Take Me Home

Footprints

As Brian watched Sienna struggle, he kept thinking about Nick being unconscious. Would he remember him when he woke up this time, and would he be the same Nick he was before he went into his slumber? Brian was scared to see what would happen. Sienna had wiped his memory before and he was just getting some of those memories back, what if they couldn’t be recovered ever again? Brian teared up as he thought of the first night on the island with Nick, when Nick had finally had a taste of freedom.

The ship shuddered slightly as it came to its landing spot in a jungle and Nick looked around as if he were expecting something to happen.

“Looks like we landed. Where exactly are we? You didn’t tell me when we left the base.” 

“I was trying to keep this a secret, we don’t want anyone following us here. I turned off our location too. The only person that should know where we are is Kevin, and I trust him. Just wait until you see, I think this will be the perfect place. Water on all sides.” Brian said as he stood up, grabbing their bag of supplies he had taken with them. The two of them walked out of the ship and Nick followed Brian into the jungle, Brian leading him by pulling him by his hand. Nick had never been outside of the military base before, let alone outside before so this was completely new to him. 

“Water on all sides? I don’t see any water here, Brian. Where are we?” Nick asked, taking in all of the new sights and smells. He kept stopping to smell things, hear the various sounds of the jungle and Brian just tugged his arm to pull him along. 

“You’ll see. I thought you’d love it here. I saw this on one of the maps, in a computer back on base and I knew we had to come here. It’s beautiful here, and it’s worth the trip we took to get here. Come on.” Brian said excitedly. The two of them didn’t go very far, the small trail they took led out onto a sandy beach, crystal blue water spread out before them against the white sand. Nick’s breath caught in his throat when he gazed upon the view. 

“Wow.” Nick gasped as his breath caught in his throat, leaving him completely speechless. 

“I told you it was worth the wait.” Brian smiled, beaming from ear to ear. Nick closed his eyes and breathed in the salty air of the ocean in front of them, listening to the seagulls cry. It was unlike any place he’d seen before, even the ones he’d seen on the holofiles back at the base. He’d only ever seen beaches on holograms and computers, on discs of old movies he and Brian watched at night when nobody knew. The two of them had many discussions about visiting such places if they ever could. They never shared any of this with anyone, it was just their secret. Brian loved having someone to tell his innermost thoughts to. Nick always understood. 

“You like it?” Brian asked, setting their supplies down and taking in the ocean breeze across his face. He’d never seen a beach either but it was the most beautiful place he had ever been. Nick walked along the sand, starting to take off his shoes. Brian had to laugh when he stopped to let his bare feet touch the sand on their own. The waves rolled over his feet and he jumped a little because it was a bit chilly.

“It’s wet!” Nick exclaimed in confusion. Brian laughed, taking his shoes off as well and walking over to him, leaving footprints in the sand behind him. He stopped to take in the scenery again and simply admired Nick standing at the waters edge, the sunlight glinting in his golden hair. 

“Well, of course it’s wet. It’s water, it's the ocean…but this is not like the swimming pool back on the base. This is fresh salt water. There’s animals that live there too, so you can’t just go swimming by yourself or just run off whenever. This island is going to be our home. We are going to live here.” Brian explained. Nick bent down and touched the water as the waves rolled in again. 

“Just the two of us?” Nick asked softly.

“Just you and me.” Brian said with a smile, putting a hand on Nick’s shoulder. Nick looked out at the ocean, the breeze ruffling his hair. Brian knew that he was supposed to teach Nick about his powers, guide him and show him things. The two of them spent the rest of their first day gathering supplies to build a house, or at least a place to sleep for the night. They chose a patch of the beach at the edge of the forest that was still somewhat covered by the trees, and close to the ship if they ever needed to flee. It was made of coconut trees and whatever else they could find and cut down, just enough to cover them from the wind and sun. That night they built a campfire and sat out on the beach, looking up at the stars as they ate the rations they brought from the ship. 

“It’s very quiet here.” Nick commented, chewing on some kind of crackers that came in the ration pack. He brushed his hands on his clothes and adjusted his position on the log where he sat in the sand, sighing contentedly. 

“You like it, don’t you? Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Brian asked tentatively, trying to sense if Nick was about to lie or not. He noticed since they arrived on the island Nick seemed very unsure but now he was calm. Brian liked this calm feeling. He liked not feeling sick or lightheaded, or scared. For the first time in a long time he felt what it was like to feel normally. 

“Yes.” Nick answered. 

“What are you thinking about?” 

“It’s just, my whole life I dreamt what it was like to live outside of those cement walls. I I dreamt to feel the sun, I dreamt to breathe in the fresh air. Now that I’m here…I don’t know what is next for me. I have everything, everything I’ve ever dreamed of. There’s just something missing. What am I going to dream about now?” Nick replied, the orange light from the fire flickering in the reflection of his eyes. 

“That’s a lot to think about, but you said you’re missing something. Like what?” Brian asked. He couldn’t figure out what Nick meant, but Nick simply stoked the fire and smiled, not ever answering his question except with a short shrug of his shoulders. He never did find out what was missing from Nick’s life, it never came up again. 

Brian looked upon Nick’s body in the bed as they restrained Sienna, who struggled against AJ’s weight. 

“You’re going to order your ship back to Earth right now.” AJ grunted as he held her. Sienna nodded and he led her to the control room, Brian staying behind. He held Nick’s hand and rubbed his palm with his thumb, stroking it gently. 

“Nick, I’m so sorry for all of this. I just wanted the both of us to be happy. I wanted us to be free. I never meant for you to come to any harm. I just wish you could hear me and remember…” Brian whispered, tears in his eyes. Tears splashed down his face and onto Nick’s hand as it remained still. Nick didn’t stir, and Brian couldn’t sense him even standing next to him. Brian took Nick’s hand to his face and kissed it gently, crying. 

He stopped in stunned silence when he felt Nick’s hand squeezing his back.