Everything was just like he left it, his room was the same, and his parents had barely touched anything, which was quite a surprise to him. Sitting down on his bed, Alex looked around the room, memories of his time in this room flowing in his head.
"Alex?" His mom called, knocking on the door.
She pushed open the door and entered, concern written over her face. His parents had decided to close shop, deciding that they were done for the day. They had driven home in his father's truck, Alex looking around Abria as they drove back home. Nothing seemed to have changed in the five years he was away, and it was just like he had expected. While the rest of the world moved on, things were different in Abria, a town that seemed uninfluenced by the passage of time.
"What is that?" Alex asked his mom, pointing at the missing posters pasted on the sidewalk.
"Do you know Luke Ragen and Mark Fludren?" His mother asked.
It didn't take long for him to place the faces, and he nodded. Natasha told him that they had suddenly vanished a couple of weeks ago while going into the woods.
"Old man Kaldron's lands?" Alex asked, surprised.
As a kid, he had listened to his grandfather telling him several stories about the woods. The woods everyone in Abria knew was out of limits since it was believed that old man Kaldron had cursed the lands, making it forbidden for anyone to go inside.
"Yeah. Apparently, both boys decided to go inside the woods to explore, and since then, no one has seen them."
"Don't understand. Why would they do something stupid like that?" John asked as he drove into their driveaway.
The reason might not be clear to his parents, but Alex understood how both boys must have felt. There was always that youthful urge to rebel, to explore the world around you and break the illusions and stories the older generation had told them. It was part of the reason why he had left Abria to prove that he could break that cycle, but he was wrong.
"Welcome home," John said as he parked his car.
It was indeed his home, the home that he had abandoned, and nothing had changed just like he had thought.
"Do you want anything?" Natasha asked as she looked around the room. "I told your father that it was best to keep things the way you left them, knowing you'd come back to us."
He felt the need to say something, but Alex wasn't sure of the right words to tell his mother. What words would accurately convey his regrets and apologies for the pain he put her through?
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"No, I'm good, mom," Alex replied. "I can't believe things are the same. It's just like as if I never left."
The posters he placed on the walls and the band he was crazy about years ago were still on the walls even though his father was against it.
"Nothing really has changed, to be honest. Mayor Kirk is still the mayor though Mrs. Morris passed away two years ago."
Mrs. Morris was the old woman who lived down their street. She was a kind soul, and many times, Alex had helped her with chores around her house. It was really saddening to hear that she had passed, and Alex wondered who was in her apartment since Mrs. Morris doesn't have any children or family left.
"Oh, your friends are still around as well," His mother informed him. "Jaden and Kingsley are now employed in city hall while Tom has joined the Sheriff's department."
In a way, it hurt to hear that his friends had moved on with their lives, settling into the very pattern he had sought to escape from. Unlike him, they were ready to live in Abria, and maybe it had to do with the fact that they felt at home here. As a teenager, Alex had never felt comfortable in Abria; he felt like a stranger who had been forced to live in this town.
His parents were the best he could ask for, and Alex often wondered how he would have turned out if he didn't have them as his parents, but he felt trapped in Abria. Apart from his parents and three friends, Alex did not form a solid connection here, and apart from them, he had no real connection to this place.
"That's nice. I guess I'd meet up with them," Alex said thoughtfully.
"Alright then. I'd be downstairs if you want anything."
Slowly, she left the room, leaving Alex alone to his thoughts. She still found it hard to believe that he was back in his room, in their home. She made her way to the sitting room where her husband was sitting, concerned and worried about his son.
"Is he alright?" John asked, standing to his feet.
"I think so. He was looking around his room, and I think he's still trying to feel comfortable," Natasha answered.
"Still can't believe he's back here with us. I mean, I thought I'd never see him again."
"We both thought the same, but I am glad that our son is back," Natasha told him.
Indeed, John cannot remember the last time he felt this joy in his heart, but he was also worried. Their son had been through a lot, no doubt, and going into the outside world would change him. There was a possibility that they had lost their young boy the minute he stepped out of Abria five years ago.
"Let's just hope things go well. Can't bear the thoughts of what he must have gone through," John told Natasha, who simply told him there was no need for him to think much about what might have happened to their son.
"Just like we did when we were his age, he would make mistakes and learn from them. One day, he would realize the reasons why things are this way."
For now, they were going to settle with the fact that their son was back home with them, where he belonged. Clearly, by now, the news would have spread around town, and it was only just a matter of time before friends and family drop by and start asking questions or wanting to see Alex. The kids would want to hear stories about the outside world and the things Alex had seen.
Nothing much exciting happens in Abria, which was why a lot of people would be interested in listening to Alex's story, to hear about his adventures and the time he spent out there. Also, why he had returned since no one in their right mind would return back to Abria after they had managed to escape.