CHAPTER SIXTEEN - A DAY OUT
B could hardly contain his excitement as he clambered into the car while Brian tossed a small rucksack onto the back seat. This is what he had wanted. This was how he had imagined his visit to Brian to be like when he had made the decision to come here. Here he wasn’t cooped up like some fragile piece of foreign treasure. Here he could be treated like a normal person and just be free from the curses of his own life and the terror of the Gerai.
So far there had been no sign of any hostile strangers and B had seen no evidence to support his paranoid view that the Gerai had followed him. The fears that had plagued him when he first arrived seemed to be unjustified. There was nobody here, but even if there was someone after him, how could they find him this huge, maze of a world?
He was safe. Brian would protect him and B knew that he would never let anybody take him away.
He suddenly sneezed as he watched Brian locking the front door and he held his hands to his face to capture another one. He sniffed for a moment and then pulled his hand away… that was when he spotted the tiny drops of blood upon his fingers. He pressed his hand to his nose, expecting to feel the wetness of a nosebleed, but there was nothing. He frowned and pulled a tissue from his pocket to wipe away another sneeze as it caught him and as he pulled it away he saw yet more small splodges of blood.
‘It’s nothing,’ he told himself, trying to ignore the odd headache that was pounding in his Brian. He was better now, he wasn’t ill and he was going to enjoy today. His head had felt fuzzy and light when Brian had awoken him at dawn that morning to ask if he was feeling up to the day out and B had ignored all the sick and dizzying feelings that consumed his body. He didn’t want to be ill.
He had washed most of the nauseating sensations away, but his head still hurt and his throat was sore. He didn’t let Brian know of his discomfort, knowing that his fussy father would insist that he stay at home if he thought he was still ill.
For a moment he glumly thought of Sammy and hoped that when they arrived back this evening that he would sitting on the doorstep awaiting their return. B did miss him. Sammy had become a constant part of his life and it felt strange not to have him around to talk to and laugh with. He missed that teasing voice and the playful nature of his older brother and he wished again and again that Sammy could have been here to enjoy the day with them.
Where was he? Why wasn’t he here?
Why did B feel so sick inside whenever he tired to answer that question?
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There had been no messages from the strange man who had been in contact with Brian. Nothing. No reply. He had felt cold inside when he stared at that screen while he clasped the phone to him.
Numbly he locked the front door while securely hooking the phone onto the pocket of his jeans just in case he did receive another message.
He took a moment to stare about him and the nervousness showed within his wild eyes as they darted about him. He wasn’t sure if this was a bright idea, especially after the unsettling dream last night.
Somewhere looking for them, there was a Gerai. He had been warned of their presence by the strange caller and, as much as Brian loathed him, he did not believe that they were a Gerai. There was something that made Brian know that he could trust him, despite the intense hatred.
However that still didn’t mean that Brian was going to accept him fully as a friend. He still felt the strange, powerful urge to keep B away from him.
There was nobody watching them at this early hour and Brian took one last cautious look about the yard before jumping into the car beside B.
“Hey dad, we going now?” B asked cheerfully.
Brian smiled. “Yep.”
He had been a little worried that B wouldn’t be up to rising so early in the morning, but he seemed to be all right. His face still looked a little weary, but his green eyes sparkled with the energy of excitement and happiness. Brian loved to see him so happy and he didn’t want to spoil it by checking to see if he was up to it. He should be warm enough with all the layers Brian had thrown at him this morning and ordered him to put on.
“Where are we going anyway?” B asked as he fiddled with the fluffy scarf about his neck.
“I told you, it’s surprise,” Brian said secretly. He had wanted to take B somewhere special and somewhere he knew that the boy would like to go. This was something he had wanted to promise B in 2023, but back then he had never dreamt that he would be able to spend time with B like this.
B watched as they drove out of the quiet street. “This place looks so different in the light. Nicer.”
“It’s a good neighbourhood,” Brian said, trying not to think about B when he had been lost on the streets.
“When I was a little kid with mom and Sammy, we lived in this tiny house on this dark street. It wasn’t bad there though, but it was nothing like this. The best part was the lake behind the house. Sammy used to take me up there all the time.”
“Whereabouts did you live?”
“Ironically, right by the battlefield in my time. Everything that was there was destroyed,” he said sadly. “It was such a lovely place.” He gazed out of the window again. “It’s hard to think that things can get so bad when you see the world now.”
“I know,” Brian replied grimly. He would never have believed anyone that told him that civilisation, was close to crumbling, but he had seen the effects for himself when he was in B’s time. It was a completely different land that had faced his eyes. A terrible and cruel world. He glanced across at B and felt a slight wrench inside of him as he thought of how he had grown up in such a brutal time… and there was nothing Brian could do about it.
The sun had slowly risen in the sky during the course of the morning and Brian steadily drove them on towards their destination. B had seen began yawning, despite his constant chatter about the changing landscape and Brian soon found himself alone as B drifted off to sleep. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched the boy’s eyes grow heavier and heavier before he finally stopped resisting the urge to close them.
Sleep was probably the best thing for him as he was still ill and this trip would probably take a lot out of him. Again, Brian prayed that he would not regret the decision to take B out. This was probably the only opportunity he would ever get before little Sammy returned home and then he wouldn’t be able to take B out for the day without little Sammy.
He turned off of the freeway, pleased at the time they had made. It had taken him much longer the last time he had come here and the good time meant that they could spend longer here before having to turn back.
He drove through the winding roads until he approached the seafront where an everlasting blue ocean stretched away into the hazy horizon. He grinned as he saw that very few cars were parked beside the roads. Less cars meant less people and that meant less chance of being recognised. The last thing he needed was to be mobbed when he was with B.
He pulled up against the road and then leaned across to gently shake B. “B? B, we’re here,” he said softly, careful not to start him.
“Hmmm?” B murmured, his mouth opening to let out a yawn. Slowly his eyes blinked open and the mistiness faded away from their green depths. “Hey… uh… did I fall asleep?”
“Either that or you were faking it so you didn’t have to talk to me!” Brian teased.
“You’re not that boring,” B said with a smile. He shook his head to clear away the sleepiness and then his eyes began to fill with curiosity as he realised that they were no longer moving. “We’re here?” he asked, staring out of the windows.
“Yep,” Brian affirmed.
B stared out of the side window and he leant forward to stare in puzzlement at the large expanse of water before him. “What’s that big blue thing?”
Brian laughed, he couldn’t help it but at the same time he thought how sad it must be never to have seen the sea. “It’s the sea,” he said gently. “You once said that you wanted to see it.”
“Woah, I didn’t expect it to be that big!” B cried as he pressed his face up against the window. “Wow!”
“Well it’s not a lake is it?” Brian teased. “What were you expecting?
“No need to be sarcastic,” B chided as he smiled in awe at the scenery. He turned to face Brian, a light burning happily in his green eyes. “Can we go closer?”
“Sure.”
Brian pulled the rucksack from the back seat and smiled at the day that lay before them. For once, B was all his and this time it wasn’t a dream. For today, he was going to push the worry of Sammy away. There were a thousand perfectly good reasons as to why he wasn’t here yet… Brian had just allowed B’s sense of paranoia to gnaw away at him. Sammy would be here soon and Brian would laugh at himself for being so silly.
“Tell me if you get too cold,” Brian said as he clambered out of the car. “It’s not exactly warm at this time of year,” he added as he saw B’s eyes close in defence as a bitter wind hit them both hard, spreading frost throughout their bodies.
‘He should be okay,’ Brian thought silently as he saw B hunch his shoulders in the wind. The jacket was the same leather one that Nick had given to him and beneath that Brian had forced him to wear several thick layers. With the scarf around his neck as well, he should be protected well against the harsh weather.
“We won’t stay out long,” Brian assured him as he locked the car and activated the alarm. “This isn’t the best sea front area, but the others are just too far away. There’s a few places down here which are pretty cool though and places where it’ll be warm.”
B nodded and wrapped his arms about his chest as he tentatively peered over the wall which overlooked the pebble shore below. His eyes gazed at the huge, white capped waves as they crashed against the stones covering everything in salty foam. He breathed deeply for a moment, savouring the salty smell of the sea.
Brian smiled at him, remembering the time he had brought Sammy here and sat with the boy on the wall as they both looked out at the boats on the sea. Sammy had liked to look at the sails but he had soon turned pale as he stared at the waves. He remembered them too well.
“I never thought I would see this,” B said. “So pretty.”
Brian quietly slipped the rucksack from his shoulder and then located the camera. He intended to capture this day on film, something he could look back on. “Smile B,” he said as he held it to his face.
B turned and Brian snapped the photo up before he could protest.
“Hey!” B complained. “I don’t like photos! That’s sneaky!”
Brian grinned. “You look sweet all wrapped up like that!” he commented as B’s scarf blew in the wind.
“I feel like a walking football!”
Brian raised the camera again, but B shrieked and decided to play shy as he hid around the back of the car. “No!” he called.
“B, I never had you down as camera shy!”
“I don’t mind being with someone, but not on my own!”
“I’ll catch you again later,” Brian promised as he slid the camera into his bag. He had all day to catch mementos of B.
“Just try it,” B warned.
Brian frowned as he suddenly saw B’s teeth chattering. “Come on, let’s get out of the cold. There’s some nice places down here.”
“Can we go down on the beach?” B asked, looking down at the sea again.
Beach was an overstatement. It was only a tiny shoreline and it was made completely up of pebbles, nothing like some of the beaches he had vacated in the past. He peered over the wall with B and watched as the waves slowly crept closer and closer. “Better not, the tide’s coming in I think. Besides, we don’t want you getting all wet.”
“I guess,” B sighed.
“Come on, let’s go have some fun!”
Brian began to lead the way along the draughty road, the wind battering furiously at his ears and face. He glanced across at B to see how he was faring and saw that he had turned the scarf upwards to cover his mouth. “Why can’t you live in a warmer place?” he mumbled.
“Well duh it’s winter!” Brian sad. “You should have come in summer!”
“Well duh, it’s kinda hard to even get the year right let alone the damn season!” B teased back, mimicking Brian’s exact tone.
“Cheeky!”
“Yeah and proud! Where do you think I get it from?”
They walked quickly down the windy road and then they arrived into a tiny street full of tourist shops and a few other buildings. Brian noted several tourists about and he reached into his pocket for his trusty sunglasses, which could always conceal his bright blue eyes and prevent him from being caught.
B looked over at him curiously. “No offence but you look like a dork when there’s no sun.”
“I’m in disguise!” Brian protested.
B grinned evilly. “Disguised like a dork? That’s not gonna work because you always look like a do – ow!” B cut off the cheeky insult as Brian playfully smacked his arm.
“Watch it!” Brian chided.
“Well, like no one’s gonna notice sunglasses when there’s no sun!”
“Believe me, it works okay?”
“We’ll see.”
B was definitely in high spirits and, apart from looking cold, he looked much better than he had done all week. The trip out seemed to have done him some good, Brian thought but he just had to hope that the cold wind wouldn’t make the cough worse.
“Why don’t we go into the aquarium?” Brian suggested. “It’ll be warmer in there.”
B turned to him blankly, his mouth half buried by the blue scarf. “What’s an aquarium?”