Homeland

Chapter 1

Foreword:

Okay so as I said in the description I have no idea what the plot of this is going to be so bear with me :/
But on a lighter note I'm going to try to spend more time on wattpad and update more frequently,

Thanks again for reading!
~R

-------------Chapter 1-------------

The festival in town was for All Hallows' Eve. Ribbons and banners decorated the buildings, each fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Tom and Sam walked hand in hand down the Main Street, which was a riot of colour with the festival being at its peak.
Today was, of course, October the 31st. All Hallows' Eve. Sam squeezed Tom's hand in excitement. He looked at her, a smile playing on his lips.
"What was that for?"
"Mmm? Oh, I'm just really enjoying the atmosphere. Don't you love it when a community joins together?"
"I suppose," he replied with a laugh. Sam was so much happier now than when they'd been riding across the deserts. Her optimism was certainly rubbing off on him, but he couldn't help thinking about what they'd left behind...
A tug on his arm brought him back to his senses. Well, a tug was perhaps an understatement. Sam nearly dislocated his shoulder when she pulled him over to a stall.
The stall was set up outside the tiny sweet shop. Brightly coloured and smelling of caramel, it was more than quite inviting.
"Oo, oo, oo, what should we get?" Sam asked, as excited as her younger brothers would have been.
"Umm, what's your favourite?" He suggested.
Sam's face fell a little, "I haven't had sweets since...too long ago. We've never had the money for luxuries like these," she gestured at the stall.
"Okay, well, how about sherbet lemons?" They'd always been his favourite as a child.
" 'Kay," she turned and addressed the man behind the stall, "Can we have a cup of sherbet lemons please?"
The man nodded and smiled, measuring out the sweets. He wrapped them up in a brown paper bag and handed them over in exchange for some coins Sam produced.
She smiled and thanked the man, and the couple continued down the road. Thoughts took Tom again.

-

Sam could tell something was bothering Tom. She'd noticed first when he'd been ploughing the field and had almost ploughed through a fence. He'd been so lost in thought, he hadn't even realised where he was going.
Now she looked at him, and his eyes clearly weren't seeing where he was going. She worried about him. What if she'd done something wrong? What if--no. That was ridiculous.
She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes.
"Woah! Oh, sorry, Sam. Did you say something?" He looked sheepishly at his feet.
Sam pulled him to the side of the street, narrowly avoiding a cart.
"Look," she said, looking straight into those pretty hazel eyes, sort of distracting, "What's bothering you? I'm seriously worried about you."
Tom looked uneasy. Not a good sign.
"Do you remember you had to sell that locket back in San Antonio?"
Sam nodded.
"I can't stop thinking about it. It's yours and you should really have it back..." He looked like he thought what he'd just said sounded stupid out loud.
Sam sighed. She wasn't sure how she felt about the locket. Another journey across Texas? Another chance to lose Tom? And could she really leave her mother with three children again?
"I know what you mean." Tom agreed.
"W-what?" Sam spluttered.
"Another journey across Texas."
"Did I say that out loud?"
"Yep."
"Oh. I think I'm going insane, Tom."
"That's okay. I'll still love you." He laughed.
She smiled and let him brush his lips on hers.
"So what are your thoughts on getting the locket? I mean, besides what you just said." Tom pushed.
"Hmm. I want it, yes. But the effort of getting it... And we'd have to cross the state carrying money to buy it...risky." She couldn't make her mind up.
"How about we talk to your mother?" Tom suggested.
"Yeah, good idea."
"So do you want a sherbet lemon?"
"I'd love one." She replied with a smile.

***
Bringing up the locket didn't go how Tom had expected. He wasn't actually sure what he'd expected, but it wasn't this.
Melissa had sat them all down round the kitchen table with a deadly serious look on her face.
"We all know that locket is an heirloom in our family. It originally came from Great Britain, somewhere along my mother's line of ancestry. We have enough money to buy it back from kind old Amata but the journey is a whole other matter. Are you two willing to travel all the way to San Antonio and back again?"
"I am!" Came a little voice from the doorway.
"Henry! I told you to go to bed!" Melissa cried.
"No, hear me out! You lot have never had a serious meeting like this before, and I wanted to know what you're talking about. I could help, you know!" Henry protested.
Tom couldn't help but smile at Sam's adorable little brother. Henry stood maybe four feet tall, but Tom had no other eleven-year-olds to compare him to. His dark hair was precisely the same shade as Sam's but his eyes were grey and stormy, and they seemed to change with his mood.
"Absolutely not." Melissa said with finality.
"Wait..." Sam murmured. She so was deep in thought Tom could see the cogs and gears working in her head.
Melissa ignored her.
Henry continued his rant, "But I can ride! I can also be fairly persuasive! And I know you're all thinking I'll just be a chore, but aren't we less likely to be attacked if you have a child with you?-"
"No." His mother muttered.
"-because kids are cute. Well, sometimes. And Sam always gets the glory! I'm nearly twelve I can help!" Henry finished.
Melissa was shaking her head, but Sam was nodding slowly.
"Henry has a point,"
"He's got more than one." Tom interjected.
"What I'm saying is maybe the trip would benefit from Henry's company. I reckon we'd make it." Sam looked around for approval.
Henry nodded earnestly.
Melissa simply said, "Out of the question."
Tom, however, could almost see Sam's way of thinking. "I'm with Sam, and not to be a cliché. Anyway, we're the ones going, so it's our decision who we take."
"That's settled then." Sam said before Melissa could object. "We leave in three days."

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Sorry for a slightly random first chapter, but please don't forget to vote and comment ;)

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~R