We made our way back to the hotel room. I dazedly sat down on the couch, watching everyone pack but not paying attention to anything in particular. Time seemed to flash by, as everything was suddenly packed.
"Hey Lil, would you mind helping us load the truck?" asked Nate.
"Sure," I responded.
I grabbed a couple boxes and loaded them onto the back of the truck. As everyone else got in, I plopped onto the back seat of the truck and buckled my seatbelt. It was tough leaving that hotel room. For the past week, it had been home, the first one I knew since the orphanage; leaving was hard.
A single tear running down my cheek, I laid my head back and closed my eyes, exhausted from the day's events. I awoke to the lurch of the truck stopping. Everyone got out and started unloading the truck. I kept my eyes mostly closed so no one would think I was awake yet. I let my head fall to the side so I could see what was around. I saw a white boat with a wooden interior, decorated with little knick-knacks from all around the world. I could smell saltwater in the air, something I've only experienced a handful of times. Figuring it was time to get up, I got out of the truck, grabbed a box, and walked it over to the boat.
"Hey, look who's up! Sleep well?" Elena asked.
"Yeah, pretty well," I said, despite the sleep being quite restless, free of any kind of dreams.
I got onto the boat and sat the box down. I headed into the cabin where Sully was preparing the boat for departure.
"Is this your boat, Sully?" I questioned.
"Sure is! Name's Sullivan's Travels, named her myself!"
"It's really nice! I like the wood design."
"Thanks, this thing cost me quite a pretty penny. Would've cost me a few more pennies had I not 'convinced' the seller to lower the price. Nice gal, though."
Sully turned back to the console to finish his preparations. Nate and Elena loaded the rest of the cargo on board.
"You ready to shove off, Lil?" Nate asked, smiling.
"Sure, but where are we headed to?"
"Back to the US. I've got an apartment in Key West. There's a spare room you can stay in… if you still want to come with us, of course."
For a moment, my depression lifted, replaced by a glimmer of excitement.
"Of course I'm coming with you!" I said, smiling.
"Glad to see everything's wrapping up nicely here. I'm gonna go take the truck back; I've got a plane to catch in an hour. I'll see you guys back in the States!" announced Elena. Her and Nate hugged, causing Nate's cheeks to turn red. She got in the truck, waved, and drove away.
"Well Sully, are we ready to go?" Nate asked.
"Just got 'er ready. Lillian, can you go take the anchor rope off of the dock?" Sully responded, pointing at the rope keeping the ship tied to land.
I unraveled the rope off the post.
"Alright, here we go!" Sully whooped, pushing the accelerator forward. The boat took off into the shimmering blue sea. As I watched the shore disappear in the distance and the salty wind blow through my hair, I was free.
I walked to the front of the boat and sat down. Looking out, I saw nothing but water. Never having been on a boat before, sitting there was magical. For once, I felt at peace.
Nate came and sat down next to me.
"How're ya doin', Lil?" he asked.
"Pretty good. This boat is really nice, I've never been on one before," I responded.
"Yeah, Sully had to jump through quite a few hoops to be able to afford it," he chuckled.
We sat there for a few minutes, taking in the blue horizon. A question entered my mind.
"Hey, Nate… how do you guys cope with killing people?"
His face turned stoic.
"I do what I have to… you get used to it over time."
"I can't get his face out of my head," I responded. "I could barely sleep last night; every time I closed my eyes, I saw him lying there dying."
"I went through something similar the first time I killed someone, too. It'll pass, I promise," he said, standing up and patting my back. "You'll be fine, you're tough," he encouraged before exiting to the ship's cabin.
The boat ride took about five days. It was boring yet comfortable, as the boat had plenty of food, and the lower cabin was well furnished and had air conditioning, something I rarely experienced.
The trip concluded with us pulling up to a dock lined with other boats. Nate anchored the boat to the dock once Sully had backed it in.
"So Sully, what're you gonna do now that we're back?" Nate asked.
"I'm gonna find the nearest bar and relax. I feel like I've been on my feet for a week!" Sully said, smirking.
We departed the boat and walked a few blocks to an apartment complex that stood before the water. We took the elevator to the top floor where Nate's apartment was. Arriving at door 413, Nate unlocked the door and led us in. The apartment was spacious with several windows lining the walls, offering a view of the ocean. A couch sat in the middle of the room, facing a flat screen TV. I saw two other spacious rooms, along with a sizable bathroom. There were bits of trash around the room; I figured Nate never really had neither the time nor a reason to clean up, seeing as he lived by himself and traveled all the time. The kitchen, while well-stocked with non-perishables and cooking tools, was a mess, with dishes filling the sink.
"Well, here we are. What do ya think?" said Nate, motioning to the room around us.
"This is probably the nicest place I've ever been in. How in the world did you afford this?"
"When we went searching for El Dorado, we certainly didn't leave empty-handed," Nate smirked.
"When I left, I hadn't planned on someone coming back to live with me, so I hadn't cleaned up, and there isn't a bedroom set up yet, so unfortunately you'll have to sleep on the couch until we get you a proper place to sleep."
"It's perfect," I said, having already laid down on the couch.
"Well, I think you two have things under control here. I'm gonna head down to the boat and start unloading everything. I'll see you two later. Oh, and Lily… it's nice to have ya with us," said Sully, smiling as he exited the room.
As I laid there, the air conditioning drifted over me. Still exhausted from our time in Mexico, I closed my eyes to get some rest. I was finally home.
yes to get some rest. I finally felt safe. I finally felt at home.