Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 18:26:51 +1300 From: bob charles Subject: Washed Up (Gay / Young friends) chapter 28 Washed Up. Disclaimer: Warning: this story contains sexual content, contact between young boys, and other themes that may offend. If the subject matter offends you, is not to your tastes, or if you are under legal age for your area, then find something else to read. In the following story all names and events are completely fictional. Although I may mention a specific location, place, or person any resemblance to said people, location, or places is completely unintentional. Chapter 28: "Pierre, it wasn't about him not trusting you, but I suppose a lot of the reason he wanted to talk to me is because he already found out some embarrassing things I'd done. He had his trust in his friends shattered after you left, but I can't tell you any more than that. It is his story to tell, but he doesn't hold a grudge about you for leaving, well not that he has told me," I say trying to ease his fears, but at the same time I can't lie to him, just like I can't lie to any of them. Not about something serious anyway, but maybe if we are playing around I might tell a little fib or two, but never about anything important. I know Pierre wants to go talk to Xavier, but he doesn't get the chance as the girls come back, so we all gather our stuff and head to the check-in. Things get busy from then since we have to make our way through customs, security and immigration, which takes a hell of a long time with twelve of us. We all make it through with no hassles, but it took an age. Due to how long that part took we don't have time to check out the duty free stores, because we have to get to our boarding gate and pronto. The flight is due to depart in twenty five minutes, so we have to hurry. We make it with no problems and in time to board straight away, but it is all thanks to mum we managed to because she paid a premium in order for them to allow us a late check-in time. We are in first class again, since mum couldn't be bothered with the hassle of trying to keep us calm and comfortable back in coach, which is good cos we get to fly in comfort again. We take our seats, and before we know it are up in the air on our way to New Zealand. ************ We hit cruising altitude before we know it, and settle in properly for the long boring flight ahead. Well at least those of us who have flown before do, Manuel; Bastian and Xavier are all too excited about flying overseas to settle down yet. I chuckle to myself as I remember being that excited when we flew over here in the first place, so I know what their mood is like. I also know that they will gradually get sick of it and become a little agitated due to the length of the flight. I'm going to try to avoid that, which shouldn't be too hard since I'm not really looking forward to getting back to New Zealand. The only reason I want to go back is to find out about dad, otherwise I would have been happier staying in France. I suppose the trip might not be too bad, especially since we are bringing some tourists with us. Mum wouldn't want them getting bored, so surely she is planning out all sorts of activities for them. Manuel's grandparents probably aren't too worried about partaking in too many things because of their age, so mum is bound to show them a bit of the country in order to keep them happy. I hope we go up to Taupo Bay at some stage, because I loved it there. I also want to show Bastian and Xavier where I saved Pierre, not that Xavier knows that story yet, but it will only be a matter of time before he hears it. My thoughts are disrupted when Pierre turns around in his seat so he can face Xavier, which I have a feeling is because of what happened at the airport. "Xavier, you aren't mad at me are you... for you know... ditching you?" he asks, a little timidly because he is worried about the answer. "What...? Hell no, I was upset about you leaving for ages, but never blamed you. Hell we were only ten, so I knew you had no choice. I did blame your dad for ages for taking you away, and when things happened at school I started to miss you so much more, because I knew you would have been there for me, but you weren't, and I really did miss you," Xavier replies, again fighting back the tears. "What... what happened at school?" Pierre asks, considerably worried about what his friend has had to endure. "Huh... um... didn't Josh tell you?" he replies, trying to avoid answering the question, at least for now. "I told you I wouldn't tell anyone your secrets, and that includes Pierre. We may be a close couple, but I still would never betray a friend," I say, vigorously trying to defend myself. I know he was pulling my leg, well at least I think he was, but it didn't matter because I bit anyway. "I know, I know, I will tell you about it later Pierre, cos now is not the right time," he says, then pokes his tongue out at me to tell me that he was indeed having me on. I feel a bit stupid for over-reacting, but then again I want to make sure he knows I'm true to my word. I definitely showed him that, even if I didn't have to. "Are you going to tell me too, because after all I'm your boyfriend?" Bastian asks, looking a little hurt that Xavier has told me something about him instead. "Yes, of course. I won't hide anything from you. The only reason Josh knows is because I wanted to make sure everyone was telling me the truth about him, nothing more. Now is not a good time though, as there are too many other people around, whom I don't want to know about it," Xavier replies, feeling bad about having told me something instead of Bastian. "I know, Josh is great at helping people with their problems, and so is Pierre. The main reason you talked with him though is because you wanted to know if he would let you watch him shoot," Bastian whispers cheekily into his ear. "You cheeky... ahhh... who am I kidding. Anyway, you never told me why you were in hospital with them" he replies, knowing full well he has been caught out and there was no use trying to hide it. "I started peeing blood, and found out I had a kidney infection, which was so bad they had to remove it," Bastian replies nonchalantly, like it was nothing at all. "You what... but isn't that a bad thing? What if the other one gets infected as well?" Xavier asks, a little bewildered with the way Bastian brushes it off like it is nothing. "If it is bad enough I would have to go onto a waiting list for a kidney transplant, but in the meantime I would be on dialysis to keep it working. I try not to think about it, because at the end of the day I have no control over it. Apparently my family has a history of it, but it skipped a generation, but so far no-one in my family has lost both kidneys," he explains to his boyfriend, trying to ease his fears as best as he can. He is right in his attitude about it, because it is out of his control so why on earth should he worry about it. If things get bad he will worry about it then, but until that time comes, if it does, he will worry about enjoying life and nothing else. Bastian reaches over to give his boyfriend a hug to emphasise that he is alright; although the cuddle looks awkward due to the way the seats are, he still achieves what he needs to. The longer these two are together the more I'm happy that Pierre and I were able to incidentally bring them together, although I still wonder what the odds were of them showing up in the same place at the same time. Bastian, by the sounds of it, was always supposed to show up around then, but Xavier finding Pierre in the large park we were in defies belief; let alone the lack of any apparent reason for him strolling through the park at the time, since he wasn't walking a dog, or hanging with mates. I suppose there could be hundreds of reasons for him being there, but it all seems weird the way it all happened. "Xavier, just curious to know, but why were you in the park yesterday when you found us?" I ask, now my thoughts have got the better of me. "I don't know, just felt like a walk to clear my head. I quite often go for walks there for that reason, although I don't normally go through that part of the park, but yesterday I felt like a change in scenery. I'm glad I did, but to be honest I have no idea why I strayed from my usual route. It was almost like something in my head was telling me to," he replies, a little confused. I understand what he means though, because when I look back on it I have no idea why I looked in the exact direction where Pierre was floundering around in the sea. There was something telling me to look that way, but I don't know what. The more I look at it the eerier it becomes, because he was such a small dot in the huge ocean, yet I saw him easily. "Yeah, I think I know what you are saying. In any case I suggest you relax and settle in, because this is going to be a very long flight," I say before turning around and sitting back in my seat, then reclining it and closing my eyes. I get briefly woken a couple of seconds later, when Pierre wedges himself onto my seat. I shuffle over a bit to give him more room, as being able to have a sleep with him while on the plane will make the flight go so much quicker. It will also be far more enjoyable too, so I'm willing to be a little more cramped than I like, so long as he is with me. Once he is settled on the seat, he wraps his arms around me, rests his head on my shoulder and closes his eyes. I notice, moments before my eyes close, mum and a flight attendant heading towards us, but they don't make it before I have fallen into a deep blissful sleep. I slowly awaken after god knows how long, to the high pitched scream from the turbines. I feel refreshed, but now have a slight headache, nothing too major though. My body is stiff and sore from being cramped up in the seat with Pierre for so long, but the amazing wonderful sensations he generates in me does a lot to alleviate most of the discomfort. I'm dreading when the inevitable happens and he is made to return to his seat. I try to move to adjust my position a bit, but I find out the harness has been put around us and done up tightly. To readjust my position so I can look at Pierre properly I have to undo the harness, so without a second though I do exactly that. Pierre has also just awoken, so as soon as I have tuned to face him I'm looking right into those glorious hazel eyes of his. "The flight attendant told me to make sure Pierre returns to his seat the moment you wake up. You won't believe the amount of effort I had to go through to persuade her to let you sleep together, so you can count yourselves bloody lucky. As it was she tried to wake you to force you to return to your seat, but you were in too deep a sleep to notice. You better do as she wants, because we don't want any hassles given we have a stopover in Hong Kong," mum says looking in Pierre's direction, putting an end to us sharing the same seat. Pierre does as he is told without argument, because we are both aware that if we don't obey the rules then they may refuse to allow us on the plane in Hong Kong, and we don't want to get stuck there. While he is returning to his seat I use the chance to see what the others are up to, and I am pleased to see that most of them are asleep. Only mum, Manuel's dad and François remain awake, all the rest look to be in a deep sleep. What I'm most happy with is seeing Bastian and Xavier asleep, because it means they must have heeded my warning. Well, either that or they got so bored they fell asleep, but it doesn't matter too much so long as they get some rest. I turn back around and refasten my harness, before doing the same thing Pierre is and turning on the in-flight entertainment system. We both opt for a movie to kill the time, which coincidentally is the same one without either of us realising. It is a typical kids' computer animated movie, but we enjoy it thoroughly all the same. I suppose we are still kids so the movie is aimed as much for us as it is the younger ones. As much as I enjoyed the movie it wasn't the same watching it on my own, without having Pierre snuggled into me like I would love. He would have made it the best if he was able to cuddle with me while watching it, but we aren't going to risk annoying the flight crew any more than we already have. One by one the others awaken while we are engaged in our film, and they turn on their entertainment systems as well. Since no-one has any idea about how long we have been in the air they all opt for a movie too. Pierre and I find out that we must have slept for a long time, because almost as soon as our movies finish we get an announcement that the entertainment systems are going to be turned off shortly as the plane comes in for landing. I am over the moon hearing that, knowing the longest part of the flight is about to come to an end, and although we are landing in Hong Kong we haven't got too much travelling left before reaching NZ. About five minutes after the announcement there is a second one, which tells us that the entertainment systems are now to be turned off and we will be landing in Hong Kong about twenty minutes from now. Almost straight away I feel the uncomfortable sensations of my ears feeling blocked, before popping from the change in pressure. This is the thing I hate most about landing, because my ears seem to struggle to pop the closer to land we get. Pierre, sensing my unease, hands me a mint which a flight attendant has given him. Turns out I had been too engrossed in my movie to notice them going around to everyone and handing out mints, but he had thought about me and taken a small handful, ensuring he has enough for me along with himself. I unwrap the mint, put it in my mouth and start sucking on it, feeling instant relief as my ears start to pop more freely. I had always wondered why mints got handed around before landing and I finally know why, since they are helping to ease the pressure on my ears from the descent. I think I'd had three mints by the time I felt the tyres hit the tarmac, creating a loud squeal, as the planes lands. This is followed by a suddenly braking, helped along by the reverse thrusters in the engines, as the plane hurtling down the runway tries to stop before the end. It does, and before the end of the runway even comes into sight, but it doesn't stop completely since it has still got to taxi to the terminal. This is the part I'm not looking forward to; getting stuck in an airport for a few hours is not my idea of fun. It doesn't help that I'm feeling tired, not lack of sleep tired, more the `I haven't done anything' type. I find out just how bad I am when I get to stand up and my legs refuse to co-operate. They take my weight alright, but they are so stiff that I can't bend them to walk properly, but everyone else is the same which is a good thing. Well, it at least means I don't stand out, but I am wishing I did the same as I had done on the flight to France, and used the toilet frequently in order to keep my legs moving freely. It is too late for that now, and I wouldn't have done it anyway, because I spent most of the flight sleeping. I also enjoyed the sleep too much to regret having it, and I was cuddled up with Pierre so that made it so much better. We wait until last to disembark the plane, as there are so many of us mum doesn't want any of us getting lost. It makes sense, especially knowing my ability to concentrate at times; the chances of me getting lost are high through not paying enough attention. Mum realises this, so ensures that François and Sarah take up the rear in order to make sure I don't lose focus, but that isn't too likely today. My mind is so numb from not doing anything for so long, that I can't concentrate on anything long enough to lose focus. The only thing I can think about is trying to free my legs up so I can walk freely again, but I'm not the only one who still has that problem. The wait at the airport is even more boring than last time, but at least we know what we are doing this time. Again we have to go through the transfers section, and make our way through the airport to the departures lounge. The walk almost kills us, because we are all shattered from having sat in the same seats for so long. Once we make it to the correct departure lounge, we just sit around waiting for our plane to board. No-one feels like talking much, so we mainly sit in silence. The excitement Bastian and Xavier had been exhibiting earlier on has waned, almost disappeared, entirely due to the length of the flight and the boring wait. The boarding call finally comes, and we almost leap out of our seats to cheer. The wait felt long, like an eternity, longer than forever, even though the flight is due to leave only three and a quarter hours after it landed. Doing nothing made it feel a lot longer. We get out of our seats and head to the boarding gate and queue up. We end up close to the front of the line, so don't have to wait long before we are allowed on and take our seats. The boredom is momentarily replaced by the relief and excitement of knowing we are on the final leg home, but it is very fleeting and then I'm overcome with weariness again. Pierre looks and feels the same as I do, but in his case this flight is going a lot quicker than the last one did. Funny the difference wanting to do something makes, because his first flight was unwillingly forced upon him, and it was the last thing on earth he wanted to be doing at the time. After about quarter of an hour, which seems a hell of a lot longer than that, the plane slowly starts to back away from the aerobridge. I can feel butterflies in my stomach as the plane slowly manoeuvres its way to the correct runway for take-off. I don't know why but I'm starting to feel a bit nervous for the final leg home. Maybe it's because we are now travelling towards the unknown, since we don't have any clue about what is waiting for us in New Zealand. Mum has more idea than any of us, but the parts she knows she is keeping tight lipped about. All I know is that we have to see the victim protection people, and get out of the program officially. Otherwise at some stage we have to see dad's doctor and find out about him, but other than that I don't know what we are going to be doing with our time. I presume it will be showing our guests some of the sights, but who knows? The turbines start to speed up and scream as they reach high revolutions, before the plane lurches as it takes off down the runway unexpectedly. I look out the window and watch the airport flash past us, as we travel along the tarmac at a great rate of knots. I get that strange sensation of losing my stomach, as the plane suddenly lifts off and climbs into the sky, leaving the vast city of Hong Kong in its wake. The next stop will be Auckland, New Zealand, or should I say home. I don't feel like sleeping this time around, well not for the moment anyway, so as soon as we are allowed I turn on my entertainment system and start watching movies. Pierre copies me since he isn't feeling sleepy either, both of us realising that we have already had enough sleep for the moment, and it is better to wait now until it is dark. The good thing about holding off on our sleep is that we don't miss the food cart this time around. I hadn't noticed it before, but now that I can smell cooked food I realise how hungry I am. This is the best part of being a first class passenger. The food is delicious, better than most restaurants. In saying that I would prefer to have the food they serve in coach, compared to what I had at the hospital any day. It is some fancy chicken dish, but due to the flight attendant's heavy foreign accent I don't get the full name of it. For airplane food, it is art on a plate and tastes as good as it looks. It doesn't take long before the food is gone, and I'm left wanting more. The food is about all that is good about the flight. Not saying that it was bad, just boring as hell. I haven't watched so much TV in ages, and I wish I had something else I could do instead. I'm bored out of my mind, and wishing like crazy that I could cuddle up with Pierre, which is a bad idea even though we can't get kicked off the flight any more. The whole cabin suddenly judders and shakes badly, and I can feel the airplane dropping and rising in small increments. The distraction takes my mind off being bored, but makes me long for Pierre worse. I'm a little scared because it had come with no warning. I mean I know it is only turbulence, but up until now we hadn't experienced any this bad. The plane settles down shortly afterwards, before we hit another patch a couple of minutes further on, which gets me even more worried about what is going on. "Attention passengers, this is your pilot speaking. All passengers are advised to return to their seats and fasten their harnesses tightly, as we are expecting heavy turbulence the rest of the way through to Auckland. I will give you another update about the weather situation with the `prepare for landing' announcement, but at this stage it looks like it is going to be a wild ride," the voice of the pilot says over the loudspeakers. The announcement makes me feel worse; even though his voice sounded confident like this is run of the mill type stuff, it does nothing to calm my nerves. I mean the earlier turbulence scared the shit out of me, and we got no warning about that, and now he is saying heavy turbulence. How much worse is this going to get? I look over to Pierre with a terrified expression on my face, but his expression is just the same, so he doesn't give me any confidence. Regardless of the fact he is as scared as me, I still want to hold him and feel his comfort as we go through this ordeal. I mean we are holding hands, but that isn't enough as I need to be able to cuddle him. I focus my thoughts on Pierre, knowing he can at least help me through this telepathically, well, at least I believe he can and that is all that matters. I don't want to look around at the others, because I'm sure the looks on their faces will make me feel worse, so the only place I look is at Pierre. It only seems like a couple of minutes after the pilot made his announcement when the plane starts to shudder violently, before seemingly falling from the sky. I lose my stomach when the plane drops suddenly, making me wonder how long I can hold the food in there. As suddenly as the plane loses altitude it gains it back, making me lose my stomach in the other direction, while also making me feel a bit ill. I am scared shitless, fearing the plane is going to break apart or plummet into the ocean or something. Pierre is as terrified as me, making me want to hold him more. If the plane is going down then I want to be in his arms. These dramatic up and down motions of the plane last for a good ten minutes, scaring the hell out of most in the cabin every time it suddenly plummets. The cabin is full of screams from terrified passengers, making me feel a little more at ease knowing it is not just me who is worried about what is going on. The plane all of a sudden settles down, almost as quickly as it went into chaos in the first place. The calm feels unnatural compared to the violence we had encountered before. The passengers in the cabin are a lot slower to calm down though, as most of them are still worried about what is coming up. I suppose you have to expect that, especially given the amount of kids that are on board, and it is Callum and Manuel who I can hear the most. They are the most scared out of anyone in first class at least. They are by far the youngest in this section of the plane so I'm not surprised that they are the most scared, but I presume there will be younger kids back in coach who will be more terrified than those two. The mood gradually calms near to what it had been like before we hit any turbulence. My mood has eased, with my fear dissipating the longer the plane stays flying smoothly. Of course as soon as I relax we hit another patch of turbulence, but this time it is nowhere near as severe as it was before, or as long. It is still enough to put me on edge again, but I'm starting to get used to it, so not panicking as much as I was previously. Callum and Manuel scream loudly, as the fear sets back in, and it doesn't matter that this one isn't as bad, they still freak out the same. This happens twice, but each time it gets weaker, until we have another major bout of turbulence which puts everyone on edge again. "Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. We are heading into some pretty atrocious conditions at Auckland Airport. We are expecting torrential rain, severe cross winds and the chance of moderate wind shear. We have been given clearance to attempt a landing, but all other flights have now been diverted to their backup airports. We will only get one chance at this otherwise we are to continue on to Wellington Airport, so fasten your seatbelts because this is going to be a bumpy ride," he says, making everyone double-check their harnesses. I'm wondering why we are even trying to attempt this, as opposed to diverting, because this seems like an unnecessary risk. He is the expert though, so what do I know, but hearing we are the last flight to be allowed to land here for the moment scares the hell out of me. I long for Pierre worse than I had been before, because the captain's announcement has really scared the shit out of me. The worst thing is knowing he wants and needs me just as badly, but it isn't worth the risk of unfastening our harnesses to join the other. I mean if something bad were to happen that would be the opportune time, so it is safer to stay seated. The lights in the cabin dim, and then the whole plane seems to get cloaked in darkness, as we descend into the dirty black clouds shrouding Auckland city. The fun is about to begin, and it does almost immediately as we enter the clouds. The cabin lights up brightly, as a tremendous flash of lightning tears through the dark sky on its way down to earth, followed shortly after by a deafening clap of thunder. The cabin is soon filled up by a loud pitter patter as the plane gets pummelled by decent sized hailstones. I close my eyes tightly, while jamming my fingers in my ears, in an attempt to block out what is going on around me. It doesn't have the desired effect that is for sure. I am still able to see the next enormous flash of lightning and hear the tremendous clap of thunder, which seems to resonate throughout the cabin of the airplane. The worst feeling is the seasickness I start to feel when the plane starts to bob up and down, and sway side to side due the weather conditions. The closer to the ground we get the worse it seems to be, and I can feel the pilot fighting with the plane to keep it under control. If this is anything like what I can expect from a rollercoaster then there is no way in hell I ever want to go on one of those, because this is the single most scary thing I have ever experienced. The plane suddenly rises, quite a distance by the feel of it, which does a little to calm me down as I think the pilot must have decided to divert after all. The thought was very short lived when the plane plunges towards the earth at a great rate of knots. I don't know how far above the ground we were before, but we are certainly a hell of a lot closer now. The plane eventually levels out again, before I feel the whole plane's momentum change. It feels like it is now going sideways, well more drifting similar to what a rally car does around dirt corners. It is a very unusual sensation, making me wonder what the hell is going on. Then within a few short seconds the plane straightens out and the tyres hit the tarmac hard, making them squeal loudly in protest. The ordeal isn't quite over yet, as I can feel the pilot fighting to get the nose of the plane down, which is of great concern. I know that if he can't get it down quickly then he will have to increase power to the turbines, and abort the landing. After having come so far all I want is for the plane to land safely so we can all get off. I don't want to have to go through the whole landing process again, even in a different airport. As it is I've heard that Wellington Airport is one of the world's scariest to land at, due to the high winds that tend to buffet it frequently. It is scary enough flying in here on a day like today, so there is no way in hell I want to fly to a scarier one. The hail has long since been replaced by torrential rain, making it near on impossible to see out of the window. I'm starting to become concerned about how much runway we have left, as the pilot is still fighting to get the nose down. I know it has only been seconds since we initially touched down, but it seems like a hell of lot longer than that. I feel instantly relieved when I feel the nose wheel make contact with the tarmac, but it is only a fleeting feeling, as almost immediately it threatens to lift up again. The pilot works hard to ensure the nose stays down, before applying the reverse thrusters. It is a tense few moments as the plane rapidly slows down, prior to coming to a complete stop inches from the end of the runway. The pilot has done an exceptional job at bringing the massive machine to a stop so quickly, and not causing it to skid and slide uncontrollably down the tarmac. Once the plane has come to a complete stop I can feel all the tension in the cabin float away, before everyone cheers and yells their thanks to the pilot. It is a surreal situation, and the feeling inside the cabin is one of thankfulness, since it has been most likely the scariest landing any of the passengers have experienced. I take a look around the cabin for the first time, since I was miles too scared to do so earlier. There are a few passengers with their hands clasped together like they are praying, which I don't blame them for because I feel like there was something out there watching over us. Maybe it was Pierre's parents who ensured we landed safely, because I know they would move hell and high water to protect their son, even though they are ghosts. I think they would do the same for me as well, but he is their son so highest priority. Either way something was on our side to ensure we landed safely, and that I am sure about. Callum, Manuel, Bastian and Xavier all look pale white and green in the gills. I suspect that like Pierre and I they can't wait to get to the safety of the airport terminal so they can give each other a hug. I know I need a hug and kiss from Pierre right now, just like he needs the same from me. All while we had been celebrating, the pilot had killed the engines, which I have only noticed because the high pitch whine I had got used to has disappeared. I figure that after such a torturous landing the pilot must be completely and utterly exhausted, so the last thing he would want to do now is taxi to the terminal. The airport staff must have expected this, because almost as soon as the engines have completely stopped I can feel us getting hooked up to a plane towing truck. When I look at it properly, it was probably necessary due to how close to the end of the runway we came. I don't think there is enough room for the pilot to navigate the huge plane around without going off the end and getting bogged down in the muddy field beyond. I'm not going to pretend to be any sort of expert on planes, but I would think it near on impossible to reverse these things, especially in such atrocious conditions. Once the tow truck has connected itself properly we start moving again, which I'm glad about since I didn't fancy having to get out of the plane here, especially in this rain. What a welcome back to New Zealand that was, since it has got me wondering if we are wanted back, especially after the performance the weather has put on for us. I suppose we are in winter now, which is going to be a huge shock to the system after having gotten so used to summer. Even for winter this seems to be one fierce storm, making me wonder about how easy it is going to be to travel around the city, especially since the storm water drains never seem to cope with a sudden downpour of torrential rain, let alone it being sustained like this is. Slowly but surely we make our way towards the terminal building, but it isn't until we are almost on top of it before we can see the lights. The terminal is very brightly lit, but the rain is so heavy that we can only see maybe a couple of metres before visibility is washed out. It takes a long time to get towed from where we landed to the terminal, but that is the least of anybody's concerns since we are ecstatic to have landed at all. Eventually we are connected up to the aerobridge and allowed to disembark. Surprisingly there isn't a mad rush to get off though, but it is easy to see why as everyone stands up. Everyone seems to have jelly legs and difficulty walking as a result, and it is all from the tense landing we had. I don't even want to stand up because I can feel my knees knocking together still, which is going to be amplified once I have all my weight on them. The plane slowly empties, as all the weary passengers manage to get their legs working well enough to walk, or should I say hobble off the plane. I realise we are going to have to leave very shortly so I unbuckle my harness and try to stand up. It takes a few attempts, but eventually I persuade my legs to co-operate with me. Out of our party I am the first one to stand which surprises me. All the rest are in shock, but what gets to me is seeing Callum and Manuel in tears and no-one comforting them. The landing has been so traumatic for them that their emotions are in tatters, worse than anyone else's. It turns out that they aren't the only ones, because the air hostesses are helping out a few other traumatised kids back in coach, and one of them is making her way up to us. They started in coach because there were a couple of very young children back there, and they decided that they were higher priority despite the lower class seating, which I agree with. Money shouldn't make you more important, so I am happy to see them helping out the more needy kids before us. I do want them to hurry up in some ways, but we have a big family here so the adults should be able to help us out, but they look like they are also in shock, especially Manuel's grandparents and François. Mum and Manuel's dad slowly recover, especially after seeing me stand up because they realise that they should have been the first out of their seats. I am temporarily torn because Callum is in desperate need of comforting, but as bad as I feel about it I decide it is mum's job to help him out so I turn my attention to Pierre. If he was fine then I would race, well, stumble over to my brother, but he isn't on top of my priority list. I stagger the couple of steps to Pierre's seat, then bend over and embrace him in a huge hug. He hugs me back so tightly that he almost cuts of my circulation. He is the most scared I have ever seen him, which surprises me after all he has been through, but then again that was an extremely frightening landing. While hugging him I reach down and release his harness so I can stand him up, which will make it easier for me. Once I have his harness off I hoist him out of his seat and embrace him properly in a hug. He is shaking like crazy, and I can feel that I have to support more and more of his weight, as his legs are struggling to support him. I hold him in the embrace for a while, allowing his legs to recover and hold him up. His fears have eased; not long after I started hugging him he relaxed and got over his trepidations. He is now just trying to get his legs into working order, but mainly enjoying the hug. I am too, so not worried about how long it takes him to recover, especially since my legs aren't in much better condition. Gradually we make our way to where everyone else has gathered, which is around the two youngsters who are clinging to their respective parents for dear life. They are sniffling away, but at least they have stopped bawling their eyes out like they were before. Mum, Manuel's dad and one of the flight attendants are trying to calm them properly before getting them to stand in order to leave the plane. It isn't the most terrified I have seen Callum, but getting close to it. The times dad did threaten to hit him, or when he hit me is when he looked the most scared, but he was looking close to that before he started to calm down. It shows just how wild the landing was, but unlike with dad I don't think there will be any psychological damage. I'm sure he will get over it quickly, so won't hesitate to get on a plane again in the future. In fact I think the length of the flight will be a bigger put off to him than the chance of another scary landing. Alice has had a big part to play in that, because if it wasn't for her help earlier then he quite possibly may have had issues, but he knows how to deal with them now, so he should be good as gold in a couple of hours. The flight attendant helps make them forget about the landing pretty simply, as she gives them both a lollipop to take their minds off it. It is amazing how something so simple can work with kids, especially younger ones, because they calm very quickly once they unwrap their lollies and stick them in their mouths. Mum and Manuel's dad decide that it is going to take too long for them to recover enough to walk on their own, so unharness them and pick them up, putting them in a position comfortable for them to carry. Bastian and Xavier, despite being completely terrified during the ordeal, have recovered from it the quickest. They are fine, and stretching their legs trying to get the aches and pains, along with the stiffness, out of them. The flight attendants decide that all the elderly people should be given wheelchairs to assist with getting off the plane, since most of them take long enough to recover on a normal long haul flight, let alone the trauma of today's landing. Manuel's grandparents initially protest at getting carted off in a wheelchair, but are brought back to reality when they try to stand, and fail. They are helped into the wheelchairs, along with François, before being helped to disembark the plane. The rest of us follow them, but I feel that I should be pushing one of the elderly, and so does Sarah. The flight attendants don't let us, because they can tell we are in too weak a state to safely do it. They are used to long haul flights so aren't as exhausted as the rest of us, and although the landing was one of the worst they have experienced, they are still used to wild landings so that hasn't affected them as much as us. I still don't know why they haven't allowed Sarah to take François like she wants to, because she looks fine, a little sluggish but otherwise in good order. It feels good to be back on solid ground, even if it is in the terminal, but we have a lot to go through yet. We have got all the legal mumbo jumbo to go, which I'm not looking forward to at all. First we have to allow the elderly to recover and be able to walk as freely as possible. The flight attendants have helped them onto some chairs, so they can use the wheelchairs to help other passengers out. There is quite a gathering in the arrivals gate, because most of the other passengers are trying to walk out their stiff sore legs. A few of them still look a bit shaken and scared, but I think a lot of them are waiting on others to get off the plane still. I had noticed while waiting in Hong Kong that there were a lot of elderly passengers who were travelling with family, a bit like us. It takes Manuel's grandparents and François a fair while to get full function of their legs again, which is strange since François has had most of his legs amputated. For him, his hips have seized up, but most of it is because he has the shakes badly from the landing. Gradually he, along with Manuel's grandparents recovers, and they are able to stand and walk somewhat freely. They can walk enough to be able to allow us to gather our bags and progress through to customs and immigration, you know all the legal crap you have to go through to get into a country. Customs is straightforward, but the wait to get to the front of the queue takes forever. We clear customs with no problems, as thankfully they decide not to do a thorough search of any of us. I was a little worried that they might do a random search on one of us, especially since we are a relatively large party. The saving grace is probably that over half of our group are kids, so they figured they were unlikely to find anything illegal on us. Things change a bit when it comes to the immigration side though, because unbeknownst to me, we are going to get split up. "Sarah, Josh, Pierre, Callum, you're going to have to come with me. We will meet up with the others on the other side of immigration. I have explained to Jean and his parents what the deal is, so they know what to do once they clear immigration," mum says, before signalling for us to follow and walking off in a different direction. We follow unsure about what is going on, although I have a gut feeling that this may have something to do with the victim protection program. It is the only thing I can think of that affects all of us, but I'm not sure why Pierre has to come with us, since I didn't think he was part of it. Callum is reluctant to follow us, because he doesn't want to leave his friend, especially after the drama of the day. He doesn't have a choice and he knows it, but decides to push the boundaries anyway and stay with Manuel and the others. Mum notices this, but doesn't say anything to him, instead she turns around to face him, then glares in the `if you don't do what you're told, you will be in big trouble mister,' type of look. The look works as well for him as it used to for me when I was younger, and he bolts over to us as quickly as he can to avoid trouble. Now that Callum has decided to join us, mum continues on her way. We don't have far to go, as we are led straight over to a couple of very official looking men standing at the side of the room. I don't know how I missed them, because they stand out like sore thumbs amongst all the passengers and security guards who are in the room. I suppose I hadn't been looking for them, so naturally ignored them thinking they were supposed to be there, but now I know they weren't as they are here only for us. It is at this point I realise I recognise one of them, and so I should because he has been with us right from day one. He is one of the agents who I have become very close to, so I'm kicking myself for not noticing him earlier, but it has been a long day and my mind isn't really there, so overlooking something like that is to be expected. Once we have reached them, they escort us into a little interview type of room to the side of the main immigration checkpoint. The room isn't too small, since they chose a family sized interview room, but it is still a bit cramped with seven of us in there. Once inside the room the officials take a seat on one side of a desk, while mum and Sarah take one on the other side. There is one spare seat, but I don't want to take it since there are three of us boys in the room and I wouldn't feel right about it. Pierre feels the same way, so we tell Callum to sit down, which takes a bit of persuasion before he accepts the seat. "Hello again, it has been a while since we last saw you. I trust you had a good trip to France, and I can tell it has been a successful mission. Well, this will be the last time you see us, because the order of the day is to dissolve your protection, since you won't be needing it any more. I know you haven't needed it for a while, but we have to officially cross you off our records, which is why you are here now. The good thing is once this is completed you will have your own lives back, and depending on what you decide maybe your proper names as well. After this has been completed you will be free to go and meet up with the others, since there will be no need for you to clear immigration," the main official says. I am relieved that this will get us out of having to clear immigration, because I didn't want to have to do that on top of this, so it is good not having to. The thing which suddenly dawns on me is just how final this is. I hadn't given enough thought about what this implies, and I'm a little uncomfortable now knowing some of what is likely to happen. I'm not sure I want our old surname back, since it doesn't help me to escape from the past. No, what I think I need is a totally new surname, something which isn't connected to my past at all. That way I feel I can continue to move forward, and start my life afresh once we have finished our business here. I had only thought about signing the papers and being allowed to leave, allowing us to start a new life, but it seems a little more complex than I gave it credit for, so now I'm a little concerned about what is going to happen. "The first thing I have to ask you is, do you want to go back to using McFadden as your surname, or are you happy to continue to use Baker?" he asks us in his official sounding tone. "Umm... well I'm happy to use..." "No mum, please... I want something that we haven't used before. I don't want any reminder of the past, because I want to be able to start a new life once this is all over," I squeal, interrupting mum in the process. I'm a little embarrassed by my outburst, but not because of what I have said or done. It is the way my voice changed suddenly causing me to sound like I'm squeaking which has humiliated me somewhat. I haven't had that happen before, so I wasn't expecting it, not that I have much control over my voice anyway. "Ok, well what do you suggest then Josh?" mum asks, while ensuring not to make any fuss about my out of control voice. I think she has been expecting it, but my mind is on other things so I haven't thought it through properly. I know I have had it explained to me, but now is not the time nor place for me to be worrying about things like that. "Umm... I don't know, but something different, and unique if possible," I stammer, not sure what it is exactly that I want. This time my voice does behave itself, so I stop fretting about whether it is going to speak normally or not. We discuss our options for a while, with the officials also helping where they can. They give us a list of possible surnames, but none of them quite sound right to all of us. The thought that mum getting married would mean she took on Manuel's dad's surname did cross our minds, but for me I wanted something for myself. I love Manuel's dad and their name, but that is theirs, not mine. I'm not sure why, but I feel I need my own surname, something which tells everyone this is my family, but we have a story to tell. Adopting Bruni doesn't feel right as I'm not officially part of their family, and even when I am I will never be blood. Manuel will never truly be one of mum's kids, but it won't stop her loving him all the same, but I don't want people to think we are all part of a big loving family, and that has always been the case. A different surname will let people know that our family married into theirs, and we are all happy to be one nowadays, but it hasn't always been the case. That is why I think having a surname for our family is important. Pierre is a bit timid during this whole discussion, because I have a feeling he is again feeling left out. He hasn't had to properly adopt a surname yet, since he hasn't signed up for anything, or had a chance to get used to it. The hospital staff always addressed us by our first names, to ensure we felt as comfortable as we could given the surroundings. He hasn't used or heard our surname used particularly much, so he still goes by his own surname. This whole conversation is a little more than he bargained for at this stage. "Umm... sorry to interrupt, but would it be alright if I could keep Lacroix as my last name? I have grown up with it, and to be honest I like my name, so I don't want to lose it. I know it will always remind me of my mum and dad, but I can live with that, especially now I know they are looking out for me," Pierre asks nervously, because he is scared that mum might not let him, especially since we are all supposed to be a family. "Hey, that sounds cool, can we use Lacroix too? Please mum, pwetty please," Callum asks, in his best pleading voice, and gives a cute sad puppy dog look to go along with it. "Umm... well, what do you think Josh? Also Sarah, will you be alright with Lacroix as your last name?" mum asks, noncommittal to Pierre's request. She doesn't want to disappoint him, but feels it should be a unanimous decision, since we are all going to have to live with it for the remainder of our lives. "Yes mum, I'm happy as with it. I like the name Lacroix, since it has a certain ring to it, although in my case I'm unlikely to have it for the rest of my life, because if I get married then I will likely adopt my husband's surname. It is up to the rest of you, more than it is up to me," Sarah replies, reminding mum that she won't be the one who has to put up with it forever, since she has the goal of getting married someday. Mum then looks over my way, but she didn't need to as she pretty much knew my answer. She is right, and can easily tell with the way I'm nodding my head up and down like crazy. I couldn't disappoint Pierre by saying no, but I also really love his surname so I am honestly happy to adopt it, even if it isn't unique to me and my family. It is close enough, because with Pierre it wouldn't matter since he was going to have to adopt the family name anyway, so it feels right to stop him from having to change it. "OK Lacroix it is then, so let me double check the spelling. Is it L-A-C-R-O-I-X?" the main official asks. Pierre nods his head in agreement, as each letter is read out, while being recorded on a piece of paper. Having Pierre, well an adopted kid with us, takes away some of the monotony of going through the same routine for the officials. They are used to their clientèle not wanting to revert to their original surnames, but usually they keep the name they were issued. This is the first time a family has wanted an entirely different name, but it is also the first time they have had a family adopt a kid while under protection. I don't think it is supposed to be allowed, but it wasn't read out in our original briefing, so who's to know? In any case I think we are a unique case for them, after all we have been through. They normally wouldn't allow a family to leave the country from fear of detection at the airport. Even though everything would be completely legal in terms of their passports etc., the chances of someone slipping up and using the wrong name are too high, so they normally don't allow overseas trips. I mean can you imagine the hassles at the border if the name you gave was different to that on your passport? I don't think it would be fun at all trying to explain yourself. We all get handed a document which is a change of family name application. Since we are under witness protection currently, even if not for very long, the document is pre-signed by a judge, so all is required is our signatures. Mum and one of the officials have to co-sign for us kids, since we can't legally sign for anything by ourselves. Mum signs on behalf of us as our guardian, while the official signs as a witness, and just like that our names have legally been changed, again. It must be weird for Pierre having to get his name legally changed back to what it was not that long ago, but he does so without creating a fuss. The officials explain to mum that all our documentation is likely to take between five to ten working days to sort, so as soon as they are ready they will be in contact to arrange a way to pick it up. In the meantime mum is given temporary documentation, so that we don't have any problems. Once that has been done the officials talk about other things which have to get sorted at the same time. The biggest thing they talk to us about is our house, and whether we want it back. To me that question is easy, and the answer is no. I don't want to step foot in that horrible place again, let alone see it, so I want mum to sell it. The officials are used to the answer being no, so they buy the property off their clients, and if it isn't suitable for their purposes, resell it. Any profit made goes back to the original owners, because they don't get the choice of how much they want to sell it for. The program only ever offers what the government valuation of the place is worth, to avoid any chance of making a loss on the property. It makes sense, because like most government agencies they do have a tight budget to stick to. Thankfully mum does the right thing, although never consults with us about it, and sells. She knows what went on in that house, and she couldn't handle going back there again either. She still feels lucky to have all of us kids, because as Sarah reminded her, one of us could have easily been killed from her lack of action. The house is too much of a reminder to her of how badly she stuffed up as a parent, so sells without hesitation. The last order of business before we can sign the release forms and go, is our possessions. They are currently divided up between our original house, which we have just sold, Taupo Bay and New Plymouth. The only thing I want back which I don't have currently is my surfboards and accessories. It turns out that for some strange reason they are still up at Taupo Bay, because they hadn't been brought along during the sudden move to New Plymouth. Mum tells me that we are planning on going up there so we will grab them in the process, although she isn't sure how we are going to cart them around after that. She sort of wants our old car back, but it isn't going to be big enough now we have extra passengers. It is an old-ish grey station-wagon which has a roof rack on top which would enable us to bring my and Callum's boards along for the trip. The car is nice and runs well, but definitely doesn't have the seating capacity we need now. The car isn't of huge concern to mum, especially since it has been sitting idle at our old house for over two years, so it won't even be road legal now. The only thing she is worried about is getting back all our family photos and other important documents, although most of the documents are under our old name so will have to be changed at some stage. The photos all got shifted during our last move so they are easily accessible, mainly because the house still stands empty as we are still technically living in it at this stage. The house up at Taupo Bay is a different story since that has another small family living there now, so the agency has to co-ordinate with them for us to get back any of our remaining possessions. Thankfully, all we want from there are our surf boards, and they are in the garage so it will be little disruption to those living there. Our clothes and other furnishings we still have at our old house are going to stay there. Well, the agency will most likely clear out anything that is unwanted. The is little point in getting the clothes, since the only one who is likely to fit any of them is Callum, but that would be my old clothes, since he would have outgrown his. Mum might be able to fit hers too, but since dad got locked up she has lost a bit of weight. She was eating constantly before, since it was the only way she found to cope with the stress and constant anxiety she felt. Since dad got locked up she got her eating habits under control, and lost all the weight she had put on during the dark days. The rest of us have outgrown our clothes because it has been over two years since we last lived there. The furniture we don't want because again it will remind us about what we have been through, and to be honest I got a bit too up close and personal with some of the furniture, so don't want to be reminded of that. The official then hands out the release forms, while he goes through the normal protocol around our release. He advises us that even though dad is dead to stay vigilant, because there is always a possibility he may have hired someone. The man strongly believes this isn't the case because he was a child rapist, otherwise he wouldn't allow our release, but due to what dad had done he didn't have any friends while in jail, so they think we will be completely safe. The words `child rapist' hurt me a little, because it is the first time I have heard someone say them. I have never thought of dad as that. To me all he meant was pain and suffering, and the rape was just another way he could hurt me. I know he wasn't the sort of man who went out to do that, and I think that is why those words stung a bit. I know I can never look at him under the same light that I used to, but I don't look at him as a rapist either. He became a short tempered brute, who if he didn't get his way ensured no-one else did. If he got home from the pub and dinner wasn't ready then he went into a fit of rage, throwing the cooking food all over the place to make sure that since he couldn't have any when he wanted, then no-one else could. Those days scared me the most, because watching all that scalding hot food getting thrown around made me worry about Callum more. I have seen the damage burns can do, and the scars it leaves, so I didn't want to see him accidentally cop it when dad was in that mood. To avoid any danger we soon learnt to disappear to our rooms when dad came home before mum had dinner ready. The image which still stands out from those days is when I used to go out to the kitchen once dad had left again, hoping to find something to give Callum to eat. Mum would be on her hands and knees in the kitchen bawling her eyes out, while trying to clean up the soiled food scattered all over the place. I never used to say anything to her, but she always ensured to find us some food. I didn't know what to say, which is why I never talked to her, but she did her best to make sure we didn't go hungry. Thinking back on it I'm sure she paid the price for feeding us those days. The next day if we even saw her, she looked bad like she had been on the losing side in a fight, but I never thought anything of it at the time because it had become the norm. All the hell that man put us through meant I used to hate his guts and call him all sorts of names, but a child rapist I have never ever considered him to be. It wasn't dad, even though he did do it, but it wasn't the man he was or ever would be. He didn't set out that day to rape me, I'm sure of it. He went too far in his punishment of mum, because she didn't give him what he wanted, he was going to show her. It was just unfortunate that he chose to use me to prove his point, but if it hadn't have been for the way his temper clouded his judgement, then I know it never would have happened. I shake my mind free of my musings, because there is nothing I can do to change the past, and it is what I'm trying to forget about. It has happened, but now it is time to forget about it and start afresh. I know we still have one further thing to do before the past can be dead and buried, but in the meantime I'm going to do my best not to think about it. I sign the form which is now in front of me, before handing it to mum. She seems to be in a dreamworld of her own, which makes me wonder if she is thinking about the same things I had been. It would surprise me a little if she is, because I don't think she has yet come to terms with things. I know she will, but I'm not expecting it any time soon, although I look at how quickly I came to terms with it and even forgave dad, so who knows, maybe she will do the same? She shakes the thoughts clear from her head and starts to sign the documents which have piled up in front of her. It doesn't take her long, since she doesn't bother to read them. She knows what they say, since the official read them out word for word before handing them to us. Once she has signed them she hands them back to the official, who signs as the witness on all of them. That is it, we are free to return to living a completely normal life. We don't have to try and avoid publicity, or being seen by other people who know our true identity. It is a relief in some ways, but not too different to how we have been living in others. They had tried as much as possible to allow us kids to live life as normal as possible, which is why we still had to go to school. "Oh, and before you go... you are free to keep the phone, this is off the record, but the reason being there are certain bodyguards who want the chance to say farewell to you, so we thought it best you keep it. Josh and Callum, I don't know what you did, but you have made a big impact on those who have looked after you. They have missed you a lot lately, so want the chance to see how you are going, and say goodbye. Normally we try to dissuade our agents from befriending their charges, but you have broken down their barriers," the official says with a big smile on his face. I can tell he is one of those who have come to like us, but tries as hard as he can not to show it. He gets out of his seat and wanders around the desk so he can personally shake hands with all of us. Sarah and mum do the polite thing and shake his hand back, whereas Callum and I decide to give him a hug. We have known him long enough that it feels like an appropriate thing to do, but it causes him to let his guard down too. He can't help it now, so shows us how much we mean to him as well by hugging us back. This is one of the agents who for a long time I called my father, because they had felt so much like what I thought a caring father should feel like. They were experts at dealing with my outbursts and helping mum to calm me down. I think that is half the reason we got so close to our agents, and that was because I was needy in a lot of ways. My moods were always temperamental, but the agents didn't care. They did their best to keep me happy, but when the time came and I had one of my moods they didn't run away. They helped and showed they cared, which made me feel better about things, but it also meant we ended up getting closer to our agents than we should have. "It's been a pleasure to meet you finally, I've heard so much about you," the other official says, then shakes our hands once we have let go of the one we have been hugging. This is the first time I have seen the other one, as he isn't the usual one who accompanies the main one around, but I have a feeling he isn't new to the agency. If he was new then I doubt he would have heard a thing about us, but then again he could have been there for a while and I still wouldn't think he knows about us. It seems to suggest that he may be more important than it looks, maybe our usual guy's supervisor or something. It doesn't matter now because we won't see him again, so I just shake his hand back and forget about him. As much as I don't want to, I know I'm going to have to forget about all of them, since I won't see them again. In some ways I don't want to see the others, because it is just going to remind me of times gone by and I want to move on. I suppose it might not happen yet, as it all depends on how busy our schedule is and what we get up to. I know now that we are going to be going up to Taupo Bay at some stage, but for how long, I haven't got a clue. I figure we will likely spend a couple of days in Auckland, in order to try and shake the jet lag, as well as do the things we need to do while we are here. Other than that I don't have any idea what is in store for us. The officials signal for us to follow them, since we will need to be accompanied by them to get through immigration, without being stopped. We don't even go near the immigration desk, as we are escorted through a security door which leads straight through to the arrivals waiting area, where everyone is patiently waiting for us. Manuel careens over to us the moment he sees us exiting the door, which inadvertently gains everyone else's attention. I should get things right, he doesn't so much run over to see us, more to be with his best friend again, who is just as happy to see him. Manuel's antics lift the mood surrounding everyone, since we are all in a serious type of mood. After all, we have been in an important meeting, so we haven't had a chance to get out of that frame of mind. The energetic boy lightens the mood so well at times, although usually it is him and Callum who do it, but this time it is all him and he does a great job all the same. The problem is he starts to do too good a job, so mum has to try and quell the enthusiasm, before both Callum and Manuel get too hyperactive. I think now they have had a little while since they were on the plane, and knowing there isn't any more flying to come, has allowed their energy levels to regenerate. Not that they ever seem to need an excuse to run around like loons, but after twenty odd hours of sitting down doing nothing they have so much pent up energy that mum is going to have to do something to wear them out. The problem with that idea is, as I look out the windows to the outside world, it is still pissing down with rain. I mean teeming down so hard that it looks like there is a huge waterfall just outside the airport. I am starting to wonder if we are going to have to swim to get anywhere, it is raining that hard. "Well, we are now officially out of the victim protection program, oh sorry Xavier... um... we have a bit of explaining to do so that you understand why we were in it. First things first, I suggest we all put on the extra warm clothing we brought with us, because I think it is going to be pretty cold outside. I was hoping to get away with having to do this, but I think we all better find a jacket from in our check in luggage, since it looks like we are going to need it," mum says once we have reached the rest of the group. We do what we are told, first putting on the jerseys we had put in our carryon luggage bags, before sifting through the contents of our checked in luggage searching for our jackets. It is a pain in the arse having to do this, so I now understand why mum had us pack warm clothes into our carryon luggage. We all find our jackets, which all seem to have found their way to the bottom of the bags unsurprisingly. It always seems to be that way, when you need something it is guaranteed to be right at the bottom, but hey we have to make do. At least everyone has a decent jacket, although I doubt any jacket is going to be decent enough to cope with the volume of water coming down outside. Once everyone is properly rugged up to take on the weather, we head towards the doors and out into the horrid weather waiting for us. We are instantly greeted by a biting strong sou'wester, which cuts straight through all the clothing we have on, and makes us feel cold instantly. I can't believe we gave up the remainder of summer in France to come home to this, but I suppose we had little choice. I'm just thankful that our temperatures here usually stay above zero, even at this time of year, so it isn't as cold as some places in the world during the depths of winter. To make matters worse, even though we are standing under a large awning, the volume of rain hitting the ground mixed with the wind, is blowing a misty rain all over us, saturating us within seconds. It is horrible, cos now I'm cold and wet, and the jacket seems to be providing little protection from both. Everyone else is holding themselves in an attempt to keep warm, while I can see mum weigh up her options. Mum yells at us to follow her, which is hard to hear over the wind and rain, but the message gets through. She wanders up the sidewalk a short distance to a pedestrian crossing, before waiting for everyone to catch up. Trying to see through the driving rain, she looks out for cars heading our way. Seeing nothing we start to cross, hoping that if anyone does come up the road that they see us in time to stop. Visibility is very low and I'm struggling to see even a couple of metres in front of me, which is made worse by the rain constantly getting in my eyes. My clothes are completely soaked through even before we get halfway across the road, making me as miserable as the weather, but we safely make it to the other side, so not all is bad. Mum leads us down the sidewalk a little further, before entering some automatic sliding doors and into what looks like a hotel lobby. "I think we are best to stay here the night, providing we can get a room of course. I don't think we are likely to make it far in this weather, because there will be a lot of surface flooding around, not to mention the likelihood of more serious ones. Our chances of getting a taxi are very slim, especially since there were none in the taxi stand in front of the arrivals terminal, which sort of suggests the possibility the main road into the airport is closed," mum says once we are all inside. I have to say that I feel out of place here, because it is a flash modern hotel, and here we are dripping water all over the place because our clothes are too sodden to hold any more. The hotel staff seem to be prepared for this, as we see a couple a bellboys heading our way holding a mountain of towels. They hand us a couple of towels each, while welcoming us to the hotel, and informing us that because of the weather there have been a series of cancellations, due to planes getting diverted and roads being closed. That is a huge relief because it means we shouldn't have too much trouble getting rooms to stay in. The only question is whether we will all be on the same floor, let alone side by side like we have gotten used to. We dry ourselves off as thoroughly as possible, before we venture into the lobby proper. It seems like the courteous thing to do, although judging by the amount of puddles some other staff are mopping up, I think most people aren't as well-mannered as we are. Manuel's grandparents tell mum that they will pay for the rooms, since they feel that mum has paid for enough already. They also tell me that I'm not to offer to pay for any more either, as they want to see me manage my money better, and they will show me how. I'm a little taken back by that as I didn't know that they knew I had offered to pay for so much, but then again they seem to know far more about me than I realised. Since they are only able to speak French they have to get mum to talk to receptionist and book our rooms, but that ends up leading to a bit more discussion. We have a little bit of a problem, because they only have one three bed family suite available, and they aren't going to allow any children into a room unless there is an adult with us. I find it hard to believe they are going to be so strict, but I suppose we got very lucky in France. Bastian and Xavier say they are fine having separate rooms, since they haven't really slept together yet, so it nothing out of the norm for them. Callum and Manuel are sorted, because as per usual they will be with François, although this time in the family suite and in different beds. The problem comes with Pierre and I, along with Sarah. Mum knows Pierre and I cannot sleep separately any more, and isn't going to take the risk in any case, but who is going to be the one to sleep in our room? Mum sighs, resigned to the fact that she won't be spending the night with Manuel's dad, because it is going to be best if Sarah stays with her, while Pierre and I stay with Manuel's dad. This is not what she, or us were hoping for. It is a bit of a mess because there are still four of us boys, but only two adult males. Sarah has the choice of sharing with either mum or Manuel's grandma, but we only have the choice of Manuel's dad or grandpa. Xavier and Bastian will get to share a bed after all, but with which adult? Neither of them really know either adult, which makes it a little hard on them. They are going to have to get used to sleeping in the same room as an adult, since the chances are this issue will come up time and time again. It is mainly Pierre's and my decision, since we can choose who we feel they will be most comfortable sharing with. For us it is either, but although we have got to know both adults very well, it is a hard one choosing for Bastian and Xavier. In the end we decide to share with Manuel's grandpa, since we feel they will be a little more uncomfortable sharing with an elderly man, and also Bastian at least knows Manuel's dad more than the granddad. With that part sorted mum books the rooms and Manuel's grandma pays for them using a credit card that I presume must automatically change to the right currency. The reception grabs the keys for us, and then gives instructions about how to find each room. Only two of the four rooms we have booked are on the same floor, while the others aren't too far away in terms of distance; one is on the floor above, while the other is on the floor below. The receptionist has tried her best to keep the rooms grouped as close together as she can, but this is the best she could achieve. I don't think any of us are too worried since we won't be doing much aside from trying to sleep, because the weather limits everything else. It's getting late enough in the day in any case, so even if we wanted we wouldn't have much time to do anything, not that I feel like it anyway. I only feel like getting out of my sodden clothes and trying to warm my body up, because I'm shivering already from being cold, despite the hotel lobby being pretty warm. "Alright, Xavier and Bastian, to make things a little easier on you I will put you and Jean in the room next to Josh, Pierre and Fabian, on the third floor. Callum and Manuel, you will be with François on the second floor, and us women will be on the fourth floor, should anyone need us. Now, judging by the way you boys are shivering, I suggest you all take a shower, preferably a bath if there is one, and warm up," mum says, after having taken the keys from the receptionist. Bastian and Xavier look relieved with what mum has said, because they were a little worried about being isolated from the rest of us in this strange foreign country. With that mum heads off towards the lifts and we follow, somewhat slowly because our bodies feel frozen and hard to move. Callum and Manuel look a little disappointed to be sleeping on a different floor to us, but they are colder than the rest of us, so unable to protest. Not that they would, because they know mum is right with her reasoning, but they would still complain a little bit if they could. They are shivering so badly from the cold that I'm starting to get a bit concerned about them, although I realise that like with us it is more because of the shock to the system, than it is from them being freezing cold. The soggy wet clothing certainly doesn't help with the way we are feeling. The adults don't seem to fare anywhere near as badly as we are, which sort of surprises me. I've heard that elderly people tend to feel the cold worse than children, so are the more vulnerable, but Manuel's grandparents look far from vulnerable, and François isn't particularly old despite how he looks. Of course when we get to the lifts there isn't one waiting for us, and both seem to be up at the higher floors, meaning we have to wait a while for one to come down to get us. Thankfully we don't have to wait for other people to exit the lift once it finally makes it down to the ground floor, so we are all able to pile in and set the lift in motion again. We stop at the second floor and François gets out, then realises the boys are frozen in their place so we have to help them to get moving again. It is a bit of a struggle to get them out, especially since the rest of us boys are almost as frozen as they are, so all we do is get in the way. They successfully get them moving again, despite the door threatening to close on them numerous times. Manuel's grandma offers to give François a hand to get the boys to their room, since she can tell it might be a little much for him on his own. Once she is off the lift the doors close and we go up to the next floor. The remaining adults don't bother to wait for us to move on our own, because they know fully well that we can't, so they gently push us out of the lift and down the hallway towards our room. Sarah decides to stay with Pierre and I, since she knows we are comfortable enough with her, and mum is also better being with the other two than she is. We go to the room furthest down the hall, since we are in a slightly better shape than Bastian and Xavier so it is decided we are more likely to be able to stumble the extra distance. The extra length of time we spent waiting in the lifts has made them almost as bad as the younger two were, so they need to get into a warm bath sooner than we do. The rooms aren't too far apart so we don't end up walking, well stumbling too much further, but in our state it feels like miles. Manuel's grandpa unlocks the door using a swipe card then opens it, allowing us to be bundled into the plain but modern style room. "I'm going to set the bath, or shower going, so while I'm doing that you need to strip off. I know it may be awkward given your ages, but if you need a hand then your sister and I will be happy to help," he says, before disappearing into the bathroom. To be honest the idea of being helped to take off my clothes by either Sarah or him, doesn't bother me in the slightest, but I can tell Pierre isn't as comfortable about my sister, so if the worst comes to the worst I'll get her to help me. It doesn't take long before both of us realise we can't do it by ourselves, since our hands are shaking too much to be able to grip the zipper on our jackets, let alone doing anything else. "Sar... Sar... Sarah, c... c... can you help," I stammer. My teeth are chattering so much that I can't get out a full sentence, but I manage to say enough to let her know I can't strip by myself. She comes over to offer her assistance without saying anything. I know she feels sorry for me being this way by the way she looks, and I can tell she is happy to help both of us, although she also picks up on Pierre's reluctance to accept her help. "Manuel's grandpa... argh who am I kidding, Fabian, can you give Pierre a hand, because he is struggling?" she calls out. I think she is like me and tries to be polite when talking to him, but I have a funny feeling she has been told to call him by his proper name, although it still sounds wrong. He yells back that he will be with us in a second, so Sarah proceeds to help me. She has my jacket unzipped and is pulling it off, by the time Manuel's grandpa comes out to help Pierre. He is feeling a little ashamed with himself at not being comfortable having Sarah help him, because she has never made fun of us, yet she has caught us in some far more humiliating situations than this. The first time I had an orgasm would have been one of those situations, and aside from not being able to believe how naïve we were around sex, she never made us feel bad about it. She quickly has my soaked jersey and shirt off, which makes a huge difference in how I feel, but I still don't feel much warmer. The cold feels like it has sunk into my bones, so I know I'm going to be soaking in warm water for a while before I start to feel right again. Manuel's grandpa on the other hand has only just managed to unzip Pierre's jacket, but I can see he is looking at me whilst thinking about something. "Do you want to take off the clothes on Pierre's upper half, and I'll do their pants? I'm wondering if they might feel more comfortable having a guy strip their lower half is all," he asks, thinking that we will be uncomfortable having my sister see us naked. I admire his concern, but at this point in time all I care about is getting out of my wet clothes, and into some warm water. I shake my head as best as I can to let him know that I'm comfortable with this, as I can't answer him like I would normally. He takes notice of my response and gives me an understanding smile, since he realises I'm more worried about getting out of my soaking wet clothes, than I am about being seen naked by my sister. My mind is being affected by the cold which is taking over my body, so I'm not even aware when Sarah undoes the button of my pants and unzips the fly. I feel it when my pants slide down my legs to my ankles, but my mind doesn't register that she wants me to lift my legs so she can take them off properly. Even if my mind did realise it I don't think I could physically do it anyway. Sarah is well aware of this, so gently lifts one leg at a time as she tugs my pants off, then she throws them onto the pile of wet clothes. Without even knowing it, I'm standing in front of my sister naked, but I wouldn't be worried if I did notice, even with my shrinkage problem due to the cold I'm feeling. This is another one of those times where I find out how much both of us have changed, which I'm happy about since it means I can trust her to help me out without fearing about her embarrassing me in any way. Now that I'm naked she helps me into the bathroom and into the bath, which is still filling with water. The warm water instantly brings me back to life, as I feel it slowly thawing my body. The initial shock of it is enough to jumpstart my mind though, so I am becoming aware of what is going on. I give Sarah a weak warm smile to say thanks, because she yet again has gone out of her way to help me when I need it. I feel like I'm indebted to her for all she has done for me, but I know she doesn't think the same way after how she used to treat me. That is all in the past, and I was as big an arsehole to her as she was to me, but she knows I had just cause to be. Manuel's grandpa brings a naked Pierre in moments later and places him pretty much on my lap. I'm surprised he has put him so close to me, but then again he knows how close we are now, so must assume we will warm up so much quicker if we are together. "Now that you are sorted I'm going to leave you, because I'm freezing in my wet clothes so desperately need to get out of them and have a shower. Fabian should be alright to look after you if you need help, but I think you will be fine soon," Sarah says before leaving the bathroom, and then our room. It reminds me how much she has gone out of her way to help us, and I'm saddened knowing she is freezing herself yet still wanted to help us. I know she wouldn't have let me tell her otherwise, even if I could, but I feel she should be looking after herself before us. Realising how bad Pierre and I had got, and the minor issue Pierre had with the potential of Sarah stripping him has got me wondering how mum got on next door. I don't think Bastian would have been too much of a hassle, but Xavier didn't even want to get naked in front of a whole bunch of boys. I wonder how he took mum being in the room while he got stripped. I doubt he would have let mum strip him, so I assume Manuel's dad was left with that job, but mum just being in the room could be an issue for him. As I see Manuel's grandpa turn off the tap to the bath and then get the shower ready for him to use, I half expect Sarah to come rushing back wanting someone to go and help next door. I know Pierre and I will be the best ones to do that, but neither of us are in any sort of state to help, and Manuel's grandpa will be the same way shortly. Sarah never does come back, which means the situation next door must be under control. I relax properly knowing that, and enjoy the feeling of the warm bath water as it soaks into me warming me up. Pierre has also started to relax and is slowly leaning against me more and more, so I wrap my arms around him and pull him close to me. His body still feels cold, but the more I hug him the quicker he warms up. It feels so nice having him so close to me, and reminds me of the last wonderful bath we had together back in France. The bath in France was nicer than the one we are having now, but then again the situations are remarkably different. This time we are trying to warm our bodies up, which is taking away from the enjoyment just a little. After a while it feels as wonderful as the other one, if not more so because of how much closer we have become to each other since then. We don't even notice that Manuel's grandpa has stripped off, taken his shower, dried and changed, because we are too busy enjoying life in our bath. Seems strange how this can be as pleasurable as anything, well, except for maybe sex, but that is a whole different kind of special. Our bodies have regained their heat, meaning we can fully enjoy relaxing, whittling away time without a care in the world. The closeness of our bodies allows our love for each other to flow between us unimpeded. It adds so much pleasure to the simple routine of soaking in the bath, which is why we take forever to get out. It feels amazing, and as a result we don't notice the temperature in the bath dropping until it gets cold. At that stage we decide we had better get out, since we don't want to get as cold as we were before, because that would defeat the whole purpose of us being in here in the first place. Pierre knows he has to get up first, so slides his butt out from between my legs, and stands up. He then turns around and reaches down, taking hold of my hands, before hoisting me up and into him. We stand there for a moment or two hugging each other, before he decides we had better dry off. He pulls the plug from the bath while I jump out of it, and he follows me close behind. We each take a towel off the heated towel rail and proceed to dry ourselves. We dry our bodies thoroughly because we don't want any water residue cooling us down all over again, especially since it took so long to warm up. The result is that we take a lot longer than usual drying off, before hanging our towels up again and wandering through to the bedroom. Once I finish concentrating on drying off and start to walk back to the bedroom, I get overcome by a feeling of tiredness. It feels like I have walked into a brick wall with how suddenly it comes on. I decide that I had better climb into bed and get some sleep, since if I don't then my body may revert to French time, so I will struggle to sleep at the proper time of the day. Pierre looks as shattered as I feel, and I soon realise he has walked into the same brick wall of exhaustion as I have. The good thing about that is it means I won't have to coax him to trying to sleep at the same time as me, so I take hold of his hand and guide him to the double bed. I never even thought about the prospect that Manuel's grandpa may want the double bed, and I'm too tired to think about it now. We climb under the covers, snuggle together, and before we rest our heads on the pillows, are out like a light. ************ Comments are always welcome at (pennywise3636@gmail.com). Please keep all comments clean. If possible please kick in a few bucks at the Nifty Website, to keep it up and running. The site puts in a lot of effort and work so that we all have a place to come and contribute or read some fine stories.