3 years ago...
Sherrelyn 'Sherry' Holmes was the only Holmes girl. She has two brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft. Not surprisingly, the three of them possess great intellect, which is pretty normal for a Holmes. When she was a small child, she didn't play with dolls. Instead, she favors solving puzzles and riddles. Her brothers were always teasing her on how she wasn't girly.
She's 15. She behaves a little more like a teenager now. Slamming doors, teenage angst, rebellious, reckless. But she isn't fully a stereotype teenage girl. She loves music, like her brother, Sherlock. Bands like the Script, Coldplay, the Fray were her favourites. She's still a girl after all.
It was in autumn when it happened. One day, she was at a music store called Ear Candy, her favourite music store, browsing the bands section. The Script released a new album, and she's dying to get her hands on a copy. "Yes!" She whispered to herself.
"Good choice of music." A voice remarked from behind her. She whirled around to see who it was. A young man, probably 23, wearing a tight, official Ear Candy T-shirt for the workers. She smiled sheepishly at him. His hair was a little messy, with wide, brown eyes. He's obviously gay. She thought.
"Uh, yeah." She said, slightly taken aback by his appearance.
"Need any help?" He asked.
"No, I'm fine, thanks." She said hurriedly. There's something about him that creeped her out a little. "Thanks..." She looked at his name tag. "Jim." She moved slightly, to leave Jim the creepy guy and pay for her album.
"If you ever need any music help, call me." He said. It sent chills down her spine, the way he said it. As she walked past him, his hand brushed against her thigh. It sent another shiver down her spine.
"Creep." She muttered, loud enough for him to hear. She quickly paid for her album and left the store.
"Sherlock?" Sherrelyn asked her elder brother. He was sitting on his usual chair, hands pressed together, deep in thought. His eyes were screwed shut.
"I told you to not disturb me while I'm in my mind palace, Sherrelyn." Sherlock was the only one who called her Sherrelyn. Everyone settles for Sherry. Then again, he always calls everyone by their names. And not nicknames or anything.
"Sorry, Sherlock. But I need creeper advice." His eyes went wide open. Well that's new. He never actually reacted like this when I asked him about some problems regarding school. Actually, he never really reacted like this at all.
"Who is this creeper?" His eyebrows were knotted.
"A guy named Jim. He works in Ear Candy. You know, my favourite-" He interrupted her.
"Music store, yes yes, I know. This Jim. Does he look gay?" I could tell that Sherlock knows Jim. The way his face registered the possibility and whatnot. It was recognization.
"I suppose so."
"Stay away from him." Sherlock warned her.
"Who is he?"
"Just someone you need not bother yourself with." Sherlock snapped at her.
"Okay. Stay away from Jim the creep. Got it." Sherrelyn muttered before retreating to her bedroom. Now that she thought of it, she remembered Sherlock talking about a gay Jim that tried to go for him a year ago. But she wasn't sure if creepy Jim was the same person as Jim Moriarty. Same first names, but currently that was all that the two had in common.
Sherrelyn hasn't gone to the music store for weeks now. She goes to her alternative solution, Music Luvvers. It had more female singers than bands and that aggravated her. She wants to go to her always stocked music heaven. And she did.
She went over to Ear Candy after school. When she entered, she didn't see Jim anywhere. She hurried to the Bands section. Unfortunately, Jim was there, stocking the shelves with CDs. He was putting the Fray's new album into the shelves. She had no choice but to go to him and grab the album. Easy. She thought. Walk, grab, run.
She brisk walked to the section and was about to grab the album when Jim caught sight of her. "Ah, hello!" He greeted. "Haven't seen you around here for ages! Come for new albums?"
"Yes, actually." She grit her teeth and answered. It was the eyes. The eyes were the ones that creeped her out. The cold, calculative, beady eyes of a snake.
"The Fray?" He asked. She nodded. He handed her the CD, their fingers brushing. She quickly pulled back and went to the counter. Yet another encounter with Jim the creep. Buying albums doesn't feel so fun now.
"Hey, Sherry!" Her best friend Anna yelled into the phone. She cringed.
"Hello to you too, Anna." She grumbled. It's not even 8 am and she's already shouting. It's a miracle no one woke up to her call.
"I was thinking, that we should go out to the fun fair that just opened at Hyde Park!"
"Okay, when?"
"Today, duh! I've already invited Harriet, Ally and Jeanine! All we need is you!"
"Alright, alright. I'm coming. Meet you there." She muttered.
"6 pm sharp!" She said and hung up. Friends. Ugh. No wonder Sherlock doesn't have any. but as annoying her friends were, she was glad that she had friends like Anna. Anna likes to see the good in other people. She didn't call me a freak like that Sally girl who hates me. Anna is a really nice person, and she never really got angry before.
Sherrelyn played with her phone for a while. She looked for any concerts playing. Disappointed, she rolled back and slept.
"Hey, Sherry!" Anna called out to her. When she was close enough, Anna hugged her. Sherrelyn's never been good with hugs. She hates hugs. But that doesn't stop her friends from hugging her.
"Where's everyone else?" She asked.
"They're running a bit late." Anna answered. Sherrelyn looked around. The Tube station was eeriely empty, except for Anna, herself and a couple making out on a bench. She knew that the station should be full with people, after all, it's rush hour.
When her three other friends, Harriet Johnson, Ally Freeman and Jeanine Moriarty arrived, it was five past six. The train had arrived and it was also, surprisingly empty. They took their seats, Sherrelyn sitting next to Anna. The train was about to leave the station when a man with a baseball cap slung low on his head hurriedly entered. He sat down next to Sherrelyn. Out of all the empty seats available on this carrige, he sat down next to her. She thought. There was something familiar about him. Sherrelyn shrugged the feeling off. The man was playing a song called Stayin' Alive by the Bee Gees. She knew it was an old song, probably 1970s. Odd choice of music. He plugged his earphones in, drowning out the sound of them bickering.
"Gosh, Sherry, you have weird taste in music." Anna remarked. She took Sherrelyn's phone and she was browsing through her song collection.
"Bands aren't weird." She retorted.
"The Fray?" Anna asked. "I have no idea who they are."
"Well, I have no idea who Ed Sheeran is!" She said to annoy her. She knew who Ed Sheeran is, he's great, but she guessed if it annoys Anna...
"Yes you do! He's a great singer! Look him up!" Anna shoved her phone back to Sherrelyn. In defense, Sherrelyn didn't plug her earphones all the way in, so that some of her music leaked out into the silent carriage. She knew Anna hated when she does that, and she was right. Anna was annoyed. She pushed the earphones in further. Sherrelyn rolled her eyes in amusement. It stayed like that for the rest of the journey.
They got off at Hyde Park. The man also got off at the same place. Sherrelyn and her friends headed to the fun fair. Brightly lit and music filled, the park was different. Sherrelyn saw a rollercoaster, a Ferris wheel and other attractions. It was Halloween themed. They first went to the rollercoaster. Anna and Sherrelyn sat together, with her three friends sitting behind them. They went on the rollercoaster twice before going to the Ferris wheel. Sherrelyn loved the cotton candy that was sold, so she bought some for herself. The went on the Ferris wheel with this woman and her two children, and the man from the train just now. He took many pictures of the view. Sherrelyn was eating her cotton candy while observing the outside from the height.
Someone tugged at her jeans. She looked and saw one of the woman's children, the girl. She pointed at Sherrelyn's cotton candy. The mother was protesting, saying that she was not to eat random strangers' food. Sherrelyn obliged, pinching a piece of her cotton candy and giving it to the small child to eat. The girl was happy. She waddled back to her mother. Her mother smiled at Sherrelyn, obviously because the girl was silently pleased.
The man was standing right beside her. He was taking lots of pictures. She took a selfie with her cotton candy and the view. Anna was chatting with Harriet. Jeanine and Ally were posing for a picture. She sighed. She went back to her cotton candy and realized that she was halfway finishing the candy. The man glanced at her direction before taking a selfie. At that moment, the cap he wore had lifted a little, showing his face. He looked exactly like Jim. She narrowed her eyes at him and went over to Jeanine and Ally. They were talking about celebrities, a topic she wasn't remotely interested in, yet she joined in. Anything to get away from Jim...or whoever he was.
They went on the Ghost Ship, the Ghost Town and a few other attractions. They played the carnival games. Jeanine won a teddy bear. They bought more cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, milkshakes, fish and chips and assorted fudges. Sherrelyn loved the fudge from this old lady's store. The lady made the best fudge she ever tasted. After a while, they all agreed to go home.
When they were done, it was 11 pm. Anna, Harriet, Jeanine and Ally left when they arrived at their stops. She needed one more stop before hers. Again, the train was empty, except for her and a few other people. She got off at her stop. The whole station seemed empty. There usually was a lot of people going home at this time. Yet no one was here. She quickly swiped her Oyster card and walked home. It was a five minute walk home.
Strangely, Sherrelyn felt as if she was being followed. She checked behind her. No one was there. When she looked back to the front, she saw a man coming towards her. She backed away slowly. She was about to run back when someone grabbed her upper arm. Two against one? Not fair. She kicked at the man holding her. She must've hit something when his grip loosened, enough for her to escape. She ran away and prayed that these two men weren't about to hurt her and sell her off for human trafficking or something.
She collided with someone. It was the creepy man who looked like Jim. He grabbed her arm. "Don't even think of running away, Sherrelyn." He said. He sounded like Jim, but she wasn't sure. He sprayed something at her face. It was cold. She fell down, slipping from consciousness. The man had catched her before she fell smack on the hard ground. She heard voices. The man carried her. Her eyes were fluttering shut, threatening to fall unconscious. Finally, she gave in. And all she saw was darkness.