Far from Home [open]

[Parker Ainsley Beckett-King]

(Please, please, no hurt/angsting/abused/tortured/whimpery characters! I really don't want to deal with any of that drama. So, keep it far far away. xD I wouldn't mind getting him into some trouble, I just don't want to play hero or listen to someone cry or get injured.)

As the train lurched to a start, Parker felt the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach intensify. It didn't help that he hadn't eaten in 3 days, aside from that small bag of chips he guiltily devoured 12 hours ago. It was his form of control, that emptiness in his stomach that instead of begging him to fill it, begged him to leave it that way. He'd been to Canada before, but never to Toronto. A west coast boy, he'd only ever been to been to BC and that was nothing special. Neither was this, to be honest. The only special thing about it was that someone his father could be somewhere in TO. He wasn't positive, but his other parent, also his father, said it was a safe bet. Of course, he'd ranted and yelled it at the time, not expecting that Parker was going to seize the information and take off. But, he had to find him. A part of him hated the man for the lies. He didn't even know his real name until just a few weeks before. It made him fear how much he really knew about him. But, he was still his dad and still someone he didn't want to be without. Besides, he never gave Parker-- Or Ainsley as he'd been called most of his childhood an explanation before he left. Jacob hadn't let that happen.

Quickly forcing his body out of the seat, he followed the flow of passengers off the train and into the station. A duffel bag, filled only with his necessities was slung over his left shoulder. Dressed in black, he wore a loose hooded sweatshirt that while low in size, draped over his thin torso. It was comfortable and travel worthy. Parker didn't have a clue where he was going to go. He supposed he'd look around and do a little detective work. If he'd grown up in Toronto then there had to be someone that knew him that still existed. Could he have been as invisible as he feared? Honest to god, Parker had no clue what he was doing. All he could hope for was that maybe, just maybe he had relatives.

Vaguely, the idea of how ashamed he'd be if he knew what he'd done prodded at his thoughts. Not only had he run away without so much as a word, but he'd stopped eating completely. He'd been in recovery for anorexia for the past 18 months. The boy was naturally thin as it was, but he dropped down to significantly terrifying weights in the past. To see him 18 months ago and to see him now, he could barely be recognized. Where he weighed in at 110 pounds now, he'd dropped down to 80 at his lowest, which was heart attack levels for the boy. His body was a ticking time bomb then. But now, life was on track for him. Until well-- Until his dad's big secret came out.

So, here he was, stuck in Toronto. It was nothing like West Hollywood, not from the looks of it. And to make it worse, he went from sunny California to the cold, frigid north. And the second he walked out the front doors of the train station, he shivered. The cold air hit him with surprising force. He wasn't at all used to it, and it forced his arms to fold. God, what was he supposed to do? He looked so lost standing there. His eyes staring out at the icy street, his red curls being tousled by the breeze that burned and whipped at his cheeks. Toronto looked like Hell and he was lost in it.

[Deleted]

Natasha had been out for her morning jog, which had turned into her singing and dancing. As she neared the station, she was singing the Bend and Snap from Legally Blonde

"bennd and snap
feel how hot it's gettin
bend and snap
then when you got em sweatin-"

and it was then that she smacked right into Parker. She quickly looked to the boy to see if he was ok "I'm sorry!" she said instantly, wishing she had paid better attention to where she was going

[Parker Ainsley Beckett-King]

Immediately, Parker recognized the tune being sang, but paid little attention to who sang or why someone decided to walk a Toronto street singing from Legally Blonde. Personally, he wasn't a fan of the musical, or the movie for the matter. It wasn't his scene. Although, one of his closer friends had adored it. She was a trip. Parker realized with a churning of his stomach that he was going to really miss her. Before he could assess and defeat the hollow feeling surfacing in his chest, he felt the body of a female impact with his. Surprise, he stumbled slightly, but gained complete composure and grace. Two hands lifted to relay no offence to the gesture. "It's all right, it happens." It hadn't hurt him, but shocked him instead. Immediately after lifting his hands, he brought them back to cross at his waist. He was frozen! Toronto was like a damn freezer. Southern California didn't compare to this cold. He would miss that too. Los Angeles was home; always would be, he supposed. Frankly, he didn't know when he would make it back. But, he wouldn't be leaving until he found Chase Tim.

With his arms on his stomach, he could feel the growl deep beneath it. God, he would have thought that fighting hunger would be easier. He'd been doing it for days and before that, he became a master at it. For the longest time, he adored the way his stomach felt when it was empty, to the point that he enjoyed the way it growled when it had nothing to nourish it. Anorexia had control of his mind then. It had driven him to think of himself as more perfect, the more emptier he was. All hunger hurts, but starvation works! Beneath the frigid air, the young boy shuddered and offered her a kind, half-smile. "I've got a bad habit of getting in people's ways." He would be used to her leaving right about then. Most would. Parker rarely had a conversation spurred randomly on the street last longer than 30 seconds. If he didn't know the person, it was safer to just walk away.

[Deleted]

Natasha smiled sweetly at the boy "No, really, I wasn't looking-" when he crossed his arms, she tilted her head "are you cold? Let me get you a cup of coffee or a sweater or something. It's the least that I could do" she offered. Hey, it was petty change to her, she still had daddy's credit card.

[Parker Ainsley Beckett-King]

"are you cold? Let me get you a cup of coffee or a sweater or something. It's the least that I could do"

Oh, god no. There were quite a few different luxuries that Parker wasn't willing to accept from strangers. Rides, money, and head shots. Since he was in Toronto, he was positive that no one was going to be handing him those. But, money or anything purchased with it wasn't easy for him to say yes to. Parker was not at all poor. Even as homeless and lost as he was now, he had money and a lot of it. Modelling had given him big bucks and so had his fathers. He was always supplied with an ample amount of cash. Of course, he had to worry about whether or not Jacob had gotten into his account to find out where he was. He could freeze it or he could track it. He'd taken out a rather large sum before he left though, to keep that from happening. He wanted to find out what happened and where he went. Whereas his other dad wanted him safe and sound at home, not chasing after a man that they never even knew the real name of. Quickly, he shook his head to deter her from that train of thought. "No, that's fine. I've got money, I'm just not used to the cold. Kind of warm back home." He explained modestly.

The girl appeared to be nice, and he was grateful that she even offered. Someone that was truly needy, however, would be able to utilize her kindness better than Parker could. "But thanks. I don't imagine there's too many nice people on the streets." And that worried him. He could probably weasel his way into a hotel room. That wouldn't be a huge problem. Really, the city was huge to him and he didn't know where to start. This whole trip was done on an emotional whim and he was dancing straight into dangerous territory. He shuffled his feet against the cement, shifting his weight from one foot to the other while and glancing at the ground before he looked at her again. It was typical nervous and shy gestures, although, he considered himself to be open and bright rather than shy and timid. It was just all of this started to be extremely overwhelming.

[Deleted]

Natasha nodded "oh, I know. It took me a while to get used to it too. The temps in Malibu are so much warmer." she said with a giggle

"actually, some people can be pretty nice. Especially the ones who are playing music on trash cans" she said with a giggle "I'm sorry, what was your name?"

[Parker Ainsley Beckett-King]

Malibu. There was something familiar; a place that he doubted he would run into very many people from. Unless, he was meeting someone famous, since they were well known to have places all over the continent and several others. One on the West coast, one on the East. He lived more inland, but the Los Angeles area was vast and he'd been to Malibu too many times to count. The parties there were always better. There was more glitz, although West Hollywood didn't lack for it. It was basically a painted rainbow of strange fame and fortune. But, it was a completely different scene. There was no place as diverse as Los Angeles, he figured. "Then you know exactly what I'm feeling." There was some luck in finding someone that was from there. It felt sort of comforting, like he wasn't completely alone in this foreign city with it's frigid temperatures. "I live in West Hollywood." He offered in explanation. "I think I left the sun behind."

Now, he wasn't completely thoughtless to the idea that the North would be colder. Parker knew it. He just hadn't planned for that type of cold. His thoughts weren't rational anyway. He didn't plan ahead. He didn't have a destination, just the general knowledge of what he had to do. He couldn't let himself be stopped either. It was important but almost an impossible mission. The city was huge. He wasn't going to get anywhere just walking around. It wasn't the same as losing a dog and running around the neighbourhood until the animal finally ran to you. People weren't as easy to find, especially when they didn't want to be found-- Or when they didn't know that they were being looked for.

[Deleted]

Natasha smiled warmly "West Hollywood? really?" she beamed "oh my god. That means we're practically like brother and sister!" she giggled "I'm Natasha" she said and held out her hand

[Parker Ainsley Beckett-King]

Brother and sister-- Really? If that was the case, then he'd be afraid to know what other siblings he had running around Malibu and West Hollywood. Still, he didn't deny the comfort in knowing that he hadn't crossed to the other end of the earth where people were the stark opposite and he would frighten him before welcoming him in. "I guess," He said, but his eyebrows had lifted with questioning amusement. It was absolutely endearing though. It wasn't that he minded it. In fact, her personality reminded him a lot of a few girls that he knew back home. If anything, she made frigid Toronto feel a little less cold. Even his stomach had calmed oh so slightly. But whenever he looked up and caught sight of the buildings, he'd feel like shrinking up into a little ball again. The place was terrifying if you were as completely lost as he was.

"Oh," His hand reached out to gently shake hers. He never managed to get a very firm handshake. It always felt too formal when he tried. And when he was trying to be formal, then it looked like he was trying too hard. There were some meetings that warranted it and Parker learned that at a really young age. "Parker." He introduced, making use of his first name for once. The boy went by several names. He was kind of a lover of nicknames to be honest, and when it came to his career, he'd made use of the name Ainsley and used it more as his first than middle name. But now that he was in Toronto, he felt that Parker was the name he should use openly.

[Deleted]

"Parker. Such a nice name." she complimented "where are you headed? I would so love to join you. I haven't talked to anyone from back home in so long" that and, well, she wanted to be in the company of a California guy. She wasn't sure why, but she got a warm, fuzzy feeling when she was around California guys "I know my way around, I can make sure you get where you need to go" she added, her eyes pleading with him to let her stick around

[Parker Ainsley Beckett-King]

God, that was a loaded question. The boy shifted uncomfortably, letting his hands find safety and warmth in the thin pockets of his dark sweatshirt. "I'm really not sure. A hotel, I guess. I'm kind of in the middle of looking for someone. Once I find them, I'll know." Too bad it could days, weeks, months or never. There was no clear sign that his dad had gone back to Toronto. He only assumed because that was where he heard he was from. Not to mention, his other father had been more than happy to say that he'd probably run off to Toronto. Well, not happy, more or less bitter, annoyed and ranting like he did ever since he left. He had every right to though. The man was played. And Parker felt pretty bad about that. His entire outlook on his family had shifted with one bit of information. Someone's identity was important. He felt betrayed, amongst other things.

"You can come along if you want-- To help me find a good place to stay, that is. I guess I should do that first." So that he had a place to go back tpo. He couldn't live on the streets. He would die before he even tried. Whether it be by the hands of a criminal or starving and freezing to death, he didn't have that knowledge or skill. Unfortunately, he'd have to pull out his bank card to get a hotel and that would be like a flashing neon sign telling his father where to find him. Now, it wasn't that he didn't want to ever go home. He loved both of his parents equally. But, he had to settle this through first and he knew if Jacob knew where he was then he'd come and drag him back to LA where he belonged. He was safer with him.

"Know any good ones? Money's not a big issue." But, it was probably a good idea to find something with a stable rate so that he wouldn't have to worry about running low on cash. While he had money of his own, it wasn't going to last him forever. It could last him a few months, but if he wanted to be somewhere nice, then he wouldn't be able to save too long. There wasn't a constant flow of cash coming in for him. He had to make due with what he had. Hopefully, he'd be able to find what he needed before the money dried up.

[Deleted]

Natasha kept her sweet smile as she listened to him "it sounds like a wonderful adventure! I wish I had someone to be looking for in a big city thousands of miles away from home" she said with a romantic sigh. When he asked about hotels, she grinned "Oh, yes! You have to stay at the Queen Victoria, you just have to!" she told him, taking his hand "It's perfect! Come on"