The thundering vibrations dug into the dirt, wind hitting her face as she bit her lip counting to herself. At the end of our counting to zero, she raised her body forward against the dark chocolate braided mane. The front hooves lifted in the air as the back followed in suit, as if ready to fly. Her gloved fists tightened onto the reins as she exhaled to prepare for the impact of the landing. Flying over the large dead long, the front hooves thudded into the sand and dirt with the back legs following after.
"Good job, Osiris!" The ten year old cheered, leaning over to pat his neck.
She pulled the reins to slow her lusitano horse, walking over to the fence. The sun shining through the cold clouds made the buckskin coat shine like gold, a chilly breeze made the girl shudder. Her riding apparel wasn't the best for the coming winter weather to arrive in a few months.
Charlie grinned standing at the fence as she approached him. His speed is going great." She removed her hair letting the long dark hair fall down her back. "You sure you rather jump than race?"
Dally grinned at him, scratching Osiris' neck. "I don't think he can decide himself. He wants to get going but loves jumping so much."
Charcled shrugged in his thick coat. "He's still young, he'll figure it out." He reached out gently petting his snout. "It's up to you to lead him."
Dally nodded, pulling the reins to go another round.
Charlie watched her bring up speed on Osiris as he felt someone take his hat off his head. He glared at the taller older teen who gave a cheeky grin and stood on the fence post. "Watching your girlfriend trot around in circles, short stuff?"
Charlie's cousin, Michael cackled as he started bending the rim of Charlie's hat. He was much taller and about a year older than his twelve year old cousin. It made him think he could run the place over his cousin and his little girlfriend. Being the biggest, oldest, and -in his mind- the smartest. His bright blue eyes and blond hair making him stand out.
"She's teaching Osiris how to jump." He told Michael.
The teen frowned, then laughed. Charlie gave glare, snatching his hat back and placing it on his gingered head. "You think she can't do it?"
He snorted, leaning back on the fence with his hands gripping the wood. "That, and she named the horse a dumb name." He shrugged and bounced off the fence. "But, her name is stupid too. They match well together."
Michael reached over, flipping Charlie's hat off making it fall into the jumping area. Charlie grumbled and glared back at his cousin who laughed his way back to the horse stables.
"Just ignore him, Charlie." He turned seeing an unfazed Dally trotting about. She must have heard it all but didn't find it worth to respond.
"Easy for you." He retorted, Dally climbed off and picked up his hat handing it to him. "He's not staying at your place."
Dally shrugged, climbing up and hanging off the wood. She smiled, making Charlie's heart pound his chest. "True, but he'll be heading back home in a few weeks, right?"
He nodded, "Yeah. He was here for the Summer, and somehow stuck around longer." Charlie grumbled getting off the fence as he placed his hat back on.
Dally climbed off as Charlie opened the gate for her to lead Osiris out of the pen. It was time to take him back to the stables. "The holidays are coming up, aren't you going to his place?"
"Canada? Yeah." Charlie hung his head with a sigh. "Every year my mom's side of the family usually come here. But with my Grandfather sick, it was decided we go to Calgary until he gets better."
Dally nodded, with no grandparents that she knew, it was unknown what that feeling was like. She was sure her father had living parents, but she nor Uncle Mycroft ever mentioned them. Her mother had a living mother, but they were estranged. Her last Christmas was spent with Henry at home. Uncle Curtis and his girlfriend came to visit. She was to visit Uncle Mycroft but a winter storm kept them stuck in Dartmoor.
"What will you be doing for the holidays?" Charlie asked, knowing the family complications in her life.
Dally shrugged, "Mom hasn't mentioned it. It was really crazy last year." she chuckled at the memory.
They placed Osiris into his stable, after checking how clean it was. Dally locked the gate and fed him some cookies she kept in her pockets. "Great job, boy." She rubbed his snout as he ate, snickering contently.
"You two really connected fast." Charlies commented, Dally giggled at the praising tone he held. Her cheeks warmed as she dried her hands of any residue from feeding.
"He came from a pretty bad life, we thought he'd never ride again." He said, the echoed clicking of his hooves as Osiris walked over to eat his hay.
Dally remembered that day; Not even a month after moving, this beautiful golden horse came into the ranch. It's dark chocolate main, tail and legs captured her sight as she was still learning to ride on the ponies. Despite told the horse had to adjust to a new home from an abused one, she couldn't stop herself from sneaking visits. Feeding him cookies and apples, despite claimed to be too dangerous from his PTSD.
He was alone, and would kick and cry when left alone, but that's what the trainers said to do. Dally grinned when she thought of sneaking him out of his stable. He near rode off with her leading to a broken leg, but once she was hurt he stopped running. Dally believes to this day he felt bad for hurting her. He lowered his head, nickering at her and soon the screaming of her and the horse caught attention. Despite the pain, bed rest, and scolding by her mother, Dally would do it again.
From then on, Osiris calmed and only around Dally or the trainers, including Charlie. Over time she trained with her and starting jumping this past Summer.
"He just needed someone who understood him." Dally said, clicking her tongue.
Osiris gladly came over, nuzzling his nose against her cheek and hair. She giggled at the tickling feeling and kissed the snout of Osiris. Charlie smiled at the sight of his friend.
"Really, Helena. Why worry about me this holiday?" Henry asked, as he drove with her to pick Dally up. He had just picked her up at work at the Cross Keys, and he felt the need to have this conversation.
She sat in the passenger seat, fixing her chin length auburn hair. It was a bit of a mess, as she tried to pin the thick mass of her bangs out of her face to the left of her face. She placed her glasses on, having to take them off to fix her hair.
"I don't want you to be all alone, Henry." She told, giving him a side smile.
Henry shrugged, hands loosely on the wheel. "I'm used to that, Helena. What about your family and friends in London?"
"You can always come with us." Helena offered, hands in her lap of her black slacks, feeling relaxed her shift was over. Her maroon long sleeve and black vest over it, she usually worked as a waitress and helped any guest staying.
When Helena first took the job, some guests knew her as the homeless thief that aided Sherlock Holmes. They asked questions such as if Sherlock was a real detective and what it was like working with him. A few had the gall to ask if he was pretty good in bed, Helena was baffled but handled them well with a boot to the door. As time went on, the questions stopped and she was just referred to as Helena the waitress. She caught onto the job fast and enjoyed it very much. At times she missed the hustle and bustle of London when times were slow at Cross Keys. But it gave her time to enjoy the clear air and open range of the countryside.
The new country girl was happy to see Dally adjust well into her new life. She easily took to horse riding, and was extremely proud to see her advance so fast. She was already ten- Ten years old! Soon she'd be a teenager before she knew it!
Time flew so much, Helena leaned her head back with a sigh and closed her eyes. It had been about two years since his death. The thought of him still made her heart ache and the urge to cry. But, she kept strong for her and Dally.
Moving here was a wonder of a treatment for her pain- and Dally's. She was so much happier, had friends again, especially that Charlie fellow. They enjoyed riding horses together, and she introduced him to mystery novels. Dally would nitpick the plots and murders, just like her father did. If anyone didn't know it, one wouldn't even think Dally Holmes was his adopted daughter.
"Helena?"
She was so deep into her thoughts she hadn't noticed they've sat there in the ranch's dirt lot for a few minutes. She blinked and adjusted her glasses, glancing to Henry. He was standing outside the car, awaiting her as he stuck his head through the window.
"Coming?"
She nodded and unbuckled herself, climbing out of the car. She wrapped her coat tightly around her and walked with Henry at her side. He guided her to the stables. Not that she wouldn't know, but over the past two years Helena's eyesight had gotten worse. She was still able to see as she wished, but had to turn her head with the corners of her sight faded. This occurred around last New Years, a shock to wake up to. Helena thought she was hung over, but found her sight hadn't changed and new it was fading from then on.
Helena was in need to get her eyes examined. Which meant she had to take a trip to London to visit her doctor.
"Hey, Dally!" Helena greeted, seeing her talking with Charlie at Osiris' stable.
"Mom!" She beamed, running over and hugging Helena tightly.
Somewhere in the dead of night Serbia, a session was being held to torture a man. His long dark stringy hair fell over his face.. They beat him, cut him, whipped him, but no answer would come from their victim. Arms stretched out, his was chained as if ready to be crucified like Jesus himself. Despite the sweat and blood that stained his bare back and chest, he resisted to speak an utter word to his interrogators.
The man actually doing the work demanded for answers in his thick Serbian language. It wasn't as if the tortured man couldn't understand, he knew every word they yelled and hissed into his ears. The man would just rather refuse to answer and take the brutal beatings.
The rough Serbian demands why he broke into their territory, captured in the thick woods in the country. Mumbling was heard, making the interrogator stomp over. He gripped his thick dark locks and ducked his head to hear the whispers.
He proved to speak the language, informing the man not the answer he was looking for. The other man in the room, sitting quietly demanded in the same language to know what he's saying. The interrogator says the man mentioned the electric in his bathroom wasn't working, but most of all his wife is having an affair with his next-door neighbor. The scraggly haired man speaks again, adding an additional amount of this personal fact. If he leaves now, he can catch them at his home.
Like fish to a worm, the interrogator took the bait and rushed out of the room. With ease steps the quiet man stood and approached the chained man. He grabbed his hair and bent down, and in perfect posh English whispered to the man.
"There's an underground terrorist network active in London and a massive attack is imminent. Sorry, but the holiday is over." In sheep's wool to fool the Serbians, Mycroft Holmes stood and grinned.
"Brother dear, back to Baker street. Sherlock Holmes."
Said detective smirked, awaiting to hear when it'd be ready for him to return home. For Sherlock Holmes lives.
Hello and welcome to book 2 of my Sherlock Helena series! This was a joy to write again and excited to get back into this!
Now, I want to inform you all of an incident that recently occurred. Anyone in the US or close to the East Coast know we've had some really intense storms and horribly flooding in my home state, New Jersey. Thankfully, I've avoided the highly flooded areas, not living close to any lakes. This doesn't mean I wasn't affected. The horrible rain and storm had caused a build up of a leaking in my roof into the ceiling of my room. On Wednesday of last week, I woke up to find a considerable sized crack in my ceiling. It caused about a large gaping hole in my room, the ceiling collapsed onto my bookshelf and bed causing a flood into my carpet from the pent up water.
I'm okay, and so is my dog who was in the room. If I hadn't woken up in time, the drywall would've fallen right on top of me in my bed. Nothing too much was lost, we got my room vacuumed and the hole is still there. We're waiting to see if the problem with my roof has been fixed. The carpet has to be replaced ruined by the collected water and prevent mold from growing. I've spent the last week clearing my furniture and personal items. The only things damaged was my Disney plush collection and some clothes that we cleaned. But the worst loss was 2 years worth of notes and stories that got wet in the damage. I was devastated!
My RDR2 notes and storyline was the only things recovered, but my Sherlock and Walking Dead notes and storyline are all gone. I'm still upset looking back. So I don't know what I wrote for upcoming on The Walking Dead, so that will be held off until I try to figure out what to do with it. Thankfully I remember my Sherlock storyline and got new notebooks and got to work right away.
I'll be giving updates on my room. I'm currently staying in my little sister's old room. Mattress on the floor and and missing the comfort of my room deeply. But it could've been worse, so I'm glad it was just this. Enjoy book two: Fix You.