Disclaimer: I do not own The Mr. Men Show or any of its characters. But I do own a few characters in this story and the idea that Mr. Grumpy has a brother and a niece.
The voice called from the darkness again. "Are you lost?"
Little Miss Aloof turned around to see an orange Little Miss she didn't know walking to her. But she recognized the Mr. Man who was with her.
Mr. Scatterbrain, wasn't it? He was the first person the best friends introduced her to.
The two stopped in front of her and stared at her questioningly. At first Little Miss Aloof was confused, but then she realized that she never gave the Little Miss an answer.
"Oh, y-yes, I'm lost," she stammered, lowering her gaze and shifting her feet. How could I have been so stupid? she asked herself. Her mind had been full of thoughts of the small man which had driven her to sneak out of her uncle's house to go see him. It didn't occur to her until she was a good distance away that she didn't know where he lived, and now she had no idea how to get back to Mr. Grumpy's house.
Has he noticed I'm gone yet? she wondered.
"You're Mr. Grumpy's niece, aren't you?" the Little Miss asked her, breaking into her thoughts.
Little Miss Aloof blinked at her. "Um… yeah." How did she know that?
"I'm Miss. Calamity," the orange Little Miss went on. Then she gestured to the Mr. Man beside her. "And I think you know Mr. Scatterbrain. He told me about meeting you earlier today," she added.
So that's how she knows me, Little Miss Aloof realized.
Mr. Scatterbrain chuckled and waved at Little Miss Aloof.
The young Little Miss forced herself to smile, having very mixed feelings right now. She was glad to see someone who knew their way around, but at the same time she hated talking to people.
There was a short pause where the three of them stood there in awkward silence. "So what are you doing out here this late?" Little Miss Calamity finally asked her.
Little Miss Aloof lowered her gaze, hesitant to tell them, but she didn't want to lie. "I was on my way to Mr. Small's house," she admitted, glancing back up at them. Frowning, she added," But I realized I have no idea where he lives."
After sharing a look with her boyfriend, Little Miss Calamity turned back to the young kid. "Does Mr. Grumpy know where you are?" she questioned even though she already had a feeling that he didn't.
The red Little Miss stared down at her feet and didn't reply, confirming Little Miss Calamity's suspicions.
"Maybe we should take you back to him…" Little Miss Calamity started but was interrupted by the young Little Miss's sudden response.
"No!" she yelled.
Startled, Little Miss Calamity exchanged another glance with Mr. Scatterbrain. Why doesn't she want to go back? she wondered. Something's not right… "Can you excuse us for a moment?" she asked, turning back to Mr. Grumpy's niece. "Just please stay there, okay?"
The young Little Miss looked confused but nodded in agreement anyways.
Satisfied that she wouldn't go anywhere, Little Miss Calamity reached for Mr. Scatterbrain's hand and pulled him with her. She stopped once they were far enough away so the kid couldn't hear them but still close enough that they could see her. "What do you think we should do?" she asked him.
"About what?" There was a vacant look in Mr. Scatterbrain's eyes, which told Little Miss Calamity that he hadn't been paying attention. While most people would find this annoying, the orange Little Miss couldn't bring herself to get upset with her boyfriend.
Quickly she recapped the situation for him. "She obviously doesn't want to go back to Mr. Grumpy," she finished. "But I don't know why. Did she say anything about it when you met her earlier today?"
Mr. Scatterbrain seemed to really think about that for a moment before shrugging which meant he didn't remember.
Frowning, Little Miss Calamity tried to figure out what to do. Just then she recalled something from the story her boyfriend told her about meeting Mr. Grumpy's niece, and she blinked up at the magenta Mr. Man. "You said Mr. Nosy and Mr. Small introduced you to her?" she asked.
This time Mr. Scatterbrain nodded, a smile crossing his face as if he was happy that he was able to help even if it was just a little.
"So they know her," Little Miss Calamity murmured to herself. "If she doesn't want to go back to Mr. Grumpy, maybe we should take her to them. We certainly can't just leave her all alone out here in the dark."
Mr. Scatterbrain nodded in agreement, but Little Miss Calamity wondered if he really understood because he looked distracted again. Shrugging, deciding not to clarify what she had planned to him, she returned back to the red Little Miss and smiled at her.
"You said you were trying to find Mr. Small?" she asked her.
Immediately the young kid's eyes lit up at the mention of the small Mr. Man. "Yes!" she answered.
"We can take you to their house if you want," Little Miss Calamity offered, adding to herself, Then they can decide what to do with her.
The red Little Miss blinked up at her. "Really? Oh thank you!" To Little Miss Calamity's surprise, the kid suddenly ran to her and wrapped her arms around her. A moment later she retreated and bowed her head, clearly embarrassed. "S-Sorry," she stammered.
Little Miss Calamity waved her apology away. "It's okay. Now follow us." With her boyfriend beside her, she started walking away. She looked over her shoulder to see the young Little Miss right behind them. It was then that she realized something. "So," she began," I don't think I caught your name."
"Oh. It's Miss. Aloof."
While the couple took Little Miss Aloof to the best friends, back at Mr. Grumpy's house, the blue Mr. Man paced back and forth in his living room. He had his hands folded behind him and he kept glancing in the direction of the guest room where his niece had retreated to.
Finally he came to a halt. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked himself, utterly confused why she wanted to go to bed so suddenly. "I was just trying to get to know her. Did I upset her somehow?"
He thought back to everything he said. He had asked her if she was in school and what grade she was in, also asking her what her interests were. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what could have possibly upset her so bad that made her feel like shutting herself up in her room.
With a defeated sigh, Mr. Grumpy collapsed in his chair. "Why is this so hard?" he questioned out loud as he rubbed his temple. "No wonder I don't have kids…"
He glanced again at the door to the guest room. "I should go check on her," he murmured. After another moment he pulled himself out of his chair and walked across the living room. He knocked on the door, but there was no reply.
Is she asleep already? he wondered. He started to go back to his chair, only to pause after taking a few steps. "I should at least peek in to make sure she's okay," he decided.
Cracking the door open, he called out softly. "Miss. Aloof?" Still no answer. Now he was beginning to worry. Something didn't feel right.
Opening the door all the way, Mr. Grumpy gazes over the room. There was no sign of the young Little Miss; the bed was empty. He gasped and searched around frantically, hoping to find his niece, but he didn't.
"What could have happened to her?" He was fighting against the panic that threatened to overtake him. Just then he felt a sudden gust of wind, and he turned around. "The window!" He ran over to it and looked out into the darkness. "But why would she sneak out? Was she really that unhappy here?"
He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "What have I done?" If he had been nice to her from the start and tried to watch her instead of giving her away to the best friends, she wouldn't have felt the need to run away. "How am I going to find her? She could be anywhere in Dillydale by now!"
Another thought hit him. "What am I going to tell Mr. Apathy?" Jumping to his feet, Mr. Grumpy started pacing again, his mind racing. "If he finds out that I lost his daughter, he'll never trust me again! I mean, I didn't want to watch her in the first place, but I promised that I would so this is all my fault, especially since I wasn't welcoming to her. Oh, what am I going to do?"
Suddenly he remembered the conversation he had with Mr. Small right before the best friends left him alone with his niece. "If I feel like I'm overwhelmed, I can call you, right?" he had asked.
"Night or day," the small Mr. Man had promised.
If now is not a good time to call, I don't know when is! Mr. Grumpy thought, and he quickly left the guest room, heading straight to his telephone. He dialed their number, praying that they were still up.
The ringing of the phone echoed throughout the observatory, and the best friends poked their heads out of their bedroom. After sharing a confused look, they entered the living room.
"Who could that be this late?" Mr. Nosy wondered as he followed the small Mr. Man. Many names popped in his head, but he didn't know why any of their friends would be calling them right before they were about to go to bed.
Mr. Small shrugged and hopped onto the counter. "Only one way to find out," he said as he reached for the phone. "Hello?" he asked into the speaker. A moment or two went by, then he added," Oh, Mr. Grumpy, it's you. What can we do for you?"
Mr. Grumpy? the light green Mr. Man echoed in his head. Why would he be calling this late? Before he even finished his thought, he remembered what Mr. Small told him on the way back to their house, the conversation the two of them had when he was watching Little Miss Aloof. The small man had promised that if he needed any help that they would be there for him. Did something happen?
"Calm down, Mr. Grumpy." His little buddy's voice brought Mr. Nosy's attention back to him. "I'm sure she's okay. Did you check everywhere?" he questioned after a short pause.
What's going on? Mr. Nosy was about to ask his best friend what's happening when out of nowhere there was a knock at the door.
Mr. Small glanced at Mr. Nosy, who knew he wanted him to answer it while he continued to talk to Mr. Grumpy. With a nod, Mr. Nosy walked across the living room, his mind whirling with questions. Why was their house so suddenly active? What was happening with Mr. Grumpy? Was Little Miss Aloof okay?
Opening the door, Mr. Nosy was surprised to see his friends standing there. "Oh, Mr. Scatterbrain, Miss. Calamity, hey. What can we do for you?"
Little Miss Calamity stepped aside to reveal a young Little Miss. "She was on her way here," she explained. "But she got herself lost, so we decided to see that she got here safely."
"Miss. Aloof?" The light green Mr. Man blinked in confusion. "What are you doing here?"
Before Little Miss Aloof could answer, Mr. Small appeared beside his best friend, the phone still held to his ear. "Don't worry, Mr. Grumpy," he said into the speaker. "She's right here, and she's fine." Another pause. "Of course. See you soon." He hung up and blinked at the young kid. "Why did you run off like that, Miss. Aloof? Mr. Grumpy is very worried about you."
Little Miss Aloof lowered her gaze to the ground and shifted her feet. She didn't say a word.
For a couple of moments there was silence. Finally Little Miss Calamity spoke up. "Well, we just wanted to make sure she got here safe, so we'll be going." She glanced at her boyfriend before the two of them started walking away.
"Thank you!" Mr. Small called after them. Then he turned back to Little Miss Aloof. "Please come in," he invited. "Mr. Grumpy will be here soon to get you," he added as he closed the door when the young Little Miss was inside.
Still she didn't say anything and she avoided looking at them.
The best friends exchanged worried glances. What his little buddy asked Little Miss Aloof stuck with Mr. Nosy. Why did she run away?
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