22 YEARS AGO
"David, Daniel, Darren, Esme, these are your cousins Mycroft and Sherlock. They'll be staying with us for a few days, so be nice to them," Aunt Lydia said as she led two more boys into the backyard. For the last six years, I had been the only girl in my family's youngest generation.
"But they aren't my cousins, not really. They're my second cousins," I said, crossly. I was already very annoyed at having to play with three boys who picked on me not only because they were older and larger, but also because I was in the same class at school with them.
"They're still family, so be nice to them," Aunt Lydia said as she went back inside to offer these boys' parents tea, probably.
"Hello, Space and Esme," the younger boy said with a slight smile. I laughed, the triplets most definitely cause chaos in three dimensions.
"Don't be smart, Sherlock. I'm the smart one," the older boy snapped before asking, "Oh, is that a Maculinea Arion?" Then, he entered the thyme patch besides us.
"A what?"
"It's more commonly known as the Large Blue Lycaenidae," Sherlock said, slightly downcast, the triples looked at him with bewildered expressions.
"A big, blue butterfly," I explain.
"How do you know?" David asks with his arms crossed.
"You morons!" I exclaim as I point over to where the older boy was crouched looking at a big blue butterfly.
"Ohhh" the triplets say in unison. I just shake my head as I walk away, pulling Sherlock with me. He's so stunned, he practically follows me to my hiding place. I climb to a wooden platform seven feet up an oak tree when I notice that Sherlock was still on the ground.
"Well, are you going to come up or not? I won't blame you if you don't. 'Space' never do. They're too scared," I say as I turn to get my telescope out of a small wooden box on the other side of the platform.
"Sherlock, you still down there?" I holler as I return to the other side of the platform.
"No," a voice says right behind me.
"I didn't hear you come up," I say after nearly drop my telescope.
"Why do you have all this stuff hanging from the branches?" Sherlock asks.
"Oh, sometimes, I pretend that I'm a… a pirate and well, that's how I… Well, that's my loot," I blush as I motion towards the stuff I had found in an abandoned lot nearby. Great, I've made a complete fool of myself in front of my only chance at a friend.
"I couldn't hear you, did you say pirate?" Sherlock asks.
"Maybe, why?" I respond in a measured voice.
"I want to be a pirate when I grow up."
"Really! So do I!" I say as I rush over to the wooden chest and pull out two newspaper hats. I hand one to Sherlock and put the other one on before climbing to a small platform higher in the tree.
"This is the crow's nest. I'd let you up here, but I'm afraid the it would break. You can steer the boat from over there," I say as I point to a hanging bicycle wheel.
"Aye, Aye, Captain Esme!" Sherlock says as he heard for the wheel with a paper hat on his head.
"First Mate Sherly, enemy boats at 6 o'clock!"
"Hey! Get down from there! Let's play Doctors and Daleks," Daniel hollered at us.
"We'll be the Doctors, and you can be the Daleks," David suggested.
"Never! Ye land loving dogs!" Sherlock hollered back. I'm impressed. He seemed so passive.
"Quiet down," Mycroft snapped at us.
"Make us!" Darren snaps back. Nobody noticed me climbing even higher into the tree, well they didn't until everyone but Sherlock got hit in the chest with an acorn.
"You're not supposed to be up there Essie, I'm telling Mom!" Daniel shouted when he noticed where the acorn had come from.
"You have no proof," I reply as I swing down to the main platform.
"What about the acorns you just threw at us?" Daniel pointed out.
"Early acorn season," Sherlock replied.
"Suspiciously early, especially since these acorns are much too green to have fallen naturally," Mycroft said as he walked towards the house, unripe acorn in his hand. I was busted.
A/N: Yay! Flashbacks! I plan to write more flashbacks throughout the story to give some background info on Esme's character.