Kevin, who was preparing his shot back at Lara, paused, his rage melting away and turning into nervousness. "I quit, Mom! Something I won't go back to again. I promise!" Clara erupted into rage hearing this. "You- I-" Clara was at a loss for words as her knife clattered to the ground. The only one who seemed untouched by the chaos that unfolded was Andrew.
His movements precise, he didn't move more than he needed to, as if he knew what to do, when to do it, and how. They didn't teach him how to wash the dishes; he did that perfectly. The same went for anything that he had to do within the house or outside.
Done with his meal, he picked up his plate and took it to the kitchen. "That's it, you're grounded for two months!" Kevin shot up, his lips parting for his defence. "I get it, but two months?! That is way too much!" His mother, however, didn't seem to budge as she crossed her arms and left the table.
"Oh, as for you, miss, you won't be talking to your drunkard boyfriend." Clara added as she shut the door to her bedroom. Lara instantly shot a look of disgust at Kevin. "Great, now look at what you've done!" Placing his hand on his chest, Kevin didn't hesitate.
"I did?! Are you deaf or something?! Who was the one who started the conversation about my studies?!" Lara rolled her eyes. "You can't take a joke? I wonder between you and your whore of a girlfriend who'll be the bitch!" And with that Lara stormed off into her room, leaving Andrew and Kevin behind .
Slumping back into his chair, Kevin gave a defeated laugh. "Can you believe the gall of that woman?! And she still thinks that it's my fault when she was the one who started this!" Andrew didn't engage with his banter as he took care of the plates and cleared the table.
"You know I don't get this attitude you have, Andy. Acting all silent and mysterious when you're clearly not. I think you're just acting like this to hide the pain inside." Andrew didn't stop; his movements fluid as he cleared the table. "Hey, you can act however you want, but ignoring others isn't cool. It's very disrespectful."
Still no words left Andrew's mouth as he presented Kevin a glass of water. Kevin narrowed his eyes, taking in Andrew's face, checking for anything other than the face he had gotten used to. 'What a creep, seriously! How will a guy like him get any friends if he's like this?' He couldn't help but wonder as he placed the glass on the table.
*Bam*
"Here, for your problems and a little extra." Kevin was gobsmacked as he saw the thick band of cash laid out for him. "Uh…how-where?" Andrew didn't bother explaining as he rose and made his way to the bedroom. 'Wait, with this, it's more than enough to get that Ace kid to stop bothering me, and extra. But how did he get this kind of money? Could it be from where he was? Maybe he was handed a lot of money from the games he was forced to play in.'
As much as he wanted to confirm this, knowing Andrew, he was sure that his response would be silence. "It works, I guess. Thank you, Andrew." A faint smile played on his lips.
. . .
"Okay, I'll have you start from the mansion. If you feel that it's way too much, we can always stop and take a break." Connor Hale, the detective from back then, relayed to Andrew as the two sat opposite each in an interrogation room in the precinct. Andrew looked dead at Connor's eyes with no change, no darting, and his blinks were rare.
"Noted," his mechanical voice echoed in the small room. Behind the glass were Clara and another officer who watched the testament take place. "Okay, so can you describe how the three of you arrived at the house?"
Andrew then gave his share, recalling Kevin's insinuation and how he had overheard from another student. Connor looked at his paper, the sound of his pen scribbling away. 'Similar to what Kevin had told me.' Clearing his voice, Connor pressed on. "Okay, can you describe what happened right after?"
Andrew kept his eye contact with Connor, which unnerved the detective. "Kevin entered first, then I followed. Trevor couldn't handle the dust, so he stayed outside, and when I found Kevin, we heard Trevor scream and found him mounted on the entrance wall."
Connor's eyes narrowed as he arched forward, placing his notebook to the side. "Did you feel scared?" His tone now turning into one of skepticism. "Yes." A murmur escaped Connor's lips; however, Andrew caught it. "Interesting…" As for the situation outside, Andrew equally intrigued the officer.
"For a kid who has gone through some rough stuff, he seems rather fine. I know most in his situation wouldn't be able to get this far without tearing up." Clara let a light laugh escape her lips. "Well, he's been like this ever since he came back. Barely talked and let his actions do the rest." The officer narrowed his gaze on Andrew, taking in his movements.
"You said that you were scared then, what exactly was it?" Andrew didn't pause; his fingers didn't fidget and his posture remained constant since he entered the room. "The outcome." That answer alone bloomed multiple questions in Connor's mind.
The case had been something that bothered him over the years, like a dull headache or an itch he couldn't quite reach. He had already achieved a lot over the years, growing in popularity not just in the precinct but in the public eye as well with his cases, and every single time he recalled the case of the three boys, his stomach would churn.
"If this is too much for you, we could take a break, Andrew." Andrew, however, showed no signs of discomfort, which added another layer of mystery around him. His words, the more Connor thought about them, were from someone who knew what he was saying, carefully picking his words. It wasn't tearful or messy; it came as coolly as the speaker.
"Trevor was moved; I don't know how, however," Andrew's words lacking any form of variance. There were no hitches in his voice; his breath was silent to the point it felt as if he was more of a corpse than alive. His legs, similar to his fingers, remained stationary with no form of movement, and his eyes would occasionally blink, his blinks slow and delicate as if his lashes would fall off if he blinked too fast or too frequently.
"You talked about a warehouse after you were knocked out, can you talk more on that?" Connor had expected a pause, but there was none. "Many other kids like me were there; we were forced to fight each other, hurt each other in rather brutal ways. This went on until there were a handful of us. We would be periodically administered syringes into our necks after each fight. This went on for four years; after that, we would be subjected to solving puzzles. They wanted us to use our brains. Our captors wore masks, and we would be isolated from each other. My memory isn't good on this part, as this is what I can remember."
Connor raised his hands with a comforting smile. "There's no need for you to push yourself; however, I have a question. Given how calm you are, I have to ask: is this to mask what's hidden underneath?" The question of taking not just Clara but the officer outside by surprise.
Andrew for the first time paused, his obsidian eyes unflinching. "I've forgotten to feel Connor Hale; there's nothing to mask under this flesh of a body." Connor's lips parted, perplexed with the response, but before he could push any further, the door opened."That's enough Connor, time's up."
The officer from outside said, a look of concern plastered on his face. "I was just-Of course. Understood, Deputy Chief." Connor struggled to find his words; clearly, he wanted to ask more.
"Andrew, the interrogation is done; however, some tests will have to be conducted to check a few things." The deputy chief mused as he further opened the door. Andrew rose and left the room, his movements mechanical, with no wasted motion. No loud shuffling of his chair or scooting past the deputy, just clean and precise movements.
With Andrew gone, the deputy turned to face Connor. "What do you think you were doing, Detective Connor?" His tone dripped with reprimand. "I'm sorry for stepping out of line, sir, but I was curious. You saw how he responded: no tears, nothing. If I didn't know any better, it sounded like he was reading a script or something."
Deputy Officer Rowan gave a heavy sigh as he clutched the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb in frustration. "I understand, as I too have questions of my own, but we have to give him space for a while; we can't just bombard him like that. He'll be back next week, so you should better start preparing your questions. Hand in the report as well."
Connor gave a nod before Rowan took his leave. After Andrew was put through some tests, some to check his reaction and others his bodily status, he was discharged. "That should be it, Miss Clara. I'm happy to tell you it would seem Andrew's okay." The paramedic said as Andrew walked over to Clara's side.
"That's good to hear," Clara flashed a warm smile. "However, he'll have to come next week as well after his interrogation, just for a few more tests, and that should be it." A few words later and the two were on their way back home.
"It's nice to hear that you're okay, Andrew." Clara said as she momentarily looked back at Andrew, who was primly seated, barely moving. His aspect of stillness would make Clara's skin crawl, and his silence only worsened it. The cheerful yet hesitant child she knew was no longer present.
"I've been thinking that maybe I could have you enrolled with Kevin after school opens. Good way for you to meet other students." Clara stated to get rid of the awkward air that drifted between the two. Once more, silence was her answer. I'm sorry, Lucy, but I'll try my best to make sure that he gets the life he was robbed of.'
Clara swore as they came to the cracked driveway. Past the interrogation with Connor, the next couple of days drifted, with Lara and Kevin occasionally taking Andrew out and exploring the city of Stillwater. Be it the park, amusement fairs or more quiet places like the library, Andrew's reaction remained on the neutral line to the point they stopped bothering themselves with wanting to see him smile.
. . .
"There's no way that a kid deprived of a proper upbringing would have these kinds of results." Connor mumbled to himself as he shuffled through the documents in his hands. In his desk at the precinct late at night, a lamp illuminating his face while the other stations were empty and drowning in darkness. "You're still here?"
A question echoed, startling Connor. "Ah, yeah, just finishing up is all." The cleaner inquired as he flashed a knowing smile. "Well, you were the one to stay up late trying to solve your cases," Connor heard the mumbling before shifting his attention back to his work.
[{DNA Testing: Positive}]
[{Dental X-ray: Match with records}]
This and many more papers were scattered all over Connor's desk. Some detailing Andrew's full physical examinations for health assessment, age-progression forensic imaging validation, with the only thing standing out being the forensic interviews for trauma and abuse assessment.
[{Forensic interview notes: Subject displays flat affect, minimal prosody, no autonomic signs of distress. Responses precise, rehearsed.}]
Haphazardly throwing the papers onto his desk, he let out a big sigh before checking the time on his watch.
"Claire's not gonna like this." A mischievous smile crept up as he tidied his papers and prepared to leave. On his way back home, the image of Andre kept appearing, his stillness and the way silence wrapped around him akin to a coat. 'I'll sort this out.'