one the odd case of the
dean-valance family

✧

         THE INVINCIBLE SUMMER OF MADDOX DEAN-VALANCE WAS COMING TO A CLOSE, AND SHE WASN'T IN THE LEAST BIT THRILLED. While the beginning of a school year brought an overwhelming amount of opportunities and allowed her to return to her second home, granting her the freedom to use her magic in a controlled setting without being taken to the Ministry, it also meant leaving behind her first home.

         And the home of the Dean-Valances was a great one – if she did say so herself. Complete with dancing shoes every once in a while when Joanna simply couldn't find them before a date night, Natalia cursing at her children in Russian for hiding the cookies, and Foster playing the most innocent card of all to place the blame on her, it was always an exciting time. Hogwarts, though it had become interesting – too interesting, probably – in the last few years, was mostly boring.

         Classes, homework, detention because she wanted to spice things up a little, mixed with the fact that one of her roommates was an all-around bitch made the return to the magical school not as exciting as it used to be. Maybe when she was younger, and magic was more of a thrill than a commonplace, she could barely sleep the night before and cheered in delight when she boarded the train back, but she was older now – a fantastic fifteen (almost sixteen) – and the reality of returning sat on her shoulders.

         She had so much left to do before summer ended, and so much teasing she had to do to her parents and best friend. Well, one of her best friends. Fletcher Charles may be mundane, but he could never be ordinary. Though no blood flowed through his veins, he had a knack for finding the perfect places to paint with a spray can and the best poker face around town.

         She'd have to leave him behind, and so much more, and she just wasn't ready yet. There was so much left to do – so much left to uncover – and she wasn't ready for summer to end.

         "I don't think Natalia likes me in your room with the door closed," Fletcher mentioned, after having just done said act.

         "She doesn't," Maddox replied with an air of casualness, unfazed by her mother's stern stare which she had met many times before. "But I doubt she'll actually do anything about it."

         "Your confidence inspires me," Fletcher dryly remarked, "I'd rather not come home without an eye."

         He made a move to open up the door again, but Maddox rushed to close it, slamming her body against it, eyes wide. "Bloody hell, Mads, what's going on with you?"

         "I need the door closed," Maddox stared at him, "I can promise you that ma won't have your head or your eye or any other body part. Just keep the door closed."

         "Fine, fine," Fletcher agreed after a moment of hesitation, going to take his seat in Maddox' desk chair, eyes never leaving the redhead.

         Biting her lip, she cast one last glance to the door before sitting on her bed. It wasn't like she had any attention of jumping Fletcher's bones – they had both agreed from a young age when everyone expected them to get together that this was more of a partner in crime friendship than a friends to lovers situations. Though the tale of childhood best friends falling in love was a great one, it wasn't theirs. Fletcher had eyes for Foster, if anyone in the Dean-Valance family, and he was much too lanky for her taste.

         But even though she didn't want to snog the life out of him or anything inappropriate, she also didn't want anyone to hear. Natalia Valance was a stern woman while Joanna Dean was an emotional one, and neither would like to hear what Maddox had to say to Fletcher. Foster would be a little shit who wouldn't understand, so he couldn't pass by either.

         "Okay...?"

         Fletcher pushed for her to explain herself, leaning towards her a little bit, an awaiting gaze. She huffed at him, glancing around a little more because you never knew who was listening or how they were listening, but she had to get it out.

         "I want to find my dad."

         "Shit," Fletcher breathed, "Well, I wasn't expecting that..."

         Maddox scoffed at him, pushing her red curls out of her face. "Is it really that surprising? I mean, I've only ever talked about wanting to meet him for five years now!"

         Fletcher sputtered out, "Well, you know, to be fair – you don't really have any way of finding him!"

         She huffed again at him, because he was probably right. Though Maddox loved her mothers dearly, she was not biologically their own. At the ripe age of five, Maddox Nelson was brought to Ophelia's Orphanage and five months later left as Maddox Dean-Valance. The identity of her birth mother was known but barely spoken around the house.

         Elena Nelson was her late mother's name. A young woman who seemingly couldn't bare the world anymore, gave her child up for adoption, and then tragically killed herself in their apartment. The story was memorized in her mind, but there was always one key detail left out: her father.

         Elena Nelson was a single woman at the time of her death, and nowhere could Maddox find that she was in a relationship with anyone. Instead, she was left with more questions than answers about her mother's short-lived life.

         But Maddox wasn't satisfied with keeping it this way. Curiosity killed the cat, maybe, but she was determined to find out anyway. Besides, satisfaction brought the cat back and Maddox wasn't satisfied yet.

         "I didn't," Maddox partially agreed, "But I brought it up again a few nights ago. I mean, it didn't go over well – that's to be expected – and then I overheard ma and mum talking. They kept mentioning some journal and how they should give it to me but they just kept debating when or if."

         Interested, Fletcher leaned in a little closer. "So you're saying that there's a potential clue."

         "Yes, there's finally a lead in the case!" Maddox cheered, a fiery smile igniting her features. "I just don't where to find it is the thing."

         "Well, where do you parents keep their most valuable belongings? The things they don't want anyone to find?"

         Caught in thought, Maddox began to bite her lip as she pondered where exactly that could be. Important documents were always kept in Natalia's office, but this wasn't exactly a document. Or maybe some loose change in a cookie jar, but this wasn't loose change either.

         Or maybe...yes – this had to be it!

         "Mum's closet!" her eyes lit up, proud of herself for knowing exactly where they would keep such a thing. "It's a fucking mess all the time, and it's where they kept the record player they got me for Christmas. You can't find anything in there."

         "So how are you gonna find it?"

         She shrugged. "I know my way around," her mind flooded with memories of stealing Joanna's shoes, purses, and sometimes even a nice blouse. "And we can do it tonight!"

         "We? How did I get involved with stealing from your parents?" Fletcher backtracked.

         Maddox rolled her eyes. "Well, you're already involved in the planning process, so why stop before the exciting part? It's fun going into places you're not supposed to get things you aren't allowed to. Besides, technically, the journal should be mine, you know, since they're planning on gifting it to me anyway."

         "If they're gonna give it to you anyway, why don't you wait?"

         "With my impatience? I could never," she sighed when she saw the apprehensive look on his face, "Fletcher, stop. Everything will be fine. Mum and ma have a date night so ma won't take off an ear for stealing, and Foster's going over to David's for a sleepover."

         Fletcher soured for a second before going back to neutral. He looked at Maddox for a moment, then glanced at the door. Natalia's stares always chilled him to the bone, and he didn't know what she would do if they were caught. But he also never understood the family to begin with, that was just the odd case of the Dean-Valances that he could never grasp. Eventually, though, he did sigh and relent, always a sucker for his best friend. "Alright then. Tonight it is."

         "You won't regret it!"

         He already felt it drowning him.

✧

         MADDOX BUTTERED HER croissant, humming along in ignorance to the screaming woman behind her pacing around the house. Foster, too, seemed perfectly content with not engaging, eating his soup. But a screaming woman wasn't too uncommon in the household, seeing as there were three to choose from who all had a bit of an ill-temper in one way or another.

         She dropped the used knife into the sink, putting the butter up before joining Foster at the counter. "What's she looking for this time?" she asked.

         He shrugged. "Some pair of shoes – like always." Humming, she nodded and bit into her croissant.

         "I've got them!" Joanna cheered in delight, holding up a pair of black heels as her children turned around to see.

         The delight didn't last long as Natalia chased after her. "By using fucking magic! You know you aren't allowed to do that with muggles so close by."

         Joanna just scoffed at her wife. "As if we got any Peeping Toms looking in to see us. It's fine, love, no one noticed and I found my shoes. Don't be mad."

         "I just don't want to get in trouble at work tomorrow because some bloke decided to talk about some flying shoes going around in their neighbor's house," Natalia defended herself, though she did look softer now, placing a kiss to Joanna's temple.

         "I assure you, that won't happen," Joanna pecked her back on the forehead, wiggling out of her grasp to put her shoes on. "So, what time are you going round to David's?"

         Foster shrugged. "About an hour or so. We're gonna go to the arcade, too."

         "Sounds like fun. I hope you have a good time and – oh, get some money from the cookie jar to bring with you."

         Foster nodded, "Thanks, mum."

         "And what will you be doing tonight?" Natalia looked at Maddox.

         "Fletcher's coming back over. We're having a movie marathon," she rolled her eyes when Natalia raised an eyebrow, "How many times do I have to tell you that there's nothing going on between us? We're just gonna watch movies, have some popcorn, and then he'll go back home."

         "Good. I don't want any boy spending the night," Natalia lifted her head a little, a protective aura surrounding her.

         "Ma, Fletcher isn't just any boy. I've known him since I was seven!" Maddox explained to her exasperated.

         "And sometimes childhood friends get together – but I'm not letting that happen while we're not here," Natalia moved over to kiss her forehead so they both knew she was just being protective and not malicious.

         "I know, I know," Maddox sighed, a little softer now, "But that's not us."

         "Well, I hope you two have fun!" Joanna smiled before looking at her wife, "Come on, dear. We don't want to miss our reservations!"

         Joanna hugged them to say goodbye and Natalia sent them her love. They were gone in the next moment, leaving the two sibling to themselves. "So, you and Fletcher?"

         "Not you, too!" Maddox complained, "Foster, come on, you know there's nothing going on between us!"

         Foster laughed at her. "I know, I know, but it's fun to annoy you! Just make sure you two don't go up to your room and close the door. Ma will have a fit if she finds out."

         "Shut it before I jinx you!"

         "You wouldn't dare!" Foster gasped, holding his hand upon his heart in a mock pain, "Your own brother!"

         "Then stop it!"

         "Aw, Mads, I'm just having some fun with you," Foster laughed at her again, standing up from his seat. "I have to start packing so I'll see you later."

         "Bye, have fun at David's – but not too much fun!" Maddox laughed when she heard him groan, shaking off the implication. If he wanted to play dirty, she would pull him deeper into the mud. That's what siblings did with each other, and he deserved it anyway.

         She finished her croissant and waited on the couch for Foster to leave, sending him off with one last goodbye and comment that had him flipping her off, before crossing over to Foster's house to get him. That was the benefit of having a friend who lived so close by; they were always there to annoy when need be. And this was most definitely a need.

         Sometimes she wished that Zenia – her other best friend in the entire world – also lived on this street. She would have her perfect trio, able to annoy anyone and everyone all the time, but sometimes she preferred it being just her and Fletcher. Zenia didn't like tagging the walls of abandoned buildings like Fletcher, and wasn't a fan of going to the arcade. She liked makeup and little pranks, but not the scale that Maddox engaged in.

         When she knocked on the door, it took maybe only a moment for Fletcher's mum to answer. "Here for Fletch?" she nodded, "He'll be down in a moment."

         "Thank you!" Maddox smiled at her, and a few seconds later she could hear a large thudding down the stairs, and then there was Fletcher. "Ready to go?"

         Fletcher rolled his eyes. "You say that as if we're not just walking across the street to your house."

         "It's an adventure nonetheless," Maddox grinned at him widely, "Bye, Mrs. Charles!"

         "Bye, dearies!"

         "Are you really sure that Natalia isn't going to kill me for this?" Fletcher asked once they got a little distance between him and his house, a paranoid look on his face.

         "Stop worrying, she's not even here! If I know anything about my parents' date nights, it's that they last forever. They won't be back until late tonight and even when they come home, I doubt they'll even notice you. You'll be fine," she wasn't sure if they assured him, but it was the truth.

         After date nights, Natalia and Joanna only noticed themselves and nothing else. Foster and Maddox had even tested this hypothesis by rearranging the living room one time – didn't even say a word about it until lunch the next day.

         "If you say so..."

         Maddox locked the door after them, ushering Foster into her parents' bedroom. "I really don't like being here. I feel like I'm invading their privacy."

         "Then close your eyes. I'll lead you into mum's closet," he did as told, and she tugged him along into Joanna's large closet. She owned too many clothes, much more than Natalia who grew up with a larger set of clothes in and out. "Alright, open."

         "This place is a fucking mess," Fletcher blinked, adjusting to the shoes and clothes everywhere. "How does she find anything in here?"

         "Magic," Maddox blinked at him, holding in a laugh because Fletcher was ordinary and unaware of the magic flowing in the veins of his neighbors.

         He sent her a look and she giggled. "Mum just seems to know where everything else...eventually, anyway. Ma usually helps some."

         "So, how exactly are you going to find this mysterious journal hidden somewhere in here then?" he gestured around the dirty room and she shrugged.

         "Comb through it?" she suggested, a sheepish look on her face because she hadn't really thought of that. Besides, it wouldn't take too long with the both of them.

         He blinked at her. "Your whole plan is just comb through it? It could take hours – we might not even find it tonight! And won't Joanna know that someone was in here if we move things?"

         Maddox shook her head, "Not necessarily. I could just say that I was looking for a specific jacket before we went out together or something."

         "Did you tell them we were going anywhere?"

         "No. I said we were having a movie marathon, but maybe we just had a change of plans. Defame something or whatever. I doubt they'll suspect anything," Maddox said casually, "Now come on, we have searching to do!"

         They moved from pile to pile, and then to the shoe rack, and then to the pile of miscellaneous papers and other trinkets she kept around, moving through the hangers and taking small breaks to regain energy. Maddox sifted through a pile of boxes she had stacked in a corner, throwing them around before stopping at a leather-bound journal. It looked old, at least old enough, but pristine enough that she could tell it hadn't been opened often or at all.

         She picked it up, carefully opening up the first page.

         Property of Elena Nelson

         Her heart skipped a beat. She had half a mind to alert Fletcher, but she felt tempted to continue flipping, turning the page to see her birth mother's handwriting.

         Maddox,

         I know if you're anything like me, curiosity is more than a second nature to you. While I hope in some capacity that your family has kept my memory from you, I understand that we both seek to know more than what meets the eye.

         This is why I write to you know. I don't know what you look like now, but I see you as a toddler. My hair and both our eyes, babbling along to the TV. You're a curious thing now, and I know that will grow, so I hope to answer some questions.

         Before you read my entries, I need you to understand something: do not search for your father. I will tell you all about him, I will give you his name, I will tell you his family, but I will not let you find him. Stay away from him and anyone with his name at all costs.

         I love you, my hope.

         She blinked. What did that mean? What was so bad about her father that even the dead Elena Nelson didn't want her to find him? What happened? The questions swirled around in her head, creating even more confusion from where she thought she would find all the answers. And maybe this would; maybe this was the key, like Elena wrote.

         But right now, all she felt was confusion.

         "I found it," she called out hollowly to Fletcher, turning her head to him, "I got it."

         "And?" he peered her, a fix of confusion and apprehension based on her lack of excitement.

         She sighed. "It's her journal – Elena Nelson's. But she says that my father's dangerous...I just don't know why."

         "Well, is Elena going to elaborate on that? Because that really doesn't inspire me with much confidence right now," Fletcher moved to her cautiously.

         "Apparently. I think that's what this whole thing is. Them. Him. I just – what's so dangerous about him?"

         "How about you start that journey tomorrow? Come on, we've been searching for so damn long and I'm getting a little hungry. Let's just turn on the telly and you can find out tomorrow," Fletcher suggested, gently helping her stand.

         He put the boxes away and she snuck to her room to place the journal under her pillow. They regrouped downstairs and he helped himself to a snack. She didn't understand, everything felt odd and strange inside her, but she was determined to find out. Even if curiosity killed the cat.