closed Behind shut doors solo

August 3rd
Fernandez Farm Carlisle UK

Clair had been home for three days now and she had been having the time of her life. She had spent the first day sleeping after the long trip home from Hogwarts, the second day she had spent catching up with the animals and enjoying the farm.

She was planning on spending this day no different until about six am. When She had been getting up to go outside for chores Clair had noticed that her Mother's bedroom door had been opened slightly, when her mother was alive that had been common occurrence, her mother had claimed it made her room less stuffy. But after her passing, Belle had shut the room up tight and as far as she was aware it had not been opened since. The Ravenclaw had wondered about it the whole time she was doing chores. And by the time she was back in the house washing her hands in the kitchen sink she was sure that she would need to explore it. At the breakfast table she was quiet, she shoved her slice of bacon around her plate. Belle watched from across the table, concern etched on her face.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Belle asked.
The young teenager shrugged, "Just thinking about stuff"
Josh snorted, "No shit, that's what Penny for your thoughts means" Belle smacked her husband, "leave her alone"
Clair ignored them both for a moment and then decided she would see if they had opened the door. "Did you guys open Mum's bedroom door?" she asked, she noticed the quick glance that the two adults shared. Belle sighed, "I guess it blew open, I'll close it when I go upstairs."

"I can close it" Clair offered, but Belle shook her head "No, I think it would be best if you stayed away from it, everyone's wounds are still fresh remember."

Clair frowned, how did that make sense? would it not be healing to visit her mother's bedroom? the place she spent her last hours?

She finished her breakfast an washed her dishes as fast as she could, "I'm going to go lay down, my belly is hurting" she lied.
''Well, if you ate slower maybe your belly would not be hurting." Belle muttered, Clair pretended not to hear her sister and then she ran up the stairs. she shut her door loudly so her sister would think she was inside. But, instead of going into her room she turned and went down the stairs a little. Her mother's door was still open, slowly Clair pushed it open enough she could slip in and then she tried to make sure the door looked like it was in the same place as before.

She turned and looked around the room, it was dark and her eyes needed a second to adjust. When she could see clearer she was rather surprised at what she saw. The room was filled with boxes, small boxes and big boxes, boxes of all different shapes as well. She noticed that there were boxes on her mother's old bed, boxes on the nightstand and boxes all over the floor, as well as stuff laying all over the floor. She was sure that this was not how you would leave a room which you did not want to remember what happened in. Her mother had certainly not left her father's Study that way!

Clair paused, was that the creak of the bottom step? was that the chatter of her Sister and Josh? Quickly she realized she needed to hide before they went to close the door and she was spotted. Quickly she looked around for a good spot to hide, under the bed? she rushed towards it, remembering how she had hidden under it when she was little, but the area under the bed was filled with more boxes, the small area that was left was too small for her growing body to hide in. The Ravenclaw looked for another spot, seeing the Wardrobe on the far wall Clair made a mad dash for it, hearing her sister's steps getting closer. She opened the door and stepped inside, the whole wardrobe smelled like her mother's old perfume. The smell was comforting and nauseating all at once. The Ravenclaw shoved herself to the back of the large wooden wardrobe and pushed her mother's old dresses in front of her. Briefly she thought about Lucy from the Narnia books. but her thoughts were distracted when she heard the door open and two sets of footsteps enter.
"Leave the light off, We can use our wands for light I don't want her seeing we are in here." Her sister said softly, Clair wondered if the her that Belle was referring to was herself.

Josh chuckled softly, "I thought we were caught for sure, Your sister is smart but your smarter my dear."
Belle snorted softly, "I would not always agree, She can be very smart. I just thought up a reason as quickly as I could." their footsteps shuffled round a bit and Clair held her breath waiting for what they would say next.

"If you had not left the door open we would not have had to worry about it in the first place." Her sister said.
"I'm sorry, I don't do nights very well thank you." Josh retorted.
so they were doing something in here at night, but what? Clair hoped they would soon reveal that fact.

the sound of feet shuffling continued for a few minutes. "I'll take tonight then" Belle said,
Josh sighed "How many more nights will we need to do this?" he sounded tired,
"Until its done I guess, she wanted to move in the first week of September, but she could use Clair's room until we are done here."

Who? who was moving in? and why were they staying in her room?! and then her dead mother's room? Clair wanted to jump out and ask her sister, but the idea seemed rash and like it would only cause trouble, so she sat in the wardrobe and listened with straining ears.

"I can't wait to be able to do it in the day again, one night and I'm already pooped" Josh complained.
"Well, come September we will be able to, but until then unless you want Clair under our feet begging us about it and crying because she does not agree then we'll just have to do it nights." Belle said.

'Ouch' Clair thought, did her sister really think that about her?

'We better get going before she gets over her belly ache and decides to come out of her lare." Belle said.
"I bet she is just pouting over not being allowed to close the door." Josh said bitterly,
"Clair is not like that and you know it. Your just being cranky because your tired." Belle said. Their Footsteps got lighter and the door closed. slowly Clair heard their voices get fainter until she heard the front door open and shut. She reached for the door and tumbled out, knocking a box down as she went. The air outside the wardrobe was much cooler and Clair took a few gulps of the cooler air before turning to see what had fallen out of the wardrobe along with her. A small box the size of a shoe box sat upside down beside her. Clair went to pick it up and the papers inside fell out. Clair quickly scooped all of the papers back into the box, they were probably taxes or something else boring she figured. That is until she saw the big letters on the top of the box's lid PRIVATE right away she knew she had to know what was in it, for all she knew it could be info about who was moving in to her house.

Clair stuck the box under her arm and headed for the door, she slowly opened the door and checked for anyone to be around, closing her mum's bedroom door Clair rushed up to her own room and shut the door softly. She plopped down on her bed and opened the box. inside there was a bunch of papers with handwritten notes. Handwritten in her mother's handwriting.

Clair wonder briefly if she should put the box back, seeing as it was private stuff from her dead mother. but if she left it then she knew she would forever wonder what the notes were about. She sent a silent prayer to her mother that she would be forgiven and then she picked up the first page.

September 29th 2012

Dear Seb

I am writing to let you know that I have arrived at my new home safely, I am sorry to not give you any notice but I thought it was for the best. I still miss our afternoons of chatting.

Clair noticed that there was more written but it had been erased and written over a couple times until the paper was barren and falling apart. Clair assumed that it was a drafted letter towards a friend.

the next one was also unfinished

Oct 4th 2012

Dearest Seb

I do not know how i will ever survive without you, my afternoons are so boring when the children are gone off to play, i miss our chats we used to have. Its very

again the rest has been erased and Clair could make out no more. There must have been at least 20 unfinished letters that mostly ended in being erased till the paper was thin and worn. Clair read each to try to find clues as to who the Seb guy was, but none of the letters were very informational, most talked about how lonely her life was on the farm. Clair had never realized her mother had been so lonely.

At the bottom of the box there was a last letter folded up with it's envelope under it. Clair picked up the envelope in hopes of seeing a address or name, sure enough there was one.

Sebastian St-Pierre
NL-1, Newfoundland and Labrador (insert other postal code stuff)

Clair read and re read the address over and over. So this was someone from before her mother had moved to the UK.
She picked up the last letter and unfolded it.
What she saw left her shocked.

December 25 2020

Dear Seb

I know I have not contacted you for a long time, almost 12 years to be honest. When you got this letter you may have been surprised to see it, If I am being honest, I never wanted to send this to you, I hoped we could talk in person and I could explain everything. I'm sure you have moved on, I'm sure you have a beautiful wife and some children. I am not surprised if you don't remember my name I get it. I know I left you life without a explanation, but I think I owe it to you now. Almost 12 years ago we had a relationship, it meant so much to me, it really did. But I had to move on, I was promised to someone else. I don't know if you remember my friend Jake Fernandez. Well, it turns out that Jake was not just a friend, he was my boyfriend. By the time our relationship was at a full he was my Fiancé. I know it was not honest and if you do remember me, then you'll maybe remember my sister's two girls who i was often watching. well, They were Jake and my children. I am ashamed to say that I had them during those few years where I was very 'sick' I tried to hide it because I loved you. It does not stop there though. I ended up having another baby, When you count back the time it leads to a time when you know...we hung out. I realized soon after that this baby was in fact not Jake's but yours'. I raised the babe to think she was Jake's daughter, with the intent of telling her the truth on her 18th birthday, but the thing is, I won't live that long. I am lucky to live six more moths my doctor told me, and while their is treatment i can get, i am fearful that it will do more harm than good. She does not know, and I hope that someday you will try to reach out to her. Your daughter's name is Clair. Clair Fernandez. I did not mean to to hurt you by giving her Jake's surname, but it only made sense at the time. Jake passed away a few years back and once I am gone Clair will be left under the care of her sisters and Jake's mother if she comes into the picture at all. I hope dearly that you two will be able to meet one day and have the bond that father and daughter deserve to have. If i may be so bold to ask for one dying wish, I ask that you don't hold my mistakes against her, she is a good child who deserves to be loved. As I write this I am sitting in my bedroom and I can hear our sweet sweet little girl playing downstairs with her new toy she got for Christmas. By the time you get this, that is if you even live at your old address, there is a chance I will no longer be breathing. I hope you can have peace now that you know the truth. I still love you my dear.
Yours past love,
Misty Fernandez

Clair sat there staring at the letter, hot tears rolled down her cheeks. It seemed like a mean prank to pull. Yet, the letter seemed so sincere. she wiped the the tears off her face and re read the letter, looking for any signs of it being a joke or hoax. She stared at the paper, part of her wanted to tear it up and burn it until it was no longer there, she wanted to make it seem like it never happened. like Jake Fernandez was her father and not this Sabastian dude who her mother had wrote so many half letters to and never sent them. She laid back on her bed, trying to control her breathing and to slow her thoughts. Thoughts that filled her head and zoomed around to fast to catch them long enough to process them. she folded up the letter and shoved it in the box. She shoved the box under her bed and then laid back down and cried, it was all to much at once.

(wc 2449)
(Pt.2 to come soon)