Freedom

8.

Gabriel sat at the table drawing in the sketchbook that Rowena had given him the second time she came over.  He was surprised how much he liked drawing in it and how good he actually was. He wasn't sure what he was drawing exactly. Images just kept popping into his mind, and his hand was moving on its own.

When he finally looked down at the paper, the pencil fell from his hand, rolling off the table. He recognized the room he'd drawn. It was his room when he lived with his dad. He'd thought that he had forgotten what it looked like, but clearly, some part of him remembered.

He looked through the picture, seeing the different details his brain had put in. He saw the black and white checkered blanket on his bed, the pipe of books on his small desk, and he saw himself sitting on the bed and staring out the window.

Gabriel slammed the book shut, not wanting to think about life before. Gabriel sighed, opening the book again to look through the different drawings. If he were being honest, everything he had drawn had been from his life before. His school, his house, his room, he had started to draw a picture of his mother, but her face remained blank. He couldn't remember her. He wished he could. He knew he had her eyes, but that was it. He couldn't remember her voice of her smile. He briefly wondered if their house was still there. If her pictures were still on the walls of his father's room.

Suddenly, he had to know. He had to go see if it was all still there.  He went to his room, grabbing the jacket that sam had gotten for him when they went clothes shopping a few weeks ago. He was jotting a quick note for Sam when he walked in the door.

"Hey. Where are you going?"

Sam frowned at the expression on Gabriel's face. Something was wrong. His eyes were clouded with different emotions, and he looked panicked.

"Gabe?"

Gabriel jumped like he hadn't realized Sam was there. He didn't seem to notice the way Sam shortened his name as he pulled his jacket on.

"I need to see if my house is still there."

Sam gave him a confused look, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Okay, slow down for a second. Talk to me. What is going on?"

Gabriel paused for a moment, giving Sam a chance to walk over to him.

"My mom. I can't remember what she looks like. I don't have any pictures of her. My dad kept them all in his room. I have to see if the house is still there, if those pictures are still there."

"Okay. Let's go then."

Sam couldn't help his laugh at Gabriel's shocked expression.

"I'm not letting you go running around the city on foot when it's this cold out and almost dark. Just tell me where I'm going and I'll drive."

Gabriel wanted to object,  but truthfully, he was glad that Sam had offered to come.

"Yeah, okay."

"Good."

They walked down to the car, Gabriel trying to remember exactly where they needed to go.

"It's on the other side of town, by the high school. "

Sam nodded, pulling out onto the street and heading in that direction. Gabriel watched the building pass as they left the downtown area, heading to the more residential part of town. After about ten minutes, he saw the high school come into view.

"Turn left at the next street."

Sam followed his directions, turning left and then right onto a dead-end road. Gabriel directed him to the front of a boarded up abandoned house. Sam knew they were at the right place when he heard Gabriel inhale sharply at the sight.