John B continued to call out more commands, such as 'twenty seconds mid-speed, south' and 'ten seconds west' as the waves pulled the tether away from the boat.

MJ used all her strength to keep the tether away from the motor.

"Seven hundred feet," Kie yelled over the wind, creating another mark with a piece of chalk.

The thunder grew louder and closer, MJ knew they were quickly running out of time and low currents.

Before she could speak up she was thrown to the side, one hand shot out to grip the edge of the boat tightly as the other rubbed uncomfortably against her other hand.

"The storms getting worse, and we just reached nine hundred. Anything yet?" She yelled over the crashing of the waves and wind.

"Crank it north by northwest! Ten seconds!" John B ordered as JJ spun the wheel.

"There's too much current, we're going to lose it!" Kie shouted as she grabbed a part of the tether, trying to keep it from slipping away.

"Nine-eight," MJ yelled out, "Anything?"

"I'm at the bottom. I'm at the bottom," Pope shouted out as Kie and MJ struggled to pull against the tether.

"Holy shit," Pope muttered as he stared at the screen.

"It's the Royal Merchant," John B breathed as MJ's eyes widened and the drone glided against the bottom of the ocean floor.

A year ago, MJ would have written about this in a way that would make you think of a childhood story. But she wouldn't let herself think that anymore.

The world was grey and you didn't get happy endings.

"It's not there. Look, just pull the drone up," John B said.

She doesn't get happy endings.

"What if we do another pass, recharge the battery and send it back down," Pope offered, but they all knew it wasn't worth it.

"We've checked three times, and it's not there," MJ mumbled as John B walked away, running a hand through his brown hair.

"The gold could be buried, we don't know," Kie said trying to sound positive, but they all knew she didn't even believe herself.

"If it was there, it would've been found on the metal detector, okay?" John B interrupted, clearly annoyed.

"Somebody beat us to it," Pope said defeated as the currents changed."

"Or it was never there," MJ said, knowing that this fantasy wasn't reality.

It was just like when her Mom left. That was reality, not fantasy.

The lesser evil.