Ch.2

Heading to London

The taxi ride was relatively quiet. Like Lyra had said she wanted, we stopped at a coffee shop so she could get her doughnut while I settled with just buying coffee to try and wake me up. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Lyra looking at her doughnut as if it was radioactive (not that that would stop her from eating it).

"You know, you're supposed to eat it. Not stare at it with a vengeance." I said with a small smile tugging at my lips. She didn't move, just kept staring at it. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled louder than necessary. Very slowly she brought it up to her lips and took a ridiculously small bite. If you hadn't known that it was a doughnut she was eating, you would have thought she was eating a sour lemon with the face she made. I tried to choke down my giggles but some got through.

"How do you people enjoy these?" She said giving me one of her 'shut up' glares. It didn't help though because it just made me snicker more.

"Well, we start off by not making that kind of face when eating them. You nearly look sick…and hey, if you don't like them, then why are you eating it?" I ask.

"It is necessary at the present." Lyra said shortly.

"Necessary? I thought you always ate your begrudged meals first thing when you wake up. What, did you forget?" I said a little too enthusiastically. The thought of her forgetting anything was something I could nearly laugh out loud about. In other words, it's never happened.

" Of course not, don't be ridiculous. It's just…I need the extra sugar in my blood stream." She said refusing to make eye contact.

"Oooh, have you started your-"

"No!..with this case I can't afford to stop for my short meals and risk hindering my thinking. I need to be on top of my game, so taking care of these needs now is the logical choice." She said.

I nodded to myself for a moment before continuing, "So you are then…" I finished with a smirk on my face.

"Piss off" Lyra said with a pouting expression.

The rest of the ride was spent in silent except for the occasional sound of chewing as Lyra choked down her dohnut. Probably because she was annoyed with me, not that that is a very uncommon occurrence.

As we approached the airport drop off I started to get a knot in my stomach. I haven't left the country since I was in service and the rest of the world didn't give me the best of impressions. What can I say, I like being where I'm comfortable. Even if that comfort was in a large crowded city. Lyra on the other hand looked twice as uncomfortable then I was. I don't know if it was the idea of being on an airplane because she had confessed to me that they make her nervous, or the fact that she was heading back to her birth place. If I remember correctly she hasn't been there since she was seven years old, and she is twenty-seven now. That's a long time to be away for home. But then again, I don't know what she categorizes as 'home'.

Once our taxi made its way to the drop off, (quite recklessly I might add) we quickly grabbed our bags and headed for customs. We both decided that travelling light would be a good idea. I think she knew the idea of me being away from home for a long period of time would make me apprehensive about the trip, so I think she just said it to make me feel better. I have a feeling that we might be in London for longer than either of us expect. I had a suit case just barley small enough to fit as a carry on, while Lyra's bag was almost the size of a backpack. I was going to have to buy her some clothes while we are there.

We ended up waiting for our flight to arrive for two hours, which isn't good. Lyra doesn't handle being idle very well. She tends to get a little eccentric when bored. She ended up staying in a seat for much longer then I would have been thought possible. The first hour wasn't so bad…until she got up. It was like all of her nervous tension built up, like when you put mentos in a bottle of soda. It all blows at once. When this happens, which I have experienced in the past, she goes on what I call a 'deduction frenzy'. Anything and everything she see's she has to deduce and identify. Mostly I didn't listen, only try to keep her from getting too loud so she wouldn't cause a scene. She lasted for about ten minutes straight before she wore herself out enough to sit back down. For the remainder of the time she blurted out the answers to the crossword puzzles I was doing. I think in all five I did I got one word in myself.

It's now 8:12 and our flight has finally arrived. Thank God!

"Finally! Come along Olive, our flight is boarding!" Lyra said nudging me and calling me by the nickname she had given me, to wake me up. I guess I must have drifted off. I blinked a few times to get my bearings back together.

"Olivia! Quickly, you're slower than the dead!" Lyra said tugging on my arm like an impatient child.

"Alright, alright I'm coming." I say picking up my crossword puzzle book off of my lap while I stood up. Lyra probably finished the whole book and I only just started it at the airport. Impulsive brat. I could only thank whatever god is out there for letting us have first class.

When we got to our row I put Lyra by the window, so she would be farthest away from the other passengers while I took the seat next to her. I wasn't too worried about her though. It's a long enough flight that she will blank off into her own thoughts after a little while.

During the take off she grabbed my arm so hard I'm sure it would leave a bruise later. Normally I would yell at her for it, but she looked a little paler then normal so I let it be. At least she was behaving. After a few hours, I reclined my seat back and got the much needed sleep that I was earlier, deprived of.

LC

Waiting for the flight was the hardest things I had to do because I hate waiting. I cursed the airport for having the flight delayed, but it gave me time to prepare myself for the plane ride. I usually don't admit that I'm afraid of something, but I am deathly afraid of planes. And the only person who knows, is me and Olive. There are millions of ways you can die in a plane crash because of one little mistake a stupid worker made. I don't trust anyone, I only trust myself and at times Olive is the exception. I tried sitting still beside Olive as she tried working on a word puzzle, and the buzz of people talking echoing in my ears. Finally I snapped and stood up and started reading the people, talking out loud as it helped me calm down.

"The women across from us is going to London as well but she is too tan to live there so is probably visiting someone or on a vacation. But at this time it's too cold for a vacation so probably visiting someone. But if you look at her left hand you can see the pale line of a ring that she used to wear. But she recently took it off, and from the way she keeps rubbing the outline is like she forgets she doesn't have it anymore. So she must have just left her husband, but if she left him, he would be leaving. So he must have left her and she is fleeting back to a friend considering the best friend necklace that is wrapped around her neck." I breathed deeply as I sat down, feeling dizzy all of sudden.

I blame my parents for giving birth to a girl, it sucked when it was the time of the month, it throws me off my game. I looked over to Olive, still stuck on the same word. At the pace she was going she wouldn't finish till tomorrow, which made me smirk. I finished the puzzle in my head in two minutes but bit my lip form blurting out the words. But as time seemed to slow down and my lip getting swore from biting, it I finally blurted out the answers, ignoring the glares I got from Olive. By the time I was satisfied that Olive finished the puzzle, I sat in my seat, trying not to disturb the now sleeping writer. I rocked in my seat till our flight was called to board.

"Finally! Come along Olive, our flight has arrived!" I said nudging her awake as I grabbed my bags. Wanting to get the flight over with and my feet on solid ground in one piece.

"Olivia! Quickly, you're slower than the dead!" I said with annoyance as I pulled on her arm to the plane.

I was forced to sit by the window, which made me more nervous. The window could easily break and kill us all, but Olive ignored me as the flight started taking off. I grabbed her hand and squeezed her harder than I wanted but I didn't care at the moment. Finally we were in the air and I slowly let go of Olive's arm as I curled my knees up to my chest. I glanced over to see that Olive was asleep already, how boring. I closed my eyes and tried to go to my happy place, trying to forget that I was on an airplane of death.

It was like it was yesterday when I met Olivia Dougan, the famous murder mystery novelist. It was a boring day, I finished my latest case and was finishing the paper work at the precinct when I caught a glimpse of a blonde walking in. I ignored her as I kept on working till she cleared her throat and I looked up with annoyance

"If you're looking for the police, it's down the hall." I said rudely as I went back to my work, hoping she would leave. But as time passed by, the blonde still stood there, watching me. I sighed and looked at her again. She wore a knee length, vintage style dress, matching her blue eyes and somewhat pale skin. The way she stood I automatically knew she was from the army, only a solider would stand perfectly still. She was holding a note pad and pencil, and the smudges on her fingers suggested she was an author as her appearance showed she was wealthy. I roll my eyes and put on my glasses as I stretch a little.

"I'm not interested in being in your next story. I detest questions and people in general. So if that's all you came for, don't let the door hit you on the way out." I say, hoping that would clear things up and she could leave me in piece. She shifted her weight and started laughing, running her fingers threw her hair.

"You don't remember me at all? We went to middle school together, and you lived down the street from me. They use to call me…uh, pig tails." She said shifting her weight again as she looked away, obviously embarrassed by the nickname. I looked at her face, trying to remember my childhood, but I blocked most of it out. Suddenly it hit me like a flying brick as I slowly started smiling.

"Olivia Dougan. The infamous mystery novelist and the little girl who would always have her nose in a book. I barely remember you." I leaned back in my chair as I placed my pencil down and focused my attention on Olivia. She chuckled as she blushed at my comment, even though I only stated the facts.

"Well I am glad you remember me Lyra, I sure remember you. But that's not the point. I am writing another book and I wanted to shadow you. I want to write my next book on your work, and since the police can't officially say yes, they told me to ask you, since you're a private detective and not a real cop." She said flashing me a smile, trying to get me to say yes. I sighed as I got up, and walked around the desk and looked outside the window, thinking about all the possible reasons to say no to her. But I couldn't shake this feeling I had. I slowly turned around towards her and smiled.

"I am not a people person, I rarely sleep and don't slow down for anyone. I talk out loud to help me think and I hate, hate waiting." I looked her dead in the eyes as I stepped closer to her, trying to see if I intimidated her, but she stood firmly as she looked back at me, nodding at my words. I smiled as I walked past her and stopped before I got to the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning, eight o'clock sharp. Don't make me wait." I said as I walked away.

The shaking of the plane brought me out of my thoughts as I tightened my grip around my knees. I glanced at Olive, she was sleeping like a rock. I sighed as I looked at my phone, we had another two hours before we landed. I cursed at myself and Artimis. He was the reason we were heading to London. I shivered at the thought of him. For some reason he was obsessed with me, and in a creepy 'I love you' way. I start rubbing my wrists where my scars suddenly burned as I thought about that night, the night that I would never forget, the night that changed Olive and I.

It was a typical day, working on a kidnapping case as Olivia followed me around. A young girl was taken from her café shop at night. No signs of forced entry and no signs of a struggle except for some blood smeared on the wall, leading out the back door. The police were stuck since there was no evidence, not finger prints, nothing. And that was why I was called in. They were desperate to find the girl. After thoroughly inspecting the place, I found red dirt that smelt of the ocean and the girl's phone half smashed in the oven. I quickly placed the phone in my pocket, making sure no one saw and left as Olivia tried catching up.

"Lyra? Where are you going?" Olivia asked as she tried keeping up with me but my mind was racing with possibilities. No struggle or forced entry so she knew the kidnapper and the lack of broken objects meant he was a strong man, taller than her and knew how to fight. But he slipped because there was blood smeared on the wall, suggesting that he underestimated her. But with this expertise it meant there were others that have been taken with no forced entries and no struggle, just another missing person.

"Lyra Carter! I know that look, you found something." She smiled as she finally caught up with me and was looking at me with that curiosity in her eyes she normally got when she was excited. I sighed as I pulled out my phone and called for a ride. A police cruiser pulled up next to us after a minute and I got in, waiting for Olivia to join me.

"Take us to the station, I have a theory." I said smiling with glee. I loved the puzzle, the thrill of the hunt. I looked out the window, trying to think about the kidnapper. We finally arrived to the station as I quickly hopped out and dashed to the lab as I tested the dust and tried to get the phone to work. Olivia was looking at the other cases of kidnappings like this that I had encountered in the past as I tested out my theory.

"There have been four other cases like these. These kidnappings happen every three years around the same month and time. All young girls around their mid-20's, taken with no evidence left behind. It's still an open case." Olivia said leaning back in her chair, reading more about the case. I went back to work as I found out the dust belonged to the old milling factory right off the harbor. Olivia somehow left for food as I finally got the memory chip in the phone to work. I scrolled through her messages but they were all to her sister. But her photos were interesting, the recent ones were pictures of a carnival in town. Some were of her and her boyfriend, I assumed because the way he was holding her. And some were of her boyfriend posing, but if you looked close enough there was a figure in the back of all the photos while they were at the carnival.

I quickly got up and walked over to the desk where Olivia was sitting and checked the files. The carnival was in town when all the girls were kidnapped. I then went back to my desk and looked at the dust again. Why would it lead to a milling factory if he was from the carnival? I closed my eyes as I rubbed my temples, slowly going through each case step by step till a light went off. I grabbed my coat and dashed out of the office and hailed a taxi to take me to the carnival. I pulled out my phone and called Olivia but it went straight to voicemail. I gave an exasperated sigh.

"Answer your bloody phone! I am on my way to the carnival, I know who it is. Call me when you get this, don't make me wait." I hung up and shoved the phone in my pocket as the taxi pulled up to the place. I throw money at the cabbie as I dashed out of the car, hopping over the fence to the carnival as it was closed for the day. I ran towards the haunted house, where the last picture on the girl's phone had the mysterious figure in the back. She had taken a photo of him, and he saw her do it. That's why there was a mistake at the crime scene, he was trying to make sure he was invisible, he wanted no proof that he was ever here. She wasn't his target but ended up being one, after she took a photo of him on accident.

The door was locked, so I kicked it open with all my strength as I ran in, hearing muffled screams. As I rounded the corner, I saw the girl tied to a post, bleeding badly from the wound on her head. I ran towards her and started untying her till she froze and I turned around to see a black object hit me in the head, knocking me to my knees. I tired blocking out the pain as I tried getting up but there was another blow to my head and I was out like a light.

I woke up to someone touching my head, making me wince in pain. I tried to smack the hand away but my arms were bound. My head was spinning as the light slowly flooded my vision as I heard a loud ringing in my ears.

"You've finally awakened Princess," A deep voice rang out, making my head spin more. I blinked a couple of times to realize my wrists were tied above my head with something sharp as I was sitting on the ground. I slowly turned my head to see I was in an old factory, as I smelt the ocean from here and the crashes of the waves. I groaned in pain as I tried moving my arms, but something was cutting into my skin.

"Don't do that darling, you'll ruin your perfect skin," He smiled as I finally got a good look at him. He had bright hazel eyes and slicked back blonde hair with a scar on his cheek as he slowly chewed the gum in his mouth.

" Where…- where are we?" I said softly as I tried focusing on what happened. My eyes finally adjusted to the light and my head stopped spinning. I tried struggling to get my hands free but it only ended up with me moaning in pain as I felt blood trickle down my wrist. I looked up to see barbed wire wrapped around my wrists, keeping me locked to this post. The man smirked as he ran a finger down my cheek to my chin.

"I am proud of you detective Carter. You actually figured out the mistake I made. Most people who think it was just another stupid crime, but you, you thought outside the box. You took time to get to know the crimes, the kidnapper, me. I feel flattered that someone finally caught on, and I felt like I was the only smart person around here." He grabbed my face and planted a kiss on my lips, I recoiled, only cutting my wrists more in the process.

"Your quiet beautiful and smart, I don't feel so alone in the big bad world anymore. So let's play a game. It's called house, where I'm the husband and you're the wife and we travel the world, killing of the scum of the earth!" He smiled as he tucked a hair behind my ear. I sucked in my breath, trying not to move or scream. This man was insane and deadly. If I didn't get out of here soon I was dead. The man stood up and started pacing around the room, thinking about something when a plan hit me.

"What's your name? I must at least know my husband's name." I said softly, trying to charm him and buy time. Olivia would know I was missing and would come looking for me, after two years of being together, Olivia knew me well. The man lit up like the sun and walked over to me and kneeled and ran a finger down my cheek to my collar bone, licking his lips.

"You can call me Artimis. Hey, don't be scared, I won't hurt you," he rubbed my cheek, trying to calm me down, as I didn't realize I was shaking with fear. Artimis was about to say something when a loud bang made me jump and Olivia ran in with a gun in her hands. Suddenly everything got cold as Artimis grabbed me by my hair and pulled me up onto my feet, as the barbed cuffs cut deeper in my skin, as I bled more. I started feeling dizzy as I moaned in pain, as my vision got blurry again and everything got dark again.

My eyes flew open as the flight attendant announced that we would be landing shortly. I sighed in relief as I made it to London in one piece. But it didn't help the feeling I got in my stomach, there was a reason why I left London in the first place. But I put that aside as I focused on catching Artimis and putting a bullet in between his eyes. I turned to looked at Olive, still asleep, and I smiled. I was grateful to here because I would be dead without her, but I would never admit that.

OD

The last thing I remember seeing on the plane before I drifted to sleep was Lyra's face staring off into space.

I was walking into Lyra's office with a snack for myself and hopefully for her if she would eat it, when I noticed she wasn't there. I sat waiting for several minutes before realizing she wasn't coming back. Just like Lyra. Take off while I'm not in the room. I take out my phone in hopes that she at least left me a text. To my surprise it is off when I take it out. Funny, it must have turned off in my pocket. As it powers on I receive a voicemail. I put my phone to my ear as it plays the message.

"Answer your bloody phone! I am on my way to the carnival, I know who it is. Call me when you get this, don't make me wait."

Then it ends. I look at the time my phone had received the voicemail. 6:26. It was nearly seven O'clock now, she must be there by now. I grab my purse before running out the door and dial her number on speed dial. There's no answer.

When I was in the taxi on my way to the carnival I started to get antsy. Lyra always answered her phone, and I have called her over ten times now. I run out of the taxi after quickly paying the driver. I run almost everywhere at the carnival and still no sight of Lyra. After another minute I hear something to my left. It was quiet but I'm sure I heard it. This carnival plot was quieter than a grave yard. I walked closer to where I heard the noise from a moment ago. Again I hear a soft moan, and this time I know where it was coming from. To my left there was a haunted house. My Military training starts to take hold as I go into a low crouch pulling my gun out of my purse.

Once I step inside of the haunted house I slip my heels off and silently put them on the ground. I continue toward what sounds like a voice of a male and a female who sounds weak and scared. My chest constricts and I start to move faster. The voices get louder and louder until I reach a door that must lead back to the maintenance room. There is a slim window through the right side of the door above the doorknob. I slowly peek through holding my gun close to my chest.

The sight I see nearly makes me gasp out loud and fills me with fear. Fear for Lyra. She is sitting on the ground with her arms bound above her head with what looks like some type of barbed wire. There is blood trickling down her arms and a large gash on the left side of her temple. Next to her is a man I can only assume is the killer she was talking about finding in her message. He looks unarmed and alone so I go for it.

Without another second wasted, I take a step back and kick the door open. As soon as the door is opened I point my gun straight at the man, but I can't take the shot. He has Lyra pulled up on her feet in front of me. Her eyes are on mine wide with fear and pain. The man then reaches inside of his jacket pocket and pulls out a Beretta M6 and starts firing at me. Lucky for me he isn't the best shot. I quickly duck behind a part of one of the large machinery in the room. He keeps shooting, so I take a deep breath and start counting his bullets. I was going to have to write my old buddy from my regiment for teaching me that one. Once the fires had stopped, I peeked out to the side to see if I could get a shot. He still held up Lyra with one hand in front of him so I couldn't get a clean shot. Once he realized he was out of bullets, he started to reload, but in his fumbling attempts to be quick, Lyra fell from his grasp and fell to the ground.

I took my chance without hesitation and fired straight at his head. It hit him, as he fell to the ground with a thud. Once he was down I started to run over to Lyra as fast as my legs would allow but I only made it half way across the room when a load bang sounded.

First was the surprise, then there was the searing pain that had started to enflame my abdomen. I tumbled to my knees and quickly looked up. The man was stumbling to his feet, his head bleeding immensely. I only grazed his left side. How did I manage to miss? I was a sniper for god's sake.

Before he could shoot again I let my rounds fly but not very effectively. The shot I had received was greatly impairing my aim. I might have got one of his arms, but I can't be sure because he took off.

With what little strength I had left I crawled over to Lyra with one hand while my other was clutching my abdomen like a vise to try and slow the bleeding at least a little. I then pulled out my phone and called the station. When they answered I could only get out two words.

"Carnival, wounded…" then I was started to lose all coherent thought. Before I blacked out, I placed my unoccupied hand on the side of Lyra's neck. Faintly I felt a pulse thump, then I let the darkness take me.