Lost

Chapter 19

They were here. At the crack of dawn, when all the Spares were still asleep, there came the monumental crash, the sound of hundreds of trees being knocked to the ground.
Thora startled awake, feeling as if she had just fallen asleep. In the darkness of the hut, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust.
The smell of saltwater burned her nose, and the crashing of the waves was practically right outside their doorstep. But with the sound of the ship's thrusters, she barely heard the waves.
She got carefully, but hurriedly, to her feet, avoiding the people sleeping on the floor around her. As she made her way forward, people began to wake, one by one, at the sound.
As the realization that she had succeeded, that she had saved the human race, pushed its way into her foggy, sleep-sodden brain, her heartbeat picked up. She was so close to seeing her brother. If he was even alive.
The sounds of feet slapping against wet sand were present behind her as she raced toward the ginormous metal ship, which gleamed in the pale, predawn light. Her arms pumped at her side. She couldn't seem to move fast enough.
The ship touched down with a mighty, resounding boom, which shook the ground with its weight.
She had seen the Albatross from this angle before, of course, but the sheer size of it always left her in openmouthed awe. Even so, it was hard to think that the remainder of humanity was crammed inside the ship's walls.
Up close, the ship was even more massive than it looked from the huts. The top was taller than the tips of the surrounding trees.
Shadow creatures won't mess with us now, Thora thought pridefully, as the rest of the Spares queued up behind her.
They waited with baited breath as the colossal ship settled, the creaking, groaning, hum of its machinery dying. The entire forest had quieted, even the crashing from the shore seemed to have fallen away, as expectant as they were. 
Someone came up beside her. When they took her hand she flinched, too caught up in her own thoughts. When she turned, it was just Fisher, grinning.
"You did it," he said simply. She smiled back then nudged his shoulder.
"Yeah, we did." He nodded, still smiling, then reverted his attention back to the Albatross, which still hadn't made its move. It almost reminded her of a predator waiting to strike. So silent and still. So beautiful, especially after so many months of being on their own. Still, she didn't feel threatened. These people were as much her saviors as she was theirs'.
With a hiss of steam, the doors slid open. She could see the shapes of people hidden in the shadows. The ramp came next, sliding smoothly until it hit the ground softly with a quiet thump.
The guards came down first, faces obscured by the sheer fabric, blasters gripped tightly in their hands, swinging defensively side to side. Thora counted ten.
She should've known, but it was still a shock when they came to stand in front of her first. Thora went rigid, her back straightening without her even thinking about it.
"Thora Pickney." Harial Jones. Her gruff voice was only slightly muffled by the mask. Thora wanted to look for her brother, but the Head of the Guard was too intimidating. "We are in your debt." Then she raised her voice so all the Spares could hear. "We couldn't be more thankful for what you have done for us. You have single-handedly saved the human race. As you well know, your criminal records no longer exist."
Before any of the Spares could move, Jones flicked her wrist, signalling for the guards to follow her deeper into the forest to get a feel for the place. She admired them for being so put together seconds after they stepped foot on a brand new planet.
The rest of the people in the ship took this as their cue to come out, amazed grins on their faces. They gazed up into the red-hued branches of the trees, and the pink-toned sky. Some people outstretched their hands as if they could somehow touch it. The crowd seemed neverending. It seemed that people kept pouring through the door ceaselessly.
Thora craned her neck, trying to see over the crowd for any trace of her older brother.
She almost gave up. Nearly gave in to the conclusion that he was really dead.
Then, she spotted his wavy black hair as he stepped out from the shadows of the Albatross. Blake was taller than most of the people around him, which helped him to stand out. His golden-brown eyes, which always seemed so dark when in comparison to her own, were alight with wonder. His entire face went slack, mouth hanging open just a bit. He smiled, softly at first, like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Then, it transformed into a wide grin.
To her, it was the best sight she'd ever seen. Even better than sun rises on alien planets, or sitting on the rooftop back home, gazing at the stars. Tears pricked at her eyes, and for the first time since landing on Cressida, they were happy tears.
Blake pushed through the crowd. She let go of Fisher's hand, wanting to meet him halfway. Her hear skittered in her chest, resonating in her ears, drowning out everything else.
And then they had their arms around each other, so tightly that she almost felt her old rib injury acting up. Tears streamed down her face, becoming lost in the fabric of his jacket. With her cheek pressed against his chest, she could hear his heartbeat, thumping just as quickly as hers.
"I missed you, big brother," Thora said when they finally pulled apart. A single tear ran down his freckled cheek. She had forgotten that he had freckles.
He grinned. "I missed you, too. When they woke us up and told everyone that they'd sent you down there..." He shook his head. "I swear I almost stole a guards gun and rioted." She giggled, knowing he was only joking. Although he would have if he felt the need.
He held her out at arm's length, inspecting her with his eyebrows furrowed. "I see the ground has been treating you well," he said sarcastically.
She rolled her eyes playfully. "Spend a few months down here, then we'll see how you look." Blake chuckled, then seemed to get distracted as he stared around.
"This place is incredible." His voice was quiet with wonder.
"Again, you won't be thinking that in a few months."
"Still."
They fell silent for a while as she allowed him to process everything. It was beautiful.
"Blake?" she said, grabbing his attention. He faced her. She took a deep breath. If she was going to convince him of her innocence, then it had to be now. "I swear on my life that I didn't blow up th-"
"I know," he interrupted and she blinked.
"What?"
He shrugged. "I know. I never thought it was you. You were always afraid of fire, even when you were younger. It just didn't make sense." The knot in her shoulders loosened and she smiled, hugging him again tightly. "I tried telling them that, too," he said into her hair. All she could do was nod. Her brother knew she was innocent. It was like a two-tonne weight had been lifted from her shoulders, one that she'd been carrying around for years.
A thought suddenly struck her like an oncoming freight train and her chest panged with guilt: There was no one that Fisher was hoping to see come out of the Albatross alive and she'd just left him there.
Licking her lips nervously, she figured it was as good a time as any to introduce her brother to her boyfriend.
"Hey, Blake," she started, suddenly bashful. He could tell just by her voice that he probably wasn't going to like whatever she was going to say next.
"Yes?" he asked sharply, apprehensively.
"There's someone I want you to meet." His eyes narrowed but, after a second, he nodded. She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to where Fisher was standing, exactly where she'd left him.
"This... is my boyfriend." She smiled meekly at Blake as her brother glared at Fisher, who looked like he was debating on saying something snarky to diffuse the awkward situation, or just stay quiet. He chose the smart option and stayed quiet.
Finally, when Blake said nothing for a while, and Thora's eyes had resorted to flitting around the forest for any type of distraction, Fisher held out his hand.
"Fisher Norman," he introduced himself. Blake's eyebrow rose just the slightest bit at Fisher's last name, but he dashed the miniscule look of surprise before Fisher even had a chance to notice. "I've heard a lot about you."
Reluctantly, Blake clasped his hand with Fisher's. He pumped it up and down twice, then let go.
Her brother crossed his arms across his chest, then nodded. "I'll allow it." He paused, and Thora knew her brother well enough to know that it was just for dramatic effect, for intimidation. "But you and me," he said, pointing between himself and Fisher, "are gonna have a talk later."
Blake spun on his heel and once his back was turned, she rolled her eyes at him. Her brother acted tough, but he was basically a giant teddy bear. He'd come around eventually, she told herself.
Fisher chuckled, giving an exaggerated shudder. "Is he like that with all your boyfriends?"
Thora shrugged. "Dunno, you're my first one."
His eyes widened before his face fell into its seemingly neutral smirk. "Really? Guess I'm lucky, then. Were you playing hard to get or..."
She shrugged again. "No, it's just nothing ever felt right. I never really thought about anyone like that."
He took a step forward, pulling her into his arms. "Yeah. I'm pretty lucky."
Still held in Fisher's arms, Thora glanced around at the groups of kids playing tag on the beach, at the teenagers swimming in the ice-cold water, at the adults already getting to work on building better accommodations for everyone, at Blake just being himself, just being alive, and she knew it: They were home.

She was home.