Long Way Home

5. Nicole

Chapter Five.

Nicole.

Ollie shook me awake when he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. "Your turn for watch duty...no sign of anyone so far." He said lowly and curled up against his rucksack, closing his eyes.

Soon enough his breathing slowed and his facial muscles relaxed slightly, only leaving a ghost of a scowl on his features, his eyebrows only lowered a tiny amount. It wasn't a smile, but it was a start.

Meanwhile, Theo was snoring softly, his mouth resting open a tiny bit to let air into his system, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.

My eyes scanned the face of the boy. The light brown hair, the pale skin, the tiny scar on his forehead. I couldn't help but remember that miserable look in his eyes when Ollie called me his girlfriend. It was obvious that he was missing a girl back home.

I looked over at Ollie as he grumbled in his sleep. Again, I found myself staring right at him. His dirty blonde hair had fallen flat on his head from being rubbed against his rucksack and he had a red mark on his cheek where the zip on the bag had pressed against his skin. I noticed a small stud in his ear that I hadn't seen earlier when we had first woken up.

He mumbled again and shifted positions, getting more comfortable. His plain shirt rode up slightly and I caught a glimpse of his abs again. He didn't seem like he enjoyed sports or doing any exercise and my mind began to wonder how he'd defined them so well with no effort at all.

He was an idiot. I'd worked that out so far. Or maybe he was just misunderstood? Either way, that gave him no excuse to speak like that to me or Theo. But he just had that tiny glimmer at the back of his eyes that showed that he wasn't completely inhuman. If he got to know us well enough I was sure he would begin to open up.

My long chat with Theo had really lightened the mood. He had a great sense of humour and, unlike Ollie, seemed like a genuinely nice guy. He told me about his mum and his dogs and his job in a café. Telling him about my life helped me a lot, making me more motivated to get home.

Naturally, the night had that certain chill to it that wasn't uncomfortable but just noticeable, prodding at my uncovered skin and reminding me it wasn't as hot as during the day.

Despite everything, I wasn't as tired as I had expected to be. Sure, I fell asleep when I had the chance but that was just incase anything happened tomorrow that I would need energy for. And I definitely didn't want to lag behind and endure the wrath of Ollie.

Gazing at the stars made me homesick. My father and I used to take a long drive out into the country to watch them sometimes. Moments like those are the ones that stick with you for a lifetime despite being unimportant and irrelevant to anything.

It must've been around two in the morning when the boys began to stir. Theo rolled over onto his side but then went still, curling up tightly.

Ollie, however, clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth, tossing his head as if having a bad dream. He began to mutter loudly and twitch nightmarishly.

I crawled over and knelt beside him. "Ollie! Oliver! Wake up!" I said loudly, right beside his ear.

Theo woke up and rubbed his eyes. "What's happening?" He asked, yawning widely.

I pointed down at Ollie and touched his arm, instantly recoiling and yelping as his skin scorched mine. "I think he's got a fever..." I rubbed the pain away from my hand. As I looked down I saw a red blister forming on my palm where I had touched him, the skin raw and stinging.

"But he was fine today." Theo walked over and knelt down beside me, holding his hand close to Ollie's skin but not making the contact. "OLLIE! Wake up!" He yelled.