Chapter 4

Hey guys! I'm trying to be committed to my goal of at least one update a week! Hope this pleases you! ;D This chapter is a bit of a filler but it's got some relevant information. I apologize in advance for the extreme use of American slang. ^^' My friends and I normally don't talk like that unless we're super excited. But in this, Tarin is always excited! XD I'm a bit displeased at how this chapter turned out… It's definitely not my best writing. I hope it isn't too bad! Also, thanks to everyone who has reviewed, subscribed, or favorited! It's much appreciated! :D I also have a question to ask all of you: I already know that Holmes and Kay are going to get together, but do you want Tarin and Watson together? Just brain food! Put your opinion in the form of a review! Tips/ suggestions are also appreciated! And by the way, there is another key at the end because I went all guitar-nerd on you all in part of the story. XD ^_^ Happy reading! :D

Disclaimer: I OWNZ NOTHING (with the exception of Kaydence and Tarin!)!

Random footnote: I rescued a turtle with AkiraWolfWriter888 the other day! His name is Crush. This chapter is dedicated to him! Hope you're doing well in the wild, Crush! ;D

-Kay's POV-

Without another word, Tarin bounded into the kitchen and hopped effortlessly onto the island. She stared expectantly at me from her throne.

I shut the front door and padded over to the kitchen, biting my upper lip nervously. What is she finds out about Holmes and Watson? Tarin can't keep a secret!

"Hey, Kay," she called, waving her hand in front of my face, "you're all spacey today, aren't you? First that weird Sherlock Holmes outburst and then all that weird noise! What's up?"

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "N-nothing! How are you, Tari?"

She stared suspiciously at me for a second, and then launched herself into one of her world-famous rants. "So, I was at Alfred's, right? And we were having an awesome time and he was, like, so sweet! And then that bitch Rachel comes in and totally steals him away! And I was all like, 'Oh, no you didn't!' She's not even that, like, pretty! Plus she's a dumb-shit! Why, Alfred? I totally kicked Rachel's ass! Oh, and I brought over the first two seasons of Hetalia! You got dibs on Austria, right? America is mine!" She squealed like the fangirl she was. As I listened I tried to wrap my mind around her rapid-fire tirade, but it was proving difficult. Tarin speaks so quickly that I'm surprised that I can understand her half the time. She tapped me on the shoulder. "By the way, do you, like, notice anything different about me?"

I stared stupidly at my best friend. Her hair was still dark brown, long, and slightly wavy, and she still had a barrette in her hair with a ladybug on it that I gave to her in the 4th grade at a Girl Scout party. Her chocolate brown eyes were, as always, hidden behind hot pink glasses, and her skin was as tan as it ever had been. She was wearing her favorite tie-die Grateful Dead T-shirt with a faded leather biker jacket and dark jeans. She also had on cowboy boots and she wore an amethyst satchel over her left shoulder that was most likely crammed with manga and other strange things.

After examining her for roughly a minute, I finally figured out what the difference was. I couldn't help but squeal, "You got your ears pierced?"

"I KNOW, RIGHT!" she screamed ecstatically.

I jumped up and down in joy, my inner-teenager getting the better of me. "Oh my God, Tarin! That's so awesome! When did you decide that you were finally gonna man up and freaking do it?"

She shrugged slightly. "Like, yesterday. I was walking past that Claire's shop, and I was all like, 'Hey, I know I was, like, a total chicken when I was younger over getting my ears pierced, so why don't I just do it today?' So, I totally went in there and did it! And I got a free stuffed monkey!"

I grinned happily. "That's epic! How's work?"

"Glad you asked," she gushed. She began rummaging around in her bag for something. When she finally pulled it out, she threw it at me. "Catch!"

I caught the rectangular object clumsily, realizing that it was a hard cover book, and spun it around to look at the cover. The cover was a dark blue and had a picture of the stars. I could make out the constellations Orion and the Big Dipper. The title was splayed out across the title in huge white spindly letters. It read, "Starchildren". I gasped loudly when I saw the heading. "DUDE! YOU GOT YOUR BOOK PUBLISHED AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

She raised one eyebrow mischievously. "Maybe…"

I hit her on the arm with the book. "Dammit, Tarin! That's great news! How are sales?"

She fished around in her bag and pulled out a stick of bubble gum, poking it into her mouth and beginning to chew. "It's doing really well. Actually, it's, like, on the Times Bestseller list at the moment. Number 9, I believe."

"O…M…J…" I whispered maniacally. "You've got a book on the Times!"

"Yes," she squeaked, looking at the floor. Her expression suddenly assumed a depressed look. She began another rant. "But I, like, swear…chapter 8 was too short and I should have characterized my main character more in that chapter! It reveals a lot about him. And I think I made the other main character totally too clingy. AGH! My writing is terrible in that book! I need to go to my publisher and make him reprint it with a new version! I could have made it so much better th—"

I cut her off. "Tarin! Shut up already! If your book is Number 9 on the Times Bestseller list, it's obviously amazing! So stop going emo about your book! I'm sure it's fine!"

She wrapped her jacket tightly around her and lay down on the counter like a woman who had lost the will to live. "BUT IT'S TERRIBLE!"

"That's it," I cried, momentarily forgetting that Holmes and Watson were in the basement, "I'm taking you all out for dinner!"

She pulled herself out of her stupor and gazed, confused, at me. "Like, you all?"

I blanched and began stuttering nervously, "Yeah… y-you, m-me, and… your book."

"…Right…" Tarin agreed slowly, still staring at me like I was some sort of freak.

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a while until Tarin broke it.

"How's your work?"

I smiled nervously, grateful for the change of subject. "It's going really well, actually! The kids in 10th grade this year are all great! They all listen really well and a couple of them show a lot of promise. Especially this kid Brody. He scored so high on his tests that they gave me a raise! Apparently, he really loves my class. There're always those who really don't give a shit about anything, but there are only two kids like that this year! Tim and Brittany are the only ones! I'm really glad that it's winter break, though. A whole two weeks of freedom…and grading papers."

Tarin laughed. "Sounds like a freaking blast! I don't know how you put up with kids though, seeing as you don't want any!"
I held up a finger. "Correction: I love other peoples' kids, but it's way too much stress having kids of my own. Having a boyfriend is high stress too. That's why I don't have one of those!"

"I totally want a boyfriend, but all the best guys are anime characters," Tarin pouted. "Speaking of which, shall we watch Hetalia?"

"Sure," I agreed.

She hopped off the island and began making her way downstairs. I followed serenely until I remembered that Holmes and Watson were down there. Oh, shit…

"Tarin," I yelled as we were halfway down the stairs, "the TV downstairs is…broken!"

She scoffed, still creeping down the stairs. "I can fix it!"

"No, you can't," I disagreed, shaking my head vigorously. "Ringo peed on it."

She narrowed her eyes. "No he didn't! Ringo is the most well trained dog in, like, Chicago! He hasn't had an accident in 2 years! And he's freaking two and a half! You're hiding something!"

"What makes you think that?" I challenged, becoming self-protective.

"You're getting defensive," she pointed out, "You never get defensive unless you're hiding something!"

Damn…she got me!

I sighed pathetically. "Fine…I'll just have to show you!"

"That's more like it!"

I led her down into my dark cave of a basement and went to the corner that housed my most prized possession other than my Labrador: my 1962 cherry-red Fender Stratocaster with the strings reversed. It was a different model than Stratocaster that Jimi Hendrix used, but it was the same brand, and I had the strings reversed for the same reason that he had; I was a left-handed guitarist in a predominantly right-handed guitarist world, and I wanted to play on a great guitar without having to search everywhere for one.

Tarin waited impatiently behind me. She'd seen the Stratocaster about a million times, so it wasn't a big deal anymore. "Is something wrong with your guitar?"

I'll lie and say that Ringo scratched it or something… Wait, where the hell did Watson, Holmes, and Ringo hide? I don't see them anywhere. But yeah…lie about the Stratocaster.

I tried my best to look dejected. "Yeah…I was playing "Stairway to Heaven" and Ringo got all excited when I hit the solo and jumped up and scratched the guitar. I was ashamed of the way that it looked."

Tarin leaned in closer to my beautiful guitar. She narrowed her eyes. "I can't see, like, anything! Turn the lights on so I can see how bad the scratch is!"

Fuck… that plan just shriveled up and died. I could knock her out!

Tarin stared expectantly at me. "C'mon! Turn the lights on!"

I stood there, statuesque.

"Fine then," she shouted exasperatedly, "I'll turn 'em on myself!" She stood up and hastily found the light switch, flipping it on.

-Holmes's POV-

I desperately clung to the fiercely wriggling black Labrador in search of his master's friend, mentally commanding him to be still. We were back in the dark closet where Watson and I had found ourselves in the beginning of our escapade, and the dog was not making it any easier to hide from Kay's friend. Watson was crammed into the corner behind Ringo and I, and he didn't look very excited about it.

"Holmes," Watson hissed, "can you hear what they're saying?"

I listened attentively at the door for a moment, then replied, "Actually, they've stopped speaking at the moment. I think that Tarin has just turned on the lights and is looking at Kay's guitar for damage apparently caused by this mongrel."

Ringo ceased wriggling momentarily and looked at me reproachfully.

I was caught completely off guard. "What? Must I apologize for calling you a mongrel?"

The dog just stared at me for a second and then went back to squirming.

"I'm sorry," I muttered under my breath.

This is why I am not an animal person!

I could hear footsteps approaching the door. I whispered urgently to Watson and the dog, "She's coming! Both of you be quiet!"

I tried listening closer, their conversation jumping out at me like hyperactive fish in a pond.

"Kay, I don't see a scratch on this," Tarin pointed out.

I heard Kay cough slightly and edge closer to the door. Her voice was nervous as she retorted. "I-I could have sworn that there was one on the back of the neck by the 2nd fret!"

I didn't exactly know what she was planning, but I figured that it involved some sort of hitting.

She really does seem to hit people a lot.

"Hey, what's in that closet?" Tarin asked. I could hear her slightly lighter footsteps approach the door.

Watson spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "Holmes...does Kay know that we're in here?"

I shook my head 'no' and resumed listening at the door crack. I tried to peer through the crevice, but to no avail.

Suddenly, Ringo whimpered loudly and slammed his tail against the wooden door.

I heard both Tarin and Kay shriek in shock.

Tarin swore. "Are you keeping Ringo in there? That's, like, animal abuse!"

Kay was stuttering again. "I-I didn't put him in there!"

Someone, most likely Tarin, yanked open the door forcefully, causing me to lose my balance and tumble out onto the floor with Watson and Ringo hot on my heels.

Tarin screamed, but Kay just groaned, "You guys! Couldn't you find a better hiding place than that?"

Watson grumbled from his position on the floor a couple feet away from me. "You didn't exactly give us much notice."

Tarin kicked me in the shoulder before I could process what was going on. "Who are you and what the hell are you doing in Kay's basement?"

I rolled away to avoid further attacks, then turned to face the dark haired woman. "Coincidentally, your friend also asked me that question yesterday. And even more coincidentally, she kicked me in the exact same place. My name is Sherlock Holmes, and the other man is my friend and associate, Dr. John Watson."

Kay was hitting her head against a wall in frustration. "Why couldn't you have hidden better?"

I scoffed at her. "Unless I'm misinformed, you were supposed to keep Tarin upstairs! This is your fault."

She walked over to where I was lying and crouched down, poking her right index finger into my chest threateningly. "I still blame you."

I grabbed her hand, staring seriously into her blue-gray eyes. "I'd appreciate if you'd stop doing that."

She shook my hand off and began poking me even harder in the chest. "Doing what?"

I groaned. "You are so irritating!"

She punched me firmly in the ribs, knocking the wind out of me. "Thank you, Mr. Holmes! I'll take that as a compliment!"

"Be thankful that you aren't a man," I threatened, struggling to regain my breath. "It's against my code to harm women. If you were a man, you'd be dead."

She prodded me again. "I'll take you any day, Holmes!"

Watson and Tarin stood staring and Kaydence and I, identical smirks on their faces.

Kay and I simultaneously turned towards them and asked, "What?"

Tarin whispered something into Watson's ear, earning her a grin and a chuckle from my comrade.

I pulled myself up and sauntered over to the other two. "Having an enjoyable time?"

Kaydence followed me. "Tarin, you seem to be taking this really well…"

Tarin nodded at her. "Oh, I'm laughing hysterically on the inside. Don't worry about me! I, like, just can't believe that you'd go to all the trouble to have a Sherlock Holmes impersonator and a Watson impersonator come over and hide in the closet to convince me that Holmes and Watson are real!"

Kay, Watson, and I sighed loudly in frustration.

Tarin looked confused. "What? You can't expect me to believe that these guys are, like, the real Holmes and Watson!"

Kaydence pushed her down onto the sofa. "Actually, we do. Holmes, come here for a second."

I walked up to the blonde woman's side slowly.

She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards her friend. I have to admit that I was surprised by the strength of her grip. It was like an iron vice…but, a rather pleasant one at that.

No! No, no, no, no, no! Not this again!

"Holmes," she commanded, "do your deduction thing with Tarin. That should be enough proof, shouldn't it, Tarin?"

Tarin nodded, her eyes still filled with doubt.

Though I, for some strange reason, was slightly disappointed when Kaydence withdrew her grip, I was ecstatic at the chance to deduce. I felt out of practice after all the excitement.

"Very well," I murmured, resting my head on a clenched fist and beginning to examine the woman in front of me.

Holmes's deduction to come in the next chapter! Sorry to leave you hanging! ^w^ Anyways, here are a couple terms that I'm going to explain:

OMJ- My old History teacher used to say OMJ instead of OMG, so now we always use that instead! XD We actually don't know what it stands for, but it isn't Jesus. She told us that much! We speculate that it might stand for, "Oh my Jahosephet". XD

"You got dibs on Austria, right? America is mine!"- Austria is my favorite character from that anime/ manga Hetalia that I told you guys about last chapter. America is my best friend's. For her birthday, I actually made her a life-sized, cardboard cutout of America for her room. Not to brag or anything, but he looked pretty damn EPIC! XD

1962 Fender Stratocaster- A pretty valuable vintage guitar that I am bent on getting. I had to put it in here because I'm a guitar nerd, okay! XD Jimi Hendrix played a Stratocaster, but it was a later model.

Jimi Hendrix- I hope you know who he is, but just to give basic info: Jimi Hendrix was a super amazing, awesome lefty-guitarist who played between 1967-1970 before his death in 1970. He was fucking EPIC! I idolize both Hendrix and Paul McCartney because they're epic lefties!

"Stairway to Heaven"- A famous Led Zeppelin song. It's one of my favorite guitar parts of all time!