Beta: Atchair. Thank you, thank you for reading through, giving me so much help with plot, improving in general and letting me constantly plague you with my ramblings. You're slightly amazing.

Disclaimer: I am not Michael Grant. Please don't make me repeat that - it hurts so much :'(

As you might have guessed, this is a Sam and Drake fic - yes, I'm serious. Sam and Drake. Together. Romantically. Let's see if I can pull it off...

This is the product of Atchair's convincing fandom pairings. *Points at Atchair* It was all her, officer! I may have written it, and planned it and begged for help, but I am totally innocent! And I know I should be writing the second chapter of Body Shock. Oops. Anyway, enjoy as much as you can!

Connie Temple wrenched her eyes away from the road and glanced at her son. Sam was staring at the rucksack crammed between his knees, purposefully avoiding her gaze. Connie couldn't blame him. She could almost feel the hatred radiating out of him.

"We're nearly there," she said in a falsely cheerful voice, concentrating on the road again. Sam didn't answer. It was as if her son had been replaced by a stone statue. Unfeeling. She tried again. "Are you excited, honey?"

He sighed and stared out of the windscreen. "Ecstatic," he said tonelessly, fingers twirling the braided surfer bracelet Quinn had given him as a leaving present. It was black, like his mood.

Connie steeled herself. "Sam. I know it's hard, but this is for the best. I promise you –"

"Save it, Mum," he spat, his face twitching slightly in annoyance. "I don't want to hear it."

Connie briefly debated whether she should press the point, but eventually gave up. She promised herself that this was the best thing to do. The only thing to do.

She worked at Coates as the nurse, taking the aggravating night shift that nobody wanted. She didn't want to shift the blame to anybody, but she knew that Sam had accepted it. He carried it round with him all the time. The knowledge of the… thing he'd done. The power he had.

Connie knew she was taking the easy way out. Dumping her son at Coates because of an impossible green flame until she worked out what was happening. If she could work it out, of course.

The car rolled into the drive of Coates Academy, the tyres crunching against the gravel loudly. Sam took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders and stepped outside.

He felt as if he was looking at Coates for the first time. Sam had been to visit before on a handful of occasions, just to see where his mum worked, but now he was looking at it with new eyes and the knowledge that this would be where he would live.

It was huge and imposing, with grey stone walls and a dark slate roof. There was ivy creeping up one side, making the building look as of it was from another era. The grounds were perfect; pristine, and the grass looked as if it had been combed by the gardeners, each blade standing to attention like a soldier. Sam supposed it was a beautiful place – after all, the rich, snobby parents wouldn't leave their kids here if it wasn't – but the formality scared him. It was too big, too grand for the Perdido Beach boy, and he had to swallow a nervous lump in his throat. He felt like a deer, caught in the headlights of an onrushing truck.

Connie threw open the boot and hefted Sam's bag. It carried almost everything he owned, and yet it looked pitifully small, especially when she compared it to the number of heavy bags dragged in by Mose on the first day of term.

Sam shouldered on his rucksack and tugged the plain, nondescript bag out of Connie's hands, independent as ever. With a twinge of regret, she led him into the towering building.

"Nurse Temple!" called a female voice which echoed in the huge archway, making Sam jump. "You're early."

Couldn't wait to get rid of me, Sam thought bitterly. He kept his eyes on the floor, staring at his old, scruffy trainers in an attempt to avoid his mother's worried, guilty glances. They just made him feel all the more repulsed.

The speaker was a skinny woman with large glasses perched on the end of her nose. Her mouse hair was curled neatly, and her eyes were a bright blue. Her cheery attitude could not have been any different to Sam's gloomy expression.

"I'm Miss Bell," she explained brightly. "Normally, the Head would come and greet you, but… a slight situation cropped up before you arrived." Her mouth pulled down in distaste before she gathered herself again. "However, I'm more than happy to sure you your dormitory. Are you sticking around, Connie?"

Connie blinked before shaking her head. "No, I have to get back." She addressed the words mostly to Sam. "But I could stay if –"

"No need," insisted Miss Bell. "I can get Sam settled."

Connie nodded gratefully before turning to her son. She gave him an awkward hug, extremely aware of Miss Bell hovering behind her. "If you need me at any time, you know what to do. I'm working tomorrow evening, so you'll see me then. And you can come home for weekends if you want, and –"

"Okay, Mum," Sam interrupted bluntly. Connie could feel tears burning her eyes but blinked them away, determined.

"Okay," she repeated absentmindedly. "Okay." She swept him up in another hug, whispering "I love you," into his ear. Her heart felt heavy at the thought of leaving him here, but some of that pressure lifted slightly when Sam hugged her back. He would be fine; safe.

At least, she hoped so.

Sam watched his mother turn away and leave him. There was an odd feeling in his stomach; it was something akin to sea-sickness; an odd mixture of fear, hatred and love, along with a sprinkle of shame. He had no time to pout, as the ever chirpy Miss Bell sang "Follow me!" and led him towards the stairs.

There were two floors at Coates, Sam could remember that. The first one had an array of classrooms, a dining hall and a gym, like any normal school, and the second held the student's dormitories. Sam had no idea how many kids attended Coates, but he felt extremely insignificant when confronted with the sheer grandeur and size of the place after spending his whole life in Perdido Beach.

"Your room is in the East wing," explained Miss Bell. "Room 369. The boy's dormitories are in the North and East wing, the girl's dorms are in the South and West. There are no girls allowed in boy's dorms, and vice versa. Can you remember all that?"

She waited for him to respond, so Sam nodded and gave a strained smile. He felt like he was about to throw up.

"Great," she continued, counting down the doors. "You'll be sharing your room with one of your colleagues – he's expecting you. Mose will be bringing your suitcase up later, but feel free to unpack your rucksack. Here we are."

She stopped outside 369, nodding proudly as if she'd just found the Holy Grail. Sam swallowed hard, balled his courage up and walked into his room.

It was fairly large, with two single beds, two chests of drawers and two small bedside tables. It looked as if a mirror had been set up in the middle of the room, doubling everything. In fact, if it hadn't have been for the boy sat on the bed nearest the door, Sam might have thought that this was the case.

He was tall and lanky, with dark hair that fell into his eyes and large glasses. He wasn't handsome, but he did have a look of intelligence about him.

"Sam, this is Connor," explained Miss Bell. "I'll leave you two to get introduced. Connor, I'm sure I can rely on you to help Sam out."

The boy – Connor – nodded. He gave Sam an uneasy smile as Miss Bell left the room.

"Hi," Sam began attentively.

Connor slid off his bed and nodded. "Hey," he said. "Nice to meet you, I guess. Welcome to Coates."

"Thanks." Sam placed his bag down by the bed that was evidently meant for him. He felt as if he was intruding in someone else's space, and for a moment he yearned for the house he despised.

"I can give you a tour if you like," Connor offered shyly. "After you've settled, I mean. New kids stick out like sore thumbs, and asking for directions from a group of bullies isn't how you'd want to start off your first day. Believe me," he added as an afterthought, pushing his glasses up his thin nose. "I've been there, done that."

"Sure," Sam mumbled. He went to collapse on his bed, tired out, and noticed a small red book on his pillow. Stamped across the front cover was the phrase: "Rules and Regulations".

"Normally they just leave mints," Sam commented drily.

Connor stared at him. "What?"

"Nothing."

Sam fell back onto the bed and closed his eyes. At least he didn't have to worry about his room mate anymore. Coates had a well deserved reputation in town, and so Sam hadn't really known what to expect.

One down, a whole school to go.

Sam hadn't meant to drift off to sleep but when he woke up, the sun was slinking slowly away, a fire-filled orange ball. Connor was sitting in the same position, a comic in his hands, as if he hadn't moved an inch.

"Hey," said Sam, rubbing his face.

"Hi," answered Connor, not looking up. "Do you normally snore when you sleep?"

Sam grinned sheepishly. "I hope not."

He sat up and dragged one hand through his hair. His stomach rumbled loudly.

"Dinner's at six," said Connor automatically.

Sam stretched and checked the time on the small black alarm clock next to Connor. "Two hours," he mumbled. Damn. "Do you think you could give me that tour now?"

Connor jumped off his bed, oddly willing. "Follow me, dude."

Sam did so, secretly smiling inside at the word 'dude'. It was something he and Quinn used to say. His friend's face swam in his head, producing a nasty, hollow feeling. Who would go surfing with Quinn now?

Connor showed him the gym first off, before pointing out the dining hall, psychiatrist's office (here Sam felt a vague sense of unease), reception and headmaster's office.

"First thing tomorrow we have algebra," Connor said, leading him down a corridor. "I'll show you the classroom, just in case."

Sam followed him through the labyrinth-like layout, only half paying attention. The two of them passed a gaggle of girls who stared inquisitively at Sam as he walked past before laughing and whispering. Sam prayed he wasn't blushing and looked down at the floor quickly. Another group of kids were standing further down, the boys occasionally sneaking furtive looks at the snickering girls.

"Connor," nodded one of the taller boys.

"Benno," Connor answered, not quite as confident.

"Who's this?"

"New kid. Sam Temple – Nurse Temple's son."

Sam's mouth was dry, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything. It didn't matter, because the boy named Benno turned away, allowing them to move on.

"Watch out for him," was all Connor whispered under his breath as they turned away.

Sam had always known what kind of school Coates was. He didn't yet realise it was a hell hole.

The two boys looped around and headed back towards their dormitory. Sam had no idea which way to turn, privately thinking that he'd need a map and a compass to find his first lesson tomorrow. And even then he'd be likely to get lost.

Connor was chattering rapidly, quizzing him on comics. "Are you into DC or Marvel?"

"Um…"

"I like DC. Batman's my favourite, but I like The Flash. Have you ever –"

He suddenly cut himself off and sped up slightly, his eyes fixed to the floor. For a moment Sam wondered what he'd said (or what he hadn't said) before realising that straight ahead were two people, and from the way Connor was avoiding their eyes, they were the source of his discomfort.

The boy was as tall as he was, with dark hair and deep brown eyes. He was extremely handsome, but that wasn't what had caught Sam's eye; instead what kept his gaze was the aura of power the boy had about him. He held himself in a certain way, confidence and charm oozing out of every pore. Next to the boy was a girl – like him she had dark hair, and again she too stood with confidence. She wasn't pretty – she was beautiful; with skin the colour of cream, full red lips and large midnight eyes. Sam wrenched his eyes away from the two students who were talking quietly between themselves.

The boy nodded at the radiant girl before reaching behind him and opening the door to what was evidently his dormitory. He looked away and finally seemed to register their presence, nodding politely.

"Hey Caine," said Connor in a resigned voice, coming to a stop. "Diana."

Caine was looking over at Sam. "Hi," he said in a clear, winning tone. "You must be new."

"This is Nurse Temple's son," Connor filled in before Sam could answer.

"Sam," Sam clarified.

"Nice to meet you," said Caine, although he seemed to have other, more pressing concerns on his mind. "I'm a little busy right now, but me and Diana... we'll see you around." Sam was not sure whether he'd been imagining it or not, but there was an implied threat in Caine's tone. Caine shot Diana a conspiring look that made her full lips twist up into a knowing smirk before holding his door open for her in a gentlemanly manner (Sam couldn't stop his mind from flicking to what Miss Bell had told him earlier – no girls in boys' dormitories). Diana ignored the gesture, looking at Sam instead. "Welcome to Coates," she said. "Welcome to hell."

Sam gave an involuntary gulp, and Connor prodded him forwards, half forcing him into the sanctuary which was there dormitory. It was only when the snap of the door broke the strained silence that Connor spoke.

"I'm going to tell you some things that aren't in the rule book," he said urgently. "And they'll be the most invaluable things you could ever know about Coates Academy."

Sam wasn't really sure if he was exaggerating or not, but Connor didn't sound as if he was joking, and his face was the colour of gone off milk. For whatever reason, Caine and Diana scared him.

"Coates is a school for bad kids. I don't know why you were sent here, and I'm not going to ask – you'll get enough of that over the next couple of days – but I'm going to say this. There are kids here who aren't just bad – they're worse. They're..." he stopped when he noticed the look on Sam's face. Sceptical.

Connor bit his lip before continuing. "Have you ever seen a gun?"

"Sure," answered Sam, before adding: "On TV."

"So you've never held one?"

"No."

"Or shot one?"

"No."

"So does it change your views when I tell you that a kid in out class took his father's gun, 'accidentally' turned off the safety and shot the boy next door with it?"

Sam's heart missed a beat. "Did he –"

"Oh, the guy was alright. He pulled through. Just." Connor ran a hand through his ink black hair. "So the kid with the gun was sent to Coates. Since September, he's scared off three psychiatrists, fractured a girl's arm and shares a room with Caine only two doors down."

Sam's mouth was as dry as sand. "Who is this boy?"

Drake Merwin.

Connie sucked in a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face, commanding herself to continue writing. Her fingers tapped against the keyboard, loud in the empty house, and the pale glow emitting from the screen was the only source of light in the room.

She continued to write on her laptop, hoping that the new journal entry would help calm her thoughts.

That's who I'm worried about. Caine – well, there's only so far he'll go, I'm sure of that. Sam knows to stay away from kids like him, or so I hope. I just can't stop crying. I've betrayed Sam when he needed me most, and I've thrown him to the wolves. I've abandoned both my sons now. Sam is vulnerable. The things he might do…

Connie thought about the phenomena hidden in Sam's bedroom, then cast her mind back to the night when Tom's hand had been burnt off.

But it's not what Sam will do that scares me. It's what he could do.

Drake Merwin.

First chapter over! Took me long enough.

Just a couple of things before I finish off - first, Sam's room is number 369 - Caine and Drake's would be 366. I was going to make it 666, but that seemed way too obvious, so it was a kind of nod to that. Wasted, right? xD Also, I couldn't manage to include this in the story, but if anyone's forgotton, Nurse Temple is the night nurse - naturally, she's the one who has to patch up Drake's victums and see to any injury in general. She knows what he and the other Coates kids are like, although in this she's only been working there for a little while. Connie, I doubt, would have been able to send Sam to Coates, but she's used the money she's saved up, and also only having to support herself is less of strain financially.

The essay is done, so now I'm just gonna beg you for reviews! Pwease?