Locklyle - The Story after The Empty Grave

Part 23: Surprise?

Lucy's POV:

A week after we had found out the news about the gates on the otherside being destroyed, we had a lazy day. The past few nights we had had one or more cases and we were getting tired again. But this morning, Lockwood announced we would be having the night off.

So there we were, being lazy in the living room. George was in the kitchen baking something. I think it was biscuits, but I'm not sure. Lockwood was sitting on the couch flipping through the latest edition of his gossip magazine, and I was laying with my head in his lap reading a book. It was the end of the first week of September and it was already becoming very chilly. We were almost tempted to stoke the fire, but decided it would be better not too.

While laying here, Lockwood twisted my hair in his hands and occasionally produced knots. Of course my hair always seemed to have knots so I didn't mind. We were silent, but we could hear the noises of George banging utensils and bowls on the counter, the noise of traffic passing the house, and occasionally birds tweeting. Earlier, I had gone out and mowen the backyard as we had started to neglect it again. It took me less than an hour to do so, and when I came back in, Lockwood was down in the basement practicing rapier movements.

I had stood to watch for a while before he noticed me. When he did, he asked me to join him and so I did. We parried at each other for a little while before Lockwood knocked the sword out of my hand, dropped his, pulled me in and kissed me. I hadn't been expecting it, but it was kind of hot. I wasn't going to tell him that though, it would only boost his ego further.

We then had lunch, before coming and sitting in the living room. We had talked for a while before quieting down and reading our respective book and magazine. We had only done this for an hour when the doorbell rang.

'I'll get it!' Goetge yelled before rushing out of the kitchen and into the hallway. As he passed the living room doorway he looked like a pink blur. He was wearing his pink apron that Lockwood had given him after George had given him pink pajamas.

We heard the door open and muffled voices. It sounded female, but I wasn't too sure. I looked up at Lockwood, but his magazine was in the way. I grabbed it out of his hands.
'Huh? What was that for, Luce?'
'No reason. But who do you reckon that is? I thought we weren't going to be doing anything today?'
'We aren't.' He grinned at me. It was a sly grin. Something was up.
'Why are you being like that?'
'Like what?' His smile grew bigger.
'What's going on?' I sat up and glared at him. 'You're not telling me something.'
'You'll find out so-' He was cut off by loud footsteps coming to a halt outside the doorway. I whipped my head around and found a familiar face standing in the doorway.

'Mary?'
'Lucy!' She ran over to me and pulled me into a hug.  My brain was still computing what was happening and who this was, so I didn't return the hug. Mary untangled herself from me and smiled.
'Oh you look so much older!' I don't know what she was on about, I looked exactly the same. Maybe a little taller, a little more confident, but no less the same. The same could be said about her. Nothing had changed. Her hair was still it's long brown self, like mine. Her face was still round-ish, scattered with a few freckles. The only change was she was now two years older - nineteen to be exact. 'It's been so long. It's so great to see you!' She exclaimed. I stared at her. What was my sister doing here? I hadn't heard from her in over two months. We had exchanged letters every few weeks before that, but she never responded to my last one. I was so confused. And now this?

'Lucy? You okay?' Lockwood asked me, placing his hand on my shoulder. I nodded my head.
'Yeah. I just- Mary?'
'Yes Lucy. It's me. Your sister. Why are you so confused?'
'What are you doing here?' I was happy to see her, of course I was. But, I felt weird. I hadn't seen her since I had left home early at my last visit over two years ago. And we had never really mentioned it in our letters. What would this time be like?