Mist Always Covers Mystery

The next morning came by too slowly for Ember; all she had told Gerard last night was that she had a surprise for him, and that it wasn’t sex. As soon as the sun broke through her patterned curtains she was up and awake straight away, even though she didn’t have to be at the orphanage until 10 am.

It took all her efforts to wake Gee up though, as he wasn’t a morning person. He would be especially confused because usually, neither was she. But she had tried to be considerate and had left him sleeping for an hour longer than she had. Otherwise he would have been really grumpy, and once they got to the surprise, he was likely to be grumpy anyway.

“Baby bear? Wake up, we need to leave soon.” She whispered into his ear, planting a kiss on his forehead.

He shrugged her off and buried his head under the covers of their silk sheets. Ember smiled and let him sleep still. Walking into the en-suite bathroom she picked up a flannel and ran it under the cold water tap until it was dripping.

The she walked steadily back into the bedroom and pulled down the covers from Gee’s head. Slowly she held the dripping flannel over his face and let the water trickle down his hair and onto his nose.

He woke up with a start and Ember squeezed the remaining water straight onto his handsome face giggling as she did so. Gerard stopped groaning and remained silently looking into the eyes of his wife. It was the first time she had laughed in a while, and the sound made his heart melt. Whatever this surprise was, it was definitely going to be a good one.

“How long before we have to leave?” Gee groaned, and stretched so his back cracked all the way up his spine.

Ember shuddered at the sound. “In a half an hour, it’s a long drive.”

Looking at the clock Gerard saw that it was now only 8.30 am. About two hours earlier than he usually got up on the weekend. Great, he thought. No lay ins for Gee.

Ember had been buzzing for hours, and there was nothing that would have been able to put a dampener on her mood. She got dressed in a simple t-shirt and dark skinny jeans with a smart blazer over the top. Fashionable but casual. It was her trademark look.

Half an hour later, they were in the car and Ember was sorting out her playlist.

“Hey Gee-Bear, can we please listen to the tracks that Kandy sent me?” She asked, pulling a puppy dog face. “They’re really good, she just needs the rest of a band...”

Gee sighed. “Kandy hates it when we play her tracks, and besides I’ve offered to help her find a band.”

“She won’t know we’re playing it so that’s okay, but you know she doesn’t want help, she thinks she has to prove that she can do it on her own because her husband and brother in law are in a famous band. Mikey offered as soon as he met her, but she said no.”

Gerard looked at his wife with a smile on his face. She was always like this if you made it sound like you were getting at one of her friends, which he wasn’t but Ember was loyal to her friends and would defend them even if there wasn’t anything to defend.

He laughed as she gave him a questioning look. “Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“No, but we’re going to pick up Kandy, Mikey and Frank.”A smirk played on Embers lips, it was real alright, but it also hid the grimace of worry that she felt about having lied to Gee.

Especially now it was all done and signed off. There was no going back.

An hour later the car pulled up outside the orphanage, and Ember closed her eyes, not wanting to even glance at anyone else. This had been Ember's secret, and now she was starting to regret not telling Gerard. He like to discuss things, and Ember liked to rush into things. Usually without thinking them through.

She got out slowly, not quite daring to see the look on Gee's face when he saw the neon pink sign, which stated quite clearly; Miss Hattie's Home For Girls.

Kandy tapped her on the shoulder. Ember turned and looked at her best friend.

"When did you decide this?" She asked quietly.

Ember flushed slightly. "A few months back."

Kandy nodded at her statement. "You do know you're husband right? This wasn't the best time or place for him to find out."

"I know." Ember whispered, stealing a glance at Gerard's face.

He turned and glared at her. She sighed. This wasn't what she had planned.



Mystery glanced around her bedroom one last time. She didn’t feel like she had ever belonged here, and now she had taken all the posters down of her favourite bands that covered the greying paint on the walls, it didn’t look like she had ever lived there at all.

“This would be when I would say goodbye to friends.” She whispered to herself. “But I don’t have any.”

She didn’t let the tear that was trying to burst out of eye break free. She was stronger than that. She had lived in the rotting hole for 16 years, and had nearly managed the full 18 which would have meant independency. But now she was being forced to live with strangers who wouldn’t understand her. They wouldn’t get her feelings of desperation at not knowing her own family, and they would try to change her.

There was nothing wrong with her as she was.

She picked up her worn suitcase and pulled it down the flights of stairs from her little attic room to the entrance hall in the main reception. The only part of the Orphanage that looked fit for human habitation and even that was being way too generous.

“Myst, there you are.” Miss Hattie beamed at her for once.

Mystery was about to retort something rude when she noticed the crowd of people stood behind the woman who took up most of the room in the hallway.

So instead she gritted her teeth and smiled innocently, whilst shooting death glares at Miss Hattie.

A woman stepped forward carefully, barely daring to look Mystery in the eyes. She had green hair and hazel eyes, and odd combination, but one that seemed to work on this woman, Mystery thought, and then snapped out of it. She wasn’t going to like these people.

She then looked around the rest of them. One man had bright red hair and he stood furthest away with a look of confusion and anger on his face. Mystery knew she was not going to get on with that guy if she had to live with him.

Next, she turned to a man and woman, obviously together, who were stood with their arms draped lovingly around each other. The girl had dark red hair and bright blue eyes, and she was leaning lazily on the man who had dyed blond hair and hazel eyes also. He looked kind; she felt a pang of something deep in her chest when looking at the couple. They were so in love it hurt Mystery, knowing that she had never felt that, and probably never would.

Lastly her eyes fell on a short man; he was a couple of inches taller than her, as she herself was only 5 ft 2” which was not a lot for a sixteen year old. In Mystery’s eyes he was the best looking out of them all. But she immediately shook the thought from her head. She was being adopted; he was probably her uncle or something which would be creepy.

“Hi Mystery, I’m Ember.” The first woman said, carefully stepping around Miss Hattie to stand in front of her.

Mystery nodded, not wanting to acknowledge her further.

Today, Mystery thought, was going to be very strange indeed, and as she looked into the cold eyes of the red-haired man, she knew it wasn’t going to be a very pleasant strange.