Disclaimer: You should know by now that I own none of the characters.
Note: I know things like this have been done before but I couldn't resist. Forgive me, I am weak.
Summary: Returning to the place they always regarded as home the survivors of Flight 29DWN discover that maybe it's no longer the place they can call 'home'.
Without half an hour of Taylor's arrival home, her mother had suggested a shower. A shower? The idea was something that should have first popped into her mind, but she hadn't even thought about it. Taylor stepped cautiously into the shower, holding the wall to keep from slipping on the porcelain and turned on the tap, instantly scorching her skin. It felt too foreign to shower without bathers, too strange to use shampoo, too odd to control the water temperature. She got out as quick as she could, not to preserve water as she had on the island, but purely because of the alien feeling of a proper shower.
Eric's brother immediately pulled him towards the TV and they settled down to watch. But Eric couldn't concentrate on TV, the shows were so fake, so completely boring and pointless; the lounge was so uncomfortable, so confining, so harsh. Eric hated that the island had even ruined television for him. In a fit of frustration he threw the remote against the wall and was surprised by how little effort it took to brake, or how much strength he now had. Storming to his room Eric lay on his bed until, unable to get comfortable, he settled on the ground with eyes closed.
Nathan and his dad tried shooting hoops, the return of normalcy. But the ball was too bright and the smooth shape felt foreign in his now rough hands. Trying to play basketball, Nathan discovered that he no longer could, the ball bounced away from him, missed the hoop, and bored him. Nathan didn't miss the look of disappointment in his father's eyes and thought no one on the island would look at him like that. But this was his home, not the island, this was his family, not his fellow cast-away's; so Nathan picked up the ball and tried again, still unsure how he ever found this fun.
Daley tried to help her father around the house. But he only commented on how bossy she had become and how she should relax. But Daley had never been one to stand back and not help, the time on the island had only re-enforced that. Her father seemed to have forgotten that before her mother died Daley had been the one to look after herself, her mother and the house. It seemed that he didn't trust her to cook or do anything, the cast-away's wouldn't treat her like that. But she shut her mouth and let her father take over because over the last month she had learnt that sometimes it's best to keep silent.
Lex tried to tell his mother all about his great inventions and adventures on the island, but she didn't understand; she said things such as 'that sounds simple enough' and 'Lex, that's dangerous, you should've known better, Daley should've known better'. She didn't understand and Lex was beginning to believe that no one but the cast-away's ever would understand, people stuck in the material world were too blind, they'd never see things the way the survivors of Flight 29DWN did.
Mellissa's mother had booked a special dinner at a fancy restaurant to celebrate her return and Melissa was forced to dress neatly, something that felt so awkward and unfamiliar. Melissa tried to talk and laugh occasionally as they sat but was only rewarded with dirty looks; it was a restaurant, she was supposed to whisper. Her mother thought she was doing something nice but she didn't understand that this was not the type of dinner that Melissa had become accustomed. But her mother seemed happy, and things weren't going to ever be how they had been on the island, so Melissa smiled, refrained from removing her confining shoes, and swallowed the disgusting food currently residing in her mouth.
Jackson lay on his bed, earphones plugged in his ears trying to not cringe at the loud noise emitting from them. His bed was so crackly and cushiony beneath him that Jackson was finding it hard to relax, it was just unnatural. His fresh clothes felt scratchy and uncomfortable on his back and the lights were so surreally-bright, but the dark was so unnaturally so. Finally giving in, Jackson ripped the earphones out, jumped from the bed and left.
Taylor had charged her phone and was currently reading through the thousand text messages she'd received. Tired of reading stupid, false, well wishes Taylor dropped her phone to her bed and rubbed at her still red skin. She felt unreally clean, too clean, and she knew exactly what she needed so she grabbed a towel from the bathroom, her bathers and left a note on the bench.
Eric had spent the last ten minutes marvelling at the toilet. It enthralled him how the flush button could control the water and leave it clean. It was strange that things so normal to the modern world were so bizarre to him now. Eric had already tried to sleep but hearing cars and sirens hadn't allowed him any relief from consciousness. A sudden brainwave hit him as Eric once more watched the water in the toilet go round and round. He grabbed a jacket and snuck out the house silently.
Nathan lay with his eyes wide open, still holding the stupid orange basketball in his hands, trying to re-familiarise himself with it. It was too early for sleep, and the house was too still, too silent so he climbed from the window with intentions of shooting more hoops. However, the moon was too bright and drew him towards it. Dribbling the ball down the road Nathan let his feet led him to the moon.
Daley tossed and turned, sighing in irritation. Feeling so un-eased at the moment Daley looked at the photo of the survivors on the beach taken at their rescue – that was were she had felt at home. Smiling sadly, Daley carefully put the photo back and glanced out her window, noticing the nearly-hidden stars.
"Lex? You awake?" Daley whispered from his doorway.
"Yes Day. What's wrong?" Daley motioned for Lex to follow her and grabbed his hand. Together they snuck from the house and ran bare-foot down the street, the wind in their hair and smiles on their faces.
Mel held the figure Cody Jackson had carved out of wood in her hands, caressing the timber. She missed the island, she'd been back less than a day and she was already lonely. She knew there was no way she'd be able to sleep without the waves and the wind and the sounds and knowing that her friends were all around her. But she decided to do what she'd always done on the island when she needed a refuge so she snuck out the window and walked to the closest thing that could resemble the island – the beach.
Nathan arrived and was about to sit down until he saw the figure a few metres away. Silently sitting beside Jackson, Nathan breathed in the salt. Next to arrive was Eric who, in an uncharacteristic move, only nodded and lay beside them. Taylor was only a few minutes later and waded into the waves before noticing the cluster of boys and smiling at them. She sat beside Eric, who placed his hat over her hair and slung an arm around her shoulder. Melissa arrived without noise and sat herself between Jackson and Nathan. Jackson wrapped an arm around her waist and Nathan reached for her hand. Minutes later Daley and Lex arrived laughing. Noticing their friends they continued running to them and joined the group. Nathan pulled Daley into his lap and Melissa extended her arm to Lex, who accepted and squished between her and Daley and Nathan. That was their family – the only ones who really understood, the only ones who ever would. They sat in solemn silence for a while, lost in memories and familiar scents, common faces and the lull of waves. Of course Eric had to break the silence with a loud fart and all seriousness evaporated. Laughter, smiles, sand fights, water fights, and a sense of belonging occupied the family until the waves lulled them to sleep. Their first night home they found their own ways to the beach, together – where they were most at peace, most at home.
So, what did you think? Please read and review… Did you like it? Should I write more or leave it as a one-shot?