I am sitting in the police office with my three companions. we have found that Jaymees' parents live in a place called Mayder, and his real name is Jacob. Ana's parents are dead. she will live with me. Apparently, my house is a duplex, and Kiran a couple blocks away. we are now waiting for my mother to come and see me. I am nervous. what will she think of me, after 2 years. The wait seems forever. finally we hear chatter, too jumbled to make out. the door opens with a creak. a middle aged woman bursts into the room. "Tillie!" she screams at the top of her lungs. I stiffen as she wraps her arms around me. I finally am able to pull away. she must see the awkwardness I feel in my eyes, because she asks me "Don't you remember me? your old life?" I shake my head. "Only bits and pieces." I reply. the woman's smile fades. "Oh, well then, we'll have a lot of catching up to do..." Her voice trails off. I want to walk out of the room. I don't know this woman! But then I remember how excited she was to see me. the sorrow on her face when I told her I didn't remember. I must give it a chance. the police officer clears his throat. "Well, I suspect you'll want to know about the compound you were trapped in." he says. "Lind Co. is a company that makes scientific studies based on the human body. Or so we thought. we were never given a tour of the place, which we thought was odd, but we didn't pay any mind to it. Turns out, they were stealing money from major companies, and kidnapping teenagers to fight for them if they were ever found out. they brainwashed the children, and fed them lies. lies telling them that they were saved by the company themselves. we have recovered most of the teenagers and returned them to where they belong." He finished. I frowned. "What do you mean MOST of them. our agreement was for all of them to be recovered. remember?" the officer swallows. "Well, there were a couple teenagers who were... spies. They weren't actually kidnapped, see. they were offered a sum of the money if they spied on others, and made some people's lives... difficult. the people who were the spies were three girls and a boy. Maela, Xannia, Violetta, and Scott." he says. I knew about Violetta. I suspected Maela and Xannia. I had never heard of Scott. I nodded dumbly. the officer looked at us. "I bought a ticket for you Javan. you can take the bus home. the rest of you should head back to your duplex. stay safe out there." the officer says to us. we nod, and go with my Mother to the car.

"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!"!

My Mother has been chatting the whole way home, but I can't concentrate. The spies are still out there! my Mother leads us to the door. "here we are!" she beams. She opens the door. the house is old fashioned. there are paintings and a grand piano in the middle of the room. her eyes are misty. "You, you used to be able to play." she whispers. I feel a pang in my heart. I remember a glimpse of me sitting at the bench. I walk around the house, inspecting it. Ana and Kiran are with me. I finally come to a door that says "Tillie" on it. I take a breath and open it. inside, the walls are black.the bed is white, with an orange bedspread. on the walls, there are pictures. pictures of me and my family smiling back at me. The lump in my throat is choking me. I sit on the bed. I let out a small sob. Ana comes and puts an arm around me. "It's ok. you're here now. you're safe." she whispers. I know I'm safe. she doesn't need to tell me that! but she's just trying to help. I look at my dresser. there is a white envelope on it. I get up and open it. I frown..

Tillie Nandry,

You got away. good for you. not this time. this is not the end. I watched you. I hated you. YOU put an end to my money. you ruined it. I hate you. I will find you. Even if it takes THE REST OF MY LIFE. Goodbye.

-MI

I raise an eyebrow. "What is that?" Kiran asks. I stuff it in my pocket. "Nothing important." I rush to say. he looks at me funny, but drops the subject. I look around the room and suddenly start to laugh. Ana joins in. Kiran looks at us funny. I honestly don't care about the torture that we went through. I am here with my best friend, and the one I love. I am free to do what I want.

I

Am

Free