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Outside the old church, children played on the playground. The only sound that could be heard was that of happy children, and the occasional songbird's cries. A group of boys would pretend to be soldiers, and a girl would climb the trees and jump at them from above. An older lady outside watching seemed to usher away the children from their inappropriate games. Inside the church were more children, as well as nuns. They sang happy songs, taught about the lord, and prayed together.
A young boy sat in a tree alone, staring down at the children. He easily could play with them. But he chose not to. His purple eyes clouded with a sense of familiarity. The boy brushed his fluffy blonde hair away from his eyes and brought his legs up to his chest, his arms leaning against them.
The tree shook a bit, leaves flew away, and a girl climbed up into his tree. Sunlight illuminated her shape, but Owl recognized her. His calm expression formed a shy smile at the girl. She sat down next to him.
“Is it a tree day today, Owl?” She seems, her voice soft. She seemed to be fiddling with a pendant around her neck.
“…I guess it is.” Owl sighed. “It’s been like this a lot, Holly.” Owl looked down again at the playground once more. The girl, Holly, moved to wrap an arm around Owl in a gentle manner.
“What’s bothering you now?” She asked, as if she almost understood Owl.
Owl didn’t respond, he just watched on as the kids played. The silence almost hurts the young boy, but he can’t find the words to express his thoughts. The two kids just sit in the tree, side by side.
“Owl, what do you think is going to happen to us when we become adults?” Holly asks, turning to face the other child. Holly’s green eyes find themselves straying downwards, towards her lap.
“I’m not sure.” Owl says, quietly. “I just know we will always be together, Holly.” The blonde boy’s voice was laced with uncertainty. It was so easy to imagine Holly always being with him, but the idea of him making it into adulthood was not even close.
The girl smiles, tilting her head. “Do you think we’ll ever be adopted?”
“You ask a lot of questions.” Owl giggles, at times like this it was hard to joke. But it was so easy as long as Holly was at his side. Though, Owl thought further. If he got adopted, he and Holly would be separated. Owl didn’t want that. Holly was his family, all he had. The girl was the exact opposite of Owl, but she had been there for Owl since day one.
The two kids sat together and enjoyed each other’s company, talking about nonsense.
-
Years passed since Owl was a boy in the orphanage, and time seemed to change so fast. He lived in the city now, attending a prestigious college at the age of 13, and graduating at 15. Very soon, he started his business. Owl’s Detective Firm.
During college, Owl had felt like he had lost important parts of his youth to his life in the orphanage. And he only had a few years of a childhood between those days and college. He spent all that time educating himself, and mastering alchemy. And during his late college days, Owl met a strange young boy.
Nick was a mystery to Owl. The boy talked to cats, had a strange sense of curiosity, but refused to learn. There was one word that Owl could use to describe Nick, and it was mischievous. His brown hair fluffed out, having white stripes. The owner of the place Owl rented had compared Owl and Nick to a pair of stray cats. Owl could see it.
Owl would be the older brother, then, and Nick would be the younger brother. The two generally lazed off on their free time, but during work Owl had to admit Nick was committed. Nick didn’t care for money, as long as he was fed and had a place to live.
One early spring day brought Owl back to his days as a young boy.
“Owl!” A familiar voice called, Owl looked up into a tree. “Did ya hear about the man who robbed the bank?” Nick smiled cheerfully, it wasn’t usual for one to be so happy to discuss crime.
“Hm? Oh right, the police still haven’t caught him.” Owl recalled the recent incident, though the two were uninvolved they were approached by the bank owner to do some digging.
“Well, Missy is giving me a few key detaillls!” Though Owl didn’t know that name, he could tell it was one of the neighborhood cats. Suddenly, Owl had a strange sensation that he had to climb that tree.
“Oh? What is it?” Owl slowly began climbing the tree, it’d been almost 10 years since he last did. He finally reached the top, greeted by Nick and his silly grin.
“Wow, you can still climb trees? I thought you said you were too old too!” Nick giggled at Owl.
“Oh shut it, I’m not that much older than you.” Owl rolled his eyes, grunting as he settled next to Nick on the tree. Soft green leaves rustled down, landing in the dirt path below it. Owl honestly couldn’t see much from the tree, so being there was useless.
But it wasn’t when he took into consideration that he was with Nick.
“Now what did your cat tell you?” Owl cleared his throat.
“She gave me a description of the man,” Nick started. “She said he was tall, had long grey hair..hmm, what else.” Nick paused, his eyebrows curving downward as he thought. Owl cut him off before he could finish his thought.
“Do you know if it’s a dark grey? Or light grey?” Owl had a feeling he knew who the culprit was.
“Hm…? Oh! Light grey, older man.” Nick smiled. “With blue eyes. Right!”
“Hey, wait, I know who that is. He’s been lingering around Mistletienn. He’s been spending a lot of money there lately, too.” Owl smiled. “Nice work, Nick!”
“Of course! That’s what I do.” Nick giggled.
“I’ll treat you to something after, lets go now!” Owl climbed down the tree, leaves falling into his blond hair.
Owl had an odd sense of joy being in Nick’s life, as a friend, or as… family.
-
Recently, Owl met a young girl. She had to be around 7 to 10 years old, she was definitely a child.
“I will take you in,” Owl promised her. She had nowhere to turn.
The girl, Ellie, had lost all her memories and only knew her name. Once a statue, she turned into a person in a blink.
Ellie was very doll-like, her red eyes low and her face remaining neutral throughout any situation.
Owl quickly grew fond of her.
While working one Fall day, Owl hadn’t seemed to notice the door opening. Ellie spoke up in a soft voice.
“Owl.. Byron sent something.” She came in, carrying a box of treats she brought from downstairs. Owl looked up at the girl, and then at the box.
“Thank you, Ellie, you can put those on the table.” Owl smiled. It was rare for him to receive treats at all, Owl had opted to be independent which often left him hungry. If anything, Owl preferred Nick and Ellie ate. They were still children after all.
“Owl looks hungry..” Ellie’s voice was almost a whisper, on most occasions she stumbled over her words. “You should eat this.” Ellie opened the box, and pulled a small meat pie out for Owl.
“Oh, Ellie, you should eat first.” Owl shook his head, looking back down at his papers.
“I already ate.. so it’s Owl’s turn.” Ellie said, sitting down at the chair in front of his desk. Owl sighed.
“If that’s the case, then it doesn’t hurt.” Owl smiled at Ellie’s kindness. It felt like a while since he had been cared for at all. Owl took the meat pie and took a bite. The crispy bread fell apart in his mouth, and sat on his tongue as he chewed the sweet pork.
“Byron made it just now.” Ellie commented.
“I’ll have to thank him later.” Owl dusted the food crumbs off of himself. He then looked up at Ellie. She was playing with her long blonde hair, it seemed tangled.
Owl stared at her for a moment, realizing that neither of them had been taking care of their hair. He took a deep breath, wordlessly opening up a compartment in his desk and pulling out a hairbrush.
Ellie’s red gaze shifted over to Owl, and the foreign object in his hands.
“Owl.. What is that?” Ellie asked, tilted her head slightly.
“It’s a hairbrush.” Owl said simply. “It’s been a while since we took care of your hair, so I’m washing it and brushing the tangles out.”
Owl watched as Ellie brought her right hand to her face, chewing on her nails anxiously, her eyes straying from the hairbrush and into the corner of the room most distant from Owl. Owl sighed.
“It won’t hurt, Ellie, I promise. Look, I’ll even brush my hair.” Owl put the brush to his hair, and pulled it through. He struggled, it got caught in the tangles. It took a moment for it to run through smoothly, it made Owl recall the last time he even brushed it. That, he didn’t even remember.
As Ellie stared at Owl in bewilderment, the man stood up. The hooded girl’s gaze followed Owl, tilting her head as she spoke. “Is it a bad thing, Owl..?” Ellie asked, blinking.
“No, it’s just that you are my responsibility.”
“…responsibility..” Ellie echoed, this seemed to raise more questions than answers to her.
“Come on, Missy, we’re washing your hair.” Owl had Ellie stand, and her small hands reached to tug on his sleeves. Owl smiled gently, and he led her to the restroom, the hairbrush in his other hand. He set it down on the sink counter, and got to work.
Owl sat Ellie against the faucet, and turned on the water until it was the perfect temperature for her. She stared at Owl, and held her expression in a rather undisturbed manner despite the water running against her face.
Owl had small traces of rose scented shampoo in his hands, he brought them up to Ellie’s hair and lathered through it. The process of shampooing her hair took a while, and through it the two sat quietly, except for the occasional humming of Ellie.
Finally, Owl washed it out. He ran his hands through her hair, it was still definitely tangled. Owl just sighed and ran the conditioner through it, and reached for the hairbrush he left on the sink counter.
“…Wait, Owl.” Ellie interrupted the silence between them. Owl turned to her, holding the brush now. “Thank you… for being my ‘brother’.” Ellie smiled.
“Of course, Ellie.” Owl felt something inside at this word, something nostalgic. He must have heard those words in a dream sometime in the past.
Brother…
-
“Owl! Owl!” An irritating voice called. Owl let out a low groan. A teenage girl ran up to the man, her purple eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Hello, Tino.” Owl said, with a curt nod. The only thing he looked forward to during Tino’s occasional visits was the strange older guy who accompanied her. Was he a sibling? Or an upperclassman? Owl could never tell what the relationship between Tino and the other guy had, however he did know that the man was familiar in a way.
“You look like you’re working on something hard.” The girl said. At that moment, she pulled out her spy-glass and took a look at the papers that Owl was working on. “What is this.. a dead body was disco-“
“Tino, stop messing around and let the gentleman work.” A voice called. Owl could never figure out where he knew it from, but…Tino’s strange friend was here now.
“Buuut Louis!” Tino sighed. “Owl clearly needs my help!”
“No, Tino, he needs to focus. You can help him by going downstairs where everyone else is.” Louis' eyes narrowed, they were a soft baby green color. Then, Owl got an idea.
“No.. wait, Tino can you help me?” Owl was seriously going to get to the bottom of this mystery about Louis.
“Oh!! Oh my god!! Yes, I will!!” Tino grinned, Louis just sighed. “Whatever you need help with!”
“Well, I have this case-“ Louis turned around and started walking down the stairs, closing the door behind him. “-Okay, Tino, what is Louis' deal?”
“Huh? He’s just an average college student. Why?” Tino turned to look at the door that had just been shut. “Do you like him?”
“No, Tino, he looks familiar and he acts…strange.” Owl grumbled.
“Mmn… I dunno what’s goin’ on, but he’s like a brother to me!” Tino grinned. Come to think of it, something about Tino was familiar too. Maybe it was her clear resemblance to someone Owl knew in the past.. she had a loud personality, pink hair… the only thing that didn’t match was Tino’s eyes, they were a hue of purple, similar to Owl’s own.
“Brother…” Owl knotted his brows, then looked at Tino. “Byron seems to know him… and you.”
“Oh yeah! Byron’s been totally worried ‘bout us for a while. Especially Louis, not sure why though!” Tino shrugged. “Now what case did you need help on again~?”
“Case? Huh- oh right, there was no case, I just can’t figure out how I know that guy.”
“The great Owl is so famous he can’t recognize his biggest fans~ so disappointing.” Tino sighed dramatically. Where did she get this personality from anyways? “I’ll tell you this! Me and Louis have been coming here often for the past few years. You prolly saw Louis a while back.”
“…I guess you’re right.” Owl let out a frustrated sigh. “Sorry to ask you, then..” The detective was defeated, he had an instinct that what Tino said was wrong but he wouldn’t admit it. He didn’t want Tino having any ideas, anyways.
“Not sure if it helps, but we both attend Royal University too! Have you visited in the last…few years?” Tino wasn’t sure what number to even say now.
“Not often, but I do every one and a while.”
“Ohhh my goddd you’re such a bore! Owl, you are famous!! Don’t act so sadly.” Tino grumbled. “What did you want to know in specific anyways?”
“I’m not sure.” Owl admitted. “Whatever, since both of us are confused, why don’t you just go be a normal kid instead of helping me with my issues?”
“I’m not a kid! I’m 14, and I’m the cutest and smartest girl on earth too!” Tino put her hands on her hips.
This kid… was a nuisance.
“Never mind, then, Tino. Thanks for trying.” Owl turned away from Tino.
“Don’t you have a family too, Owl?” The girl asked, running to his side. “You must be pretty lonely~!”
Family?
-
It was not often that Owl visited Tristan, the man who took him in. The two were so different, Owl needed his distance every once and a while but it seems Tristan was desperate to see his son.
“Owl.” The older man spoke, Owl snapped out of his trance. The room he was in was no longer dark now, bright red walls, furniture laced with gold colored trimming, a neat coffee table in the middle, Owl was back in his childhood home. He was still thinking about what Tino said. “Is everything okay? Are you sick? Is work troubling you?” It was not rare for Tristan to be like this with Owl.
“Don’t worry about me, Tristan.” Owl looked at his father, though even if Owl begged Tristan to not dote on him so much nothing would change.
“Hannah,” Tristan called. The maid bounded up, her stare piercing Owl’s soul. “Please check my son's temperature.”
“I’m okay, I promise.” Owl spoke under his breath. Hannah just went up to Owl, put her hand on his forehead for a moment, then turned to Tristan again.
“He’s alright.” She declared. Hannah was a woman of little words, but when she spoke it was harsh. Owl wondered if she ever was gentle to anyone.
“Hm.. call Ralph to make him some tea. He might be hungry.” Tristan dismissed Hannah, the girl simply nodded and left. “Owl, what’s bugging you? Something’s clearly wrong.”
“I guess I’ve been overthinking.” Owl sighed. “I was just thinking of what it means to have a family.” Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to say this to the man who raised you?
“I guess we’re family.” Tristan smiled. “And we’re not a nuclear family, but you’re still my son.”
“You’ve done a lot for me.” Owl admitted, looking down at his hands. He clasped them together and let them fold into his lap.
“Of course I’ve done a lot for you, Owl. You’re my son. Even if you have a hard time calling me your dad, which I will respect, I really love you.”
“What would you have done if it was any other kid?”
Tristan laughed, and tilted his head.
“Of course, I wanted to help as many children as I could.” The man took a deep breath. Owl looked up, and noticed the door knob twisting. A young man with black hair came in with a tray of snacks.
“Thank you Ralph.” Owl spoke up, not responding to Tristan’s previous comment. Ralph just smiled shyly as he set the tray on the table between the two other men.
“Of course, Hannah told me to bring these.. what type of tea would you like?”
“I’ll take whatever, Ralph, you make some really great tea.” Tristan spoke up. It was true, Ralph did make some really great tea.
“I will do the same, then.” Owl said, nodding in agreement with Tristan.
“Alright, give me just a second.” Ralph said quietly as he left.
Owl and Tristan sat there silently for a moment, before Tristan leaned forward to grab a small piece of cheese left on the tray.
“You should eat too, Owl. We’ll have real dinner later, but a snack never hurts,” Tristan spoke with the cheese in his mouth. Owl nodded and gently picked up a small piece of ham. He chewed it slowly, thinking again.
So, to Tristan, family was Owl. To Tino, Louis was family. Owl wondered, what about Hannah? Or Ralph?
Ralph returned with Hannah at his side. Ralph carried the boiling pot of tea in one hand, and a small cup of cream in the other. Hannah brought in the teacups. Now would be Owl’s time to ask.
“Ralph, Hannah.” Owl looked over at the two, and they stopped waiting for his word. “What does it mean to have a family?” He asked.
Hannah stayed quiet, staring at Ralph for his response.
“…uhm..” Ralph was not usually talkative, the question startled him. “I guess everyone here? I don’t really know my family.” Ralph shrugged, Hannah looked at him, trying to smile for his response. Though, she struggled, and her expression returned to its usual gloom.
“I had a sister,” Hannah said. “She made me who I am.” Hannah simply shrugged.
“What does that mean?” Owl asked. Hannah shifted nervously, then looked over at Ralph again. It seems they were the only ones to really understand each other.
“My older sister encouraged me to take a job here, firstly.” Hannah had been working as a maid almost her whole life now, Owl remembered growing up with her here. “She made me a lovely girl, lent me her nice clothes, taught me, protected me from my parents. We worked on a farm, but I didn’t want that life.” Hannah paused at some of her words, then looked down. “I’ve said enough.”
There was one answer that Owl wanted, one he knew he’d never get. Lingering inside his chest was a longing to ask someone he once knew what family was to her.
Holly.
-
They said the children of the church were flowers, blooming in the garden. Those flowers had a very sweet nectar.
Now it was gone, the scent of the garden, the children, the church.
Fire crackled, the smell of ash filling the atmosphere. Owl’s small legs pushed hard against the ground, he tried running as much as he could. Looking up at the sky, he saw a barn owl.
“Holly! Follow the bird!” He called to the girl running in front of him.
“I’m running!” She screamed, reaching behind her for Owl’s hand. She was much bigger, much faster. They ran, ran as fast as they could. The fire around them felt so, so warm. Fear sat inside of Owl’s belly, but he tried not to show it for Holly’s sake.
A tree crashed in front of them, burning still. Stopped, and held Holly back.
“We need to go around.” She said, tears welling up in her eyes. “We need to live, Owl.” She sobbed out.
“It’s okay, we’ll live. We will live, Holly.” Owl pulled her to the other end of the tree where it had been the least on fire. She jumped over, patting the fire off of her dress. Now, he was in the front, pulling the bigger girl along.
“Owl! Watch out!” Holly screamed, pushing Owl. Another large chunk of tree crashed down, separating the two.
Owl stared at Holly in fear, as the flames rose higher and higher. She cowered, sinking.
“Owl, go! Go! You still have a chance at living, please go!” She cried, pulling her locket from under her dress. “Take it! Please live!” She screamed, throwing the locket over the fallen tree.
“No! I’m not leaving you, Holly!” He screamed. Owl burnt his hands trying to push the tree out of the way, he jumped back and yelped. Owl tried to find a way around the flames, but there was nothing. The boy's eyes welled up with tears. “At least let me hold your hand until the very end.” Owl choked, his tears clouding his vision.
“Keep following the Owl, it knows the end of the fire.” Holly said weakly, lowering herself to the ground. “Goodbye.. you’re the only one who’ll survive…” She was running out of stamina, and breathing in the ashy air had clearly slowed her down. She was shutting down, and Owl had no choice but to go without her—something he didn’t dare to wish. Owl took the locket in her hand, and held it close.
Melting away.
If all the children of the church’s orphanage were flowers, that made them all a bouquet. Yet all of them wilted, they were all gone in the fire now. All that remained of the flowers was Owl, and the locket that held the memories of that bouquet.
Melting away.
Owl couldn’t just stay there with Holly, she was dead now. He just had to run as far as he could, until the forest was out of sight. Until he was no longer alone. It was dark, Owl didn’t know where anything was and even if he did it had been destroyed.
Melting away that last night.
Owl looked up, wiping his tears away. He spotted the barn owl, its wings beckoning him. Owl had no hope now, just this bird. He just kept running, he couldn’t think, not now. All he could do was survive, for Holly’s sake. For the sake of the lost memories of the undelivered bouquet.
Disappearing, disappearing.
Everything Owl knew disappeared, when he was finally at the edge of the dark forest he climbed into a tree, and sat there, now truly alone. He just broke into a sob. Why did Owl have to be the only survivor? The world was so cruel for killing everyone he knew, even if he didn’t love them they were all he had.
They were his family.
No… no.
Owl sat in that tree, staring blankly for hours on end. The dark night ended, the smell of smoke still filled the air. The blonde boy couldn’t think. His eyes sunk, dark circles around his eyes being so clear in the child at this point.
Hey… death god, where are you taking her?