An Uncanny Detective Agency

#2

1937

It's a dark afternoon in Brighton. The orphanage seems so quiet, which was unusual. The minutes were dragging on like hours.

A small boy occupies the bay window seating of the dull building, his eyes dragged up to the small gap of sky between this gray box and the next.

The clouds were dancing with the light ever so softly, releasing rain as their laughter. The soft whisper of the droplets hitting the ground became like a muffled song that you could hear across the hall on a Saturday evening.

The passionate green eyes of the seven year old boy followed the raindrops on the window like a race. Him, secretly placing bets on the winning one while trying not to hurt their competitors‘ feelings. The one on the left, drifted far off from the other raindrop in the race. The boy smirks lightly, he knew the one on the right would win.

Then, suddenly the right drags across and the two raindrops join, both reaching the bottom as one.
As the conjoined drop hits the white painted windowpane, he hears the door creak as it opens, letting in a light cold drift.

The boy peeks his head past the dusty green wallpaper, hope flickering in his little soul, wishing it would be John - one of the older boys, about eighteen.

John worked in an atomic M energy plant in Brighton. John always brought this grey boy happiness in the forms of small red toy cars and stories.

Before the boy could see who it was at the door he heard the sound of sharp high heels, cracking against the dark wooden flooring. He jumps off the bay seating and runs to the back end of the house where a long wooden dining table sat presenting beside it a seat for every child and more.

The boy skips past the table and into the kitchen, waiting for the woman to turn around and hangup her dark brown coat. When she turns he runs round the corner and up the stairs between the kitchen and dining room.

This procedure came almost naturally to him, like he had done it a thousand times over. Once he reached the top of the stairs there were children wandering around the hallway. Some were leaning against door frames and others sitting in their rooms, either playing games or reading some old and lost books.

There were about twenty four children - all ranging from fifteen to just under one year old. He was the fourth youngest. Preceding him was a ten month old baby boy, a very annoying two-year-old girl, and a five year old named Dorathy whom the boy cared very much for. He looked after her like a little sister. Something about them drew eachother together.

Janice, a fifteen year old black haired girl, who always wore a pink dress with brown shoes was looking after the two smaller children in the room next to his own.

He shared the room with three other children and Dorathy. They were twins by the name of Jordan and Eric who were nine, a girl aged seven - Melissa who is the same age as the boy, and Dorathy. There were four beds in the room, one stacked obove eachother and one bunkbed on either size of the room. There is a chest of toys and a brown carpet in the middle. Between the beds was a useless window which only showed another dark brick building and a set of metal ladders scattered across the wall.

Melissa had dominated the bunk at the top, on the left side of the room, directly opposite the door. The twins took the ones at the bottom. The boy allowed the girl to sleep in the remaining bunk, compromising by sleeping on the cushioned bay window downstairs. He would wake up when the light began creeping in on his face and would move quietly up the stairs so as to not awake the others.

The boy sat down in the room, pulling out an old and tattered red racing car, about the size of his hand from his grey shorts. He was entertained by the toy for only a while when the noise surrounding him dissolved into a whisper.

The sound of Ms. Zeringers tall heels silenced the conversations and came closer to his room. The twins were running around, pulling at eachother playfully and Melissa brushed her golden locks.

As Ms. Zeringers spider-like figure cast a shodow into the room, a small, dirty-legged girl appears behind her. She has pale-pinkish skin, with pale blue eyes too. Her nose, scattered with small light freckles. She is wearing a yellow rain hat, a bright red coat that was now covered with mud and red rain boots. The boy places his toy car in his right pocket and stands up quickly. He grabs the girl’s hand, pulling her from behind the old, silverhaired lady and to his side. He looked up at the woman, not allowing her towering hight to frighten him.

"Sorry, Ms. Zeringer,” the boy mumbles reluctantly on the girl's behalf.

He looks up at her, sees her distrustful face, and looks back down again. The pointy-nosed woman lifts her chin and leans on her heels to turn while mumbling, "Yes, child..." with a voice full of discontent.

She left the floor and trickled down the stairs, the sound in the hall returning.

The boy looks at the girl frustrated, yet caringly. "Dolly! You can't go outside alone, you know that!"

The girl's face turns down and she mumbles her apology before proceeding with her excuse. "I'm sorry Daniel," she trails off feeling guilty, “but I really just wanted to play in the puddles!”

The boy sighs and snatches a blanket from the pile folded under the bed and wraps it over her shoulders.

"Just don't get sick,” he begrudgingly warns, swallowing his anger.

—

The years passed and the two got up to mischief, Daniel always taking the blame. The two children knew their parents were mysticals but they also knew that they weren't allowed to tell anyone.

Dorathy was always sad, she didn't fit in with the girls in the orphanage and they called her a freak. She grew into a quiet girl and would only speak to Daniel.

The headmistress of the orphanage knew, of course, who where mysticals. It stated clearly on each child's birth certificate. She treated the children in the orphanage who were not mundane as outcasts, fed them last, gave them the worst clothes and dresses. Never had the time of day for them. She said they were too expensive and wasted her time.

At the age of eight, Daniel's mysticals awoke. It was less of a natural awakening but a quite rapid one. His ability was unique, he cold absorb people's emotions, he could also see them.

This explained why he was so empathetic as a child. Daniel would always make sure Dorathy was happy and ensured that he always took her negative emotions away.

As the years passed his ability gained other attributes, he could see emotions without touching the person, and could begin controlling his powers more accurately.

At fifteen, Dorathy's mysticals had awoken. Dorathy was always proven a very smart girl. She was very quiet and loved reading. She was always happy and cheerful. Her mysticals were also rare, she could see events and foresee outcomes of situations and actions.

She would use her newfound abilities to get into trouble and to sneak out of the orphanage more easily so that she could visit Daniel. She saw him as an older brother, a protector. He was seventeen now and worked at a theenergy plant in town.

The building was brick and had three huge couldrons behind it. Daniel would sneak out of the workers’ bunkhouse during the night and they would spend the whole night exploring the town. They knew every nook and cranny of it.

When Dorathy turned sixteen she was accepted into a secretarial college in the city. She packed her bags and said goodbye to Daniel. Even then she knew she would see him again. Dorathy was so happy to get out of that orphanage.