Leave The City (Book 8 of Adopted by the Josephs)

1. Samantha

I took a deep breath and walked through the double doors. Looking around, the vast hall was filled with sunshine, people and luggage. My attention was caught by a screaming sound calling my name. I smiled at the brown haired woman charging towards me.

"Don't knock me over!" I laughed and Aunt Sarah's arms wrapped around me and she enveloped me in a tight hug.

"We are so happy you're here!" She said, not letting go. "This is going to be an amazing year."

I smiled. I hoped so. I needed it after the past - well five, but really, just since January.

"How was the flight?" Aunt Sarah asked as we headed to where her car was apparently waiting. I had a SkyCap following me with a cart full of luggage. I had pretty much a year's worth of stuff with me. Three heavy suitcases, anyway.

"It was alright. Until we hit the Rockies," I said.

"Yeah. That turbulence, huh?"

"I mean, we literally hit the Rockies," I said. "Then they made me fly the plane. So annoying."

Aunt Sarah smiled at me.

"Your sense of humour is still intact I see, and still dark," she laughed. I shrugged and smirked.

We got out to where her car was and I paid the SkyCap. Dad had made sure I had cash for the SkyCaps so I wouldn't have to try to drag my luggage by myself.

Sarah opened the trunk on their SUV and instructed me to put my very full and heavy backpack into the backseat. As with my first visit to LA, there sat Uncle Brendon, hiding but ready for me to be surprised by. I gave him a tight hug and almost broke down into tears.

"Hey there, Darlin'" he said, smiling at me. "What's this?"

He wiped a stray tear from my cheek. I wiped away another.

"Just my eyes leaking because I'm so happy to be here," I said.

"We're so happy you're here. We're happy to have you. For a whole year, too!" He said. I smiled. I would be spending my Senior Year in LA. I'd go to the high school their late daughter, Jess, had gone to while she was alive. They'd adopted Jess about four years before I wound up with my own adoptive parents - Tyler and Jenna Joseph.

It's a long story of how I wound up as their kid. It could probably fill, like, books, what I've been through. If someone wanted to write about my life. But who would want to do that and bore the world?

Anyway, Jess had AIDS and had died the year I was adopted by my parents. I never got to meet her, really. But I've felt her presence in their LA home. We live in Ohio but Dad's bandmate, Uncle Josh used to live in California, and Dad and Josh are friends with Brendon and Sarah, and a bunch of other amazing people I never thought I'd get to meet, let alone be adopted by and then call them extended family!

Jess and I shared our June 27 birthday. And apparently some musical talent. Not like Dad and Uncle Josh and Uncle Brendon, in my opinion. Of my own talents. Dad says I sing beautifully. I dunno.

This past year, though, had probably been my worst year ever. In January, I was assaulted by someone I thought I could trust. It had caused a lot of emotional damage and it took me a while to overcome what happened. But my amazing psychologist, a support group and then my decision to start a scholarship for my friend Blaine, who had died when our classroom was attacked in a school shooting - he'd shielded me with his body had - helped me move past it. I had decided to turn Blaine's sacrifice into something good.

Except even that couldn't have gone smoothly. The night we were supposed to announce the winner of the first scholarship, my stupid uncle - my late mom's brother - kidnapped me and I spent about six weeks being dragged around by him until I was able to get help.