18 years later, planet K-Tawoor

“Brian, do you still think about your mother?

“Of course,” came his quick reply. He had just entered the main room looking for something but after noticing me there he approached me and smiled “And about your mother too”, he added. I supposed he had noticed the picture in my hands. “She was an incredible girl, AJ, and so beautiful.”

“Yes,” I said smiling probably for the first time that day and looking at my mother’s picture again. “She really was beautiful.”

“You know, sometimes Nick reminds me of her.”

“What? Nick? Are you crazy? First you say that my mother was beautiful and then you compare her to Kaos!”

“Well, they have the same eyes and there’s nothing weird about that; considering that your mother and my father looked very much alike, more than the average brother and sister. And Nick got my father’s look.”

“Okay, I will accept that he has the same eyes, but nothing more.” I saw him smiling and I knew what he was going to say before he even opened his mouth so I quickly added “I know, he is a blond too, but that’s all. No offense to your dad but Nick is an ugly kid,” I joked and decided to put the picture in my pocket.

Brian laughed too and took a seat near me.

“What’s going on AJ?”

I can’t hide anything from my 'brothers', especially from Brian, he and Howie can read me like a book.

“It’s just that…” I doubted for a moment “I’ve been dreaming about her a lot. And last night’s dream was so real. She was worried Rok, she was crying and she was worried about me, about us.”

Brian put his arm around me. I didn’t want him to see me crying but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could hold the tears.

“I have those dreams too sometimes. I see my mother and my father and I see Rachel too.”

“Have they been more frequent lately?”

“No, but you know,” he said looking at me again, “Nick asked me the same question the other day? About my memories of our mom. But then the poor kid hardly remembers her.”

“Well, look at the bright side,” I said with a snort, “that makes his lost easier to overcome. I still have nightmares about that day.”

“I know, we share the room, remember.”

“Bri, could we have done something back there?” I said playing with the chain on my neck.

“Come on AJ, you got to be kidding me. We were just kids.”

“Why they forced us to leave them?”

“They wanted to save us. All parents want their kids safe.”

“Yes, I know that, but sometimes I feel like there was something else.”

“If there was something else don’t you think we would already know it.”

“I still think that Kevin and Howie know something. They just keep everything away from us like we were kids.”

“Don’t say that AJ. Kevin and Howie don’t take decisions without asking for our opinions.”

“Yes, but Train always has the last word.”

“Every family needs someone in charge like every ship needs a captain, bro, he just happens to be both. And don’t go talking like it was easy for him, he has done a lot for us.”

“Yes, I know. Just forget what I said. I think I’m still angry cause he took Nick’s side last night.”

“AJ! It WAS your fault.”

“I know, I know” I accepted putting up my hands. “It’s just that I wouldn’t mind him taking my side.”

“Just leave the kid alone J. You could try not to fight with him.”

“Yeah, that will happen.” I laughed.

“AJ!”

“I’m kidding.”

“Yeah, right,” he said rolling his eyes. “Now, why don’t you help me with the…”

He stopped talking the same minute that I felt it. He had probably felt the same. We both stood up immediately.

“Did you hear that?” he asked me.

“Yes, one of us is in trouble. Where is Nicky?” I asked trying to focus my mind in my little cousin’s energy, I couldn’t felt his presence in the ship.

“It’s him,” he said and my heart sank “He just said my name. He is asking for help.”

We ran to the ship's gate. I was running as fast as I could but Brian was faster. When we were about to leave the ship he stopped and looked at me.

“Stay here, someone has to stay at the ship.”

“Are you nuts? I want to look for him. Two people will find him faster.”

“I will find him. He is calling to me. He will lead me.”

“Yes but…”

“Just do what I said, Alex. Stay here!” he ordered me before leaving the ship. I closed the door after him and took my mother’s picture out of my pocket again, whishing with all my heart Brian would bring Nick home safely.



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“Do you want another glass of water?” I asked Brian as I poured one for myself.

“No, I’m okay” he said from his seat at the table, arms folded and staring at his empty glass “How can he be such an idiot?”

I had an answer for that but I didn’t think it was the right moment for jokes. I had never seen Brian so mad with Nicky before, but considering what the kid had just done it was comprehensible.

I took a seat facing him at the table.

“How many Sargons did you say were there?”

“I saw five, but I guess there were more. Can you believe it? He went into a Sargon’s house, a Sargon’s house for God’s sake. He knows how much Sargons hate humans and he went into a Sargon’s house! And there I was, thinking that he was injured or something and entered in there with so much noise. I still can’t believe those guys didn’t see or hear us.”

“I always wondered how those places are inside.”

“Not too different from any human house. It was more like a group of houses though. When I entered I found myself in front of a door and there was a staircase too, since I heard voices behind the door I decided to go upstairs. Once upstairs I looked down from a window and I saw five Sargons in this room drinking and chatting, and just in front of me Nick, standing in this ledge just above their heads. I still don’t know how he managed to stay there that long without being noticed.”

“Well, you know he is the best at doing that, maybe because of his powers. Now, don’t get mad at me for what I’m going to say but I would pay to see Nick there trying not to fall.”

The way he looked at me first made me thought that he had not heard the 'don’t get mad at me' part, but then a smile came to his lips.

“Yes, I guess you could find it funny. Is he still sleeping?”

“Yes, he’s probably just too tired after two hours on that ledge.”

“Can you believe it? He was there for two hours. He said that his first thought was to wait for the Sargons to fall asleep and then jump, since he couldn’t get back the same way he got there.”

“He got there through another window, right?”

“Aha. And a Sargon had closed it without seeing Nick, thank God.”

“Good thing that you were the one going there instead of me. My powers couldn’t have take Nicky out of that situation.” I took a sip of water before asking him the inevitable. “Are you going to tell Kevin?”

“I have too. Nick told me that he will never do something like that again but you know how he is. Nick and his researches. He is always investigating something and getting himself in problems. He only listens to Kevin.”

“Yes, but just because he prefers confront five Sargons than facing your big brother.”

We both laughed.

“Kevin is just overprotective because Nick is the youngest.”

“Yes,” I replied. “He is overprotective with his little brother but then he is overprotective with all of us. He is overprotective with me and I’m his cousin not his brother, he is even overprotective with Howie and he is just his best friend, no kinship there.”

“Where that came from?" he interrupted me and I shrugged. "I don't remember when was the last time I thought about us as anything but brothers, Jay, that's what we are and that's the way it is for Kevin. We all are his little brothers.”

I left out a sight because he was right. “He won't be happy hearing that you used your powers here," I added after a pause. "That was one of the first things he warned us when we arrived.”

“I know” he agreed with me while giving me a worried look.



---------------------------------------------


“Nick, take that garbage away.”

“It’s not garbage.”

“I told you that I don’t want those things in my room.”

“Well, it’s my room and Brian’s too and Rok doesn’t mind so stop bothering me.”

“I don’t care if Brian doesn’t mind. It bothers me so take that out.”

“I won’t. Why don’t you go and visit your girlfriend and just stay away from the ship for a couple of days?”

“Ha ha, very funny…not! And what the hell are you talking about? We have been on this planet a few days only, I don’t have a girlfriend here.”

“Well, I saw you yesterday with that red haired Gris girl.”

“You little shit, you were following me.”

“No, that would be boring, I was just walking and happened to see you.”

“Don’t you dare follow me again unless you are looking for trouble. No wait…you’re already in trouble,” I said smiling. “Kevin is going to kick your ass once Brian tells him your little adventure today.”

Much to my amusement the kid turned pale after my words.

“Brian is not really going to tell him. Is he?”

“Yes, he is. And since they are already here,” I added hearing Kevin’s and Howie’s voices in the main room. “He probably is telling them right now.”

We remained silence for a couple of minutes. Nick’s eyes glued to the door of our room.

“HE DID WHAT?” we heard Kevin’s furious voice.

“I’m dead!” he groaned lying down on his bed. I just laughed.


The next day

“You are joking, right? There’s no way I’m going to use that.”

“You are going to do what I say, Nickolas” Kevin said putting the bracelet on the table. It was too funny to see them discussing but it looked like I was the only one enjoying it. Brian and Howie were observing the exchange of words with a serious look on their faces.

“That’s for babies. I won't have a device that will tell you where I am 24/7. I’m not a baby. Besides, only girls would think of wearing a bracelet like this. Girls and AJ, of course, but we aren't sure if he is a man, are we?”

“You little…”

“Don’t say it Alex.” Kevin warned me. “I’m tired and I don’t want any more problems. And you Nick,” he added looking at our little brother. “After what you did yesterday I can’t believe you are questioning my orders.”

“You already punished me,” he whined. “What’s the point in using that if I can’t even go out. According to you I’m grounded for life.”

“You are using it. End of the discussion.” The tone didn’t leave Nick any option to argue. He took the bracelet, stood up and left the room.

“Lose the smile AJ, or I will ask Brian to make a bracelet for you too.” I knew Kevin was kidding but the smile disappeared immediately.

“Howie and I need to tell you something guys. Brian sit down,” he said to Rok who had been watching everything by the door.

“We found a job here and we are going to spend all the mornings away from the ship,” Howie told us.

“A job?”

“Yes, you know the ship needs some spare parts and we don’t have the money for that. It’s only for a couple of months.”

“A couple of months? You are expecting us to be in this nasty planet for two months. We have been here less than two weeks and I already want to leave this place.” I couldn’t believe that they were really considering to stay that long in K-Tawoor.

“It’s not the first time we spent so much time in a planet AJ.”

“I know that, but this planet sucks.”

“Come on AJ.” Howie tried to convince me. “We have been in worse places, at least we have an atmosphere here. You don’t need oxygen tanks to get out.”

“To tell you the truth,” Kevin finally spoke up since he had left Howie do all the talking till that moment, “the less contact with the inhabitants of this planet you have, the better. I want you to stay in the ship, working on the things we need. Howie and I will bring you everything. And taking care of Nicky of course.”

“Of course”, I said rolling my eyes.

“What’s that Alex? Do you have a problem?” Kevin asked staring at me.

I wanted to say that I had a problem and asked them to tell the truth, I was sure there was something else behind those two months in this planet. But I needed to trust them like Brian had asked me.

“No” I said finally looking down.

“Well, you know the rules. If someone approaches you and asks, you know you can’t tell that we were born on Earth.”

“And just one more thing”, Howie added. I knew what he was going to say before he opened his mouth. “No more using your powers here.”

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