When The Snow Falls

Daniel's phone buzzed again, this time in the middle of the night. He woke up with a gasp and felt around for his phone in the dark. The phone screen was too bright for him at first and he took longer than usual to focus on the caller name.

This time it was Christopher.

Daniel g.r.o.a.n.e.d. He was fully awake now. Christopher had better not thought it would be a good prank to call him in the middle of the night. He accepted the call with a loud yawn.

"Christopher, it's 3 in the morning here," he g.r.o.a.n.e.d.

"Uh sorry. Annabelle told me to call you. She's done some digging and has something you want to know."

The late time was forgotten immediately.

"What did she find out?"

"Whoever you're looking for is Carter Emberry," Christopher told him. "I don't know what that means. Are you trying to solve something else?"

Daniel grabbed the nearest pen and surface to write on and ended up writing the name on the back of the school prospectus in the dark.

"I'll thank her tomorrow," he said. "Yes, we are working on a mystery."

"She was very excited…" Christopher commented. "I figured it had to be something like that. You know…"

"Yes?"

"I'm not there to pull you out a lake this time," his cousin warned. "Please be careful."

That was a fair warning considering how close it had been last time.

"Thank you," he replied sincerely. "I will be more careful this time. This mystery happened six years ago though."

"You never know…" Christoper reminded him. "I don't know much about what you're doing, but my sister is really excited. The only reason I'm making this call is because she isn't allowed to use her phone during ballet classes. She risked sending a text to me to get me to call you."

"Thanks Christopher," he said. "I will definitely thank her myself as well."

Daniel also wanted to know how she had suddenly found out the missing student's name.

"I'll let you get back to sleep now," Christopher answered and ended the call.

***

Breakfast proved to be a difficult time for Daniel as he couldn't find an opportunity to tell Felix about Annabelle's discovery. He didn't know if he wanted to talk about it in front of Felix's parents. They had never mentioned the events at Kingston Royal Academy that led to Felix's coma and his near death, but he had the feeling they would get concerned if they knew Felix and him were trying to solve another mystery.

"You're quiet this morning," Vanessa commented eventually.

"He's up to something," Colin joked from behind his newspaper. "Felix, watch out. He'll leave you for that boy you were talking to at the buffet."

Felix didn't look amused.

"Dad, that's not funny."

"No, it wasn't," Colin admitted. "It was a failed Dad joke."

Daniel watched the exchange with an odd feeling in his c.h.e.s.t. He had never seen that type of interaction before. The Earl wasn't the type to make jokes and he didn't have many memories of his actual father.

"Daniel's really out of it," Vanessa added. "He didn't react to it."

Daniel took a moment to realise she was referring to him.

"I have no intention to leave your son," he assured her.

Vanessa tweaked his cheek.

"I know. We were joking. Are we very different from your parents?"

Felix answered for him.

"That month I spent with them was enough. The difference between you two and them is like night and day."

The first moment of privacy they got was in the lift when they were leaving for sixth form. Daniel told him immediately about his late night phone call. Felix had the same reaction as he did.

"How did she find out so quickly?"

Then he suggested something that Daniel hadn't yet thought of.

"That sheet of paper Meredith found- it had club member's initials on. If we find the initials CE on there we will know we're right for sure."

Daniel was now very glad he had accepted Felix's dating request. Felix was a worthy mystery solving partner. His boyfriend might be quicker on the uptake than he was.

"We were told the club's meeting times and days and it isn't today," he said in disappointment. "We won't be able to check it until tomorrow afternoon."

Felix waved his hand. "Just ask them and I'm sure they'll let us take a look."

***

They found Oliver in the sixth form study room with his tousled head in a revision guide. He was over the moon to hear about their discovery and was keen not to ask too many questions.

"I can't believe you two have found out so much and so quickly!" he exclaimed. "If we hurry now, we can get to the meeting room before the first class starts."

Oliver's prediction had them rushing across the school trying to get to the English corridor before the bell went. The school bell rang as Oliver had the key in the lock.

"I don't think this classroom is used much," he said as he struggled with the key in a way that Daniel found excruciating. "That's why we're allowed to use it. I swear there's no class here at this time."

Felix took the key off him and smoothly unlocked the door much to Daniel's relief. Oliver pushed the door open and turned on the lights. Daniel checked the timetable on the back of the door. As Oliver had said there was no class scheduled to use the room in the first period. They had some time to themselves.

"You know we're supposed to be in Japanese right now," Felix reminded him in a low voice.

"We'll have to be late then," Daniel said dismissively.

He had skipped lots of school in his first life and had still passed with flying colours. It didn't bother him as much as it would a normal 17 year old.

Oliver opened the cupboard and took out the secretary's notebook. The discoloured sheet of paper was still tucked in the pages and he drew it out carefully. Oliver laid it flat on the nearest table and they pored over it together. The lower half of the page was faded which made it hard to read the letters. Daniel squinted in an attempt to make out any initials.

"There!" Felix pointed.

Daniel followed his finger and managed to make out an important set of initials and the relevant role that person had been allocated.

C. E - investigation of the top floor staircase - clubhouse

***

Oliver classed the discovery worthy of calling an emergency Mystery Club meeting. Daniel was secretly glad for his enthusiasm as it was helping the progress of the case. The meeting ended up being during lunchtime as Felix had been keen to get them to Japanese and Oliver needed to get to his Maths class.

"This had better be worth skipping my lunchtime revision for," Amien warned when he arrived. "If this is a repeat of that other time…"

"It's not," Oliver promised with a beaming smile. "We've really found something out this time."

Amien stared at him skeptically and crossed his arms.

"We're all here now so you can spill the beans," he said.

Oliver produced the meeting minutes from 2013 with a proud air.

"Daniel and Felix managed to find out the name of the missing student and we've found his initials and role allocation on here."

Amien picked up the discoloured sheet of paper with a frown. He put it back down and seemed satisfied.

"Your pick of new members was right this time. Well done."

Harry and Meredith had a look after Amien and looked excited.

"Wow, we're actually doing some mystery solving," Meredith said. "I've been wondering if we would do anything."

Daniel had a feeling that the Mystery Club hadn't been very exciting for someone wanting to actually solve mysteries until this case.

"So we've found this out, what's the next step?" Amien enquired.

Oliver opened his mouth and closed it again. It seemed like he hadn't thought that far yet. Daniel decided to help him out.

"We need to check out what he was investigating," he paused. "I'm new here so I don't know where everything is. Where is the clubhouse?"

Oliver hadn't mentioned it on their tour and the Mystery Club met in a normal classroom. He hadn't spotted any extra building either. Judging from the confused look on Oliver's face, he didn't know either.

Amien sighed.

"I know where it is. Daniel, you're new, do you have the school map on you?"

Daniel took out his organiser and found the map. Amien picked it up and let a pale finger rest on a patch of trees towards the top left corner.

"The clubhouse is there. It's off bounds to students by the way. Oliver, what do you suggest?"

The leader of the Mystery Club looked nervous at the prospect of going somewhere out of bounds.

"...Who feels up for some rule breaking?" he asked.

Daniel put his hand up immediately. His previous experience told him that this mysterious and forbidden building would be important to solving the mystery.