Their first flying lesson

Tuesday 11th of July 3018

It was his third day of being hospitalized and he was already losing his mind. Nyco felt like a caged animal and continuously tried to leave the hospital. Emma had to put a small camera in his room so, if he tried to escape, she would call a nurse to bring him back.

The cut in his mouth was healing perfectly, but his burnt foot was a more serious matter. They had to replace his dead skin with new artificial skin. They also found bits of metal embedded in his bones. Extracting all the little parts was a hassle and took more time than anticipated.

To keep his mind busy, Nyco decided he would train in his room whenever he was alone.

It was 5:28 PM when Emma and Yve knocked on the door and walked in with a smile.

-Hi Nyco. We just finished school and decided to… What are you doing?!-, she complained. The rebellious kid was doing push ups on the floor with his feet on the guest’s chair.

-I’m… training… my arms… chest… abs… and back muscles…-, he answered in between pushups.

-I know what muscles benefit from that type of training. I mean why are you training?! The nurse’s say you should sit still. It’s not good for your foot.

-The nurses…. can go and… get stuffed… for all I… care-, he continued saying without stopping.

-NYCO!!!-, Emma screamed.

-Hahahaha, you are something else-, Yve laughed.

-Don’t encourage him, Yve-, Emma scolded.

-Okaaaay. Sorryyyyy… How many have you done?

-This is… my… 92… 93…

-Wow, impressive-, Yve recognized.

-Stop that and get to bed!-, Emma scolded him.

-One… moment… 98… 99… 100. Ahhh that was a lot of work-, he celebrated as he took his feet off the chair and then got up with his good leg. -Thank you for coming. What's in there?-, Nyco asked pointing at the bag Emma had.

-Oh, this? Nothing. I just thought you could escape reality for a while in the 5-S, but that’s for good behaving patients and not… monkeys-, she answered.

-Come on! Don’t be like that. I’m so bored here. Let me escape for a while-, he asked.

-Well. I actually brought it so we could all have a little fun, but since we only have two helmets, I’m afraid one of you will be left out. Ok then. You and Yve play Rock Paper Scissors to see who goes in with me-, Emma indicated.

-You ready, Yve?

-Yes-, she answered. -Rock, paper, scissors. One, two… CRAP!

-Hahahaha. Better luck next time-, Nyco laughed.

-What am I supposed to do now? Just wait here for an hour doing nothing?

-Well. You could do pushups like I did-, Nyco suggested teasingly as he knew her answer.

-Yeah… No thanks. My arms are for eating, not pushing the floor down. I’ll watch TV and see if anything passable is on-, Yve decided.

Nyco went back to his bed and Emma sat down right beside him. The young girl prepared the 5-S and selected the planet she wanted to go to. She told Nyco everything was ready and they both put the helmet on. The sleep inducing waves from the helmet made them fall asleep in one minute.

When they opened their eyes again, the hospital room was nowhere to be seen. Nyco screamed in excitement as his foot and mouth were completely fine in that virtual world. He went running over to Emma and hugged her in appreciation for bringing her 5-S.

The virtual world they were in was none other than their mother world. Emma wanted to practice with her Rocket Boots, and since the exam would take place on earth, the best option would be to practice there and not another planet with different gravity and weather characteristics.

-Would you mind if we start practicing with the Rocket Boots and then go and explore a little?-, she asked.

-Of course. We have 24 hours, that’s more than enough time-, Nyco agreed. -I see you already made us appear with the boots on. Perfect.

-Yeah, I’m just glad you won rock paper scissors. Yve isn’t the best teacher I’m afraid-, she acknowledged.

-Hahahaha, if you think she needs lessons too just tell me and I will try and help her. And also... since we are talking about Yve… You can tell her she doesn’t need to come here everyday. She shouldn’t feel guilty.

-I don’t think she is doing it out of guilt or anything. I see you two getting along quite well.

-Yeah. She's quite nice. Just make sure you are here when she comes. I don’t want to be left alone with her-, he confessed timidly.

-What? why?-, the young girl wanted to know.

-She just shows me that dating app she uses and asks if I think X seems like a nice guy to go on a date with. How would I know?!-, Nyco asked lifting his shoulders in disbelief.

-Hahahahaha really??! She does that?! Hahahaha-, Emma couldn’t stop laughing.

-Don’t laugh!. I’ve seen more flexed biceps in 2 days than I thought I would see in a lifetime.

-Hahahaha. Ahhh, this is gold. Hahahaha-, she continued laughing.

When Emma finally calmed down. They thought it was time to get started. Nyco got in front of her and held her right hand.

-Ok, remember. One push to this button on the glove and the boots lift up from the floor and stay suspended in the air. Then, you slide up the button on the side of your index finger with your thumb and it starts flying. There are two more speed options which are selected in the same way. Then, when you want to stop, you press the button again or open your hand completely. And for the boots to lose power in order for you to get down, you have to slide the button downwards. It also has 3 speed options. For now, let’s just activate the boots and hover over that field so you can get used to the boots and practice your balance. Then we will up the speed. Ok?

-Ok yeah. Sounds good.

-I won’t let go of your hand until you feel ready, ok?. I’ll stay here at your right side and follow your speed-, he said in a soothing voice as he noticed her getting nervous. -Just remember that here you can’t actually get hurt. so don’t worry.

The nervous blonde girl followed his instructions. The last thing she wanted was to fail miserably and make a fool of herself in front of the boy she liked. She pressed the button and felt her boots activate and suspend themselves in the air. Nyco grabbed her hand tighter to help her maintain balance. After she felt ready, Nyco told her to tilt her feet a little bit forward in order to start hovering in a straight line. She followed his guidelines to the letter, sensing his confidence through his hand.

Emma looked at Nyco, amazed about how safe she felt around him. Nyco noticed her gaze and winked an eye as a sign of approval for her quick learning. She felt herself floating away with that small gesture of his.

The beautiful landscape filled with daisies… the sky without a cloud in sight… His hand, holding her with serenity and confidence... His smile as he was flying with her…

Emma was sure she would never forget that special moment.