Overdose

40. The Executioner

The ride from The Facility to Ivingly was uneventful. I made sure to remember how to get to The Facility, in case I ever had to return.

Heath, Marina, and Rem tried their best to convince Nathaniel to come to America with them, but Nathaniel had his mind made up and didn't seem to be changing it any time soon.

"Alright, fine. But why do you need all those weapons?" Heath asked.

"If I see my father again, I want to be prepared." Nathaniel stated for the third time.

When Lazarus dropped us off at my house, he got out of the car with us.

"I hope you boys will be fine." He pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something on it. When he handed it to us, I saw that it was a number.

"If you ever want to come to America, just call." He turned around and grabbed

something out of the truck of his car. It was a cane, just like his. He held it, turning it over and looking at it. He then held it out to Nathaniel.

"For you." Nathaniel took the cane and put it in his right hand, leaning the right side of his body on it.

"This is your house?" Nathaniel stepped back and looked at it. He didn't seem to think it was much.

"Yeah. I mean, it's not a mansion, but you know...it's-"

"Like a real home." He whispered. He seemed to be dazed by the house. He shook his head and cleared his throat. "Let's go inside."

He pushed past me and walked up to the door. He pulled on the handle, but it was locked.

"Oh, I know where the put the extra key." I reached into the mailbox next to the door and felt for the key, but there was nothing there. "They usually always have the key right there."

I knocked on the door, but no one answered. My heart was pounding as I knocked again. I thought the worst, that something had happened to everybody before I managed to get there.

"Could they be out?" Nathaniel finally asked.

My heart calmed down. Of course. It was the middle of the day, why would they be home? It wasn't a weekend.

"Come on, we're going to the police station." If there was anyone who could really help us, it was my mother.

Remembering where the police station was was harder than I thought. Most of my memory of Ivingly had faded, but after passing Erron Park I managed to remember where it was.

Ivingly Police Station was a great big red brick building, with glass doors and windows.

The sign in front of it had the words "Ivingly Police Station. We Promise to Protect and Serve." written on it. I wondered who they were promising that to.

Officers walked in and out of the building, talking amongst themselves. None of them seemed to recognize me, which I was thankful for since I didn't want to talk to anybody but my mom.

I led Nathaniel into the station. Cops sat at desks answering phone calls while others walked around the office. It was always such a busy place. I wondered which of those cops were the ones who working with Xander. How could they sit in such an important position while they were shipping teens off to be tortured behind the scenes? It was hard to control my anger walking around.

I noticed someone who looked young sitting at a desk by himself. He must have been an intern or something, as he looked like he could be my age. I knew he wouldn't recognize me, so I went to him.

"Excuse me." He looked up at me. He had a cheerful disposition about him, and I wondered if he would be one of the cops who would get the honor to work for Xander.

"Yes? Is there something you need?" He responded, keeping the smile on his face. He didn't look tired like most of those cops in there who reeked of coffee and cigarettes. I guess that's the benefit of not torturing teenagers.

"Do you know where Rose Romano is?"

He nodded, jumping up. "Her office is in the back. Come, follow me."

My heart started pounding again. For the first time in three years, I was going to see my mom. I didn't know what I was going to say to her first. Maybe I would say nothing. What if she didn't recognize me? What if she had forgotten about me?

So many thoughts ran through my mind that I almost wanted to turn around and walk out, but I knew that I couldn't. I had to see her.

I recognized her the moment we walked into a long hallway full of individual offices. She was sitting in the second one away from the door, with piles of paperwork on her desk. On her walls were medals and certificates that she had won.

"Rose?" The intern said.

"Yes, Christiansen, what do you need?" She didn't bother looking up. She sounded tired, like she hadn't slept in years. Her hair was starting to go gray, and when she finally looked up, I saw a face that matched the sound of her voice. Tired, stressed, and sad all at once.

But somehow, that all went away when she looked at me. The light returned to her eyes, and the frown disappeared from her face.

"Evan." She dropped the pen she was holding and stood up, looking at me like she didn't believe that I was really standing in her office.

"I'll uh...go back to my desk." Christiansen stepped out and shut the door behind him.

Rose slowly walked over to me and put her hands on my face. "It's really you. You look so grown." She pulled me into a hug and then looked over at Nathaniel, who was quiet. "Were you in that terrible place as well?"

Nathaniel nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"You poor thing." She looked back at me. "I missed you so much. I thought you were dead."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."