“Are you feeling alright?”

Nick spent the next day locked in our room. The rest of that night had passed with none of us wanting to sleep at first; we didn’t even share another word but it was pretty clear that we had all decided to stay awake and watch the kid sleep. Nevertheless, I woke up that morning to the sound of Howie’s snores and a quick glance at Brian’s and Kevin’s sleeping forms confirmed me that, no matter our intentions, we all had fallen asleep at some point. For a moment I thought that I had been the first one to wake up but when I approached Nick’s bed I noticed my mistake; the boy was fully awake, his red eyes fixed on the wall and the dried tears on his cheeks were proof that he had been awake for a while.

This time he wasn’t crying. I approached him remembering what had happened the night before and getting a knot of worry in my stomach.

“Nick?”

“Huh?” The boy was lying on his bed, hands folded behind his head and still on his pajamas.

“I asked you if you are okay?”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you. I guess I’m feeling better although I’m still kinda sick.”

“Can’t Kev or Howie do anything?”

“No, because it’s not physical.”

“So you are going to be okay, right?” I took a seat at the foot of his bed.

“I will if I manage to stay away from that place. Although I don’t think I’m going there again.”

“What happened last night Nick?”

“I don’t wanna talk about that Jay.” He replied avoiding my gaze.

“You told Kevin.”

He didn’t reply. That morning after I had found him crying we had asked him about his dream. At first he had refused, once again, to tell us anything about it. He had told us that he didn’t remember it but we all knew he was lying and after we insisted a little he had accepted to talk to Kevin alone. The other guys were kind of hurt by this, especially Brian, but they understood Nick’s request. My reaction was different, I didn’t say anything but I was more than scared and spent the whole time that they were together in our room talking, looking at the closed door. For some reason I was starting to think that all the secrets in our life were connected to me.

“Okay, I won’t insist.” I sighed. “Are you staying in bed all day?”

“Yep, I think I will enjoy a day of nothing but laziness. Long time not doing this.”

“I don’t think I ever have.”

“What? Stay in bed all day? Don’t you remember that time we were sick at Philippians when we were kids?”

“Oh jeez, I’ve forgotten about that. Don’t make me remember what happened next.”

“That was funny.” He smirked.

“Funny? You didn’t think that way then. The guys almost killed us. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Howie that mad.”

“Yup, I think I started to cry when I saw Howie’s reaction. I was thinking ‘If Howie is this mad I don’t want to see Kevin’.”

“Hey, D was more lenient on you since you were just a baby. I had it a lot worse because SOMEONE told him it had been my idea to leave the room. How old were you?”

“I think I was 10, definitely not a baby AJ”

“It doesn’t matter, you still managed to blame me.”

“Hey, you have to do what you have to do.” He gave me once again one of his patented smiles.

I had to laugh this time.

“You know, I don’t think I remember being ever sick again after that. I mean, we were but after that time we would always go to sleep being sick and wake up completely recovered.”

“And having dreams about bright lights.” He laughed.

“Oh God” His laugh was contagious and I started to laugh too. “You are right! I remember those dreams. We didn’t knew at that time why we kept having them.”

“And we didn’t knew why we couldn’t go away lying to Kevin or Howie, they always seemed to know when we were.”

“They did.”

“You know, now that I think about it, I’m almost sure that was the first time I saw that blue light.”

“Yes, I remember you telling me about that.”

“And you thought it was the fever.”


~ × ~ × ~ × ~ × ~ × ~ × ~× ~ × ~ × ~


“Alex” The little kid called his cousin’s name for what he thought was the tenth time. He was sure Alex was awake and just ignoring him like always.

“Alex, are you awake?”

“Shut up Nicky.”

“But I had this really weird dream last night Alex. Come on, look at me. It was really weird, Kevin was there and these very bright lights too. There were blue and green lights, coming out of his hands Alex, he was like a superhero with these rays on his fingers. Remember that superman story that Brian used to tell us? It was something like that, really. Are you listening to me? Listen to this, I woke up and Kevin was sitting on my bed looking at me and I swear I thought he was all blue and green, well not really blue are green but there was this kind of blue and green light, not as clear as in my dream and not in his hands of course but…”

“Nick! Shut up!” Alex finally threw a pillow to the kid. “I swear you never stop talking.”

“But it was weird” he whined.

“You are always having weird dreams Nicky.” He said on a softer voice this time. “Now go to sleep.”

“But this was so real.”

Alex sighed.

“Maybe it’s because of the fever Nick. And that’s why you need to rest.” The boy tried to use his best “grown-up voice” with the kid who was just two years younger.

“Well I’m not sleepy anymore and it’s already time to wake up.”

“Jeez, not even when you are sick you can stay quite.”

Suddenly the door got opened and Kevin entered the room wearing a navy blue uniform and carrying a thermometer in one hand.

“Good morning kids, how are you feeling?” he asked taking a seat on Nick’s bed and immediately placing the little device on the little kid’s ear to check his temperature.

“I was feeling okay until Nick started to talk, he is giving me a headache Kevin. Would you tell him to shut up.” Alex complained.

“You shut up” Nick replied.

“No, you shut up!”

“You both shut up.” Kevin intervened. “Is your throat still hurting Alex?”

“Nope.”

“How about you little one?”

Nick shook his head at Kevin watching him read the thermometer.

“Okay, I’ll check your temperature now Alex. Lets hope you are fully recovered like Nicky here who has no more fever.” Kevin said standing up and ruffling the kid’s blonde hair.

“You are going to put that on my ear after putting it on Kaos’ ear?”

“Kaos?” Kevin raised his eyebrows.

“That’s what Brian and I are calling the kid now because, you know, he is a big mess.” Alex showed a big grin.

“Yes, we have some messy kids in this family,” was Kevin’s comeback before sitting on Alex’s bed. “And you know this thermometer doesn’t go really inside your ear but just enough to touch your skin for a moment, so stop complaining kid.”

The door opened again and an hyperactive Brian entered the room almost running.

“Has anyone seen my computer? I need to find my homework.”

“Can he be here already?” Nick asked Kevin.

“Yep.” Brian replied instead of Kevin, opening each and every drawer in the room. “Kev told me that I'm allowed to be here again because you are not contagious anymore, so tonight I’ll be sleeping in my bed again. Now where is my homework?” he continued, opening a trunk and pulling out its contents. He was talking really fast and not really looking at any of his brothers.

“Are you going back to school?” Alex asked him.

“Nope, not until tomorrow. Almost every kid in Philippians has the fever but they said that the ones who are okay have to go tomorrow to receive more homework and I need to take with me the one they gave us the other day but I can’t find it.”

Kevin was now standing behind Brian smiling.

“So you are staying here?” Nick was excited thinking that he would spend more time with his big brother.

“Well, I think I left my computer at Billy’s so…” A tap on his shoulder made Brian turned around.

“What?” he asked.

“It’s not going to work Brian.” Kevin was still grinning.

“What is not going to work?”

“You are staying here.”

“But.”

“No buts. You are staying here.”

“Kevin I need my homework.”

“Then you better look for it where you hided it because I know you haven’t left it at Billy’s.” Kevin’s voice hovered in the air.

“I…” Brian’s expression was one of complete shock. “How did you know it? How do you do that?”

“I know you too well and then, you just confessed.”

“You mean, you weren’t sure?”

Kevin shook his head.

“Great!” Brian throw his hands up in defeat.

“I told you before that I needed you to stay here with the boys today.”

“But they are feeling alright already. Please Kevin, they will spend the day asking me to do things for them and they are not even sick anymore.”

“Forget it Brian.” The smile was long gone from Kevin’s face. “You are not going out. And we will talk about this little lie later. You think I don’t know where you were planning to go.”

“I just wanted to see the soldier’s practice. I’m going to enter the Academy soon, what’s so wrong with me wanting to learn some things now?”

“You will not be a cadet for another year Brian, and those practices are not open to the public so you and Billy going there would only cause trouble. I’m not saying it again Brian, you will stay here today.”

“You want to go to the Academy?” Alexander snorted. “Are you crazy? How can you consider that place fun?”

“Well, I think it’s a cool place too.” Nicky was now jumping on his bed. “Brian, you are so lucky turning 16 next year. I want to go to the academy too.”

“Nicky, quit the jumping” Kevin reached for the boy and made him sit up.

“If you think the Academy is so cool Nick, then you can take my place when my turn comes.”

“I can’t do that Alex.” Nick laughed.

“Well, either way I’m not going.”

“You will have to.”

“Nope, I won’t. I don’t wanna attend that place. I will run away if I have to go.”

Kevin was shaking his head listening to the kid. He was already used to Alexander’s endless complaints about a possible future in the Academy, but between that and Nick jumping at his side again he was getting a headache.

“Okay, that’s it,” he said grabbing Nick around the waist and making him take a seat again. “Nick, I told you to stop jumping. And Alex, I have said this before and I’m saying it again, we will talk about this when the time comes, many MANY years from now.”

“The only reason why I think Brian is lucky is because turning 16 means not having to go back to school, but the academy is really not a place for me Kevin. With my luck Captain Jerk…”

“Alex!”

“Captain Jake” he repeated slowly “would be my teacher.”

“I doubt it” Brian took a seat next to Nick on his bed “He is a Colonel now, right Kevin?”

“He is? Wow.”

“Yes” Kevin took a seat on Alex’s bed “They are sending him to another base which is really far from here”

“Yay! No more jerk.” Alex’s enthusiasm came accompanied with a smack on his arm.

“Ouch, Kevin.”

“Knock it off Alex. We have had this conversation a thousand of times already. Let me remind you that your lack of respect for Captain Roberts has got you in trouble already and I’m not in the mood now.”

Alex bit his lips.

“Are you guys hungry?” Kevin asked the kids after a couple of minutes in silence.

Both Nick and Alex nodded.

“Howie is at the dining hall and will bring you your breakfast soon. I have to go now but I’ll be back early. Brian, I’m counting on you.”

“It sucks.”

“Brian!”

“He doesn’t have to stay if he doesn’t want, Kevin. I don’t need a babysitter and I can take care of Kaos here.”

“Thanks Alex but Brian is not going to baby-sit anyone, just stay here and spend some time with you, right Bri? Come on Brian. You can stay in my room and read something or work on your music. I only need you to be near, in case the kids need anything.”

“Okay” Brian gave in. “I’m sorry for acting this way guys” he addressed to Nick and Alex. “You know I like to spend time with you, is only that I really was looking to a day on the Academy.”

“Let’s make a deal Brian.”

Brian looked at Kevin.

“You stop being a pain in my neck like you have been in the last months…”

“It’s because he is a teenager” Nicky interrupted and Brian put his arm around him laughing.

“Yep, that’s it Nicky” Kevin laughed too before continuing. “You stop being such a nuisance the rest of your teenage years Brian.” Now they were all laughing. “And I will take you with me to the Academy next month.”

“You are? What are you doing in the Academy?”

“I’m helping a teacher with a flight course. I will be teaching Howie’s class and I think they will let me have you there with me for a couple of days.”

“Wow. Would you really do that?” Brian’s eyes were shinning again.

“Of course I would kiddo. But now I really have to go or I would get in trouble.” He added after looking at his watch.

“Good morning guys” Howie greeted as he entered the room carrying a tray.

“What took you so long, D? You are going to be late for your classes.”

“I know.” Alex and Nick were already taking food from the tray. “I had to go to another dining hall because 1D wasn’t opened yet. How are you guys feeling?”

“Much better D, and thanks for the food” Nick gave another big bite to a piece of bread.

“You are welcome Nicky.” Howie winked. “No fever?” He asked Kevin.

“No, thank God.”

“Well, those are good news. Man, I’m so getting in trouble at the Academy for being this late, I should be going now.”

“I’m going with you D.” Kevin said opening the room’s door. “Okay boys, behave and try to rest a little more. I’ll see you in five hours.”


~ × ~ × ~ × ~ × ~ × ~ × ~× ~ × ~ × ~


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