A/N:
! HIATUS !
I'm really sorry about this, but I've come to realize that I can't continue the story with my crazily messed-up schedule. School is overworking me and my cousins have come over so I'll be mega-busy and SUPER-stressed for the next three weeks, and I'm already under enough pressure as it is. I will be able to answer PMs every weekend, but I guess that's probably it.
I WILL CONTINUE THIS STORY, so don't freak out. This break is going to last probably for one or one and a half months, depending upon when my tests start again. But I will definitely finish this story. I've got a plot in my head that I simply have to continue because it's my best yet. This is not the end!
Anyway, please enjoy my shortest chapter ever; I had to really, really push myself to write this. I'm dedicating this to each and every one of you who've been so nice to me and have supported me and added to my views and it honestly means the WORLD to me. Because I see that I've gotten 7k views and 13 reviews on my last chap and oh my Gods it feels utterly SURREAL! Thank you ALL, SO MUCH. You are THE BEST.
I'll see you all in a while!
(I love Saturdays, so the next time I update it will be on a Saturday. Cheers!)
19
I didn't realize that I was nervous until I could hear the blood pounding in my ears.
Half of me itched to tell Sykes that I didn't need to hear it, and that I'd leave right away, and the other half begged me to stay. In the end, I gave in to the latter, sitting down quietly on my chair, waiting for Sykes to speak. He was rubbing his forehead, muttering "Where do I start?"
I swallowed, listening to the ticking of a clock somewhere in the room. I'd almost forgotten about the ghost I'd just encountered. Right here, right now, I was unveiling Anthony Lockwood's past.
The very idea scared and enthralled me.
"Alright," he sighed. "You work for him, don't you?"
I tried my voice. It was raspy. "Yeah."
"Has he told you about his...?"
"Parents and sister? Yes. He did. But he's awfully secretive. I don't know anything about his acquaintances, or who he was before this agency, and I dare not ask."
He exhaled, puffing out his cheeks. "Sounds a lot like the old Anthony Lockwood I used to know."
And he began.
"He'd come to me on his own when he was maybe seven years old. He was working for Fittes at that time, you see; his parents had obviously seen his Talent, and had sent him off for work immediately."
My eyebrows shot up. Lockwood and Fittes? It would make sense, since his parents did help out with the agency, but it just seemed so unlike him.
"Well, according to his records, he did have excellent Sight. He could point out Visitors from distances quite far away, and he'd give intricate descriptions of then. He could see Visitors quite farther than what was normal, and this helped his team out in several cases. But there was one problem, and this problem his fellow agents always teased him about." He chuckled and took a swig of tea. "He couldn't fight worth a damn."
Despite the situation, I found myself smiling in surprise and childish wonder. Tiny Lockwood, easily picking out ghosts from far off, but clumsy and unable to fight with a rapier.
I could barely handle how adorable it would be to witness that.
"So he came to me. He was irritated when he did, and looked miserable, but he had an iron-hard resolve when he told me that he needed fencing practice. I took him under my wing- I had classes with him twice a week. I started with the agency stuff- that boosted his Talent even further- and then I moved on to the sword training. He was a bright student. He quickly learned, and he excelled in my classes. He paid for them with his own pocket money." Then he sighed. "But he didn't get along with some people. Kat Godwin, for one. He never liked her- for some reason they both got off to a bad start. During one of his earlier rapier practices he accidentally took a cap off her coat, and it escalated from there. Mutual dislike."
I felt a little sadness- Lockwood had never shared such tales like this with me and George. Then I dismissed the feeling, reminding myself that everybody's allowed to leave some parts of their lives out of the equation. That just worsened the guilt, though. "He's never told me about it," I said.
"I would have been surprised if he did," replied Sykes. "He's not very comfortable about sharing that stuff, is he?" He laughed. "I bet he would've turned red and felt embarrassed if he tried sharing it."
I gave a half-smile, feeling a bit warmer inside.
"But there was no huge feeling of enmity between Godwin and Anthony. No, the real hate was between him and my close friend, Quill Kipps.
"It started when he beat Kipps in that fencing match, I think. They'd always remained relatively cordial towards each other- but do you know when you see someone and automatically start disliking them without even getting to know them?"
I thought about me and Godwin. "Yes."
"It was like that for the both of them. Sometimes Quill would be so blunt, teasing Anthony about his clumsiness, and that would send him into a fit of rage. It was half-comical, half-worrisome. But then it stimulated him into working even harder, and look where he's gotten with a rapier. Better than me, I'm sure."
He paused. "But then... The whole thing happened with his parents, and Esperanza- do you know about it?" This time I vigorously nodded and he continued. "-and Kipps was one of the agents who tried to take away his house, so the hate grew. But Anthony changed after that. He became caught up on the idea of vengeance- he said he'd use his Sight and his skills at fencing to track down his sister's killer. I warned him against it- revenge is never the way to do anything- but he wouldn't listen. I doubt he's come to now, has he?"
I shook my head.
"I didn't expect him to. But would you do me a favor, Miss Carlyle?"
I looked at him in his trust-filled eyes. There was something else in them. Hope, and worry, too.
"Yes," I said.
"Stop his ideas of payback. I'm sure it's not going to go down well. He's very strong-willed, and the things he might do..." He shuddered, leaned back. "He's more than capable of doing."
The reason Sybil told me not to trust him became a whole lot clearer.
"I-" my throat felt hoarse. "I'll try." I had to.
"Thank you," he said gratefully. "I'm not saying he's violent, Ms. Carlyle, but if he meets his killer, he will be. And I've seen his anger before, after the Esperanza accident. It's not something I want to see again. You're his employee. You have to look out for him."
I nodded and stood up numbly. "I really must go," I said, hurrying towards the door. What if George and Lockwood were back home? What would they say if they saw me missing? "But one thing," I paused at the doorway. "Did you call him Anthony?"
He nodded. "Yes, I did. His parents and sister called him Tony, but I wasn't too close to him to be that personal. Besides, we severed ties rather abruptly. I tried to dissuade him on the whole 'I will seek out the murderer' idea, we had a heated argument, and he just... left. I trained with him for a long time, so it was painful. I almost felt abandoned."
I felt a rush of sorrow. "I'm sure he still respects you," I said quietly. Sykes nodded absently, not quite believing what I said. I didn't expect him to- I was never good with this emotion stuff anyway.
I also remembered that Kipps mockingly called Lockwood 'Tony', and I felt an even bigger surge of hate for the man.
"Thank you," I said, slipping into the open day. "We'll be in touch. But please don't tell him about this meeting!"
Sykes gave me a grim smile as he walked over and put a hand on the door. "Don't worry," he said. "Your secret's safe with me."
A/N:
Cynadred: No, thank YOU for being amazing! :)
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Guest: I'll try :) thanks!
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Thanks for telling this to me! :D You're awesome!
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-Artemis :)