Hello again!
This is actually a longer chapter, this time. I hope you'll like it.
I hope the story will move in progress soon and you'll like the upcoming chapters, so that they will encourage you to review and tell me what you think :)
Have a nice time reading,
Olivia
YOU TEST ME
MARCH
I leaned back in my seat and continued drawing little matchstick men onto my script, while I tried to let the babbling of the Professor decrease into just a faint background noise. I peeked at my wristwatch and sighed disappointedly.
"Bored?"
I smiled as Jim's voice was just softly brushing my ears, which were quite tormented by that professor's flogging a dead horse and just talking completely useless rubbish. I bowed my head slightly into his direction, but at that moment he grabbed my pencil and drew a strange sequence of letters onto my script.
"A riddle again?"
"Do you have any better ideas?"
"What about sleeping with eyes wide open?", I suggested.
"No option in here. The chairs are far too uncomfortable.", Jim sniggered.
"Those old geezers are considered being genii, but are just walking lexica and have no keen sense and feeling for how to transmit information.", I grumbled and began to transcribe those runes that Jim had written down for me. I was glad that I knew that sort of alphabet, though someone could say that this was general knowledge.
I really hated losing, especially to someone like Jim who always seemed to be able to predict any information that all the professors we're giving to us next. Jim appeared to already know everything that those scholars did, but he even did sometimes even mumble something that I could only understand as correction of whatever the professor's affirmed and presented their theories about. The most disturbing thing on that was, that Jim's falsifications always seemed so very plausible to me.
So the biggest question was to me, where the hack did he get that knowledge from? Has he already finished so many different studies and was just continuing to broaden his mind?
Jim told me that he had been visiting some other lectures and some lectures and courses of every different scientific faculty that he was interested in.
How the heck was someone supposed to be able to follow so many different topics? Well, I was one example for that, as much as my father wanted me to attend. But Jim really had to have a tenacious memory and widespread interest. Or he was simply able to secede the only useful information from the whole bunch in the most skilful way.
"You mean the professors? So all professors are old, stale and witless?", Jim whispered and snickered as I was giving away all my tries to decipher the words that he had written down.
"It seems to be so. I've always loved to be taught by family members of Ötzi the Iceman.", I mumbled and huffed as I wrote down the missing letters.
"Well, you are a member of the Iceman's family.", Jim mumbled, but I only had looks for the game that I was lucky to win and didn't really listen to him.
"Dynamics of an Asteroid?", I read out what his runes-riddle had been providing for me.
"An awfully clever book, you really should have a look at it.", Jim said and was already scribbling some other signs onto the paper, which turned out to be in pigpen cipher. Finally something thing that was half-way decently challenging me.
"You really have no better ideas than asking me riddles. There's no other thing you do."
"I've always been, from the very beginning. But will you solve all of them?", Jim challenged
"In my humble opinion I see myself doing quite well..."
"Then go on, impress me!", Jim demanded and leaned back and I swirled the pen around between my fingers. "Solve the biggest riddle! I beg you had been waiting for days to be free and ask me out."
My jaw clenched a little and I refrained from shifting my weight or changing my position in any way. But there was no way I could stop fondling bashfully with the hemline of my skirt. Was I really that easy to be seen through? I somehow never dared to ask him about his life, somehow I didn't and did not even want to care. I was just happy to have interesting conversations with him, while everything that regarded our personalities did not matter at all.
"What have you been doing the past years, occupationally?", I asked hastily.
"I was establishing myself as a self-employed business man."
"For what sort of business?", I asked and caught myself gnawing on my pen.
"People consult me settling and conduct delicate affairs secretly and discretely. To say it bluntly I may perhaps be some sort of general dogsbody."
"Dear Jim, could you fix it for me...?", I was tempted to speak in dulcet tones and I even earned a little acknowledging smile of Jim and a content nod, while he never stopped returning my looking asquint at him, still transcribing his little message.
"Indeed, that was their most preferred way in approaching me."
"Seems to still be quite successful and lucrative."
"Money doesn't matter. The main thing is that every job is a new task, no matter how easy it turns out to be."
"Care for a coffee?", I read out my transcription, "Are you serious?"
To be honest, for someone like Jim this had been a very lame feeble and lame attempt.
"Why shouldn't I? 'tis just boring in here.", Jim yawned, while stretching his sore limbs.
"There's no time for such a thing! I will wait till that dodderer has finished."
"Why?"
"I'm sticking to my principles. I will not miss a lecture at any cost."
Jim looked at me, stunned, raising his eyebrows and huffing.
"You. Are. Boring."
"Imagine, I have to leave earlier today."
"Where to?"
"It's just training. Or, let's call it by my father's words, my physical exercises.", I snorted and began to shuffle all my things together and let them slip into my bag.
"Exercises? No offence, Sharon, but that's a waste of effort."
"It's just some kind of very useful stuff.", I smirked and rapped his knuckles by using my script. But I knew, this time it was my lame attempt to pay him back.
"Sounds interesting. I can even imagine you in short tracksuit pants.", Jim sneered, shaking his hand and his eyes glistened wickedly.
"Beware, Jim. I already know how to defend myself from evil gits who are hot for my knickers. There are indeed interesting defensive counterattacks that can hurt a lot, if you know what I mean."
"So it's still on the offer?"
"What?"
"Your maidenhood."
I did not really want to know how deeply red I must have blushed. There had no one ever in my life been mentioning such a topic. That had always definitely been off-limits.
"Well, with some father like I have, I had never had the possibility to get even close to someone who would have seen me as something else than a little girl or a little prude student.", I said honestly and felt my cheeks blush a little more. I wasn't as inexperienced with men as it appeared, but I was surely less experienced than any other young woman of my age. I had had some relationships, but they lasted as long as a sunny day in London.
"I guess you would be clever enough to sneak your way out."
"With all that secure-facilities my father installed I guess it is as hard as to break out from Pentonville prison."
"You would not even expect how easy such a thing could be.", Jim said and his smile still let my cheeks burn. I stood up and greeted Jim hastily, making my way out of the University on wobbly feet. Anthea was already waiting at the Mercedes.
For the first time I was looking forward to training with a punchbag. I was really eager to pummel something hard.
"I've gotta favour to ask you. The next day I got a day off can I come over to your place to hang out?", Sally asked at the other end of the phone and I rolled myself to an upright position on my bed and crossed my legs, while I swirled strands of my black curly hair around my index finger.
"Why would you want to do that?", I asked her and picked some fluffs off my satin bedding.
"I am curious, I want to see where you live!", Sally chortled.
"No way.", I said as shortly and determined as I could.
"Oh, pretty please?", Sally begged, with a super sweet and silky voice.
I was able to imagine her pouting, fluttering her long eyelashes and wringing her hands for me if she was ready for really wheedling me into anything she wanted to achieve. But at least while calling her on the phone she didn't have that advantage on me.
"No way, you would just make fun of me, with all that strange household we have.", I repeated and stretched out my weary legs to finally let them rest on my fleecy hand-woven carpet.
"No matter how much I beg you? Could I even bribe you with my world famous chocolate cupcakes?",
"No way.", I said, but less persistent as before, gradually beginning to hardly suppress my laughter.
"It's just that I have been thinking that it's about time I paid my respects to my beloved Sharon's family and thanked her properly for her support and kindness."
"No way in hell, Sally.", I finally chuckled and stood up while slowly walking to the window, where heavy raindrops pitter-pattered onto and were slowly trailing down.
Sally sighed exaggeratedly and disappointedly heavy.
"To be honest, my father would never let anyone visit me at home. He would be even very surprised that I would love to bring a friend like you home. No offence, Sally, but I've hardly in my whole life had any visitors.", I explained and propped against the window seat.
"What a strange father, what a strange life you have,", Sally said and I still heard a light tone of disappointment in her voice, "but do not forget about the party this weekend, ok? I'm counting on your presence!"
"Even if I successfully break the news to my dad, I still do not know if I will be able to come."
"Come on, don't spoil the party and don't chicken around, Sharon! You have to have some fun and I bet you'll have a great time there. If anything doesn't work out for you, I'll be there too, keep that in mind!"
"I know, thanks, Sally. I'll do my best."
"You have to! If you don't, I'll drag you there by your ears!", Sally hollered loudly that I had to hold my phone away from me.
"Sure you will!, See ya!", I yelled and my finger drew nearer to the button that would cut her off.
"Hey, I'm not finished yet!"
"I really have to quit, sorry!", I babbled hastily and finally hung up the phone and threw it onto my bed.
I sat down onto the window seat, drew up my knees and leaned myself back, while taking a deep breath.
Finally some peace.
There was still a lot to come that week, as I would have to call on our dean of the humanistic science faculty for position as scientific assistant at our University. I was one of the best candidates to that sought-after position and I would gain very good experience if I really were able to get it. The job also included some organisationally and representative work which I would love to do.
That position would be my best option to change my student life a bit and receive new tasks which were definitely tough jobs, but the right thing for my plans. And the best thing of it was, that I somehow felt it in my bones that my father would be proud of me if I finally made myself a name beside my moderately exceptional success in my studies and most importantly, independently from anything that had to do with my father's business.
I would finish my studies and anything that I had started, but I would no longer let my father decide on my future. I wanted to walk my own path, even if it could be the wrong one.
I would chose what to do. I would chose whom to meet. I would chose how to live.
The prospect of beginning a new life let my shiver with excitement.
Someone was knocking on my door.
Anthea.
Was there really no peace and calmness for me? Just for a few movements?
"Miss Holmes.", Anthea said and didn't even care to put her annoying phone away, even when she was attempting to talk to me. I guess Miss X wouldn't even notice someone pointing a gun at her, as fixed as she was onto it. The only thing waking her up would perhaps be sending her a photo of the scene, that she would reckon in which situation she would find herself in.
I let my head fall back, lean against the window frame and watched the cars on the streets pass by, making the water of the thousands of little puddles slosh onto the pavement.
"What is it?"
"Your father's here and asking you out for dinner."
My head spun around and I almost fell off the seat as I was so very much surprised.
"You're sure? No too early and untimely April fool's? No false message sent to your precious phone?", I spat and I knew it wasn't right to be that harsh, but I was still and would ever be angry with my dad always sending me to Coventry.
I was a grown woman, but I'd always needed my dad when I was a teenager and he hadn't been there. I still needed my dad. Somehow I knew that nothing would change and he wouldn't bother to be there for me in the future as well.
That thought made me so very sad and angry at the same time, that I didn't want to see him. I was even rather talking to an unconcerned woman who seemed to be glued to that little advanced electronic device in her hands.
"Sorry.", I mumbled immediately, hopped off my seat and walked up to her. However much I despised her following wherever I went, I knew she just did it because my father ordered her to do so. And there was no point in letting my anger out on her, as she was just assiduously carrying out all orders.
"Already forgotten, Miss Holmes. You cannot spoil my day anyways, as I met that charming guest of your father's again. He has to visit quite often, since he's close to Sherlock.", Anthea said, while looking up from her phone and shortly smiling at me.
I looked at her, startled. Was Anthea actually giving me a little insight into her private life? Was she actually giving me information about something I should perhaps not know?
"I didn't know you are able to display feelings like compassion, Miss Anthea.", I chuckled and was happy as I saw her smiling again and nodding quickly.
"Still waters run deep, Miss Holmes."
I followed her out of my room and felt excitement rushing through my veins. I recalled that my last conversation with father lay about three weeks behind. He must have been really busy then. Had all of that really to do with Sherlock all alone? I noticed that he'd helped to solve quite difficult cases in the past, as that one with the series of suicides. But there were actually other things going on, lots of bombings with several people getting killed.
London grew more criminal the past time.
I knew that the police would have consulted the world's only consulting detective to minimise the threat of the actual crime scene, but it seemed that there was no end to all those horrible cases, as if someone always kept pulling the strings behind the scenes and letting all people dance in a deadly round.
Father was already waiting for me in the salon, sitting on his most favourite divan, with crossed legs and a sly smile on his face.
"Sharon, my dear, I am so happy to see you. Please, sit down."
"Where have you been the past weeks?"
"There was a lot of business in the office, especially with the elections and those missile plans, Sharon. You know that there is so much going on these days, that I even had to consult your uncle to be somehow able to cope with the mass of cases."
"Don't distract from my main question, Dad. I was asking you where you had been, but please don't tell me that you actually started to sleep in our office or that horrible Diogenes club.", I said and crossed my arms, declining his offer to join him sitting down.
"Why that harsh, Sharon? You know that there must at least be someone who earns the money, especially for your education."
"Dad, you're actually dumbing down this conversation so fast that I even ask myself why I even bothered to listen to you."
"Sharon, you're being tactless."
"You, have been tactless! Have you even cared about telling me that you are ok? Even telling me through Anthea would have sufficed! Do you even know what is actually going on in my life?"
"I do and I am not welcoming your decisions and desires."
"What do you mean?"
"I cannot approve your wish to be an assistant at the University. The headmaster called me today and told me that there's a fine prospect for a, outstanding career for you."
"The headmaster called you? So I managed to convince them?", I asked and I felt excitement rushing through my veins and I didn't even try to hide my boundless joy about that news.
"No matter if you convinced the whole University of your assets, I will not be convinced and that must suffice for you declining the offer to work there."
"Why should I? I will finally take my life in my own hands. I have chosen to work there and I will work there."
"There are politics going on there, Sharon. You do not fit into that system. You don't have the -"
"Courage? Experience? Skills? What else should miss? I did everything you ordered me to do the past years, just to be someday able to get in such a position like that. You have equipped me with every single skill you thought useful for me being able to survive in the 'real world'. You've taken away my life, Dad. But you won't take away my plans for the rest of it."
"There will be bad things coming up Sharon, everywhere in the city. I just don't want you to get involved, to be in danger."
"Then you even must prohibit it to finish the last year of my studies, do you know that?"
"Well, I already have taken care of that."
"What did-?"
"I've already arranged it for you to finish your studies abroad. I thought Germany would be quite nice, wouldn't it?", Mycroft said, smiled and with that he reached into his suit-pocket and drew out an envelope and passed it to me. I held my breath as I read the document and felt my chest rise and fall in agitation. Mycroft was really attempting to ruin my will to live and move on the way I had done before.
"I will certainly not let you drive me away from here! Even if you did not even care to make me feel at home here, I will not go away. I've just begun to make some friends. I've just begun to change something in that miserable life which you forced me to lead"
"Sharon, as your father I must insist that you believe me, especially me in my position, that it is no longer safe for you in London with all those hidden criminal forces building up in London!"
"I won't let you cage me inside! I won't let you treat me like you treated mum!", I screamed, threw the letter away and quickly strode to the door.
"Sharon, wait!"
"And by the way, I'm going to a party tomorrow and I don't know when I'll return. So don't be bothered to save me any dinner!", I spat and stepped outside, right into the heavy rain.
I didn't even wait for my dad to answer and smashed the door shut behind me and really enjoyed the loud noise it made.
I somehow imitated the outcry of anger that boiled up inside me.
I took the few steps down to the street and called myself a cab.
Now I could really need some of Sally's chocolate cupcakes.
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