I Knew You Were Trouble. ~A Sherlock FanFic~
Chapter One~
April 14th, 2012
New Blog Post: [Signed in as LadyRyn {Senior Moderator}]
Today is Lady Angel's 27th birthday! She is planning to celebrate with an all-day shopping spree (we expect the purchase of new make-up) and then a fancy dinner out with close friends and family. We will certainly keep y'all (you can take the girl out of the south but you can't take the south out of the girl….) posted on all the fun! Leave your birthday wishes in the comments below. Let us know if it's your birthday too, and you might just win a little something. As always, have a practically-perfect-in-every-way day! ;)
*Blog Updated*
Kathryn closed the lid of her laptop and glanced at the clock. "Anna, you ready yet?" she asked over her shoulder as she slipped on her Toms and grabbed her signature cyan leather over-the-shoulder bag from underneath the roll-top desk.
"Almost. Just a little more gloss," Anna answered from the vanity where she was applying one last coat of pale pink lip gloss. "There. What'cha think?" She turned and struck a pose.
"C'est fantastique, mon cher. Now let's go!" Kathryn led her friend to the front door and gently pushed her out onto the landing. "Els has probably been waiting for twenty minutes," she said with a sigh of frustration.
"Well, it's not my fault she's so punctual," Anna said as she walked determinedly across the hall and down the stairs. "I honestly have no idea how she gets herself looking so put together in so little time..."
Kathryn rolled her eyes and followed. Sure enough, Elsie was on the sidewalk, leaning against a lamp post. She raised her eyebrows when she saw them. "That was a shorter wait than usual! I'm impressed."
"Whatever," Anna muttered. She went straight to Elsie's car, parked in the visitor space, and slid into the back seat.
"Good to see you too," Elsie said with a laugh. She and Kathryn were both used to Anna's moody behavior. She apparently wasn't over her teenage girl drama/angst phase yet.
Nine minutes later, the girls were almost to their favorite shopping area. They had been working so hard lately that they hadn't had a chance to check out the new clothing arrivals. "Summer styles are my favorite and I haven't gotten to buy any yet," Anna had complained multiple times.
"Well, you did get to attend a show revealing the new high fashion," Kathryn had pointed out.
"Whatever." That was always Anna's reply when someone proved her wrong or commented on something silly she had said or done: Whatever.
"ChicFreak. Your favorite," Elsie said as she pulled up to a store with a purple neon sign. The loud music inside could be heard from the street.
Anna took a deep breath, ever contented by the thought of purchasing new things. "Yes. Thanks. Sorry I was being a pain. I should be happy on my birthday! Love you both." She reached her arms up to the front seat and hugged Elsie and Kathryn with a cheesy smile.
After perusing the entire store, Anna finally went into a dressing room with a whole pile of clothes. Elsie waited by the door in case she needed to fetch a different size or color of something. She wasn't usually so willing, but it was a sort of birthday gift.
Kathryn decided not to get anything, seeing as she didn't have birthday money to spend. However, there was a very nice pea coat on the sale rack which she felt justified in buying because she only had light jackets in her closet.
She sat in one of the comfortable chairs nearby, waiting for Anna to ask for her opinion on whatever she was trying on. She pulled out her phone and opened the browser to view the top stories. Boring, boring, what the..? Hmm, 'Comic Book Characters Come To Life; Events in KRATIDES Actually Happening'
Kathryn scanned the article and saw a link for the website of the guy, Chris Melas, who claimed he'd seen the character in this comic series on the streets. On the site, she found discussions about the hidden meanings in KRATIDES and pictures of 'The Flying Bludgeon' and 'Professor Davenport.'
Not many comments lately. Just some person called Kemp. But according to the article, people are buying it... And buying the comics.
She searched 'read KRATIDES online' but found nothing. I guess it's no big deal. Not worth going to the comic book shop to find a copy…
"Ta-da! What do you think?" Anna was striking another pose in a navy and white striped top and red high-waisted shorts. Some cute wedges and jewelry completed the look.
"Fab, my dear," Kathryn told her, using one of Anna's favorite words. Kathryn couldn't understand abbreviating words in conversation when it only took a second to finish saying it, but she often humored her friend.
"It would look fab on you, too, you know. Why don't you try it on? There's a top with lighter blue stripes and some purple shorts. We can be complimentary!"
"Nah, I shouldn't. I've got plenty of clothes…"
Five minutes later, Kathryn stood beside her in a matching outfit while Elsie snapped a picture. "You both look darling. Especially with the hat, Ryn."
Kathryn sighed and looked back to the mirror. Anna had added a hat like something you'd wear to a fancy garden party. "I can't really go out in this... Can I?"
The girls nodded, along with the lady who worked in the shop. "I'm just saying: you could make a sack dress look good," she said. Elsie and Anna murmured agreement.
Kathryn hesitated, searching for the price tag. Anna slapped her hand. "Uh-uh. I will buy it for you, if you promise to wear it."
"I dunno; I might get cold in shorts.."
"I've got some tights you can borrow," Elsie offered.
"Oh, all right."
After Anna bought the outfits and a party dress, and Kathryn got her pea coat ("I will buy this myself," she insisted,) the girls left the store.
Kathryn paused to upload the pictures to her and Anna's blog: Unwritten by Ryn and Angel. They posted anything and everything from reviews of their favorite television shows to fashion advice to short stories, and had developed quite a following.
New Photo Set: [Signed in as LadyRyn {Senior Moderator}]
My and Lady Angel's new complimentary spring/summer style… Thoughts? Comment/Like/Share.
*Blog Updated*
"Hey, look. 16 new comments… 'Happy Birthday, Lady A' with about seven exclamation marks from PinkBalloon8.. 'Have fun!' with a bunch of hearts from ILoveJustinBieber. Poor deranged girl…"
"Ooo! I feel so loved," Anna said, pulling out her own phone to see. "'Happy b-day, Angel. I want to..marry you. Be my angel.' Uh, no. Sorry. Please let that be from a guy…"
New Comment: [Signed in as LadyAngel {Senior Moderator}]
Hello, everyone! Thanks so much! We're having a blast. :3 And PrupleUnicorn77… . . And learn how to spell purple; it's my second favorite color.
Check out Ryn's latest pic! #trend-setting.
*Blog Updated*
"Hey, so where are we going next?" Elsie asked.
"Uh, how about… Whoa, hottie alert." Anna raised her eyebrows and smirked.
"You did not just say that," Kathryn said, although she did look around to see who she meant. "I don't see..."
Anna grabbed Kathryn's head and turned it. "Ow. Jeez, Anna... Oh, that guy?" Kathryn saw a guy around their age across the street. Short brown hair, average height, nothing special. She frowned at Anna.
"Well, I think he looks nice," Anna said, blushing a little.
"She's just desperate, I think," Elsie said, agreeing with Kathryn.
"Whatever."
The guy walked down the sidewalk until he got to the comic shop, which he entered. Anna gripped Kathryn's arm. "We need to go in there. And by we, I mean you."
"Why me?" Kathryn asked, prying Anna's hand off her arm. "Are you scared?"
"Yes. Of being seen in a store like that! Go and check him out. You're geeky enough to go in there."
"Hey!"
Anna gave her a 'we all know it's true' look, and Elsie just smiled awkwardly. Kathryn sighed. "Fine. If it will make you happy on your birthday."
"All right. Now we'll wait in here." Anna pointed to an accessories shop. "Elsie needs some jewelry."
Kathryn shook her head as she crossed the street. How many times had she had to be brave and walk up to random guys for her friend? At least she had sort of gotten over her fear of strangers... But if Anna was so concerned with men, why couldn't she talk to them herself? Whatever.
She paused and glanced around before opening the door to the comic shop. A little bell dinged as she walked in and everyone in the store turned to look at her. She kind of smiled while looking away. The first thing she saw was a comic book with a scantily clad woman on the cover. Oh, wow… Okay. Moving on.
She spotted her target standing in the corner with a couple books in his hand. She took a couple deep breaths and moved closer to him. Pretending to examine some sort of collector's figure nearby, she casually glanced at the covers. KRATIDES.
What a coincidence. Hey, I actually have a conversation starter. Ok, you can do this. At least he doesn't look too nerdy.
"Um, hi. I just saw what you were looking at, and I, uh, read something about that on a website earlier. There's some guy who says the characters are real," Kathryn said, pointing to the books. She recognized 'Professor Davenport' from the pictures she saw. "Like that Professor Davenport, I think."
"Oh, yes," the guy replied, obviously startled that a normal-looking girl was a. in a comic shop and b. seemed to know what she was talking about. So he was nerdier than he looked. Why shouldn't she be interested in comics? "I heard about that. That's actually why I came to get the latest issue. I was curious. Are you are fan?" He had that kind of nerdy voice too. She hated to be stereotypical or to bash anybody, but it was so true.
"Of comics in general, or just these?" Kathryn wasn't sure how long she could keep up an intelligent conversation. While some perfectly normal girls understood all this, she didn't. Please don't think I'm some sort of hot nerdy girl and try to pick me up...
"Well, the correct term is graphic novels. I just meant of KRATIDES, but I'm assuming you don't come in here often. Just saying." He quickly looked down at Kathryn's brightly colored, fashion forward outfit and back up.
"Oh, sorry. And yeah, not really. My friend actually..." Kathryn glanced out the window and decided she wouldn't mention Anna's interest. "Never mind. So what's your opinion of the whole stories coming to life thing? Do you buy it?"
"Well, I'm going to buy the new issue. So, yeah, I guess so."
Funny, that sounded like my exact thoughts earlier... "Well, I'll let you go then. I was just wondering about it."
"Well, I can tell you more about it, if you'd like." He sounded eager. He also started lots of his sentences with well.
"I wasn't wondering that much," Kathryn said, with a polite yet dismissing tone. She turned away just as someone else walked into the shop. She was sure that her jaw dropped. She recognized him.
Seeing her eyes widen, the guy asked, "Do you know him?"
"I know of him, yeah. I wonder what he's doing here."
"Well, I'm Danny, by the way."
"Kathryn. Now, if you'll excuse me." Kathryn left Danny with a very disappointed expression and made her way to the check-out counter where the man who she thought she recognized stood.
"Um, could you tell me where the KRATIDES comics are?" he asked the person who worked there.
"Yeah, in the back corner. But they're graphic novels," the employee said. He was a young guy with hipster glasses and several pins on his shirt. One of them had a sonic screwdriver on it, and Kathryn suddenly felt ashamed that she knew what that was.
"Right, yes, I've been told. Sorry." The man glanced at Kathryn and smiled.
She returned it with a 'I don't get it either' look. The employee smiled at her too, clearly checking her out. His name tag said Marvin, Certified Nerd. She hated herself for it, but she said, "I see you're a Whovian, Marvin. So, are you excited for the new companion and Series 7?"
Marvin's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He quickly recovered himself and replied, "Yeah. Can't wait." He leaned forward and looked at Kathryn earnestly. "Are you a Whovian too?"
Kathryn gave a little half-embarrassed laugh. "Yes. Yes, I am."
"Would you like to see some of our Doctor Who merchandise?"
She actually wouldn't have minded that, but she didn't want to encourage him too much. "Maybe another time. I should really get going." She noticed the other guy was still standing there, and she added, "I was just checking out that KRATIDES thing. Read about it online. But my friends are waiting for me, so..."
"You know, I was investigating it too. What do you know about it?"
"That this guy named Chris has this sort of conspiracy theory website about the comics," she said. Marvin narrowed his eyes. "I mean, graphic novels. He started seeing the characters on the streets. He even has pictures. But that's crazy, right? I mean, it's probably just some fans having a laugh."
Kathryn moved to the side as Danny came to the counter to purchase his graphic novel. She lowered her voice and continued. "But I'm just saying, it seems that people are very interested in KRATIDES now. This guy came in just to buy the newest issue. Cause I mean it's cool, right? Comic book characters coming to life. Real-life super heroes or whatever." She shrugged.
Then she remembered who she was speaking with. She was absolutely sure of it now. This was John Watson, the guy who wrote the blog she had become semi-obsessed with. Because he was the flat-mate of Sherlock Holmes, an amazing detective with great facial features. Just saying.
And maybe she was helping with a case! How fab would that be? No, not fab; fabulous. Very. She couldn't wait to tell Anna and Elsie. Oh, yeah, I was supposed to be getting Danny's digits or something. He's not her type anyway. Or he shouldn't be.
Kathryn snapped out of her thoughts and turned back to John, who was looking at her curiously. "What?"
"It's just that, that's what my friend thought. That it's some sort of publicity stunt, to increase sales in a failing comic series."
"Oh. I mean, it wasn't some super incredible deduction." Kathryn felt her face flush. She shouldn't have used that word. "Hang on." She stepped back to the counter. "Marvin, would you say sales of KRATIDES has increased since all that hype about the stories being real?"
"Oh, yeah, definitely," Marvin replied. "In all stores, I think. People want to see if anything else comes true. Would you like a copy?"
"No, thanks. I don't fall for publicity stunts." Kathryn walked away, and John followed her towards the door. "So there you go. You can tell your friend he's right. Or she. I obviously don't know who it is..."
"He will be very pleased to be correct. Yet again." John sighed. "I don't understand how he always gets it right."
"Um, I'm just gonna say this. Don't think I'm weird. But I sort of know who you are."
Kathryn was pleased that John looked flattered rather than creeped out. "Let me guess. You've read the blog." He smiled. He's very friendly.
"Yes. I have a blog myself, and I always look at the top ones. You're the most popular one based in London, you know. I'm sure Sherlock doesn't care if someone's a fan of his, but I am. And of you too. I have to ask... Are you working on a case now?"
"Yes, actually. And you made my job easier. You found out all the information already. You're not an amateur detective, are you?"
"Oh, no! Just an ordinary, curious, law-abiding citizen. My friend actually asked me to follow that guy Danny in here. But he's too..obsessed in graphic novels. I should go break the news to her that her 'hottie' is a total nerd." Kathryn gave a little wave and pushed the door open. "Nice to meet you!"
"You too. I'll tell Sherlock you helped."
"Oh, I didn't really." Kathryn's face felt hot again. She hoped her blushing wasn't noticeable. She decided to ask the girls if it was. "You would have figured it out."
"Yes, but you'd like to take credit for it, wouldn't you?" John followed her onto the sidewalk. He looked at her for a moment before adding, "That's one deduction I can make for myself. You've got a bit of a thing for Sherlock Holmes. Respect or admiration or something. Which is absolutely fine. I'll tell him about you."
"He won't care."
"At least he'll have heard your name." John dipped his head and walked away.
"Wait! I never told you my name."
John turned and walked right back. "That's right. Sorry, I forgot."
Kathryn laughed. "It's Kathryn. McCall. But I'm called Ryn, on the blog and everything. "
"Ryn. Very nice. And very nice to meet you." He held out his hand, and Kathryn shook it, trying to suppress a big grin.
As he walked away for real, Kathryn looked towards the shop across the street and saw Anna and Elsie standing outside, staring at her. She joined them. "What are you two gawking at?"
"Who was that? He looked like he liked you," Anna said.
"That was John Watson. He was investigating something for Sherlock Holmes, and I sort of helped. He was just being friendly; nothing serious, so shut up."
"Oh, okay. Sure."
"John Watson?!" Elsie said, so loudly that Kathryn clamped her hand over her friend's mouth. "John Watson?" she repeated in a whisper. "Like, the guy whose blog you read? The one who writes about Sherlock Holmes, that detective you have a creeper crush on?"
"Yeah, that's the one..." Kathryn answered, turning and walking down the sidewalk in the opposite direction that John had gone. "So, where else do you wanna go, Anna?"
"Um, what I want to know is why aren't you following him or something?" Anna asked, moving in front of Kathryn to stop her. "He's probably going to meet up with Sherlock now, to tell him how you helped or whatever. You could meet that guy!"
"I don't want to act like a creeper."
"Even though you are," Elsie said.
"Yes... Let's just go."
"Well, at least tell me that you gave him your number," Anna said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Oh, I didn't think of that…"
"Ugh, Kathryn! See, that's why you're single."
"So why are you single? I mean, you give your number to lots of guys..."
"Whatever."
Elsie glanced back and forth between them. "So.. Did you talk to the 'hottie?'"
"Oh, yeah. He was a nerd."
"Well, maybe I like nerds!"
"His name's Danny. You can go back and talk to him if you want to."
"Whatever."
*The whole KRATIDES thing came from the "blog" of John Watson, which you can find with Google. Full credit to whoever wrote that fake blog entry. I just needed inspiration. But seriously, check it out. There's a 'Science of Deduction' too. I'll probably be using both of those for ideas.*