CHAPTER 1 Sam
The first thing Sam noticed was the morning light - soft and golden, sneaking in through the blinds and warming the corner of his pillow. The room smelled faintly of laundry detergent and lemon soap, the kind Papa Leo used when he cleaned on Sundays. Outside, a few birds were already chattering like they had secrets to share.
He yawned and stretched, the covers falling in a crumpled heap around him.
Then he saw it.
A dark stain, soft and rust-colored, bloomed in the centre of his sheets.
For a moment, Sam just stared.
He touched his side, then cautiously peeked beneath the waistband of his pyjamas - his breath catching when he saw the blood.
It wasn't from a scratch or a scrape. It was something else.
He sat still for a long second, heart quietly thudding. Then, his eyes drifted to the calendar on the wall. Today's date was circled - a tiny red loop he'd drawn weeks ago after talking with Leo one quiet evening on the porch.
"I think it might start soon," he'd said.
Leo had just nodded, handed him a cup of tea, and replied, "Whenever it does, we'll be ready."
Now, here it was.
His first period.
A strange calm settled over him, like a hush after a snowfall. He wasn't scared-not really. Just... new. Different. Like the kind of different that makes you taller overnight or suddenly loves a song you used to skip. A quiet blooming inside his own skin.
Then came the familiar knock.
"Sam?" Leo's voice floated through the door. "You up, buddy?"
Sam hesitated. His voice came out soft. "Yeah... I'm up."
Leo opened the door gently, his eyes immediately finding Sam's.
Something in Leo's face softened when he noticed the way Sam was sitting. Then, a pause. A glance at the sheets.
"Oh," Leo said quietly, stepping into the room. "It happened?"
Sam nodded.
Leo gave a small smile-one of those smiles that crinkled the corners of his eyes.
"Alright," he said, like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Let's grab a towel for the sheets, and I'll get the kit from the bathroom. You want tea first or breakfast?"
Sam blinked. "Tea, I think."
"Good choice."
Leo leaned down and gently ruffled Sam's hair before heading toward the hall. "We've got that mint-ginger one you like. I'll make it extra sweet."
As the sound of Leo's footsteps disappeared into the kitchen, Sam sat a little straighter. The light coming in through the window felt warmer now. The silence had softened.
He wasn't alone.
He was growing, becoming, and somehow... everything felt okay.
