Ashen

Part Fifteen

Just over three weeks since Jasper and October had saved Noah, they discovered themselves standing together on the vast pearly steps leading up to the largest orphanage ever founded in the fifty-nine years of Wrathfell's existence. Jasper was rapt in a memory, and as October watched his face harden, she reached over and grasped his hand.

The choice surprised him, shattering his mask, and taking a steadying deep breath, he squeezed her tiny palm against his. Connected, they ascended the stairs.

Reaching the metal double doors, Jasper was stuck with the knowledge that last time he had existed at this spot, he was not even a man, yet was approaching the world as he was forced to be. October carefully tugged him along, into the lobby with the glassy, echoing floors.

Behind the sleek desk, a wispy woman with a whitened smile, frizzy hair, and slight lisp greeted them. "Welcome to West Side Orphanage for the Turned. Are you two looking to adopt?"

Trying not to seem as startled as she was, October dropped her partner's hand, and dug her badge out from her bag. "No no, sorry, we're police officers." She approached the table, and let the woman study the insignia before asking. "There's a young boy here we found on the job, and we were just coming to visit."

The receptionist nodded as if this was an everyday occurrence, though it certainly was not. "Oh, of course. Can I get your names, and the name of the boy you're looking for?"

"I'm October Hauntings and this is Jasper Drolden." October glanced back at Jasper, who currently looked like a light breeze could knock him to the ground. Clearing her throat she went on. "And we're looking for Noah Coleman."

Nails clacking against the computer's touchscreen, the reception hummed. "Coleman... yes, all the kindergarteners just got back from school. He'll be in the play yard now, we'll call him over. You'll have to wait in the next room with our prospective parents." She waved a thin hand toward a door on the left.

"Thank you." October attempted a normal smile, but was a tad too worried to pull it off. She fell back to her partner's side. "How are you holding up?"

Crawling uncomfortably around in his skin, Jasper crammed his blurry thoughts into words. "It's really weird being here as an adult, and on the other side. I don't know how many times they brought me before 'prospective parents'." Nearing the adjoining room like he was approaching the gates of Hell he muttered. "Most of them were good people, I think. They wanted to help these kids who had no one. But they all still had some vision in their head of the perfect son they wanted. And I was never that."

Releasing a sigh that weighed heavy with guilt, October opened the narrow door.

Inside was a bit more hospitable than the lobby. The chairs had cushions- though they were faded- and bent brochures about adoption were stuffed in boxes along the walls. There were a couple murals of random farm animals, and in the corner a painting of a Turned child playing with an Ashen child. Various adults sat along the walls, and to the partners mild surprise, the room was almost full.

They found a couple empty chairs next to two women who were clinging to each other and trading whispers of joy. As soon as they sat down, the woman closest to October- with waves of curly hair and about a million bangles on both her wrists- started up a conversation.

"This is so wonderful, isn't it?"

Realizing the mistake that had once again been made, the Hunter tried to awkwardly correct the stranger. "Oh. Um..." But she was quickly interrupted with a blushing apology.

"Sorry, we don't even know you, it's just, you know how it is. We've been wanting to be parents for so long, it's just so exciting! It's hard to keep it to yourself."

The bangled woman's wife, with sky-blue eyes and a fluffy cardigan asked. "Do you already have children?"

October stuttered her answer. "No, we-"

"Oh, honey, look!" The clinking of a dozen bracelets rang through the room as the first woman pointed to Jasper's eyes.

"Oh, my." The second raised a hand to her heart. "Did you stay here when you were young?"

"Yes." Jasper stated simply, emotions guarded again.

"That's so sweet, coming back to help another child."

Curiosity floating to the surface, October wondered. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you looking for a Turned child, specifically?"

Sinking into her cardigan, the far-woman sighed, casting a worried look toward her wife. "Well, that's..."

"It's okay." Peaceful smile dawning, the outgoing woman spoke to the strangers. "My sister was Diseased. She did some terrible things, and I just carried that guilt with me for so long. Like, what if I had been there to stop it? Would I have been able to call the police before she crossed over the border?" Leaning onto her wife's shoulder she finished. "When we started thinking about having children, I knew I wanted to do the right thing and help a kid who was hurt by people like my sister."

Politely, blue eyes questioned. "What about you?"

"Actually-" Trying once more to confess the truth, October began, but was cut off by a low voice over she shoulder.

"I've thought for a long time that if I ever wanted to be a father, I'd go back here." Stunned into silence, October stared at her partner- who, in all this time, had never admitted anything of the sort- as a response came.

"That's just lovely."

Across the room, a man with glasses too big for his face opened a door, calling. "Olstead?"

"That's us!" Curly hair bounced along with a squeal.

"It was so nice meeting you." The wife added as they stood, and her spouse waved.

"Good luck!"

Still dazed, October offered to their retreating forms. "Uh, you too." After they had gone, she fell against the stiff wooden poles of the chair's back. Following a moment of pensive silence, she peeked up at Jasper. "Is that really true? What you said?"

With a sigh, he nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I haven't thought about it a whole lot, and honestly I never really wanted to come back here. But it just seemed like a no-brainer. If I'm going to have a kid, why not save one from this place?"

The tender honesty with which he thought about his future lifted a smile to his partner's face. "That's really nice."

A moment later, the same man peeked back in saying. "Hauntings and Drolden?"

Rising to her feet, October looked to her partner. "You ready?"

Thinking of a thousand different things but discovering one answer in her eyes, he joined her. "Yeah, I am."

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Next Update: Mon, June 22, 2020