Unwanteds High (AU)

Beautiful

Samheed laid in the grass, his eyes closed as he tried to focus on the senses that weren't from sight. The sound of the grass rustling around him, a crowd of Unwanteds not too far away laughing at a picnic. He could smell the food they had from where he was laying. The smell of hot baked bread and fresh picked berries. The sound of the waves crashing on the beach not too far ahead.

He gently ran his fingers over the blades of grass. Soft, like he was laying on a cloud. If he could just lay here a bit longer...

Finally he opened his eyes. The bright light made him wince from how intense it was, but soon his eyes adjusted. Clouds. Perfect, white fluffy clouds. A bird passing by up above.

Sam gently sat up, a smile coming to his face as he just took it all in. The ocean spread far ahead, the mansion behind him. No matter how many times he's looked at this same view, it never gets old to him. Before he thought he was going to die in a lake of oil. He wouldn't ever admit it out loud, but he was so thankful it wasn't death and instead a new life to live.

Sam picked up a small white dandelion. He's seen these before. One time he dared Alex to eat one when the group had a picnic out here last week. He chuckled to himself, remembering how he lost it at Alex gagging out the puff ball in his mouth. He could almost feel the pain in his side again from when he laughed so hard.

"Hey you."

Sam was startled a little, but he felt better when he saw who it was. Meghan came over, wearing light jean shorts and a white blouse. She didn't even have to ask to join him. Meg could join anyone and she would always be welcome. She sat down next to him, crossing her legs as she settled down.

"Whatcha thinking about?" She managed to ask as she was looking out too. 

"Do you think about how beautiful the sky is?" Sam asked. "It's a blue but a different blue every single day. And how does the sky turn so many different colors? It can be gray or pink or orange or purple or yellow... All at different times of the day, but the sky is wondrous. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..."

"Whoa, who turned you lyrical?" Meg giggled softly.

"I'm being serious," Sam huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in embarrassment.

"I'm kidding," Meg said with a warm smile. "But yeah, I agree with you."

"Before we couldn't see the beauty of the sky. All those bars in Quill..." He frowned, twisting the dandelion stem in his hand. "I'm glad I know now that life like that isn't normal... I almost convinced myself it was. Back then, I was so sure I was going to be Wanted and a Quilitary solider... But the one doubt I had in my mind with that was if I had followed that path, I would have never known what that beautiful sky would have looked like without those bars..."

She didn't say anything to that. Quite frankly, he wasn't expecting her to. He only glanced over to notice the wind flowing through her curls. She seemed to be thinking. Oh, he loved that look in her green eyes. She drove him absolutely insane. The thought of Cole looking at her the same made him have the urge to find him inside and punch him.

"I like how the ocean just looks like a line ahead," Meg smiled softly. "Where the sky and the ocean meet. I'd like to know what's out there someday."

Sam's heart twisted a little at her little smile. If only she knew what that smile did to him.

"Yeah..." he agreed. "I'd like to know too."

Meg gently stood up. He fought the urge to look at her as she did, every single part of her. Her legs, the cuffs her shorts had, her arms. He stopped himself before his brain went all fuzzy. If there's one thing he knew, being 13 was absolutely hard. Especially with a girl as beautiful as Meg as his friend.