A/N So, I stuck music in here, because I didn't think I could write a realistic car ride without music. I always listen to music in the car. The songs are My Songs Know What You did in the Dark(also known as Light Em Up),by Fall Out Boy, I'm So Sorry by Imagine Dragons, and So Cold by Breaking Benjamin. I wrote the lyrics down from listening to the songs, because Samandriel wouldn't be able to check lyrics online. I wanted it to be realistic. I think I got everything right.

The January Samandriel was thirteen, his parents drove two states over to go to an event with his older sisters Rachel and Anna. Samandriel was alone for two nights with only Balthasar and Uriel for company. Balthasar got horribly drunk the first night and was unconscious with a hangover on the morning of the second day. Samandriel was in the kitchen looking through the cereal options when Uriel found him.

"Hey, brat," Uriel said.

Samandriel blinked up at him, confused. Uriel had completely ignored Samandriel for over a month. He hadn't expected Uriel to give up on pretending he didn't exist so easily.

"Hi?" Samandriel questioned.

"We're going out," Uriel stated roughly.

He seized Samandriel's shoulder and dragged him toward the front door. Samandriel was too baffled to consider resisting.

"But- I'm not supposed to be outside," Samandriel protested weakly. "Dad will be mad."

"Dad's not here now," Uriel growled. "You haven't been outside except for school in ages. Don't you want to get out for a bit?"

"Well, y-yes, but-" Samandriel started.

Uriel yanked him out the door without giving him time to finish. Samandriel stared wide eyed up at the bright blue sky. He could've stared all day, but Uriel pulled him to the car.

"Could we- maybe- walk around a bit?" Samandriel asked hopefully. He turned the full power of his soft blue eyes on his older brother.

"You'll walk when we get there," Uriel growled. "In. Now."

Samandriel climbed into the backseat of the car. Uriel sped out of the driveway before Samandriel had time to buckle his seatbelt. He quickly clasped the seatbelt; he didn't want to risk being unbuckled in case there was an accident. Samandriel wanted to ask where they were going, but he was too shy. He didn't want to lose whatever this was. It felt too good to be true, and he knew that it probably was. Uriel wouldn't just be nice to him like this.

Still, he was going to enjoy it as long as it lasted. Samandriel looked out the window at the houses flashing past. They looked different from the houses he saw every morning on the way to school, and he relished the change. He'd rarely been happier than just looking out the car window at the passing houses.

Of course, Uriel had to spoil it. He turned on the radio, much louder than Samandriel was used to. It hurt his ears and made it hard to concentrate on the view. Uriel flipped through the channels, not giving Samandriel a chance to get used to the volume. He settled on a song that was loud and seemed harsh to Samandriel. He listened; he didn't have much choice with it blasting his ears off.

"-The mean- mean time,

I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart.

I'm in the de-details with the devil;

Now the world can never get me on my level."

Samandriel stopped listening. He didn't like this song, and it didn't make sense. He shuddered slightly and desperately focused on the suburban neighborhood outside the car. It didn't work for long; soon he found himself listening to the music again.

"I've got scars from tomorrow,

And I wish you could see

That you're the antidote

To everything except for me."

Samandriel kept listening. The song was growing on him. Maybe rock music wasn't so bad after all. It was too loud, but he liked the rhythm and the lyrics made more sense and scared him less. He felt like he had scars from tomorrow. He hadn't known music could really mean something.

"A constellation of tears

On your lashes.

Burn everything you love,

Then burn the ashes."

That seemed a bit harsh, but the song was certainly less nasty than he'd originally assumed. He wouldn't want to hear it again, but he wanted to hear the rest. He liked it. He listened intently to the rest of the song and was a bit sad when it finished. The next song started playing. The music was harder and made his ears sting a bit.

"About time for anyone telling you

Off for all your deeds.

No sign the roaring thunder

Stopped in cold to read.

No time!"

Samandriel found himself tuning the new song out. It wasn't that it bothered him or anything, but it was loud and fast and he didn't connect to it. When the song softened for the bridge he started paying attention again.

"Life isn't always what you think it'd be;

Turn your head for one second and the tables turn.

Yeah!

And I know- I know that I did you wrong.

Will you trust me when I say that

I'll make it up to you, somehow. Somehow."

When the song went back to the chorus, Samandriel returned his attention to the window. For a while Samandriel payed no attention to anything and just stared blankly at the passing trees and fields. He wasn't really seeing them. He was worrying.

Uriel was his least favorite sibling, the one who scared him the most. He hadn't shown any signs of caring about Samandriel, ever. Now, suddenly, he wanted Samandriel to come along on a road trip to who-knows-where. It didn't feel right. He shifted nervously and watched Uriel's posture for clues. Uriel just looked like Uriel. No help there.

A new song started, and Samandriel caught his ears perking up. It sounded interesting. The minute long introduction was seductive and enthralling. He couldn't tell why yet, but he knew he liked this song. The singing began.

"Crowded streets all cleared away, one by one.

Hollow heroes separate, as they run.

You're so cold; keep your hand in mine.

Wise men wonder, while strong men die.

Show me how it ends; it's alright.

Show me how defenseless you really are.

Satisfied and empty inside; well, that's alright.

Let's give this another try."

Samandriel really liked this song. He listened as carefully as he could, and caught most of the words. He wanted to know the name of the song, but Uriel did not look happy. Samandriel was too afraid of him to ask anything. He tried to keep the chorus running in his head; he wanted remember it as long as possible. He nearly cried when a new song started. Soon the panoply of songs and rhythms drove that one song he'd liked so well out of his head.

Uriel drove them out of the fields and forests, and into a city. Samandriel looked around in confusion. Where is this? he wondered. What are we doing here? Should I ask Uriel? No, bad idea.

Samandriel sat there nervously, trying to come up with a logical explanation for why his most hostile family member had taken him to a strange city. He wasn't coming up with much. They kept driving, and he started to wonder why it had taken so long to get there. It didn't make sense to leave one city just to drive to another. How long had it been, anyway?

He thought to check the clock on the dashboard. 1:37, it read. Didn't we leave at around eight? Samandriel worried. Why did it take five and a half hours to get- wherever here is?

Samandriel looked around for street signs with helpful clues, but Uriel was still speeding and the buildings were dizzying. He felt tired. He wasn't used to long trips in the car, and the loud music wasn't helping. He shivered and rubbed his eyes.

"Uriel?" Samandriel asked timidly.

Uriel didn't respond. He should've been able to hear over the music; it was a softer instrumental.

"Uriel?" Samandriel tried again. "Where are we?"

"Shut up," Uriel growled. That wasn't very encouraging. Samandriel gave up.

Samandriel started worrying about what could happen, and felt his breathing speed up. He tried to think about something else, but his fears were hard to ignore. There was no way this trip was going to end well, and Samandriel knew it. Uriel was planning something, and if he needed to drive over five hours whatever it was couldn't be good.

Samandriel's heartbeat pounded through his head, and he almost started crying. He wasn't able to quit panicking. He tried to focus on the shimmer of the glass windows on the buildings, but his head wouldn't quit pounding. Tears fell. He hadn't had any water since the early morning, so his tears soon changed to dry sobs.

"Will you quit making that infernal noise?!" Uriel demanded angrily.

Samandriel sniffed weakly and covered his face to try to disguise the sound of his sobbing. He almost choked, but he quit making noise. Uriel seemed content to ignore him after that. Samandriel wasn't sure how long he just sat there, hunched over and shaking.

The car stopped, but Uriel left the engine on. They couldn't be stopping for long, so Samandriel didn't bother trying to look up and pay attention. Uriel got out, and jerked Samandriel's car door open. He said something, but Samandriel didn't catch what it was. Uriel sounded very far away, like he was shouting at Samandriel from across a football field.

Uriel slapped Samandriel across the face, hard enough to knock him against the opposite door. Samandriel saw stars. He whimpered and tried to shield his head with his arms.

"Out of my car now, you piece of crap!" Uriel yelled at him.

Samandriel obeyed automatically, climbing out of the car and standing unsteadily on the broken pavement.

"You wanted to walk," Uriel said. "Walk!"

Samandriel stumbled a few feet away before turning back. He finally understood why they were here. It made a lot of sense, and he couldn't see why he hadn't thought of it earlier.

"We're brothers," Samandriel protested softly. "You can't just abandon me here."

"You're no brother of mine," Uriel snarled. "You've done nothing but weigh my family down and make us look bad since you were born and got that disgusting bracelet."

Samandriel tried to scowl convincingly, but his lip quivered. "Dad won't let you do this," Samandriel argued.

"Dad won't know," Uriel said smugly. His face twisted nastily. "And frankly, he won't care."

"I'll f-find my way back," Samandriel said, voice lacking conviction.

Uriel smirked at that. "Kid, what's Rachel's phone number?"

Samandriel's mind blanked. He'd never owned a phone, so learning numbers had seemed unnecessary. It wasn't like he was allowed to go anywhere he could get lost. His head drooped.

"You don't even know the home address to find us," Uriel said mockingly.

"Yeah, I do!" Samandriel insisted desperately. "16- no, 14. 14 Charles St., Columbus. Or- Cleveland?" He gave up. He didn't know where he lived. Well, had lived. He couldn't stop the tear that ran down his cheek at the thought.

"You pathetic piece of scum," Uriel hissed at him. "At least I never have to see you again."

Uriel turned to leave.

Samandriel panicked. "Wait," he pleaded. He caught Uriel's shirtsleeve.

"You dare touch me, you stain!" Uriel punched Samandriel in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

Samandriel made no attempt to get up, but Uriel kicked him repeatedly anyway. Samandriel curled into a fetal position and tried to defend his face and stomach, which seemed to be Uriel's preferred targets. Uriel got bored of kicking Samandriel around and yanked off his jacket. It was thin, but it had been partially hiding his bracelet, and staving off the worst of the wind and cold.

"I hope you die of cold and exposure," Uriel snarled.

Samandriel shivered pathetically at the rush of icy air and curled farther into himself. He felt one more rough kick to his lower back, and then Uriel was leaving. Despite Uriel being his last connection to home, Samandriel was relieved when he left. At least nobody would kick him again if he froze to death here.

He only vaguely registered the noise of a car pulling away. It was so cold… His mind pulled at him, reminding him of the song lyrics he'd been trying to memorize. "You're so cold; keep your hand in mine…" It was starting to snow lightly as Samandriel fell asleep.

Samandriel was cold when he woke up. The icy wind nipped at him, and he contemplated the thought that he could die, right there. He rubbed his bare arms, desperately wishing he had his coat. It was freezing! Was a light jacket really too much to ask?

The wind blew snow in his hair. He found himself struggling to hold back tears. Samandriel tried to be strong; he'd need to be if he was going to survive this. What was he supposed to do? He was alone in a strange city that he didn't even know the name of. He didn't even know what state he was in! Uriel probably could've driven him to Canada and he wouldn't've even noticed.

Samandriel struggled, the cold making it hard to think with any clarity. The cold. That was the biggest problem. He needed to find somewhere with shelter from the wind. He stood and looked around dizzily. His head hurt, and one side of his face felt sticky. Something red was dripping onto his t-shirt.

He stumbled in the direction that felt right. His legs were shaking so badly that he could hardly stay upright. A few minutes later he collapsed against the wall of an abandoned gas station. He was lucky that the building blocked most of the wind; there was no way he'd have been able to get up again after he dropped. He huddled against the wall, shivering pitifully and blowing on his icy fingers.

Samandriel sat there on the ground for hours. He drifted in and out of consciousness a little, but mostly he was awake. The sun slowly slid down the sky, and the temperature dropped with it. He was freezing, and thirsty. He hadn't had any water since early in the morning. Snow flurries drifted through the air, but they weren't enough to catch for water.

The sun was almost to the horizon. Samandriel watched it carefully, and he felt his heart speed up. Really? he asked himself. I could be dead by morning, and I'm excited about a silly tradition of a soulmate I haven't even met. This is stupid. I hate the whole soulmates idea with those bracelets. Thinking about about Michael should be scary, not exciting. Unfortunately, Samandriel's heart wasn't with the program.

He watched the sun sink out of sight with wide and eager eyes. This night was special. It might very well be the last one. He waited for the familiar touch on the back of his neck, and the gentle tingling. The sun set. Nothing happened. The sun had set; it was over. Michael had forgotten him. Michael was the last thing Samandriel had had to hold onto. Now he was gone. Never, not even once, in all of Samandriel's whole life, had Michael ever forgotten him. It would've hurt horribly on any day, but to have Michael abandon him- right as he lost everything else cut deeper than he'd imagined it could.

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