An ice cold dread descended on Sam as a shiver from head to toe.  He no longer had to worry about being aroused or embarrassed in front of his family.  No, fear had kicked in enough to settle him at least to a semi-soft state, one that could easily be confused for normal girth.  With the chill came a numb detachment.  His dad wasn't even going to fight for them.  He'd picked Sam instead of some other person, like his adoptive sister.  She wasn't even blood and yet Sam felt his dad valued her safety more than his own son's.  Well fuck him.  Sam made a conscious decision to focus only on the man in front of him.  If his family wasn't going to fight for him, then he wouldn't fight for his family.  Sam could only depend on himself, and if that meant he had to be whatever the man in charge wanted him to be, then maybe Sam would do just that, and if and when he was bought or given away to some place where he can escape, Sam<em>might</em>decide to try and help track down his family.  Until then he had to survive, and the best way to do that was not show just how scared he was, and not show how determined he was.<br/><br/>With a subtlety that even surprised himself, Sam used the cold shiver to wipe his emotions from his face.  He watched the man's feet, not daring to look him in the eyes.  Maybe, just maybe, he would recognize a boy willing to do what he is told.