“Open your mouth.”

The rather grim expression on the nurse’s face didn’t faze Natasha much, swallowing down the pills with the water she had been given. She was so close to freedom. With a small sigh, she opened her mouth, trying not to flinch when she felt the nurse’s gloves grip her chin as she inspected that she had actually taken the pills.

Admittedly, she had thought about tucking them into her cheeks and spitting them out once she was outside, but she had second thoughts about that. Cooperation would get her out of there quicker, she knew that.

With a tight nod, the nurse stepped aside and opened the door to the hallway outside of the examination room. Outside, she met Addison, who gave her a small smile and nodded as she led her toward a set of doors. It was hard to shove down the pit of hope that cropped up in Natasha at the idea of being let out, but she was quick to shut that down with the reminder that it wasn’t freedom. Not completely.

“Hey,” Addison started once they were close enough to the doors, gently grabbing Natasha’s arm to get her attention, “Listen, once you’re across the Canadian border, you are out of my jurisdiction. However, I will be working here to appeal for letting you back into the country after the rehabilitation process.”

“Honestly, Addison,” Natasha started with a sigh, “I’m not sure if I’ll be returning or not, Canada is no less my home than the States are.”

“I understand,” she replied with a small nod, “Still, I will try to keep the option open. Perhaps with the appeal of the Canadian government after a couple years, it could sway some opinions around here.”

“I won’t hold my breath, but…thank you. I appreciate that.”

“Just…” Addison trailed off, as if choosing her next words carefully, “I know it’s a lot to ask, but work with Andrei. Give him some faith. He wasn’t lying when he said he’s had experience in cases like yours. You don’t have to trust him, but he could be a valuable asset.”

Natasha thought back to the words he had shared with her a couple hours ago in the interview room. He had told her he sympathized with her case, which certainly sounded genuine. Yet, that voice in the back of her head told her that she knew better than to trust a sad look and some supportive words. Still, she knew her situation didn’t leave her many options.

“I’ll try,” Natasha said, trying not to sound as uncertain as she felt about doing so.

“Okay,” Addison said with another nod and sigh, “Good luck. I will try to keep you updated with any news.”

Once Natasha was allowed to change into a set of clothes that her mother had brought over a couple of months ago, the uncertainty of her future hit her square in the chest for a few moments. A part of her wanted to fight, to refuse the medication and flee, while another wanted to justify her actions until she was blue in the face. Yet, regardless of the part that won out, she knew she was scared. She hated to admit it, but she had only met Andrei a while ago. That was the cost of her wanting to get out more over getting to know him a little more. She just couldn’t be certain of his intentions so far.

As objectively nice as he seemed, she remembered how her old guardian was able to flip a switch in front of other people. Dutiful and professional during one moment, violent and hateful in another.

Absent-mindedly, Natasha played somewhat with the cotton ball that was taped over the spot where the IV used to be. Doing so seemed to pull her back to the current reality.

Whatever was coming had to be better than carrying on like she had been.

She still had her plans to escape, too. They still kept her on a lower dose of medication as demanded by the courts, but it wasn’t as strong as what she had been injected with. She could create a window to run while they were on the road if she felt the need to. If not, she could always try to run once they got to British Columbia.

You made your choice, she thought to herself with a small shake of her head. It’s time to go face it.

The weather outside was gray and overcast, yet it was bright enough to make Natasha squint her eyes as they throbbed against the light. It was lightly raining, feeling the cold spray against her head and skin. Still, as much as she wished it could have been nice out, she was out. In a better circumstance, too. Though, she allowed herself to be led to the car as Andrei spoke quietly to Addison. She sat in the passenger seat, looking at the two of them.

She couldn’t read lips, so trying to figure out what they were saying was useless, but she was watching for any change in body language. Addison seemed nervous but resolved, and Andrei was…unreadable. Controlled and as professional as he had been when she first saw him.

With a sigh, Natasha pulled off the tape on her wrist once it didn’t seem like the injection site was going to bleed. At least she was finally free of that terrible drug, even if it had been substituted with another one.

Natasha tried not to jump when Andrei opened the driver’s door, slipping into the seat as he cast her a glance.

“Are you okay?”

“Let’s just get out of here,” Natasha replied around a small sigh, not wanting to tell him how scared she actually was.

Thankfully, Andrei didn’t press any further and finally they were on their way to the Canadian border. Natasha was a little surprised at the amount of relief that settled in her once she was away from that place, as much as she wished she could truly be free to live her own life. Maybe…well, she didn’t know how all of this would play out, but she knew the option to be without a guardian could be offered when she finished her work with Andrei.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

That was still a long time away, though.

Natasha was comfortable letting the drive pass in silence, but Andrei seemed the type of person who drove without music. Just the hum of the engine and the wipers against the windshield. As much as the drugs still in her system were making her a little sleepy, Natasha found the quiet suffocating in light of everything on her mind.

“How long will it take to get to this town?” she asked after a few more moments.

Andrei seemed mildly surprised to hear her talk, his eyebrows twitching upwards as he took a glance at her before looking back out at the road.

“It is early, but it still may take us a day,” he replied, “I would not expect to not get there before midnight if we do not stop for long.”

“Will we be stopping?”

“That is up to you,” Andrei said, “I was told that you might go through some withdrawal, so it will depend on how you are feeling.”

“Oh, great,” Natasha snapped, leaning her head back against the headrest for a few moments, “Nobody felt inclined to let me know about that.”

“If it is a comfort, you probably will not feel much until tomorrow.”

“There’s that, at least…” Natasha trailed off, glancing out the window for a few moments before another question popped into her head. “Will there be people like me in this town?”

“Not that I am aware of,” he said, looking thoughtful for a few moments, “I can not promise that you will be the only one, not everybody is registered as an enhanced human. Still, it will be a surprise to me as much to you.”

Satisfied with that, Natasha let the small conversation drop. She wasn’t sure why she was hoping that there would be other people like her in that town, but it made sense. Why would they let her stay with other enhanced humans if she had a murder charge on her record? It would be too much of a risk.

Still, with the silence that settled again, that restlessness kicked up again.

“Can you at least turn the radio on so I don’t think myself to death?”

“Take your pick,” Andrei replied, gesturing indifferently toward the radio, “you do not need to ask me to do everything for you.”

“Force of habit,” Natasha replied, flipping the radio on as she fiddled to find a station, “I used to have to ask to do…a lot of things.”

“I am not your old guardian,” Andrei said after a rather pregnant pause, “You have some regulations, but I do want you to do what you want.”

“Even if I ruin your ears with the worst music I can find?”

She didn’t mean to cover that with a joke, but Natasha didn’t want to address that whole statement just yet. She was surprised that she managed to get it out like she did, considering her heart was sitting in her throat. Really, the sudden mention of her previous guardian made her stomach twist uncomfortably. Outside of anger, making light of her feelings was a bit of a knee-jerk reaction.

Natasha let out a small breath, switching to what sounded like another talk radio station.

“Yes, even then,” Andrei said with a small, amused huff. His reaction and stepping away from the topic relaxed her somewhat.

So he does have a personality outside of ‘stiff,’ Natasha thought in mild amusement. The small grin that tugged at her mouth surprised her a little, but it disappeared once she had noticed it enough.

Settling on a mixed-genre station, she leaned back in her seat again for the long drive.

----------------------------------------

The gas station was silent outside of the soft beep upon her opening the door, a tired-looking employee glancing up from his spot at the cash register before glancing back down at his phone.

Disinterest was good, though she knew that Andrei would cause attention more than she did with the symbol he wore around his neck. She figured she could get by on her own if she managed to get out from under his watch, but considering how bare the highways were it was hard to find a place to run.

He’d probably see her running for a couple of miles if she decided to make a break for it.

With a small sigh out of her nose, Natasha turned to head toward what she was looking for. The bathroom was tucked away in the back of the station, a little dirty and dim but the sign assured her it was fine for public use. The inside wasn’t much better, her shoulders dropping somewhat as the door closed behind her. She was exhausted, wondering if it was the late hour, the driving, or the withdrawal Andrei had mentioned. The cramped and somewhat dirty bathroom didn’t help her feel better.

Still, she went about her business and was washing her hands in the sink when she worked up the nerve to look at herself in the mirror. Her gazes caught the dark bags under her eyes first, her dull blue eyes staring back at her lifelessly. Her hair was longer than she remembered it, almost coming to her shoulders in messy blonde locks. After that, she couldn’t stomach looking at it anymore, turning away from the sink.

She had been off the IV for a couple of hours. That realization sat with her for a few moments, her eyes resting on the roll of toilet paper on the edge of the sink.

With a slow breath out, Natasha stared hard at it. She felt the familiar tingle in her arms and across her shoulders, willing her mind to just knock it over. The small bit of power was building, just about to be released when something in her head snapped. It was like watching old film burn, darkness blotting away at her vision as a sharp stabbing pain shot across her skull. She could feel it settle behind her eyes and in her teeth, Natasha staggering back with a short, pained yell. She gripped her head, shutting her eyes.

Oh, God. Stop, stop…

As the build-up of her power subsided, eventually did the pain after a few moments.

“Damn it,” she hissed, tears pricking at her eyes. Partly out of despair and the pain she had been in a few moments ago.

The IV just dulled it, making her power fizzle out like throwing water on a campfire. This? This felt like someone shoving an ice pick into her head. The intention was clear. She still had her powers, but she would suffer for using them.

With a small sniffle, she turned and headed to exit the bathroom. Andrei was standing near the door, eyeing her with an expression that Natasha couldn’t place. It wasn’t exactly disapproving, but it felt kind of similar to the ones she used to see her teachers give her when she’d be seen not paying attention.

She grabbed a bag of chips without so much as looking at it, moving to go pay for it with a sense of hopelessness sitting over her. They weren’t far from the border and what happened in the bathroom told her that using her powers was out of the question.

…She couldn’t give up. The situation wasn’t ideal, but Canada was a big country to get lost in if she needed to. There was also a small voice in the back of her head that was telling her to just ride this out. If it meant freedom at some point, it could be worth it.

Natasha figured she would just have to wait.