TT

JJ Maybank and his sister had two things in common: neither of them knew when to quit, and both of them had a talent for getting themselves into trouble. Growing up together on the Cut meant they had developed their own language of insults, jokes, and sarcastic comments. "You know," JJ said as they climbed into the boat, "one day you might admit I'm actually useful." His sister looked at him. "Sure. I'll put it on my list." "What list?" "The list of things that will never happen." John B laughed from the driver's seat. JJ pointed at his sister. "See? This is what I deal with." "You started it." "I literally didn't." "You breathed." "Okay, that's not my fault." Pope shook his head. "You two are exhausting." Kiara grinned. "They've been like this all day." Their arguments never lasted long, though. Because when something went wrong, the Maybank siblings became a team without even thinking about it. --- The Treasure Hunt When John B discovered an old map connected to the Royal Merchant, the Pogues immediately became obsessed with finding the treasure. The map showed a series of strange markings around the Outer Banks. The first clue led them to an abandoned lighthouse. JJ studied the map upside down. His sister stared at him. "You're holding it backwards." "I knew that." "You've been staring at it for five minutes." "I was testing you." "Sure you were." She took the map from him and pointed toward the lighthouse. "The symbol isn't pointing toward the lighthouse." Pope leaned over. "She's right." JJ crossed his arms. "I was going to say that." His sister smiled. "Of course you were." They followed the clue into the lighthouse and discovered an old metal box hidden beneath the floorboards. Unfortunately, it was locked. JJ pulled out a pocketknife. His sister immediately grabbed his wrist. "No." "What?" "You're not breaking it." "Why?" "Because if it's an old lock, you'll probably destroy wh