Something Missing

1.

This wasn't the first time Charles had escaped from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. It was actually his second time since turning 16. He never got too far, Sister Woodhouse was smart and it wasn't too hard to spot a tall blonde haired boy walking on the side of the road wearing the signature red cardigan from the Sisters.

But this time was different. Charles had a plan, and it all started when he broke into Sister Woodhouse's office and found his file. The file with his parents names written in their respective slots.

Alice Susanna Smith and Forsythe Pendleton Jones ll, those were apparently his parents. The parents who had abandoned him. He didn't hold much of a grudge against them, after doing the math of how old they were when he was born, he couldn't really blame them.

He spent hours reading his file that night, sneaking back into his room and hiding under his covers with a flashlight to read every page. He wanted to know everything about his parents, but sadly his file didn't give him much information. The folder only bared his parents names and their birthdates.

Charles was a little more than frustrated, he knew the only way to get information was from Sister Margaret, the only person he could trust in this institution.

The next day during recreation time, he walked over to Sister Margaret to play their usual game of chess out in the garden. He waited until her first move on the board to ask the question.

"Sister, do you remember anything about the day I was brought here?"

"Your mom was a young thing, barely just turned 18, she gave birth to you right here at the Sisters", Sister Margaret recalled. "I remember she didn't want to give you up, but her boyfriend was very insistent."

Charles frowned, so it was his dad that didn't want him and his mom was here too? He made a mental note to look for her file tonight, "Was there a reason my dad didn't want to keep me?"

"Oh honey, her boyfriend wasn't your father", she shook her head. "I remember her telling me that in confidence, but he didn't know that, quite scandalous."

"What was her boyfriend's name?" He wanted to know if the name on his file was his real father or had his mother put this other guy down as his father? He now had more questions than answers.

Sister Margaret smiled and wagged a finger in his face, "Nice try there Charlie boy, she's married to him now and you know I can't tell you names, it's against our policy."

Charles sighed and nodded, "Sorry Sister Margaret, I guess my curiosity got the best of me,'' He said, before making his next move on the board.

He changed the subject after that, not wanting Sister Margaret to get suspicious. She ended up winning their game, Charles was too caught up in his thoughts to think about strategy. He anticipated nightfall, wanting to find his mom's file as soon as possible.

Once Charles got that file, he'd be one step closer to putting his plan into action. Just one step closer to finding his parents.