Separated ways

16.Destination

Hi! This is another chapter that shows what awaits you and me in the next chapters. I have a hazy idea what to do next. But closer to the end it will get better. Promise;)

This chapter, even if short, is published with a special dedication to @FreeThoughts271. It is a gift followed by the next chapters I want to give you for all work you put in writing your own amazing stories that helped me to keep going so many times. Danke;) 

The doubts had been still overwhelming Sam, but he signed up the form and there was no turning back. He quickly packed his things, because there was not too much time left as his plane was boarding next morning. Even though he had had elss time than Penny had, he still found time to talk with his friends and partly prepare them for what was about to come. 

"Penny is in France? Are you kidding me? Nice joke, Sam, but you won't catch any of us" Ellie denied what she had just heard, abrupty turning to face her team leader. 

"But that's true, firefighter Philips" said Station Officer Steele, who had just came upstairs to approach whole team, before Sam could make up what he wanted to respond with. "Firefighter Morris signed up for an exchange and she got accepted right away" Station Officer Steele explained. 

"But she is going to come back, isn't she?" Elvis asked with hope hidden in his voice. 

"I hope so, Elvis" Station Officer Steele tried to take control over the siscussion that arose between Elvis, Ellie and Arnold. "Unfortunately, I'm afraid it is not the end of departures" Station Officer Steele announced, concerned. 

"What do you mean now, sir? Who else is going to leave?" Arnold asked puzzled. 

"Sam, you want to say something?" Station Officer Steele sent Sam a polite smile. 

"I got an offert to participate in an exchange as well" Sam started. "And I think I agree" Sam hold his breath as soon as he realized with what facial expressions his friends were staring at him. 

In defence, Sam just looked down on the floor. He couldn't handle their gazes on him. At that moment part of him wanted to agree with Penny with her decision not to tell them about her exchange. 

Thinking about home helped Sam spent the whole fly without any bigger problems. He was anxious at first, but when he got some restless sleep meanwhile the fly, his thoughts seemed to settle down a little. 

Looking at his watch, sitting on his bagadge, and without knowing what to do next, Sam quickly lost the sense of time and space around him. That was probably the reason why he jumped in the air and fall hitting the ground when a stranger briefly spoke to him a moment ago.

"Excuse me" a brown haired man, looking for Sam's age, repeated the same question. "I was asked to pick up Krzysztof Nowak" he explained. Sam looked at him confused, but not because he didn't understand what the man had just said, otherwise the stranger's English was very fluent, but it could be heard that it was not his mother language. 

"No, it is not me. I'm Samuel Jones" Sam replied a little too grumpily. He still didn't understand what went through his father's mind to give him that name. 

"Oh..." the stranger sighed with resignation. "But you're on the exchange right?" A smile reappeared on his face. 

"Yes, I suppose" Sam shrugged his shoulder in responce. 

"My name is Lucas" he informed formelly. "Then follow me" the stranger waved his hand and without waiting for Sam to follow he walked towards the exit to the huge park. 

Sam's new guide didn't seem to be a talkative one, so they walked all the way throught the park to a small parking lot in silence.  Lucas clicked something on his mobile phone quickly, as they were reaching the middle of the square, and briefly spoke to someone on his phone. He was speaking in German, so Sam didn't understand a word. 

"Sorry, but... where are we going actually?" Sam asked confused when he followed Lucas to a narrow street leading into the dark corner. 

"Ahh, there was a..." he hesitated with his answer long enough that they almost walked through half the street. "Mistake. We need to clarify it at firestation, so I'm taking the shortest way possible" he explained without stopping his pace. 

"What kind of mistake?" Sam asked even more puzzled. Even if Essen made an amazing impression as a city on him, his heart belonged somewhere else. And deep inside he had a dim hope that they would tell him he must go back to Pontypandy. 

"As a big firestation" he pointed to big red roof shining all over the small rooftop of other buildings before them "we agreed to take two exchange candidates. Me and my friend were supposted to pick them up today. But they gave us wrong adresses" he took the piece of paper Sam had already seen today and waved it carelessly. "I got the name of the second exchange candidate, while having your arriving time and place" he ended his short explanation in time they waited for the traffic lights to change back on the broad streets of Essen.

"You can easily lost a matter of time, when walking there" Lucas pointed to the city after them as Sam followed his sight and sighed dreamingly. 

"Yes, Essen is really beautiful" Sam agreed when Lucas stepped forward again. 

"You were not supposed to have shift, but as the rumor says you're not a one who whines about work, are you?" He sent Sam an arrogant grin while pointing to a huge building before them and a proportionally small red door. "Welcome to Essen West Fire Station".