Overdose

42. The Executioner

When we got back to the house, I took what could only be described as one of the best showers of my entire life. The ones I took at The Facility were always at an odd temperature, the weird lukewarm kind that was just a bit too cold. But at home, I had a hot shower at my disposal, and I took complete advantage of that.

Once I was dried up, I changed into some of my old clothes. The odd thing was that they didn't fit me. Not because I had lost weight, but because I had simply more muscle than the lanky weak arms and legs that I had had before. The shirt didn't exactly fit me well enough, but the sweatpants were fine, which I was thankful for.

I went into my room to see Nathaniel sitting there. Tristan and Yvonne were downstairs, helping my mother make a very early dinner.

"It's a special occasion." She told me before I got into the shower. I told her it wasn't necessary, but she insisted. "You boys need something to eat."

As I ran my hand through my slightly damp hair, Nathaniel watched me. His gaze followed me as I walked to my dresser. I tried looking for a shirt that would fit more, and my gaze averted to something sticking out from under my shirts. It was a notebook, with the word "Maths" on it. I flipped to the back, already knowing what I was going to find.

"What is that?" Nathaniel asked. I shut the book and put it back into my dresser.

"Just a random school notebook." I answered, trying to sound nonchalant. I knew Nathaniel didn't buy it, but he didn't press the matter any further.

"So, are you going to contact your mother now that you are out?" I asked, finally finding a hoodie that I felt comfortable in.

"Why would I do that?" He responded sharply.

"Well, don't you want her to know that you're alright?" It seemed like an obvious question, but the way Nathaniel looked seemed to be an answer. He did not look like someone who seemed happy about talking about his mother. He looked more like someone who was getting angrier each time I said something.

"She left me with that monster. She doesn't care if I'm alright or not." The words were spoken with malice, but there was a hint of something else. Whether it was hate or sadness, it was hard to tell.

"Are you guys ready to eat?" Yvonne appeared in the doorway. She seemed to sense the tension in the room, as her eyes shifted back and forth between Nathaniel and I.

"Yes." Nathaniel stood up and left the room, brushing past Yvonne as if she was part of the doorframe. Her eyes moved to me.

"Is everything good?" She asked, stepping into the room. I nodded, pulling at the strings of my hoodie. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"It's not my problem." I walked out of the room. She followed. "We should go eat. A home cooked meal is exactly what I need right now." I shut the door behind me. I didn't need anyone going in there and going through my stuff

We all sat at the table. I sat in the middle of Tristan and my mom, and Nathaniel and Yvonne sat on the other side of the table.

Nathaniel moved the food on the plate around with a fork. "What is this?"

"Gambas al Ajillo." My mom said proudly. Nathaniel cautiously put a piece of shrimp, covered in paprika, onto his fork and inspected it. Yvonne and Tristan were digging in.

"It's really good." Tristan spoke with his mouth full. My mom lightly hit him on the back of the head.

"No hables con la boca llena!" She scolded. Tristan apologized sheepishly.

"Thank you for the dinner." Yvonne took a deep breath after almost eating half of her plate.

"Cariño, you don't have to thank me for every meal." My mom gave her a small smile, and went back to eating.

Nathaniel had started eating. He wasn't shoveling his food into his mouth like the others were. He was delicately eating each piece, and after each one he would wait a few seconds before eating another.

I, however, was not taking the time to cherish each piece. After a few seconds, my plate was empty. I took some more out of the big pot that my mom had been using to store the rest.

"Why are you eating so slow?" Tristan squinted his eyes at Nathaniel.

"It's hot." He took a sip of water.

"It's-"

"It's been a while since Nathaniel and I got to eat such good food." I cut Tristan off. Tristan shifted his eyes down to his plate and went silent.

"So, Nathaniel, how did you and Evan meet?" My mom asked, trying to make some conversation.

Nathaniel looked up. "He came to see me after the first escape happened." Yvonne followed in Tristan's footsteps and stared at her plate as well. "He came down to see me in my cell."

"Cell?" Tristan asked. I wanted to tell him to not ask questions but my brother was too invested in the story.

"Yes. I was locked up by the monster who calls himself my father."

"What about your mother?" My mom looked concerned.

"She left me with him." Nathaniel glared at her. My mom gasped, eyes wide. "Some people just aren't fit to be mothers."

"Well, I'm sure she-"

"Clearly didn't love her son enough to come looking for him? I mean, you're working with the people that are helping Xander and his whole operation." Nathaniel stood up. "I'd see why you might sympathize with her." He left the table and went upstairs.

Yvonne got up as well. "Thanks for the dinner, Rose."

After the two of them left, Tristan glared at me. "You really brought someone like that into our house? Mom, come on, he can't stay here if he's going to talk to you like that."

My mom didn't say anything. She just stared at her food.

"Mom?" I asked. She didn't respond. "Mom, I don't believe anything he said. I know you love me. I know that you thought I was dead. There was no reason for you to come looking for me if you thought I was dead, right?" I hoped that she would say yes, that she thought I was dead and there was no chance of her thinking that I was alive for any reason. But she didn't say anything.