𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮 ➪ 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘄𝗼𝗼𝗱

𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘅. 𝘂𝗻𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝘂𝗹𝗹𝘀

"I HOPED YOU'D SAY THAT."
Lockwood's raspy voice replied to the boy in front of him, "shall we make things a bit more interesting?" he proposed with a smile, stepping alongside Kipps. Agnes noticed that the graveyard workers had begun to take notice in the agents.

"a race to find the mirror." Lockwood said loudly, attracting attention to a larger crowd of people. "loser has to take out an ad in The Times to congratulate the winner." she'd knew that both Kipps and Lockwood's large ego would be severely harmed once one of them lost their bet; it was absolutely perfect and amusing.

"oh. full page?" Kipps eyed Lockwood now, sarcasm dripping into his words. "grow up, Tony. here are the terms. the loser quits and never works in this industry again." what the fuck is he trying to do?!
Agnes widened her eyes towards Lucy, the brunette seemed taken back by the conditions as well.
they knew that Lockwood would not hold back a second, to find that mirror. after all, that company was supposed to be his legacy and he was stubborn enough to die for it.

"London will be a lot safer with three less amateurs stumbling around." Kipps looked at Lucy and George.
he was sparing her, knowing that when the "inferior" company went down he would offer his gentleman's hand and give her a job she deserved. and he knew that she would accept it, as long as her stupid coworkers were left unharmed she'd do anything.
Quill raised his right hand to Lockwood, waiting for a handshake.

"do we have a deal?"

Lockwood exhaled in disbelief, he was able to figure Kipps out as well. he'd be betting on his company and in Agnes and he pondered if he should truly put them on a uncrossable line.
"what's the matter, Tony? scared you'll lose?" Kipps taunted with a smirk. he knew he was crossing a line, he knew that Lockwood now felt obligated to agree because of his large ego.
the boy in a suit and tie chuckled humorlessly.
he met Kipps hand, shaking it with much distaste.

Agnes bit the tip of her tongue— it was now an obligation to find that stupid mirror, and find it fast because obviously the famous agency would have better resources.
"oh, you've gotta be kidding me." George sighed.

"enjoy your last case." Lockwood chuckled, giving the Fittes agents one last glance before strutting down the steps with full confidence, Agnes wondered if it was fake, if he just wanted to show how unbothered he was or if he was simply this self-assured.
"what the hell is he doing?" Lucy asked both of her friends as they watched Lockwood pass them through, his breath shaky.
"whatever the hell he wants." Agnes replied without looking at her best friend, her eyes to the back of Anthony Lockwood.

Agnes laid in her bed, staring at the ceiling. her mind stuck on the phone call she had received from Killian earlier that day.
Montrose.

Agnes Montrose Berkshire, she hated the name.
she hated the way the last two names belonged to a bloodline of cold blooded killers who'd do anything for the taste of power and secrets. she hated the way Montrose belonged to her mother and the way she was called back a few years.
because she was as brutal as her mother, always getting into a fight. always having a sharp tongue and a desire to harm the ones around her like a ticking bomb.
she knew why her family hated her, because she was supposed to be a boy.

although Agnes is the heir, the title belonged to Thomas Alexander || Berkshire, the first son.
the dead sweetheart of the family; the one who no one dared to utter about.
Thomas had died when he was seven. a deadly virus found a way into his heart and it killed him, slowly and tortuously.
after a few months of complete grief and depression, Emilia Montrose Berkshire was forced to bare another heir, her husband demanded a boy.
but after two miscarriages the couple almost gave up in a heir. submitting to the fact that the bloodline would die in the hands of Alexander and Emilia.

the couple decided to try for one last time a few months later.
Emilia did not do it for her happiness, but for her husband's. after all, she craved the fulfillment of being a good wife.
and in that last pregnancy came out a girl, a girl that almost killed Emilia.

the doctor advised that the couple should not give anymore attempts. so now Alexander and Emilia Berkshire were stuck with a girl.  and whatever pregnancy made outside their marriage would be born a bastard who'd have no privilege within the family's name.

Agnes had her brows furrowed in anger.
that was the full story she'd hear from eavesdropping on her parents, from Killian's tale he'd told back when Agnes was nine. it was where the hate came from, because the Berkshire's would never be able to have a male heir, the sexism of the family was rooted deep inside their veins as it was thought from member to member, generation to generation.

"Agnes?" Anthony Lockwood's voice was muffled by her wooden door, he knocked three times before opening a gap.
he stepped in, still close to the door as he exhaled.

"are you okay?" he furrowed his brows in his pink silk pajamas. Agnes hummed in response, though her eyes were still focused on the ceiling.
"I just wanted to- I just wanted to know where you'd be sleeping?" he waited for her response for a couple of seconds.

"I'll be out in a  few minutes, Lockwood." Agnes sighed rubbing her hands across her forehead, he nodded before leaving to the opposite room.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Agnes and Lucy stared at the skull together, the two had gotten up earlier than normal—earlier than George and Lockwood at least.
Lucy had the crusts from her breakfast meal on a small plate and Agnes had the wrapper from a small chocolate bar on the table.
it was difficult to get out of Anthony's grasp when she woke up, his hands holding her down the mattress and as she carefully slipped out of his arms he kept whining her name before hugging her pillow.

the two teenager girls sat there, no words dared to leave their mouths. they waited for the skull to do something, anything; but it was completely unresponsive.
suddenly Lockwood walked into the kitchen, he looked at both girls, "you're up early." he commented, looking at Agnes momentarily- he'd always be the one to wake her so it was weird to see her up earlier.
"yeah. we're trying to get us a head start, but it's playing hard to get." Lucy responded, Agnes banged her forehead on the desk with a sigh of tiredness from staring at the ghost.

"you okay?" neither Lockwood or Agnes knew who the question was meant to, the blonde dragged out a hum in response. "I'm fine. why wouldn't I be?" Lockwood responded Lucy, grabbing a few things from the fridge.
Anthony Lockwood was not fine, and Agnes found the fact to be simply obvious. but the last thing she was, was to be a good comforter.

"don't worry about the skull. we've already got a head start on Kipp's crew." he reassured both his listeners, walking towards the table. "we'll be in and out of the cemetery before they even finish their cornflakes." he explained with a convinced smile, pouring himself a glass of juice, offering his colleagues a glass in which they refused.

"do you think it meant the mirror?" Agnes brought her head up from the table, her head on Lucy's direction although the question was open for anybody to answer.

"what?" Lockwood put his glass down at the question, he furrowed his brows at Agnes's  random question.
"the skull." she signaled to the iron jar containing the creature. "it said death is coming. what if the mirror is death?" Agnes bit her lip in frustration, trying to find any justification or any clue to this dead-end case.

"then I say bring it on." Lockwood stared at Agnes and she returned his gaze in the same intensity. Lucy started to feel as a third-wheel in their interactions, she smiled.