Holmes was pulled to his knees and punched in his face; someone drove their
foot into his stomach and Smyth pulled on Holmes' hair forcing his head
back and they glared at each other.
"I don't think he's got the message yet." Smyth said letting go of the
handful of hair and walking away. The grip on Holmes' arms relaxed a bit,
this gave Holmes a small chance of getting away, but not while Smyth was
still close enough to come back. A thump behind them distracted the boys
holding Holmes, and he managed to twist out of the hold on his wrists and
roll over the cold snowy ground and get on his feet. The three boys Smyth
had left to do his dirty work advanced towards him; Holmes turned and ran
along the road to the main entrance of the school.
There was no point taking on three healthy rugby players, he didn't have any means of defense other than his hands, which were numb and grazed. His stomach complained bitterly, and a warm trickling feeling in his nose told him that his face wasn't too pleased about its recent treatment either. He skidded in the second courtyard outside the girl's dorm, and slipped to his knees again, very quickly a hand grabbed at his shoulder and pulled backward, Holmes turned and drove his elbow as fast and as hard as he could in the general direction of his attacker's body. A grunt and slight crunch confirmed that the wild strike had struck home. Holmes didn't wait to see who and where he'd hit, he got up and ran into a small alley that led to the back of the girls dorm. He looked out, to see his pursuers huddled in a circle in the center of the courtyard. "I don't know why we had to chase the poor bugger, we gave him the message alright, and I'm bloody freezing." Moaned Richards, the burly second row forward. "Yeah let's pack it in, tell Smyth we done what he wanted. You alright mate?" This came from someone Holmes didn't recognize, and was directed to the boy rubbing his face. Holmes waited until they had cleared out of the courtyard and started to get out from his cramped position, his feet were buried up to the ankles in snow and his fingers had gone numb some time ago. He got to the center of the small courtyard when a wind picked up, it blew snow into his face, stinging and whipping like icy needles. He turned round and stared into the snow, it was making a blizzard around him, nothing that would occur naturally in England. He turned again, trying to make his way to the exit, and walked straight into a hooded and cloaked figure.
Holmes jumped backward, the figure advanced slowly, the blizzard got faster and faster. The snow now moved like a blanket around him and the sinister figure, the wind making the ragged cloak and hood bellow out like sails. The figure held up a white pale hand, making the cloak fall away to show more black folds of cloth. "You have not seen me, sleep now." The voice was female. She moved closer to Holmes, the words "sleep now" seemed to echo in his head and in the swirling wind and snow. He wanted to move, but his legs were heavy, suddenly the nagging pain from his injuries was gone and he couldn't move his head. He felt himself falling, and he realized that the hooded woman was laying him down, the black cloth felt soft and warm against his hands and face. "Who." he managed to mutter before falling into a world of cold blackness.
"Mr Holmes?" whispered a disembodied voice. Holmes opened his eyes, a blinding white light above him made him regret that decision and close them straight again and put his hand over his eyes. He regretted that decision too; a sharp pain in his stomach tore up his side and made him put his hand back to its original position. A scent of flowers and body spray wafted up his nose and the sound of two muttering girls and a quiet radio made him realize where he was, the girls dorm. "Turn that blasted light off." He muttered. There was a "humpf" and a sharp click announced the disappearance of the light. Holmes opened his eyes, the room was now illuminated by a small lamp on the far side of the room, and luckily it was a private four bed dorm, so he didn't have a whole room of girls panicking and or fussing. He twisted his head slowly over to the door, where a worried chubby blonde girl and Miss Tye stood peering at him. "I'm glad to see you're well enough to order people around Mr Holmes." Miss Tye said walking over to him and sitting on the side of the bed. The other girl, Natalie Pride came closer and sat down on a chair. "You've been fighting Mr Holmes, the head will hear about it I'm sure." She said shaking her head in a motherly way. Holmes grunted and sat up in the bed, ignoring the protest from both girls and his stomach. Miss Tye dipped a cloth in a bowl of cloudy liquid and put it close to Holmes' face. It had a sharp odor, and had stained the cloth. He put his hand up to stop it coming closer to his face, but Miss Tye slapped it back down again.
"It's Witch-hazel; it will stop your eye or nose swelling or bruising so much." She explained dabbing his forehead. A knock at the door took both girls away and left Holmes to wipe the Witch-hazel over his eye. He looked over to the mirror on the wall. His slightly long black hair was messy, one of his slate grey eyes could be seen peering out, red rimmed and watery, from a bruise that started at his left temple and spread across his face to the bridge of his angular nose. He groaned, this wasn't going to be easy to explain to his brother. Miss Tye and Miss Pride had gone out the door, he could hear them talking to a third, younger girl. Holmes stood and walked round the room, trying to get the feeling back into his legs, he stopped opposite a large trunk which was labelled as Miss Tye's. Curiosity filled him and he lent down to open it. Suddenly the door to the room burst open and in rushed Mycroft. "Sherlock, what on earth are you doing here and what happ- no don't worry about that now, you'd better come with me." Mycroft said and went back out the door. Holmes shot Miss Tye a questioning glance as he followed his brother out the door into the old corridor and out into the small courtyard. He passed a pile of snow, which had a body imprint on it, as well as 3 sets of smallish footprints. "That were we found you Mr Holmes, Nat and I were looking for my little sister and when we came back we found you lying there." Holmes nodded and tried to remember. There was the fight in the main courtyard, the painful run into this one, being grabbed from behind and then, a cold blackness. He couldn't remember. They came into the main courtyard and saw a group of police officers and Teachers surrounding a body. As Holmes came closer he saw who it was. "Body identified as Jeremy Smyth." Said a uniformed officer to a man in plain clothes. Holmes saw his brother look back at him, and then tap the Headmaster on the shoulder. "Sir, here's my brother." "Ah, Sherlock, I'm afraid you're a key witness to this, this tragedy." Said Mr Jenkins. Holmes was confused, then Miss Tye put her hand on his shoulder and pointed to a corner, the one were Holmes had been attacked. Holmes could see in the flashlights that his books were lying there, face up, and covered in blood.
There was no point taking on three healthy rugby players, he didn't have any means of defense other than his hands, which were numb and grazed. His stomach complained bitterly, and a warm trickling feeling in his nose told him that his face wasn't too pleased about its recent treatment either. He skidded in the second courtyard outside the girl's dorm, and slipped to his knees again, very quickly a hand grabbed at his shoulder and pulled backward, Holmes turned and drove his elbow as fast and as hard as he could in the general direction of his attacker's body. A grunt and slight crunch confirmed that the wild strike had struck home. Holmes didn't wait to see who and where he'd hit, he got up and ran into a small alley that led to the back of the girls dorm. He looked out, to see his pursuers huddled in a circle in the center of the courtyard. "I don't know why we had to chase the poor bugger, we gave him the message alright, and I'm bloody freezing." Moaned Richards, the burly second row forward. "Yeah let's pack it in, tell Smyth we done what he wanted. You alright mate?" This came from someone Holmes didn't recognize, and was directed to the boy rubbing his face. Holmes waited until they had cleared out of the courtyard and started to get out from his cramped position, his feet were buried up to the ankles in snow and his fingers had gone numb some time ago. He got to the center of the small courtyard when a wind picked up, it blew snow into his face, stinging and whipping like icy needles. He turned round and stared into the snow, it was making a blizzard around him, nothing that would occur naturally in England. He turned again, trying to make his way to the exit, and walked straight into a hooded and cloaked figure.
Holmes jumped backward, the figure advanced slowly, the blizzard got faster and faster. The snow now moved like a blanket around him and the sinister figure, the wind making the ragged cloak and hood bellow out like sails. The figure held up a white pale hand, making the cloak fall away to show more black folds of cloth. "You have not seen me, sleep now." The voice was female. She moved closer to Holmes, the words "sleep now" seemed to echo in his head and in the swirling wind and snow. He wanted to move, but his legs were heavy, suddenly the nagging pain from his injuries was gone and he couldn't move his head. He felt himself falling, and he realized that the hooded woman was laying him down, the black cloth felt soft and warm against his hands and face. "Who." he managed to mutter before falling into a world of cold blackness.
"Mr Holmes?" whispered a disembodied voice. Holmes opened his eyes, a blinding white light above him made him regret that decision and close them straight again and put his hand over his eyes. He regretted that decision too; a sharp pain in his stomach tore up his side and made him put his hand back to its original position. A scent of flowers and body spray wafted up his nose and the sound of two muttering girls and a quiet radio made him realize where he was, the girls dorm. "Turn that blasted light off." He muttered. There was a "humpf" and a sharp click announced the disappearance of the light. Holmes opened his eyes, the room was now illuminated by a small lamp on the far side of the room, and luckily it was a private four bed dorm, so he didn't have a whole room of girls panicking and or fussing. He twisted his head slowly over to the door, where a worried chubby blonde girl and Miss Tye stood peering at him. "I'm glad to see you're well enough to order people around Mr Holmes." Miss Tye said walking over to him and sitting on the side of the bed. The other girl, Natalie Pride came closer and sat down on a chair. "You've been fighting Mr Holmes, the head will hear about it I'm sure." She said shaking her head in a motherly way. Holmes grunted and sat up in the bed, ignoring the protest from both girls and his stomach. Miss Tye dipped a cloth in a bowl of cloudy liquid and put it close to Holmes' face. It had a sharp odor, and had stained the cloth. He put his hand up to stop it coming closer to his face, but Miss Tye slapped it back down again.
"It's Witch-hazel; it will stop your eye or nose swelling or bruising so much." She explained dabbing his forehead. A knock at the door took both girls away and left Holmes to wipe the Witch-hazel over his eye. He looked over to the mirror on the wall. His slightly long black hair was messy, one of his slate grey eyes could be seen peering out, red rimmed and watery, from a bruise that started at his left temple and spread across his face to the bridge of his angular nose. He groaned, this wasn't going to be easy to explain to his brother. Miss Tye and Miss Pride had gone out the door, he could hear them talking to a third, younger girl. Holmes stood and walked round the room, trying to get the feeling back into his legs, he stopped opposite a large trunk which was labelled as Miss Tye's. Curiosity filled him and he lent down to open it. Suddenly the door to the room burst open and in rushed Mycroft. "Sherlock, what on earth are you doing here and what happ- no don't worry about that now, you'd better come with me." Mycroft said and went back out the door. Holmes shot Miss Tye a questioning glance as he followed his brother out the door into the old corridor and out into the small courtyard. He passed a pile of snow, which had a body imprint on it, as well as 3 sets of smallish footprints. "That were we found you Mr Holmes, Nat and I were looking for my little sister and when we came back we found you lying there." Holmes nodded and tried to remember. There was the fight in the main courtyard, the painful run into this one, being grabbed from behind and then, a cold blackness. He couldn't remember. They came into the main courtyard and saw a group of police officers and Teachers surrounding a body. As Holmes came closer he saw who it was. "Body identified as Jeremy Smyth." Said a uniformed officer to a man in plain clothes. Holmes saw his brother look back at him, and then tap the Headmaster on the shoulder. "Sir, here's my brother." "Ah, Sherlock, I'm afraid you're a key witness to this, this tragedy." Said Mr Jenkins. Holmes was confused, then Miss Tye put her hand on his shoulder and pointed to a corner, the one were Holmes had been attacked. Holmes could see in the flashlights that his books were lying there, face up, and covered in blood.