“Hey Johnas, Makenzii wasn’t feeling very good earlier so she and Kaitlin opted to stay up here for the trip, you can either ride with me down there, or you can ride with Nathaniel. Olivia didn’t want you two boarded together, but he was really advocating for riding with you, and I don’t see the problem with it.” John spoke up as he walked up to Johnas, who had arrived early to the dropship dock. Johnas looked back, jumping a bit at the sudden voice.

“Oh, okay. If Nate really wants to board with me, I’d like to situate that way… if that’s okay?” Johnas responded, lowering his head and avoiding eye contact due to his nerves acting up. John gave a sad smile and nodded his head before replying.

“Of course it is, Johnas. You’ll both be riding in Nathaniel's ship while Olivia takes Elizabeth in hers.” Johnas nodded to John's words and carried his things over to Nathaniel's designated drop ship. John watched as Johnas sat shaking his foot and fidgeting with his hands while he waited for everyone else to show up. The rest of the crew members all came in a group and the groups split up to prepare their dropships.

'How are you feeling today?' Nathaniel knocked his knuckles against the metal doorframe before joining Johnas in his dropship and setting down his bag. Johnas, who heard the knock and turned his attention to Nate, nodded his head with a small smile, his posture relaxed and comfortable in Nathaniel's presence.

“I’m doing good, I’m excited about seeing Earth again, it’s been so long since the last time…” Johnas’ words trailed off and his smile faded as he remembered the reason why he hadn’t been able to go for such a long time.

'I’m glad you have something to look forward to, I know how much you love these visits.' Johnas nodded to John, his smile slowly coming back.

“Alright boys, you know the drill, you go down, set up the scanner, then meet up with the group, no wandering. We’re ready to go, I want this trip to go smoothly.” Olivia came around the doorframe, letting the boys know everyone was ready before disappearing again to get back in her dropship. Nathaniel shut the doors and planted the coordinates Olivia gave him to land at while Johnas went to the big screen window. Nathaniel kept his distance from Johnas, giving him the peace of silence, not wanting to bother or scare the boy who used to beam with happiness.

“Nahaniel?” Johnas asked as he continued to look out the window and watch as trees and Earth's natural features came into view. Nathaniel looked over to Johnas, staying put and waiting for him to continue.

“Do you think…” Johnas started asking a question, but stopped, closing his mouth and stopping the following words from forming, holding himself back. Nathaniel tilted his head, silently asking what was wrong.

“Oh, nevermind, sorry I bothered you.” Johnas turned his head to Nate, speaking with his head down and a regretful look on his face.

'Johnas, I’m not going to judge you for whatever it is you want to ask, feel free to say what's on your mind. Nothing said on the drop ship, leaves the dropship, if it’s a secret you’d like to share, it will not get around to anyone else.' Nathaniel tried to reassure Johnas, moving to sit on one of the floor cushions so Johnas would feel less intimidated. Johnas’ face contorted to one of conflict, debating whether or not to say anything.

“Do you think humans are as bad as the others depict them?” Johnas started to speak, feeling the waters of how far he could go about Earth talk before Nathaniel said no more. To his surprise Nathaniel answered honestly, giving no hint that Johnas’ words were undesirable.

'If you want my honest answer, then no, I don’t think they are. I suppose some are pretty bad, I mean, we used to be fully human and I don’t know what your pre-ship experience was, but from what I could remember, my parents weren’t on gods list of good-doers. However, you used to be human, and I don’t think I could think of a more selfless and caring person.' Johnas’ eyes shot wide open, completely caught off guard by Nathaniel's last statement.

“... You really think that about me?” Johnas asked, fidgeting with his fingers nervously. Nathaniel nodded, a lopsided smile appearing on his face.

'When you first woke up on the ship and started hanging out with everyone, you were the only one, not counting Soarin, who approached me with the intention of actually having a conversation with me. I thought after you learned I could only sign, that you’d just leave and give up like everyone else, but you actually went and learned sign language just for the purpose of speaking with me… No one else had thought to do that; it was really heartwarming. I know after the incident you began slipping away into the shadows, and showing less of yourself… When you started disappearing, it got pretty lonely without you.' Nathaniel got up, walked over and programmed the ship's scanner to scan the Earth like it was supposed to every 50 years. Johnas sat there stunned by what Nathaniel said.

Nate really thinks that highly of me? But I left him… Why is he still so nice to me even though we stopped communicating? I did it so he didn’t get hassled by everyone else like I do, but I’m sure it looks different from his point of view. Johnas thought as he walked to the door, which Nathaniel had opened after putting the drop ship in camouflage mode. Nathaniel walked out after Johnas, watching him closely as he slowly walked around the soft grassy ground, observing his environment with wonder. Nathaniel dismissed the message Olivia sent him about going immediately to the group site, allowing Johnas to wander around for a few minutes before they left the area.

“I wonder if it rained recently… The ground is awfully soft, and the air smells wonderful -I read that the smell of after rain air is delightful.” Johnas spoke in a calm tone, allowing himself to get lost in his thoughts as he looked around. Nathaniel smiled, watching as Johnas’ usually shaking body relaxed, and took on a carefree stance.

--I’m letting Johnas enjoy the stress free environment for a little while. I know the drill and the talk is the same every time, It’s not going to kill the mission to not group up immediately. He deserves some time of enjoyment, for once.-- Nathaniel sent the message to Olivia, preparing to take the blame for going against her rule. Johnas sat down under a tree, closing his eyes and resting his back against the trunk.

“Wouldn’t it be wonderful… The life we could live in such a beautiful place… Though, you probably think my words as nonsense, since it’s an impossible dream.” Johnas spoke softly, listening to the sounds around him while allowing his thoughts to form as words.

Impossible… If only I could tell you it wasn’t, if only I could tell you how much I believe you would thrive down here on Earth. Nathaniel thought to himself, sitting against a near tree while Johnas resituated himself to lay down on the grass, the shadows of leaves stamping designs along his face. A cool breeze swept by and Nathaniel watched as Johnas slowly slipped into a much needed slumber. In that moment, the cuff on his wrist buzzed, and he answered with a sigh, connecting it to the wired headphone in his ear so the blonde wouldn’t hear Olivia's aggravated voice.

‘“Nathaniel, I understand that you have been on these trips before and you know the general rules by heart, but I gave you specific instructions, and Johnas needs the debriefing so he knows what he can and can’t do. He’s slippery, I don’t want him disappearing on you.”’ Olivia's voice came out gritted and annoyed.

‘“Olivia, Johnas is right here in front of me, I haven't taken my eyes off him for a second, he just wants to enjoy the scenery; seriously, he’s not going anywhere. And let’s be honest here, Johnas already knows the rules, they’re hard to forget when all the group ever talks about when it comes to Earth is how bad humans would treat us if they found us. Johnas will be fine, so just relax, I’ll keep an eye on him the whole trip.”’ Nathaniel spoke in a hushed voice. Nate wasn’t truly mute, but in order to hide the terrifying trait his guardian’s aura core passed down to him, he had to pretend he was. Olivia figured it out by accident one day, and from then on she had been the only one to know and keep his secret.

‘“If he slips from your sight for even a second, you will be punished.”’ Once said, the call ended and Nathaniel shook his head, looking back to the blonde who was peacefully dozing off.

…

Hours later, both boys found themselves situated between Elizabeth and Olivia, eating dinner around a small campfire John set up. The air was cool, but Johnas couldn’t shake the feeling Olivia and Elizabeth were both heated by their anger for him skipping the debriefing. He looked to Nathaniel, who just gave a small shrug and nudged him, hoping it would bring him reassurance that it wasn’t a big deal.

“It’s rather eerie out here, don’t you think? I’d hate to live in such a desolate place.” Makenzii, who had just been keeping a small conversation between herself and Kaitlin, spoke up to the rest of the group.

“Right? This place gives me the creeps, you never know what’s going to come out or what all is out here.” Sirrinah agreed, leaning in closer to Soarin for comfort. A few of the others chimed in, a conversation about what the rest of Earth may or may not have been like. Elizabeth turned to watch Johnas who stayed silent, curling into himself as he listened and got lost in his own thoughts.

Eerie? Scary? Were those not the thoughts that went through everyone else's head when they were first introduced on the ship as well then? Does curiosity not scribe itself in a single thought? Everything is so new, new to explore, new to learn, new to enjoy… Am I the only one who thinks that way? To be able to breathe natural air, to be able to walk in natural gravity along the soft footing of the Earth… Is it only driving my excitement? His thoughts danced between question and confusion. He looked at Nathaniel with a questioning look, watching to see his reaction to the conversation of the group.

I wonder what thoughts are going through your head right now. What kind of questions are you wishing you could voice to me at the moment? What comments do you have on the discussion you are keeping to yourself? What are you feeling right now really? What fears run through your mind? Nate looked down to him, his head tilting to the side with a soft look of curiosity. No one was ever really sure of what Johnas was thinking, but Nathaniel found it somewhat enjoyable to see the sparks of curiosity in Johnas’ eyes as the gears in head turned to assess his every situation. His interest in Johnas and his mysterious emotions weighed in tons, his wish to have a small peek into the blondes' mind lingering in the back of his mind every time they were together.

“Olivia, would you mind if I walked Johnas back to the ship tonight?” Elizabeth asked once dinner had been packed up. Johnas’ eyes shot up to Elizabeth, a bit surprised by the sudden question.

“I want to spend more time with you, we didn’t speak much the other day.” Elizabeth replied to the puzzled look on Johnas’ face. Olivia contemplated for a moment, getting ready to say no because she knew if Johnas wanted to, he could slip away from Elizabeth the easiest.

'If you’d like to walk back with Beth, go ahead Johnas. I’ll see you two back at the ship. Just promise you won’t run off, okay?' Nathaniel signed to Johnas before Olivia could get a word out, and Johnas nodded in understanding.

“I swear I won’t take any detours.” He voiced to Nate before walking to be alongside Elizabeth. Olivia was going to say something, but Nathaniel took her shoulder and shook his head.

--Put a little trust in him, Liv, he’s not stupid.-- Olivia read the message and sighed in defeat, raising her brow in suspicion before going to bring some of the packed food back to her ship.