You were still only a kid when your life changed. You'd only been officially 17 for less than an hour when adventure came knocking at your bedroom window. You glanced at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was almost midnight, meaning it could only be one person. You tumbled out of bed and quickly crossed the room to open the window.

Sure enough, hanging from your window sill was none other than Samuel Morgan- your best friend, and first adventure.

"You gonna leave me hanging here, or can I come in?"

Realising You'd been blocking his way, you nodded and quickly stepped aside, watching as he pulled himself up, grunting with the effort it required, and then slid into your room, landing on his feet with an unnatural grace for someone so tall.

Before you could demand what he was doing there, he placed a hand over your mouth and grinned.

"Cute pajamas," he whispered, nodding at the pink, bunny themed shorts and tank top you were wearing.

You blushed, regretting not grabbing a hoodie before letting him in. Glaring at him, you ignored his comment and crossed your arms over your chest. "What are you doing here, Sam? It's the middle of the night, and if Sister Agnes hears us, we're both dead!" You warned, but Sam just waved you off, unworried.

"That old bat can bite me. Besides, you think I'm gonna let her stand in the way of me giving my number one girl her birthday present?" He smirked, producing a small, wrapped gift from his backpack and holding it out to you.

You felt your heart swell in your chest as you looked at him. No one had remembered your birthday that day, not any of the Nuns, and none of the other 19 girls that lived with you in Sister Agnes' Home For Young Ladies. Yet there Sam was, nearly two full months since you'd seen him last, holding out a present and beaming.

"Oh sam!" You laughed as you rushed forward and hugged him. "I can't believe you remembered!"

His embrace was warm and comforting, even if you were both a little shocked at your reaction, and he held you close as he answered into your hair. "Of course I did! It's not every day your future wife turns 17."

You laughed and pulled away, pushing him playfully as you shook your head. "Sam! Stop being such a goofball!"

He laughed but shrugged. "What? It's the truth. One day I'm gonna marry you. It's just how it is," he stated simply. Just as simply as he'd put it when he first said it to you after only knowing you for half a day, so many months before.

"I won't even date you, what makes you think I'd ever consider marrying you?" You teased, prodding his shoulder, but he just winked and offered you the gift again.

Smiling, you took it from him and carefully removed the wrapping paper. Inside was a beautiful gold pocket watch, but inside it had a compass instead of a watch, and on the back it had the initials C.M.

You turned it over in your hands, inspecting it, and wondering what it's story was. It was well worn, with hundreds of tiny scratches and little dents in it, but it still worked.

"It's not new, and I didn't pay for it... But I figured you should have it... It belonged to my mom," he admitted, and suddenly your heart clenched.

"Sam..." You started, trying to hand it back, but he shook his head and closed his fingers gently around your own, keeping the compass in your hand.

"I want you to have it... Something to remember me by while I'm gone..."

YOU blinked slowly, wondering if You'd heard wrong. "Wait, what? What do you mean remember you? Where are you going?" You rushed, praying he hadn't done something stupid and wasn't in some sort of trouble.

He just sighed and sat down on the window sill, looking a little sad. "I got a job. Working away for some time. It'll suck to begin with, but after a year, I'll be able to take Nathan and we'll have..."

"A year?" You cut in, your mind whirring as it struggled to process what he was saying. He was going away. Sam. Your Sam. He was leaving and You'd be alone again... it took all your willpower not to beg him to stay. You wanted it more than anything, but he needed to do it for him and his brother, so you kept your mouth shut. That didn't stop the tears from stinging your eyes though, so You quickly turned away from him and walked to your wardrobe to get some clothes.

"So is that why you're here then? To say goodbye? I'm getting used to them now, so don't worry about me. Do what you need to," You whispered as you threw the clothes on your bed. You weren't going to be able to sleep now, so no matter what Sam did, you'd be leaving your room too.

You heard him take a deep breath before answering you. "No. That's not the only reason I'm here. What say we go out with a bang, eh? One last job?"

That peeked your interest. You and Sam had been on a few 'jobs', mainly looking for some journals of his mom's, but occasionally you'd stolen things to sell on to raise money for your separate ventures.

You were planning on running away from the orphanage, and Sam just wanted to make his brother happy. You were a strange trio, but you understood each other, more so than anyone else ever did. Which was why it was so hard to know that Sam was leaving. Maybe that was why you decided to take the job that night, to 'go out with a bang' as he'd put it. But that was the decision that changed your life in such a way that there was never any going back. And so began your first adventure.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"He's getting good at this," You whispered to Sam as you watched Nate sneak out of a window and climb around the side of the building. Even you could hear the hint of pride in your voice as you watched him. You loved Nate like he was your own brother, which was why you knew you should be getting used to the layout of these roofs. When Sam was gone, You'd be making sure to come visit Nate whenever you could. No way in hell were you gonna leave him alone in the orphanage. You'd been through it yourself before you met the two of them, and it wasn't something you were gonna let someone else feel, especially if that person was Nathan Morgan.

"Well he did learn from the best," Sam whispered back smugly, and you snorted softly and nudged his shoulder.

"Oh please. If you'd have taken any longer to get up here, he'd have been asleep!" You teased, smirking at him. He blushed slightly, making you laugh more. The two of you had raced up to the roof, and You'd beaten him by a good 30 seconds.

"I was being a gentleman. I let the lady win... Besides, you're lighter than me, so it's easier to pull yourself up!" He tried, but you pulled a face and took off running, clearing the distance between the buildings before turning back and answering him.

"But you're taller so you can reach things easier. I have to look for other paths..."

Sam landed beside you and dusted his jeans off. "Fine. You win. But when I get back, you and me are having a rematch. Then we'll see who's the best!"

Chuckling, you took his outstretched hand and nodded. "Challenge accepted."

Though it wasn't. You'd be gone long before he got back. This might be the last night you ever saw him, a thought that made you sad, so you put it out of your mind and focused on getting to the roof where you'd be meeting Nate.

When you were stood there, Sam dumped his pack and torch before grabbing your hand and pulling you into the shadows to hide from Nate. You shook your head at him but played along.

"Sam?" Nate called from across the roof as he headed towards the light, bending to pick it up. Suddenly Sam was moving, running up behind him to grab him and pick him up.

"You gotta learn to watch your back!" He laughed as Nate grinned and twisted out of his grip, so you took that as a sign to say you could come out too. When Nate saw you, his face lit up even more, but before he could say anything, you frowned and gently touched the bruises on his face.

"What the hell happened?" You demanded, your blood boiling at the thought of someone hurting Nate. Only made worse when he explained what had actually gone down and what Sister Catherine had said. Sam was the complete opposite, telling Nate not to worry about what people said about them. Your anger got the better of you though and you took Nate's hand.

"You want me to kick their ass? Because I will. No one touches you and gets away with it!" You promised, but Nate just laughed and shook his head.

"They're all away at some bible retreat. It's just me, sister Catherine and Father Duffy now..." He explained, and you shrugged.

"I'll fight the nun. She sounds like a bitch anyway. I bet she's got some sick ninja moves too, and she just pretends to be a nun. That okay?" You asked, a smile creeping back into your voice despite your anger. Nate just laughed again before turning back to Sam who had been watching the conversation thoughtfully.

"I've got a surprise for you. Let's get out of here!" He announced, leading the way across the roof and to the next climb. You brought up the back, just in case Nate should slip, You'd have his back.

It didn't take long for you to reach Sam's bike, you and Nate often having to find different routes to Sam, due to your short reach. But you made it, and there was across brief moment of joy before Nate figured something was going on and demanded Sam tell him.

You stepped away to give the two of them some privacy, crossing the road to inspect the sign above the orphanage gate. You could still hear Nathan freaking out that Sam was leaving, and hear the older brother try to calm him down before promising him another surprise in the form of their mothers lost belongings. You already knew of course, but you were still excited about finding them. It meant so much to the two of them, and you just prayed you found them that night.

A couple of seconds later and Sam was gesturing for you to come over and get on the bike. It was a tight fit, but the three of you were off, heading for the adventure that would change everything.