Josephine Routledge is the twin sister to John B Routledge. Their dad goes missing during the search for the famous shipwreck, the Royal Merchant. The twins and their friends, JJ, Pope, and Kiara, come across the sunken boat that holds a clue to the...
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There's a moment in every kid's life when you feel like anything's possible, when you feel like you've got the total mojo. You could free-climb El Capitan, land on Mars, or get elected president. The whole world's there for the taking if you've got the balls to go for it.
But, there's always something that brings it all crashing down. When you least expect it, some Kook shows up and tells you there's no eternal mystery, and all that talk about free-climbing, going to Mars, and being the president becomes bullshit. The magic gets cancer and dies.
The drone went over the wreck for the third time before I stormed back into the cabin with JJ.
"Just pull the damn thing up," I yelled over my shoulder before sliding to the floor behind the half wall.
I tossed the GPS to the floor, pulled up my knees to my chest, and rested my chin on them, trying not to have a full mental breakdown.
My friends started arguing about whether they believed the gold was still down there or not, but I just pulled my hood over my head and sulked.
The disappointment that was flooding through me was enough to crush my heart into the size of a peanut. Not only was I disappointed that the gold wasn't anywhere to be found, I felt that I had disappointed my dad.
On that tape, he told my brother and I to find the gold. We went to where he told us to go, and we did what he told us to do. Yet, still no gold.
I angrily swiped a tear off my cheek, glaring at my toes as I felt JJ's eyes on me. I didn't even try to pretend that I was okay.
JJ ended up dropping John B and I off first before taking Kie and Pope home. I walked up the dock behind my brother, neither of us saying a word. I pulled open the door and grabbed the box of Cheerios off the front table and shoved a handful in my mouth.
"Hey, guys."
I nearly choked on the cereal as I turned to the couch to see Cheryl sitting there in her perfect suit with her perfect hair. I really wanted to throw the box at her head.
"You know, Cheryl, it's kind of a bad time for a check-in," John B said, grabbing the box from my hand and sitting down at the table.
"Not a check-in. We're here to take you."
My eyes widened.
"We?"
"Today? Really?"
This might as well happen today.
"It's just for a few weeks until your hearing."
I rubbed a hand over my face before glaring at the lady sitting on my couch.
"Look, Cheryl. We're not going into foster care, okay? We aren't going to be apart of your little, screwed up system."
A radio beeped causing me to turn towards the kitchen to see a Deputy saunter into the room. I pursed my lips and took a step toward the door.
