Scarlett's alarm rang, immediately waking her from her sleep. She quickly turned it off and laid for a few seconds with her eyes closed, letting out a long sigh. Slowly, she got out of her double bed and made her way over to the bookcase on the other side of the room. A framed picture of her mother sat on one of the shelves. Scarlett placed a small kiss on her own fingers before pressing them to the picture of her mother. She smiled sadly, wishing it didn't have to be this way. Wishing that she could make her way down stairs to find her mother making breakfast for the family like she used to. But, that was Scarlett's responsibility now.
Quietly, she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen and began to prepare breakfast. She quickly whipped up a mixture for pancakes and left bacon cooking in the pan as she went back upstairs to wake her family.
She knocked quietly on Aden's door.
"Ade, come on. Time to get up," she called. She slowly opened to door and chuckled when she saw that Aden hadn't even stirred and was still fast asleep. She went over to his bed, knelt down and began to stroke his unkempt hair.
"Adennn, come on sleepyhead," she cooed. Slowly, the boy began to wake, and finally he opened his eyes and locked them with Scarlett's.
"Good morning," she whispered, giving him a bright smile.
"Where's mommy?" he asked, still half asleep. Scarlett's heart sank. She tried to keep the emotion from changing her face. And instead, changed the subject.
"Hey, I've made your favourite breakfast," she said enthusiastically.
"Pancakes?" he sat up quickly, nearly bumping heads with Scarlett. She couldn't help but laugh.
"Pancakes," she repeated, winking at him.
He quickly jumped out of bed, running out the door as Scarlett followed him.
"I'm gonna wake Dad up, pancakes are his favourite, just like me!" he called behind him as he ran down the hall to his father's room. He grabbed the handle and threw the door open before Scarlett could stop him.
They both came to an abrupt stop as they took in the sight of the room.
It was empty. The bed untouched and everything in it's usual place. The only thing out of place Scarlett noticed, was the piece of paper left on the bedside table.
Aden seemed to notice it too. He ran over and grabbed it. "Scarlett, Daddy left a letter."
He handed it to Scarlett and she quickly scanned it, eyes wide and blinking.
"What does it say?" Aden asked, hopeful.
Scarlett cleared her throat and held up the letter.
"Dear Scarlett and Aden, I have been sent a mission that is top secret. I will tell you about it when I'm back. Take care of each other and I'll see you in a few days. Love, Dad." Scarlett's eyes were zoned out, as Aden's jaw hung open in awe.
"I wonder what mission it is this time, Scarlett?" Aden squealed excitedly. Scarlett shook her head, bringing herself out of her trance.
"I'm sure he'll tell us all about it when he's back," she replied quietly.
Suddenly, a sharp ringing from downstairs brings her back to reality.
Damn smoke alarm.
She bolted out of the bedroom and down the stairs, with Aden following behind. The kitchen was covered in grey smoke. She threw the letter down on the counter and quickly ran to the stove, turning off the heat before grabbing a place mat to waft the smoke. She finally got it to stop after a few seconds and threw the mat back down. She leant back on the counter and let out a sigh.
All she wanted to do was have a nice breakfast with her family. Was that really too much to ask?
"Ade, go wait in the living room, I'll bring you a different breakfast, okay?"
He looked to the floor, sulking.
"I thought you said we were having pancakes?" he scolded.
Scarlett sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. I'm doing the best I can. She wanted to scream it. But she didn't.
"Look, we'll have them tomorrow, okay? Now go wait on the couch."
He rolled his eyes and took himself off to the the living room. As soon as he went, Scarlett grabbed the letter to read it again.
Scar,
I've went to the cabin for a few days. I'll be back within the week. Take care of Aden for me.
Dad.
Scarlett couldn't help the tears that spilled from her eyes. Her hands trembled as she ripped up the note and threw it into the trash.
Ever since her Mom's death, their father would take himself off to the cabin for days at a time without consideration for anyone else but himself.
It's where the whole family used to go when Scarlett was younger. Her Uncle Gus and cousin Kit would join her and her mom and dad and they would spend their summers there. Swimming in the lake, hiking through the forests, and sitting around the campfire. Scarlettt had such fond memories of the place. But any mention of it now made her stomach knot. It was now her father's get away. Which left Scarlett, as always, with her hands tied caring for her baby brother.
She felt guilty for being so angry about it. She loved Aden more than anything, but sometimes she wished for her care free life back. It was hard for her to be thrown into a situation like this at the age of 24, with no way out. But she would never abandon her baby brother. She would care for the boy and make her Mom proud. Unlike Dad she thought.
Scarlett fixed Aden some cereal and handed it to him as he sat on the couch watching cartoons.
"Scarlett…" Aden began.
"Yeah?" She replied, sitting down next to him with her own bowl of cereal.
"Your eyes are red. Are you sad?" Aden's lip trembled.
Scarlett was lost for words. She looked down into her cereal bowl thinking of something to say.
"Me? Of course not, buddy. It was a little smoky in there, it hurt my eyes is all," she said giving a sad smile. Aden studied her face a little longer, not entirely convinced, before tucking himself into her side.
Julie made sure she didn't make the same mistake as yesterday, and was waiting eagerly the next morning, as Alya pulled up outside her building.
"Get in loser, we're going shopping," Alya called out the window. Julie rolled her eyes as she climbed into the car.
"You know one of these days you're really going to have stop with the Mean Girls quotes?" Julie responded.
"Boo. You whore," Alya replied, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Julie hit out at her shoulder but Alya quickly dodged it, smugly laughing at herself. Julie couldn't help the laugh that escaped her.
"You want coffee?" Alya asked.
"Oh my god, yes! I don't think my body can take much more of these early mornings," she said, fixing her hair in the mirror.
Alya set off. "Julie, you're 25. Be prepared for a hella lot more early mornings."
"Don't remind me," she said dramatically.
They soon pulled up to a coffee shop and Julie jumped out, getting their orders.
She handed Alya her coffee as she got back in the car, and they sat quietly the rest of the way, trying to cram in as much silence before the start of another hectic day.
As they pulled up to the schools car park, Julie noticed the black Mercedes already parked in one of the spots.
Julie eyed the car wearily, seeing no one inside.
"That's Scarlett's car," she says, her brows furrowed.
"Scarlett?" Alya asked.
"Remember I told you about Aden?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Well it's his big sister, the one whose taking care of him."
Julie had briefly spoke about them in the car ride home last night, leaving out the details about his father.
"Wonder why they're here so early? School doesn't start for another half hour," Alya wondered.
"I don't know…"
Julie couldn't help the concerned feeling she got in her gut. They pulled into a space and Julie grabbed her things before exiting the car and making her way over to the entrance.
She opened the door and quickly said her goodbyes to Alya before walking down the corridor to Principal Durani's office. Outside the office on a row of chairs, sat Aden. His feet were dangling mid air as they couldn't reach the floor yet. He had his eyes trained on the ground.
"Good morning Aden!" Julie said brightly. His head shot up as he looked towards his teacher. She automatically noticed the worry on his face.
"Good morning," he said back quietly. Julie walked over and took the seat next to him. She noticed his hair was tidier than yesterday and his eyes weren't as tired.
"Who are you here with?" she asked the boy.
"My Scarlett," he replied pointing towards the Principals door. Julie smiled at the "my" part. "Do you gotta speak to Mr Durani too?" he asked, his face looking slightly confused.
"Yeah, but it can wait. I'd much rather play I Spy again," she said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
His eyes lit up and he sat up straight on his chair looking around for something use in the game.
Julie could hear voices coming from inside the office, just about gathering what they were saying.
So you can't pick Ad-after 4? Miss W - day finishes - 3:30.
Julie can't make out the reply.
-somebody else collect- about your father?
At that, Julie heard a voice raise.
"My father is the reason I am in this mess."
Aden's eyes landed on the door, his face growing more and more worried. Julie felt unsettled at the tension growing on either side of the door.
"Hey, it's okay," Julie said reassuringly. "You know I've got something in class that I think you might like. Shall we go see?"
Aden nodded his head hesitantly.
"Great. Just give me a second, don't move," she smiled as she stood up and walked towards the door. She lightly tapped it and waited for a response.
"Come in," she heard Durani call.
She opened the door and quickly shut it behind her. Scarlett was pacing the office, her jaw clenched and her face stoic. Julie's eyes followed her form, taking in her long legs in her suit pants and the way her shirt fitted around her slim physique. At the sight of Julie, she stopped and nodded towards the brunette.
"Principal Durani, Miss Dunn," Julie greeted them.
"Please, just call me Scarlett," the brunette said, the hint of a smirk touching her lips.
"Scarlett," Julie repeated nodding towards her, a small smile formed on her mouth.
"Um, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Did you say you couldn't pick Aden up until 4?" she queried, looking at Scarlett. The brunette sighed and looked to the floor.
"Yeah, my hands are tied. My Dad's gone away for a few days and Kit works late. Uncle Gus is out of town on a business trip. There's no one els-"
"-I'll take him," Julie interrupted.
Durani raised his eyebrows.
"W-what?" Scarlett asked, looking bewildered.
"I don't leave here til 5 most days anyway, it's really not a problem."
"Clarke, I do hope you understand you still have other duties to complete after the children have gone," Durani said sternly.
"Yes sir, I understand that. But half an hour's not going to effect that. I can give him something to do while he waits and I can carry on with my work," Julie gave back.
Durani considered it. Then, "fine, if you wish, Miss Maslany." Julie nodded at him.
"Thank you," said Scarlett quietly, her face appreciative. Julie looked to her.
"You're welcome."
Their gaze locked for a few seconds before Julie cleared her throat and looked to Durani.
"Anyway, I was just letting you know I'm gonna take Aden to class. He was getting worried out there and I -"
"-shit!" Scarlett cursed, grabbing her bag and blazer from the chair and making her way out of the door.
Julie stood still, eyes wide at the outburst. She turned back to Durani, confusion all over her face.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Julie." Again, Julie nodded and made her way out of the office, shutting the door behind her.
Scarlett was kneeled in front of Aden, with his hands tightly grasped in hers. Julie stood back waiting for Scarlett to finish speaking to him.
"There's no need to be worried - hey - look at me," she said tapping his chin up so their eyes met. "Everything is fine, Aden."
"Why were you shouting?" he asked, tears forming in his little hazel eyes.
"I-I-" Scarlett stumbled across her words, unable to think of something to say.
Julie cut in.
"-Aden, did you know, Principal Durani is getting so old that his ears have began to stop working? Scarlett had to shout so that he could hear her."
Scarlett flipped her head around, eyebrows raised with an amused look on her face. Seriously?
Julie shrugged her shoulders. A smirk appeared on her face. She felt her stomach swirl as Scarlett let out a soft laugh and shook her head, her curls swaying around her face. She turned back to Aden.
"See?" she said expectantly. Aden's eyes darted between the two women then he nodded slowly, looking confused.
"Right, I've gotta get going. I'm gonna be a little late picking you up this afternoon, so you're gonna stay with Miss Maslany until I get here, okay?" His eyes looked sad, pleading with Scarlett's.
"It won't be for long I promise," she said, sticking out her pinky finger to the boy. He hesitantly wrapped his around Scarlett's and said quietly, "Okay Scarlett."
"Now gimme a kiss," she said, sticking her cheek out and pointing to it. He rolled his eyes before planting a kiss to her cheek. Scarlett then scooped him up into her arms and she held onto him tightly. He eventually returned the hug, placing his head on her shoulder and playing with strands of her hair.
"I love you, Ade."
"Love you," he replied quietly.
She returned him to the ground before looking at Julie.
"Thank you so much for doing this. You really don't know how much it means," she said sincerely.
"Don't worry about it," Julie answered, smiling at her. She found herself lost in those hazel eyes again, and Scarlett didn't look away. She held her gaze, staring right back at her.
Julie couldn't deny her attraction to this woman. She was stunning. But there was something more. She admired her. Her love for her little brother was astonishing, that much Julie could tell. And the brunette found herself wanting to help this woman, purely because she deserved it. She deserved a little weight taken off of her shoulders.
So, she looked down to Aden and asked "you ready to go to class?" Julie stuck out her hand and raised her eyebrows, a playful glint in her brown eyes. Aden chuckled and grabbed her hand.
"Okay, Miss Maslany."
Julie turned to Scarlett, saying a quick goodbye and walked off down the corridor with the boy.
Scarlett watched them go, smiling to herself as she heard him giggling at something the brunette had said. She waited until they rounded the corner, then let out a long sigh.
Time to get to work.
After a hectic day in kindergarten class, Julie finally found herself sitting at her desk at the end of the day. She'd let Aden into her book cupboard and he'd pulled out all the superhero ones he could carry. He sat on a beanbag at the carpet area, flicking threw the pages, taking in the colourful pictures.
Julie typed away on her computer when Aden piped up. "Miss Maslany?"
"Yeah, Aden?" she replied, eyes still on the screen. He bit his lip.
"Is my Dad a superhero?" he asked, his face confused.
"Uh…" Maslany is startled by the question. "What makes you say that?" she finally answered, turning to look at the boy.
"Well, my Scarlett read Dad's letter and it said he's been sent on a mission and that he's coming back soon, but it's a secret so we have to ask him about it when he's home."
Julie was lost for words, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Scarlett had mentioned their father had gone away for a few days, she thought. But, a letter? She shook her head.
"I think you'll have to ask Scarlett," she replied.
"Okay." He nodded, smiling, and continued flicking through the pages. Julie attempted to return to her work but the conversation had taken over her thoughts. She watched the boy closely, wanting to know more.
"Does he go on missions a lot?" she asked, nervous for the answer. He budged himself up on the beanbag and his eyes lit up.
"Oh, yeah! Well, not lots of times but a little bit. Scarlett said she doesn't like him going on them cos she gets worried."
I bet she doesn't like him going on them, she thought.
"And what about you? Do you like that he goes on missions?"
Aden sat back, thinking about the question. His eyebrows furrowed.
"I don't know," he answered truthfully. He looked into her eyes and Julie nodded.
She didn't want to push it any further. Aden returned to his books, and Julie carried on watching him, noticing he looked a little dejected. After a few minutes, Julie finally spoke up.
"Who's your favourite superhero?" she said, standing up from her seat and taking one on the floor next to Aden's beanbag instead. She picked up one of the books and looked through the pages.
"That's easy, Batman," he said enthusiastically, holding up a picture of Batman from the book.
"What!? Noooo, Spider-Man is totally the best!" Julie said dramatically, faking a shocked face.
"Is not!" Aden winged.
"Is too!" Julie stuck out her tongue and Aden giggled.
Suddenly, she heard a throat clear behind her. Julie threw her head around towards the sound, finding Scarlett leaning against the doorframe. Her shirt was unbuttoned at the collar and she held her blazer in her hand. A smile was tugging at her lips. She looked amused. Julie couldn't help the heat that flushed her cheeks.
"Oh, hey," Julie said awkwardly as she got to her feet.
"Having fun?" asked Scarlett, cocking her head to the side. Julie noticed the brunette's eyes do a quick sweep of her body, before she looked over to Aden.
Julie felt her mouth go dry and luckily, Aden spoke first.
"Is it time to go Scarlett?"
"Yeah," she said stepping further into the classroom. "Do you wanna put the books away and go get your coat and bag?"
He quickly gathered the books and put them back in the cupboard before exiting the classroom to get his things from the cloakroom just outside.
As he left the room, Scarlett turned to Julie and said in a quiet voice, "Spider-Man? Really?" Her eyebrows where raised in mock judgement.
Julie couldn't help the laugh that escaped her mouth as she rolled her eyes. Scarlett's eyes were twinkling with amusement.
"Hey - no judging in my classroom," Julie replied, jokingly pointing her finger at her the brunette as she made her way back over to her desk. She leaned against it.
Scarlett laughed and held her hands up in defence. "I was just asking." Aden made his way back into the room.
"Ready to go?" Scarlett asked, taking his hand. He nodded before turning to Julie.
"Miss Maslany, can I look at the books again tomorrow?" he asked nervously.
Scarlett opened her mouth to protest but Julie quickly cut it "-sure you can, if that's okay with you?" she looked to Scarlett. Her brows where furrowed.
"You don't have to do that. I'm going to arrange a babysitter to look after Aden tomorrow," Scarlett explained.
"Well, it's up to you, but the offer is there. It's really not a big deal, the kid's as good as gold." She looked to Aden to find him smiling brightly at her and she returned the smile.
Aden looked up to his big sister. "Please, Scarlett." Scarlett thought about it for a few seconds, eyes darting between the young boy and brunette.
"Okay…yeah, okay," she looked down and gave the boy a small smile. Aden grinned back at her then turned to Julie.
"Bye Miss Maslany," he called pulling Scarlett towards the door.
"Goodbye Aden, see you in the morning," she said back giving a wave. Before Aden could pull her through the door, Scarlett called over her shoulder "see you later, Miss Maslany."
"Bye, Scarlett." And they where gone.
Julie, stayed leaning against her desk, consumed in her thoughts.
Later that evening, Scarlett found herself wrapped up in blankets on the couch, with Aden's head resting on her lap.
He'd insisted on a movie night, so after bathing him and getting him into clean pyjamas, she'd let him choose a film on Netflix while she'd sorted their take out pizza. Once they were fed, Aden had shuffled across the couch, laying on his big sister and she'd threw a blanket over them.
Scarlett stroked Aden's damp hair as they watched. However, Scarlett's mind wondered off not long into the movie. She wondered how her father was doing and when he would be back. She thought of her mom and what she would think of all this. She thought of how this time last year her whole life was pretty much perfect and how quickly everything had changed. She looked down at Aden, worrying about how he would get on in this new school and how she doesn't want a repeat of what happened in the last school. She thought of glistening brown eyes and brown hair…
Half way into the film Aden piped up, "Scarlett?"
"Yeah?"
"You know Miss Maslany said I should ask you something, today."
Scarlett's sat up, her eyebrows furrowing. Aden rolled from his side to his back and looked up at his sisters face. "She did? What is it?"
Scarlett noticed that Aden looked far too hesitant for such a small child.
"Well in my book, the superheroes went on missions. That's the same as Dad. I asked her if Dad was a superhero because he goes on missions a lot and she said I should ask you." His voice was small.
Scarlett's eyes zoned out as she took in what he had said. Superhero my ass, she thought. But then came a feeling of dread. The brunette was now aware that their Dad leaving was a reoccurring thing. As much as Aden was safe with Scarlett, she was not his legal guardian. It would be seen as neglect by their father. Scarlett couldn't have social workers getting involved. She couldn't let Aden be taken away. She wondered if Julie would have mentioned it to anyone…
"Listen to me Aden. When Dad goes away, you can't tell anyone about it, okay? It has to be a secret. Only me, you and Dad can know. Is that clear?" she said sternly.
"But why?" he asked quietly.
Scarlett sighed. "Because it's top secret, okay? It might get Dad into trouble."
"Have I got him into trouble now for telling Miss Maslany?" His eyes where filled with worry.
Scarlett thought about her answer. "No… but if he goes away again, you have to promise me you won't tell anyone."
"Okay," he whispered hesitantly. Scarlett wrapped her arms around the boys' small body and pulled him in closer to her.
The credits of the film began to run and the sun was low in the sky now, casting shadows through the living room. Aden had fell asleep before the movie had finished and Scarlett was grateful for some time to just sit quietly. It was something that was very rare for her these days.
Scarlett grabbed the remote and switched off the TV, before carefully manoeuvring herself from underneath Aden and standing from the couch. She took the blanket off him and scooped him up, pressing his chest against hers as his head fell onto her shoulder. As quiet and carefully as she could she carried him up the stairs, trying not wake him.
When she finally placed him into bed and tucked the covers around, she placed a small kiss to his head. "Love you, baby."
Aden stirred before turning away and settling into sleep. Scarlett crept out of the room and carefully shut the door behind her. She made her way back downstairs to tidy the mess in the living room.
After she was done, she grabbed her phone off the coffee table and settled back down on the couch with her legs tucked underneath her. She checked her messages.
Kit (20:03)
Hey Scar, hope Ade's settled into school okay. Do you 2 wanna do something on Saturday?
Scarlett (20:15)
He's doing okay, his teacher is really nice. What you got in mind?
Kit (20:17)
Picnic in the park?
Scarlett (20:18)
Sounds good :)
Kit (20:20)
I'll pick you up at 12. See you two then x
Scarlett smiled at her phone before placing it back down on the coffee table. It had been a while since she's got to spend time with Kit other than a quick greeting or goodbye and exchanges of Aden. She was looking forward to it. And it would be nice to get out of the house with Aden.
But, she had the rest of the week to get through first.
