My first Gone fanfiction! At the moment I'm unsure if I'm going to commit to this, but let's see where the road takes us, shall we?

ONE

I'm nobody's child, I'm nobody's child
Just like a flower I'm growing wild
No mommy's kisses and no daddy's smile
Nobody wants me, I'm nobody's child.

THEY FOUND HIM walking along the highway after returning from the power plant with Little Pete. It was Edilio that spotted the loner on the road, wandering, possibly lost. They watched him for a moment before approaching, none of them wanting a relapse of what happened with Howard, Cookie and Orc.

Sam couldn't see much of him from their distance. Just that the boy was tall and slight and had a head of dark feathery hair. He wore oversized, all white clothing, like a hospital patient. There was something printed on the back of his shirt in block letters, but even when he strained his eyes, Sam couldn't make out what it spelled. The boy's walk struck him, he carried himself with grace and confidence – he walked like a Coates kid. It did not sit well with Sam.

The five crossed the highway to get to him, Astrid holding Little Pete's hand as they walked. They all had the same idea to not frighten or accidentally provoke the stranger, so they were silent and cautious.

All except Quinn.

'Hey man!' he called.

The boy whirled on them, his arms immediately raised defensively, eyes flickering wildly between them.

'Quinn,' Astrid hissed.

Quinn raised his hands in surrender, his eyes wide with shock. This only seemed to cause the boy to feel more threatened.

'Woah, chillax man. I was only saying hi, don't freak out.'

The boy narrowed his eyes at Quinn.

'Oh man,' said Edilio.

Astrid stood protectively in front of Little Pete, her nervous expression aimed at Sam. Once again the responsibility fell on him to save the situation.

'It's OK,' Sam said gently as if trying to soothe a spooked animal, 'It's alright, we mean you no harm.'

The boy's gaze connected with his, and Sam almost flinched from the fierceness of his eyes, they were a stark ice-blue, as cold as the Arctic.

'It's alright,' Sam repeated, his voice sounding small to his own ears.

'Yeah,' Quinn added. 'We come in peace.'

The boy's posture finally relaxed, as did everyone with him.

In his peripherals, Sam saw Astrid turn towards Quinn and could only imagine the look he had gotten from her.

'Are you lost?' Edilio asked.

The boy looked at him oddly for a moment.

'Not lost,' he replied after a beat, his voice hoarse as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. 'Thirsty.'

'You want some water?' Sam offered. 'There's some in Perdido Beach. You know the town?'

No light of recognition dawned on his face.

'That's where we're going.' Sam continued, despite the hollow feeling in his stomach. He fully expected Astrid to ask this kid to join them as she did with Edilio. To his surprise, she just stood there stiffly without saying anything.

'Come with us,' Sam insisted. 'We'll get you some water.'

'What?' Quinn yelled shrilly.

Sam shrugged. 'There's no harm in helping someone.'

'So what? You're just going to adopt every loser we run into?'

'I'm standing right here, man.' Edilio said dryly.

'I'm sorry,' Quinn said, sounding not at all apologetic. 'But no one agreed to this. You can't just make decisions for everyone like you're the big bad boss.'

'For the last time,' Sam snapped. 'I'm not the leader. I never asked to be the leader. So you can shove it with that argument.'

'For God's sake, stop it both of you,' Astrid interjected. 'I agree with Sam, there's no harm in walking him back to the town.'

Sam turned his attention back to the boy, who was watching them with mild curiosity and amusement.

'Sorry, I'll take you to Perdido Beach.' Sam made sure to emphasize the word 'I'll'.

Quinn bristled, but kept his mouth shut.

Sam just wanted to go home.