New story! *cheers* This is the prequel for Lost & Found—go read that now if you haven't already!—and it's all about Kendall, when he was growing up and when he first came to LA. I should warn you, Carlos is not going to be in this story at all, and James probably will only be at the end for like three seconds. Logan will be in it for maybe half the story, like I said it's about Kendall, and his relationship with Sean and all that stuff! There will be no kames or Cargan here, so if that.s the only reason you're reading this, you should probably press that little back button in the corner . . . for those of you that are staying, please enjoy!

14 YEARS AGO

Will Knight was sitting at the table, reading through some medical report he had to fill in. He yawned, checking the clock on the wall of his little office room. Six-thirty. He sighed, taking a sip of the drink resting on his desk. It was a warm day in Henderson, and even with both the window and the door leading to the rest of the house hanging open, he felt sweat beading at the back of his neck. He wiped at the blonde hair off his forehead with the back of his hand and went back to his work.

In some distant part of the house, he heard the front door open and shut. "We're home!" a female voice called. Then Will's wife Jennifer, appeared in the doorway, her jacket still on and her handbag still on her shoulder. "I'll see you later, honey." Then she was gone again. Will sighed; couldn't she stay at home for at least an hour? She left work, went to pick up their kids from their grandma's house, dropped them home and was gone again.

Will looked up when he heard a soft knock on his open door, and smiled fondly. His son Kendall was standing there, innocently blinking his large green eyes at him, his blonde hair hanging over them. "Hey, kid," Will said, closing the file. "Where's Katie?"

"Asleep," the five-year-old replied. When his dad beckoned him over, his face lit up in a big smile, complete with dimples and little white teeth, and he walked over to where Will was sitting. Will bent down and picked him up easily, setting him on his knee. The boy was small for his age, and very light too.

"How was school?" Will asked him, ruffling his hair. His expression darkened when Kendall's smile fell as he bit his lip unhappily. Will smiled sympathetically. "Come on, buddy. What's wrong?"

Kendall looked up at him sadly. "I don't wanna go back there," he said softly. "I don't like it. Please don't make me go back."

Will was startled by this; he'd always thought his son enjoyed school. "Why not?"

Kendall looked even more unhappy. "The other kids were mean today. I didn't like it. I told Mommy but she wouldn't listen."

"Aw. Don't worry, kid. It'll get better. The thing to remember is that they can't beat you by being mean, because you're gonna be much happier than they are." He paused, then froze and looked toward the door when he heard a baby crying. He got up, setting Kendall back on the floor. "Come on, we'll go feed Katie. Are you hungry too?"

Kendall nodded eagerly, then skipped off towards the kitchen. Will followed him with a smile on his face. He'd finish his work later; there were more important things to do right now.

PRESENT

Kendall Knight stuffed the last shirt into his duffel bag, zipping it shut. He hung his frayed messenger bag on his shoulder; he never went anywhere without it. And he was definitely going somewhere now. He bit his lip as a few tears slid down his cheeks. He just couldn't take it anymore; all the sympathetic looks, the whispers, the mocking. But he couldn't help thinking of his mom, and Katie. He would miss them, but it was better off this way. He only upset them. But he was nineteen now, and an adult. He could leave.

He pulled his jacket on and left his bedroom. The hallway outside was dark, and he tiptoed down the stairs. He unlocked the front door and opened it slowly. The air outside was cool, the sky a dark blue shade; the sun would be rising soon enough. He shut the door after him quietly, then walked down the garden path and out onto the sidewalk. The housing estate was silent as Kendall hurried along, his shaky breath forcing him to stop and stay still once or twice. He was really leaving. This place had been his home for so long, and he was never gonna come back.

He arrived at his destination; the large gas station only half a mile from his estate. It was 1am, and the delivery trucks were driving around around this time. He spotted one buying a soda, and walked over to him. "Hey."

The man looked slightly puzzled, but replied, "Hi."

"Um . . . You've got a truck outside, right? Where are you headed?"

"I'm going to San Bernardino," the trucker replied slowly.

"Do you . . . do you know if there are any buses there that I could take to get to LA?"

"Yeah, there are a few." He paused, eyebrows raised. "Why, you looking to hitch a ride there?"

Kendall nodded earnestly. "I need to get there and I don't have a car. I'll pay you if—"

"Kid, relax." The driver gave him a friendly smile. "I'll get you to the station, free of charge. I'd take you further, but I've gotta go a route in another direction."

Kendall smiled gratefully. "Thanks. I really appreciate it."

The trucker went and bought his snacks, then Kendall followed him back out into the chilly air. They both climbed into the front seats. The driver started the engine and said, "I"m Ryan, by the way. You?"

"Kendall," Kendall replied slowly. He figured it didn't make a difference either way.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you going to LA for?" He frowned at the road in front of him. "You're just a kid."

"I'm not! I'm over eighteen."

"Oh yeah? How much?"

"Um, I turned nineteen a month ago."

"You're still a child, admit it." Ryan gave him a suspicious look. "You're a runaway, aren't you?"

Kendall just sighed and nodded.

"Why you leaving home?"

"I want to start a new life," Kendall replied dully. "To forget everything." He ended the sentence making it clear that he wouldn't talk about it anymore.

Ryan seemed to accept this, and the rest of the trip was silent. It was 2am when they arrived. Ryan stopped the truck outside a bus shelter with a wide open door. There were a few other people waiting there. "Here you go, kid. Bus schedule's on the wall over there. Good luck."

"Thank you," Kendall said with a grin, then hopped out of the truck, bags still in his hands. The others eating for the bus looked harmless enough even though they were clearly much older, and soon enough he found himself begin to relax. He examined the schedules and saw he'd half to change buses once he got inside the city to get to any closer to where his uncle lived. Even then, he'd have to walk a few blocks. He could deal with that.

When the bus came, everyone else went to sit at the back and Kendall was offered a seat behind the driver. The driver was nice; a fat man with an endless supply of ham sandwiches wrapped in greasy paper n a bag under his seat. He offered Kendall one; he accepted it politely but didn't eat it, looking out the window at the streetlights. The drive only took about thirty minutes, and when they got to the terminal where Kendall had to change buses, he was the only one getting off. The driver stopped him before he left. "You'll want to get the Seven C—it'll be along in about half an hour or so. You'll have to wait outside the terminal; they close it at nit because of the homeless people."

Kendall thanked him for the advice and got off the bus, crossing the street to sit on the bench outside the terminal. He took a deep breath. Everything was going fine. And I'm not afraid of homeless people, he thought firmly. But when a man in a plaid jacket over his head came toward him pushing a shopping cart, he felt his heart begin to pound. He was coming closer and closer. Kendall couldn't see what was in the cart; it was covered with newspapers. He couldn't see his face either, he only thought it was a man because of the husky build.

He kept coming, slowly. Why was he walking so slowly? So he could check him out? Kendall's heart was going faster and faster. He'd been so stupid to wander around in a strange city by himself. The figure in the plaid jacket was almost on him now. And there was nowhere to run. Te only thing he could think to do was to sit up straight and pretend he didn't see him.

The man was right in front of him now. For an instant a streetlights shone under the hood of his jacket, and Kendall saw his face. It was an old man, with grizzled hair and a gentle face. His lips moved slightly as he walked—or shuffled. That was why he walked slowly, because he was old. Or maybe because he was weak, and hungry. Kendall was sure he'd be hungry pushing a cart around at three in the morning.

Kendall was struck with inspiration, and reached into his duffel bag, pulling the ham sandwich out. "Want a sandwich?" he offered, copying what the bus driver had said to him. "It's Virginia ham."

The old man took it, and gave him a wide, sweet smile before shuffling away. Kendall was smiling to himself for a good ten minutes afterwards. But he was cold and tired by the time the bus came. It wasn't like the other bus; there was graffiti on the outside, the seats were split, there was gum on the floor and the place stank. But he was too sleepy to care. He didn't pay any attention to the man in the torn overcoat until he got off the bus with him.

That was when he realised he was following him.

Well, there you go! Chapter 1! Please review!