A trail of crumbs for the big bad wolf to follow..

[Devon Eckes]

Rave threw his cases in the back seat and hopped in.

"OK, we are only fifteen miles from the California border," Devon said, when we cross, use the phone to call directory assistance and then a Motel Six to make a reservation in San Fransisco. Use the credit card for it." Devon pulled into traffic and headed for the highway.

He glanced over to Rave. "If there's any numbers in there you want to keep, write them down and then erase the address book. We're going to leave your phone to be stolen. They'll have fun tracking that."

He merged into southbound traffic. "Every cell tower we pass tracks your phone, leaves a marker. If your dad gets into the phone records he'll have a map of where you went and an idea of where your going. It's ten hours to LA, but I don't want to go that far. I just want to leave the trail."

[Aiden "Rave" Hamilton]

Rave buckled up after placing his bags and guitars in the back on the floor where they wouldn't be seen. He sat down and buckled up while listening to Devon's orders with a peculiar look on his face.

"Yoah seem to know alo' of ways to ge' rid of traces fo' bein' a lawyer's son..."

He stated but did as he was asked to do and flicked up a small pad and a pen from the glove compartment and started to write numbers down to make sure he still had them.

"If I know Gray right, he's trackin' me alreadeh from God knows where.. 'es an old MI-6 tha' my dad 'ired to make suah tha' everythin' looks crystal clear on the surface no mattah the caos beneath it"

He said while focusing on writing down numbers. It would take a while since he had tons of it in there. Luckily, he had most of the numbers as well as pictures he'd taken, on the memory card and that was something he could take out and he'd still have the data even though the phone'd be gone.

"I should realleh try an' ge' myself a false identity..."

He muttered under his breath while scribbling numbers and names at the same time.

[Devon Eckes]

"I don't know what MI-6 is, but, not everyone my parents worked for were innocent...even so, I'm surprised how much I remember." He glanced over at Rave. "Not to be offensive or anything, but, did you really think they'd just let you walk away with that much money and not care or come after you? I'm just surprised they used the family emergency ruse instead of having the cops at the door this morning."

He changed lanes on the I-5. "If you give it back, they can't call the cops on you, at least. Ever consider that?" He ran his hand over his head in a habitual gesture even though his long hair was gone. "Legally, that's the only thing he has over you here."

[Aiden "Rave" Hamilton]

"MI-6 is the same as yoah CIA bu' the British version of 'em."

He said while clicking down the next number in his phone to start scribble that down as well. Good thing he was always wearing a pen and pad like the songwriter he was.

"No, I didn't... bu' I didn't think they'd be on my tail this fast."

Rave sighed and leaned his head against the seat and looked out the window on the road ahead while Devon changed lanes. Give the money back? That would never happen.

"Can't do tha', Dev. Tha' would be the same as sayin' 'e won again. I considah this my right. All the years I've been sufferin' from 'is hand? ... I think 10K isn't even enough bu' it was all I could take without gettin' questioned abou' it."

He paused for a moment and leaned his elbow on the edge of the window and leaned his head on his hand.

"Besides, Gray will try to covah it up anyway. Tha's wha' 'e does, it's 'is job. If I know 'im right. 'ed see the hassle if 'e had to ge' ovah 'ere an' look fo' me an' tha's enough reason for 'im to try to covah it up befoah fuck'ead finds out."

He watched the road ahead and the traffic, as well as glancing in the rear mirrors off and on. He hadn't prepared for this so soon, stupid of him. He should have guessed they'd be on his tail right away. A part of him couldn't help but wonder if it really was a family emergency or not though, a feeling in his heart made him reflect over that more than he would usually do, knowing how Gray worked.

[Devon Eckes]

"Quit being so paranoid. You're freaking me out a bit." Devon said, smacking the back of his hand against Rave's shoulder. "Not to mention the more you act suspiciously the more people look at you, not that many are going to going 75 down the highway."

"Then why not let him? I don't think anything good is going to come from stealing from him, Rave. He wants you out of his life. I bet he'd cut you a check to do it instead of doing it this way. You're being a dick about it." He glanced over and saw the set of Rave's face. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Whatever." He said, forestalling the rant he was sure would come if he didn't cut it off at the pass.

"Call directory assistance for the Motel Six in San Fransisco for a late night check in, with that credit card." He said as they passed the state line.

[Aiden "Rave" Hamilton]

" 'ey! bloody 'ell"

He growled at the punching on his shoulder and glared at his dark haired friend and somewhat rubbed his shoulder for the sake of rubbing it, not that it really hurt to begin with, but still to make a point.

"Can't do tha' Dev... 'es been runnin' my life all the time. If I'd ask fo' the money, he'd still be runnin' my life... more o' less..."

He muttered then glared at Devon once again since he just didn't seem to stop yappin and it started to get on his nerves to say the least and it showed. Once Devon caught the glare and answered it himself, he looked out the window again with a slight sigh.

"yeah yeah.. fine.."

He muttered and flicked his cell up and called the directory to get it.

"Hi, Can yoah ge' me the numbah fo Motel Six in San Fransisco, please...yeah."

He scribbled down the number in his pad and hung up after he thanked the person on the other side. Rave looked up at Devon before he spoke up again.

"So, do I call the motel now or latah?"

[Devon Eckes]

"Later, you have to make calls like every three or so miles, to hit a new tower, if they are tracking your phone. Then, when we hit the next big city, we'll dump it by a train station for someone to find and they can track it from there." Devon was upset that Rave wasn't willing to listen to sense about the money. If he had it, he'd just go behind his back and give it to this Gray fellow just to get him off their backs. In fact, he was actually pissed at Rave for the whole deal.

"Remember what I said about baggage, keeping his money is keeping some of that baggage." He told the other boy. He shut up then, fearing if he said anything else that it'd start another fight between them, and going down the highway wasn't the place to start.

[Aiden "Rave" Hamilton]

Rave nodded, okay. So there was a new tower every three miles, something he'd remember until later if he ever needed to use that knowledge some other day, you never knew.

He did somewhat reflect on what Devon said even though he didn't show it but the fact his father had done so much to him through his entire life and also now buying him off to stay in the states instead of coming home to his friends where he wanted to be -- even if it meant being closer to his dad, but he missed his friends and Matt for that matter.

Richard was an annoying businessman that seriously did buy whatever he didn't like either off or to silence. That's what he'd done with his own son to make him stay away and not make any trouble and shame the family more in England. Richard couldn't care less if he made it in the states with hotels or not, he just wanted Rave out of his way and nothing more and that was despite the honest sounding promise a few months ago. Rave knew his father too well for that, he'd been around him with too many business associates for that.

"Devon, yoah' pushin' it!"

Rave growled and glared at him with a look that said he was loosing control if the guy kept going.

"This is my fuckin right! 'e can't buy me. I take wha' I want an' 'e can't do shit to stop it. In fact I almost expect 'im to fly ovah 'ere himself at some point.. I wanta kick his fuckin' ass. I want my God damned revenge of wha' 'es done to me all these bleedin' years! No mattah wha' I do I can't ge' tha scars away, every fuckin' day I'm stuck lookin' at wha' 'es done and wha' does he do? He fuckin' buys me off to stay away from 'him as if I were some kind of disease and a shame fo' tha family..no.. the business! I wanta scar 'im I want to make him fuckin' pay!"

He spat every word out as if they were poison while glaring at Devon as if he shot daggers with his eyes. Just as he finished talking he growled again and hit the dashboard hard with his left hand to at least feel pain in his hand instead of building up anger to loose it.

"Fuck!"

He growled and tried to calm his worked up breathing by once again leaning his elbow by the window and his right hand resting against his forehead while he closed his eyes.

Now, what was that darned practice they'd spoken of in that anger management class? He knew there was something with breathing. Right, breathe with the watch. Rave pulled his arm out to reveal his watch and began counting the seconds. five seconds while breathing in, five seconds while breathing out and do that for as long as you needed but keep focusing on the watch. He clenched his jaws and fists while fighting the will of just tearing everything and end up in an attack of anger again.

[Devon Eckes]

"Talking to you is like talking to a brick. Not even a whole wall." Devon said, not looking at him, biting off the words like sour fruit. "I'm going to give up on it. Just one last thing; your acting more like him right now that yourself, and when this comes back to bite you in the ass...and it will, totally... I don't know if I can help you out of it."

Half a world away and the man was still controlling Rave and he didn't even realize it. Devon personally thought that if Rave just dumped everything he'd ever got from the guy and started over from scratch he'd feel better. But no, he had to keep picking at the scabs and infecting the cut rather than deal with the cut itself. Devon could feel himself getting sucked into it instead of helping pull Rave out. But, time was on their side. They just had to keep moving forward.

He changed lanes again and ignored the other boy for several miles. "Call now." He said as they past an exit ramp, his brown eyes never leaving the road.

[Aiden "Rave" Hamilton]

"Don't yoah fuckin' compare me to him! Tha's one 'ell of an insult!"

He hissed, closed his eyes and focused on the watch again and even though Devon spoke he didn't answer him for several minutes.

"...I'll think about it, okay..."

He muttered. That watch thing was a stupid trick really but it seemed to work at least and it was one of very few things he had actually picked up on that might come in handy since the anger management classes at the institute.

"If I'm a brick yoah like fuckin' chewin'gum that's been in the sun too long.."

He muttered even though it sounded like he had calmed down quite a bit. He wasn't sure that chewing gum was a good thing or a bad thing but what ever Devon said or did, it always ended up sticking to him no matter if it was good or not and it was up to Devon to do the interpretation of it.

It was a wonder he hadn't killed the cellphone while having his mood swings but as Devon asked him to call. He did so and took the card out that he was going to use for it.

"Hi Motel Six in San Francisco is it? I'd like a room fo' the night. Yeah, single one... Ra--...nh.. Aiden Hamilton. H-A-M-I-L-T-O-N."

The woman at the other end seemed to work on her computer while Rave waited on his end. Finally she asked how he'd pay the room.

"By credit card. 7-9-0-2-4-6-1-1 6-6-7-8-3-9-0-1. Expires 2014, 9th of Decembah... 368. Yeah, thanks."

He hung up and turned to Devon again while leaning his hand with the cell on his lap.

"All set... Anythin' else Mistah 'Olmes?"

He asked and leaned his knuckles against his temple, his elbow on the side of the window again and turned to look at the road again.

[Devon Eckes]

"You don't wanna know how many times I've thought about just pulling over and kicking you out of the car." Devon said, but he rolled his eyes afterward to soften the insult even though it was true. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel off and on as he drove, but he focused on the driving and not on the strange swing of emotions that had been running through him as he got better. Except he wasn't feeling better right now. Maybe he should have just cut Rave loose. A sinking feeling of standing on train tracks and being unable to move out the way of Rave's self destruction train seemed to be weighing heavier and heavier.

"When we get to Redding we'll find the train station, dump the phone, and turn around. I maybe should have sent you by yourself, but I wanted to make sure I got my car back." He bit back the rest of the sentence 'since your a thief'. Maybe that's what was really rubbing him raw. He was a fuck up, but he still had a moral compass. Rave did too, normally, but his father was a magnet that threw it out of whack.

"I suppose we can get some lunch or something too." He added, glancing over.

[Aiden "Rave" Hamilton]

"Yoah dunn wanna know 'ow many times I've thought about gettin' ou' of et.."

He said and grabbed his smokes out of his pocket and tapped the back of it to get one out. He took it with his lips but just as he flicked his zippo lighter open, he glanced to Devon and slowly took the cigg out of his mouth with his right hand that wasn't holding the lighter.

"nh... Look, a paht of me wants 'im to find me.. I want to fuckin' kill the basta'd bu' I can't do it on 'is turf... I wanna ge' back at 'im. IF I am to move on. I need to get somthin' back at 'im.. if I 'ave to die doin' so.. bu' I'll go down swingin' ..."

He said and put the cig back in his mouth and opened the lid of his zippo lighter and flicked it but instead of lighting his cigarette, he closed the lid, flicked it open and started over again since he knew that Devon would protest wildly if he smoked in the car even though he was dying to have one.

"yeah... lunch sounds cool."

He said and looked out the window with a slight sigh.

"I need a piss soon too"

He muttered and leaned his head in his hand again, elbow yet again resting against the window while he watched the road ahead.

[Devon Eckes]

Devon didn't say anything. Not to the comments about his father. Not the cigarette that appeared and the way it made his belly tighten. Not to the comments about eating and taking a leak. Instead he focused on making the merges in the heavy traffic that would get them into Redding and looking for the train station signs.

It would make sense to them, he figured, if he took a train before to take a train again. As long as his phone didn't end up back in Oregon, it wouldn't matter which direction it took. Maybe they'd assume that Rave had met someone and headed off with them rather than his original plans.

He flicked his eyes over at Rave again. He hadn't lit up, which was surprisingly considerate.

"We'll pick you up a prepaid phone, something that won't have your name attached or a bill." He said. "And a car charger so you can reprogram it. You're going to have to live off the grid for a while." He merged again, deftly sliding the car into a slot only a few feet bigger than the vehicle. "It's not that hard, if you have someone to help you out. Don't answer the house phone, though, or answer the door without checking out the peephole. Everything else will be in my name."

[Aiden "Rave" Hamilton]

Rave actually sat silent for a good while somewhat sucking his cigarette as he did, unlit as it was. At least the slight taste and smell of nicotine made him a bit calmer but he figured that Devon would truly kick him out if he lit up now as well since the guy seemed pretty pissed off judging by the white knuckles on the steering wheel.

Should he give the money back? Was that really the best way of doing it or wasn't it? After all, Richard Hamilton had seriously made a mess out of his life ever since he was a kid. Why wouldn't it be right? It was like.. payment for suffering and ache, wasn't it?

If Aiden, his grandfather had already done this to his dad, why the hell would a father do that to his own son in return? He already knew how it felt to be degraded that badly. And then to sit across the table to his son and say that in his face, what else was there than a huge slap in his face?

To hear that it was so hard to grow up like that with a dad that sexually abused you. Well, difference was, Richard didn't have a single mark on him what so ever. Rave on the other hand, had his entire back full of them due to abuse as well as the sexual kind. Being beaten by various tools through his childhood was not a good thing to have in your memory bank and it wasn't something you wanted to remember.

Every single scar he wore with shame to anyone but Devon. No one else had seen them except for the damned doctors at the institute and even though they had asked what had happened, and he told the truth -- that his father beat him up; they didn't believe him. Who would?

No, he had to do his own revenge if he was ever going to get one and to manage to get a hold on someone like Richard Hamilton, owner of the Hamilton complexes all over England and the start of Europe, you needed something to hold him down that wasn't money. He had the money, he had every damned price in his book to be able to buy someone off his back.

It wouldn't do. No, Richard Hamilton was going to get a bodily revenge where he'd have scars to always be reminded of how Rave stood back up and gave him them in return for all the years he'd suffered by his father's hand.

"nh? oh... suah... thanks"

He said. He was truly grateful that Devon helped him out this much and to be honest, he hadn't even expected half of it and here he was even getting a ride. A slight glance at Devon and a peer right after showed him that Rave really did get what he didn't say but he refused to say anything about it.

"I can do tha'..."

He said quietly.

[Devon Eckes]

They were coming up to a strip mall crowned with a Denny's and Devon pulled over.

"There's no smoking inside, but I'll go and get us a table. Don't smoke in the car, all right? I'm going to use the pay phone to see if there's any more messages on the machine at home." Devon said as he parked. He sighed, leaned forward to rest his head on the steering wheel a moment.

"OK." He said, then sat back up. "OK, I'll see you inside." He flicked a glance over to Rave and then got out of the car.