Welcome to Wherever You Are.

 

A/N - first things first, this is from my NaNoWriMo attempt last year..

Second thing - If any one recognizes the characters names - it is probably because they are old ones of mine (and of an old friend - Cub Wolf - who has since retired from writing, but asked me to at least try do the story of Sam.) If you don't recognize them, have fun reading this.

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“They'll send you back home you know, Sam-Sam”, the needling voice of his twin sister Lucy pierced his brain. Sam Rouxel tried to ignore her, feeling her nails dig into his upper arm. “Don't ignore me Sam-Sam. You know Trent doesn't like it when you ignore us.”

Sam tightened his jaw, moving into the crowd milling around Italy's Brindinsi Airport. Quickly losing his sister Lucy before she was able to plant any more thoughts into his head. He knew his cousin had already said yes to letting him stay with her. His sister Lucy just didn't understand why he had to do this. He had to get away from everything and finish his final year in university.

'They just don't care. They never have done, and probably never will do', he thought, ducking into a shop before his step-dad caught up with him. His sister Lucy had surely told Trent that he had ignored her and Sam really didn't want to deal with the inevitable argument. He rubbed at his arms, trying to ease the itching from healing cuts there. Finally taking in which shop he had ducked into, he took in the various sketchbooks lining the walls. It happened to be the place he had been looking for before his sister Lucy had gotten hold of him. Wandering further into the shop, Sam fingered the various pads of paper, wishing just one of them could be his. He knew he had some money left over in his wallet, but the reason that he needed that money to at least buy something to eat stopped him from buying the book he was currently holding.

“Lovely notebook, isn't it?” a voice asked him, startling Sam out of his thoughts.

“What? Oh yeah, it is a nice book”, Sam mumbled, before walking away without giving the other person a glance. Exiting the shop, he walked straight into his family. Sam swallowed as he felt Trent's fingernails dig into his lower arm.

“What was this I hear about you ignoring Lucy?” Trent hissed, pulling Sam along while smiling at the other patrons in the airport. “You know how I feel about that, or do I have to remind you.”

Sam knew it was a rhetorical question, but shook his head in answer anyway. He felt his body being shook by the brute strength of his step-father. Staring at the floor was the only way Sam could ignore the pain creeping up his arm as fingers tightened. Sam was used to being near enough manhandled by Trent, he was rather relived that they were in such a busy place.

“I didn't hear her, it was too loud in the shop”, Sam tried to lie, quickly closing his mouth as Trent gave him another shake.

“Bullshit. You know you heard her, and so does everyone else”, Trent retorted, pushing Sam into a metal chair near his gate roughly. Sam caught himself before the back of his head hit the top of the chair, curling up on himself.  Sam felt Trent's rough hand ruffle his hair, a pretence that had started when Sam was a young boy, and knew he would pay for what he was about to do when he returned from England.

“I'm sorry”, Sam mumbled almost to himself, “my flight isn't boarding for another hour though, please may I go have another look around?” his voice was lost in the hustle and bustle of the crowds around the dysfunctional family. Sam tugged on Trent's sleeve and repeated the request. With a grunt and a sneer from the burly male, Sam quickly left the seat. He didn't give the rest of his family a backwards glance as he tore out of their line of sight.

“Why do I end up feeling like I'm 8 and not 18 around him?” he asked himself, earning telling looks from nearby people. He didn't care, he was just glad to be away from the man that still had to earn the title of step-father. Wrapping his arms around himself, Sam retreated in on himself. It was the only time he felt as if he still had a hold on his own life. Slipping into the male toilets, Sam collapsed against a sink. Looking into the mirror, he pulled up one of his jumpers sleeves. Catching sight of scattered scars that decorated his flesh, Sam quickly pulled the sleeves back down. Trent's nails had made a couple of fresh scars open, tracks of red blood running down onto Sam’s hand.

Washing away the marks, Sam finished up in the bathroom before going back to the shop that held the sketchbooks, knocking into a few other travellers on his way. Muttering sorry to them, Sam hurried onto the shop. He could hear faint strains of a cover of Katy Perry's Firework just above the sound of conversations, spilling from the speakers. Sam mumbled along with it, having heard it enough times blearing from his sister Lucy's bedroom at all hours of the day. He tried to locate the sketchbook he had been looking at earlier, only to find it had been taken already. Resigning himself to finding a different sketchbook, Sam walked straight into a soft body. Stammering out an apology, Sam tried to get away, freezing on the spot as a hand closed around his.

“Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you”, a deep, laughing voice told him. Sam chanced a look up, his eyes meeting a pair of dark brown eyes, framed by thin wired black glasses. Sam squeaked and pulled away, feeling like a mouse trapped by a hungry cat. He berated himself, the guy had just wanted to know if Sam had been okay. He cursed Trent for making him so jumpy. Looking down the other aisles in the art shop, Sam found a different sketchbook that was cheaper than the last one, giving him enough to still buy some food. He couldn't see the man he had bumped into. Not that he could call him a man, he looked more like Sam’s age. He briefly wondered what plane the guy was catching, a small part of him wishing it was his. His ears heard his flight being called, clutching at his new purchase, Sam ran to his gate.

“Well done, you made it. We were starting to wonder if you wanted to stay with us”, Trent told him, a malicious smile marring the once handsome features. Sam dropped his head, once again muttering an apology. He was starting to get tired of always saying sorry.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry. Is that all you say?” Lucy hissed at Sam, digging him in the ribs. Sam rubbed the already tender  spot. “Anyone would think you were a bloody broken record.”

“Now now, Lucy. You know he is one anyway. Always going on about something or other. Is it a wonder he doesn't have any friends?” Trent smirked, catching sight of the bag that Sam had hold of. “Well, what is this then? Spending money on  things you don't need?” Trent grabbed the bag out of Sam's arms, pulling the sketchbook out and waving it front of Sam's face. “Didn't we tell you that money was for food only. Don't go complaining to your cousin when you're hungry. She won't feed you.”

“She'll feed me a damn sight better than you ever have”, Sam said, finding his voice and snatching the sketchbook back. “Ellie actually cares for me. Unlike you.” Sam saw Trent's arms twitch, knowing he had stepped too far. Swallowing audibly and clenching his eyes shut, Sam waited for the blow he was sure was coming.

“Just get out of my sight. No wonder your real father left. He wouldn't want a snivelling brat like you”, Trent growled, thrusting the sketchbook back into Sam's arms and leaving. His mother gave him a smile that was full of pity as she turned to go find Trent.

“I still say she won't want you. Probably ship you off to Nathan's. Then you'll be in trouble”, Lucy snipped before leaving him alone with his thoughts. Sam sank down into the chair nearest to him, waiting for his boarding card number to be called out. His families words running through his head.

-

Sam was glad when he found he had a window seat. As it was a short flight, he knew he wouldn't have anyone trying to get past him. Pulling out his old second hand iPod and plugging the headphones into his ears, Sam tried to relax. He always hated planes, not understanding how a huge chunk of metal could get off the ground with over four hundred passengers on board. He had already pulled out everything he would need for the flight, piling them all onto his lap. He didn't notice when the guy he met in the art shop sat next to him. Sam felt a tap on his shoulder, shifting to see who it was, he came face to face with the guy. Sam swallowed and turned back to stare out of the window, watching the black tarmac on the floor intently.

“You're quiet, you know that?” Sam faintly heard the other male speak, tugging one of his  ear buds out of the ear closest to him. “My names Jacob, Jacob Pearson. And you are?”

“Samuel Rouxel, but I'm not meant to talk to strangers”, Sam put the dangling earphone back into his ear, determined to ignore Jacob. Taking a pencil out of his pocket, Sam opened the new sketchbook out of its bag and flipped to a new page. Making a few light markings on the page, Sam thought about what he could draw that would take him the whole time of the flight. Taking a quick, shy glance at Jacob, he saw that the male was watching every move that the pencil made.

“Have you been drawing long?” Jacob asked, reaching and pulling out the tiny ear bud resting in Sam’s ear. Sam glared at him, before nodding.

“Ever since I was a toddler, my father taught me”, he said, before adding, “He also taught me how to use a camera. I'm going back to my sketch now.” Sam saw Jacob nod and put the earphone back in place, hoping that the other male wouldn't try talk to him again. His pencil seemed to take on a mind of it's own. Floating around the page and starting to form a males face. He saw Jacobs eyebrows shoot up from the corner of his eye, wondering what had caused that reaction.

“Having fun watching me?” Sam asked Jacob, biting on the inside of his cheek as he waited for Jacobs answer.

“You are undoubtedly a good artist. Ever thought of selling some?” Jacob blurted out, his eyes still on the page Sam had open.

“No, and I'm not that good”, Sam tilted his head down. Scratching at one of his arms as Jacob scrutinised the rough sketch. He didn't think it was that good, and what did a stranger know?

“I think you should, you know. You could get a lot of commissions if you tried”, Jacob commented, running a finger over his lips. Sam couldn't help but watch the action. He knew he'd never see this Jacob ever again, so why couldn't he look? Well, that was his reasoning anyway. He knew he was gay, he had figured that out during his last year in high school.

“Where are you from anyway?” Sam heard himself ask, wishing he could unsay it when Jacob looked at him with a questioning look.

“I'm from a small town, you'll not have heard of it though”, Jacob replied, warming up to the smaller male. “How old are you anyway? You honestly don't look any older than sixteen or seventeen.”

“I'm eighteen”, Sam replied, feeling hurt yet happy that Jacob had thought he was younger than his actual age. “What about you?”

“I'm turning 20 next month. My older brother keeps telling me I need to stop growing and getting older though”, Jacob laughed, a deep, rich tone that Sam couldn't help but like. There was something about the male that Sam needed to get to know. He didn't understand why though. Both young males lapsed into a comfortable silence. Jacob started to drum his fingers on the table connected to the chair in front's back while Sam turned back to his drawing. The more he looked at it, the more that the sketch was turning to look like himself. Sam bit his lip, wondering if Jacob would want it if it was finished before the end of the flight.

“Hey... Would you like the sketch?” Sam asked, drawing his eyes away from the paper and  back to Jacobs deep brown eyes. He saw the other male smile and nod just before he turned back to sketching, adding extra care into what marks he was making on the paper. By the time the flight attendants came around with the on board meal, Sam's sketch had turned into a picture of himself sat on a bed messing with a camera. He smiled to himself as he moved the book to his lap and accepted the tray of food. Pealing back the foil on the top of the dish to keep it warm, Sam couldn't help but curl his nose up at the unappetising congealed food that was unveiled.

“Reminds you of prison food, doesn't it?” Jacob murmured, poking at his own as if it was about to crawl out and eat him. Sam laughed and nodded, taking a tentative bite.

“Doesn't taste as bad as it looked though”, he answered, before scrunching his nose up at the after taste. “On second thoughts, maybe it is worse than it looks...”

“You know, you look rather cute when your nose is all scrunched up like that”, Jacob couldn't help but comment, taking his own bite of the food they had been given. He tried not to gag as he swallowed, taking a large gulp of his drink. “Yeah, you're right. It is that bad!”

Sam snorted into the back of his hand. Trying to keep the congealed food down with each  bite he took. Looking at the rest of the food on his tray, he practically pounced on the single block of cheese that had been added. He wasn't allowed to eat much cheese at home, Trent telling him it wasn't good for men to eat too much cheese. Sam knew it was all bull, but went along with it for an easy ride.

“Anyway, what do you do?” Sam asked, interested to know as much about Jacob as was possible before they parted ways.

“I play the guitar. Yeah, I know that it is rather cliché, but I love it”, Jacobs cheeks turned a light red at the look Sam gave him, “I also write a bit.”

“What do you write? Fiction, fan fiction or something else?” Sam looked at him with wide eyes, thinking of the things he had read online.

“I do write some fan fiction, but hasn't most authors dabbled in a bit of fan fiction?” Jacob countered, raising one of his eyebrows. Sam nodded, thinking that they must have. “But I also have some original works. Nothing near good enough to actually get published, but I can hope if music doesn't work out for me, writing will.” he smiled at Sam, who had a pensive look on his face.

“What if both works for you though? Wouldn't it it be hard if they both did?” Sam asked, curious to how Jacob would handle the pressures of both.

“I guess I'd come to that bridge if it ever showed up”, Jacob shrugged. Nibbling on his own block of cheese. Sam nodded, shifting the tray onto Jacobs finished tray and giving him a cheeky smile. Jacob couldn't help but smile back, wanting to see more of the younger male. “You never said where you were going.” Jacob reminded Sam

“Oh, I'm going to live with my cousin for a year. I was offered a place in a local University to her and she let me stay for the year”, Sam shrugged, closing off at the mention of why he was currently on the big metal flying box. Jacob saw the change in him and went quiet, watching as Sam went back to his sketch. Jacob still thought that Sam could easily get commissions if he tried. Both were silent for the rest of the journey.

-

Sam eagerly jumped out of his seat as soon as the plain came to a full stop. He wanted off there and he wanted off there as soon as was humanly possible. He had slipped Jacob the finished sketch before he had put everything back into his bag, and had included his cousins phone number on the back. He hoped that Jacob would call, but wasn't sure if he would as they had split up at baggage claim in the airport. Sam was lucky that he only had his carry on bag, what with Ellie promising to buy him some new clothes, and saying he would fit into her house mates clothes if worse came to worse. Sam wasn't bothered about wearing second-hand clothing, having become used to it on the small allowance he received on a weekly basis from his mother. Quickly making his way into the pick up area, he looked around for his cousin, knowing he wouldn't recognise her at first. As soon as he stepped out into the lounge, he was crushed into a tight hug by who he could only describe as a red-headed bear.

“Hello to you too, Ellie!” Sam gasped out as his cousin Eleanor Rykard let go of him and started fussing. She was more of a mother to him than his own mother.

“I actually missed you , Sam”, Ellie babbled, “You have grown so much since I last saw you! Thought since that was when we were kids, it isn't a wonder that you've grown!” Sam blinked at her fast paced speech, almost missing half of it. Ellie giggled and led him out into the cool night air. Sam followed her, knowing he couldn't do anything but that.

“Ellie, have you had sugar tonight?” Sam asked, wondering if that was the reason for her hyper mood. Ellie shook her head.

“I'm just excited to have you here Sam”, she smiled, pulling him into a tight hug. “It has been too long, and with that ass-hole of a step-father you have, I jumped at the chance to put you up.” Sam felt a lump in his throat build up at that. He didn't understand why she was so happy to have him stay, but he was eternally grateful to her. He wish he knew how to thank her, resolving to be one of the best guests she'd ever had, despite being the guest for a whole year.