Sam was thinking about it a lot. It haunted his conscience and jumped at him when he least expected it. Especially when he was hung over and gathering stray bottles into a plastic bag. Kyle's birthday party hadn't been huge, but wild enough to get Sam to forget he shouldn't drink until he turned twenty one himself. Or maybe he should drink more often and get some practice so he wouldn't get floored so easily. Adulthood was confusing.

But after a fun evening, a lovely day, getting back with Christine and the news of Kay's return, guilt crashed into him like a tidal wave. Because he suddenly felt like he'd slacked off. From what, he wasn't sure and the headache wasn't helping.

Neither was the sun. The moment he stepped outside to take the bottles to the trashcans, the light almost blinded him. He hissed like an angry vampire as he made his way towards the curb, dragging the bag behind him. The bottles clattered merrily as if not responsible for his misery. He finally reached the trashcans and stuffed the bag inside. After he put the lid back on, Sam leaned his elbows on top of it and looked at his house.

Something felt off. As much as he thought about it, he couldn't figure out what was wrong, what worried him. Sure, there were the obvious things like the agency and JT and Steve coming back and the appearance of Eddie, but he wasn't sure it was about the Agency. Though, if completely honest, Sam wanted to grab Herrison by the collar and shake some information out of him. What was going on?

He'd known that JT was the leader of the backup team, but who the heck was on the backup team? Were there other recruits Sam didn't know? Should he know them? And were they ever going to find out what the deal with those damn jewels was? So far, no luck. Herrison had basically repeated what he'd said to them in Magnet Town and only shrugged when they asked for more. Herrison shrugged way too much for Sam's liking.

But despite all that, this time, Sam's unease came from inside his own house. There was something wrong with... something. Or someone. Or maybe it was just his headache. Right on cue, powerful light hit him in the eyes. He sucked air through his teeth and stumbled back, white sparks erupting everywhere. He hit the trashcan and almost went tumbling down with it.

"God, Sam, you really need to work on your balance."

Sam rubbed his eyes and his vision gradually returned. Tom stood in front of him, another plastic bag in his hand, grinning from ear to ear. Sam's unease dimmed at the sight of his twin. Frowning, he looked around for the source of the blinding light. Huh, just the sun reflecting off of next door's window. Hangovers sucked!

"This headache is killing me."

"Then maybe you should learn how to drink," Tom pointed out, stuffing his bag in another trashcan.

"You're not hung over," Sam noticed.

Tom's grin only widened. "That's because I know how to drink. It's a delicate balance of food, exercise and booze. You just went with booze. Of course your head hurts."

Sam took in a deep breath, committing the advice to memory. They were starting school in two days and he hoped he'd be functioning properly by then.

Tom looked back at the house thoughtfully, drumming his fingers against the lid of the trashcan. "Do you think Jessie will come back, too?"

"You asking for a friend?" Sam asked with a smirk.

"Not really. Asking for myself, too. I actually miss her. Her and Kay."

And Angie. The words floated between them even if unspoken. Sam swallowed heavily. He missed Jessie and Kay too, but if he were completely honest, he missed Angie a bit more. Maybe it was because they'd spent more time together or because they were both assholes towards Tom, but Sam felt he had a bond with his twin's girlfriend. One he didn't share with any of the other girls.

"I miss them, too. And Angie," he finally answered.

Tom turned to him, his head tilted in curiosity. "So what is it? Why did all of you get dumped?"

Heat rose to Sam's cheeks. "I don't really know."

Tom raised his sunglasses on the top of his head so that Sam could see the skeptical look in his eyes. "You're telling me you didn't ask Christine why she dumped you."

Sam rubbed the back of his head, feeling like a complete idiot. He hadn't. Not beyond confusion, misunderstanding, her being wrong. Because it was enough for him. He'd missed her like crazy over the past two weeks and he didn't care what happened as long as it was behind them, as long as Christine was back, fawning over him, showering him with her affection. "No," he squeaked.

Tom rolled his eyes. "God, Sam, really? What the hell? Taking her back so easily is one thing, but not even asking—"

"Look, I didn't need to know. You ask her if you're so interested."

"She's playing you like a moron! I can't believe you forgave her just like that."

"Oh, look who's talking," Sam said in a mocking voice, putting his fists on his hips. "The guy who forgave Angie for almost breaking his ribs. Which is a lot more serious than a stupid misunderstanding."

"You broke my ribs, idiot. Not Angie," Tom mumbled, putting his sunglasses back on. "Suit yourself. Be a tool."

Sam cringed. Tom's words hurt, whether his twin wanted them to or not. And he hated fighting, especially with him. "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't know why you care so much." He'd expected Jimmy and Kyle to ask, not Tom. Not the only one of them who actually had a girlfriend yesterday morning.

"I'm sorry, too," Tom muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and looking towards the house. "I just don't want to see you get hurt, that's all. We'll just ask Kay or Jessie what really happened. They can probably explain it better than Christine anyway."

Sam nodded, even if the jab at Christine's intelligence stung a little. "Are you excited about school?"

Tom smirked. "I guess so. I've never been to private school before."

"Don't worry about it. You'll fit right in," Sam assured him.

"I know. And don't worry about the Agency. That crap always sorts itself out. We'll eventually understand what's going on and we'll be fine. As long as we're together, we'll be fine."

Sam nodded and the weight on his shoulders seemed to lessen. Because Tom understood and he was right. As long as they were together, they'd pull through. They always had and they always will.

⭐⭐⭐

"What the hell is this?" Herrison James slammed the folder on Keeves' desk.

Keeves raised his dark eyes from the papers scattered on his work space to Herrison's seething face, seeming completely unimpressed. "If I'm not mistaken, James, that's your team's new assignment."

"No, it's not. It's one of my team member's new assignment. Let me repeat that in case you didn't catch it. One."

Keeves rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "I only push these things down the chain of command. From our superiors to you. I don't care what the mission is or which one of your kids has to do it."

Herrison clenched his fists, fighting to keep control of his temper and not start throwing things around the office. Because unfortunately, Keeves was right. He was nothing but a messenger from the higher ups. The higher ups he couldn't reach. "Okay. Then please push them up the chain of command and tell our superiors that I will not send Tom alone into Snitch Gravel's offices."

"Why not?" Keeves asked interested.

Herrison spluttered. "Because no one should even attempt to break into Snitch Gravel's offices alone. Besides, this is a mission for the backup team. The main team should focus on the jewel."

"The main team can't focus on the jewel if we don't know where it is," Keeves said with an exasperated eye roll. "And the backup team isn't ready to conduct undercover missions yet. They don't have proper field experience."

"Only because you keep pulling them back."

"Yeah, whatever. Not my problem. My problem is that we have no idea where the next jewel is and Snitch Gravel does. We need that information from him ASAP."

"I know, but sending one of the kids to their deaths is not the way to do it." Herrison took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Look, just forward my request that I at least be able to use the backup team for this."

"Fine," Keeves breathed. "But I'd rather you stopped stomping into my office."

I'd rather you dropped dead. But Herrison nodded curtly, grabbed his folder, and rushed out into the cool hall. He couldn't believe that after two successful missions, this was still happening. The Agency should be kissing Sam's toes, telling him everything, letting him conduct the research instead of always counting on information from Snitch Gravel. Which now they'd unfortunately ran out of. As far as they knew, the next jewel had already been found.

Nah. Snitch Gravel would surely harass them if he got his hands on one of those things. Herrison reached his office and went in, slamming the door behind him. Whatever happened next, he had work to do. Provide cover for his team, secure plane tickets and accommodations, try and keep his son out of this.

What would Harry say, though? When Sam would vanish from school and he'd be left behind yet again?

🌟🌟🌟

Here it is. The first chapter of Lost Stars is done and here for your enjoyment.  I hope that ending provided much needed drama for the start of this story.

What do you think will happen this time? Will the mission go smoothly? At least for the steal the research part. Getting jewels is never easy.

Will Angie and Jessie be back too?

If you enjoyed it, vote and comment. Don't be shy. Give me your thoughts!